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Articulate Storyline

Articulate Storyline

Overview

What is Articulate Storyline?

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.

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Recent Reviews

Intuitively Impressive

10 out of 10
January 03, 2024
Incentivized
Articulate Storyline is utilized to create operations skills and knowledge training as well as transform current in-person training into …
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TrustRadius Insights

Intuitive User Interface: Many users have praised the intuitive user interface of Articulate Storyline, with several reviewers stating …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Storyline3

$1,398

On Premise

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://articulate.com/p/storyline…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

A Simple Animation Engine in Articulate Storyline 2

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Kineo Rapid Service for Articulate Storyline

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Add Custom Background Images to HTML Pages in Articulate Storyline

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New Elapsed Time Variables for Articulate Storyline 360

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Articulate Storyline 2 - Overview of new features!

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How to create animated buttons in @Articulate Storyline

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Product Details

What is Articulate Storyline?


Articulate Storyline is software for creating interactive courses. It's designed to be simple enough for beginners, yet powerful enough for experts, enabling users to create virtually any imaginable interaction, in minutes. The vendor further provides that with their new perpetual version of Storyline, users can deliver mobile and accessible courses with enhanced interactivity, faster.

Articulate Storyline Features

  • Supported: Get started building courses right away, without any training. Storyline is so intuitive to use, even beginners ramp up quickly.
  • Supported: Create engaging interactivity, easily. If you can imagine an interaction, you can easily build it with Storyline. Let learners click, hover over, or drag any object to trigger any action. Build engaging interactions in minutes with buttons, sliders, markers, and hotspots. And create dynamic, personalized interactivity with intuitive variables—no programming required.
  • Supported: Build immersive, engaging learner experiences with video and simulations. Record screen activity, add screencasts from Articulate Replay, and import any type of video. To create software simulations simply record your screen once, then edit whenever and however you want.
  • Supported: Assess learners any way you want. Turn objects on your slide into a decision-making activity–or use 25 different question types to create quizzes quickly. You can test throughout your course to get a clear view of performance, and combine results from multiple quizzes for a final score.
  • Supported: Make it easy for every learner to access your content. Storyline supports right-to-left languages and double-byte character sets and includes Section 508 and WCAG support.
  • Supported: Reach learners on virtually any device with HTML5 and Flash publishing options (Storyline 2) and a fully responsive player (Storyline 360 only).
  • Supported: Publish for learning management systems with Tin Can API 1.0, SCORM, and AICC support.

Articulate Storyline Video

Articulate Storyline Competitors

Articulate Storyline Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows
Mobile ApplicationApple iOS, Android

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

iSpring Learn, Adobe Captivate, and Lectora are common alternatives for Articulate Storyline.

Reviewers rate Implementation Rating highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of Articulate Storyline are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(251)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 67)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
January 03, 2024

Intuitively Impressive

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Articulate Storyline is utilized to create operations skills and knowledge training as well as transform current in-person training into online modules.

