Customer education and LMS
Asked as “customer education platform”, and as “customer training LMS”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B software company. 22 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, six models each.
Standing · first-choice share
55%
Clear leader
55Skilljar23TalentLMS05Gainsight Customer Education18others
55% of first choices, clear leader.
The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all six models, for a mid-market B2B software company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
06
Gainsight Customer Education5%28%18criticized challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 5% now.
Gainsight Customer Education5%28%18criticized challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 5% now.Show the five products at 0%, ordered by negative rate
The floor is 12 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one can't be told apart from repeat variation, and both are shown. Each index measures its own floor from its own repeat, over its own categories, so the floor differs from one index to the next. How the floor is measured
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
All fifteen head-to-head pages: the top six products, each against each
Skilljar vs LearnWorldsSkilljar vs Gainsight Customer EducationTalentLMS vs LearnUponTalentLMS vs ThinkificTalentLMS vs LearnWorldsTalentLMS vs Gainsight Customer EducationLearnUpon vs ThinkificLearnUpon vs LearnWorldsLearnUpon vs Gainsight Customer EducationThinkific vs LearnWorldsThinkific vs Gainsight Customer EducationLearnWorlds vs Gainsight Customer Education
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
01
02
03
04
0506
07
08
09
10
11Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative70%
Key
01Skilljar55%
Skilljar55%02TalentLMS23%
TalentLMS23%03LearnUpon5%
LearnUpon5%04Thinkific5%
Thinkific5%05LearnWorlds5%
LearnWorlds5%06Gainsight Customer Education5%
Gainsight Customer Education5%07WorkRamp0%
WorkRamp0%08Thought Industries0%
Thought Industries0%09Intellum0%
Intellum0%10Absorb LMS0%
Absorb LMS0%11Docebo0%
Docebo0%What they warned about
Four of six models held their first choice under the paraphrase. Claude Opus 5 and Perplexity Sonar Pro changed. A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Skilljar25%
8 of 32 labels negative · 6 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“What to avoid on a tight budget ... Skilljar is the category leader and most companies pay between $30,000 and $90,000 annually” Claude Opus 5, budget prompt
Docebo36%
9 of 25 labels negative · 5 of 6 models
“Docebo: one user discussion says it can release features in beta that are “riddled with bugs,” so it may be worth extra scrutiny” Perplexity Sonar Pro, negative prompt
Thought Industries21%
5 of 24 labels negative · 5 of 6 models
“Enterprise suites (Skilljar, Thought Industries, Docebo, Absorb) are largely quote-based... enterprise pricing plus implementation costs can be a poor fit.” Claude Opus 4.8, negative prompt
Gainsight Customer Education28%
5 of 18 labels negative · 4 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“Northpass is similar: it excels at user-friendly course creation and analytics but can be pricey for smaller organizations” Claude Opus 5, budget prompt
What they cite
Six of the six models returned a source list in this edition: six return the pages they cited.
Sites the answers cite
33 of 36 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 6 of 6 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 562 links across 163 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. None of the 36 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category.
