Adobe Captivate 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

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On this page

Overview
Pricing and Plans
Features
Integrations
User Reviews

Overview

Adobe Captivate

4.4

(220)

Pricing

Starting at $33.90 per month

About Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is an e-Learning Course Authoring tool which allows companies to design learning solutions for employees on any device, to be accessed at any time.

Authors can deliver engaging, interactive content, including interactive videos and virtual-reality courses, which go beyond standard slideshows to up-skill employees quicker. Import PowerPoint content and update it into interactive, mobile learning courses.

Adobe Captivate Screenshots

Adobe Captivate Pricing and Plans

Starting price: $33.90 per month

Free Trial

Free Version

Adobe Captivate

$33.90

flat rate, per month

Plan includes:

Add Multiple Overlay Slides at Any Point of Your Interactive Video
Copying Appearance and Style of One Object and Applying It to Another
Edit Svgs and Convert Them to Buttons
Mobile-Ready Courses
Play Overlay Videos on Clicking a VR Hotspot
Ready-to-Go Slides and Out-of-the-Box Interactions

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Adobe Captivate Features

Popular features found in eLearning Authoring Tools
Content Library
Content Management
Course Authoring
Course Publishing
Gamification
Interactive Content
Interactive Learning
PowerPoint Conversion
Quizzes
More features of Adobe Captivate
Activity Dashboard
Audio/Video Recording
Blended Learning
Course Management
Course Tracking
Customizable Templates
Data Import/Export
Drag & Drop
Learning Management
Media Import
Mobile Access
Mobile Learning
Question Library
Real-Time Data
Self-paced Learning
Storyboarding
Template Management
Tests/Assessments
Training Administration
Video Management
Video Streaming
Video Support

Adobe Captivate Integrations

Google Maps

Adobe Captivate User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.4

Ratings Breakdown

60%

27%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

3.8

Value for money

3.9

Customer support

3.9

Functionality

4.3

Josh Y.

Verified reviewer

E-Learning

51-200 employees

Used daily for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2020

A powerful player in the e-learning arena

While I am just jumping into the platform as my current job requires it over other software platforms, I am impressed. Having used the entire Adobe CC and other e-learning software, this platform is not difficult to transition into.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

Having used many products for developing e-learning, Captivate is among the top-tier development programs but has a high cost to entry. The platform is powerful and has a lot of nuances that allow for digging deep into options for developing truly custom courses and user experiences.

Cons:

While you can dig deeply into advanced interactions, data reporting, etc, the learning curve is immense to begin to understand elements such as advanced actions, keywords, etc. Variables become buried and are not as easy to manipulate as in Articulate Storyline, but they are buried for very good reason in that you can actually do more in Captivate than with its rival program with such features. If I am to further nitpick, I am not excited by the filmstrip display for slide storyline. This is a feature I love in Articulate's e-learning in that non-linear branching is highly encouraged whereas the linear filmstrip does little to entice users to develop complex learning opportunities, reinforcing the linear death by slides commonly seen in virtual learning.

Reasons for switching to Adobe Captivate

Occupational requirement. These two programs are used across the e-learning landscape, and the use of one or another is often dependent on the organization. I do prefer the power and ability to fully customize that is within Adobe Captivate, though Articulate Storyline is by far more user-friendly.

Jean-Pierre N.

Verified reviewer

E-Learning

501-1000 employees

Used weekly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed December 2025

Instructional Designer

It is a powerful tool for instructional designers who need to build eLearning content. It also has a large online community and tutorial materials.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Captivate is a robust software that helps to build interactive materials for your online or hybrid courses. I used the screen recording to create step-by-step instructions to demonstrate how to use different technologies in our school. Question templates are also amazing.

Cons:

A little pricy, and it is very difficult to reach customer support. In addition, the new users find it overwhelming to navigate.

Reasons for switching to Adobe Captivate

Cativate is more powerful and robust for building assessment and feedback customization.

David T.

Verified reviewer

E-Learning

2-10 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2024

Could have been so much better

I keep returning to Adobe Captivate in the hope that there have been improvements made, but sadly it always disappoints. The workflow is very cumbersome and I don't feel confident in suggesting it as an authoring tool when scoping with clients, as the time required to create anything useful would make the costs prohibitive.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I found that the features in Captivate that allow the creation of interactive videos were useful.