Many of the modules created are transferred from older Captivate modules to the Articulate Storyline format. The organization has a benefited by a more intuitive software used to create modules in the LMS which reduces time spent on creating online training.
  • Intuitive interface
  • Triggers are easy to create and understand
  • The output files are quick an easy
  • The Review 360 module is a great way of getting input on created modules
  • The inclusion of audio files is cumbersome
  • The inclusion of videos is cumbersom.
  • The look and feel has limited options.
The Articulate Storyline is best suited for highly interactive online modules. The more interactivity and branching needed, the better this program will suit the needs.
For a micro learning scenario on a single path, such as an interactive job aid, Rise would be a better-suited software.
Matt LeMaire, B.A., M.A. | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Generally, we use Articulate Storyline to develop training materials for our staff. We often use the software to help guide workflows and processes that prove useful in getting new team members up to speed or training existing team members on additional processes. It is used across each department in the organization, depending on training needs. The main business problem it addresses is that it allows us to provide easy access to training for team members that can be accessible from multiple locations and devices. Moreover, it does not require additional resources to have someone directly on hand to train the employee in the processes, limiting the opportunity cost. Employees learn the process by getting walked through via Storyline and any follow-up questions can be addressed directly as needed.
  • Design is intuitive and easy to learn. Anyone familiar with PowerPoint can easily get into Storyline. While some elements require more advanced learning, the general basis of the software works excellently by leveraging knowledge of PowerPoint.
  • Optimization. We have had staff comment on how the software adjusts based on the device they are using and responds effortlessly whether using on a mobile device or a standard computer/notebook.
  • Learning curve. As simple as the more basic aspects of the software can be to use, the more advanced features can be complicated and take some time to get used to. This is something where you'll have to dedicate yourself to getting a full grasp of what the program can do.
  • Cost. Articulate Storyline is a costly endeavour. While in the long run it is worth it, you'll need to consider whether the usage, and therefore ROI, is ultimately worth it for your organization.
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.
Relton McBurrows | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Articulate Storyline is being used as a course authoring tool in creating our online learning throughout the hospital. It is primarily being used by our department in creating professional development, orientation training, and compliance training. We also use it to create embedded quizzes and exams for testing new staff and nurses.
  • Articulate is very intuitive to use. If you know PowerPoint, you can get a good start with Storyline.
  • Storyline allows for an editable import of PowerPoint slides. Most of our content starts as PowerPoint files.
  • Articulate is full of features to create interactive lessons
  • When creating quizzes and forms within Storyline, it would be helpful to be able to embed multiple data entry modes (i.e. radio buttons & pull-down).
  • Storyline also lacks the ability to apply an audio track across multiple slides.
  • Storyline's narration interface is cumbersome. It lacks the ability to record voiceovers while in the slide, allowing users to track with animations.
Articulate Storyline is extremely well suited for the novice to intermediate course developer. Built on a PowerPoint structure and interface, the workflow is very easy to learn. It is also well-suited to environments like ours where the majority of subject matter experts are producing their content first in PowerPoint. The content import features are unmatched by close competitors.
February 07, 2019

