The company 15Five is a performance management platform that creates powerful tools to help HR leaders get the most out of employees and develop effective managers. And when it came time to create a space for its customers to continue learning about both the product and HR mastery–it brought community and courses together on a branded e-learning app.
So did Wealth Without Wall Street, a community that mixes masterminds with an e-learning app to teach courses like Financial Freedom 101 and IBC 101: Understanding Infinite Banking. In this case, this B2C community is scaling e-learning to change the lives of their customers.
The journeys of these two companies reflect a wider shift in society. More than 60% of the students in the USA have shifted to E-learning platforms. Online classes and MOOCs have exploded in popularity, even in the most traditional of educational institutions. And global corporations like IBM have shifted toward digital learning–which can be done more affordably and at scale.
But you probably already knew all that. If you’re already sold on the value of e-learning, the question is, how can you deliver an incredible e-learning experience in your own app, on your own brand? That’s what we’re going to cover in this post. We’ll introduce you to the process of creating e-learning apps, and show you 5 e-learning app development companies to check out.
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What is an e-learning app?
An e-learning app delivers either live or pre-recorded courses on a mobile app under your own brand. It gives your students access to learning in a way that nothing else can–in the palm of their hands–helping them master new skills from pretty much anywhere.
Although there are traditional e-learning apps–think about apps like Skillshare–there’s really no comparison for building your own. Getting your students on your own app scales learning faster–not to mention your business. It eliminates distractions and lets you focus on giving them value. And if you’re selling an e-learning product, having your own app creates a premium experience you can charge for.
Examples of e-learning apps
If you’re thinking about building your own e-learning app, there are lots of great examples to inspire you. Think about some of these widely-known platforms:
- Coursera: Coursera offers a bunch of courses from universities and credible organizations around the world. It has a course library, video content, an LMS, a secure checkout, and a way for students to access the content.
- Duolingo: Duolingo is an e-learning app for languages with beautiful UX, bite-sized lessons, gamification, and lots of cool interactions. Millions of learners are learning a new language on Duolingo.
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy has a whole set of educational resources for students, covering subjects like math, science, history, and economics with video lessons and personalized tools.
- Mindbody One: They mix courses and training with community and events for wellness business owners who use Mindbody’s SAAS software.
- Code Red: a $10 million e-learning business that blends fitness courses with accountability, coaching, and live events.
Different approaches to e-learning app development
In general, you will see two main approaches to e-learning app development:
White-label: This is where you get a proven, e-learning solution from a company that has perfected its software over thousands of users already. This software is deployed under your own brand.
White-label apps are more cost-effective, but you also often can get a better product–since the company has specialized in creating its app type. The only downside to white-label development is that you don’t get complete customization. But if you can find a solution with the features you need, it’s the perfect choice.
Custom: Totally custom app development means an app built totally from scratch. You get the benefit of a complete custom build. The two disadvantages of a custom build are that the company probably doesn’t specialize in your kind of app–most build everything. Also, custom building can cost up to 10 times what white-label development does and takes longer.
8 E-learning app development companies
1. Mighty Pro
Mighty Pro brings together courses with community and live events, all in beautiful, branded native apps. With Mighty, you can create vibrant e-learning experiences with features like branded live streaming, live events, member profiles, discussion forums, and more.
When it comes to courses, an intuitive course platform lets you choose from live and pre-recorded courses, or a mix of both. Mighty has a comprehensive built-in with lesson functions, multiple types of content, and student engagement built into every lesson–plus it has an AI helper–Mighty Co-Host™ built-in (can be toggled off if you want it). With screen sharing, recording, assessments, downloads, and the option to include course-related events like office hours, you get an extremely versatile e-learning app.
Mighty gives you the power to sell everything from memberships to high-ticket courses, and you can bundle your courses in a way that fits your brand. There’s nothing like Mighty, it makes it radically easier to launch an e-learning app and scale–in fact, most Mighty Pro customers see their app pay for itself.
When you build with Mighty Pro, you also get access to a team of Account Executives and Community Strategists who have scaled 7-figure creator brands and 8+ figure subscription businesses. We take care of all the development and offer wrap-around VIP support.
Just bring your brand and ideas and we’ll help you bring your e-learning app to life with advanced analytics and regular strategy sessions. We’ve built e-learning and community apps for customers like Cambridge University, TED, and Fortune.
Schedule a call with us and we’ll show you what you could build!
