Absorb LMS vs. HealthStream Learning & Performance

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Absorb LMS
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Absorb LMS aims to empower organizations to train employees with the skills needed to stay modern and relevant in today's fast-paced world. The LMS software focuses on aligning learning needs with business demands.N/A
HealthStream Learning & Performance
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
HealthStream is a cloud-based Talent Management Suite specifically designed for the healthcare sector. Focused on training (LMS), the suite also includes performance management, competency, simulation and credentialing. HealthStream also provides research services to healthcare organizations.N/A
Pricing
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Considered Both Products
Absorb LMS
HealthStream Learning & Performance

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
8.5
61 Ratings
4% above category average
HealthStream Learning & Performance
-
Ratings
Course authoring9.148 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library9.255 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal9.255 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning content8.043 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly7.941 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications9.256 Ratings00 Ratings
Assignments8.450 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management9.246 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration9.659 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics9.156 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning6.926 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification6.425 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning8.439 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
HealthStream Learning & Performance
6.0
8 Ratings
23% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings5.86 Ratings
Subordinate goal setting00 Ratings5.05 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings5.86 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings6.86 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.88 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
HealthStream Learning & Performance
6.8
9 Ratings
17% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings6.24 Ratings
Plan weighting00 Ratings5.03 Ratings
Manager note taking00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings8.08 Ratings
Rater nomination workflow00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Workflow restrictions00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings7.78 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Small Businesses
Tovuti LMS
Tovuti LMS
Score 9.5 out of 10
iSpring Learn
iSpring Learn
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Bridge Learning Platform
Bridge Learning Platform
Score 9.9 out of 10
Reviewsnap
Reviewsnap
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Bridge Learning Platform
Bridge Learning Platform
Score 9.9 out of 10
Bridge Learning Platform
Bridge Learning Platform
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(63 ratings)
7.3
(21 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(5 ratings)
9.0
(12 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(50 ratings)
6.9
(5 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Absorb LMSHealthStream Learning & Performance
Likelihood to Recommend
Absorb Software Inc.
Absorb LMS is appropriate for any continuing education organization or company that wants a reliable platform to host enduring educational content. It has been a great experience in terms of building and designing courses, monitoring learner progress, and as another touch point for learners to access other resources our organization offers.
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HealthStream
HealthStream is a wonderful tool for assigning assessments and evaluating knowledge. The assessments have a large pool of questions to pull from. The exams are timed and will generate a test report at the end of the exam so the clinical team can see what tests were passed and failed. These are helpful in ensuring we know what the nurse needs extra education on. HealthStream would be less suited for education items that would need to be validated in person...skills such as CPR.
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Pros
Absorb Software Inc.
  • Usability - Both the User and Admin Experience is so simple and intuitive. The admin tools are clearly defined and laid out, yet the functionality makes it still powerful.
  • Integration - We used the Scheduled Data Imports and Exports to connect with our HRIS tool. After the initial configuration, it has worked reliably and gives me all the custom data I need to make assignments and reporting a breeze.
  • Design - I know it's covered a little bit in the Usability above, but the site just looks fantastic. There are a lot of options to customize and fit your branding requirements and all of the thumbnails/posters/billboards/etc give a very visual and appealing look to the LMS. Much better than I've seen in other products.
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HealthStream
  • Reporting. Having the ability to track compliance (and non-compliance) at our fingertips ensures that we are up-to-date with Federal, State, Local and internal policies, requirements and educational initiatives
  • Customization. Developing in-house materials, specific to our variable training needs is a huge plus - HealthStream's commitment to SCORM-ready content since 2011 has made it simple for us to connect, engage and interact with all of our staff and providers.
  • Integration. Allowing us to interface with our HRM/HRIS systems is invaluable. Keeping up with a dynamic workforce, both in terms of retention and attrition, would not be possible without our current interface structures.
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Cons