Powerful and intuitive

Duane Stitt | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Articulate Storyline within our training unit to develop interactive eLearning, video demonstrations, and other training experiences. Our organization is constantly going through changes. Articulate Storyline allows us to quickly develop relevant training to support the changes for our statewide staff without having to conduct it live or in person.
  • Storyline is very user intuitive. If you are familiar with using PowerPoint, it is an easy transition, with much more powerful tools.
  • Storyline provides helpful tools for interactive learning - branching scenarios, drag and drop, multiple choice, etc. The ability to turn any slide into a quiz slide allows for great flexibility and creativity.
  • Setting up triggers and page interactions is simple, with a comprehensive list of choices for button actions, timing options, image transitions, etc.
  • Quiz results are not able to be compiled and emailed to the trainer outside of an LMS system.
  • Some transitions cannot be combined - for example, motion along a path and zoom cannot happen at the same time.
Storyline is well suited for business training when in-person training is inefficient.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Storyline was purchased primarily for us to build our eLearning onboarding and compliance programs. We previously flew people all over the world and were able to drastically cut travel costs by implementing eLearning options.
  • Easy to pick up if you know PowerPoint
  • You can easily transform PPT docs into interactive eLearning files
  • Great online support forums
  • It’s hard to create eLearning where you can go backward through the course if you miss something.
  • Nowadays we are seeing more video eLearning. Storyline is a little outdated
  • Lack of on the job training tools
Storyline is great for compliance training. It’s also great for any soft skill training where content doesn’t change. If you are training your systems it’s not a great tool. It takes too long to edit and reshare. Rise is more suited to that.
Tracy Ford | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have been using Storyline to create microlearnings that we can assign and track. We have also used it as an interactive calendar for our training events.
  • User interface replicates PowerPoint, so it is very easy and natural.
  • Content Library is a fantastic asset.
  • Collaborating on a project is maybe its best feature.
  • Sharing content without an LMS is possible.
  • Expanding the interactions would be nice.
  • Opening more than one project at a time requires opening the program again.
Great software, easy collaboration and sharing.
Le Tu Quynh | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We’re currently using storyline for creating interactive training material, especially for sales and safety training across 116 countries. As we standardizing our training, this tool helps us to create a uniform, dynamic training to replace the traditional methods.
  • Good content library.
  • Dynamic built-in templates.
  • Various trigger types allows unlimited creativity.
  • More adaptive and unique function for mobile.
  • Able to draw charts and visualize data.
  • Draw lines and boxes with connected points like powerpoint.
Suitable for a training specialist who wants to make training material differently & offer online training. Not suitable for those who don’t have much time and just focus on hands-on experiences or practices.
Rebecca McKenna | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
My learning platform team uses Storyline to edit and publish eCourse modules that are created for us by external vendors. Our HR department also uses it to create training modules for internal employees.
  • It is a versatile tool that can create a wide variety of eLearning experiences.
  • It interfaces well with SCORM Cloud, which is what we use for dispatching eCourses to clients.
  • It is fairly inexpensive for a single user license.
  • The way it handles variables is confusing and not intuitive. This could be streamlined.
  • Attaching documents to an eCourse resources section presents problems when the documents are not located on the computer that is publishing the course.
  • Sometimes the courses do not work in Safari.
Storyline is useful for creating fairly complex eCourse modules with branching decision paths. If you are only looking to create very simple eCourses, its functionality might be overwhelming and unnecessary. It is helpful to have Storyline in a company's arsenal because it is widely used by eCourse vendors, so when an eCourse is delivered and requires edits (copy editing, etc.), then the content manager or LMS manager should definitely have access to this tool.
Brandon Bakken | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Articulate Storyline for most of our online staff education across our whole organization. This program helps us publish cross-platform training in a selection of different coding conventions. It's flexibility with importing PowerPoints and its ability to import many different media types make it an ideal program to create a variety of online courses covering a vast array of subject matter for our organization.
  • Free stock library.
  • Multiple output options.
  • Multiple ready to use layout and design options.
  • Constantly updating and bugs being removed and added.
  • Large bugs appear occasionally and can completely stop your production.
  • Limited functionality in areas of animation and coding unless you know Javascript.
If you want a solid program that you can spin up courses for an LMS, that is easy to use for almost anyone, look no further. Be warned it can be limited in some areas, but after lots of use, you'll find ways around these limitations and great forums to help you achieve the look and functionality you're looking for.
Kristin Broadhead | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
For most of my instructional design needs, I use Storyline and the Articulate 360 suite. For our Training and Development team, Storyline is used as a rapid development tool to create online learning courses and training videos to be hosted on our LMS. It allows for quick turnaround time and is an easy design platform.
  • I appreciate the screen record has the option to auto-populate the text for events on the screen.
  • You don't have to be a graphic designer to understand how to use the software.
  • Publishing options are great! You can export to Word and even MP4!
  • I wish there was more of a library for people cut outs.
  • The publishing time seems to take significantly longer than other software I've used.
  • The file seems to get corrupted when saved on the cloud. I suggest saving local and backing up to the cloud.
Storyline allows you to create different branches of your course, which is really great when designing an onboarding course. It allows the associate to choose their position, which then directs them into the onboarding best suited for their job. Prior to the newer versions, it was less appropriate to use if you needed a video, but the enhancements now allow this - so it is great!
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
My department under HR exclusively uses Articulate 360 to create web-based training courses. The courses that we create pertain to all different subjects including professional development, product knowledge, showroom, residential/commercial trade, facilities supply, operations, sales, systems, etc. All employees across the organization have access to these training courses.

