BEST ADOBE CAPTIVATE
ALTERNATIVE

Adobe Captivate is a benchmark program for many users when it comes to creating interactive eLearning content. It offers a wide range of features to build engaging courses.

However, the software is expensive ($33.99 per month), requires time to master all the features, and consumes many system resources. That’s why, some users may want to explore alternative options.

I fully understand people’s desire to switch to cheaper and more intuitive alternatives to Adobe Captivate. To help you find the perfect fit, I’ve put together a list of promising options.

I carefully selected these tools based on their user-friendliness, price, ability to create modern, interactive content, support for the latest formats (HTML5, SCORM), and compatibility with popular learning management systems (LMS).

To get a clear picture of each software’s capabilities, I decided to put them to the test with a real-world project. I created a cybersecurity awareness course for a company. This course required a variety of elements, including video lectures, screen recordings, interactive quizzes, tests, and other engaging features.

My client had a specific vision. A course was broken down into step-by-step modules, each ending with a quiz, followed by a final exam. To make it even more challenging, they wanted to include branching scenarios to mimic real-life decision-making.

I thought such a complex project provided the ideal environment to thoroughly test the capabilities of each Adobe Captivate alternative.

iSpring Suite really impressed me, especially since I'm already comfortable with PowerPoint. Unlike Captivate, which is rather difficult to master, iSpring Suite is easy to pick up because it works directly within PowerPoint. As an educator, I highly appreciate this integration because I don’t need to learn a new tool.

I like that this eLearning software offers a comprehensive toolkit including quiz builders, simulation creators, and video studios. What's even better is that these tools share a similar, user-friendly interface. This means you can quickly switch between tasks without having to spend time mastering new functions.

iSpring Suite is a great Adobe Captivate alternative for those who need to create high-quality training materials quickly. It has an extensive content library and a user-friendly interface, so you can achieve professional results without a design background. While it offers a robust set of tools, it doesn't match Captivate's advanced capabilities, such as VR experiences. That was a problem for me because I needed them for my project.

Price: from $770 per year

It was very interesting to compare Adobe Captivate vs Articulate. Adobe Captivate offers a lot of features, but it can be quite complex to use. On the other hand, Articulate Rise 360 is absolutely user-friendly.

With its simple drag-and-drop interface, you can build courses directly in your browser even if you lack technical expertise. I managed to create a responsive cybersecurity awareness course with ease.

Articulate Rise 360 is great for quick and easy course creation, but it still has some downsides. The quiz options are limited, and you can't record or edit videos on the platform. If you need to create highly interactive courses with lots of multimedia, you are likely to be disappointed with Rise 360 functionality.

Articulate Rise 360 is a wonderful Adobe Captivate free alternative for those who value simplicity and speed. It's perfect for creating eLearning content quickly without dealing with technical processes. However, if you need advanced tools and customization options, Adobe Captivate may be a better fit.

Price: from $1,199 annually

Lectora is a powerful all-in-one tool for creating interesting e-learning courses. It contains functions and instruments for making basic quizzes, slides, and immersive role-plays, as well as an integrated text-to-speech converter.

Like Captivate, it lets you build virtual reality experiences. But Lectora offers more than that. With this software, you can incorporate exciting games from The Training Arcade® directly into your courses, making learning fun and interactive.

Lectora is a powerful tool, but it's not for everyone. While it offers unmatched flexibility for experienced instructional designers, its complexity can be overwhelming for beginners. Of course, the ability to customize scripts and code provides endless possibilities, but it also means you'll need a solid understanding of programming to fully harness its potential.

Still, don't worry if coding isn't your thing. Lectora offers pre-built Course Starter templates with ready-made layouts, games, and interactions. These templates can come in handy for beginners, but the program’s interface can still feel more complex to navigate compared to Captivate.

Price: from $117 per month

I switched from Adobe Captivate to Elucidat and was pleasantly surprised by how user-friendly it is. This online learning platform doesn't require any coding knowledge, so even beginners can create high-quality digital learning materials. There are also pre-built templates with helpful guides and examples, so you can dive right into the working process.

