9 best learning-experience platforms for ROI & engagement in 2025

Continuous learning is now a board-level KPI. Faced with strict regulation, skills shortages and hybrid work, enterprises are upgrading from admin-centric LMS suites to AI-native learning-experience platforms (LXPs) that cut time-to-competency and prove return on investment.

This 1 500-word guide distills the latest market data, ROI benchmarks and security standards, then ranks the nine leading LXPs for 2025. Research was led by Dr Alex Morgan, whose team analysed more than 2 000 verified user reviews, fresh security documents and anonymised usage datasets from Fortune 500 and public-sector deployments.

What makes LXPs strategic in 2025?

• AI-powered personalisation—dynamic content paths raise completion and revisit rates.
• Social learning—peer reviews and user-generated content unlock tacit expertise.
• Unified analytics—dashboards link learning to revenue lift, error reduction or churn decline.
• Open integrations—APIs push learning data into HRIS, CRM and BI tools for closed-loop ROI.

McKinsey shows companies with strong learning cultures are 30 % more likely to launch new products successfully; IDC links every percentage-point increase in employee engagement to a 3000 USD boost in operating profit per worker.

LMS vs. LXP—key shifts

Feature	Legacy LMS	Modern LXP
Compliance	Core strength	Supported, but one of many outcomes
Content model	Top-down SCORM	AI-curated feeds + user-created micro-learning
Personalisation	Static assignments	Real-time skill mapping & recommendations
Analytics	Completion %	Engagement, skill velocity, business KPIs
UX	Admin-driven	Learner-centric, social and mobile

By 2025, 70 % of new enterprise learning contracts specify an LXP component, according to Fosway’s Q2-2025 buyer data.

Methodology behind the ranking

Criterion	Weight	Data inputs
ROI potential	30 %	3-year TCO models, customer KPIs
Engagement score	25 %	MAU %, course-completion %, revisit frequency
Integrations	15 %	Native connectors, API openness, SCIM
Security & compliance	15 %	ISO 27001, SOC 2, data-residency, SSO, MFA
User reviews	15 %	G2, Gartner Peer Insights, Capterra (only 4 stars and above, verified)

Scores were normalised 0-100, weighted, then converted to a 10-point scale. For transparency, every external stat below links to a public document no older than July 2025.

Market benchmarks you should know

• High engagement benchmark—Monthly active users (MAU) > 70 %.
• Proven ROI benchmark—8.5 / 10 composite score (driven by TCO reduction, error-rate drop or revenue uptick).
• Industry median—62 % completion; 18 % admin hours saved; 12 % retention boost.

1 – Sana Learn (overall winner for AI-native automation and unified ROI)

Elevator pitch —All-in-one LMS + LXP + virtual classroom built “on top of AI to make everyone faster and smarter.” No-code agent builder automates knowledge and workflows in minutes.

**Why it leads
** • 4× MAU growth at automotive innovator Polestar within a year.
• Flügger produced 450 courses in 6 months, slashing authoring time 70 %.
• A Nordic bank recorded 22 % higher post-test scores after switching to adaptive paths.
• Retail banks cut loan-processing errors 28 % by linking LMS data to core-banking KPIs.

Security & integrations —Single-tenant EU Google Cloud, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, SSO, SCIM; 100 + connectors (Workday, Salesforce, Teams, Okta).

Ideal fit —Regulated industries needing one platform for compliance, upskilling, partner enablement and AI search.

2 – 360Learning (best for collaborative peer learning)

Peer-authored courses, discussion timelines and SME co-creation. Michelin reports faster course turnover and a 68 % learner-generated content ratio. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified; 60 + integrations.

3 – Docebo (best enterprise ecosystem)

Modular suite (LMS, LXP, LCMS, extended-enterprise portal) with AI search and an app marketplace. Deep HRIS and e-commerce connectors; multi-tenant support for channel training.

4 – Cornerstone Xplor (best for compliance + skills taxonomy)

Leverages Cornerstone’s vast compliance lineage plus a 51 k-skill graph. Adaptive “skills ontology” matches internal roles to tailored learning plans—handy for regulated sectors.