Cons:

Pop up content is standard in eLearning courses, but Adobe have continued to ignore this basic requirement, making it a very long-winded and difficult task to add pop up/reveal content.

Verified

Reviewer

Education Management

Self-Employed

Used monthly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2025

Captivate Plus AI Content Generation is the Way Forward

I have been using Captivate for a while and really like to tool. However, since I am now using AI tools which makes course generation easier.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Customer support is great and you definitely get value for the monthly subscription. It's good for interactive learning but is now competing with AI tools that can generate quizzes and other interactions quickly. Course creation is not difficult once you learn the tool.

Cons:

The version I used did not have AI integration and the interface needs to be improved. When I compare it to other tools, Captivate is behind. Instructional designers need tools that will help them to generate courses quickly and integration with AI--LLMs would put Captivate ahead.

Mark D.

Verified reviewer

Professional Training & Coaching

2-10 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed March 2025

Captivate, once the king, not 2d best

A great product. At one point in time, many years ago, it was the "king." You could run through your software product and Captivate would capture all of the steps, even giving you different ways to play back. For testing and demoing.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Some features for ease of use, powerful, eLearning software.

Cons:

Complicated in some features. Either must have a developer or take a course. On ramping steep at times in the past.

Reasons for choosing Adobe Captivate

At one time, it was king of eLearning authoring. It's fallen now, although it appears to be making a comeback.

Paul W.

Verified reviewer

E-Learning

Self-Employed

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2019

Adobe Captivate is the Cornerstone of My eLearning Business

I started using Adobe Captivate with version 2. It was okay but obviously there was room for it to improve. At the time of writing this review, Captivate is on version 11 and it has matured into a robust solution. I will continue to use it for all my professional eLearning work for as long as they continue to make it available.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I have been using Adobe Captivate since the mid-2000s. Each release has brought new and innovative features that allow me to continue to impress my clients. Features like virtual reality and interactive video make Adobe Captivate the industry leader in eLearning Authoring tools

Cons:

A complicated piece of software means that the learning curve is steep but the reward is that in return it does so much.

Reasons for choosing Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate's subscription model was a better value than Storyline. Plus the ability to round trip with the Creative Cloud applications made it a clear choice for me.

Verified

Reviewer

Telecommunications

501-1000 employees

Used weekly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed April 2025

New exciting features, but limited customization

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Functionality

Pros:

The new Adobe version has a modern user interface and multiple widgets (flip cards, hotspot, carousel and more) that can make an e-learning module more interactive and engaging. It's easy to use as all you have to do is add blocks and components to build your content.

Cons:

It can be glitchy and crash without a warning, so you have to save your work often to avoid losing progress. The blocks aren't customizable, you're limited to preset designs, therefore you can't get too creative.

Victoria H.

Verified reviewer

Airlines/ Aviation

11-50 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2025

Solid authoring tool

My experience with Adobe Captivate has been solid overall. It has all the capabilities you need to create a great course.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I love how easy it is to create interactive content, like simulations and quizzes, which really keeps learners engaged. The fact that it works so well with other Adobe tools is a huge bonus too.

Cons:

What I like least about Adobe Captivate is that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. With so many features and options, it takes some time to figure out how to use everything efficiently. The learning curve is steep for beginners. Though the interface can feel a bit dated.

Alexander M.

Verified reviewer

Health, Wellness and Fitness

Self-Employed

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed November 2025

Expensive but can get results. Articulate is better.

Decent, but expensive tool to use for creation of e-learning. Not as good as Articulate and feels rather dated.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Easy to produce very simple e-learning once you overcome the initial learning curve. Good for rework.

Cons:

The initial learning curve is extremely steep, even with experience of video editing and other tools.

Gary T.

Verified reviewer

Telecommunications

5001-10000 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed March 2025

Simple tool that offers creativity for those prepared to test features.

Overall it is a simple and good tool to use. You can go more complex if you are familiar with how Captivate works, but it is not needed for many who just want to build a course with ease.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Adobe Captivate offers a simpler tool to create eLearning. The product is drag and drop for the most part, and building simple courses is straight forward.

Cons:

There are still some bugs in the product, and many of the editing and design features are a weak. It would be better if it offered more flexibility with design tools.

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