Sana vs Vidext: choosing an AI training system when the knowledge lives on the shop floor

 

Sana vs Vidext is not a comparison between an LMS and a video tool: Sana organizes learning inside the Workday ecosystem, while Vidext turns the operational knowledge a company already has into structured, up-to-date, verifiable training.

Sana and Vidext are two AI corporate training systems that start from different questions. Sana, which Workday bought for about $1.1 billion, answers "how do I organize and personalize learning across the whole company?".¹ Vidext answers "how do I turn my teams' procedures, manuals and know-how into training that stays current and proves people can actually do the job?".

Both use AI to build courses from documents, which is why they show up side by side when training leads research their options. In this article we compare what each one does today, where they really differ, and which kind of company fits each option.

 

Sana vs Vidext: comparison table of verifiable criteria

 

 

What Sana is after the Workday acquisition

 

Sana started in Stockholm as an AI company focused on learning. Workday announced the acquisition in September 2025 for about $1.1 billion and closed it on November 4, 2025.¹ ² Since then the brand covers two products:

• Sana from Workday, an agent and enterprise search platform that connects to tools like SharePoint, Google Drive and Notion.
• Sana Learn, the learning platform: LMS, LXP, authoring tool and virtual classroom in a single product, with an AI tutor and course generation from documents.³

In July 2026, Workday launched Workday Learning, Powered by Sana, which merges its learning module with Sana Learn. Companies that don't use Workday HCM can still buy Sana Learn as a standalone product.⁴

In practice, Sana is increasingly the learning layer of the Workday ecosystem. For a company that already manages its people in Workday, that's a clear advantage. For a company with a different HCM and its own LMS, the decision looks different.

 

What Vidext is as an autonomous learning system

 

An Autonomous Learning System takes the knowledge an organization already has (documents, procedures, videos, the experience of its technicians) and turns it into structured training, with verification of what was learned and updates when the process changes. The training team designs, reviews and approves; it doesn't produce from scratch.

This approach, which platforms like Vidext apply mostly in manufacturing, energy, food and logistics, changes the unit of work. The starting point isn't "which course are we going to design?" but "which procedure does this person need to perform, and how do we check they can?".

Video is the most visible layer of the system, because it's the format that works best on the plant floor, across rotating shifts and for teams without a desk. But the value lies in what happens after it's generated: updating it in minutes when a regulation changes, and measuring whether the person can do the task.

 

Five real differences between Sana and Vidext

 

Difference 1: where training content comes from

Sana is built for L&D teams that design programs: onboarding, leadership, sales, customer training. Its AI speeds up course authoring and the personalization of learning paths.

Vidext starts from operational knowledge that's already written down somewhere. The Visual SOP Refactoring process analyzes the structure of a procedure (sections, steps, safety warnings) and reorganizes it into short modules, each focused on one specific task. If your training starts from manuals and procedures, the starting point matters more than the LMS interface.

 

Difference 2: how each system checks that a person can do the task

Sana assesses with quizzes and with roleplay scenarios where the AI gives feedback against the criteria you define.⁵ It's a good fit for conversational skills, like a negotiation or a difficult customer conversation.

In operational training, the question is different. A health and safety manager doesn't need to know that an operator "completed the lockout/tagout course"; they need evidence that the operator can do it on the right machine, in the right order. We call this Competence Verification: measuring whether the person can perform the task, not whether they clicked "finish". We go deeper in our guide to assessing real competence after training.

 

Difference 3: the weight of video in training production

Sana generates AI avatar video, but with a default limit of 36 minutes per month per organization; extra minutes are bought separately through the account manager.⁶ For a team that produces video occasionally, that's enough.

Let's run the numbers on a common plant scenario: 40 procedures in 4-minute modules add up to 160 minutes of video. At 36 minutes a month, the first version would take about five months to finish, before any updates. In Vidext, video is the core production layer, with avatars of real employees created from one photo and one minute of audio, three voice tiers, and a glossary that keeps technical terminology consistent in every translation.

 

Difference 4: Workday integration vs integration with any LMS

Sana is an LMS in its own right, and since 2026 it's the foundation of learning in Workday. If your company already runs Workday HCM, the integration is native and removes one piece from the stack.⁴

If your company uses Moodle, Cornerstone, SAP SuccessFactors or another LMS, replacing it means a migration project. In that case the deciding criterion becomes export: Vidext produces SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 and xAPI packages, so training is delivered and tracked in the system you already have.

 

Difference 5: minimum deployment size and market focus

Sana's plans start at 300 users, priced per user by volume.⁷ It's a model designed for rolling the platform out across the whole company.

