TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe Captivate

    Score5.9 out of 10
    N/AAdobe Captivate is an elearning authoring and course design tool (or LCMS). It supports mobile HTML5 content. Captivate’s users are commonly midsized businesses to enterprises. Adobe Captivate includes some prebuilt assets as well as customizable workflows.

    $33.99

    per month

    Adobe Presenter

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AAdobe Presenter is a PowerPoint plugin for converting PowerPoint presentations into elearning content. It allows for multimedia and interactive integrations and can be mobile accessible. Presenter can also integrate with standalone LMS products, including Adobe Captivate.N/A
    Pricing
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Editions & Modules
    Subscription
    $33.99
    per month
    Student & Teacher Edition
    $399
    one-time fee
    Upgrade
    $499
    one-time fee
    Pereptual License
    1,299
    one-time fee
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Considered Both Products
    Adobe
    Chose Adobe Captivate

    Captivate is more full-featured than Snagit (which is the most limited), Adobe Presenter Video Express (which is probably the next most limited), or Camtasia (which is probably the most direct competitor that I'm at all familiar with). While I have a limited familiarity with …

    Incentivized
    Adobe
    Chose Adobe Presenter
    I compared Adobe Presenter to Brainshark many years ago and found that I vastly preferred Presenter because it had much better quality audio (Brainshark used telephones to record audio at that point, although that may have changed over the years) and was easier and more …
    Incentivized
    Chose Adobe Presenter
    To recap, it falls short in the quality of the deliverables compared to some others. That said, it is well within acceptable range for many learning environments and audiences. It also is significantly more flexible and affordable than anything else. If I had only one …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    87%
    Would buy again
    75 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    69 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    84%
    Happy with the feature set
    72 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    87%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    48 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    53 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter
    Feature
    Adobe Captivate
    9.1
    31 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Adobe Presenter
    -
    Ratings
    Course authoring8.030 Ratings00 Ratings
    Course catalog or library9.018 Ratings00 Ratings
    Player/Portal8.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning content9.024 Ratings00 Ratings
    Progress tracking & certifications9.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning reporting & analytics9.019 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social learning10.014 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gamification8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    eLearning Content
    Comparison of eLearning Content features of Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter
    Feature
    Adobe Captivate
    8.4
    1 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Adobe Presenter
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-Lingual Support7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Structured Learning10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Historical Metrics8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cloud-Based Content10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automation & Integration7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Small Businesses
    Pluralsight Skills
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Apple Keynote
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Renaissance myON
    Score10 out of 10
    Microsoft Powerpoint Online
    Score7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    A Cloud Guru (discontinued)
    Score8 out of 10
    Apple Keynote
    Score8.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (128 ratings)
    9.4
    (8 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (9 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    1.8
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.8
    (18 ratings)
    3.6
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    2.7
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    5.5
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe Presenter
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    Captivate is well suited for instruction designers who want to build attractive, personalized, interactive, energetic lessons. It's also a good choice for someone who wants to build something innovative because Captivate gives the developer so much control over so many aspects.
    But if someone wanted something built quickly, generically and didn't care about holding the viewer's attention, then Captivate might be an expensive tool. That person might be more satisfied with a cheaper and easier to learn authoring tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    As I mentioned earlier, it's best used for "presentations," rather than bona fide "training." That's why we tend to use it when the information is relatively simple and/or doesn't need to be fully internalized or mastered (which would require providing opportunities for practice and feedback and a more engaging, interactive learning experience). However, it can be used as part of a blended-learning solution, with some information provided via an Adobe Presenter module first, and then some kind of instructor-led session as a follow-up, which would include more role-specific info, as well as practice and feedback opportunities. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Adobe Presenter Video Express is great for creating quick overview demos about a new system -- more of a "see what it can do" type thing than a "here's how you do it" thing (unless the "it" is very simple and the video is used more as a microlearning/performance support type of offering).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Adobe
    • Quickly adding in graphics, text, and interactive buttons.
    • Has extensive variables and branching for additional customization, beyond the competition.
    • Has 360 degree capability which competitors don't offer (I have not used this feature).
    • High degree of customization and personalization.
    • True responsive screen display on all devices, viewable as you are creating the training. This is different than some competitors - some just shrink the screen, but Adobe Captivate allows actually removing or moving or changing items at different screen sizes.
    • If you like Flash, it has Flash output, although it's going away in 2020. Personally, I think this is an outdated technology.
    • Many advanced capabilities. I chose this product due to the capabilities.
    • Comes with assets, templates, people, head shots, and full body—excellent.
