Is an LMS Always Necessary? Rethinking eLearning Delivery for 2025
This article explores the contexts where an LMS remains a vital tool, and where organisations might benefit from more lightweight approaches. It also looks at emerging hybrid models that offer the best of both worlds.
As digital learning continues to progress, organisations face an increasingly common question: do they really need a Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver effective eLearning? While LMS platforms have long been seen as essential for organising, tracking, and reporting learning activities, the growing availability of alternative delivery methods has opened up new options.
This article explores the contexts where an LMS remains a vital tool, and where organisations might benefit from more lightweight approaches. It also looks at emerging hybrid models that offer the best of both worlds.
The short answer is: not necessarily. An LMS is a powerful tool, but it is not always the most efficient or appropriate solution depending on the learning context. The decision depends on factors such as audience, objectives, regulatory requirements, and the scale of delivery.
Some organisations thrive with traditional LMS structures, while others find them restrictive or overly complex for their needs. Increasingly, learning teams are asking whether an LMS is the only route to high-quality eLearning.
There are several scenarios where an LMS remains not only useful but often essential:
Compliance training – In highly regulated sectors, such as healthcare, finance or construction, the ability to track learner completions and produce audit-ready reports is non-negotiable.
Refresher and recurring training – LMSs support automated scheduling of mandatory training, which is critical for maintaining consistent standards across a workforce.
Structured programmes – Formal learning paths, onboarding journeys and professional certification programmes are often best managed through an LMS where sequencing, assessments and tracking are tightly controlled.
At the same time, many learning and development teams are moving away from traditional LMS platforms for certain use cases. Common reasons include:
Simplicity and speed – Some learners do not want to log in, navigate a dashboard or complete multiple steps to access content. For smaller, standalone learning experiences, an LMS can feel unnecessarily complex.
Accessibility – When learning needs to reach a wide or public audience, such as external stakeholders or the general public, removing login barriers makes content easier to access.
Cost and scale – For one-off courses, pilot projects or small-scale delivery, the time and cost associated with implementing an LMS can outweigh the benefits.
Advances in authoring tools and learning platforms now make it possible to deliver courses outside of a traditional LMS framework, without sacrificing quality or learner engagement.
Direct course links: Tools like Open eLMS AI allow course creators to generate a direct URL for a course. This can be sent via email or added to a communication platform, enabling learners to access training instantly. There is no need for logins or enrolment, learners simply click and start learning.
Embedded content on existing websites: Another flexible method is embedding the course directly into an organisation's intranet or public-facing website. With an embed code (similar to how a YouTube video is shared), the course becomes part of the environment where users already spend their time, streamlining the learning experience.
While standalone delivery offers simplicity, it often lacks data tracking. For organisations looking for a middle ground, hybrid models are becoming increasingly popular.
Signposting is one such approach. It allows content to be embedded or linked from an external site, while still tracking user progress and feeding back into a central LMS. Tools like Open eLMS AI support this model by generating a signposting code that acts like an access point. When a learner clicks the course, progress and completion data are still recorded, even if the course appears outside the LMS environment.
This model offers flexibility without losing oversight. It is particularly useful when content needs to be more accessible but still contributes to overall learning records.
Final Thought
So, do you need an LMS? The answer depends on your organisation's specific requirements. For structured, compliance-driven, or recurring training, an LMS remains an indispensable asset. However, for more informal, open-access or small-scale learning, there are effective alternatives that reduce friction and increase reach.
The key is not choosing between one model or the other, but understanding when each approach is most appropriate. With flexible tools like Open eLMS AI, learning teams are no longer limited to a single delivery model. Instead, they can design a learning ecosystem that meets learners where they are whether that’s inside or outside the LMS.