Absorb LMS vs. SumTotal Talent Development

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Absorb LMS
Score 9.1 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
SumTotal Talent Development
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
The SumTotal Core Platform (formerly elixHR) is a human resource information system (HRIS) integrable with the SumTotal Talent Expansion Suite of software: SumTotal (LMS), and the SumTotal Work workforce management and payroll system. All SumTotal software is now offered and supported by Skillsoft since the October 2014 acquisition.N/A
Pricing
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Considered Both Products
Absorb LMS
Chose Absorb LMS
Of all the systems I have used, Absorb LMS is the best supported, easiest to use, and most trouble free.
Chose Absorb LMS
Absorb LMS had the richest feature set for relative cost and promised seamless integration with ADP Workforce Now (somewhat overpromised).
Chose Absorb LMS
I joined a company already using Absorb so I did not pick Absorb but given the chance- I would pick Absorb over any other LMS I have worked with in my career. Absorb is powerful enough to do what I need it to do, but organized well enough that the features and functions I don't …
SumTotal Talent Development

No answer on this topic

Features
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
9.0
101 Ratings
10% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
-
Ratings
Course authoring8.583 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library9.688 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal8.892 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning content9.372 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly7.676 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications9.996 Ratings00 Ratings
Assignments9.885 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management9.979 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration9.798 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics8.896 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning7.952 Ratings00 Ratings
Gamification7.647 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning9.769 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
1.9
1 Ratings
123% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
3.3
1 Ratings
83% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
6.7
3 Ratings
19% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.53 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
3.0
1 Ratings
92% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
7.2
3 Ratings
5% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
8.2
2 Ratings
3% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
8.8
1 Ratings
9% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
8.2
2 Ratings
4% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
7.0
1 Ratings
10% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Absorb LMS
-
Ratings
SumTotal Talent Development
7.8
2 Ratings
1% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Small Businesses
iSpring Learn
iSpring Learn
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
iSpring Learn
iSpring Learn
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Axonify
Axonify
Score 10.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(101 ratings)
7.5
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(6 ratings)
6.0
(5 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(2 ratings)
2.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.7
(86 ratings)
3.0
(2 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.9
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Absorb LMSSumTotal Talent Development
Likelihood to Recommend
Absorb Software Inc.
Our integration experience was very well managed. We launched on-time, and only had to do basic end-user training because the system is very user friendly and intuitive to use. The customer support is exceptional, we have an assigned Customer Success Manager we meet with and talk to regularly. They are very responsive and have helped us optimize our processes to get the most out of the system. Because the system is easy to use, we have very few user issues or tickets we have to support. 90% of user problems are resolved by using the FAQs we provided when we launched the system
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SumTotal
Very good for learning and development and training of employees. For Applicant tracking, recuirement, onboarding, and enablement, I prefer SAP SuccessFactors or Skillate. I also found that the SumTotal app is not very friendly on android and crashes sometimes and it is not optimized for mobile. Hence I end up never using it.
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Pros
Absorb Software Inc.
  • Customer Service - Our CSM, Kirsten Spak, provides friendly, timely and high quality help and has helps us to understand and efficiently use the system.
  • Course Creation - We have been able to create custom courses with a wide range of features, including branding, audio, video and assessments.
  • Reporting - Absorb LMS offers a robust reporting function which allows us to understand our users and meet the needs of our partners when user information is required for their projects.
Read full review
SumTotal
  • Assign complete learning plans to users so they don't have to spend time searching for courses.
  • Export learner's transcripts so managers can easily see their employee's progress.
  • Embed Social Media feeds that are relevant to their business.
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Cons
Absorb Software Inc.
  • Reporting needs some additional help, especially the Course Activity Report. It would be great to see the description of the course on the header of the report.
  • The courses on the smart devices look wonky and sometimes the videos don't show up, yet you can hear it.
  • The Absorb LMS phone application also needs a lot of work. It does not show all the tiles that are available in the browser version.
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SumTotal
  • Reporting
  • Mass importing of manual checks to be issued in California
  • Ability to fund pay cards immediately
  • Perform gross-up calculations within the payroll system automatically
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Likelihood to Renew
Absorb Software Inc.
We love the ability to have a user-friendly system that integrates well with our different HR interfaces (we have 3 systems that feed data/employees into the system). It makes it easy to track course completions and report out on metrics enterprise-wide. In addition, the ability to provide consistent education to staff who are geographically dispersed is a huge incentive for us, and Absorb LMS does this seamlessly.