    • Adobe Captivate is the authoring tool. It integrates with Adobe Captivate Prime - which I highly recommend if you want to truly take advantage of all of its features in reporting, administration, compliance, and social learning. (I didn't use Prime because you essentially need 100+ students to affordably use Prime.) If you look at my chart of what Captivate is capable of, I can't say that Captivate has a lot of the reporting features because they are part of Prime/SCORM, although, with Captivate's customization, you might be able to do most of them if you are up to it, but I did not.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    • Because it integrates with PowerPoint, it is possible to go from planning outline to storyboard to final output withing a single document and as part of a seamless and logical design process.
    • Its ability to create videos that capture screens along with web-cam recordings, then edit them within the solution means higher level training recordings can be created versus, say a recorded WebEx training session.
    • Presenter's ability to create quiz elements similar to Adobe Captivate, add interactions, and interface with Adobe's LMS means it is capable of functioning as a complete e-learning development environment. .
    • If up front cost is a consideration, Presenter wins hands down over many better known training development and e-learning solutions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Adobe
    • Clunky interface, it takes a lot of extra clicks to get places compared to other Adobe apps and competitor's eLearning software.
    • Would be nice if it was part of creative cloud, or at least in the group of apps you can add through Creative Cloud.
    • More regular and meaningful updates. Compared to flagship apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. Captivate is like the read headed step child. Competitors excel at providing regular updates with clear change documentation. How are we still using Captivate 2019 in 2022?
    • The interface feels like it is still stuck in the 90s, would be nice if it was more modern and better in-line with flagship adobe offerings.
    • Variables and associated menus are a nuisance to work with vs some of the clever drop down and content-sensitive options in Articulate Storyline.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    • E learning news server could be more intuitive
    • Numerical indicator for updates is confusing
    • Organization of updates could be better organized
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Adobe
    We have hundreds of courses that were created in Adobe Captivate. It will take us a while to convert to Articulate. We'll need a license for another year and/or until Adobe comes out with a true update to the software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    My company is pretty invested in the Adobe ecosystem and is unlikely to change that in the foreseeable future. Also, Adobe Presenter is a very valuable tool and, with the new subscription model and the pricing we have, a relatively modest expense now. It's also fairly easy to learn and use, so it is starting to spread beyond the sphere of the various Learning & Development departments.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Adobe
    Adobe Captivate does take some getting used to. There are features that are much more convoluted than they need to be, but overall it is a great product with a some excellent features. Being in a pretty small market, Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline dominate the space. They are not the same software, but allow for eLearning authoring. Each has their benefit and their downside, but, for me, Adobe Captivate edges out Storyline.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    It is easy to learn and use, but is frustrating if you begin to run into error messages concerning Flash as you are in the publishing stage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    Adobe
    It is easy to access since it is an added tool to the Powerpoint program. We have not had complaints from faculty members regarding not having it available when they need it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    Adobe
    Due to the aforementioned issues with Flash, it can be discouraging to get to the publishing stage and begin receiving error messages. Once we are able to move past that issue, we have great success with the performance of Adobe Presenter.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Adobe
    It is difficult to get in touch with Adobe Captivate support. With a seemingly limited number of resources, mostly outsourced, getting in contact with someone to help troubleshoot an issue is challenging. Typically wait times are long, and the desired path to resolution is to use an existing knowledge base or a self-help guide. It is certainly not a user-friendly experience.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    I think I pretty much answered this earlier....premium support is extremely expensive and online support can be difficult to navigate. Although, to be fair, when it comes to Presenter (compared to, say, Captivate), there isn't too frequent a need for support, since Presenter is a rather simple tool to use
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Adobe
    I'm only aware of the problems Adobe Captivate had with SumTotal LMS and Upside LMS, requiring extensive contact with both internal and external support staff to fix the problems. We had no problems at all with Articulate.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    I think that Articulate360 is more user-friendly and has a cleaner, more updated look. If you can edit a PDF, then you can use Articulate 360. Adobe Captivate may be more challenging for the designer, but it has more features. We chose Adobe Captivate because we want the option to create interactive learning environments. Adobe Captivate plays well with the other Adobe design products including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premier. Additionally, Adoe Captivate is highly compatible with Cornerstone, our preferred Learning Management Systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    LMS365 and Adobe Presenter are not that much different, the major issue that we faced with LMS was that we had to integrate that with the SharePoint, for accessibility and that cases whole lot of confusions and keeping things clean as SharePoint was being used for file store and sharing within the company. Moving to Adobe Presenter was taken as it was independent platform and didn't have any dependency.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Adobe
    No answers on this topic
    Adobe
    The program still seems to rely heavily on Adobe Flash even though the online community is moving away from it. When publishing, users will experience error messages regarding Flash, which can make it difficult to complete your work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • Adobe Captivate has allowed our instructors to engage students in ways we never have before.
    • Instructors who have used Adobe Captivate in our organization have reported higher levels of engagement with their courses and their students, theoretically leading to improved assessment of student performance.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Adobe
    • It will be safe to say that overall impact had been positive in regards to ROI
    • Training costs have been reduced by a huge margin since we started using this tool.
    • Time consumed in training staff is also decreased, as with Adobe Presenter training can be done remotely and are able to train different groups at the same time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots