25 questions to ask an LMS company before you sign
Before signing with an LMS company, get written answers on product, apps, security, data, money, contract, support and migration. Here are 25 questions and what good answers sound like.
On this page 16 sections
Before you sign with an LMS company, get written answers in eight areas: product, apps, security, data, money, contract, support and migration. A demo shows you features. These questions show what happens when lectures leak, fees need refunding, the platform slows on exam day or you decide to leave. Below are 25 questions, why each one matters and what a good answer sounds like.
How to use these questions
Send the questions in writing before the final demo, and ask every vendor the same ones. Written answers can be compared side by side and checked against the contract later; spoken promises on a sales call can't. Where an answer matters, ask to see it working with your own content, or to see the clause that commits to it.
Our LMS features checklist covers the feature side of the demo itself. The questions below go further, into the terms that decide how the next three years go.
Product and apps
Product
1. Can you run our real workflow in the demo, with our content? A demo account full of polished sample courses hides gaps. Ask to see one of your lectures uploaded, a batch created, a test run and a fee collected. A good answer is a trial or pilot on your own material.
2. Which features are in the plan we're buying, and which cost extra? Apps, video protection, live classes and test series are sometimes add-ons or sit in higher tiers. A good answer is a written list for each plan, matching the proposal you're signing.
3. What is the largest number of students you've had in one live class or test at the same moment? Coaching traffic arrives in spikes, such as a mock test at 10 a.m. on a Sunday. A good answer names a real number from a real customer, not a theoretical capacity.
4. How well does it handle Hindi and regional languages? Hindi-medium batches need Hindi questions, formulas and PDFs to import cleanly and display correctly in the app. A good answer is a demo using your own Hindi question bank.
Apps
5. Will the apps be published under our name, from our own developer accounts? If your app sits in the vendor's Google Play or Apple account, leaving can mean losing the app and every install. A good answer is apps in your name, in accounts you control, or a written commitment to transfer them.
6. Which platforms do the apps cover, and do they all have the same features and protection? Many students study on laptops, and a weak web or desktop player becomes the leak route. A good answer covers Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, with the same protection on each.
7. Who handles app updates, and can old versions be forced to update? New Android and iOS releases can break apps, and old versions with weaker protection linger on phones. A good answer says who submits updates, how quickly they follow an OS change, and that outdated versions can be blocked.
Security and data
Security
8. What happens when a student screen-records or films a lecture, on each platform? This is where most lectures leak. A good answer is a live demonstration on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac and the web, not "it's encrypted".
9. How do you stop one login being shared, without locking out students who change phones? Shared logins are a silent leak, but crude limits create support calls. A good answer covers device limits, how students change devices, and how your staff can review and reverse a block.
10. If a lecture or PDF leaks, can you trace it to the account it came from? Without tracing, you can report copies but never find the source. A good answer shows a leaked-style copy, recorded and compressed, still traced to an account.
11. How are admin and staff accounts protected? A teacher's or counsellor's login can expose every student's data and every original recording. A good answer includes roles with limited permissions, two-step login for staff, and a log of who downloaded or changed what.
Data
12. Who owns our content and student data, and can we export all of it at any time? Ownership written into the contract matters more than a promise. A good answer is that you own it, and can export students, enrolments, results, question banks and original videos in standard formats, without a fee.
13. Will you sign data processing terms with us? Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the institute stays responsible for student data a vendor handles on its behalf. It may engage a processor only under a valid contract. A good answer is a data processing agreement covering security, breach notice, sub-processors and deletion. Our DPDP Act checklist has more; this is general information, not legal advice.
14. Where is our data stored and backed up, and how quickly will you tell us about a breach? A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. A good answer names the storage location, how often backups run, when a restore was last tested and how fast you'll be told about a breach.
Money and contract
Money
15. Do student fees go straight into our own payment gateway, and do you take any share? Money that passes through a vendor's account first can mean settlement delays and less control. A good answer is your gateway, your settlements and no percentage of your fees. Our guide to an LMS without revenue sharing explains what to compare.
16. What will we pay in total at twice our current size? Per-student fees, storage, video bandwidth, SMS and WhatsApp messages and app charges can each grow faster than enrolments. A good answer is a written quote at your current size and at double it, with every line included.
