The Top Tools for Learning 2020 was compiled by Jane Hart from the results of the 14th Annual Learning Tools Survey, and released on 1 September 2020. For general information about the survey and this website, visit the About page. For observations and infographics of this year’s list, see Analysis 2020.
Below you will find a table ranking the top 200 tools, It also shows their place on 3 sub-lists PL100 | WL100 | Ed100, ie the Top 100 Tools for Personal Learning (PL100), the Top 100 Tools for Workplace Learning (WL100) and the Top 100 Tools for Education (Ed100). The shading shows where most popular usage is). Their tool categorization is also included. Click on a tool name to find out more about it.
overall Ranking |
change from 2019 |
Tool | Category | PL100 | WL100 | ED100 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | SAME | YouTube | web resource (videos) | 1 | 4 | 1 |
2 | UP 8 | Zoom | video meeting platform | 5 | 1 | 3 |
3 | DOWN 1 | Google Search | search engine | 2 | 3 | 6 |
4 | DOWN 1 | PowerPoint | office tool / suite | 9 | 5 | 2 |
5 | UP 6 | Microsoft Teams | collaboration platform | 15 | 2 | 8 |
6 | UP 1 | Word | office tool / suite | 10 | 6 | 5 |
7 | DOWN 1 | Google Docs & Drive | office suite | file sharing platform | 11 | 10 | 4 |
8 | DOWN 3 | social network / community | 3 | 8 | ||
9 | DOWN 5 | social network / community | 4 | 28 | 25 | |
10 | UP 4 | chat tool | 6 | 9 | 10 | |
11 | DOWN 3 | Wikipedia | web resource | 7 | 7 | 20 |
12 | UP 6 | social network / community | 8 | 19 | ||
13 | UP 3 | Excel | office tool / suite | 30 | 11 | 14 |
14 | DOWN 5 | WordPress | blogging/website platform | 12 | 21 | 18 |
15 | UP 121 | Google Classroom | learning platform / LMS | 75 | 7 | |
16 | UP 77 | Google Meet | video meeting platform | 28 | 48 | 9 |
17 | DOWN 5 | Slack | collaboration platform | 32 | 12 | 61 |
18 | UP 16 | Canva | content dev tool (graphics) | 37 | 31 | 11 |
19 | SAME | Skype | chat tool | 18 | 14 | 22 |
20 | UP 8 | Trello | collaboration platform | 39 | 13 | 64 |
21 | DOWN 6 | Feedly | news reader & alert tool | 13 | ||
22 | DOWN 9 | LinkedIn Learning | online courses | 14 | 24 | |
23 | UP 7 | Padlet | collaboration platform | 58 | 15 | 12 |
24 | DOWN 3 | Kahoot | live engagement tool | 18 | 13 | |
25 | DOWN 8 | Dropbox | file sharing platform | 22 | 16 | 38 |
26 | UP 15 | Mentimeter | live engagement tool | 17 | 24 | |
27 | UP 19 | Gmail | email tool | 16 | 59 | 21 |
28 | UP 20 | social network / community | 17 | |||
29 | DOWN 3 | Google Forms | forms and survey tool | 42 | 15 | |
30 | DOWN 10 | Articulate | course authoring tool | 19 | 42 | |
31 | DOWN 9 | OneNote | digital notebook | 25 | 20 | 59 |
32 | UP 13 | Google Translate | translation tool | 19 | 36 | 41 |
33 | UP 5 | Outlook | email tool | 59 | 22 | 35 |
34 | UP 32 | Vimeo | web resource (videos) | 38 | 23 | 65 |
35 | SAME | Google Chrome | web browser | 20 | 39 | 37 |
36 | UP 14 | Moodle | learning platform/LMS | 32 | 16 | |
37 | UP 40 | Google Maps | productivity tool (mapping) | 21 | 50 | 46 |
38 | UP 34 | Flipgrid | video meeting platform | 17 | ||
39 | UP 8 | Prezi | office tool / suite | 73 | 53 | 23 |
40 | DOWN 16 | TED Talks | web resource (videos) | 23 | 46 | |
41 | UP 14 | OneDrive | file sharing platform | 55 | 25 | 39 |
42 | SAME | Easygenerator | course authoring tool | 26 | 76 | |
43 | DOWN 20 | Camtasia | content dev tool (screencasts) | 27 | 36 | |
44 | DOWN 17 | Snagit | content dev tool (screen capture) | 29 | 60 | |
45 | UP 79 | Whereby | video meeting platform | 89 | 30 | 56 |
46 | DOWN 21 | Evernote | digital notebook | 24 | 47 | |
47 | UP 23 | Canvas | learning platform/LMS | 26 | ||
48 | DOWN 17 | curation platform | 26 | 45 | ||
49 | UP 43 | Screencast-O-matic | content dev tool (screencasts) | 79 | 27 | |
50 | UP 6 | curation tool | 27 | |||
51 | UP 8 | hihaho | content dev tool (interactive video) | 33 | 57 | |
52 | UP 27 | Wakelet | curation tool | 41 | 28 | |
53 | UP 22 | Vyond | content dev tool (animation) | 34 | 75 | |
54 | DOWN 25 | Udemy | online courses | 29 | 56 | |
55 | UP 76 | Google Sites | blogging/website platform | 29 | ||
56 | UP 8 | Cisco Webex | video meeting platform | 37 | 32 | |
57 | DOWN 4 | Coursera | online courses | 31 | ||
58 | DOWN 25 | SharePoint | collaboration platform | 38 | ||
59 | UP 32 | Quizlet | games & testing tool | 30 | ||
60 | UP 63 | DeepL | translation tool | 33 | 58 | |
61 | UP 10 | Kindle | web resource (e-books) | 34 | 82 | |
62 | UP 115 | Quizizz | games & testing tool | 31 | ||
63 | DOWN 6 | H5P | content dev tool (HTML5 content) | 39 | 54 | |
64 | UP 77 | aNewSpring | learning platform/LMS | 40 | ||
65 | DOWN 26 | Google Scholar | web search engine | 33 | ||
66 | NEW | Mural | online whiteboard | 41 | ||
67 | DOWN 6 | Audible | web resource (audio books) | 35 | ||
68 | DOWN 6 | Poll Everywhere | live engagement tool | 77 | 34 | |
69 | DOWN 15 | Apple Podcasts | web resource (podcasts) | 36 | ||
70 | UP 11 | Adobe Connect | video meeting platform | 43 | 93 | |
71 | NEW | Netflix | web resource (documentaries) | 40 | ||
72 | DOWN 40 | Diigo | content curation tool | 42 | 85 | 67 |
73 | DOWN 37 | Yammer | collaboration platform | 72 | 44 | |
74 | DOWN 9 | Degreed | learning platform/LMS | 75 | 45 | |
75 | NEW | Miro | online whiteboard | 49 | 98 | |
76 | UP 6 | Adobe Spark | content development tool (graphics) | 88 | 40 | |
77 | DOWN 25 | Blogger | blogging/website platform | 43 | 80 | |
78 | DOWN 38 | iSpring | course authoring tool | 51 | 62 | |
79 | DOWN 1 | Grammarly | productivity tool (grammar checker) | 44 | 81 | |
80 | UP 36 | getAbstract | web resource (book summaries) | 45 | 89 | |
81 | DOWN 7 | Apple Keynote | office tool / suite | 46 | 80 | 74 |
82 | UP 68 | Nearpod | lesson authoring tool | 43 | ||
83 | NEW | Spotify | web resource (podcasts & music) | 47 | ||
84 | BACK | MS PowerBI | data analytics & visualisation tool | 52 | ||
85 | UP 13 | Google Workspace (prev G-Suite) | collaboration platform | 62 | 44 | |
86 | NEW | Snip & Sketch | content dev tool (screenshots) | 54 | 99 | |
87 | DOWN 14 | Genially | content dev tool (graphics) | 55 | 47 | |
88 | UP 31 | Socrative | live engagement tool | 48 | ||
89 | UP 50 | Google Alerts | news alert tool | 48 | ||
90 | DOWN 53 | Adobe Captivate | course authoring tool | 57 | 63 | |
91 | DOWN 33 | Duolingo | language learning app | 49 | ||
92 | UP 34 | Totara | learning platform/LMS | 60 | ||