vendor site · Mini Course Generator18 answers · 19 citations · 4 models
17 answers · 30 citations · 5 models
vendor site · Docebo16 answers · 19 citations · 6 models
vendor site · MeltingSpot16 answers · 18 citations · 4 models
vendor site · Continu14 answers · 22 citations · 4 models
vendor site · LearnWorlds12 answers · 23 citations · 6 models
vendor site · Intellum12 answers · 21 citations · 6 models
vendor site · Skilljar12 answers · 15 citations · 5 models
vendor site · CloudShare10 answers · 10 citations · 3 models
vendor site · Teachfloor9 answers · 12 citations · 3 models
vendor site · Thought Industries9 answers · 10 citations · 2 models
vendor site · Gainsight8 answers · 15 citations · 4 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
17 answers · 4 models
15 answers · 4 models
12 answers · 4 models
9 answers · 3 models
8 answers · 3 models
8 answers · 3 models
7 answers · 4 models
7 answers · 4 models
6 answers · 2 models
6 answers · 3 models
Search against answers
Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best customer education platform”, “customer education platform”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
| Company and products | Share | Own site cited | Name searches, Google | AI search demand, est. | Organic visits | Paid search a month, est. | Google ads, last 30 days | Best Google position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilljar skilljar.com | 55% | 157 | 3,600 | 67 | 233,929 | 23 | ||
| TalentLMS talentlms.com | 23% | 128 | 8,100 | 103 | 82,431 | $1,179 | 119 | |
| LearnWorlds learnworlds.com LearnWorlds 5%, LearnWorlds Pro Trainer 5% | 9% | 87 | 5,400 | 67 | 27,442 | $51 | 69 | 4 |
| LearnUpon learnupon.com | 5% | 92 | 5,400 | 55 | 81,523 | 40 | ||
| Thinkific thinkific.com | 5% | 66 | 22,200 | 301 | 262,041 | 39 | ||
| Gainsight Customer Education gainsight.com | 5% | 32 | 10 | 0 | 59,569 | 58 | 9 | |
| WorkRamp workramp.com | 0% | 54 | 3,600 | 34 | 8,841 | 0 | ||
| Thought Industries thoughtindustries.com | 0% | 104 | 720 | 11 | 9,665 | 17 | 1 | |
| Intellum intellum.com | 0% | 46 | 880 | 7 | 7,721 | 1 | ||
| Absorb LMS absorbai.com | 0% | 96 | 2,900 | 34 | 16,283 | $8 | 120 |
Google's top ten for the two searches hold 13 sites; 7 of them are among the sites the models cited here (docebo.com, g2.com, gainsight.com, intellum.com, learnworlds.com, meltingspot.io, thoughtindustries.com). The first result for “best customer education platform” is intellum.com.
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.ShowHide
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ShowHideModelDirect“What is the best customer education platform for a mid-market B2B software company?”Paraphrase“Which customer training LMS would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B software company?”Comparative“What are the top customer education platforms and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best customer education platform for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating a customer education platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which customer education platforms should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5Gainsight Customer Education, SkilljarSkilljarChangedno first choiceagainst: Absorb LMSTalentLMSagainst: Gainsight Customer Education, LearnWorlds, Skilljarno first choiceagainst: Docebo, Gainsight Customer Education, Skilljar, Thought Industries
Six alternatives
Intellum, LearnUpon, LearnWorlds, Thinkific, Thought Industries, TrainnFour alternatives
Gainsight Customer Education, Intellum, Thought Industries, WorkRampSix alternatives
Docebo, Gainsight Customer Education, Intellum, Skilljar, Thought Industries, WorkRampTwo alternatives
Moodle, ThinkificFour alternatives
Docebo, Skilljar, Thought Industries, WorkRampClaude Opus 4.8Skilljaragainst: DoceboSkilljarHeldno first choiceLearnWorlds, TalentLMSagainst: Apollo Learn, Intellumno first choiceagainst: 360Learning, Absorb LMS, Docebo, LearnUpon, Skilljar, TalentLMS, Thought Industries, Tovuti LMS, WorkRamp
Three alternatives
Gainsight Customer Education, LearnUpon, WorkRampFour alternatives
Docebo, Gainsight Customer Education, LearnUpon, Thought IndustriesGPT-6 AstraSkilljarSkilljarHeldSkilljarLearnWorlds Pro TrainerLearnUpon, Skilljaragainst: Gainsight Customer Education, Skilljar, Teachable, Thinkific, Thought Industries
Two alternatives
LearnUpon, Thought IndustriesTwo alternatives
LearnUpon, Thought IndustriesSix alternatives
Docebo, Intellum, LearnUpon, TalentLMS, Thought Industries, WorkRampOne alternative
TalentLMSThree alternatives
Docebo, Thinkific, Thought IndustriesGPT-5.6 SolSkilljaragainst: DoceboSkilljarHeldSkilljarThinkificno first choiceagainst: Absorb LMS, Docebo, EdApp, Gainsight Customer Education, Kajabi, LearnWorlds, Salesforce Sales Programs, Skilljar, Teachable, Thinkific, Thought Industries
