2 Best DESKTOP SCORM Authoring Tools Free and Paid of 2025

Creating effective eLearning content often requires specialized software known as an authoring tool. These tools allow you to easily create, package, and distribute rich multimedia content, ensuring a standardized learning experience. In this post, we’ll explore 2 of the best SCORM authoring tools available in 2025, covering both desktop-based and cloud-based options.

What is a SCORM Authoring Tool?

A SCORM Authoring Tool is a specialized software product specifically designed for the field of online learning, also known as eLearning.

Its main purpose is to help users easily create, package, and distribute rich multimedia learning content. The key benefit of using a SCORM authoring tool is that it ensures a standardized learning experience. This is achieved by generating content that complies with SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) standards, allowing the content to be seamlessly integrated and tracked by various Learning Management Systems (LMSs).

In simpler terms, it’s a software that allows you to build interactive lessons, quizzes, simulations, and other educational materials, and then package them in a way that most online learning platforms can understand and deliver to learners.

Desktop-based authoring tools are generally well-equipped with core features for all eLearning needs, such as screen recording, video editing, and creating complex interactions. They are optimal for building more sophisticated learning content like game-based lessons and software demonstrations.

When using Desktop-based authoring tool, your data will be stored locally. It is important if your company data is sensitive and can not be public. In this category, we picked ActivePresenter and Camtasia 2025. These software has been in the industry for years. They are everything you need to create fully reponsive Scorm packages in no time.

1. ActivePresenter: Best All-in-one Desktop SCORM Authoring Tool For Beginners

ActivePresenter offers an unlimited free trial and requires no registration. It supports a wide range of export formats including SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, xAPI, and HTML5, and can handle PPT, video, images, MS Word, and Excel files. Available for Windows and macOS, it supports 11 languages.

With ActivePresenter, you can create eLearning lessons, training documents, software simulations, presentations, tutorials, and ebooks. If you’re familiar with PowerPoint, you’ll find it easy to get started as it operates easily on slide-based projects. Being a desktop version, it provides access to a feature-rich authoring environment. ActivePresenter allows you to perform numerous eLearning practices, such as importing PowerPoint, recording screens with audio and webcam, video editing, creating software simulations, and interactive quizzes. These features are enough to convince any demanding user.

For export, ActivePresenter provides fine-tuning steps before outputting to SCORM, ensuring the quality of your content, including video and audio. Watch this video below to see how easy you can export your eLearning project into a SCORM package with ActivePresenter:

Generally, any software has its pros and cons. ActivePresenter is no exception; it has numerous advantages and some disadvantages. If we strictly limit the scope to SCORM publishing, I will only list some of its advantages below for your reference:

You’re right, while ActivePresenter has many general advantages, its strengths for SCORM package creation are particularly noteworthy. Here are 10 of the most important advantages of using ActivePresenter for creating SCORM packages:

1. Full SCORM & xAPI Compatibility: ActivePresenter supports both SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004, as well as the newer xAPI (Experience API/Tin Can API) standards. This ensures your content is highly compatible with virtually all modern Learning Management Systems (LMSs), allowing for seamless uploading and tracking.
2. Comprehensive Tracking & Reporting: It allows for detailed tracking of learner progress, scores, completion status (passed/failed), time spent, and interaction data. This granular reporting is essential for evaluating learning outcomes and meeting compliance requirements within an LMS.
3. Variety of Interactive Question Types: ActivePresenter offers a wide range of built-in interactive question types (e.g., Multiple Choice, Fill in Blanks, Drag-n-Drop, True/False, Essay, Hotspot, etc.). These can all be configured to report scores and interactions back to the LMS via SCORM.
4. Flexible Scoring Options: You can define various scoring mechanisms, including positive, partial, and negative scoring for quiz questions. This provides flexibility in how assessments are graded and how those results are reported within the SCORM package.
5. Software Simulations & Interactive Tutorials: Its robust screen recording features (Full Motion Recording, Smart Capture for simulations) are ideal for creating software training. These simulations can be made interactive with automatic annotations and feedback, and their steps/interactions can be tracked via SCORM.
6. Advanced Interactivity with Variables & Actions: ActivePresenter allows you to create complex branching scenarios, conditional actions, and use variables to personalize learning paths. All these advanced interactions can be configured to send relevant data to the LMS, enabling richer adaptive learning experiences.
7. Responsive Design Capabilities (Pro Edition): For SCORM packages that need to be viewed on various devices, the Pro edition’s responsive design features are invaluable. It helps ensure your SCORM courses look and function correctly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones, providing a consistent learner experience.
8. PowerPoint Import and Conversion: The ability to import existing PowerPoint presentations and convert them into interactive, SCORM-compliant courses saves significant development time. This allows you to leverage existing content and quickly turn static presentations into trackable eLearning.
9. User-Friendly Interface for SCORM Publishing: ActivePresenter’s interface is intuitive, especially for those familiar with presentation software. The dedicated “Export to SCORM” dialog simplifies the process of configuring SCORM-specific settings like identifiers, versions, and reporting options, making it accessible even for beginners.
10. Perpetual License (Cost-Effective in the Long Run): Unlike many cloud-based or subscription-model authoring tools, ActivePresenter offers a perpetual license for its Pro edition. This means you pay once and own the software, making it a highly cost-effective solution for creating numerous SCORM packages over time without recurring fees.

Another great thing about ActivePresenter is that you can download and try it completely free. No trial period limit, no credit card is required. For more information about this powerful authoring tool, click here to visit Atomi’s home page. Or download it at the buttons below:

2. Camtasia 2025 – Best Desktop Authoring Tool for Video Course Creators

Camtasia 2025 is a popular choice for those focusing on video-centric eLearning. While primarily known as a screen recording and video editing powerhouse, it also offers SCORM-compliant course development capabilities, making it a valuable tool for creating video-based eLearning courses.

Camtasia allows you to record your screen and webcam, then edit your footage with a user-friendly interface. You can add interactive elements within your videos, such as quizzes, callouts, and hotspots, to increase learner engagement. It’s often considered an affordable option for creating high-quality video tutorials, software demonstrations, and video lectures. It is not as powerful as ActivePresenter when it comes to authoring tools. But, if your main focus is screen recording and video editing, Camtasia 2025 can make you happy. In the latest version of Camtasia, it also includes Audiate and Assets library in one of its plan (Camtasia Create and Camtasia Pro) make it up-to-date with latest AI trends. For more informaiton about how to export a project into SCORM, take a look at below video:

10 Important Advantages of using Camtasia 2025:

Camtasia has long been a popular choice for creating video tutorials and training content, and Camtasia 2025 continues to build on those strengths, with some notable new features. Here are 10 important advantages of using Camtasia 2025:

1. Intuitive User Interface & Ease of Use: Camtasia is renowned for its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible even for beginners. You don’t need to be a professional video editor to start creating polished videos quickly.
2. Powerful Screen Recording Capabilities: It excels at capturing high-quality screen recordings, including full screen, specific regions, webcam, microphone audio, and system audio. This is crucial for creating software demonstrations, tutorials, and online lectures.
3. Enhanced Cursor Effects (New in 2025): Camtasia 2025 introduces advanced cursor enhancements like Cursor Motion Blur, Kinetic Cursor (dynamically pointing to the next click), and Cursor Elevation (ensuring the cursor is always visible). These features significantly improve clarity and engagement in instructional videos.
4. AI-Powered Audio Enhancements (New in 2025): The new Background Noise Removal feature instantly eliminates distracting background noise, providing crystal-clear audio. This is a massive advantage for creators who record in less-than-ideal environments.
5. Dynamic Caption Editing (New in 2025): Camtasia 2025 allows for more manual control over dynamic captions, letting you adjust, add, or remove words and spaces. This enhances accessibility and ensures accurate transcriptions for your videos.
6. Built-in Quizzing & Interactivity: Camtasia allows you to embed quizzes directly into your videos. While not a full-fledged eLearning authoring tool like ActivePresenter, this feature provides basic interactivity and can report scores to an LMS (though ActivePresenter offers more robust SCORM/xAPI capabilities and question types).
7. Extensive Asset Library: Camtasia provides access to a large library of royalty-free assets including intro/outro templates, motion graphics, music tracks, icons, and more. This saves time and helps users create professional-looking content without needing to source external media.
8. Templates and Themes: Utilize pre-built templates and create custom themes to maintain brand consistency across your videos. This is great for accelerating content creation and ensuring a uniform look and feel.
9. AI Avatars (Camtasia Pro Exclusive in 2025): For those with the Pro edition, the ability to utilize diverse human AI avatars to deliver messages offers a new way to localize and scale corporate training programs efficiently without needing a physical presenter.
10. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Camtasia is available for both Windows and macOS, allowing users to work seamlessly across different operating systems, which is a significant advantage for teams or individuals using various devices.