93 | UP 17 | Loom | content dev tool (screen recording) | 49 | ||
94 | DOWN 51 | Tweetdeck | social network (Twitter dashboard) | 50 | ||
95 | UP 35 | Blackboard Learn | learning platform/LMS | 50 | ||
96 | DOWN 8 | Adobe Acrobat Pro | content development tool (PDFs) | 61 | 79 | |
97 | DOWN 21 | Inoreader | news reader & alert tool | 51 | ||
98 | UP 27 | Firefox | web browser | 52 | ||
99 | DOWN 16 | Google Keep | digital notebook | 61 | 51 | |
100 | DOWN 56 | Adobe Photoshop | content dev tool (photo editing) | 63 | 52 | |
101 | UP 21 | Thinglink | content dev tool (interactive media) | 53 | ||
102 | UP 11 | Jamboard | online whiteboard | 64 | 94 | |
103 | DOWN 43 | Workplace by Facebook | collaboration platform | 65 | ||
104 | DOWN 18 | Adobe Premiere Pro | content dev tool (video) | 66 | ||
105 | DOWN 4 | edX | online courses | 53 | ||
106 | DOWN 11 | Adobe Illustrator | content dev tool (graphics) | 67 | ||
107 | UP 41 | Screencastify | content dev tool (screencasts) | 55 | ||
108 | DOWN 9 | Adobe After Effects | content dev tool (video) | 68 | ||
109 | NEW | Jitsi Meet | video meeting platform | 86 | 58 | |
110 | UP 19 | MS Stream | content dev (video streaming) | 69 | 85 | |
111 | DOWN 14 | Survey Monkey | forms & survey tool | 70 | ||
112 | DOWN 63 | Audacity | content dev tool (audio/podcasts) | 66 | ||
113 | DOWN 9 | Adobe Audition | content dev tool (audio/podcasts) | 71 | ||
114 | NEW | Coggle | mind mapping tool | 68 | ||
115 | DOWN 64 | Medium | blogging/website platform | 54 | ||
116 | UP 54 | Freemind | mindmapping tool | 56 | ||
117 | UP 25 | Big Blue Button | video meeting platform | 93 | 69 | |
118 | UP 35 | Apple iMovie | content development tool (videos) | 70 | ||
119 | DOWN 12 | Quora | web resource (Q&A site) | 57 | ||
120 | NEW | WebinarGeek | video meeting platform | 72 | ||
121 | DOWN 58 | Mindmeister | mindmapping tool | 60 | 73 | |
122 | DOWN 16 | MS Forms | forms & survey tool | 74 | 91 | |
123 | DOWN 39 | Stack Overflow | social network / community | 62 | ||
124 | NEW | ClickUp | collaboration platform | 76 | ||
125 | BACK | EdPuzzle | lesson authoring tool | 71 | ||
126 | DOWN 48 | Adobe InDesign | content dev tool (interactive PDFs) | 76 | ||
127 | BACK | Blackboard Collaborate | video meeting platform | 72 | ||
128 | NEW | MS Whiteboard | online whiteboard | 81 | ||
129 | BACK | Wooclap | live engagement tool | 82 | ||
130 | DOWN 28 | Plickers | live engagement tool | 73 | ||
131 | DOWN 23 | Google Calendar | productivity tool (calendar) | 63 | ||
132 | DOWN 43 | Slideshare | web resource (slide sets) | 64 | ||
133 | DOWN 18 | Udacity | online courses | 65 | ||
134 | UP 9 | Mailchimp | email tool (newsletters etc) | 83 | 95 | |
135 | DOWN 32 | FutureLearn | online courses | 66 | ||
136 | UP 29 | Omnigraffle | content dev tool (diagrams) | 67 | ||
137 | UP 26 | DuckDuckGo | search engine | 68 | ||
138 | BACK | Asana | collaboration platform | 84 | ||
139 | DOWN 4 | Lectora | course authoring tool | 87 | ||
140 | UP 43 | Notability | digital notebook | 69 | 97 | |
141 | DOWN 72 | Anders Pink | curation platform | 90 | ||
142 | DOWN 48 | Sway | content dev tool (presentations) | 91 | 86 | |
143 | NEW | Ayoa | mindmapping tool | 70 | 92 | |
144 | NEW | Apple Mail | email tool | 71 | ||