Elucidat outperforms other Adobe Captivate alternative free options when it comes to tailoring the learning experience. It has the "Rules" feature, using which you can create different paths through your course based on how learners interact with the content. This is similar to Captivate's advanced interactivity, but Elucidat makes it easier to set up, even if you're not a tech expert.

Elucidat is a great option for straightforward e-learning projects, but it doesn't match Captivate's advanced features. For instance, it lacks audio and video recording, and it can't build complex role-play scenarios. If you need these capabilities for your course, this software may feel limiting.

Price: by request

Storyline 360 is a powerful program for creating high-quality e-learning courses. Like Captivate, it lets you add voiceovers, videos, quizzes, and even record your screen. But Storyline 360 allows creating complex and user-focused interactions with the help of triggers and layers. Thus, you can maintain control over how learners perceive your course.

When comparing Storyline vs Captivate, I saw that this Captivate alternative is packed with features, but creating interactive elements here can be time-consuming. Storyline 360 really offers great customization, but it has limited pre-built interactions compared to Captivate's library. So, I had to spend more time building things from scratch.

The flexibility of the program is impressive, but making complex interactions is long and challenging, especially for novices. Fortunately, Storyline 360 includes multiple templates, graphics, and characters to expedite the design process.

Price: $1,499 annually

Gomo is a cloud-based option that can replace Adobe Captivate for some users. It brags about its ability for multiple team members to edit content at once, so if collaboration is your priority, Gomo will please you. The drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly, especially when compared to Captivate's feature-packed platform.

I particularly like the pre-built templates available here. They cut down on creation time a lot. I can pick a design I like, add my content, and my course is ready in no time. It's perfect for those with tight deadlines.

With Gomo, you can customize your courses with your own logos and colors. This is important to match your brand and make all materials easily recognizable. The software is undeniably great for making simple and quick courses, but it doesn’t have as many advanced features as Captivate. So, if you need to create complex interactions or simulations, opt for other tools.

Price: by request

ActivePresenter is a powerful alternative to Adobe Captivate that can do virtually everything that the reference software does, plus more. It's great for creating online courses, screen recordings, and editing videos. However, its unique feature is the focus on interactive elements like games and software simulations. Thus, learning materials become more engaging and memorable.

ActivePresenter may also attract users with the possibility to integrate training content into other learning systems thanks to its HTML5 support. However, there's a catch - each license only works on one computer at a time. Fortunately, you can move the license to a different device if needed.

Still, I noticed that ActivePresenter can slow down my computer a bit, which wasn't a problem with Captivate. But even with that, it's still a good choice for basic eLearning projects because it's easy to use and affordable.

Price: $199 one-time payment

Coassemble is a unique program combining the features of the course creation tool and learning management system (LMS) into one platform. Such an all-inclusive approach sets it apart from Captivate, which primarily focuses on eLearning content development.

Creating courses here is a breeze. You get a big library with pre-built templates called lesson screens' for everything from simple text and images to interactive quizzes and challenges. This is similar to Adobe Captivate, but these templates are quicker and easier to understand.

Unfortunately, Coassemble doesn't stay on par with Adobe Captivate in terms of advanced capabilities. There are no such features as VR project creation and complex interactions. Thus, I can’t complete all the tasks listed by my clients for the ordered project.

Price: from $9 per month, free for individuals

dominKnow transcends many Adobe Captivate alternatives, especially for large organizations. Whether you're an experienced or new instructional designer, you can take advantage of its powerful features for producing engaging eLearning content.

The main focus of this program is on teamwork and content management. It's perfect for large teams working on multiple eLearning projects. It is really important to share ideas when engaged in a large-scale project and with dominKnow you can do that very promptly. Besides, colleagues can manage different versions of their courses, get feedback from reviewers, and track progress.

Besides, dominKnow makes it easy to create eLearning content in multiple languages. With support for over 50 languages, you can translate and update your courses for global audiences. This is a huge advantage for companies operating in different countries.

Price: from $9 per month