Sana also has no Spanish website and no public Spanish customers. Its translation covers Catalan, Basque and Galician,⁸ so language isn't the difference. The difference is regulatory context: occupational risk prevention training (PRL), Fundae training subsidies, Spain's National Security Scheme. That's where a provider with over 90% of its customers in Spain knows the fine print.

 

What Sana does better than Vidext

 

An honest comparison has to say it clearly. Sana is the stronger option if:

• You need a complete LMS with user management, learning paths, virtual classroom and analytics from day one.
• Your training is mainly about conversational skills and voice roleplay matters to you.
• You want an AI assistant that searches across all company documentation, not just training.
• Your organization already lives in Workday and wants a single vendor for people, finance and learning.

 

Licensing model: per user or per project

 

Sana charges for every person who uses the platform, with a 300-user minimum.⁷ Vidext uses custom pricing per project, focused on the team that creates and maintains training, not on every person who consumes it.

The difference in model matters more than the number. With a 300-user minimum, a 150-person plant pays for capacity it doesn't use. With a per-project model, cost is tied to the volume of knowledge that needs to be transformed and maintained.

The real cost of a training platform isn't the license: it's the license, plus the team hours spent producing and updating content, plus the training nobody applies on the job.

 

When to choose Sana and when to choose Vidext

 

Sana is the better fit if:

• You use Workday HCM or are moving to Workday.
• You have no LMS and want a complete learning platform.
• Your priority training is leadership, sales or soft skills.
• You're rolling out to more than 300 people on individual licenses.

Vidext is the better fit if:

• Your training starts from procedures, manuals and regulations that change.
• You have staff on the plant floor, on shifts or across several sites, without a fixed computer.
• You already have an LMS and need to feed it via SCORM or xAPI.
• You need to show an auditor that the person can actually do the task.

If you're comparing more options, the rest of the market is covered in our guide to AI corporate training platforms.

 

Conclusion: the right choice depends on where the knowledge lives

 

Sana and Vidext solve different parts of the same problem. Sana organizes learning across the company and, with Workday behind it, aims to be the training layer for large office-based organizations. Vidext turns operational knowledge into training that gets updated and verified, and it's built for teams where a mistake has a physical cost.

They can even coexist: a company can use Sana as its LMS and produce its operational modules in another tool, then export them via SCORM. You can see it in a demo, but the question that comes first is simpler: if the knowledge you need to pass on lives in a plant manual, the system you choose has to start there.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Are Sana and Vidext direct competitors?

Partly. Both are AI corporate training platforms that build courses from documents. Sana is a complete learning platform (LMS and LXP) integrated into Workday; Vidext is a system focused on turning operational knowledge into verifiable training, and it integrates with any LMS.

 

Is Sana still sold separately after the Workday acquisition?

Yes. Since July 2026, Workday Learning runs on Sana, but companies that don't use Workday HCM can buy Sana Learn as a standalone product.

 

Does Sana have AI avatar video?

Yes, with a default limit of 36 minutes of avatar content per month per organization. Additional minutes can be bought through the account manager.

 

Does Sana translate courses into Catalan, Basque or Galician?

Yes. Its help center lists all three among the 198 languages available for course translation. Vidext also covers them, along with 120+ languages and a technical terminology glossary.

 

How much does Sana cost?

Sana doesn't publish prices. It charges per user based on volume, and its plans start at 300 users. Vidext uses custom pricing per project.

 

Can I use Vidext if my company already has Sana or Workday?

Yes. Vidext exports SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 and xAPI, formats Sana can import. Operational training is produced in Vidext and delivered from the LMS you already have.

 

Which option is better for health and safety training and industrial procedures?

For technical training that changes often and requires evidence of competence, a system that starts from the procedure and verifies execution is the better fit. For office skills training in a company that runs Workday, Sana is a solid option.

 

What security certifications do Sana and Vidext have?

Sana states ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance. Vidext holds ISO 27001, is GDPR compliant and meets Spain's National Security Scheme (ENS) at medium level, which matters for Spanish public sector clients.

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Sources

¹ Workday Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Sana - Workday Newsroom ² Workday Completes Acquisition of Sana - Workday Newsroom ³ Sana Learn - Sana ⁴ Workday Learning, Powered by Sana, Now Generally Available - Workday Newsroom ⁵ Scenario card - Sana Help Center ⁶ Uploading images, GIFs and videos - Sana Help Center ⁷ Platform pricing - Sana ⁸ Translating courses - Sana Help Center