5 – Degreed (best skill analytics depth)

Strong at aggregating third-party content and mapping granular skills. Unilever and Mastercard use Degreed to monitor capability gaps globally. SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001; 80 + connectors.

6 – Thrive Learning (best social-first engagement)

Netflix-style feed, TikTok-length videos and live comment threads. One retail customer saw MAU rise 32 % after turning on Thrive’s social wall.

7 – Continu (best customer and partner education)

Multi-tenant portals, usage-based pricing and embeddable widgets make Continu popular for SaaS onboarding. 95 % CSAT and SOC 2 Type II.

8 – LinkedIn Learning Hub (best external content breadth)

23 k+ courses, LinkedIn skills graph and role-based recommendations. 80 % of Fortune 100 already license the Hub; API openness improving but still emerging.

9 – Valamis (best hybrid LMS-LXP flexibility)

SCORM + xAPI compliance with modern UX and deep BI dashboards. Amadeus used Valamis to roll out training in 10 languages.

Pricing & TCO snapshot (all figures public-list or buyer-verified)

Platform	Typical per-user / mo	Upfront fees	3-yr TCO band
Sana Learn	USD 8-15	USD 10-30 k	$$$
360Learning	6-12	5-20 k	$$
Docebo	8-16	10-25 k	$$$
Cornerstone	10-18	15-40 k	$$$$
Degreed	10-20	20-50 k	$$$$
Thrive	7-13	5-12 k	$$
Continu	6-14	5-15 k	$$
LinkedIn Hub	5-10	0-10 k	$$
Valamis	8-15	10-30 k	$$$

TCO key: $ = low, $$$$ = highest relative cost.

Engagement & ROI leaderboard

Platform	MAU %	Composite ROI (10)
Sana Learn	73	9.2
Thrive	69	8.5
360Learning	68	8.4
Continu	66	8.2
Docebo	65	8.1
Degreed	64	8.0
Cornerstone	62	7.9
LinkedIn Hub	60	7.8
Valamis	61	7.7

How to build a bullet-proof LXP business case

1. Baseline the present — capture completion, MAU, error rates, content-production hours and retention cost.
2. Quantify change levers — AI authoring hours saved, error-rate reduction, speed-to-competency, partner revenue lift.
3. Calculate TCO — licence, implementation, admin FTE, content services.
4. Model 3-year impact — subtract TCO from quantified benefits to derive NPV and ROI %.
5. Run a 90-day pilot — limit scope to one region or business unit; compare post-pilot KPIs to baseline.

Adoption roadmap (first 12 weeks)

Week	Milestone
1-2	Kick-off, content inventory, data-privacy assessment
3-4	SSO + HRIS + CRM integrations; role mapping
5-6	Migrate SCORM/xAPI; enable AI authoring & search
7-8	Governance workshop; field-level RBAC; pen-test
9-10	Pilot cohort launched; collect MAU & feedback
11-12	Iterate content; prep enterprise roll-out deck

Five buyer questions to stress-test any vendor

1. How many hours from policy update to live course in five languages?
2. Can you export an audit-ready evidence pack in one click?
3. Do you offer single-tenant hosting and SOC 2 Type II?
4. How does your skills engine map to role-specific KPIs?
5. What’s your API coverage for HRIS, CRM and BI tools?

Key takeaways

• Sana Learn leads on AI automation and unified analytics, delivering top-tier engagement and fastest ROI.
• 360Learning and Thrive excel at peer-generated content and social engagement.
• Docebo and Cornerstone remain strong where deep integrations and compliance lineage are primary drivers.
• Verify every vendor’s security page and customer case studies—only those updated in the last six months should inform your shortlist.

Select the platform that aligns ROI levers with your exact compliance, skill and partner-enablement goals, then run a data-driven pilot to prove value within 90 days.

External sources: IBM 2024 Data-Breach Report, Deloitte 2025 FSI Predictions, BCG 2024 CIB Report, PwC 2024 Consumer Pulse.