Articulate Storyline vs. Camtasia

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Articulate Storyline
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Articulate Storyline is a learning content creation platform. It provides prebuilt and customizable content, along with gamification capabilities. Articulate emphasizes user-friendliness, including mobile accessibility. It is offered on a perpetual license.
$1,398
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 StorylineCamtasia
Editions & Modules
Storyline3
$1,398
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 StorylineCamtasia
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details*Discounts available for purchases supporting a large volume of users.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Articulate StorylineCamtasia
Considered Both Products
Articulate Storyline
Chose Articulate Storyline
The other main software program I've used for elearning development is Camtasia.
  • I prefer Camtasia for software tutorials because it's quick and easy to make a screencast and load it into YouTube.
  • I've used both Camtasia and Storyline for converting a powerpoint + audio into a …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Articulate Storyline offers way more than what you will find in any of its competitors. Aside from the full suite of software that comes with it, it also provides far more features than what you will find from Captivate. Articulate Storyline also receives much more significant …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Although I like Adobe Captivate and am happy that it is in the market, I do not believe it is as robust and intuitive as developing in Storyline. Additionally, Articulate has bundled Storyline with several other eLearning tools that make it a killer combo.
Chose Articulate Storyline
I've used a few other products that are similar to Storyline. Captivate by Adobe is overly complex and frustrating at times, so that's gonna be a "no go" for most users. The addition of these new 360 applications (Rise, Review, etc) makes Articulate the top option when it comes …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Articulate is more user-friendly and has an enormous content library.
Chose Articulate Storyline
This software has a steep learning curve and Storyline is miles ahead due to it being a lot like PowerPoint. It even imports PowerPoint presentations with ease. We've selected it for that reason, and with the new update, its large library of different assets. The only thing I …
Chose Articulate Storyline
I use all three for various reasons. I tend to use Storyline when I need an eLearning course where I want to convey long-term learning lessons and want to track progress. The ability to branch off of the main path for users to choose their journey is a great plus! I also really …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Articulate Storyline is head and shoulders above the other tools on the market. It truly combines the features of most rapid e-Learning tools on the market in one easy-to-use tool. And, the Articulate community is just a bonus addition...no other company's support can compare …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Captivate (user since Version 3), Camtasia (user since version 2), Lectora Inspire (freaking awful software - makes using anything, including Moodle, a joy). Storyline just feels different from all of these "competitors". It's organic, fun to use, instantly engaging for the ID …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Articulate provides the most comprehensive and easy to use eLearning software hands-down. When compared to Adobe Captivate there are definite differences in the way that the two products achieve the same tasks. It's the difference between stainless steel and laser scalpels. …
Chose Articulate Storyline
Compared Articulate to Captivate, Camtasia, and other more robust tools. Because of ease of use, Articulate Studio comes out on top. Price is a big consideration as well!
Camtasia
Chose Camtasia
I think the products are often linked in people's minds when thinking about learning and development, but they serve completely different purposes for our business. Camtasia is much better suited for the quick-hit, just-in-time training we need on specific topics. Articulate is …
Chose Camtasia
My goal was to quickly create a professional-looking course and video in no time with Camtasia. 'Time is money,' as the old saying goes. Because of my lack of time and patience, I didn't bother with other applications. Camtasia is everything I need and more. I just wished I can …
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
Storyline is great for adding interactivity and such for eLearnings. But the video capture feature, in my opinion, doesn't come close to what Camtasia can do. If we ever need to add screencasting to a Storyline module, I record and edit in Camtasia, then just export the movie …
Top Pros
Top Cons
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Articulate StorylineCamtasia
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User Ratings
Articulate StorylineCamtasia
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(118 ratings)
7.7
(73 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.0
(21 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
7.7
(15 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Availability
8.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.8
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(15 ratings)
8.6
(14 ratings)
Online Training
5.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Articulate StorylineCamtasia
Likelihood to Recommend
Articulate Global, Inc.
In an office where you're planning to do a large amount of module-based training, Articulate Storyline will prove useful. A consideration to make, however, is whether your team members focused on training design will have the capacity to learn the software enough to create interesting and effective training modules. The basic functions can be simple, but the more advanced capabilities of the software take considerable effort to master and employ to create the more visually appealing presentations/modules you see in much of the promotional materials. If you have a small training team (or even without anyone dedicated specifically to training and development), Storyline is not a wise choice as the cost and effort required to fully make use of the software would be far too much of a commitment to make it worthwhile.
