Price Ranges for Learning Management Systems in 2009

by Richard Nantel on June 1, 2009

In my last post, we looked at the average cost of learning management systems in 2009. This pricing data is based on the 92 commercial systems included in our online LMS KnowledgeBase 2009: In-Depth Profiles of 90+ Learning Management Systems, with Custom Comparison Across 200+ Features.

It’s wrong to assume that the average pricing listed in my last post is representative of what most LMS vendors charge. LMS pricing is all over the map. For larger implementations, the range between a very low-cost solution and an expensive one can be nearly $15 million.

The charts below provide price range information for the 92 systems covered in our research.

Locally installed, behind-the-firewall, 1-year license:

Low High
500 learners $499 $111,630
10,000 learners $1,099 $900,000
25,000 learners $1,299 $2,250,000
100,000 learners $1,299 $9,000,000


Locally installed, behind-the-firewall, 3-year cumulative license:

Low High
500 learners $8,700 $149,430
10,000 learners $12,980 $1,494,000
25,000 learners $12,980 $3,735,000
100,000 learners $12,980 $14,940,000


Hosted (SaaS), 1-year license:

Low High
500 learners $5,000 $147,000
10,000 learners $11,190 $480,000
25,000 learners $11,190 $1,200,000
100,000 learners $11,190 $4,800,000


Hosted, 3-year cumulative license:

Low High
500 learners $9,000 $387,000
10,000 learners $16,580 $1,440,000
25,000 learners $16,580 $3,600,000
100,000 learners $16,580 $14,400,000

And lastly, here’s additional average pricing information. The two tables below include average pricing for one- and three-year implementations as well as the cost per user per year.

Average pricing, locally installed, behind-the-firewall:

1-year license 3-year license and maintenance agreement
500 learners $31,221
($62.44 per learner per year)
$48,230
($32.15 per learner per year)
10,000 learners $155,599
($15.56 per learner per year)
$260,568
($8.68 per learner per year)
25,000 learners $286,768
($11.47 per learner per year)
$486,076
($6.48 per learner per year)
100,000 learners $738,192
($7.38 per learner per year)
$1,204,941
($4.01 per learner per year)


Average pricing, hosted (SaaS) by vendor or vendor partner:

1-year license 3-year license and maintenance agreement
500 learners $31,136
($62.27 per learner per year)
$68,977
($45.98 per learner per year)
10,000 learners $129,286
($12.93 per learner per year)
$314,444
($10.48 per learner per year)
25,000 learners $232,898
($9.31 per learner per year)
$568,201
($7.58 per learner per year)
100,000 learners $570,625
($5.70 per learner per year)
$1,288,053
($4.29 per learner per year)

Note: Three-year pricing includes license, maintenance fees, and hosting fees for all three years – including the pricing from year 1 (cumulative).

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This

{ 8 comments }

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This

{ 13 comments }

Critical Skills We All Need Series: Writing

by Richard Nantel on May 27, 2009

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb

[Post to Twitter] Tweet This

{ 1 comment }

Four Theories of Leadership

14 April 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →

Leadership Out of the Box

2 April 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →

Dinner Conversation Turns to War

13 March 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →

Beyond Dissecting Frogs in Biology With a Partner

26 February 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →

Seven Things You Don’t Need to Know About Me

7 February 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →

An Opportunity to Serve My Alma Mater, McGill University

19 January 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →

This Blog Certified 100 Percent Economic Bad News Free

12 January 2009

Share and Enjoy:

Tweet This

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • ThisNext
  • Technorati
  • blinkbits
  • blogmarks
  • co.mments
  • Netscape
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
Read the full article →