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Best Course Authoring Software in 2026

Course authoring software is for creating learning materials, assessments, and interactive content for delivery across devices. Compare assessment builders, interactive content, and responsive output, as well as SCORM export and content libraries. Author seats and team collaboration can help you consider how course creators work together; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost context. ProProfs Training Maker, BranchTrack, and eXeLearning are among the entries, with Mindsmith and Easygenerator also shown. Weigh the listed creation, delivery, and collaboration features against the courses your team plans to produce.

  1. 1

    Adapt Learning

    Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5

    Adapt combines a no-code authoring tool with a developer framework and a broad set of course features.

    9.3 Free plan Visit site
  2. 2

    H5P

    Free plan Open source APISelf-hostedWeb

    H5P offers interactive content creation through free self-hosted software and an H5P.com service with LTI integrations.

    8.7 Free plan Visit site
  3. 3

    Xerte

    Free plan Open source AndroidiPhoneLinux+4

    Choose Xerte if you need a free authoring suite with interactive templates, HTML5 output, and learning-platform exports. It fits organisations able to install and maintain it on a web server.

    8.5 Free plan Visit site
  4. 4

    ActivePresenter

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+4

    ActivePresenter combines recording, editing, course authoring, and LMS-oriented exports.

    7.7 Free plan · paid from $249 Visit site
  5. 5

    BranchTrack

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+2

    BranchTrack combines scenario authoring, learner tracking, and multiple delivery options for experiential learning.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $83/mo (annual) Visit site
  6. 6

    Cforj Course Forge Studio

    Free plan ExtensionSelf-hostedWeb

    Cforj provides a browser-based way to build and publish interactive courses, with multiple export formats and a free plan.

    7.3 Free plan · paid from $30/mo Visit site
  7. 7

    eXeLearning

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2

    eXeLearning offers free authoring across desktop and online use, with export formats and plugins for publishing and learning platforms. Mobile access is for viewing materials, not editing.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  8. 8

    Lumi Education

    Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1

    Choose Lumi if you need to author and distribute interactive H5P learning materials, especially with its offline desktop editor or its individual learner response collection.

    7.1 Free plan · paid from €10/mo Visit site
  9. 9

    Mindsmith

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Mindsmith offers course authoring, multiple delivery options and learner analytics in a browser-based tool. Review the annual billing and credit allocations when choosing a plan.

    7.1 Free plan · paid from $39/mo (annual) Visit site
  10. 10

    Pathwright

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Pathwright combines structured course paths with Cohorts, interactive content and mentoring.

    7.0 From $89/mo (annual) · 30-day trial Visit site
  11. 11

    ProProfs Training Maker

    by ProProfs Training Maker
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    ProProfs Training Maker combines course creation, learner reporting, and standards support for employee, customer, or partner training.

    7.0 Free plan · paid from $1.99/mo Visit site
  12. 12

    Easygenerator

    Free plan Web

    Easygenerator combines course authoring, interactive content, and several distribution paths in a web platform.

    6.9 Free plan · paid from $116/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  13. 13

    Lectora

    Free plan WebWindows

    Lectora combines course-building, collaboration, localization and multiple publishing formats. The listed suite price and asset-download restriction are worth weighing against its authoring features.

    6.9 From $1,549/yr Visit site
  14. 14

    Open eLearning

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Choose Open eLearning if you want an offline desktop authoring tool for interactive multimedia courses, with SCORM compatibility and an open source license.

    6.9 Free plan Visit site
  15. 15

    Pathwright

    Free plan APIWeb

    Pathwright brings course design, cohort invitations, mentoring, and course sales into a web-based platform.

    6.7 From $89/mo (annual) · 30-day trial Visit site
  16. 16

    aNewSpring

    by aNewSpring
    Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Choose aNewSpring if you need a training platform that combines course creation, blended delivery and administrative automation.

    6.5 From €18.60/yr · 30-day trial Visit site
  17. 17

    CenarioVR

    Free trial AndroidiPhoneWeb+1

    Choose CenarioVR if you need no-code VR course authoring with interactive scenes, LMS publishing, and performance tracking.

    6.4 Visit site
  18. 18

    dominKnow ONE

    Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+4

    Choose dominKnow ONE if your team needs collaborative authoring, assessments, and responsive or SCORM output.

    6.3 Pricing on request · 14-day trial Visit site
  19. 19

    Nolej

    Free plan Web

    Choose Nolej if you want to build varied learning activities from existing content and use options such as Moodle, Google Classroom or SCORM export.

    6.3 Pricing on request Visit site
  20. 20

    Articulate Rise 360

    Free trial WebWindows

    Choose Articulate Rise 360 if you need browser-based course authoring, interactive quizzes, and LMS package exports. Its Teams plan supports simultaneous work on separate lessons.

    6.2 From $1,449/user/yr · 14-day trial Visit site
  21. 21

    Evolve Authoring

    Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Evolve Authoring combines course creation, assessment, collaboration, and multiple publishing options. Its 21-day trial offers a way to evaluate the paid product before committing.

    6.2 From $49/user/mo (annual) · 21-day trial Visit site
  22. 22

    EdBuild AI

    Free trial APISelf-hostedWeb

    EdBuild AI combines document-based course authoring with an LMS, review controls and a broad set of export formats.

    6.1 Visit site
  23. 23

    iSpring LMS

    Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+2

    iSpring LMS combines employee learning tracks, AI-assisted course creation, integrations, and mobile offline learning.

    6.1 30-day trial Visit site
  24. 24

    Gomo Learning

    Free trial AndroidiPhoneWeb

    Gomo combines course authoring, collaboration, responsive output and LMS-ready publishing in one cloud-based product.

    6.0 Pricing on request · 21-day trial Visit site
  25. 25

    Chameleon Creator

    Free trial Web

    Chameleon Creator combines interactive course authoring, SCORM exports and learner analytics, with a hosting option for teams that do not require an LMS.

    5.9 From $2,880/yr · 14-day trial Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

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