My Top Ten Tools for Learning 2026

Every year for the past 20 years, Jane Hart has collected and analyzed lists of top 10 tools for learning. I’ve shared my selections many of those 20 years. Some of these are my personal learning tools; others are what I use to create learning for others. 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. Most of the tools below have been included in past roundups. The one brand new tool on my list this year is Flora for image and media generation.

This year is the final year of the survey; Jane is ending it after this year. She’ll publish the results and her analysis on Monday, September 7, 2026.

Tools I use to create learning experiences for others

I use these tools for creating learning experiences for others: Claude, Flora, Twine, Articulate 360, Affinity, SnagIt, and PowerPoint.

Claude

Claude was on my top ten list in 2024, but last year I primarily used Poe instead. I like how Poe lets me test lots of different models, but it lacks some of the features that modern LLMs have. For working on projects, it’s easiest to work directly in Claude on my desktop. I still use Claude in chat format for tasks like brainstorming, but I’m also starting to use Claude Cowork for more advanced work. I’ve been using it to vibe code practice activities in training, enhance scenarios I built in Twine, and other work. Claude can speed up the process of creating handouts and participant guides based on my PowerPoint slides, and I’ve used it to help organize and build content from multiple source files.

Flora

Last year, I listed Midjourney as my primary image generation tool. I still use Midjourney for my blog header images, but for creating learning experiences for others, I primarily use Flora now. Flora is an all-in-one canvas where you can generate images and videos. It includes all of the major models for AI image and video generation in a single visual interface where you can see your work at a glance or zoom in to focus on a single element. It also includes useful tools for editing media like cropping and separating images into layers. One of my current goals is to learn how to use Flora better; I know I’m not using all of its capabilities effectively yet.

Twine

Twine is my favorite tool for creating branching scenarios. After struggling to write scenarios and make them work in linear tools, it’s amazing how much faster I can develop multiple connected paths in Twine. Being able to generate a lightweight interactive prototype is critical for branching scenarios. Plus, it’s free and open source, with an active developer community working to extend its functionality and user communities for support.

Articulate 360

Most of the elearning content I build for clients is created in either Articulate Storyline or Rise, part of the Articulate 360 suite. Storyline is fairly easy to develop with, but flexible enough to do plenty with if you’re creative. I use Rise for some development as well, depending on the project.

Articulate Review saves me tons of time collecting feedback from clients and stakeholders.

Affinity

I use Affinity nearly every week to edit images for elearning and my blog. Affinity is a great replacement 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

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. Raindrop is the online bookmarking tool I use for my own personal knowledge management to save and find resources. 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 nearly 20 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 as both a personal learning tool and one for delivering learning to others. 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 as we collaborate on learning projects, and it’s the platform I use for coaching and teaching live online sessions.

Past top ten tools posts

Interested in how this list has changed over time? While I haven’t participated all 20 years that Jane has been collecting this data, I shared my top ten tools for learning in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. Not a single tool from my list in 2007 is still on the list today, although I do still use some of them for work.

Don’t forget to add your vote for your top 10 tools for learning by August 27, 2026!