Storyline vs. Captivate in 2024: Comparing the Features of Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate

Articulate Storyline vs Adobe Captivate logos


Here, at eLearning Company, we have been asked the question “Do you recommend Storyline or Captivate?” more times than we can count, so we decided to do a thorough review of both tools to help other learning experience designers select the eLearning authoring tool that is right for them. In this guide, we are comparing Articulate Storyline 360 and Adobe Captivate. We hope that the information provided here will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each tool, and you to make an informed decision when selecting the best eLearning authoring software for custom eLearning development. Scroll down to start comparing the two authoring tools or click a link to jump to the section of your interest:

  1. Supported Content
  2. User Experience
  3. Learning Design
  4. Advanced Features
  5. Productivity
  6. Extending the Tool Functionality
  7. Total Scores

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Pricing (as of January 2024)

Articulate Storyline: $1,099-$1,399 annually ($549-$699 for academic users).

Adobe Captivate: $39.99 monthly (adds up to $479.88 annually).

Round 1: Supported Content

Feature

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Virtual reality
Minimal support for virtual reality
You can use 360° photos to create basic 3D experiences in Articulate Storyline.
Minimal support for virtual reality
Similarly, Adobe Captivate allows creating basic virtual reality-esque projects from photos.
Publishing in MP4 video
Good support for Cluelabs eLearning widgets
You can publish the project as MP4. Storyline will allow you to select dimensions, video and audio quality, and other options.
Good support for Cluelabs eLearning widgets
You have the ability to publish the eLearning project as a video in the MP4 format. The presets and publishing settings will allow you to set the output quality.
Responsive content
Poor support for responsive content
While the player itself is responsive and adjusts based on the screen size, the eLearning content, however, always looks the same no matter the device.
Good support for responsive content
Responsive eLearning projects are supported and work well with different types of devices, content can adjust based on the screen size.
Software simulation
Good software simulation features
Storyline provides a set of tools to record, edit, and display software simulations.
Good software simulation features
Software simulations are supported in Captivate equally well.
PowerPoint import
Good PowerPoint import support
Users have the ability to import slides from a PowerPoint presentation. Prior to importing, Storyline will display a two-dimensional grid showing all slides in the presentation to help the user select only those slides that are needed. Slide content is converted into Storyline objects (text boxes, shapes, etc.), becomes part of the slide, and can be moved around and edited in Storyline.
Poor PowerPoint import support
While PowerPoint slides can be imported into a Captivate project, it’s worth noting that slides are imported as single objects. This means that content cannot be edited directly in Captivate, any edits have to go through PowerPoint, which adds extra steps to the process and makes the development process less convenient. In addition, you cannot interact with PowerPoint objects through Advanced Actions in Captivate.
Adobe Photoshop import
No Adobe Photoshop import support
There are currently no options to import assets directly from Adobe Photoshop.
Good Adobe Photoshop import support
The assets can be imported from Photoshop. Upon import, they are laid out on the screen as they were positioned in the Photoshop file, saving time on content positioning and alignment. Furthermore, the edits you make later in Photoshop can propagate directly to Captivate, saving you time and effort.

Summary: Supported Content (Storyline-11 points, Captivate-14 points)

So far, Articulate Storyline is only a winner when it comes to importing PowerPoint content. And Adobe Captivate scores higher with virtual reality, responsive content, and Adobe Photoshop import. Both authoring tools work equally well with Cluelabs widgets and software simulations and generally support modern eLearning trends. Here are some questions that can help you decide which tool will better meet your needs:

  • Will I need to import PowerPoint content into my eLearning course?
  • Do I plan to create virtual reality-based training programs, are my learners and organization ready for this type of content?
  • If I need virtual reality compatibility, will I be satisfied with a limited set of VR features?
  • Will my learners access eLearning from mobile devices as well as desktops?
  • If I expect the learners to use mobile devices for learning, will they do this often enough to justify the longer time needed to create responsive learning projects?
  • Will I design slides in Photoshop prior to creating the learning course? If so, how important is it to be able to import designs directly into the authoring tools?