Use of Articulate Storyline addresses the problems we often face with the expense of sending trainers to conduct a training class in person. Using web-based content is efficient in saving time and money so that the knowledge applied can be more hands-on and convenient.
  • Articulate Storyline is a timeline based editing software that allows all imported graphics, audio, video, and text to be seen simultaneously and adjusted on the timeline by overlapping (send to front, send to back).
  • Articulate Storyline has a customizable player that allows you to coordinate color schemes, organize resources, display of buttons/tabs, include notes or captions, audio controls, and sizing options for the browser window.
  • The Articulate community provides you with pre-made templates for slides and quizzes that you can import directly into your course through the application window. They also provide characters that range from realistic to illustrated and can be instantly imported directly from the application.
  • Articulate Storyline doesn't always allow the copying/customizing of every pre-built interaction (i.e. quizzes) and can be difficult to use at times.
  • Working on slide layers has limitations with what can be done using triggers and states outside of the base slide.
  • The modern player style does not allow for publishing with Flash and can cause a weird font issue if only using HTML. The modern player looks so much nicer than the classic, but only allows for HTML publishing.
I have to create customized courses from scratch frequently. When it comes to creating important Legal/Compliance training, I know that I can restrict certain navigation of slides and customize the way the training must be viewed with Storyline. There are so many ways to ensure that the course content is received in the correct format, along with the ability to track the completion of courses based on passing a quiz or viewing all slides in the course.
Matt Graf | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Articulate Storyline is a really great, user-friendly way to make interactive online educational content. We have a lot of professors who are not tech savvy and having something that they can use to help create their online courses without feeling overwhelmed is a tremendous asset. While we do most of the course construction, many professors want to contribute as well.
  • The fact that Storyline works on pretty much any device is great.
  • It is user-friendly, which is very important when it is being used by people from a wide range of tech-savvy (or non-savvy) backgrounds.
  • It just looks good! The way you are guided through the creation of your e-learning content helps make your content look really great.
  • I don't think there is anything we noticed in our time using it that we didn't like. It was very fun and easy to use.
It is very well suited for anyone looking to create online learning content who doesn't already have a platform to do so. It is one of the simplest ways I've seen to make e-learning content that looks good. You don't have to be some tech genius to make something you'll be proud to share with the online world.
Chris Bloom | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Storyline for internal training courses, both soft skill and product training. It addresses all kinds of topics, from compliance to promotions to product walkthroughs and best practices. Our team uses it for the employees, and another training team uses it for New Hire programs. We haven't used it for any external audiences at this time.
  • Intuitive. It works similar to PowerPoint in terms of slides and structure. Adding assets and narration is fairly straightforward.
  • They have a good stock library. Also, you can add different characters in a variety of poses for added effect.
  • Lots of flexibility in navigation and buttons. Variables and basic scripting makes it easy to customize.
  • Animations are lacking. Limited to real basic types of movement and animations, which can look dated and not as profressional.
  • Lacks a time feature (how much time is used, how much time is left). I know that can't always be accurate due to interactive navigation, but the option to put one in would be nice.
  • Customization of the player is limited.
It's great for creating some basic eLearning tools. The video capability is so-so, though. You can create things rapidly, which is nice. And it does have some power and flexibility. It's good especially for courses where you need to break it out in sections. Quizzing is nice because you can separate it throughout the course, and then it can be tallied together. I'm not as big a fan of external audiences, since those are more video-focused and it doesn't have as many editing capabilities as I'd like.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Articulate Storyline is being used here in both the Business Development Unit and People and Organisational Resources. It is a valuable resource to educate often time poor legal professionals in core systems and skills required in their profession. Using the HTML features means that they can learn on the go, and the usual "dead" time waiting at court can now be a time to learn new skills.
  • Being able to simulate our business systems makes the learning experience that much more effective.
  • Mobile friendly production lets lawyers learn on the go.
  • Versatile course creation tools means that you can have a polished and professional course up in literally minutes.
  • Some minor resolution issues with screen recording don't detract from an overall positive experience.
Articulate is fantastic for soft skills and scenario generation....lawyers love "What if?" scenarios and contextual examples. The software simulation is great. The trigger system is quite easy to use and can produce some great effects to make a course more engaging. It is very handy for compliance courses where initial interest levels are often very low.
Anika Hansen | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Articulate Storyline is used to create a series of technical training modules for our business. It allows us to provide an asynchronous self-paced training program with minimal use of a live instructor and therefore maximize efficiency and use of resources. Currently it is used across the whole organization with customized module content depending on the department.
  • Articulate Storyline is especially adept at providing interactive training modules with the ability to add in various learning paths with animations and button selection. When done correctly it can be highly engaging for the user.
  • It is very easy to add voice over, screen shot, and screen capture video to your modules with the recording software built right into the program. This instantly eliminated our need for external software to fill these roles and was a huge time saver.
  • As we use multiple methods for module delivery, Articulate's publishing options are first rate. You can burn to a CD, publish as a SCORM package for a LMS, publish to a website, or even as a Word doc if you need to pass around just the content for review. This versatility serves all our needs.
  • One very time consuming process in creating a slide is synching up animation with a voice recording. I find I spend a lot of time dragging markers, sorting through layers, and having to constantly fine tune each second of the slide. The tools are fine, and I am not sure how this could be made faster, but a more efficient way of doing this task would be a big time saver.
  • In the adult training world it is important that end products look professional and are able to reflect the style of the business using them. Although Articulate Storyline offers many options in its characters, animations, etc., it can sometimes be a challenge to avoid a juvenile feel to the training. Sometimes those characters are downright comical, and frustrating to work with when you're trying to provide a polished technical training module.
  • When I first approach a new training project it can be overwhelming thinking about how each slide should look and function, how I want the material to flow, and how the user will transition from one topic to the next. I would love to see a brainstorming/ slide layout/ or rudimentary storyboard function. Maybe something which could be published and shared with team members for everyone to provide feedback and ideas on before development begins on the actual module slides.
Articulate Storyline is very well suited for customer service type training or other sort of flashy demonstrations as it offers a lot of human character options and interactivity features. We use Storyline for our more technical training, however we only utilize about 20% of the program's features because the characters or animations are quite out of place in our modules. We need a much more academic look and feel in our material.
Gregory Morrison | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my organization, I am the sole instructional designer for a workforce of 10K+ employees. I use Storyline2 and 360 to create engaging pieces of content from training, to interactive employee handbooks, to mandatory compliance assessments and reviews.

