Articulate 360 vs. Camtasia

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Articulate 360
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Articulate 360 is an e-learning course development subscription offering. It includes every Articulate authoring tool, including the latest version of Storyline and Rise, a web-based app for creating inherently responsive courses. The vendor offers a 30-day free trial.
$549
per year
Camtasia
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Some video solutions on the market are super-easy to use, but deliver lackluster results. Others deliver professional quality video, but the learning curve is extreme. Camtasia aims to enable anyone to quickly start creating pro-quality videos in minutes with no video experience needed. Camtasia can capture everything happening on the screen with just a few clicks, and offers drag-and-drop editing and visual effects features to transform screen recordings into polished software…
$299
one-time fee per user
Pricing
Articulate 360Camtasia
Editions & Modules
Academic - Personal
$549.00
per year
Academic - Teams
$699.00
per year
Freelancer - Personal
$1,099.00
per year
Teams
$1,399.00
per year
Education
$212.99
one-time fee per user
Government & Non-Profit
$269
one-time fee per user
Business
$299.99
one-time fee per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Articulate 360Camtasia
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsArticulate 360 is available on the Articulate website and through Articulate Authorized Resellers. The Articulate 360 Teams plan is available for $1,399 per user, per year, and individual subscriptions perfect for freelancers are available for $1,099 per user, per year (all prices USD). Eligible educational customers receive a 50% discount on list prices.*Discounts available for purchases supporting a large volume of users.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Articulate 360Camtasia
Considered Both Products
Articulate 360
Chose Articulate 360
Camtasia has a low enough cost to where it could be used in conjunction with Articulate 360 (create videos to embed in the course); now that Storyline 360 can publish MP4 files, this may not be necessary unless you want a different look and feel that Camtasia offers.

As for …
Chose Articulate 360
Articulate 360 has the total package vs the other tools. If you just wanted to do video, you can use tools like Camtasia. Another elearning tool I have tried is called Viewlet Builder. It was a very stripped down version of a Storyline type software where you could create …
Chose Articulate 360
Most of the other software don't have as many templates as Articulate 360. They are not as easy to use. Also, once you get an Articulate subscription, unless another software has a low price point or offers something unique there is no reason to change. I have not been …
Chose Articulate 360
We feel it is much easier than competitive products that we previously used within the company.
Chose Articulate 360
For the features and the price, you can't go wrong with Articulate 360. With the full suite of products, I have found that I use Rise to create simple courses and Storyline for more complex ones. After trialing Captivate and Storyline side by side, I found that creating was …
Chose Articulate 360
I've used a number of course authoring software (some of which the names slipped my mind) and Articulate Rise is by far the easiest to learn and the most professional output.
Chose Articulate 360
I believe that Articulate 360 provides a more robust development platform than the competition. By having access to all of the tools and content, there really isn't much you cannot do with it.
Chose Articulate 360
Adobe Captivate vs Storyline - I consider these to be somewhat different in their approach. I was exposed to Storyline, before Captivate. Each have a learning curve.

