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Top 5 best LMS for nonprofits in 2025

Read time: 8 min
Key takeaways

Training, education, and volunteer engagement are the main pillars behind success in the nonprofit sector. What do you need to make it happen? Enter: Learning management systems (LMSs).

LMSs come in to make training management easier, helping nonprofits train their teams, onboarding new volunteers, and even educating stakeholders.

To give you the complete benefits, I picked five of the best LMS for nonprofits in 2025, detailing their features, pros, cons, and pricing. Here, you will find a comparison of these solutions as well, so you can decide which one ticks all the boxes for you.

First, though, let’s understand what falls under an LMS when used as an online training software for nonprofits.

What is an LMS for nonprofits?

An LMS for nonprofits is a nonprofit elearning platform that you can use to manage, deliver, and track training programs. Such a learning management system for nonprofits acts as a top asset if you want to improve the way you train your volunteers, employees, and other beneficiaries while making the most out of the resources you own.

Why do organizations need a nonprofit LMS?

There are many reasons why you should use an LMS for nonprofits. These include its capabilities that help you to:

💁Looking for a health LMS or an LMS for sales? Learn how you can use both to help your business grow.

Now, let’s get straight to which learning management system for nonprofits will allow you to reach these targets.

Top learning management systems for nonprofits

No need to dig through the hundreds of options looking for the top learning management systems for nonprofits out there.

I’ve picked the best nonprofit LMS and volunteer training management system choices that are available in the market and ran them down through every detail to help you out.

Let’s dive right in to explore one by one.

1. LearnWorlds

A screenshot showing LearnWorlds dashboard interface

LearnWorlds is a lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-use LMS and perhaps the most powerful one you could use as a nonprofit organization if you want a customizable and engaging learning platform.

It’s my top pick thanks to the extensive capabilities it provides, including interactive learning features, a built-in community, and powerful social features, its ability to help you build a fully branded mobile app, and its advanced AI-assisted content creation and course authoring tools.

Best for: Nonprofits that want to manage community outreach and/or provide engaging video-based training for volunteers.

Key features

Pros

  • Advanced features all across the board
  • User-friendly and clean interface
  • Highly customizable branding options
  • Strong video-based learning capabilities

Cons

  • The higher learning curve for new users

Pricing

Starting at $29/month (basic plan) with a 30-day free trial available and an exclusive discount for NGOs.

2. Absorb LMS

Absorb LMS is a less affordable LMS for charities designed to facilitate educational programs for larger enterprises and NGOs. This platform provides a cloud-based solution that reunites outstanding automation capabilities aimed at improving the overall efficiency of a nonprofit’s operations.

Best for: Nonprofit organizations that need assistance with multilingual course creation.

Key features

  • AI-driven course recommendations and automation
  • Mobile-friendly and responsive design
  • Strong compliance and reporting features
  • eCommerce capabilities for fundraising courses

Pros

  • Highly intuitive and modern interface
  • Strong customer support

Cons

  • Although scalable to a certain degree, it can be expensive for smaller organizations
  • Customization requires technical expertise
  • Limited integrations compared to other options on this list

Pricing

Pricing is only available upon request but costs are generally reported as high by users.

*Pricing retrieved from Absorb LMS in March 2025.

3. LearnDash

LearnDash is an LMS for nonprofits based on WordPress that is highly customizable and offers lots of potential for nonprofits. It is a good choice if you have a WordPress website and you are looking for some degree of control over training roles, achievements, and certificates.

Best for: Nonprofits with a WordPress website.

Key features

  • Drag-and-drop course builder
  • Gamification features (e.g. badges, points, leaderboards)
  • Integration with WooCommerce and donation platforms
  • One-time payment structure with no recurring fees

Pros

  • Cost-effective for nonprofits that already have a website on WordPress
  • It gives you full control over branding and training content
  • This LMS supports a variety of media formats

Cons

  • Requires WordPress hosting and maintenance
  • No built-in video conferencing tools

Pricing

A one-time payment of $199/year for a single site license with the LearnDash Cloud priced at an extra $29/month when paid annually.

*Pricing retrieved from LearnDash in March 2025.

4. LearnUpon LMS

LearnUpon LMS is a learning solution that pulls AI capabilities to help you with course creation, training materials delivery, learner engagement, and quite a few unique opportunities. In particular, you might enjoy the LearnUpon Anywhere feature for embedding just-in-time learning directly into a product.

Best for: Nonprofits that want to integrate learning into a product.

Key features

  • Multi-portal functionality for different training programs
  • Advanced automation and reporting
  • Gamification and social learning features

Pros

  • Easy to set up for first-time users
  • High engagement tools for learners including certificates, awards, and multilingual LMS
  • Special pricing for nonprofit organizations
  • Strong integration capabilities with CRM, webinar, communication, and more tools

Cons

  • No built-in fundraising tools
  • Pricing may be high for smaller nonprofits

Pricing

Pricing is available upon request, with three plans to choose from based on the number of people who’ll be using the platform for the training process.

*Pricing retrieved from LearnUpon in March 2025.