These programs allow me to convert boring PDFs, videos, and multiple choice quizzes into genuine learning experiences, which help with overall effectiveness and retention. Plus, since we have the luxury of gamifying our content, our employees don't view training as a punitive activity anymore.
  • One of Storyline's greatest attributes is its versatility. Although you can use the basic templates, more advanced users will savor the ability to bring their ideas to life using the blank canvas to transform their ideas into powerful pieces of training.
  • I really like the ability to create branching scenarios, which turn a linear story into a multifaceted experience.
  • Storyline also works seamlessly when adding custom interaction and various media types, from audio, to video, to web objects. The combination of these elements helps designers appeal to audiences of varying learning styles.
  • I've always wished that storyline allowed a designer to organize triggers in collapsible folders. Anyone who has used 10 or more triggers all on varying objects throughout the slide knows how difficult it can be to find what you're looking for. Cleaning this area up would do wonders.
  • It would also be helpful if you could delete the result slide variable if you indeed delete the result slide itself. Currently, if you are experimenting with four different result slides and decide to only use one, the variables (points and percent) stay in the project and can never be removed. This can be confusing later on.
  • This really isn't a major problem, but more of a suggestions, but it would be cool if you could manipulate the size and shape of a marker. So if I wanted a large marker or even a rectangular one that looked like a button but had the characteristics of a marker, that would be pretty cool.
With Storyline, your only limitation is your imagination. This program is so powerful, and with new additions like Articulate Review, there is nothing else like it on the market. I would advise new users to take their time to understand the various features and navigation so that you know exactly where to go and for what, but after that, the limit to the software will only be capped by your ability or inability to think.
Luke Benfield | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
All members of our instructional design team utilize Articulate Storyline to build courses and assessments. We have built a variety of corporate, clinical, and IT courses in SL2 including attestations, pre and post assessments for ILT programs, scenario-based and choose your own adventure courses, PowerPoint conversions, and compliance programs. Storyline allows our development team to produce fast, high quality courses that meet our ever changing and growing needs of the business. We chose Storyline over other rapid-authoring tools because of its user-friendliness, community support, training opportunities, and access to free templates and resources.
  • Support - The Articulate staff is extremely responsive and helpful. The E-Learning Heroes Community is, IMO, the absolute best user driven support community in the e-learning space.
  • Scalable functionality - You can use SL to quickly convert powerpoint files to interactive e-learning programs, or you can create complex learning experiences with SL's variables and javascript features.
  • User Friendliness - The menu bars and overall UX design mirrors Microsoft Office, so it's relatively easy to operate.
  • I would like to see more graphics functionality similar to powerpoint within Storyline. Some examples are - Merging shapes, removing backgrounds from images, and blurring images. If some of these basic things were added, I would be able to do almost all my graphics work within the tool itself.
  • The feedback masters of Storyline 2 are inconsistent in applying the master formatting to layers. Button states are not accurately applied, which means going in to each slide and layer to make individual changes. This can make the QA process quite cumbersome.
  • Fullscreen functionality for videos through a button or some other means would be a great value add as well.
  • Storyline could be even better and improve user-workflow if there were more options to set defaults for the program. Examples including setting a default Story size (program defaults to 4:3, but all my projects are 16:9, so I have to change that every time I start a new project), and setting the default font and paragraph formatting.
Well suited: Quick assessments and knowledge checks, simple interactive videos, choose your own adventure and scenario-based courses, software simulations, and interactive game-based courses. Overall, if you are looking to develop high quality courses with short development time, Storyline is your tool.
Less Appropriate: If the business needs are either simple, narrated PowerPoints, or complex projects involving actual coding.
Dorothy Mocalis | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The training development team uses Articulate Storyline to create compliance and process training. It was easy for the staff to learn and get used to for those who have never used it before. We have created templates to keep our trainings looking the same and we love the tool.
  • Storyline is great for customizing your training activities. If you can think of an activity, you will be able to create it in Storyline. It is like a blank canvas, great for creative people.