Adobe Muse vs Rise, but I have not used Muse.
Camtasia
Chose Camtasia
With some recent updates to Snagit, TechSmith (the parent company of both products) has done a great job adding features and functions to allow Snagit users to create simple screen capture videos. If you need to actually edit the footage, then Camtasia is the way to go. If …
Chose Camtasia
Captivate and Storyline does not compare when it comes to screen captures. They may have similar capabilities, but they do not always work well. Camtasia works flawlessly when it comes to screen captures. Adobe Premiere Pro is a different story. For simple edits, Camtasia is …
Chose Camtasia
Camtasia is a far more intuitive tool, but lacks the flexibility of Articulate.
Chose Camtasia
Although it may not have all the bells and whistles Adobe Premiere Pro has or the flexibility of Storyline 360, for the amount of money it cost, you can still do some pretty amazing things with this software. If you are at all interested to see what I have done with it, I will …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Articulate 360Camtasia
Small Businesses
iSpring Suite
iSpring Suite
Score 9.4 out of 10
Sendspark
Sendspark
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
iSpring Suite
iSpring Suite
Score 9.4 out of 10
Loom
Loom
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
iSpring Suite
iSpring Suite
Score 9.4 out of 10
Snagit
Snagit
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Articulate 360Camtasia
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(72 ratings)
7.7
(73 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(3 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(9 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(16 ratings)
8.6
(14 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Articulate 360Camtasia
Likelihood to Recommend
Articulate Global, Inc.
I am not a fully trained instructional designer, but I found the user experience to be enjoyable. I have crafted my own revision of a course using Articulate 360 and while the process was lengthy, I found edits and changes to be relatively easy to implement. I also had a great deal of fun making tweaks, organizing and adding imagery. I think with regard to creating online courses/products for students to utilize, this is a great program and serves several levels of instructional design well (from me being brand new to this, to my supervisor who is newly certified, up to a longtime LD). I don't know that this is wholly relevant to courses that are live, be they in-person or virtual (Zoom webinars for example). Most of the material created in Articulate 360 tends to sit on the side of an on-demand, at-your-own-pace as far as coursework is concerned. A live course with an instructor, while it could be utilized in a live setting, the way it would be used I am unsure would be as dynamic or worthwhile as other more traditional options.
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TechSmith
Camtasia is so easy to use that I recommend it over Adobe Premiere, Captivate, Storyline, and other tools. The only problem is the price. Due to the fact that I purchased this for education purposes, and educational prices have gone up exponentially, it has been difficult even at $179 to upgrade, as an educator and the organization is not always willing to reimburse the purchase, it would have been more economical. It was less than $100 (Black Friday) when I bought our updated version in 2019. Camtasia profile accounts aren't the best setup, however. My profile account does not reflect when I was a user or show past invoices, and I wanted to see how long ago I was a user.
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Pros
Articulate Global, Inc.
  • Rise is clean and professional. It looks polished to users and is easy for learners to follow.
  • They have outstanding support.
  • Storyline allows you to create some very engaging intricate interactive learning.
  • Generally, their products are user friendly.
  • They are considered the Gold standard in elearning authoring.
  • Their courses can be read on phones, tablets computers. etc.
  • They also have a powerpoint add in for making really nice slides.
  • Their review tool, allows you to easily send the courses to reviewers who can update in course.
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TechSmith
  • Very intuitive controls. You don't need to be a pro at video editing
  • Seamless control of assets (separates video from still images)
  • Great library of annotations and gestures
  • Easy to integrate audio/video edits
  • Custom formats that suit my needs (web, mobile, tablets)
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Cons
Articulate Global, Inc.
  • I'd like to see more variety in the types of interactions available. The ones that exist now (hot spot, drag n' drop, flip cards, etc.) are useful, but it would be nice to have more options without having to build something custom in Storyline to pull over. For example, I'd like a more elaborate sorting activity, customizable drag and drop activity, game options such as crosswords, options that allow user response, and more variety in the quizzing and assessment.
  • The built-in branching scenario feature requires a bit of trial and error. I'd like to see a snapshot, at-a-glance view of the scenario so it easier to see where the branching is, or where its missing.
  • The built-in assessment features are pretty limited - the Knowledge Check block has only multiple choice, multiple response, fill in the blank and basic matching. There is the option to pull in a test bank which is great, but it would be great to have more options built-in without having to develop something more elaborate in Storyline.
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TechSmith
  • USB Microphones can sometimes cause a problem if they become accidentally unplugged during a recording session. This can corrupt some of the files that the Camtasia Recorder application uses to capture directly to .avi mode.
