Elevate and BenchPrep are both top-rated learning platforms built for the needs of associations and nonprofits. However, each solution has unique strengths and serves distinct needs; ergo, discerning the best fit must be the core of the evaluation process.
So today, we’ll dig into the question of Elevate vs. BenchPrep to help you decide which best suits your association’s learning goals.
What’s The Difference Between Elevate and BenchPrep?
The Elevate vs. BenchPrep question is ultimately about which platform fits, not about picking a winner. Once you understand what each system does best, your decision should be fairly clear, given your specific needs and focus.
BenchPrep is built around exam prep and test-driven credentialing. Best for organizations that focus on high-stakes educational programs and rigorous CE credentialing, they offer mock exams, adaptive learning paths, and analytic feedback to help learners improve pass rates.
Elevate is built for associations and nonprofits delivering the full spectrum of member education, including support for webinars, in-person conferences, and on-demand sessions in a single portal. Additionally, Elevate offers strong integrations with over 30 AMS apps, including iMIS, Fonteva, and Impexium, ensuring that course completions and CE credits sync automatically.
Who is Each LMS Built For?
The ideal user profile for BenchPrep is an organization whose center of gravity is exam and test prep. It’s good for B2B training companies, credentialing bodies, and certification boards that focus primarily on professional testing. Its strength lies in ensuring that learners have the best possible chance of mastering the content and passing formal examinations.
Elevate is purpose-built for associations and nonprofits that rely on delivering year-round CE, certifications, webinars, and on-demand learning to their members. As an all-in-one system, Elevate manages the entire association lifecycle, from in-person conferences and events to post-event content monetization and continuing CE credits.
How Do Elevate and BenchPrep Handle Association and Nonprofit Learning?
Exam-prep-first tools like BenchPrep can feel rigid or one-dimensional for associations that need to blend courses, webinars, and events.
Elevate provides incredible flexibility in course delivery, supporting on-demand, live, and hybrid formats in a single catalog, enabling associations to transition conference learning into evergreen CE to drive non-dues revenue generation.
Both platforms support professional certifications and credentialing, but BenchPrep focuses on individual, instructor-led, and cohort-based learning, while Elevate emphasizes ongoing professional development through social learning, community-driven knowledge sharing, and member engagement.
Which LMS Connects Better with Your AMS?
AMS connection is a critical feature for any association software, as it aligns operations with education and provides visibility into member activity within the learning lifecycle.
A clean member data workflow is vital for credit tracking, brand consistency, and a unified member experience. AMS connectivity is pre-built in Elevate. And while BenchPrep can support the same connections, integrations are managed via LTI or custom/third-party APIs and may require manual uploads and developer engagement.
Elevate integrates natively with iMIS, Fonteva, Impexium, GrowthZone, and others, without requiring additional tech support. Learning data is integrated into the AMS, so CE credits, attendance, and certifications flow through the AMS timeline without manual uploads.
Which LMS Helps You Grow Non-Dues Revenue?
BenchPrep and Elevate approach ecommerce differently.
BenchPrep offers a fairly robust ecommerce system with a B2C focus, featuring course and flashcard bundling and free-to-paid features, allowing learners to access free modules before paywalled advanced courses or exams.
Third-party processors, such as BigCommerce, manage ecommerce transactions in BenchPrep, and tools are limited to each vendor’s feature set.
At its core, Elevate centers on member-centric monetization, CE, on-demand, and social learning.
Rather than focusing on ecommerce storefronts as BenchPrep does, Elevate’s ecommerce connects with the AMS, leveraging existing member segments and tiered pricing for members vs. non-members. Financial workflows are centralized within the AMS, supporting accounting and credentialing compliance.
Associations typically prioritize turning education into a sustainable revenue stream. Elevate’s capabilities give it an edge vs. BenchPrep in facilitating flexible, rules-based payment structures that include bundling, subscriptions, discounts, and the sale of courses to members as well as external learners.
How Do You Choose the Right LMS for Your Organization?
Choosing the best LMS for associations requires a practical decision framework.
First, you’ll want to map the full learning cycle, from initial certification to recertification and lifelong learning.
Next, weigh your multi-format needs to ensure the platform you choose supports your goals.
Does the system natively connect with your AMS?
What are your monetization requirements?
And lastly, think about the type of long-term partner support you want. Check third-party reviews, ask your peers, and always view responses through an association lens.
Both BenchPrep and Elevate are excellent systems, but one will likely be a much better fit than the other based on these specifications.
Why Do Associations and Nonprofits Choose Elevate by Cadmium?
Cadmium's LMS for associations, Elevate, has native strengths that closely align with the needs of associations and nonprofits. From association management system integration to non-dues revenue generation and bridging events and education across the member lifecycle, Elevate LMS puts every association’s needs front and center.
Book a demo of Eventscribe, Cadmium’s event management system, or request a demo of Elevate to see how Cadmium supports the full event-to-education journey.
