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Adobe Captivate vs. Adobe Presenter vs. Pluralsight Skills

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    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

    Pluralsight Skills

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/APluralsight Skills is a skill development solution that enables employees to build in-demand skills in a way that’s personalized to their current knowledge and preferred way to learn. The course library includes content on software development, DevOps, machine learning, security infrastructure, and cloud, as well as certification practice exams, hands on learning experiences and cloud labs, and skills assessments.

    $29

    per month

    Pricing
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    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
    Individual - Standard
    $29.00
    per month
    Individual - Premium
    $45.00
    per month
    Team - Professional
    $579.00
    per user, per year
    Team - Enterprise
    $779.00
    per user, per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    Free Trial
    YesNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details———
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    Considered Multiple 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
    Pluralsight
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    87%
    Would buy again
    75 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    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
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    84%
    Happy with the feature set
    72 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    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
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    53 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter and Pluralsight Skills
    Feature
    Adobe Captivate
    9.1
    31 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Adobe Presenter
    -
    Ratings
    Pluralsight Skills
    7.9
    7 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Course authoring8.030 Ratings00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
    Course catalog or library9.018 Ratings00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Player/Portal8.024 Ratings00 Ratings7.16 Ratings
    Learning content9.024 Ratings00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Progress tracking & certifications9.026 Ratings00 Ratings8.07 Ratings
    Learning reporting & analytics9.019 Ratings00 Ratings6.95 Ratings
    Social learning10.014 Ratings00 Ratings4.52 Ratings
    Gamification8.02 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    eLearning Content
    Comparison of eLearning Content features of Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter and Pluralsight Skills
    Feature
    Adobe Captivate
    8.4
    1 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Adobe Presenter
    -
    Ratings
    Pluralsight Skills
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Multi-Lingual Support7.01 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Structured Learning10.01 Ratings00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Historical Metrics8.01 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cloud-Based Content10.01 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Automation & Integration7.01 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Course Searches00 Ratings00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    Small Businesses
    Pluralsight Skills
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Apple Keynote
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Coursera
    Score7.6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    365 Data Science
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Microsoft Powerpoint Online
    Score7 out of 10
    365 Data Science
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    A Cloud Guru (discontinued)
    Score8 out of 10
    Apple Keynote
    Score8.5 out of 10
    A Cloud Guru (discontinued)
    Score8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (128 ratings)
    9.4
    (8 ratings)
    9.0
    (18 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (9 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    1.8
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.8
    (18 ratings)
    3.6
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    2.7
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    5.5
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe CaptivateAdobe PresenterPluralsight Skills
    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
    Pluralsight
    Awesome tool for teams looking to gain new skills or refine and update existing skills. I love the convenience of using this tool for recertification credits (i.e. PMP). Instead of identifying which classes I need to take, I can identify my interests and have recommendations presented for what paths I should take. It is a really helpful tool to create ladders for my team to transition from one role into the next. I think this is going to be a really beneficial tool.
    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
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    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
    Pluralsight
    • Pluralsight has hundreds of authors that are constantly producing new content, which is valuable for the tech industry that is constantly moving at a brisk pace.
    • Many content authors are respected leaders in the topic they're presenting. You are able to trust that their content is thorough and authentic.
    • Niche expert-level topics are presented in a curated video format which is difficult to find anywhere else.
    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
    Pluralsight
    • Companies don't change technologies in their products often. For example a product that was built on AngularJS is still viable and the company may have no plans to upgrade it. Pluralsight could do a better job of providing new courses on technology that's still useful, though somewhat dated; like AngularJS for example.
    • Pluralsight has a bad habit of throwing all their courses in a large bucket. For example, when I log-in and look to see what new I often have to wade through courses on tools that a web artist or designer would use. I wish Pluralsight would categorize course and let us (their customers) flag what types of videos we wanted to see, or better yet exclude from our view.
    • Years ago, Pluralsight would let its customer download the courseware and that was great. I was disappointed when they stopped this feature.
    • I'd love to see more course where the goal is to build a particular type of software. For example, lets have one where you build a blog using ASP.NET and deploy it to Azure. Let have one where you build a survey application, etc. Learning technologies is great, but I'd love to see courses where the goal is to build a particular type of application.
    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
    Pluralsight
    Great product and service so far. Awesome new content almost every week.
    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
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    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
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    Pluralsight
    Very, VERY easy to use.
    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
    Pluralsight
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Pluralsight
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    Pluralsight
    Each feedback I do for them, I get no response. Minimal communication and followups!
    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
    Pluralsight
    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
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    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
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    Pluralsight
    Before using Pluralsight, staff was using YouTube to help them with developing certain aspects of their knowledge. However, YouTube is much less structured/organized than Pluralsight. Pluralsight has a very wide offering of courses and it has lot of good content. One quick search and we can get started.
    Incentivized
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    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
    Pluralsight
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    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
    Pluralsight
    • One positive impact is it has kept our employees engaged in the material they work with every day. Instead of becoming stagnant and complacent, they are actively searching out ways to develop skills and do more with the tools available to them.
    • It saves money when it comes to offering training and development opportunities company-wide. It would be much more costly to invest in specialized training for that number of employees.
    • One potential negative is the amount of company time spent on coursework over work responsibilities. A balance must be struck and individuals should be encouraged to explore the training on their own time.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots