Blackboard Learning Management vs CYPHER Learning comparison

Blackboard and CYPHER LEARNING are both solutions in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category. Blackboard is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.3, while CYPHER LEARNING is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. Blackboard holds a 2.5% mindshare in LMS, compared to CYPHER LEARNING’s 5.2% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Blackboard users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of CYPHER LEARNING users who would recommend it.

Blackboard Learning Management

Read 8 Blackboard Learning Management reviews

2,582 Views
225 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

CYPHER Learning

Read 50 CYPHER Learning reviews

3,415 Views
572 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Blackboard Learning Management

CYPHER Learning

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Blackboard Learning Management and CYPHER Learning are both competitive solutions in the Learning Management System market. CYPHER Learning appears to offer greater value due to its innovative features and user-friendliness, which many users find more contemporary and efficient.

Features: Blackboard Learning Management provides a wide range of tools and customization options, fulfilling the needs of institutions with complex requirements. It offers comprehensive support and a pricing structure that users appreciate. CYPHER Learning is recognized for its intuitive design, user-friendly interface, and innovative features that enhance efficiency and functionality.

Room for Improvement: Blackboard Learning Management requires more seamless integrations, a more modernized interface, and reduced complexity in deployment. CYPHER Learning can improve its analytics and reporting capabilities, offer more detailed insights, and expand its data-driven decision support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Blackboard Learning Management follows a traditional deployment model that can be resource-intensive, but its support services are notable for being reliable. CYPHER Learning's deployment process is smoother and receives positive feedback for its agile customer service, making it a preferred choice for easier adaptation.

Pricing and ROI: Blackboard Learning Management involves higher setup costs, but loyal users find the long-term ROI justified. CYPHER Learning is more cost-effective with lower initial costs, providing significant ROI thanks to efficient operations and quick user adaptation.

To learn more, read our detailed Blackboard Learning Management vs. CYPHER Learning Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Learning Management vs. CYPHER Learning

October 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 816,406 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Blackboard Learning Management

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

5th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

CYPHER Learning

Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)

1st

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Blackboard Learning Management is 2.5%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CYPHER Learning is 5.2%, down from 7.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Featured Reviews

James Phelps

Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University

Expandable with good real-time live interactions but is very expensive

Initially, Blackboard had problems for faculty members who were forced to use it to try to get it set up and running. That said, over time, they improved that. Unfortunately, due to its licensing requirements on standalone systems, like at a university on our servers, we run into problems where we can only set it up in one way. The way you teach a biology class is not the way you teach a social science class, for example. It's not flexible. Often you are forced into compromising in such a manner that neither group would be happy. If you need help, the help desk in-house will provide 24-hour help to both students and faculty. That means you have eight people, eight hours a day, supervisors, and an overall manager. It takes at least 12 people to handle maintenance for a 10,000-person campus for 24-hour coverage.

Read full review

Dani Bates

Executive Director STEM Initiatives at 21stCentEd.

You can edit all your courses at once by editing the master course

I have one team member who is in charge of monitoring and checking students' progress. She is very tech savvy and has really dove into the reporting feature in CYPHER Learning. If I had one complaint, it would be the reporting. It is so robust and detailed that it is hard to obtain some of the specific things that we want. That has been her response to me, and I have found the same thing. If I just want to know how many students have completed a course in a specific organization, then it is a little bit too daunting and difficult to obtain exactly what we use as our key indicators.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Blackboard enables instructors to collectively gather all the grading data into one place. If students upload content or post it to a Google Doc, I can do my grading and calculate the grades. It is an excellent holding place for all of that data"

"The solution is easy to use."

"One of the most important features is the possibility of creating unlimited subdomains."

"It encompasses various components, including course delivery modules, content management, community engagement features, digital classrooms, and mobile integration."

"It is scalable."

"The modules and courses are flexible."

"One of Blackboard's strengths is its historical prominence as a leading LMS for universities in the US and Europe a decade or more ago."

"This platform not only allows you to transmit the content in an agile and interactive way, but you can also interact with the students and keep them up to date. It is a platform that provides communication with the student, not only academically but also personally."

"The way that CYPHER Learning tags classes and assignments with competencies helps me see what a student has done."

"The ability to build and customize our own courses is one of the most valuable features. When we launched with CYPHER LEARNING, their team helped us build our courses. They took our paper-based coursework and developed a really engaging digital solution on the platform. The best part, for us, is being able to continue to customize and edit it."

"What CYPHER Learning has taught me is that parents are also part of the process of student progress. Thanks to the platform, they can participate. They are not outsiders and have become participants. They are aware of what their children are doing."

"The customization is very good because it allows us to completely brand the product so that it is our brand."

"I like that you can choose your home screen widget. We have a centralized calendar that sends a reminder to students about tasks that are due."

