If you’re using a cloud-based LMS, you may face some challenges in managing it. You have limited access to data and privacy settings. There are no customization options and you can’t make your lessons interactive.
Both cloud-based and self-hosted LMS solutions have pros and cons. Before choosing, we must recognize their differences in functionality and management. This article will cover the benefits of a self-hosted learning management system. It will also highlight the unique features of the MasterStudy plugin. It is a top tool for creating a strong eLearning platform.
3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Cloud-Based LMS
The system management is in the hands of an external vendor. You can access it only via the Internet. But, you don’t have to worry about software updates and other technical issues. This option has several advantages. You have full control over your data and security.
What is a Self-Hosted LMS?
A self-hosted LMS is a platform an organization installs and maintains on its own servers, not a third party’s. This option has several advantages. You have full control over your data and security.
System Maintenance
You can use various tools to customize the software and improve the user experience. System settings are readily available for access and modification. A self-hosted LMS allows for strong security and compliance with industry standards. With configuration, you can allow students to use your content on many devices.
Customization
Self-hosted learning management systems offer deep customization. It helps to tailor the system to your organization’s needs. For instance, you can make the platform personalized by creating a brand. Self-hosted solutions let you customize the UI, edit course designs, and make tweaks. Another advantage is the ability to design your own course certificate.
Scalability
With the growth of your organization and change of needs, you can upgrade your self-hosted LMS. It will let you add more courses, users, and interactive content. Your software will have no issues with this.
Integration
Hosting the LMS on your servers lets you integrate with other platforms. It can be for online meetings, live stream lessons, or tracking student progress. A self-hosted solution may have setup costs. But, you won’t face ongoing subscription fees found in cloud-based LMS.
Financial benefit
A major financial advantage of a self-hosted solution is the ability to keep all profits. Self-hosted LMS lets you keep all course revenue. Unlike hosted platforms, they take a cut of transactions. This profit retention boosts profits. It lets you maximize your LMS investment. It gives you better control over your revenue. This boosts financial sustainability. So, it is a strong option for businesses and organizations. They want to make their e-learning platforms more profitable.
Technical factors
Self-hosted LMS has many benefits. But, some need special knowledge to fix technical issues. The solution to this problem is finding a support service that will deal with hard work.
Top 5 Self-Hosted LMS Solutions
You can check out some popular self-hosted LMSs. Find one that meets your organization’s needs.
MasterStudy
MasterStudy plugin revolutionizes WordPress sites, converting them into full LMS systems. MasterStudy boasts an intuitive design and powerful features that impress users. It’s a top choice for instructors and organizations seeking to create a seamless eLearning experience.
Key Features of MasterStudy Plugin
Course Builder:Build courses effortlessly using an intuitive drag-and-drop course organizer. It simplifies course creation. Instructors can then focus on content, not tech. User-friendly drag-and-drop course builder with multimedia support.
Multimedia Support: You can add interactive quizzes, assignments, and videos to enhance learning. These elements improve the learning experience by catering to different learning styles.
Student Management: You can enroll students, track progress, and monitor performance. It lets you verify if students are enrolled and supervised in their learning.
Monetization Options: It supports integration with payment gateways, subscription models, and course bundling. Accept payments seamlessly with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. This allows you to make secure transactions when purchasing courses.
Certificates: Customizable certificates with automated issuance. It lets teachers and admins create, change, and issue course completion certificates to students. This adds great value to your eLearning platform.
Customization: Extensive theme and designs to match your brand. There is a collection of ready-made templates and options available for customization.
Mobile-Friendly: Responsive design for seamless learning on all devices. Students and instructors can access content on their PC and mobile devices.
Community Building: Features like discussion forums, private messaging, and social media integration. Communicating with learners, sending feedback messages, and providing assistance is possible.
Advanced Analytics: Detailed reports and analytics to track student engagement and course effectiveness. The plugin provides data and stats for improved performance and management.
Integrations: Compatible with various third-party services and WordPress plugins. You can now teach students online, in real-time, using Zoom and Google Meet.