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Round 2: User Experience

Feature

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Intuitive interface
Good interface, all buttons have text captions to make the functionality clear. Minimal use of pop-up windows.
Menus and buttons are clearly captioned. Working with objects can get confusing because of over-reliance on the Properties panel.
Software responsiveness
The application responds well to user requests and features minimal lag and wait time when an operation is initiated.
It often takes a few seconds to render a new element, paste an object, etc. During this time the application freezes until the action is completed.
Multiple projects handling
Multiple projects can be open at the same time. However, each project opens in its own application window.
Multiple projects are shown as tabs of the same application similar to other Adobe software you may have used in the past.
Workspace customization
Panels can be resized and moved around, but cannot be completely hidden.
The user can hide the panels, but cannot move them around the workspace.
Tooltips
Hovering the mouse pointer over buttons and options brings up helpful tooltips.
Some items have tooltips, others don’t. No tooltips in the properties panel where the most confusion usually occurs.
Workspace zoom
Allows to zoom in, zoom out, fit slide to window size.
Zooming in and out can only be done by selecting pre-defined zoom percentages. Allows to fit slide to window size.
Branching view
Slides are arranged according to branching logic in both the story view and the slide view.
To see the branching sequence, the user needs to open a menu, select an option, which will open a new window.
Actions/triggers workflow
The triggers are shown in the same window as the slide and its objects. This makes the workflow involving triggers smart and intuitive. Because the user can work on both the slide objects and the triggers at the same time, the development process becomes easy and intuitive.
In order to define advanced actions, the user has to open another panel. This panel not only blocks the slide, but also makes it impossible to interact with the objects on the slide until the advanced action is saved and the window is closed.

Summary: User Experience (Storyline-21 points, Captivate-12 points)

The interface in Storyline is cleaner and easier to use intuitively. The user interface in Captivate is less convenient and takes a bit longer to get used to, but overall, once you learn it, you will have no issues working with it. Here are some questions that can help you decide which tool will better meet your needs:

  • Do I have time for the learning curve to occur or do I need to jump right into the authoring tool and start developing?
  • Will I be able to create effective eLearning courses using a less convenient interface?
  • Is my computer powerful enough to work without lag and freezing when performing operations?
  • Is it important to see branching logic at all times while designing the course?
  • Will I use triggers or advanced actions, and if so, how important is it to be able to work in an intuitive interface?

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Round 3: Learning Design

Feature

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Slide templates
A limited number of templates is available through Content Library 360.
The Assets feature offers a large variety of templates that can be used.
Icons
A great selection of icons that can be used in the course. Icons can be edited directly on the slides (by ungrouping the shapes).
A limited selection of icons, many searches return 0 results. Icons can only be edited through Adobe Illustrator.
Text captions
Text captions can be used as shapes and converted to shapes, their properties can be changed in the Format pop-up window.
You can style a text caption, but the options a limited to (mostly) cheesy outdated presets.
Rollover interactions
Can be achieved by using triggers, states, layers.
Native functionality for rollover interactions, no coding required.
Interactive videos
Can be achieved by using branching, triggers, layers.
Out-of-the-box interactive video functionality provided.
SVG images
SVG images can be used.
SVG images can be used.
User input elements
Several kinds of input elements can be added to the slide.
Only text entry input object can be added.
Miscellaneous objects
Support for sliders, dials, markers, scrolling panels.
No significant objects that are unique to Captivate.
Slide layers
Slide layers can be used on all slides.
No slide layer functionality.
Drag and drops
Good drag and drop functionality that could be extended with triggers.
Basic drag and drop functionality.
Question slides
Questions slides are flexible and can be extended with triggers.
There is a little wiggle room when it comes to customizing how question slides work.
Freeform interactions
Several freeform interactions are supported.
Some functionality can be achieved with the use of actions.
Animations
Animations are limited to 16 options.
A good variety of animations. Multiple animations can be applied to a single object.

Summary: Learning Design (Storyline-31 points, Captivate-21 points)

If you are planning to create custom interactions, Storyline might be a better option for you. If you, however, are more interested in out-of-the-box functionality, you may like Captivate. Here are some questions that can help you decide which tool will better meet your needs:

  • Will I be using slide templates provided by the authoring tool?
  • Are icons an important part of slide design in my work?
  • Would I be able to build rollover interactions and interactive videos if needed?
  • Will I use drag and drop and freeform interactions?
  • Will I need to use uncommon animation options?