"I am able to monitor the classes: who has entered, who has not entered yet, and who has viewed the classes. If we are working on an assignment it allows me to upload an assessment rubric where they can see and learn about their progress."

"I mainly use the storage folders that allow students to upload their work in an organized way. By providing a large storage capacity, the system allows students to upload videos and images. I can also rate students and give them feedback with comments or stickers."

More CYPHER Learning pros

Cons

"Blackboard could benefit from significant improvements in its data storage and software functionality to remain competitive with more innovative LMS solutions."

"The solution must provide better integration with third-party software."

"It would be ideal to create a more responsive or more intuitive template for access from telephones or tablets."

"The system falls short in terms of managing assessments and exams effectively."

"Blackboard has limitations in terms of delivering content and assessing student assignments because it can't handle large file sizes. It's also limited in its ability to track student activity. Instructors can see the student's most recent login, but they can't follow the activity."

"The solution is not flexible."

"I would like to see an improvement in peer bonding and the possibility for students to share knowledge among themselves regarding the work that they do. That would greatly help in that it wouldn’t be a one-to-many communication format."

"While the number of apps available for integration with CYPHER Learning has increased over the years, I would love to see this number continue to grow. I believe this would help solidify its position amongst other learning management systems as a viable option for educators and schools."

"I have one team member who is in charge of monitoring and checking students' progress. She is very tech savvy and has really dove into the reporting feature in CYPHER Learning. If I had one complaint, it would be the reporting. It is so robust and detailed that it is hard to obtain some of the specific things that we want. That has been her response to me, and I have found the same thing. If I just want to know how many students have completed a course in a specific organization, then it is a little bit too daunting and difficult to obtain exactly what we use as our key indicators."

"There could be improvements in the dynamic and accessibility tools for the youngest students. For example, I create or attach links from other pages, and I use activities and games, such as roulettes, that encourage student participation."

"One of the things that I would like to see improvement on is detecting duplicate users by identifying them by their names and not only by their email addresses. Many people change their email addresses but we don't know that they have. This can result in unnecessary duplication of user accounts."

"Due to the complexity of our business, we would welcome more options for access rights management."

"Most of the room for improvement is around my course design, the video content, and the structure of my courses so that they're more engaging and interactive. Whether the platform can help me deliver those outcomes, I'm not sure, but that will probably be my core focus over the next 12 months."

"I would like to see greater integration with some programs that are not natively integrated. Google is a standard. Everything integrates with it. Integration with Google is a key task."

More CYPHER Learning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product pricing tends to be higher than alternatives."

"At the beginning, you can choose a basic plan. As your users grow you can buy a more expensive license."

"We are on a plan where we pay for 1,000 users every month. The pricing structure is pretty straightforward. It just depends on what you need. We are currently going with a monthly model because sometimes there are still months during the year where we will have a lot less students on the system, and we took that into consideration."

"CYPHER Learning is more cost-efficient for us compared to others."

"If you go for an open source solution, you're going to find out that the costs in the long run end up being a lot more, and the process is frustrating."

"NEO's price is good."

"Overall, the pricing of CYPHER Learning is okay. There are cheaper solutions that offer way fewer features and there are more expensive and more capable solutions, but they might be overkill for many companies that are not big enough. It's about balance. CYPHER Learning is in the middle; not very expensive, not very cheap."

"Because our cost went down by 50%, I would say that the pricing is competitive."

"The system is not cheap but it's affordable. The pricing is fair... The cherry on top was that we received all the functionality with the simplest plan, the one with the minimal number of users. It couldn't be any better."

"For our for-profit entities, CYPHER Learning is the perfect solution in terms of cost. It is not too expensive and is about the same as what other service providers charge."

More CYPHER Learning pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

University

24%

Educational Organization

20%

Government

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

27%

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Blackboard Learning Management?

The modules and courses are flexible.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Blackboard Learning Management?

The product pricing tends to be higher than alternatives like Canvas, making Blackboard more suitable for larger universities with substantial budgets.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Blackboard Learning Management?

Blackboard could benefit from significant improvements in its data storage and software functionality to remain competitive with more innovative LMS solutions.

See all answers

What do you like most about NEO LMS?

Creating courses for our resources is one of the best features of CYPHER Learning.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NEO LMS?

CYPHER Learning is more cost-efficient for us compared to others.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NEO LMS?

The common cartridge format is not supported by the older version. On the dashboard, if we upload the common cartridge, it can be easily added, but unfortunately, it is not supported. Therefore, we...

