Academy LMS vs MasterStudy LMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Academy LMS grades higher than MasterStudy LMS: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Academy LMS grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Academy LMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free core and Pro licenses by site count
MasterStudy LMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free Starter license and paid yearly tiers
Which one is for you
Pick Academy LMS if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want the cheapest paid course plugin around
- Works for agencies who need 10 to 200 sites on one license
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, as it runs only on your own WordPress site
- Tight if you stay on the free core, because SCORM, H5P, live classes, drip and revenue sharing are Pro
- Watch out: the page does not say what renewal costs after the first year
- Watch out: prices are shown as discounts with a countdown timer, so the list price is the higher one
Pick MasterStudy LMS if
- Fits if you already run WordPress and want to add a course area
- Works for agencies who need a license covering 10 or unlimited sites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to host a site, since it runs only on self-hosted WordPress
- Tight if you stay on the free Starter license, as it comes with 1 prebuilt site and community support only
- Pricey if you build for many clients: $299 a year for 10 sites, $599 for unlimited
- Watch out: paid licenses give a year of updates and support, and the Lifetime prices on the page could not be read
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAAcademy LMSGood | 2.4GPAMasterStudy LMSFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$99 a year for one site is about $8.25 a month, under 60% of the $20 where the cheapest quarter of courses tools starts. The page shows it as a discount from $199, so the list price is higher. | B$149 a year for one site is about $12.42 a month, inside the cheapest quarter of courses tools, which start at $20. The free Starter license costs nothing, but you still pay for your own hosting. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free core has the course, lesson and quiz builders, a question bank, certificates and a student dashboard. SCORM, H5P, live classes, drip and revenue sharing are Pro. | BThe Starter license is free with updates and community support. Priority ticket support and 20 prebuilt sites need a paid license. |
| Features | BCourse and lesson builders, quizzes, certificates, instructors and revenue sharing, SCORM and H5P. The listing shows no gap in the core course job. | BCourse builder, quizzes, assignments, Zoom lessons, drip content, certificates and group courses. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, so setup and updates are yours. No store rating is on record. | DIt runs inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting, updates and security are yours to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with WooCommerce, SureCart, Easy Digital Downloads, Elementor and H5P on the list. No phone or desktop app. | CWeb only, through WordPress, with Zoom and Google Classroom on the list. Nothing for phones or desktops is listed. |
| Best for | low-cost WordPress course sites | WordPress course sites on a small budget |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Academy LMS and MasterStudy LMS. How we grade
Price against what you get
Academy LMS starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MasterStudy LMS starts at $12.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
Academy LMS scores higher and starts $4.17 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 1 scores higher than Academy LMS for less, and 8 score higher than MasterStudy LMS for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- MasterStudy LMS is open source, according to its own site.
- Academy LMS also covers community.
At a glance
| Academy LMS | MasterStudy LMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per year for 1 site | $149 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | A free core edition with the course, lesson and quiz builders, question bank, certificate builder and student dashboard. | Starter: free license and free updates with community support and 1 free prebuilt website. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Kodezen | StylemixThemes |
| Price read from | academylms.net | stylemixthemes.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Academy LMS
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site; hosting and updates are your job.
- Advanced assignments, live classes, SCORM and H5P, drip content and revenue sharing are labeled Pro.
- Licenses include 1 year of support and updates; the page does not say what renewal costs.
- Paid plans are shown as discounts from higher list prices, with a countdown timer on the page.
MasterStudy LMS
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting and security are your job.
- Paid licenses give 1 year of updates and support from the purchase date.
- The pricing page also has a Lifetime toggle, but those prices could not be read from the page text.
- Refunds are offered within 14 days, under the vendor's refund policy.
Key features
Academy LMS
- Course and lesson builders
- Drag-and-drop curriculum with videos, text and downloads, plus an AI course builder for drafting lessons.
- Quizzes and question bank
- Ten-plus question types with timers, attempt limits and pass marks, and a shared question bank with CSV import and export.
- Certificates and grading
- A certificate designer with a public verification ID for each certificate; smart grading and advanced assignments are Pro.
- SCORM, H5P and live classes
- Pro imports existing SCORM and H5P courses and schedules live classes and meetings into the curriculum.
- Instructors and revenue sharing
- Multi-instructor courses, public instructor profiles, and per-instructor commission splits (revenue sharing is Pro).
- Selling and ecosystem tools
- Sell through WooCommerce, StoreEngine, SureCart or EDD, or add Kodezen's own community, CRM, mobile app and gamification plugins.
MasterStudy LMS
- Course builder
- Build courses with lessons, a course details page and prerequisites, and import classes from a Google Classroom account.
- Quizzes and assignments
- Add knowledge-test quizzes to courses and set detailed assignments for students to submit.
- Live lessons
- Teach with Zoom lessons, meetings and webinars from inside the course site, with live-stream support listed on the product pages.
- Drip content and certificates
- Release lessons on a schedule and design certificates for completed courses with a template builder.
- Group courses and notifications
- Group courses let a buyer enroll several students; on-site and browser push notifications keep students and instructors informed.
- Prebuilt websites
- Starter-site templates for a ready-made course site: 1 on the free license and 20 on paid licenses.
Plans
Academy LMS
Individual$99
per year for 1 site
All Pro features, 1 year of support and updates. Shown as $99 against a crossed-out $199.
Business$129
per year for up to 10 sites
Same features on 10 sites, shown against a crossed-out $299.
Business Plus$149
per year for up to 25 sites
Same features on 25 sites, shown against a crossed-out $349.
Agency$199
per year for up to 100 sites
Same features on 100 sites, shown against a crossed-out $399.
Agency Plus$229
per year for up to 200 sites
Same features on 200 sites, shown against a crossed-out $449.
MasterStudy LMS
Starter$0
Free license and updates, community support and 1 prebuilt website.
Single site$149
per year for 1 site
1 site license, updates for 1 year, priority ticket support and 20 prebuilt websites.
10 sites$299
per year for up to 10 sites
Same inclusions as the single-site plan, with a license for 10 sites.
Unlimited$599
per year for unlimited sites
Same inclusions with an unlimited-site license, marked on the page as for developers.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Academy LMS or MasterStudy LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Academy LMS is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against $12.42 a month when paid by the year for MasterStudy LMS. Academy LMS starts at $99 per year for 1 site, and MasterStudy LMS starts at $149 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, Academy LMS or MasterStudy LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Academy LMS and MasterStudy LMS have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.