LMS engineering team - taking new projects

Hire custom LMS developers

Senior engineers with 10+ years of building learning platforms. Whether you are starting from scratch, extending an in-house LMS or rescuing one whose original team has gone, we bring the standards, security and architecture that learning products need.

  • 10+ years building LMS products
  • SCORM, xAPI, cmi5, LTI 1.3
  • Security reviewed by design
  • You own all code and IP

Get a free custom LMS estimate

Takes 2 minutes. A senior engineer replies - not a salesperson.

We reply within 1 business day.

  • 10+Years in LMS engineering
  • 500+LMS projects delivered
  • 150+Clients served
  • 30+Countries
  • 4.9/5Average client rating
  • NDA before accessWe sign your NDA before you share code, data or credentials.
  • You own 100% of the codeCode, documentation and credentials are yours. No lock-in.
  • Talk to the engineerYou speak with the person doing the work, not a salesperson.
  • Reply within 1 business dayEvery request is read by a senior LMS engineer.

Why teams hire us for custom LMS work

Sound familiar?

Custom learning platforms usually reach us at one of three moments: a new build, a growth spurt, or a team that has moved on.

Off-the-shelf LMSs do not fit your learning model

We design and build a platform around your workflows, with the learning standards and integrations built in rather than bolted on.

The original developers have left

We audit the codebase, document the architecture, fix the riskiest problems first and take over development with a clean hand-over plan.

Your platform must support SCORM, xAPI or LTI

Standards-compliant players, a learning record store or LRS integration, and LTI 1.3 tool or platform support.

Enterprise customers ask for SSO and security reviews

SAML and OIDC sign-in, SCIM provisioning, audit logs, role-based access and the documentation security questionnaires ask for.

You sell to several organisations from one platform

Multi-tenant architecture with per-client branding, seat limits, data separation and reporting.

Releases are slow and risky

Automated tests, CI/CD, staging environments and observability, so you can ship weekly with confidence.

What our custom LMS developers do

Custom LMS development services

New LMS builds

Discovery, architecture and delivery of a platform designed around your model.

Code audits and take-overs

Architecture review, security audit and a documented hand-over from previous teams.

Learning standards

SCORM 1.2 and 2004, xAPI with an LRS, cmi5 and LTI 1.3.

SSO and provisioning

SAML, OIDC, SCIM and role mapping for enterprise customers.

Multi-tenancy

Per-client branding, seats, data separation and admin delegation.

APIs and integrations

Public APIs, webhooks, HRIS, CRM and payment integrations.

Analytics and reporting

Dashboards, exports and data pipelines built on clean learning data.

Mobile and PWA

Responsive web apps, PWAs and native apps on top of your platform API.

Security and performance

Threat modelling, OWASP reviews, load testing and tuning.

Code-level expertise

Standards-first engineering

Learning platforms live or die on standards and data quality. We build on SCORM, xAPI, cmi5 and LTI 1.3 so content and tools work everywhere, and we treat learner data with the care security reviews expect.

  • Learning records you can trust. xAPI statements with stable IDs, sent to an LRS with retries and idempotency.
  • Security from the first sprint. Least-privilege access, audit logs, secrets management and dependency scanning.
  • Built to be handed over. Architecture decision records, API docs and automated tests come with the code.

This example sends a "completed" xAPI statement to a learning record store.

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Learning;

final class XapiClient
{
    public function __construct(private string $lrsUrl, private string $key, private string $secret) {}

    public function completed(string $email, string $name, string $activityId, string $title, float $score): void
    {
        $statement = [
            'id'    => self::uuid(),                       // stable id: safe to retry
            'actor' => ['mbox' => 'mailto:' . $email, 'name' => $name],
            'verb'  => ['id' => 'http://adlnet.gov/expapi/verbs/completed', 'display' => ['en-US' => 'completed']],
            'object' => ['id' => $activityId, 'definition' => ['name' => ['en-US' => $title]]],
            'result' => ['completion' => true, 'score' => ['scaled' => max(0, min(1, $score))]],
            'timestamp' => gmdate('c'),
        ];
        $ch = curl_init(rtrim($this->lrsUrl, '/') . '/statements');
        curl_setopt_array($ch, [
            CURLOPT_POST => true,
            CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
            CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 10,
            CURLOPT_USERPWD => $this->key . ':' . $this->secret,
            CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ['Content-Type: application/json', 'X-Experience-API-Version: 1.0.3'],
            CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($statement, JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR),
        ]);
        curl_exec($ch);
        if (curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE) >= 300) {
            throw new \RuntimeException('LRS rejected the statement');  // the job queue retries
        }
    }

    private static function uuid(): string
    {
        $b = random_bytes(16);
        $b[6] = chr((ord($b[6]) & 0x0f) | 0x40);
        $b[8] = chr((ord($b[8]) & 0x3f) | 0x80);
        return vsprintf('%s%s-%s-%s-%s-%s%s%s', str_split(bin2hex($b), 4));
    }
}
xAPI 1.0.3 statement with a client-generated UUID, so a retried request never creates a duplicate record. Credentials come from configuration, not code.

Skills

The custom LMS stack we work with every day

Learning standards

  • SCORM 1.2
  • SCORM 2004
  • xAPI
  • Learning record stores
  • cmi5
  • LTI 1.3
  • LTI Advantage
  • QTI
  • Open Badges

Application stack

  • PHP 8 and Laravel
  • Node.js
  • Python and Django
  • React
  • Vue
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • REST and GraphQL

Security and operations

  • SAML and OIDC
  • SCIM
  • OWASP ASVS
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • AWS
  • CI/CD
  • Observability
  • Load testing

Engagement models

Hire custom LMS developers your way

Pick the model that fits today and switch when your needs change. Every model includes a senior engineer, code review and a staging site.

