LXP vs. LMS: What are the differences?
An LXP is often used in conjunction with an LMS but doesn't have to be. Learn more about LMS vs. LXP and how their use cases differ.
Many companies acquire software applications to manage the employee learning process. LMS and LXP software are similar in some ways, but important differences exist.
Employee learning includes compliance training, courses to improve or develop new employee skills, and internal training to learn new processes or product features. The two prevailing types of systems available to manage training within an organization are learning experience platforms and learning management systems. While an LMS focuses on managing and assigning courses to specific employees or groups of employees, an LXP primarily focuses on providing a good learning experience. Overlap in the functionality of these systems exists, but generally, they serve different purposes.
Learn more about what is similar and different between the two, as well as other options to consider.
What is an LMS?
An LMS is a system used to store course content and assign and track employee courses. An LMS is usually the home of compliance training, in addition to other formal employee training. Companies may purchase the courses from third-party vendors or develop them internally.
Often, content creation is limited to a small group of employees who are responsible for developing new courses. Learning in an LMS is usually carried out through an instructor teaching students.
Common LMS features include the following:
- The ability to create new courses.
- The ability to assign and track course completion progress.
- The ability to assign training to employees manually or through autoassignment.
- The ability to send autoreminders to employees -- for example, a reminder to complete a course before a deadline.
- Dashboards that provide insight into course completions and other user activities.
- Tools for capturing user feedback about course content.
What is an LXP?
An LXP is often used in conjunction with an LMS but doesn't have to be. An LXP is often more broadly used to share quick videos and other content, recommend courses to employees using AI, and attempt to create a community of like-minded users.
Training in an LXP is usually carried out through users sharing their knowledge.
Common LXP features include the following:
- Integration with an LMS.
- Training recommendations using AI and machine learning.
- Tools for adding videos and links to external websites for employee learning.
- Tools for following other employees and commenting on training recommendations.
- Customization capabilities so the learning experience can change based on the employee's skills, job title and co-workers' enrollments.
LXP vs. LMS
An LMS and LXP are complementary systems with different purposes. Both can host online courses for employees and enable employees to rate and comment on courses and track completions. In addition, an LPX often links to LMS courses and other third-party courses so formal and informal training can take place in one system.
However, the purpose of each system is different. An LMS stores full-length courses, such as compliance courses and courses that dive deeper into a certain subject. An LMS also often limits the number of users who can create new content.
Meanwhile, the main purpose of an LMS is to improve the overall learning experience for employees, which can potentially include allowing all employees to develop microcourses and add content from external sources. Also, while an LMS typically assigns training to employees based on set criteria, an LXP uses AI and machine learning to curate content for employees based on past usage and other factors. In addition, employees are encouraged to follow other employees and see what content they are consuming.
Other workplace learning tools to consider
A learning lifecycle platform (LLP) is based on the functionality of both an LMS and LXP and aims to provide employees with a more comprehensive system.
Features may include a focus on employee development. An LLP may use data from talent management systems to incorporate employee skills and career goals when recommending courses and other training material.
Deciding which system is best for an organization
Selecting the right learning system depends on many elements. Factors to consider include the number of employees at an organization, whether the organization is in a highly regulated industry, the number of countries that the organization operates in and the number of needed languages for the system. Other important considerations are the other systems that the company uses and whether it's possible to add a complementary system or if the organization is looking for a new learning system.
Small companies often start with an LMS because it is usually a good way to manage compliance training. However, a small company with a focus on usability and self-learning, such as a high-tech business, may want to focus on collaboration, which makes an LXP a better choice. Many LXPs enable teams to upload compliance courses, and they provide some reporting capabilities.
Midsize to large companies, as well as those in highly regulated industries, may start with an LMS because it is better equipped to manage compliance and other essential training. An LMS likely has better configuration options and better reporting capabilities.
Vendors that offer both systems could be worth seeking out for some organizations, but companies would need to take on the cost of acquiring and managing two systems instead of one. An additional option is to identify vendors who have designed an LLP system that includes both LMS and LXP features. While the system may lack some functionality because of its scope, the combined system could be a better and more affordable option and may provide talent development-related functionality that is not available in an LMS or LXP.
Another option is to use a third-party learning system, such as LinkedIn Learning, instead of licensing and configuring a company-specific LMS or LXP. These systems offer courses that employees can use right away. Reviewing the library of courses beforehand is important, since vendors often focus on specific markets, such as sales and marketing or software development. In addition, one downside is that including company-specific courses in the course library may not be easy or even possible.
Eric St-Jean is an independent consultant with a particular focus on HR technology, project management and Microsoft Excel training and automation. He writes about numerous business and technology areas.
