Weighing up 360Learning vs Totara? We put each LMS toe-to-toe to see which is best for your business.

Choosing an LMS is a major decision for any organisation.

And it’s one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Totara and 360Learning are two of the top contenders but they serve very different needs.

Whether you’re focused on regulatory compliance, scalability, or peer-driven learning, this comparison will help you find the right fit.

Let’s get started.

What is 360Learning?

360Learning is a collaborative learning management system designed to empower L&D professionals to turn in-house expertise into high-impact training.

Unlike traditional top-down platforms, 360Learning leverages peer-driven knowledge sharing, making learning fast, agile, and embedded in the flow of work.

With built-in authoring tools, real-time feedback loops, and intuitive analytics, it enables L&D teams to rapidly co-create content with subject matter experts, roll it out organisation-wide, and continuously optimise for performance.

For L&D professionals aiming to scale learning without scaling headcount, 360Learning transforms training from a siloed function into a company-wide movement.

Strengths:

• Simple, intuitive UX
• AI-powered content authoring
• Fast course creation and deployment
• Helpful and responsive customer support
• Combines LMS + LXP functionality

Limitations:

• Limited customisation options
• Reporting features need improvement
• Mobile app experience is underdeveloped
• Complicated implementation process

Best for: Organisations focused on speed and collaboration, with simple compliance needs.

What is Totara?

Totara is a powerful, flexible learning platform built for organisations that demand more than a one-size-fits-all LMS.

💡 Pro Tip

Totara now comes with Learn and Engage features as standard meaning you can add in tools like discussions and forums to promote social learning right in your LMS.

Discover Totara Learn

Designed with L&D professionals in mind, Totara combines learning management, performance management, and employee engagement into a unified talent experience platform.

It stands out for its open-source foundation, allowing for deep customisation and seamless integration with existing systems—ideal for complex, highly regulated, or rapidly evolving environments.

With Totara, L&D teams can create tailored learning journeys, support compliance with robust reporting, and foster continuous development through social and experiential learning tools.

For organisations that see learning as a strategic advantage, Totara offers the control and adaptability to make it a reality.

Strengths:

• Endlessly customisable interface and workflows
• Advanced compliance and certification tracking
• Robust analytics and reporting
• HRIS integrations and API support
• Performance management tools with Totara Perform
• Large, engaged global community of users and partners

Limitations:

• Out the box the UI feels outdated (but not when you work with a partner that has it’s own Edition…)
• Steep learning curve as there’s a lot of features and settings
• Initial setup overhead
• Not inherently social but dependent on your partner

Best for: Enterprises with compliance-heavy environments and the need for long-term scalability.

💡 Pro Tip

Our version of Totara makes us one of the best partners on the market. We’ve changed the theming, added new blocks for dashboards, built new features like gamification and so much more.

Check out our Edition

Industry comparison: Totara vs 360Learning

Here’s how the two platforms compare across key sectors:

Industry	Totara	360Learning
Healthcare	Strong compliance tools, strong representation in the sector	Limited compliance features but good security features e.g. SSO
Public sector	High security (on-premise or cloud), BuildEmpire also G-cloud accredited	Cloud-only, lacks security controls
Non-Profit	Budget-friendly, open-source	Higher cost, less customisation
Education	Suitable for academic learning	Suitable for academic learning
SMEs	Flexible and cost-effective	Higher cost, but wide feature set

Final verdict: Which LMS should you choose?

Choosing between Totara and 360Learning ultimately comes down to your organisation’s specific needs, priorities, and internal capabilities.

To do that, it’s worth looking at your LMS business case.

Here, you’ll have to pinpoint what features you need, and what is a priority.

360Learning is consistently rated highly on platforms like G2 for its ease of use, modern UX, and collaborative learning features.

It’s a strong choice for organisations looking for a turnkey solution that enables rapid content creation and peer-to-peer learning with minimal setup or customisation.

Totara receives positive reviews, but it’s not ranked quite as highly, often due to its complexity and variability in implementation.

And a lot of it is also because Totara isn’t a direct vendor platform. It’s an open-source solution delivered through a network of partners.

Your experience with Totara depends heavily on the partner you choose.

With the right partner—such as BuildEmpire—you gain access to deep expertise, custom development capabilities, and responsive support that can transform Totara into a powerful, fully tailored learning ecosystem.

If you’re considering Totara then check out our case studies to see how BuildEmpire has helped organisations unlock its full potential.

With the right partnership, Totara can go toe-to-toe with any LMS on the market and deliver not just functionality, but strategic value.