There is no meaningful single price per course
Cost depends on scope, complexity, quality expectations and who does the work. A short internal module built from approved content is a different project from a custom programme with video, branching scenarios, translation and legal review.
The main cost drivers
- Instructional design and writing
- Custom visual design and media
- Interaction and branching complexity
- Assessment depth
- Accessibility requirements
- SME and stakeholder review
- Translation and localisation
- QA, SCORM testing and LMS deployment
Internal time is still a cost
Even when software or authoring is handled in-house, SME time, review meetings, rework and project management consume real capacity. Include them when comparing internal and external options.
Estimate from effort, not seat time alone
Start with the deliverable, estimate effort by workstream and apply realistic internal or supplier rates. Use the development-time guide to avoid treating learner duration as a proxy for build effort.
Reduce cost without reducing learning quality
Control scope, reuse components, consolidate feedback, avoid unnecessary media and resolve content ownership early. Cutting practice or accessibility can make a course cheaper to build but more expensive to fix later.
Authoring-tool cost is only one part of the picture
Compare subscription price alongside authoring speed, collaboration, export options, maintenance effort and whether the tool requires specialist skills. A cheaper licence can still create higher total cost if production and updates are slow.
Judge cost against the problem being solved
A high-quality course can be poor value if training is not the right intervention. Before budgeting, confirm that the performance gap can actually be improved through learning.
Put the guidance into practice
Build a real course in Lumeo, preview it in the browser, and export it to SCORM, standalone HTML or PDF. The free plan does not require a payment card.