2. NineHertz
NineHertz is a software development company that offers a lot of custom solutions, one of which is mobile app development. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with additional offices in India, Australia, and Dubai, NineHertz has a reputation for custom-building solid solutions across industries–including e-learning.
NineHertz builds custom apps for specific business needs, from enterprise-level systems to small businesses. The custom approach to end-to-end development includes front- and back-end, UX, and CMX-building, although they also include a hybrid app development option for simple apps that are built on existing APIs.
If you are selling an e-learning solution, NineHertz can also build things like shopping carts and payment gateways, inventory solutions, and security features. And in addition to software development, they offer other tools like marketing services and online reputation management.
NineHertz is a great e-learning app development company for a large, established company that needs a totally custom build on an unlimited budget.
3. Xicom
Xicom is another software development company that delivers mobile apps with totally custom builds (these can be linked to web apps). They manage huge app-development projects with a team of 300+ people, and have built for universities and colleges in the past.
Here are some of Xicom’s offerings that can be transposed into an e-learning app:
- E-learning web apps
- Websites for remote learning (e.g. in higher ed)
- Gamified learning
- Virtual classrooms & learning portals
- Ongoing development and maintenance
Again, as a custom-build app company, Xicom can produce a great product but is probably best for a large company or organization with a large budget.
4. Redbytes
Redbytes is another development company that creates custom app solutions. Redbytes has developed a number of e-learning apps, including online learning platforms and platforms for colleges and universities. They can create custom Learning Management Systems (LMS) with built-in features like hosting and managing courses, tracking progress, adding engagement features for teachers and students, and assessing. Their e-learning app development has included video lectures, quizzes, and social learning apps.
Redbytes is a software development company that specializes in mobile app development, web development, and custom software solutions. They provide services to clients across various industries, including healthcare, education, finance, e-commerce, and more. Redbytes focuses on delivering high-quality and innovative digital solutions to meet the unique requirements of its clients.
RedBytes also has experience building virtual classroom solutions with features like:
- Real-time online learning
- Video conferencing
- Chat functionality
- Whiteboard
- Screen sharing & recording
- Multimedia content
- Gamification features
These features can be connected to useful analytics and reporting. Redbytes is another good option for a total custom-development process.
5. Hidden Brains
Hidden Brains is a UK-based app solution that builds e-learning apps for educational institutions and teachers–they’ve worked with K-12 and higher-ed alike. The apps are tailor-made, and built under your brand identity. Hidden Brains conducts UX research, and usability testing, and merges this into an app that is cross-platform and developed for iOD, and Android.
Their apps have included features like classroom management, attendance tracking, study materials, school library management, and exams. Hidden Brains has incorporated some cool technology into their past e-learning app development, things like augmented reality, virtual reality, and Internet of Things functions. They also provide ongoing maintenance to make sure everything functions smoothly after the launch.
How to build an e-learning app
Different companies will have different build processes, but here’s an idea of how most e-learning app development companies work.
- Kickoff call: We’ll introduce you to our team and work together to identify your specific requirements for an e-learning app. We’ll make a work plan for the project.
- Strategic guidance: You’ll meet with our team of account managers and community strategists to figure out what your e-learning app needs. At this point, we can also plan out things like member acquisition strategies and plans you hope to offer.
- App design: Leave this to us. You provide your brand's identity, and we’ll build the app, incorporating elements like logos, splash screens, and your unique branding features.
- Product training: We’ll provide extensive training for you and/or your team, making sure you can get the most out of the app. We’ll also take care of migration (if necessary) from an existing solution.
- App is ready: At this stage, we’ll help you populate your app and get it ready for users.
- Develop a launch strategy: Get ready to promote your e-learning app with things like launch activities (if applicable).
- Launch day: On the day of the launch, we’ll handle the technical side of it–getting your app live in the App Store and Google Play Store.
- Ongoing VIP support: We’re with you for the long haul, with wrap-around VIP support that includes monthly strategy calls, proactive training on upgrades, and tech support.
Ready to start?
If you want a totally-custom app, one of the e-learning app development companies on this list would be a great option. But if you want to build a white-label app, come check out Mighty Pro! Millions of users are on our beautiful, responsive, customized apps–our Hosts get better quality apps, faster, and for a fraction of the cost of custom development!
There’s nothing else like Mighty Pro out there. If you’re ready for a radically easier app dev experience and your own beautiful e-learning app, schedule a call with us and we’ll show you what we could build together!