Two alternatives
LearnUpon, Thought IndustriesFour alternatives
LearnUpon, TalentLMS, Thought Industries, WorkRampSeven alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, Intellum, LearnUpon, Thinkific, Thought Industries, WorkRampTwo alternatives
LearnWorlds Pro Trainer, TalentLMSSix alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, Intellum, LearnUpon, Skilljar, Thought IndustriesGemini 3.1 ProSkilljarSkilljarHeldSkilljarTalentLMSagainst: Docebo, Skilljar, Thought Industriesno first choiceagainst: Cornerstone, Gainsight Customer Education, Litmus, Saba, Skilljar, TalentLMS, Teachable, Thinkific, Udemy
Five alternatives
Docebo, Gainsight Customer Education, LearnUpon, MeltingSpot, WorkRampThree alternatives
Docebo, LearnUpon, WorkRampSeven alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, Intellum, LearnWorlds, Thinkific, Thought Industries, WorkRampFive alternatives
LearnWorlds, ProProfs Training Maker, Teachable, Thinkific, TrainnSix alternatives
Absorb LMS, Docebo, Intellum, Skilljar, Thought Industries, WorkRampPerplexity Sonar ProSkilljaragainst: DoceboTalentLMSChangedSkilljarTalentLMSagainst: Docebo, Intellum, Skilljarno first choiceagainst: Docebo
One alternative
Gainsight Customer EducationTwo alternatives
Absorb LMS, LearnUponSix alternatives
Docebo, LearnUpon, TalentLMS, Thinkific, Thought Industries, WorkRampThree alternatives
LearnWorlds, Teachfloor, ThinkificBold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency.
Thirty-six rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:27 | yes | 37 | 51 s |
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:29 | yes | 21 | 44 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:31 | yes | 6 | 27 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:32 | yes | 5 | 26 s |
| Direct recommendation | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:05 | yes | 5 | 34 s |
| Direct recommendation | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:30 | yes | 20 | 6 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:34 | yes | 38 | 52 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:35 | no | 0 | 18 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:37 | yes | 6 | 23 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:38 | yes | 5 | 31 s |
| Paraphrase | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:06 | yes | 15 | 45 s |
| Paraphrase | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:36 | yes | 20 | 6 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:40 | yes | 38 | 69 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:44 | yes | 24 | 61 s |
| Comparative | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:47 | yes | 9 | 52 s |
| Comparative | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:49 | yes | 11 | 69 s |
| Comparative | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:08 | yes | 16 | 48 s |
| Comparative | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:44 | yes | 20 | 6 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:52 | yes | 40 | 62 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:03 | yes | 28 | 315 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:04 | yes | 2 | 21 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:05 | yes | 3 | 44 s |
| Budget constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:09 | yes | 5 | 37 s |
| Budget constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:03 | yes | 20 | 6 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:08 | yes | 25 | 56 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:09 | no | 0 | 24 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:11 | yes | 5 | 37 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:14 | yes | 5 | 69 s |
| Scale constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:10 | no | 0 | 26 s |
| Scale constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:10 | yes | 20 | 9 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:17 | yes | 30 | 97 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:19 | yes | 29 | 55 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:21 | yes | 5 | 34 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:23 | yes | 7 | 62 s |
| Negative framing | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:12 | yes | 22 | 37 s |
| Negative framing | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:20 | yes | 20 | 8 s |
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
ShowHide
Category-scoped readings
Absorb read as Absorb LMS
Unresolved, counted raw
None awaiting human review.
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.