See all answers

Comparisons

Google Classroom vs Blackboard Learning Management

Compared 100% of the time

More Blackboard Learning Management Competitors

Moodle vs CYPHER Learning

Compared 36% of the time

Canvas LMS vs CYPHER Learning

Compared 22% of the time

TalentLMS vs CYPHER Learning

Compared 17% of the time

Cornerstone Learning vs CYPHER Learning

Compared 13% of the time

Disprz vs CYPHER Learning

Compared 13% of the time

More CYPHER Learning Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Learning Management

November 2024

Download Blackboard Learning Management product report

Buyer's Guide

CYPHER Learning

November 2024

Download CYPHER Learning product report

Also Known As

No data available

MATRIX LMS, NEO LMS

Learn More

Blackboard

CYPHER LEARNING

Overview

Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) is a comprehensive platform designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience in educational institutions. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Blackboard LMS enables educators to create, deliver, and manage online courses effectively. Blackboard LMS is facilitates communication and collaboration among students and instructors. The platform's built-in discussion boards, chat rooms, and messaging systems enable real-time interaction and engagement, fostering a sense of community and allowing students to participate actively in the learning process.

Blackboard LMS also provides a full set of tools for content creation and management. Educators can easily upload and organize course materials, including documents, videos, and multimedia resources. The platform supports various file formats, making it convenient for instructors to deliver diverse content to their students.

Assessment and grading are simplified with Blackboard LMS. Educators can create online quizzes, assignments, and exams, and even set automated grading criteria. This saves time and effort, while also providing students with immediate feedback on their performance. The platform also offers grade book functionality, allowing instructors to track and manage student progress easily.

Blackboard LMS features robust analytics and reporting capabilities. Educators can access detailed data on student engagement, performance, and participation, enabling them to identify areas for improvement and tailor their teaching strategies accordingly. This data-driven approach enhances the effectiveness of instruction and supports personalized learning.

Blackboard LMS is also highly customizable, allowing institutions to tailor the platform to their specific needs. It integrates seamlessly with other educational tools and systems, ensuring a smooth workflow and enhancing the overall learning experience.

Blackboard Learning Management System is a powerful and versatile platform that empowers educators to deliver engaging and effective online courses. With its comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and customizable options, Blackboard LMS is a valuable tool for educational institutions seeking to enhance their teaching and learning environment.

CYPHER Learning® exists to give learners the power to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Trainers, learning and development (L&D) pros, HR pros, and educators get everything they need in one platform to deliver faster, more personalized, and better learning outcomes. We provide the only all-in-one AI-powered learning platform that is easy-to-use, beautifully designed, and built to power hundreds of millions of learning moments every day. Create courses faster. Train and teach better. Learn even quicker. Experience our "just in time, just for you, just the way you want to learn" approach that puts people first.

Brandon Hall Group says:

"CYPHER Learning is not your typical “way inside the box” parochial learning tech. This is a supercharged next-generation technology platform that rocks competency and skills-based learning.”

“The best way to describe the tech is to say it anticipates the moves of the learner. And it’s super powerful. Like a Ferrari, the tech effortlessly combines beauty with the beast to deliver an elegant and stylish learning environment. This is what modern learning is supposed to be.”

Forbes Advisor says:

“The intuitive user interface (UI) and multiple ways to award learners for using the CYPHER Learning platform scores major points—it’s visually pleasing and keeps learners engaged. Aside from the user experience (UX) though, it’s a comprehensive platform that’s simple to use to create courses and track analytics of learner performance.”

Enduring benefits of the CYPHER human-centric approach
Learners desire and demand modern, holistic learning - to keep competitive, entertained, and ready for what’s ahead. Our human-centric approach delivers benefits and outcomes that have lasting positive effects on their personalized school path, career path, and life path.

CYPHER for Business
- Increased employee engagement
- Better employee lifecycle outcomes
- Increased competitive advantage
- Stronger culture of continuous learning
- Increased trainer and admin productivity

CYPHER for Academia
- Increased student engagement
- Better workforce preparedness
- Increased enjoyment of learning
- Stronger sense of purpose
- Increased teacher and admin productivity

Millions of users look to CYPHER everyday to deliver dynamic and personalized learning solutions like:

- Personalized skills development
- Hybrid learning
- Teacher and trainer productivity
- Training (employee, partners, customers, product, + more)
- Onboarding
- Employee lifecycle management
- Compliance
- Extended enterprise

and so much more!

The CYPHER platform has it all. Sophisticated automation, leveled-up gamification, insightful reporting and analytics (ROI), skills development, smart learning paths and proactive recommendations, customization, personalization, toolsets for every user.

“...users discover what great looks like when they use CYPHER."
- Brandon Hall Group

See the modern learning platform at: www.cypherlearning.com

Sample Customers

University of Derby, University of Warwick, John Moore's University

Millions of users across business, academia, and entrepreneurs - worldwide.

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Learning Management vs. CYPHER Learning

October 2024

Free Report: Blackboard Learning Management vs. CYPHER Learning

Find out what your peers are saying about Blackboard Learning Management vs. CYPHER Learning and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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