Trainual Review: Is This Training Software Worth Your Money?

Trainual is a training and onboarding platform that helps businesses document their processes, create SOPs, and get new hires up to speed faster. It's not a traditional LMS—it's more of a "playbook" system where you document how your company does things, then assign that content to employees to complete.

The big question: is it worth $249+ per month? Let's break down exactly what you get, what's missing, and who should (and shouldn't) use it.

What Is Trainual, Really?

Trainual markets itself as a modern training manual for growing businesses. The core idea is simple: instead of having your processes scattered across Google Docs, Notion pages, and that one employee's head, you centralize everything in Trainual.

Every process and policy becomes searchable, assignable, and trackable—so your team always knows what to do and where to find it. You can create step-by-step guides using text, images, videos, and GIFs, then assign specific content to employees based on their role.

Where Trainual shines is onboarding. New hires get assigned training content based on their role, and you can track their progress in real-time. No more wondering if someone actually read the employee handbook.

Trainual Pricing Breakdown

Trainual's pricing isn't cheap, especially for small teams. Here's what you're looking at:

All plans include 10 seats to start. Additional seats cost $3-$5 each depending on your tier and seat count. Higher tiers add features like custom branding, unlimited e-signatures, and API access.

At $249/month for 10 users, that works out to about $24.90 per user—which is above the $14 average for HR tools. If you're a 5-person team, you're essentially paying for seats you won't use.

The good news: Trainual offers a 7-day free trial without requiring payment information. They also offer a 50% discount for non-profit organizations. And if you're an existing customer, they have a grandfathering policy that protects you from price increases.

If you're looking at payroll solutions to pair with your training software, check out our Gusto pricing breakdown and full Gusto review.

Key Features (What Actually Works)

Process Documentation

Trainual allows you to upload and store unlimited business documentation on processes, protocols, policies, and other relevant data. You can create "Subjects" to organize content, then build step-by-step processes using text, images, videos, and embedded content. It's a decent fit for teams that want to centralize company knowledge.

AI-Assisted Search

Trainual leverages AI to search for answers to onboarding and training queries from your available documentation. Combined with a browser extension, employees can quickly find company policies and SOPs without digging through folders.

Training Progress Tracking

The Reports tab gives you everything you need to monitor your team's progress through assigned content. You can review data like average completion rates and users assigned for all the subjects you've created.

Content Creation Tools

Trainual includes a built-in editor for step-by-step guides, videos, images, and quizzes. You can also import documents and use AI-powered tools to generate drafts and organize processes quickly. Users appreciate the ability to embed GIFs, videos, emojis, and use formatting that makes training content more engaging.

Mobile App

Users can deploy a mobile app to allow employees to train on the go. However, trainers can't create course content in the app—it's consumption-only.

Integrations

Trainual integrates with HRIS and payroll systems, identity providers, and communication tools. Options include connectors for HR platforms, SSO, Slack, Zapier, Gusto, Google Docs, BambooHR, and more. Some integrations require specific plans.

What's Not So Great

The Mobile App Is Clunky

Multiple reviewers mention that the mobile app is "not as fully featured as the desktop version" and navigation can feel inconsistent. If your team needs to complete training on their phones regularly, this could be frustrating.

Content Organization Gets Messy

Some users report that "the Content page gets cluttered quickly" and wish there were better folder structures to organize by department. The content categorization can feel rigid—sometimes items that only need one page of text require a folder and subfolder.

No Real-Time Task Execution

Trainual is designed for documentation and training guidance, not live task execution. There's no live checklist or task-tracking functionality—you may need additional tools like project management software to fill that gap.

Limited Export Options

One reviewer complained about the "inability to export out in a good format or easily export documents out." If you ever need to move your content elsewhere, this could be a problem.

Setup Takes Time

Building out all the training content takes significant time upfront. Some users found the setup process burdensome and the software's usage confusing initially—no clear start or end point, and no suggested workflow.

Pricing Hurts Small Teams

Starting at $249/month for a minimum of 10 seats, Trainual is expensive if you're a small business with only 3-5 employees. You're paying for seats you won't use.

Who Should Use Trainual?

Trainual is ideally suited for small to medium-sized businesses looking to streamline and automate their training and onboarding processes. It's particularly popular in retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and technology industries.

The sweet spot is growing companies with 10-100 employees who:

Trainual is NOT a good fit if:

Trainual Alternatives Worth Considering

If Trainual's pricing is too steep or it doesn't quite fit your needs, here are some alternatives:

TalentLMS: A more traditional LMS that's fully customizable and easy to manage. Better for companies that need course creation tools and SCORM compliance.

Process Street: Better for recurring checklists and workflow automation. If you need live task execution alongside documentation, this might be a better fit. They offer a free tier with limited features.

Scribe: An AI-powered tool that automatically documents your processes by recording your screen. Great if you hate writing documentation manually. Free tier available, Pro starts at $12/user/month.

Whale: Similar to Trainual but positions itself as more user-friendly with interactive learning modules and gamification features.

Notion + Loom: If you're on a budget, you can DIY a training system using Notion for documentation and Loom for video walkthroughs. It won't have progress tracking, but it's significantly cheaper.

For other business software comparisons, check out our CRM software comparison and best project management tools guides.

The Verdict

Trainual does what it promises well: it centralizes your training content, makes onboarding consistent, and gives you visibility into who's completed what. The interface is clean, the editor is solid, and the customer support gets consistently positive reviews.

The main issue is price. At $249/month minimum, you need to be at a scale where consistent training actually saves you money. If you're constantly onboarding new employees and losing time to repetitive training, Trainual pays for itself. If you hire 2-3 people a year, you're probably better off with a cheaper solution.

Every new customer gets dedicated implementation support, including a success coach and live workshops—which helps justify the cost if you actually use those resources.

Bottom line: Trainual is a solid platform for growing teams that take training seriously. Just make sure the math works for your team size before committing.

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