Price
89$
Reviews
“Had a specific issue with lesson ordering which the developers had to fix. James Collin from the Support desk was especially helpful and gave regular feedback. Thanks a lot!”
“I’m very impressed with the teams perseverance at getting my issue fixed! Chris stuck with me for over a week, working to get my issues resolved & I’m very happy to say it’s all fixed & working properly again! Thank you so much!”
Website
https://stylemixthemes.com/wordpress-lms-plugin/
360Learning
A self-hosted LMS, 360Learning is worth your attention. It offers autonomy, unlimited course creation, and gamification of your content. You can collaborate with a team by using a sharing feature and setting reminders. 360Learning keeps students involved with a community-based approach and real-time feedback. Its weakness lies in limitations to designing content like quizzes or tests. To solve the issue you will need to utilize external tools.
Price
8$/registered user per month
Reviews
“Pros: Our favorite features of 360L are the product’s ease of use and the speed with which it can be implemented for internal and external training.
Cons: The degree to which this product is streamlined and tailored to our needs is difficult to classify, though, because I have never utilized a competing solution. Additionally, like with any SaaS, there is always room for enhancement, and the scheduling can be annoying at times.”
“Pros: customisazion, possibility of inbuilt tool to enable learning. Flexibility.
Cons: statistics menu are sometimes chaotic and may require more time than expected to setup everything”
Docebo
Docebo is a well-known LMS and its main advantage is the intuitive interface. It supports easy navigation and many common tasks. These include course enrollment, progress tracking, and integration with third-party platforms. The self-hosted LMS helps organizations achieve their goals by implementing efficient eLearning programs. However, there are few customization options. Integration is possible with only a few programs.
Price
25000$/ a year
Reviews
“Pros: I like the reporting functionality and the new Insights Dashboard is brilliant and keeps improving!
Cons: The admin UI is great, but it could be a bit slicker and I believe this is already on the Docebo roadmap as they are great at listening to their community.”
“Pros: Automation of administrative tasks and users being able to self-serve on a lot of things and track their own transcriptions and learning paths completion.
Cons: There are still some improvement to be done and more capabilities I think the system needs to improve on that works for multiple users instead of just a small number. Reporting is a feature that needs a large amount of improvements.”
iSpring
iSpring is designed to create training programs for businesses and organizations. It lets employees or learners access their assignments and modules from multiple devices. It lets you contact a support center and get feedback faster than on other platforms. iSpring has some drawbacks related to functionality, such as unnecessary menus for administrators.
Price
490$
Reviews
“Pros: Ispring Learn allows me to easily develop, host, and offer exceptional learning experiences to my students
Cons: It has a strong corporate focus meaning a few features that are directly relevant to academic institutions may not be available, however, the positives far outweigh the lack of some features.”
“Pros: Super product. Very effective and useful for day to day activities, be them work related in nature or personal
Cons: At times the software can be Buffy but overall it is a great service. Bugginess is to be expected when using computers sometimes.”
LifterLMS
For a self-hosted LMS with an easy interface, try LifterLMS plugin. A drag-and-drop interface lets instructors design courses without pro skills. You can monetize the content by selling courses and subscriptions. The core plugin is free, but getting extensions is expensive. It also doesn’t include modern front-end design.
Price
149.50$
Reviews
“The lifter lms service is the best. I had an issue with my website, struggled for a week. I logged a support ticket, they gave me an answer and I could fix the problem within 10 min. The service is the best, never had an issue with lifter or the plugin. Thank you.”
“So far, so good! Great interface and so far it has been perfectly reliable. Great job”
Conclusion
In conclusion, a self-hosted LMS offers unparalleled control, customization, and scalability, making it an ideal choice for organizations seeking to maximize their eLearning efficiency. The MasterStudy plugin, with its comprehensive features such as a user-friendly course builder, multimedia support, student management tools, and customizable certificates, stands out as a top solution for creating a robust and engaging eLearning platform. By opting for a self-hosted LMS like MasterStudy, you can ensure a tailored, secure, and financially sustainable eLearning environment that grows with your organization’s needs.