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Round 4: Advanced Features

Feature

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

JavaScript support
JavaScript code can be used in the course.
JavaScript code can be used in the course.
User variables
3 types of user variables are supported.
A single user variable type is available.
System variables
Numerous system variables (player, menu, slide, scene, etc.).
A good variety of system variables is available to the user.
Triggers/actions
Triggers allow to program interactivity.
Actions/advanced actions allow to program interactivity.
Conditions
Conditions can be based on variables and/or objects.
Only variable-based conditions are possible.
Playback speed control
Allows playback speed control
The player in the published project allows to adjust playback speed (if the designer enables this feature),
No playback speed control
No playback speed control options are supported in the player.

Summary: Advanced Features (Storyline-18 points, Captivate-12 points)

Both tools will allow you to program custom interactions, interactive elements, complex scenarios, etc. Here are some questions that can help you decide which tool will better meet your needs:

  • Do I need to use the system variables to achieve the goal of my project?
  • Will I use object-based conditions or will variable-based conditions alone be enough?

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Round 5: Productivity

Feature

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Object placement
Smart guides appear when dragging objects. Custom guides and grid can be turned on/off.
Manual placement only. Guides, smart guides, and grid are not available.
Preview options
Users can preview the current slide, current scene, selected slide or the entire project.
Additional preview options are available (next 5 slides, preview in the browser, SCORM cloud, etc.).
Publishing options
Multiple publishing options: SCORM, AICC, xAPI, video, Word document, Review, etc.
Fewer publishing options: SCORM, AICC, xAPI, video. Some options are quite useless (i.e. publish as .exe).
Default labels
The functionality can be achieved with feedback masters.
Possibility to set default text for some text captions in the project.
Community/support
A vibrant community that readily provides support with any questions another user may have.
A somewhat active community of Captivate enthusiasts. User questions are likely to be answered.

Summary: Productivity (Storyline-12 points, Captivate-10 points)

While Captivate provides more preview options, Storyline wins with output options, which can often be a deal-breaker. In addition, careful placement and alignment of slide objects take less time and effort in Storyline. Here are some questions that can help you decide which tool will better meet your needs:

  • What is the preferred format of the final deliverable?
  • Do slide objects need to be aligned precisely?
  • Will I be reaching out to the community if I run into problems?

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Round 6: Extending the Tool Functionality

Feature

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Exporting variables, scores, other data to Google Sheets
Can use the Sheets widget to save data to a Google Sheets spreadsheet.
Similarly, learning data can be exported to Google Sheets.
Saving variables and interaction data to an online database
Possibility to export data generated in the learning course and save it to the cloud.
Learner data can be captured and saved in the cloud.
Generating PDFs form variables and learner’s input
Variables can be used to save the learner’s entries to a PDF file.
The learner’s input can be saved into a downloadable PDF file.
Gamification features (leaderboards, timers, etc.)
A leaderboard can be added to the course.
The course can feature a leaderboard to boost engagement.
Embedding chatbots
A chatbot can be added by using triggers and web object. Cluelabs.com chatbot provides a quick start .story template.
A web object chatbot can be added, actions-based chatbot is possible as well, but requires some work.
Advanced analytics without an LMS
User Flow analytics allows to record clicks, exits, time per slide, custom events, etc.
No current User Flow analytics support.
Capturing learner’s geolocation
Learner’s location can be captured by the course.
The course can determine the learner’s geolocation.
Editing text without re-publishing the course
Dynamic text labels can be edited without having to re-publish the course.
No need to publish the course if dynamic labels are used for the text.
Drawing dynamic charts
A chart can be drawn from user variables.
A custom chart can be displayed on the slide.
Drawing comparison charts
Comparison charts are supported.
Similarly, comparison charts are supported.
Adding a gamification timer
A timer can be added to the project for advanced gamification features and engagement.
A timer can be added to the project for advanced gamification features and engagement.
Displaying content full-screen
The slide and the project content can be shown in full-screen mode.
The project content can be shown in full-screen mode.
Adding a custom progress bar
A custom progress bar can be added to a slide, and can also be placed outside the slide (above, below, partially outside).
You can add a custom progress bar to the course, but it can only go on the slide itself and cannot be placed outside the slide.
Sending out emails with variables and other user-generated content
You can pre-build or generate the message content in the course and send the message out with a trigger.
You can use advanced actions to generate the message content and send it out to the recipient of your choice.

