Thought Industries and HowNow, An In-Depth Comparison 2026

Comparison Summary

Thought Industries: Thought Industries powers the business of learning with intuitive, engaging, and scalable technology. Founded in 2014, they offer native tools and integrations to enhance engagement and retention.

HowNow: HowNow centralizes learning, skills, and knowledge for employees within their workflow. Learning and development progress is tracked efficiently on a single platform.

This comparison report of Thought Industries vs. HowNow is based on a specific set of business needs and context. The comparison uses 1383 Cuspera insights based on peer reviews, case studies, testimonials, and expert opinions across 50+ sources.

Introducing Thought Industries and HowNow

Thought Industries, DigitalChalk, Relias LMS, etc., belong to a category of solutions that help Learning Management System, whereas HowNow belong to a category of solutions that help Talent Management. Different products excel in different areas, so the best platform for your business will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

Thought Industries covers Training & Onboarding, Engagement Management, Social Media Management with Social Media, Courses & Assessment with Website, etc.

HowNow focuses on Training & Onboarding, Courses & Assessment with Chat, Knowledge Management with Chat, Helpdesk Management with Chat, etc.

Unsure which of these solutions is right for you? Our Cuspera AI engine can compare them based on your needs and specific to your industry and context. Get your personalized report today.

Thought Industries and HowNow: Best activities based on customer satisfaction


Thought Industries in Action: Unique Activities

How can Thought Industries enhance your Training & Onboarding process?
Thought Industries is a cloud-based platform designed to create, deploy, and manage online learning programs. The platform offers a variety of features including sequential learning, interactive learning experiences, and integrations with other systems. It allows organizations to track learner progress and engagement through awards, badges, and leaderboards. However, the platform's analytical capabilities are limited, hindering the ability to provide detailed insights to clients.
"...When we decided we needed to upgrade our online learning technology to something more modern and engaging for our users, we wanted to make sure the new system could handle the scale, customizations, and had the flexibility we were looking for...." Peer review by Jody Wunderlich, Media Production
How does Thought Industries facilitate Engagement Management?
Thought Industries offers a modern online learning platform. It provides engaging, interactive learning experiences for learners. Businesses can use the platform to deliver fully branded learning experiences.
"...The learner experience from within the courses is very engaging, especially for instructor-led courses where direct interaction and communication is crucial...." Peer review by Matthew B., Online Product Director, Education
How can Thought Industries enhance your Social Media Management process?
The platform includes tools to manage social learning, such as discussion boards, notifications, and galleries. The platform can also integrate with other business applications to share information. The platform lacks robust data analytics and reporting capabilities.
"...: Incentivize learners with awards, badges, certifications, and leaderboards Social Learning: Boost learner engagement through peer collaboration, discussion boards, social sharing, galleries, learner notifications, and more Blended Learning: Scale your training initiative by combining in-person, virtual, and online courses from within your online learning site Integrated: Connect with your current tech stack via our integrations suite (Salesforce, Zoom, Webex, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Stripe, Adobe Connect, Zapier, Segment, Zendesk, and more!)..." Peer review
How does Thought Industries facilitate Collaboration?
Thought Industries fosters collaboration among users through its platform, allowing individuals to work together in real-time, even when geographically dispersed. The platform's social engagement tools and blended learning options enhance communication and interaction among learners. While Thought Industries offers a robust suite of features, its integration with specific third-party applications may be limited.
"...The primary benefit of TI for our company is that it allows multiple users (producers, instructors, editors, etc.) access to the site for strong collaboration (essentially in real-time) amongst a team with individuals located across the country...." Peer review by Clif B, Online Education Producer

HowNow in Action: Unique Activities

What Are the key features of HowNow for Courses & Assessment?
HowNow personalizes learning content recommendations based on individual development needs. It provides real-time analytics to track learning progress and identify skills gaps. The platform facilitates knowledge sharing, promotes self-directed learning, and offers tools for peer and self-review.
"...The learning platform enables knowledge sharing, recommends relevant content based on your experience, skills gaps and learning preferences, and surfaces content in the apps where your work - inbox, CRM, helpdesk, Slack and 100s more...." Peer review from HowNow

Top Processes

Customer evidence for the processes each product supports. Click Read Reviews to open peer feedback.

Evidences indicate better relative satisfaction


training & onboarding


engagement management

engaging and following up


social media management

social media analytics

scheduling post to social media


courses & assessment

create learning path



communication management

sending & publishing communications

tracking & monitoring communications


lead qualification

lead qualification: technographic


generation of new leads


competitive intelligence


content management



customer feedback management

measuring customer satisfaction

measuring net promoter score


helpdesk management



sales document management

proposal & quote management


lifetime value management


distribution management


products & pricelist management



business development


workflow management


loyalty management

identify target customers




knowledge management


Top Goals

Goals Achieved

  • Enhance customer relationships

  • Acquire customers

  • Increase sales & revenue

  • Launch new products

  • Enter new markets internationally or locally

  • Improve internal communications

  • Improve digital and social presence

  • Increase customer life time value

  • Grow market share

  • Build brand awareness

  • Scale best practices

  • Improve ROI

  • See 9 more
  • Shorten ramp up time

  • Scale best practices

Business Setting

Thought Industries HowNow
Peer score 4.6 4.2
Peer insights 1231 152
Top industries
Education 30.0%
Professional Training & Coaching 22.0%
Hospital & Health Care 9.0%
Computer Software 60.0%
Events Services 40.0%
SMB and Mid-Market 63.0% 100.0%
Enterprise 37.0% 0.0%

Integrations

Ecosystem partners each product commonly connects with.

News

Latest Thought Industries news

The Learning & IntelligenceSM Era Starts Now: Thought Industries Unveils ...

Thought Industries introduces the Learning & IntelligenceSM era, highlighting new advancements in their platform. This initiative focuses on enhancing learning experiences through innovative technology and data-driven insights, aiming to transform how organizations deliver and manage learning.

28/04/2026 - source