Camtasia offers various pricing plans, including both yearly subscriptions and perpetual licenses, with special discounts for education and non-profit sectors. While not a full-fledged authoring tool for complex branching scenarios as some dedicated eLearning authoring tools, its strong video capabilities and SCORM export make it a solid choice for specific eLearning needs. Check out Camtasia 2025 pricing plans on TechSmith’s store for more information.

ActivePresenter vs. Camtasia 2025: A Comparison

Which Desktop Authoring Tool Should You Choose?

Deciding between ActivePresenter and Camtasia 2025 ultimately comes down to your primary objectives and the type of eLearning content you aim to produce. Both are robust desktop applications, excelling in screen recording and video editing, but they cater to slightly different, albeit sometimes overlapping, use cases.

Opt for ActivePresenter if:

• Your core need is comprehensive eLearning authoring. ActivePresenter is a true all-in-one solution for interactive courses. If you require advanced quiz types (beyond basic multiple-choice), complex branching scenarios, detailed SCORM/xAPI tracking for an LMS, or intricate software simulations with automatic step-by-step feedback, ActivePresenter is the stronger choice.
• You’re building highly interactive learning experiences. ActivePresenter’s rich set of interactive objects, events, and actions allows for sophisticated drag-and-drop interactions, responsive content, and personalized learning paths that go far beyond simple video playback.
• Budget is a significant factor, especially long-term. ActivePresenter offers a generous Free Edition that’s fully functional (with a watermark on non-free features), making it ideal for non-commercial or educational use. Its perpetual license model means a one-time purchase, which can be more cost-effective than recurring subscriptions over time.
• You frequently create software training and simulations. ActivePresenter’s unique ability to automatically capture actions as slides, complete with annotations and feedback, makes it exceptionally efficient for creating interactive software tutorials and assessments.

Choose Camtasia 2025 if:

• Your main focus is on creating high-quality, polished video tutorials and demonstrations. Camtasia has long been the industry standard for intuitive screen recording and video editing, making it exceptionally fast to produce professional-looking video content.
• Ease of use and a fast learning curve are paramount. Camtasia’s user interface is incredibly streamlined, allowing even beginners to quickly create compelling video-based content without extensive prior experience.
• You value AI-powered enhancements for video and audio production. Camtasia 2025 introduces significant AI features like automatic background noise removal, advanced cursor effects for clarity, and even AI avatars (in the Pro version) to streamline content creation and improve production quality.
• A rich, built-in media asset library is crucial. Camtasia offers an extensive collection of royalty-free intros, outros, music, icons, and motion graphics, saving you time and effort in sourcing external media.
• Basic in-video quizzing is sufficient for your interactive needs. While it has some interactive elements, Camtasia’s strength lies in video delivery, with quizzes primarily serving as checkpoints rather than complex assessment tools.

In essence, both tools provide excellent screen recording and video editing capabilities. However, ActivePresenter shines as a comprehensive eLearning authoring suite with deep interactivity and SCORM/xAPI compliance, while Camtasia 2025 stands out for its user-friendly video production workflow and cutting-edge AI features that enhance video tutorial creation. Consider your content strategy, required level of interactivity, and long-term budget to make the best choice for your projects.