Academy LMS vs Tutor LMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Academy LMS grades higher than Tutor LMS: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Academy LMS grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
Tutor LMS
WordPress course plugin with a free core and paid Pro licenses
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 Tutor LMS if
- Fits if you already run WordPress and want to sell courses on it
- Makes sense if you want a free core before paying for anything
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not run WordPress: it works only on a self-hosted WordPress site
- Not for you if you want advanced quizzes, assignments or subscriptions free, as they need a paid license
- Watch out: AI Studio needs your own OpenAI API key, billed separately
- Tight if you want one price: annual licenses cover updates for one year, with lifetime at $499 to $1,999
- Watch out: hosting and updates are your job
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAAcademy LMSGood | 2.6GPATutor LMSGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$199 a year for 1 site is about $16.60 a month, inside this category's cheapest quarter ($20), and a $499 lifetime price is under two years of its $37 middle. |
| 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 free core has unlimited courses, learners and instructors, a basic quiz builder and native video, which one person can run a course on. |
| Features | BCourse and lesson builders, quizzes, certificates, instructors and revenue sharing, SCORM and H5P. The listing shows no gap in the core course job. | BLessons, quizzes, assignments, checkout, memberships, many payment gateways and live classes cover the job, with the advanced parts on Pro. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, so setup and updates are yours. No store rating is on record. | DNo rating on record. It only runs inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting and updates are your job. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with WooCommerce, SureCart, Easy Digital Downloads, Elementor and H5P on the list. No phone or desktop app. | BWeb only, but it connects to WooCommerce, Zoom, Google Meet, Paid Memberships Pro, FluentCRM, BuddyPress, Elementor and OpenAI. |
| Best for | low-cost WordPress course sites | selling courses from a WordPress site |
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 Tutor 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. Tutor LMS starts at $16.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Academy LMS starts $8.33 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 1 scores higher than Academy LMS for less, and 2 score higher than Tutor 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
- Academy LMS also covers community.
At a glance
| Academy LMS | Tutor LMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per year for 1 site | $199 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. | The Tutor LMS core is free: unlimited courses, learners and instructors, a basic quiz builder and native video support. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Kodezen | Tutor LMS |
| Price read from | academylms.net | tutorlms.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.
Tutor LMS
- It only runs inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting and updates are your job.
- Advanced quizzes, assignments, subscriptions and AI Studio need a paid license.
- AI Studio needs your own OpenAI API key, billed separately by OpenAI.
- Annual licenses cover updates and support for one year; the lifetime option costs $499 to $1,999 once.
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.
Tutor LMS
- Course builder
- Build courses from lessons, quizzes and assignments, with video from YouTube, Vimeo or uploaded files, and drip content on Pro.
- Quizzes and assignments
- The free core has a basic quiz builder; Pro adds more question types, quiz reports, assignments with deadlines and automated grading.
- Selling and memberships
- Sell courses through built-in checkout or WooCommerce, with coupons, bundles, course subscriptions and site-wide memberships on Pro.
- Payment gateways
- The pricing page lists PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Paddle, Mollie, Klarna, Razorpay, Paystack, Alipay and manual payment.
- AI Studio
- Generates course outlines, lessons and descriptions from prompts. Included in paid plans, and it requires your own OpenAI API key.
- Live classes and integrations
- Connects to Zoom, Google Meet and Jitsi Meet for live sessions, plus video hosts, CRMs and community plugins listed on its integrations page.
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.
Tutor LMS
Free$0
Core plugin with unlimited courses, learners and instructors, and a basic quiz builder.
Individual$199
per year for 1 site
All Pro add-ons and features, Pro themes, AI Studio and priority support; updates for 1 year. One-time lifetime price is $499.
Business$399
per year for up to 10 sites
Same features as Individual on up to 10 sites. The one-time lifetime price is $999.
Agency$799
per year for unlimited sites
Same features on unlimited sites for annual billing. The one-time lifetime price is $1,999 for up to 50 sites.
Ways to pay less
Academy LMS
No public discounts listed.
Tutor LMS
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license, paid once
The pricing page's Lifetime tab sells each plan for a single payment: $499 (1 site), $999 (up to 10 sites) and $1,999 (up to 50 sites), with lifetime updates.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Academy LMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Academy LMS is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against $16.58 a month when paid by the year for Tutor LMS. Academy LMS starts at $99 per year for 1 site, and Tutor LMS starts at $199 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, Academy LMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Academy LMS and Tutor 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.