Summary: Extending the Tool Functionality (Storyline-39 points, Captivate-33 points)

Both Storyline and Captivate support eLearning widgets that can extend the tool functionality.

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Storyline vs. Captivate: Grand Total and Summary

 

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Supported Content11 points14 points
User Experience21 points12 points
Learning Design31 points21 points
Advanced Features18 points12 points
Productivity12 points10 points
Extending the Tool Functionality39 points33 points
TOTAL132 points102 points

In conclusion, it’s worth mentioning that both Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate can each offer unique features not provided by the other tool. If you are trying to decide which tool is right for you, it will be helpful to take a look at the list of features provided in this guide and take note of how each authoring tools scores on the features that are important to you and are key in the project you are working on.

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What content types do Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate support?

Articulate Storyline is better when it comes to importing PowerPoint content. And Adobe Captivate scores higher with virtual reality, responsive content, and Adobe Photoshop import. Both authoring tools work equally well with Cluelabs gamification widgets, external chatbots, and generally support modern eLearning trends.

Which authoring tool provides a better user experience?

The interface in Storyline is cleaner and easier to use intuitively. The user interface in Captivate is less convenient and takes a bit longer to get used to, but overall, once you learn it, you will have no issues working with it.

Which authoring tools offer better learning design options?

If you are planning to create custom interactions, Storyline might be a better option for you. If you, however, are more interested in out-of-the-box functionality, you may like Captivate.

Do Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate offers advanced functionality for complex learning projects?

Both tools will allow you to program custom interactions, interactive elements, complex scenarios, etc.

Which authoring software has better productivity tools, Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate?

While Captivate provides more preview options, Storyline wins with output options, which can often be a deal-breaker. In addition, careful placement and alignment of slide objects take less time and effort in Storyline.

Should I purchase Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate?

Just by looking at the scoring provided in this article, you can see that Articulate Storyline is a superior product to Adobe Captivate. Storyline 360 offers more flexibility and easier workflow. However, Adobe Captivate does have a few unique features that may be important for your project.

Is Articulate Storyline better than Adobe Captivate?

We strongly prefer to use Articulate Storyline 360 due to its easy-to-use interface and modern eLearning development tools it offers. Adobe Captivate also has its own strengths, but because of poor performance, outdated interface, and low productivity, it lags behind Storyline.

What are Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate?

Both are eLearning authoring tools that allow designers to create interactive online courses. This guide provides a comprehensive comparison of their features.

How do Storyline and Captivate compare in terms of user experience?

Storyline offers a more intuitive interface, while Captivate’s interface can be less convenient but is manageable once familiarized.

Which e-learning tool (Storyline or Captivate) offers better support for responsive content for mobile learning ?

Adobe Captivate offers good support for responsive content, adjusting based on screen size. Storyline’s player is responsive, but the eLearning content remains consistent across devices. Captivate is more suitable for mobile learning design if the slides need to be responsive.

Which e-learning tool (Storyline or Captivate) offers better gamification features?

Both tools support external gamification features like leaderboards and timers. The choice between them would depend on the specific gamification needs of the project.

Can I export variables from either Storyline or Captivate?

Both tools offer functionalities to export variables, scores, and other data using the Google Sheets widget or Data Cloud. The specifics of these features might vary between the tools.

Which e-learning tool (Storyline or Captivate) is more beginner-friendly for new eLearning designers?

Articulate Storyline is often cited as having a more intuitive interface, making it potentially more beginner-friendly. However, the learning curve for both tools will depend on the individual’s familiarity with eLearning software and personal preferences.

Is Articulate Storyline more expensive than Adobe Captivate?

The annual Articulate 360 license costs $1,099-$1,399 ($549-$699 for academic users). While the annual Captivate cost is $479.88. This makes Articulate Storyline more expensive than Adobe Captivate.

eLearning Company Blog | December 1, 2020