Adobe Captivate
eLearning authoring tool for software simulations and courses
Captivate is a long-standing tool for instructional designers. They build courses from slides with interactive elements like quizzes, branching scenarios, drag and drop exercises, and video. A standout feature is software simulation, where the tool records on-screen steps in an application and turns them into demonstrations or practice exercises, which helps train employees on new systems.
Courses are responsive, so they work on desktops and mobile devices, and they publish in formats that learning management systems can track, including SCORM, xAPI, and HTML5. Assets from Adobe’s other tools can be reused. Recent versions add AI help, such as text to speech for narration and automatic generation of some content.
Captivate is sold by subscription or license through Adobe. It has a learning curve and is heavier than newer web tools, which many teams choose for simpler courses. Alternatives include Articulate Storyline and Rise, Lectora, iSpring Suite, Elucidat, and Gomo. Captivate suits instructional designers building detailed courses and simulations.