  • Storyline is very forgiving. If you have an issue or something isn't working the way you want it, there are more than one ways to do something. I love finding Storyline loopholes for my colleagues to ease the stress off of their shoulders.
  • It is easy to turn boring PowerPoints into an interactive work of art. You just have to think about the story you want to tell and what the learner should be able to do by the time they finish the training.
  • It would be nice to enter PDF type documents. There are ways to display documents, but you have to know the work-arounds to make it look good.
  • Storyline should be able to edit images better. For example, if I want to use an image that doesn't have a transparent background, I need to open Adobe Photoshop to delete the background. PowerPoint 13' has this functionality.
I was the initial employee to propose the purchase of Articulate Storyline. Storyline is great for getting out information fast to a large audience. It works nicely with any LMS I have ever used.
Sam Sternman | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use Storyline for all of our online softskills courses (within Human Resources). Our Education Services team also uses Storyline for many of their consumer products. Storyline assists me with a more rapid, fluid development cycle (vs. Captivate) and allows me to move quickly through the ID process as well as any changes that result from drafts/reviews.
  • Simple user interface.
  • Triggers (actions) are much easier to create than in Captivate.
  • The characters, particularly the additional bundles, offer a diverse range of photo characters that are great for a global company like ours. You can enhance the images by creating your own characters (they must be ready to scale, though) or purchase third-party characters from companies such as eLearning Brothers.
  • The support on the Community site is far superior to anything that Adobe has/will offer in the future...the amount of tutorials, examples and freebies is staggering.
  • More animation/movement options should be found in later releases of version 2 (let's not see another full release for a while).
  • There are some funky type issues with Storyline 2 - awaiting some bug fixes. Type, when paired with some animations, can be unruly and misbehave.
  • It would be great to have access to more characters (the cost is high for this software and there is no "cloud" version to save on upgrades) included.
  • Version 2 release seemed more like a patch than a full upgrade. Hopefully, the R&D costs will be recovered with this version so that Storyline 3 really has some new stuff that adds to the already organic interface.
Probably not the best for software training - use Captivate or Camtasia for that. I'd make sure that you enlist the help of a trained graphic designer (not self taught) when using Storyline - while a non-graphic user can create content, it's what you do with the screens that will set you apart.
Destery Hildenbrand | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
As an organization we are moving to Articulate 360 as our full eLearning development suite. We have used Articulate Storyline as our rapid prototyping instructional design tool in the past but with the additional options now being offered with the 360 suite we are moving towards using it exclusively for our eLearning development needs. Full course development, short bite-sized learning nuggets, and for just in time job-aid development, and now responsive design and real time review of projects are tools we will be working with to better serve our customers.
  • The best part of all of these tools is that they stay true to what I loved about Storyline and that's a low learning curve to get started. Anyone can sit down and with a little trial and error start using these tools right away.
  • Articulate 360 offers an all in one suite of programs and services that meet all of your elearning development needs. From rapid prototype creation with the Preso App to the content library with ready to use templates and characters for scenario creation the 360 suite provides the tools you need to develop quality elearning for your clients and customers.
  • As a suite you can now receive updates to the software and features as they are made without buying a new version. One price for each licence gives you access to all of the 360 programs and services.
  • Responsive authoring tools are available on your machine and in the cloud with Storyline and Rise. You can effectively tailor your training to fit any device or screen with ease. Rise ios a cloud based development tool that allows for ease of use and creation.
  • eLearning Heroes has been the gold standard for community outreach and support for a software. This community is populated with all users and skill levels to provide ideas and support. Now included in 360 Articulate offers Live. Live webinars by the Articulate gurus themselves offing ideas and instruction on how to use 360 better.
  • Pricing is more straight forward but I would have liked to see a monthly alternative similar to Adobe. The one size fits all may be too much for everyone. An a la carte option again similar to Adobe (Photoshop and Lightroom for a price) might be helpful in this case as well. (Storyline and Content Library for a price).