Absorb Software Inc.
  • Uploading documents is perceived as hard for employees, especially with video uploads.
  • Sometimes the program lacks and then an employee has to start all over.
  • Spacing courses is possible but not with a certain amount of time, which would be useful if the next course could open after a week/month instead of when the employee finishes the previous course.
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HealthStream
  • Embedding elearning tutorials into HealthStream can be a bit complicated, and even slow down the site for the end user. In my experience, I found it much easier to just offer a link to the tutorial through the assessment portion.
  • Keeping users synced into the most up-to-date user groups can be a bit tricky. If you create your own student groups, and then these students transfer to a different job role or department, you will manually have to make these changes yourself. A more automated process would be great.
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Likelihood to Renew
Absorb Software Inc.
We have no plans to move away from Absorb at this time. It has all of the functionality we are looking for in a learning management system and we have a lot of info stored in our LMS system for trainings including all of our current and past employee transcripts. It is also getting easier to manager with being able to connect the LMS to ADP to update employee reporting/department/location/etc. We don't have a need or reason to move away from Absorb at this time.
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HealthStream
We just can't imagine NOT having HealthStream as it has become such a part of our training system. The per user cost has actually gone down from 3 years ago. However, we are using more courses we have purchased. This allows us to be more efficient with our time and more convenient for the end users. We are considering purchasing other aspects of the system.
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Usability
Absorb Software Inc.
It's a great place to house our trainings and keep things interesting for our associates.
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HealthStream
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Absorb Software Inc.
I know the support team is hard at work! We are currently dealing with a confusing issue where our buttons don't connect to the pages we assign them, and they have been looking into this for a number of weeks. I hope they will unravel the issue soon so we can role out our modules!
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HealthStream
I only used HealthStream for a short time, but it wasn’t overly user-friendly or pretty. There were some quirks that I didn’t like, like the quiz builder or uploading lists. Whenever you assigned a group it was difficult to tell and confirm that the assignment went out. Overall I like other systems better.
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Online Training
Absorb Software Inc.
I meet and do training with my absorb support every week. and I have all my questions answered! it's great
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HealthStream
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Absorb Software Inc.
Our organization previously used LMS365, which did not support eCommerce and had difficulties supporting external users. (My understanding is the issues with external users may have been directly related to our Microsoft implementation and not directly LMS365's fault, but it was nonetheless a deal breaker for us.) Docebo was the runner up in our LMS selection process and I spent significant time chatting with the team at Docebo. It seemed like a strong competitor to Aborb. Ultimately, Absorb was both slightly more cost-efficient for our scenario.
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HealthStream
The interface for HealthStream is 1000x better than My Learning. I still struggle to find my assignments and upcoming in person training on My Learning. It is not intuitive and doesn't have a dashboard when you sign on to see everything at once. HealthStream lets me easily see my assignments, their due dates, and any upcoming dates
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Return on Investment
Absorb Software Inc.
  • Course enrollments and completions have increased by 500% since implementation
  • Employee visits to our learning centre have increased by 300% since implementation
  • Cost saving from a time perspective as we can automate a lot of the admin work we used to do.
  • Pre Absorb we had about 3 or 4 e-learnings that were available. We now have over 100 that are accessible to all employees
  • Ability to seamlessly integrate with Workday and Udemy allowing all learning to be in one place, people data to be imported from WD, and very comprehensive reporting
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HealthStream
  • More efficiency. Easy way to implement training to a larger group of people.
  • Helps to orientate new hires to our organization quicker.
  • Consistency with training messages. We can communicate a method that can be easily adopted and implement across the organization.
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ScreenShots

Absorb LMS Screenshots

Screenshot of a company's unique identity with a training interface that is custom-designed for the brand.Screenshot of a company's image and values with a training interface that is tailored to the brand's specific needs.Screenshot of the course creation workflow, that offer a diverse set of formats, including instructional videos, quizzes, and assessments.Screenshot of Absorb's course details page, accessible from the course catalog dashboard, used to give learners an understanding of the course material.Screenshot of learners' progress insights, used to make data-driven decisions with the reporting capabilities of Absorb LMS.Screenshot of course creation with Create AI Beta.