Every year, Jane Hart collects and analyzes lists of top 10 tools for learning. Some of these are my personal learning tools; others are what I use to create learning for others. You can vote for your top 10 tools for learning until August 29, 2025. My list of top ten tools below isn’t ranked. Instead, I have grouped them based on whether I use them to create learning for others or as a tool for my own personal development. Many of the tools below are the same ones I listed in past years.
Jane will publish the results from this survey on Monday, September 2, 2024. ChatGPT was #2 on the list last year, and I expect to see even more AI tools in 2025.
Tools I use to create learning experiences for others
I use these tools for creating learning experiences for others: Poe, Midjourney, Twine, Articulate 360, Affinity Designer, SnagIt, and PowerPoint.
Poe
Poe is the one new tool I’m adding to my list this year. Last year, I listed Claude as the LLM I use most often. I still use Claude, but I also use ChatGPT and Gemini sometimes.
Because the models change so frequently, and some do better at certain tasks, I’ve been reluctant to commit to paying for any single LLM. That’s why I primarily use Poe. Poe gives me access to numerous AI tools all in a single interface. For $200/year, I get access to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and a host of other tools. You pay based on your usage of each tool; some tools and requests are more expensive than others.
One other advantage of Poe is that it provides access to a number of media generation tools: Perplexity for search, ElevenLabs for voices; Flux, Imagen, and Recraft for images; Veo, Runway, and Kling for video, etc. You don’t necessarily get the full features of all of those tools (especially media generation and editing), but it’s enough for many purposes.
Midjourney
While I do use several image generation tools through Poe, I primarily use Midjourney to create images. Midjourney can create consistent character images for scenarios. It can also create a series of images in a cohesive style, which is trickier in many other tools. I also think Midjourney overall has a better and more interesting style than other image generation tools.
Twine
Twine is my favorite tool for creating branching scenarios. After struggling to write them and make them work in linear tools, it’s amazing how much faster I can develop multiple connected paths in Twine. Plus, it’s free and open source, with an active developer community working to extend its functionality and user communities for support.
Articulate 360 (primarily Storyline)
Most of the elearning content I build for clients is created in Articulate Storyline, part of the Articulate 360 suite. Storyline is fairly easy to develop with, but flexible enough to do plenty with if you’re creative.
Articulate Review saves me tons of time collecting feedback from clients and stakeholders. I use Rise for some development as well, depending on the project.
Affinity Designer
I use Affinity Designer nearly every week to edit images for elearning and my blog. It’s the tool I use for editing SVG characters like in this Twine scenario. I use Affinity Photo as well, often switching between the two depending on which tools I need. These are great replacements for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop at a much more affordable price.
SnagIt
I use SnagIt all the time for quick screenshots. If I need to quickly show a colleague or client how to do something, or I need to show an error for troubleshooting, SnagIt is the perfect tool.
PowerPoint
For all that it is a much maligned tool, PowerPoint is still a regular part of my toolbox. I use it to create mockups of elearning layouts and occasionally for basic image editing. As I regularly speak at conferences and online events, I also use PowerPoint to create slides for those sessions.
Personal Development: My own continuous learning tools
Raindrop
Raindrop was a new tool I added to my list last year. I spend time nearly every day reading and learning online. Reading a lot is great, but I also need a way to find sources again when I need them. When I read something interesting, I bookmark it so it’s easy to find and refer to later when I need it. I also use these saved links to curate resources for blog posts every 4-5 weeks.
WordPress
WordPress has been my tool of choice for blogging for over 15 years. This is the place I do most of my personal reflective learning. Frequently, I don’t know what I really think about a topic until I write about it. Writing helps me connect ideas and clarifies my understanding.
In addition, my blog is a place where I try to help others learn. When I “work out loud” and demonstrate how I accomplished something, others can read and benefit from that. When readers email me or comment about how helpful something was, I know I’m meeting that goal too. In addition, clients find me through my blog. If they read something I wrote and find it helpful, they already trust my expertise before they even contact me.
Zoom
Zoom is a tool I could put in several different categories. It’s the tool used in several online communities and small groups that support my continuous learning. But I also use it for working with clients and SMEs, and it’s the platform I use for teaching live online sessions too.
Past top ten tools posts
Interested in how this list has changed over time? I posted my top ten tools for learning in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Don’t forget to add your vote for your top 10 tools for learning by August 29, 2025!