Articulate 360 really excels as an all in one elearning suite. Everything you need to be successful in developing eLearning from a technology standpoint is here and ready to go. It's ne responsive development tools and cloud options allow for development for any device or screen and any computer with an internet connection gives you access to their cloud development software. From prototype, design, review, and release 360 offers tools to support all steps. This suite offers tools for just about every scenario sans direct web design. You will also need additional image and video editing tools. Articulate offers limited options in those regards.
Andrew Watling | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Storyline to create trainings for staff to complete online, usually from home. It allows us to get our content to our staff who all work at different times and locations without having to adjust their schedules.
  • It is very easy to learn and use, you can start creating great projects from day 1.
  • It allows me to give computer based training that is very technical to staff who have limited computer skills.
  • It is customizable to every situation I need and can be made to look and feel different from project to project if you desire.
  • The timeline function and ability to reorder objects can be a little difficult to navigate.
  • The files it creates are large and saving can be time consuming, a save as you work function would be helpful.
  • I have had some issues with HTML5 working correctly.
If you need to create a course quickly and don't have programming skills if fills in the gaps to make your work look very professional.
Richard Watson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I've been using Articulate Storyline as the primary element on nearly all of the projects I work on. Its flexibility to customize interactions allows me to use it in designing/delivering soft skills training as well as healthcare and technical-related projects. Although I use other tools, having a single tool that can deliver at so many levels helps increase my proficiency with the tool which reduces the overall time to design and deliver quality products.
  • If you can dream it, you can most likely create it in this product. It is very flexible and intuitive.
  • By using triggers, variables, and states, you have the ability to harness design capabilities that would otherwise require a high level of programming expertise.
  • Integrating audio, video and animations into a module/course is very simple.
  • Its interface is very easy to use and understand.
  • I think they are working hard on this area but there is still some room for improvement in the HTML 5 to ensure it works consistently across multiple browser platforms and mobile devices.
  • Provide more options for the look/feel of the player. Include a built-in option for a "transparent player" instead of having to go in and change the transparency settings to achieve a transparent player effect.
  • The ability to edit graphics (since it is integrated with PowerPoint) from within Storyline itself would be a nice addition.
  • A more robust audio editing tool which allows you to edit (cut/paste, fade in/fade out audio, etc.) in a more intuitive way.
Customizing interactions is one of its strongest points. Again, if you can dream up the interaction, there is probably a way to use triggers, variables, conditions and states to achieve it. Although the initial learning curve is a little steep, if you put in the time, you can really get the power out of the tool to accomplish some really great things! Their community is a great place to shorten the learning curve quickly.
Diane D'Amico | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
My department is responsible for providing training to our clients on the use of our software products. Over the past 5 years, I have continued to develop more and more of our e-Learning On Demand programs and our clients have both embraced this technology and keep requesting more topics. Last year, we hit an all-time high by processing over 3,000 registrations for our programs. By using Articulate, we have taken our training to a whole new level of professionalism and easy access by also utilizing Articulate Online to host all of our programs. Our senior management team is extremely pleased with the positive comments we have received from our clients and going in this direction has definitely been the right decision. I am now seriously considering the expansion of our library for e-Learning On Demand programs so that our customers can fulfill their training needs anytime, anywhere. Thanks you for such a great product and for the strong community of users.
  • Articulate Storyline allows you to easily integrate interactivity into your program
  • Articulate Storyline allows you to create a professional and effective eLearning product
  • Articulate Storyline has grown a strong community of users who are always available for input and sharing
  • Articulate is easy to learn and the more features you use, the more enhanced your learning experience can be
  • I would like Articulate to provide some stock graphics that are specifically designed for this use
It is easy to use, professional, and interactive. Those are key qualities for a product in this category.
March 16, 2016