Hourly

Bug fixes, small changes, audits and urgent issues.

from $45/hour

  • Billed on hours actually worked
  • Task-level time log with every invoice
  • Start with a single task
  • Senior engineer, not a junior
Hire by the hour

Part-time dedicated

Steady roadmap work and ongoing maintenance.

from 2500/month

  • A named developer, about 4 hours a day
  • Shared task board and weekly report
  • Updates, monitoring and small features
  • Scale up or down month to month
Hire part-time

Fixed-price project

Well-defined features, migrations and new builds.

from 3000 minimum

  • Written scope, price and timeline up front
  • Milestone-based payments
  • Staging demos before each release
  • Post-launch warranty period agreed in the proposal
Get a fixed quote

Every engagement starts with a free technical call and an NDA. Prices exclude applicable taxes.

How it works

How hiring a custom LMS team works

  1. Tell us about the platform

    2 minutes

    New build or existing system, your users and what is not working. The short form takes two minutes.

  2. Technical discovery call

    45 minutes

    A senior engineer walks through your goals, constraints and, for existing systems, the architecture and codebase.

  3. Plan, team and NDA

    2-5 business days

    You get a written plan: a fixed-price discovery or build phase, or a dedicated team with named engineers and monthly pricing. NDA signed first.

  4. Delivery in short cycles

    Fortnightly demos

    Two-week iterations with demos, automated tests and staging environments. You see working software from the first cycle.

Compare

An LMS engineering team vs a freelancer vs hiring in-house

CriterionAll-in-One LMSFreelance marketplaceIn-house hire
Engineers who work only on learning platformsYes Partial Partial
One team for WordPress LMS, Moodle, Open edX, Canvas and custom LMSYesNoNo
Cover when your developer is ill or on leaveYesNo Partial
Code review and QA before every releaseYes Varies Partial
NDA and IP assignment in the contractYes VariesYes
No recruitment, payroll or notice periodsYesYesNo
Scale hours up or down month to monthYes PartialNo
One accountable point of contactYesNoYes

A general comparison of how each model usually works. Individual freelancers and in-house teams vary.

Build, extend or buy?

A custom LMS makes sense when learning is part of your product, when your workflows do not fit any platform, or when ownership of data and roadmap matters more than time to launch. It rarely makes sense just to avoid licence fees. Before you hire anyone, we recommend answering three questions:

  1. What is unique? List the workflows no existing LMS supports well. If the list is short, extending Moodle, a WordPress LMS or another platform may be faster and cheaper.
  2. Which standards do you need? SCORM, xAPI, cmi5 and LTI 1.3 each add scope. Decide early; retrofitting them is expensive.
  3. Who will run it for five years? Budget for maintenance, security updates and hosting, not just the first build.

Our LMS cost calculator gives an indicative range, and LMS consulting helps if you are still deciding.

How to hire the right custom LMS developers

Ask about learning standards in detail

A team that has built LMS products will discuss SCORM runtime quirks, xAPI statement design and LTI 1.3 security without hesitation.

Ask for their approach to multi-tenancy and security

Enterprise buyers will send security questionnaires. Your team should design for SSO, audit logging, data separation and least privilege from the start. Our multi-tenant LMS architecture guide explains the trade-offs.

Insist on ownership and hand-over

You should own the code, the repositories and the cloud accounts. Documentation and tests should be good enough for another team to continue.

Start with a paid discovery

A short, fixed-price discovery phase produces architecture, estimates and risks, and shows you how the team works before you commit to a full build.

Learning standards explained: SCORM vs xAPI vs cmi5.

Hiring a custom LMS expert: FAQ

How much does it cost to hire custom LMS developers?

New builds usually start with a fixed-price discovery phase, followed by either fixed-price milestones or a dedicated team on a monthly plan. Take-overs start with a code audit. You get a written estimate after the free technical call, and our LMS cost calculator gives an early range.

Can you take over an LMS another team built?

Yes. We start with an architecture and security audit, document what we find, fix the riskiest issues and then continue development. You keep the audit report whatever you decide.

Do you build SCORM, xAPI, cmi5 and LTI support?

Yes: SCORM 1.2 and 2004 players, xAPI with your own or a third-party LRS, cmi5 launch and LTI 1.3 as a tool or a platform.

Which technologies do you use?

We work in the stack that suits the product and your team: commonly PHP with Laravel, Node.js or Python on the backend, React or Vue on the front end, and MySQL or PostgreSQL, deployed with Docker on AWS or your own servers.

Who owns the code and IP?

You do. The contract assigns all code and intellectual property to you, and we work in repositories and cloud accounts you control.

Should we build a custom LMS or use an existing one?

If your workflows are standard, extending an existing LMS is usually faster and cheaper. We will tell you honestly. If you are evaluating platforms, we also build LMS Advisor, an enterprise LMS; we always disclose this and compare it fairly.

Can you add a mobile app to our LMS?

Yes: a progressive web app or native apps on top of your platform's API, with offline access, notifications and secure sign-in where needed.

Free estimate

Tell us about your LMS platform

New build or existing system, your users and your timeline. A senior engineer will reply with questions or a first estimate.

  • A senior engineer reads every request
  • Written estimate before any work starts
  • NDA signed before you share access

We reply within 1 business day.

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