  • You'll sometimes get a message when you next try to record that .avi mode isn't available and the only way to fix this is by completely uninstalling and reinstalling Camtasia (with a reboot in the middle of these two actions).
  • This bug only manifested after Camtasia 8 was released, but still seems to cause an issue right up to and including Camtasia 2021.
  • I'd like to see more standard Annotation options. The existing ones are pretty good, but variety is a little lacking.
  • More 'Behaviours' would also be really welcome as these are a great feature and make Callouts a bit more interesting and lively. I've not seen any new Behaviours over the past few versions (since Camtasia 2018).
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Likelihood to Renew
Articulate Global, Inc.
Articulate 360 is an essential tool in our organisation's workflow. The money that we make through its use, far outweighs the cost of renewing our licenses. Articulate 360 has exposed us to new clients that we may not have otherwise encountered if we did not subscribe to the Articulate services.
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TechSmith
Each release of Camtasia has added just enough functionality to justify the upgrade to the new version. I like that Camtasia is not a subscription-based product as we have more flexibility and control over our spend on the product. We can also purchase support packages that include the next version when released.
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Usability
Articulate Global, Inc.
I rate the overall usability of Articulate 360 ​​with an 8, because of the many possibilities the software offers me. The software ensures that almost anyone without knowledge of coding can develop an interactive online course in a fairly simple and pleasant way.
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TechSmith
I haven't used another video recording and editing tools that is as comprehensive and straight-forward as Camtasia. Typically, if you want a user-friendly video editing tools for novice users, you have to compromise on features. Camtasia solves this problem by offering extensive editing features in a simplistic, user-friendly environment. Highly recommend
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Support Rating
Articulate Global, Inc.
It took forever to get someone to respond--either by email or by phone--directly to a pricing and licensing question. It is unfortunate that a company that has such potential as a streamlined course building/authoring tool not only missed the boat with service but also proves itself to be all fluff and no substance.
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TechSmith
With the latest version (Camtasia 2020), I actually had problems with an Imac with HighSierra, but from the first moment they answered and guided me to solve the problem, even before making the purchase (with some doubts I had). And they have support in English and Spanish, I really liked that.
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Implementation Rating
Articulate Global, Inc.
It is pretty straight forward and easy to implement is you are already creating eLearning. If you have old courses created in other versions of Articulate I recommend you update them to the new version even though it is not necessary (especially From Storyline3 to 360) but if you don't you may find difficulty opening and keeping things straight
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TechSmith
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Articulate Global, Inc.
Adobe Captivate has a ton of incredible functionality. You're able to fully customize user experiences through interactive elements, buttons, transitions, hiding and activating various elements, and so on. But overall Captivate is insanely difficult for someone new to the tool to learn. Most of what I learned about Captivate, I had to do by trial and error or by watching Paul Wilson's YouTube videos. I find Articulate 360 to be far more intuitive
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TechSmith
I've tried several freeware recorders, too. If all you want to do is literally record your screen, and nothing else, you don't need Camtasia. There are literally dozens of apps that will do that. If you want an app that will record your screen while capturing mouse clicks, follow you, record your voice while you capture, and annotate when you're done, Camtasia has no equal. Plus, it doesn't stop there. You can add professional intros and outros (many already created to choose from), lower thirds, etc., leading to videos with very high production value. This is THE program to buy if you want to produce training videos of very high quality.
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Return on Investment
Articulate Global, Inc.
  • I am an independent user so far so no ROI; however it has clearly made a positive impact on my course as my students love the clear navigation interface and know exactly where to find content.
  • On point to consider is that it has no forum option on its lesson option so this hinders some asynchronous users from interacting with others on the course.
  • Users have expressed many positive feedback from using Articulate 360 which increases productivity and engagement.
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TechSmith
  • Many faculty members used it because it was easy to use and accomplish what they needed.
  • No need for a lot of training or follow-up training due to it being very to use.
  • Account management within our system and assigning permissions required a few steps when granting access.
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ScreenShots

Articulate 360 Screenshots

Screenshot of Creating a course in RiseScreenshot of Articulate 360Screenshot of Storyline 360Screenshot of Rise 360Screenshot of Content Library 360Screenshot of Review 360

Camtasia Screenshots

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