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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.
  • Storyline integrates with the Canvas LMS fairly seamlessly. There have been a few glitches, but for the most part, the interactions we have created will play directly in the Canvas LMS.
  • Storyline is great for creating short drag and drop interactions for self-reviews or even graded assignments. Its many options for quizzes such as "answer reveal" or using tabs help the student get a different perspective on the content rather than just an "A, B, or C" answer.
  • Storyline is great for tutorials or training sessions. There are many options to help guide the learner (or employee) through a process. it is not just linear, but you can branch the slides based on the answers. A great way to engage the learner or employee.
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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 wish that you could customize the UI ribbons to bring features you use frequently to the front and to hide options you rarely use.
  • It would be great if there was a way for non-technical collaborators (SMEs, management, etc) to be able to open a *.story file directly and provide comments. You currently have to publish the course, load it to the LMS, update the LMS, and then hope that users can find it in the LMS. A Storyline Viewer/Previewer standalone application would be awesome.
  • The price is too high for freelancers to purchase and use. I no longer contract and work exclusively for the firm, but even with our resources, the high price limits the number of licenses available to use.
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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.
We are moving away from the standalone eCourse model, so depending upon when that shift happens, we might choose not to renew since we won't be supporting eCourses built in Articulate Storyline anymore. As long as we are still selling and supporting those eCourses, we will continue to renew the licenses we have.
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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.
The basics are easy to learn but you won't get really robust activities from using just the basics. However, if you can invest the time in learning how to use all of Storyline's features, you'll have tremendous learning development power at your fingertips. I do have to say, though, that there is a beautiful logic to how everything in Storyline works. Once you learn a few of the advanced features, you can learn them all because there's a similar underlying logic. The interface is also very appealing and friendly.
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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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Reliability and Availability
Articulate Global, Inc.
Installed software so alway available
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TechSmith
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Articulate Global, Inc.
They are support-superstars and the software they use for support is excellent too (I don't know what it is). The model they use for support should be followed by all companies. It is a conversation/discussion forum model that shows everyone's questions in a knowledge base capacity so you can get the help you need in a speedy way.
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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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Online Training
Articulate Global, Inc.
I love the fact that both a demonstration AND text version of the tutorials are available. Our firewall was blocking the demos until I requested my company allow them! Having the text version available still enabled me to learn from the tutorials. They are very well done and informative, and there is a tutorial for just about anything you need to learn to do with Storyline. I have always been more than satisfied with the support and training available to us for all Articulate products and I love the community!
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TechSmith
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Articulate Global, Inc.
Outside of having to dedicate a powerful enough PC for the installation and having to update Flash in our browsers there really isn't much pain involved in using Articulate. For the most part this is an easy to implement and roll-out product. The installation occurs quickly and smoothly with no additional steps needed.
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TechSmith
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Articulate Global, Inc.
Articulate Storyline is the only authoring tool we have used with our LMS to date. We are seeing different platforms now, as opposed to LMS platforms. And, many of those have their own content. However, we will always need to create/author our own because of the nature of what we do and how we do it. I'm a big fan!
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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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Scalability
Articulate Global, Inc.
It is easy to train new users and manage content. Being able to import older projects and PPT files makes it very easy to use for a lot of "moonlighters" in our department.
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TechSmith
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Articulate Global, Inc.
  • Allows for on-demand training that is accessible to anyone in the organization instantaneously.
  • Heavily reduces travel expenses by eliminating the need for in-person training classes.
  • Gives my department creative liberties in designing content that can be customized to each and every subject/business group in the organization. No two courses are ever the same.
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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

Camtasia Screenshots

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