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SumTotal
I have transitioned from a position who supported the product to a position where I use the product. I continue to be impressed with the robustness of the product and how efficient it is. It is a user friendly software that can be used to navigate and accomplish tasks to meet organizational requirements.
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Usability
Absorb Software Inc.
Absorb LMS is easy to use from both a user experience and admin experience. For users, navigating the site to complete assignments or finding courses to develop new skills is very user-friendly. As an admin, the course creation tools walk you through each step simply, but have a ton of functionality to support any of your training needs.
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SumTotal
I do not find SumTotal to be intuitive. I feel we need to adjust our needs to meet the functionality available in the tool.
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Reliability and Availability
Absorb Software Inc.
The customer service team is top notch. They have always been readily available and quick to assist regardless of the day or time of the call
Read full review
SumTotal
No answers on this topic
Performance
Absorb Software Inc.
Absorb LMS's performance is very reliable and consistent. Pages load quickly. Report are generated within a reasonable amount of time (even with significant amounts of data), etc. Nothing seems to slow it down.
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SumTotal
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Absorb Software Inc.
Absorb LMS's client service managers have been extremely responsive, efficient, and available. While we pay for a higher level of support, we have found it well worth the investment. We've been less pleased with the accounting side of the organization, but that has little impact on the delivery of training to our clients and employees.
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SumTotal
We have our own IT support to assist in SumTotal issues, however, we have had to log in cases directly. Support is mediocre at best.
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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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SumTotal
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Absorb Software Inc.
hands down favorite in look, function, cost and service. Others were close but could not meet our external and internal cases. Our current one (we looked at them again) did not have 40% of the functionality or value, despite the bargain cost, it was not worth it to continue. Only new hires used our LMS for onboarding because they had to; no one went back for more training. With Absorb our classes are more dynamic and targeted.
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SumTotal
When I came to my company, they had been using a "light" LMS called Articulate. It was cheap and bare bones; i.e. not a lot of features, really just a platform to launch eLearning from and not real interface for student to utilize. When I began to overhaul the training department, this was one of the first things I changed. Articulate would only run courses built in their software, and the software was not 508 compliant. In addition, we had no ability to create learning plans, house transcripts, customize the interface, or manage the students. I made the choice to select and LMS that was a true LMS with all of the features that were critical to our clients' needs. Thus far, SumTotal has been able to support all of our needs, except one; mobile learning that is media rich
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Scalability
Absorb Software Inc.
This is one of the main reasons we chose Absorb as our LMS. It is a very user-friendly application that is able to be deployed across multiple departments in geographically dispersed locations. It works amazingly well for us.
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SumTotal
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Absorb Software Inc.
  • Absorb LMS's user-friendly interface and interactive learning features contributed to a 150% increase in learner engagement levels. The platform's ability to deliver engaging content and quizzes enhances employee participation and knowledge retention at retail
  • With Absorb LMS, we are looking to streamline our remote employee onboarding process, and tracking to reduce the time taken for new hires to complete training modules by 30%.
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SumTotal
  • Clean front-end user interface for easier course catalog management.
  • Reporting has been more difficult than previous LMS.
  • Audience building has more variables making it more difficult to manage.
  • Slower overall client turnaround due to admin side interface.
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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.

SumTotal Talent Development Screenshots

Screenshot of SumTotal Learning Management: Deliver the learning your organization needs including skilling/upskilling/reskilling, career planning & development. All delivered with our engaging learner experience across all modalities (desktop, tablet & mobile) and in the flow of workScreenshot of SumTotal Onboarding: Foster learning before day one with our robust onboarding solution. Build culture, complete necessary paperwork and begin the path to productivity for all your new and returning employees.Screenshot of SumTotal Performance: Performance management that meets the needs of today’s forward-thinking organizations. Align the goals and performance of your entire workforce with those of the broader organization for better business outcomes.Screenshot of SumTotal Succession: Make succession planning an organizational strength. SumTotal allows you to better understand your workforce now and better plan for your future with our intuitive succession planning tools.Screenshot of SumTotal Recruiting: A modern recruiting solution that delivers a powerful candidate experience, recruiter productivity, job matching and internal mobility.Screenshot of SumTotal Compensation: SumTotal makes compensation planning easier and less time consuming. Build a pay for performance culture that meets your organizations goals and objectives while keeping you competitive in the ever-changing marketplace.