adobe-captivate-vs-articulate-storyline

Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate are e-learning course design and content authoring software, available to educational institutions and enterprises for building out learning programs that terminate in a certificate, or that can be used to support general team and learner knowledge and competency. Both solutions are used at companies of all sizes.

Articulate Storyline is adopted for its ability to support a variety of training programs and allows even non-technical staff to author content. Its content can also be accessed easily (e.g. through mobile devices). Adobe Captivate is primarily used by professional course designers to create highly interactive, formalized training sessions used in corporate HR or to support environmental health & safety initiatives, for instance.

Features

Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline are both recognized course content authoring tools. Both support the creation of rapid or formal interactive learning programs with graphics, video, and assessments to certify knowledge.  They also include templates and prefab tools to help users get started. Despite their similarities, both options present distinct advantages.

Articulate Storyline’s design interface is similar to Microsoft’s PowerPoint and other MS Office products in general, and is designed to be easy for even non-technical users to get started from familiarity, and overall UI intuitiveness. Beyond adoption, it is also easier to get projects right with Storyline, as it allows creators to prototype and share learning programs for review. Despite being easy to use, Articulate Storyline boasts the ability to support highly configurable learning courses with controlled learner advancement, to support a wide variety of formalized learning programs.

The single and relatively straightforward advantage of Adobe Captivate is that it is powerful. It supports complex, branching lessons with one of the most complete arrays of tools available in content authoring software to support engagement and interactivity. It also provides a host of integrations, not least of which allows it to easily import productions from other Adobe Creative Cloud products for integration into learning materials.

Limitations

While both Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storylines are viable options for content authoring, users describe a few challenges when using either product.

Articulate Storyline users describe issues with some of the advanced tools (e.g. they’re quirky, lack precision, or inadequate), and the screen capturing function leaves something to be desired. Another common complaint is that it is pricey, creating ambivalence about its ROI. Users also warn that the perpetually licensed version is inferior to the Storyline 360 edition, available with an Articulate 360 annual subscription.

Adobe Captivate users warn that it is not for the uninitiated; designers familiar with Adobe products may find it intuitive, but others will likely not, and it has a daunting learning curve. Additionally, while designers say its results can impress, its design interface does not: the UI is described as dated, solipsistic with its inward-looking Adobe-verse argot and conventions, or just downright ugly.

Pricing

The current edition of Storyline (Storyline 3) is free to try, and available via a perpetual license for $1398. Alternately, Storyline is available through an Articulate 360 annual subscription as an add-on (Storyline 360), an upgrade ranging from $300 per annum to $900 over the cost of an Articulate 360 subscription, with various discounts for multi-year subscribers, or with up to 50% through education discounts.

The 2019 edition of Adobe Captivate can also be licensed perpetually for $1299, or by students and teachers for $399. Captivate is available via subscription at $40 per month, per user.