Learning Tools Expand with AI to Meet Evolving Needs, ISG Says
Companies seek unified platforms for personalized, consumer-grade user experiences with solid compliance capabilities, new research says
Enterprises are increasingly seeking learning management systems that ensure compliance while offering users modern learning experiences, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III).
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Learning and Development, produced by ISG Software Research, provide the rankings and ratings of over 30 software providers and their products to support learning and development. The research finds that learning management systems (LMS) are converging with learning experience platforms (LXP). Organizations are demanding one system that can enforce learning policies and prepare the company for audits while also offering features such as recommendations and mobile-first experiences. Enterprises also seek platforms that can reliably integrate with human capital management and other systems.
"Companies want fewer systems to do more work," said Matthew Brown, director of research, Human Capital Management, ISG Software Research. "They want to deliver engaging learning experiences to multiple audiences while keeping the compliance features at the heart of an LMS."
Evolving user expectations for learning are reshaping LMS platforms, which are designed to administer, deliver, track and report formal learning in an enterprise, the research finds. Employees want personalized, consumer-grade interfaces and options appropriate to their own skill level, so many LMS platforms now include a baseline of expected user experience features. At the same time, employers expect more comprehensive views of learning across an organization that reveal skill coverage, risk hotspots and the best actions for managers to take next. The overall goals are to activate skills, reduce risk and shorten the time to readiness for critical roles.
Increasingly, companies also want one learning platform for both internal employees and external audiences such as partners, contractors and customers, the research finds. Extended-enterprise capabilities can eliminate the overhead of operating two software stacks while ensuring governance and keeping data coherent.
By 2027, one-third of enterprises will use LMS and LXP platforms with ontologies that define relationships among skills and roles, ISG's research predicts. These skill and job ontologies inform assignments, guide users and give managers a view of team readiness. They enable companies to optimize learning paths, improving employee engagement and retention.
Instead of assembling a learning system from separate components, many enterprises are now adopting comprehensive learning and development suites, the research finds. These have become more than bundles of tools. They now integrate elements including core LMS functions, experience features, intelligence about skills and access to learning content. Learning and development suites are often enhanced with AI features that can personalize recommendations, summarize content and draft goals or learning plans. By 2028, ISG expects two-thirds of enterprises to use GenAI for guidance on what skills a worker needs to improve.
For its 2025 Buyers Guides™ for Learning and Development, ISG evaluated software providers across three platform categories — Learning Management Systems, Learning and Development Suites and Learning Content Platforms — and produced a separate Buyers Guide for each. A total of 31 providers were assessed: 360Learning, Absorb, Acorn, Adobe, Anthology, BizLibrary, Cegid, Cornerstone, Coursera, CYPHER, D2L, Dayforce, Docebo, ELB Learning, HiBob, isolved, Learning Pool, LearnUpon, LinkedIn, Litmos, Moodle, Oracle, PeopleFluent, Pluralsight, Sana, SAP, Schoox, Skillsoft, Thrive, Udemy and Workday.
ISG Software Research rates software providers in seven evaluation categories. Five are related to product experience: usability, manageability, reliability, capability, and adaptability. Two are related to customer assurance: validation and total cost of ownership and return on investment (TCO/ROI).
Providers ranked in the top three for each evaluation category are named as Leaders. Those with the most Leader rankings are named as Overall Leaders within their platform category.
The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guides™ for Learning and Development were the following:
Learning Management Systems: Oracle was the top Overall Leader, followed by Cornerstone and Schoox. Oracle was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Cornerstone in three and Schoox in three. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Dayforce, Docebo, HiBob, LearnUpon, SAP, Skillsoft and Workday. Anthology, CYPHER, isolved, Learning Pool and Moodle were rated Innovative.
Learning and Development Suites: Oracle was the top Overall Leader, followed by Cornerstone and Schoox. Oracle was designated a Leader in seven evaluation categories, Cornerstone in three and Schoox in six. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Dayforce and SAP. Workday was rated Innovative.
Learning Content Platforms: Cornerstone was the top Overall Leader, followed by Udemy and Skillsoft. Cornerstone and Udemy were designated Leaders in seven evaluation categories each, and Skillsoft was designated a Leader in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary. ELB Learning was rated Innovative.
"Learning is part of everyday work and should no longer be separate," said Mark Smith, partner and chief software analyst, ISG Software Research. "It needs to constantly inform and guide employee potential for the needs of the organization and the individual. This research evaluates the foundational and expanding roles of learning and skills development products to inform enterprise decisions on the best learning platform and experiences for their workforce."
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Learning and Development are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.
Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides™ for Learning and Development and read executive summaries of each of the three reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG Software Research.
About ISG Software Research
ISG Software Research provides authoritative coverage and analysis of the business and IT software industry. It distributes research and insights daily through its user community, and provides a portfolio of consulting, advisory, research and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. Its ISG Buyers Guides™ help enterprises evaluate and select software providers through tailored assessments powered by ISG's proprietary methodology. Visit research.isg-one.comfor more information and to sign up for free community membership.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
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