How Personal AcademyCompares to Incumbents
Between self-hosted complexity and five-figure enterprise contracts sits a modern, secure LMS priced per active user from $1 per active user. Here is how we compare directly to the industry’s incumbents.
We compete with every vendor on this page. How we compare, and how to correct us.
Unlike legacy learning systems with banded tier jumps (e.g. 40 to 100 users costing thousands more) and separate SSO enterprise taxes, Personal Academy provides one published price per active user starting at $1 per active user a month with SAML 2.0 SSO, SCIM 2.0 provisioning, and database tenant isolation included from day one on every paid plan.
No Band Cliffs
Never pay for unused tier capacity. Adding your 41st user adds one user price, not a whole new band.
No SSO Tax
SAML 2.0, SCIM 2.0, and Postgres RLS are included across all paid plans from $1 per active user.
Auditable AI Meter
Published per-action credit rates and bring-your-own-key options. Zero hidden markups.
Honest Criteria
We publish exact conditions where competitor platforms are a better fit for your needs. How we compare
Capability-by-Capability Comparison
Clear, honest comparison of foundational architecture and enterprise features.
| Key Capability | Personal Academy | TalentLMS | Docebo | Moodle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Pricing | From $1 per active user / mo | $119 / mo (Core, 1–40 user bracket; checked 19 Oct 2026) | Pricing not published, quote required. | Free licence (self-hosted); MoodleCloud from US$170/yr for 50 users |
| Crossing a user bracket | No brackets: 41 active people are billed as 41 | The monthly price rises with each bracket (1–40, 41–70, 71–100 …) | Not applicable (quote-only) | MoodleCloud plans step at 50, 100, 200, 500 and 750 users |
| Enterprise SAML 2.0 & OIDC SSO | Included on all paid tiers | Included on all paid plans, Core and up | Not listed on public pricing page | Not built in; third-party plugin required |
| Automated SCIM Directory Sync | Included on all paid tiers | Not mentioned on talentlms.com/prices | Not listed on public pricing page | Not built in; third-party plugin required |
| AI Course Studio with Bloom’s Taxonomy | Built-in block builder + AI | Basic text editor | Add-on module | Plugin-dependent |
| SCORM 1.2 Player & xAPI | Sandboxed SCORM 1.2 player; receives xAPI statements | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Learning-as-a-SaaS (Storefront & Cart) | Premium: sell through your own Stripe or Razorpay account | Basic eCommerce add-on | Custom extension | Complex plugins |
| Kirkpatrick 4-Level Impact Analytics | Built-in Levels 1–4 evaluation | Basic completion logs | Advanced analytics add-on | Basic gradebook |
| Bring Your Own AI Model Key (BYOK) | Premium: your own key, at a reduced credit rate | Not listed on public site | Not listed on public site | Custom code required |
Competitor information from public sources, checked 19 Oct 2026. Verify current terms before buying.
Head-to-Head LMS Comparisons
Select a competitor to inspect side-by-side pricing models, feature matrices, and technical limitations.
TalentLMS
Active users, sold in user bracketsTalentLMS prices by user bracket: the advertised $119 a month is the Core plan’s 1–40 user bracket, and the price rises as you move up brackets (talentlms.com/prices, checked 19 Oct 2026).
- Strong brand recognition and tenured market presence
- Mature self-serve onboarding for basic course distribution
Docebo
Quoted annual contractPricing not published, quote required: every Docebo plan is “Get Your Pricing” (docebo.com/pricing, checked 19 Oct 2026).
- Deep enterprise functionality for global large-enterprise deployments
- Scoped onboarding packages (Essential 8 weeks to Elite 24 weeks) with a global partner network
Moodle
Self-hosted (free licence) or MoodleCloud (annual plans)The licence is free and MoodleCloud plans stop at 750 users, so larger deployments mean self-hosting or a partner: server infrastructure, security patches, SSO plugins and maintenance are on you.
- 100% open-source software licence with zero vendor lock-in
- Complete code sovereignty and deep customisation through thousands of plugins
360Learning
Per user per month (Team plan)360Learning’s Team plan is $8 per user per month (up to 100 users, monthly, no minimum). Personal Academy’s paid plans are published per active user on /pricing.
- Excellent collaborative peer-learning workflows and subject-matter expert engagement
- Strong internal upskilling and social learning features
Litmos
Annual contract, quotedLitmos publishes starting prices only: Foundation from $8,000 a year and Platinum from $15,000 a year, with the minimum user count unpublished (litmos.com/pricing, checked 19 Oct 2026).
- Long-standing corporate LMS with a ready-made course catalogue
- Named among G2’s top corporate LMS picks (2026)
LearnUpon
Quoted (100-user minimum)LearnUpon’s plans start at 100 users for employee training and 300 for customer education (learnupon.com/pricing, checked 19 Oct 2026), so smaller teams fall below the entry point.
- Multi-portal architecture for external customer education
- Clean modern interface and dedicated customer success management
Arist
Not publishedArist is built around text-message nudges and publishes no price. Personal Academy delivers learning in chat and also runs a full course studio, SCORM playback and verifiable certificates.
- Pioneered SMS and WhatsApp text-based microlearning
- Delivery over SMS, WhatsApp, Slack and Teams (vendor blog)
Articulate Rise 360
Per seat per yearArticulate sells authoring per seat ($1,749 a year list) and delivery separately (Reach 360 Pro from $3,600 a year). Personal Academy includes authoring and delivery in one per-active-user price.
- Industry-standard block-based e-learning authoring (Rise 360)
- Storyline 360 for complex bespoke animations
7taps
Sales-led, by audience size7taps produces short card decks and no longer publishes plans or prices; it lacks the assessment depth, audit trail and tenant isolation that regulated training needs.
- Ultra-fast creation of swipeable microlearning cards
- Mobile-first vertical card format
Absorb LMS
Quoted annual contractPricing not published, quote required: Absorb is sold through a quoted contract rather than a published price list.
- Enterprise feature depth for large conglomerates
- Absorb Create and Absorb Infuse embedding capabilities
Competitor vs. Competitor Evaluations
Deciding between two incumbent platforms? See where each excels and how Personal Academy offers the optimal middle ground.
TalentLMS vs 360Learning, compared by Personal Academy
TalentLMS and 360Learning are both learning management systems: TalentLMS for self-serve course delivery, 360Learning for collaborative, peer-authored learning. TalentLMS sells user brackets from $119 a month; 360Learning Team costs $8 per user a month, both checked 19 Oct 2026. Personal Academy publishes per-active-user pricing with no minimum. Choose TalentLMS for five users or fewer, 360Learning for peer authoring.
TalentLMS vs Moodle, compared by Personal Academy
TalentLMS and Moodle are both learning management systems: TalentLMS is hosted and self-serve, while Moodle is open source, self-hosted or on MoodleCloud. TalentLMS sells user brackets from $119 a month; MoodleCloud annual plans start at A$230 for 50 users, both checked 19 Oct 2026. Personal Academy publishes per-active-user pricing with no minimum. Choose Moodle for server-level control.