Skilljar vs Docebo: which platform for your customer academy?

If you are launching or replatforming a customer academy, Skilljar and Docebo are likely to be on your shortlist. Both can run branded learning portals with courses, learning paths, certifications and reporting. But they are built for different centres of gravity.

Skilljar is a specialist: an external LMS designed for customer education at B2B software companies, now part of Gainsight. Docebo is a broad enterprise learning platform that serves employees, partners and customers from one system. This guide compares them for the job most of our readers have in mind: educating customers.

At a glance

	Skilljar	Docebo
What it is	External LMS for customer education	Enterprise learning platform for several audiences
Ownership	Part of Gainsight since April 2025	Independent, publicly listed company
Main audiences	Customers and partners	Employees, partners and customers
Named capabilities	Customisable academy, certificates and certifications, monetised training, learning paths, proctored exams, analytics	Learning Platform, Skills Intelligence, Enterprise Knowledge, AgentHub, Content Creator, Advanced Analytics
Integrations named	Salesforce, Gainsight, Zendesk, Zoom, Webex, Stripe, Credly, Accredible	Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack, SharePoint, Confluence, Google Drive
Pricing	Not published	Not published

The Gainsight factor

Gainsight acquired Skilljar on April 2, 2025. For buyers this matters in two ways:

1. If you already use Gainsight for customer success, Skilljar’s training data (enrolments, completions and certifications) is a natural input to customer health scores and success plans. The integration story is a strong reason to choose it.
2. If you don’t use Gainsight, Skilljar still works on its own and integrates with Salesforce, Zendesk and other tools. Ask about the product roadmap and how it will evolve inside Gainsight’s portfolio.

Gainsight previously acquired Northpass, which it sold as Gainsight Customer Education. Northpass’s website now redirects to the Skilljar page, so if you are evaluating Gainsight’s options, ask which product they recommend for your needs.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Academy and branding

• Skilljar is built around a customisable academy: a branded, public-facing catalogue where customers sign up, take courses and earn credentials. Reviewers note that look-and-feel customisation is extensive but advanced changes need CSS knowledge.
• Docebo supports branded learning portals and, according to reviewers, separate branded domains for different audiences, which helps if you run employee, partner and customer programmes side by side.

Verdict: for a single customer academy, Skilljar is purpose-built. For several separate audiences, Docebo’s multi-portal approach is a strength.

Learning paths and certifications

• Skilljar highlights personalised learning paths, certificates and certifications, and proctored exams, with integrations to Credly and Accredible for digital badges.
• Docebo supports learning plans, certifications and re-certification. Some reviewers would like more options for electives within learning plans.

Verdict: both handle certification programmes. If high-stakes certification exams matter, ask both to demonstrate proctoring and re-certification workflows.

Content creation and AI

• Docebo promotes Content Creator for AI-assisted authoring and AgentHub for AI agents, and reviewers describe its AI capabilities as among the most advanced in the LMS market.
• Skilljar focuses on hosting and delivering content you create, and Gainsight says Skilljar can be managed from inside your AI tools.

Verdict: if you need to produce a lot of content quickly with a small team, test Docebo’s AI authoring. Many customer education teams also use separate authoring tools with either platform.

Selling training

Skilljar lists monetised training as a core capability and integrates with Stripe. Reviewers highlight the out-of-the-box ability to charge for training. Docebo also supports selling courses. If paid training is a revenue line, compare checkout, coupons, bundles and tax handling in detail.

Analytics

• Skilljar offers reporting and analytics on learner activity and links training to customer outcomes, especially with Salesforce and Gainsight. Some reviewers would like more robust dashboard analytics.
• Docebo sells Advanced Analytics and Skills Intelligence for deeper reporting across audiences.

Verdict: both can show completions and certifications. The real question is whether you can connect training to retention and support tickets, so ask each to show that with your CRM.

Knowledge and internal use

Docebo’s Enterprise Knowledge and integrations with SharePoint, Confluence and Google Drive point to its broader use for employee learning. Skilljar does not position itself for internal employee training.

Implementation

Skilljar: customer education teams typically launch with a small catalogue, connect single sign-on from their product, integrate Salesforce or Gainsight, then expand. Reviewers describe the platform as intuitive, with few clicks to complete tasks.

Docebo: implementation is broader because the platform does more. Reviewers say initial setup can be complex, may need technical support, and that admins face a learning curve.

See our guide to launching a customer academy for a step-by-step plan that applies to either.

Pricing

Neither vendor publishes prices. Both sell annual contracts quoted on users, audiences and modules. Third-party sources report that Docebo usually targets mid-size and larger organisations, with minimum contracts that can put it out of reach for very small teams; confirm this directly. Ask both for a three-year quote covering:

• the number of active learners you expect in years one to three;
• e-commerce, if you will sell training;
• integrations, single sign-on and any premium support;
• implementation services.

What users say in reviews

Themes summarised from public reviews on G2 and Capterra, October 2026. Individual experiences vary.

Skilljar

Common praise

• An intuitive platform that simplifies running a customer education programme.
• Out-of-the-box ability to charge for training, capture analytics and create courses.
• Good API support and helpful customer support.

Common complaints

• Some interface elements can be hard to navigate.
• Dashboard analytics could be more robust.
• Limited quiz question types, and advanced branding needs CSS skills.

Docebo

Common praise

• Intuitive learner interface and strong customisation.
• Automation, reporting and AI features that save time.
• Social learning and multiple branded portals.

Common complaints

• Complex initial setup and a steep learning curve for admins.
• Mixed views on customer support.
• Enterprise pricing that can be too high for small teams.

Which should you choose?

Choose Skilljar if:

• Customer and partner education is your main use case.
• You use Gainsight or Salesforce and want training data in customer health and CRM.
• You want to sell training with minimal setup.

Choose Docebo if:

• You want one platform for employees, partners and customers.
• AI-assisted content creation and skills data are priorities.
• You have the admin capacity to configure a broad enterprise platform.

Other options: compare Skilljar vs Docebo side by side, or look at Intellum, Thought Industries, LearnUpon and Absorb LMS in our customer education category.

A simple decision checklist

1. List every audience you need to train now and in two years.
2. Map the systems training data must flow into (CRM, customer success, support).
3. Decide whether you will sell training and how.
4. Ask each vendor to build one real learning path with a certification in a sandbox.
5. Compare three-year quotes for the same learner numbers.