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CYPHER Learning vs Totara Learn comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

CYPHER Learning
Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)
1st
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Totara Learn
Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)
9th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of CYPHER Learning is 1.3%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Totara Learn is 1.1%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Learning Management Systems (LMS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
CYPHER Learning1.3%
Totara Learn1.1%
Other97.6%
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
 

Featured Reviews

Gieshala (Gigi) Mims - PeerSpot reviewer
Teacher/ AI research educator at Senatobia Municipal School District
Boosts student engagement and simplifies course management with creative tools
The best features of CYPHER Learning that I enjoy most include the course management system, gamification, blogging, and debating tools that cater to increasing creative thinking, creative writing, and problem-solving. Gamification and these specific tools make it easy for my students to navigate and manage numerous courses within one class while keeping up with my standards for my curriculum, where my students can see their mastery and performance on assignments. I find it extremely beneficial because our curriculum in schools is data-driven. This allows me to easily obtain data from the content-specific standards assigned to each assignment. I can assess what concepts I need to review and identify what the students have mastered. This transparency also enables the students to see their own progress.
SK
Developer, Tech Lead at iT corner
Plug-and-play LMS and allows for separate instances for different organizations or departments
The look and feel is not good. Totara Learn needs to improve its look and feel and make it easier to use and more user-friendly. The interface is okay, but sometimes it's messy. Totara needs to improve the UI part as well and make it easier to use for the admin side. AI capabilities are in beta phase. I think they have implemented some AI features in the model, but right now, I'm not aware of what AI features have been implemented. So, Totara also needs to implement some AI things in the model, like suggesting courses according to users' needs or interests.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The way that CYPHER Learning tags classes and assignments with competencies helps me see what a student has done."
"It's very easy to monitor and check student progress. I can go in and, with a couple of clicks, see any participant and where they are in the process."
"I strongly suggest changing your training solution to CYPHER Learning because if you are doing it on your campus right now, this will help you save costs."
"Customer service is really great."
"When I do a survey, CYPHER Learning is helpful because then I can more quickly peruse students' responses. I don't have to go through question by question. Grading-wise, it has certainly helped, when giving a survey, to streamline my grading for that assignment."
"CYPHER Learning has very much improved our onboarding processes and learning curve."
"The lessons we offer in each course can be both in written format and in audio or video format. This dramatically helps participants to choose their best way of learning."
"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."
"The tool's deployment is not complex."
"The multi-tenancy features of Totara Learn are the most useful for training efficiency."
 

Cons

"CYPHER Learning should definitely offer live video conferencing integration."
"One of the areas that I believe CYPHER Learning could improve on is having a saving function as you type in, much as some Google products. That would really help in my classroom because we do a lot of writing, and if that's not saved properly, students may have to redo their work."
"There is room for improvement in the way competencies for each area are designated. I would like the exact activities to be specified somewhere to clarify for the students what they need to complete each activity."
"The AI feature would be my main criticism. I do not use its AI feature anymore because I find myself having to correct a lot of the things that it puts out."
"Most of our wish list for CYPHER Learning has already been addressed. One that we are still asking them for is to include competencies from different industries, since they have industry partners. These would be the competencies that these industries need so that we can make sure that we are developing our students toward those competencies or skill sets."
"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."
"The parents' training was not adequate. Parents say that it wasn't user-friendly for them."
"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."
"The challenge was understanding the entire solution, particularly its capabilities for managing training within a distributed organization. As part of a group of companies, some with training hubs and others working differently, the need for different tenants arose. This helps organize the training offerings centrally, addressing the challenge of a multi-tenant solution, which wasn't fully grasped initially."
"Totara Learn needs to improve the look and feel, and make it easier to use, more user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"NEO's price is good."
"The main reason we went for it was cost, which was very reasonable."
"During the negotiation for our five-year contract, CYPHER Learning did an excellent job of being fair and upfront with us. We have to budget for the future and know what the solution will cost us over the next five years. That's fantastic, and the company was very accommodating and worked well with us."
"Even though it's priced high, the return on investment is going to be phenomenal. It does what you want it to do."
"I did not negotiate the pricing, but from what I gathered, it was a significant purchase for us at West Music. We recognize its value and potential for growth, making it worthwhile."
"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."
"Their plans are based on enrollment numbers. We're at the silver level with 100 active learners. So, you're really beholden to how many learners you're going to accommodate. There are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."
"Because our cost went down by 50%, I would say that the pricing is competitive."
"It's not expensive. It's user-based."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
18%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
8%
Construction Company
13%
Healthcare Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise6
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NEO LMS?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was easier, as we received our quote on time, and the pricing was not much of a hindrance, with setup costs based on our investment.
What needs improvement with NEO LMS?
One challenge I have experienced with CYPHER Learning is the availability of the internet, which is necessary for accessing the platform and content, especially during online training or video prog...
What advice do you have for others considering NEO LMS?
CYPHER Learning's governance and security are secure, as I have used it without any adverse effects or issues regarding data handling. The output of CYPHER Learning is clear, and since it is an AI-...
What needs improvement with Totara Learn?
The look and feel is not good. Totara Learn needs to improve its look and feel and make it easier to use and more user-friendly. The interface is okay, but sometimes it's messy. Totara needs to imp...
What advice do you have for others considering Totara Learn?
For people who need a highly scalable, multi-tenant LMS on a low budget, this is a good option. It's a very good option in the market, low-priced, and a very good LMS. Overall, I would rate it an e...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Totara Learn?
It's not expensive. It's user-based. If you want to plug in, you can use that plan. It's not expensive. I think it's around $100 or something if you want to use it. You can buy the system and imple...
 

Also Known As

MATRIX LMS, NEO LMS
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Millions of users across business, academia, and entrepreneurs - worldwide.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about CYPHER Learning vs. Totara Learn and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,647 professionals have used our research since 2012.