145 | DOWN 55 | curation tool | 74 | |||
146 | DOWN 79 | Powtoon | content dev tool (animation) | 97 | 77 | |
147 | NEW | ilovepdf.com | content dev tool (PDFs) | 78 | ||
148 | UP 18 | Apple Pages | office tool / suite | 76 | ||
149 | NEW | Factile | games & testing tool | 83 | ||
150 | DOWN 63 | Unsplash | content dev tool (image library) | 84 | ||
151 | DOWN 55 | Biteable | content dev tool (video) | 94 | ||
152 | DOWN 67 | isEazy | course authoring | 95 | ||
153 | DOWN 15 | Blinkist | web resource (book summaries | 77 | ||
154 | NEW | Handbrake | content dev tool (video conversion) | 87 | ||
155 | BACK | Safari | web browser | 78 | ||
156 | DOWN 7 | WeTransfer | file sharing platform | 79 | 96 | |
157 | DOWN 20 | Nuzzel | news alert tool | 80 | ||
158 | UP 20 | Zotero | research tool | 88 | ||
159 | DOWN 13 | Overcast | web resource (podcast player) | 81 | ||
160 | DOWN 42 | social network / community | 82 | |||
161 | SAME | gomo Learning | course authoring tool | 96 | ||
162 | NEW | Hot Potatoes | games & testing tool | 89 | ||
163 | DOWN 6 | Podcast Addict | web resources (podcast player) | 83 | ||
164 | DOWN 6 | Highbrow | online courses | 84 | ||
165 | NEW | Google Lens | productivity (image recognition) | 85 | ||
166 | DOWN 39 | Scoopit | curation tool | 86 | ||
167 | DOWN 67 | Piktochart | content dev tool (infographics) | 90 | ||
168 | DOWN 12 | Pluralsight | online course platform | 87 | ||
169 | NEW | Apple Numbers | office tool / suite | 88 | ||
170 | DOWN 10 | IFTTT | productivity (workflow automation) | 90 | ||
171 | DOWN 4 | MS Edge | web browser | 91 | ||
172 | DOWN 1 | Zapier | productivity (workflow automation) | 92 | ||
173 | DOWN 1 | Bing | search engine | 93 | ||
174 | DOWN 23 | Mind Tools | online course platform | 94 | 98 | |
175 | DOWN 2 | Khan Academy | online course platform | 92 | ||
176 | NEW | Google Arts & Culture | web resource (virtual visits) | 95 | ||
177 | NEW | MS Learn | online courses | 96 | ||
178 | DOWN 34 | Evolve | course authoring tool | 99 | ||
179 | NEW | Gimkit | live engagement tool | 100 | ||
180 | NEW | Telegram | chat tool | 97 | ||
181 | NEW | Brave | web browser | 98 | ||
182 | DOWN 71 | Pixabay | content dev tool (image library) | |||
183 | DOWN 55 | Axonify | learning platform/LMS | 100 | ||
184 | UP 9 | Google Analytics | web traffic analysis | |||
185 | UP 10 | LearnDash | WordPress LMS plugin | |||
186 | NEW | OpenLearn | online courses | 99 | ||
187 | NEW | Otter.ai | content dev tool (live transcription) | |||
188 | NEW | Google Currents | collaboration platform | |||
189 | NEW | MasterClass | online courses | 100 | ||
190 | NEW | MS Publisher | content development tool (DTP) | |||
191 | UP 5 | Thinkific | learning platform/LMS | |||
192 | NEW | AskDelphi | learning platform/LMS | |||
193 | NEW | Drillster | learning platform/LMS | |||
194 | DOWN 12 | Docebo | learning platform/LMS | |||
195 | DOWN 5 | Adapt | course authoring tool | |||
196 | UP 4 | Bluejeans | video meeting platform | |||
197 | DOWN 18 | edCast | learning platform/LMS | |||
198 | DOWN 13 | AnswerGarden | live engagement tool | |||
199 | NEW | Open edX | learning platform/LMS | |||
200 | NEW | GoBrunch | video meeting platform | |||