Storyline before all

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
My organization uses Articulate in order to meet two important aspects of the employee training process. Those are: quick effective training that is cost saving. Articulate is perfect for this because eLearning saves money and time in respect to classroom training.
  • User friendly even for inexperienced elearning administrators
  • Easy to use
  • Creates all kinds of published content (applicable for mobile and desktops)
  • Content interaction with user
  • Able to use all sorts of multimedia
  • More animation options
  • Better internet explorer compability of published content
  • More publishing options
  • Better preview options
Articulate is well suited when you're on a tight schedule and need to produce quick eLearning content. It is possible to create simple presentation content in couple of clicks. It is less appropriate when trying to create content with advanced animations because the tool does not provide enough animation options.
Jackie Van Nice | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use Articulate Storyline to create e-learning for my clients. It's the one development tool I've chosen to specialize in. It's relatively easy to use; yet gives me enough depth to create a wide variety of effective training pieces.
  • Easy to learn. The learning curve to get going with Articulate Storyline and produce something usable is very short. But once you're ready for more depth - it's there.
  • It's stable. I can rely on it to be there when I need it and don't spend time having to deal with support issues.
  • It's a product that comes with its own community of users who are always offering up great ideas, free course assets, and great peer interaction. Is the community built into the software itself? No. Does using the community help you make far better courses in Storyline because it helps you be a better designer? You bet.
  • It would be great to have more than one Storyline file open at once. You can technically do it, but it involves opening an additional instance of the program for each additional Storyline file you want open simultaneously. Not a big deal, but it would be a nice feature to add.
As with any e-learning development tool, you'd want to establish the intended output before choosing it. If I had a particular device or environment I was going to launch it in, I'd do a test to be sure my result was going to be what I expected.
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