LearnDash vs LearnPress (2026): which should you pick?

Pick LearnDash if

• Fits if your business already runs on a WordPress site
• Works for agencies building learning sites for clients, at $599 a year for up to 10 sites

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't want to look after WordPress, hosting and updates
• Not for you if you want a free trial longer than a 48-hour demo
• Tight if you let the license lapse, as updates, security patches and support stop
• Watch out: LearnDash isn't sold on its own any more, only bundled with Kadence, Give and The Events Calendar, whether you want them or not

Pick LearnPress if

• Fits if you run WordPress and want a free course plugin to start
• Makes sense if you add paid add-ons one at a time

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 drip, certificates or assignments free, as they are paid add-ons
• Pricey if you want everything: the Pro Bundle is $299 for the first year and renews at $209.30
• Watch out: the site shows a Black Friday banner of 25% off with no end date stated

LearnDash

• LearnDash needs a WordPress site, so you supply and maintain the hosting, theme and updates yourself.
• Every plan bundles LearnDash with Kadence, Give and The Events Calendar; LearnDash is no longer offered on its own on the pricing page.
• Prices follow the number of sites: $350 a year for 1 site, $599 for up to 10 and $999 for up to 100.
• The license renews automatically each year; without a valid license the plugin keeps working but gets no updates, security patches or support.

LearnPress

• It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site; hosting and updates are your job.
• Content drip, live lessons, certificates and assignments are paid add-ons, not part of the free core.
• The Pro Bundle covers 1 site, includes 12 months of updates and renews at $209.30.
• The site shows a Black Friday banner of 25% off premium add-ons and themes, with no end date stated.

LearnDash

Drag-and-drop course builder

Arrange courses into lessons, topics and assessments, with shared course steps, video progression and a distraction-free focus mode for learners.

Quizzes, assignments and certificates

Quizzes with 8 question types including essays and sorting, assignment management, a certificate builder, and badges and points.

MemberDash memberships

Membership tiers, recurring subscriptions and course bundles are built in, and members manage their own payment details and subscriptions.

AI course outlines

Describe a topic and the AI builder drafts a course outline with lessons and a set of quiz questions to edit before publishing.

ProPanel reporting

Enrollment trends, completion rates, quiz performance and at-risk learners in one dashboard, with weighted grading and custom report cards.

Groups and instructors

Sell seats to organizations whose leaders manage their own teams, and let several instructors build courses from the front end; included in every plan.

LearnPress

Course builder

Build online or offline courses with lessons that mix video, audio, text and images, a reusable lesson bank and attached course materials.

Quizzes and exams

Multiple choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank questions from a reusable question bank, timed quizzes and exams with attempt limits.

LearnPress AI

Generates a course title, description and curriculum from a topic, or fills in gaps in a course you have already started.

Selling courses

Built-in checkout for guests, manual orders, and external checkout links; WooCommerce, Stripe, Razorpay and Paid Memberships Pro integrations.

Premium add-ons

Paid add-ons cover content drip, live courses, certificates, gradebook, assignments and memberships. Content drip is listed at $39.

Reports and enrollment control

Reports on engagement, completion and quiz results, and tools to add, remove or pause a student's enrollment.

LearnDash

• 1 site$350

  per year for 1 site

  Includes LearnDash with MemberDash, ProPanel reporting, groups and instructors, plus the Kadence theme, Give and The Events Calendar.

• 10 sites$599

  per year for up to 10 sites

  The same bundle as the 1-site plan on more sites; the pricing page works it out at $59.90 per site a year.

• 25 sites$799

  per year for up to 25 sites

  The same bundle as the 1-site plan on more sites; the pricing page works it out at $31.96 per site a year.

• 50 sites$899

  per year for up to 50 sites

  The same bundle as the 1-site plan on more sites; the pricing page works it out at $17.98 per site a year.

• 100 sites$999

  per year for up to 100 sites

  The same bundle as the 1-site plan on more sites; the pricing page works it out at $9.99 per site a year.

LearnPress

• Free$0

  Core plugin and 8 free add-ons for 1 site, with lifetime updates.

• Customize$19

  per add-on, for 1 site

  Pick individual premium add-ons; the price shown is the entry price. Includes 12 months of updates and priority support.

• Pro Bundle$299

  for 1 site, 12 months of updates, renews at $209.30

  All premium and free add-ons. Shown as $299 against a crossed-out $710, with no end date given.