5. TalentLMS

TalentLMS is a cloud-based, cost-effective LMS that offers a balance between affordability and features, making it a great option for smaller nonprofits. What stands out is this tool adapts to everchanging training requirements including multiple training audiences for scaling nonprofits as well as sales training for supporting fundraising.

Best for: Nonprofits looking for essential features on a limited budget.

Key features

  • SCORM and xAPI compliance
  • Multi-language support for knowledge sharing
  • Mobile-friendly platform with offline learning capabilities

Pros

  • Budget-friendly pricing plans for offline and online learning
  • Intuitive interface with easy course creation tools
  • Easy to use, even for beginners
  • Strong compliance and reporting features

Cons

  • Limited customization options for the learning process
  • No advanced capabilities for fundraising or similar

Pricing

Costs start at $139/month for up to 40 users, with a free version available for a maximum of five users. Extras such as their extensive ready-made online courses library or a flexible user limit come at an extra price.

*Pricing retrieved from TalentLMS in March 2025.

Important features to look for while choosing a nonprofit LMS

While looking into these decisive factors, you can pick out an LMS that optimizes your learning programs, boosts engagement, and helps you reach mission-driven successes.

It is very important to think about what your goals are before making your decision. Which features are going to be mandatory for you? Here is a list to help you choose.

1. Affordability and cost-effectiveness

Nonprofits often face the concern of operating within limited budgets which makes cost-effectiveness a key consideration. Go for one with clear pricing, flexible programs, and discounts for nonprofit organizations.

You may consider opting for an open-source or cloud-based option to further minimize your costs. An inexpensive LMS can help you redirect more of your funds toward your mission instead of licensing obligations to these software providers.

2. Ease of use and accessibility

An intuitive interface enables both administrators and learners to easily navigate the platform without the need of extensive training. Your chosen LMS should provide mobile-friendly access, ADA-compliant features, and multilingual support to help you reach a broader audience. Greater ease of use will also minimize the learning curve and increase your learner engagement.

A well-placed LMS makes training volunteers, staff, and beneficiaries as easy and convenient as possible and adds another important dimension: knowledge retention and operational efficiency. The ideal platform is flexible for growth but intuitive for the learner and the administrator.
Eric Sornoso, Co-founder at Mealfan

3. Customization and branding

Your LMS should be customizable to match your nonprofit’s mission and branding. Personalized dashboards, custom theme applications, and logo integration create a consistent learning experience.

But why might you need this? Simply, I recommend branding your LMS to build greater trust and recognition with users and stakeholders.

4. Compliance and reporting features

Another essential consideration has to do with the actual learning progress tracking and compliance with rules and regulations within the industry.

You need an LMS that has compliance tracking and automated reporting or analytics. This should permit learner performance measurement features that are more likely to meet donor requirements, grant compliance, and improve your programs’ effectiveness.

Our LMS needs to support large-scale training across different industries. Since we work with agricultural, industrial, and recreational clients, our team must stay updated on regulations and environmental standards that vary by location. A system that offers compliance tracking helps us ensure that engineers and project managers complete necessary certifications.
Barbara Robinson, Marketing Manager at Weather Solve

5. Integration with fundraising and CRM tools

Choose an LMS that integrates with the CRM tools you’re using already and provides donor engagement and volunteer training tracking. Integrations like these can help you focus on improving outreach.

Budget is a priority, so avoiding high licensing fees is crucial. The key features I look for are ease of use, mobile accessibility, and integration with existing tools. I need automation for course enrollment, tracking, and reporting to streamline operations.
Bram Louwers, Director at BrainManager

6. Scalability and multilingual support

As your nonprofit comes across new development opportunities, your LMS should do the same and grow with you. Double-check that the platform offers unlimited users, courses, and storage.

Multilingual support is also essential for outreach to wider audiences because it assures inclusivity for various types of learners.

Final thoughts

LearnWorlds is the number one LMS platform for NGOs thanks to its all-in-one solution that brings members, donors, employees, and volunteers on the same page with your mission.

With advanced self-paced learning and collaboration tools, LearnWorlds will help your nonprofit make a real difference for its community members.

Why choose LearnWorlds?

Join hundreds of nonprofits changing the world with LearnWorlds. Start your 30-day trial today and claim your exclusive NGO discount.

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Alexandra-Cote-author-profile
Alexandra Cote

Alexandra Cote is a SaaS growth marketer and online instructor who's worked with dozens of brands in the MarTech, HR tech, and productivity space. She's also a strong supporter of staying happy at work and choosing a healthy career path.

FAQ

Everything you have ever wondered, but where too afraid to ask...

Which fundraising platform is best for nonprofits?
Some of the top fundraising platforms for nonprofits include GoFundMe, Classy, Donorbox, and Network for Good. These platforms integrate well with LMS solutions to support fundraising efforts.
Which can be the best LMS for nonprofits for my organization?
LearnWorlds can adapt to your nonprofit needs and help you boost engagement for your learners. You’ll also gain insights that will make all the difference for your development programs, reducing training costs without lowering the quality of your training courses.