17. How are coupons, instalments, refunds and GST invoices handled? These decide how much manual work your accounts team does each month. A good answer shows each one working, including a refund and a missed instalment.
Contract
18. How long is the contract, what's the notice period, and can the price rise during it? Long lock-ins and unexpected price increases are common sources of regret. A good answer is a clear term, a reasonable notice period and any price change capped or fixed in writing.
19. What uptime do you commit to in writing, and what happens if you miss it? A platform that goes down during a live test damages your reputation, not the vendor's. A good answer is a written commitment, incident reports when things go wrong, and a remedy if the commitment is missed.
20. If we leave, what do we get, and how quickly? Exit terms are easiest to negotiate before you sign. A good answer lists your apps, original videos and a full data export, with a timeline and help with the handover.
Support and migration
Support
21. Who do we contact at 9 p.m. before a mock test, and how fast will they respond? Coaching problems happen in the evening and on Sunday mornings, not in office hours. A good answer names support hours, channels and response times, in writing.
22. Who trains our staff and teachers, and do we get a named contact? A platform your staff don't understand gets used for half its features. A good answer includes onboarding sessions, recorded guides and one person who knows your account.
23. Can we speak to two institutes like ours that use you today? References for your exam type and size tell you more than any case study. A good answer is names and contact details, not just logos on a slide.
Migration
24. How will you move our videos, students and test history, and who does the work? Migrations fail on the details: missing lectures, lost progress and students who can't log in. A good answer is a written plan that says who does each step, how originals are re-uploaded and how results are checked.
25. How will current students switch without losing access or progress? A messy switch during a live batch sends students looking for the Telegram copy. A good answer covers a cut-over date between batches, messages to students, and a short period with both systems running. Our guide to migrating your institute to a new LMS covers the move.
Answers that should worry you
| What you hear | Why it should worry you |
|---|---|
| "It's encrypted" | It says nothing about recording, shared logins or who can get the key |
| "Our app, your branding" | The app may sit in the vendor's developer account, and stay there when you leave |
| "Pricing depends", with no written quote at double your size | Costs may grow faster than enrolments |
| "We collect the fees and settle them to you" | Your money passes through someone else's account first |
| "Data export on request" | It may be partial, slow or charged for |
| A high uptime figure that isn't in the contract | A number you can't enforce |
| "All our customers are happy", with no references | Nothing you can check |
Checking the answers before you sign
Answers only count once they are tested or written down. Before you sign:
- Run a pilot with one batch, or at least one subject, on your own content.
- Make two reference calls, with institutes of your size and exam type.
- Ask the vendor to trace a test recording of one of your lectures, filmed on a phone and sent through WhatsApp.
- Check that the contract reflects the written answers, especially on fees, exit terms and data.
- Ask a lawyer to read the contract and the data processing terms.
Scoring every vendor on the same answers makes trade-offs visible. An impressive test engine doesn't make up for fees routed through the vendor's account, or apps you can't take with you.
Upclass builds branded apps in an institute's own name on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, with courses, live classes, tests, Upclass Mock Test and Mains answer-writing evaluation. Fees go to the institute's own payment gateway. VidSafe adds VidSafe proprietary encryption, dynamic watermarking, screen- and camera-recording detection, account-sharing prevention, PDF watermarking and RASP. Book a demo and put all 25 questions to us.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask in an LMS demo?
Ask to see your own workflow working with your own content: a lecture uploaded, a batch created, a test run and a fee collected. Then ask what happens when a student screen-records or shares a login, where fees land, and how you would export your data. Ask for the important answers in writing.
How do I compare LMS vendors?
Send every vendor the same written questions and score the answers on one sheet. Give extra weight to the areas that decide outcomes later: where fees land, video protection, data export and exit terms. Then check your top choice with a pilot batch and reference calls before signing.
What should an LMS contract include?
At a minimum, it should cover what your plan includes, the price and how it can change, and the term and notice period. It should also set out uptime and support commitments, who owns your content and data, export and exit terms including app transfer, and data processing terms. Have a lawyer review it; this is general information, not legal advice.
How long does it take to switch to a new LMS?
It depends on the size of your video library, and how many students and how much test history you're moving. It also depends on whether you switch between batches or in the middle of one. Ask the vendor for a written plan with dates and responsibilities, and schedule the cut-over for a quiet period rather than just before an exam.
