LearnDash vs LifterLMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, LifterLMS grades higher than LearnDash: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
LearnDash grades higher on ease of use. LifterLMS grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LearnDash
WordPress plugin for building and selling online courses
LifterLMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free core and paid bundles
Which one is for you
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 LifterLMS if
- Fits if you already have a WordPress site and want courses on it for free to start
- Works for developers who will add paid extensions as needed
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run WordPress yourself
- Pricey if you want the add-ons: bundles start at $398 a year and renew at full price
- Tight if you run several sites: the Earth bundle covers 1 site and the Universe covers 5
- Watch out: advanced quizzes and assignments need the $1,598 Infinity bundle
How we grade them
| 2.0GPALearnDashFair | 2.2GPALifterLMSFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$350 a year for 1 site, about $29 a month, with no fee per sale or per student, so $2,000 of sales costs $29 a month, right at this category's cheaper quarter. Hosting for the WordPress site is on top, and isn't in that figure. More sites cost more: $599 a year for 10, $999 for 100. | CThe core plugin is free but needs your own WordPress hosting, so it counts as a middle price. Bundles run $398, $598 and $1,598 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free version. There's a 48-hour demo site with no card needed, which is a look around rather than a trial. | BThe free core gives unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers with quizzes and certificates. You pay for hosting yourself. |
| Features | CA drag-and-drop course builder, quizzes with 8 question types, assignments, certificates, MemberDash memberships, AI outlines and ProPanel reporting. It needs a WordPress site to be useful, and community comes from add-ons like bbPress. | CCourses, memberships, ecommerce and reporting add-ons. The listing's gap: advanced quizzes, assignments and continuing education tracking need the Infinity bundle. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. The builder is drag-and-drop, but first you need WordPress running on a host, then the plugin and its settings, so there's real setup. | DIt runs only on a WordPress site you host and update yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Elementor, MemberPress, Gravity Forms, bbPress and ThriveCart. No apps listed. | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce connections. |
| Best for | courses on a WordPress site you already run | a free WordPress course plugin you host yourself |
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: LearnDash and LifterLMS. How we grade
Price against what you get
LearnDash starts at $29.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. LifterLMS starts at $33.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
LearnDash scores higher and starts $4 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 3 score higher than LearnDash for less, and 10 score higher than LifterLMS 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
- LifterLMS also covers templates, marketing automation, reports and community.
At a glance
| LearnDash | LifterLMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $350 per year for 1 site | $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin |
| Free plan | None | Core plugin: unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers, with quizzes, certificates and achievement badges. |
| Free trial | 48-hour free demo site, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Liquid Web, LLC | LifterLMS |
| Price read from | liquidweb.com | lifterlms.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
LifterLMS
- It runs only on a WordPress site you host yourself.
- Bundles renew at the full price, and the number of active sites is capped by tier.
- Advanced quizzes, assignments and continuing education tracking need the Infinity bundle.
Key features
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.
LifterLMS
- Courses and memberships
- The free core plugin has unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers, plus quizzes, certificates and badges.
- Ecommerce add-ons
- Paid bundles add checkout through Stripe, PayPal or WooCommerce, cart abandonment recovery and name-your-price.
- Advanced add-ons
- Advanced Quizzes, Assignments and continuing education tracking are included only in the Infinity bundle.
- Reporting
- Every plan exports student, course and quiz reports to CSV, including enrollment and completion dates.
- Email and forms add-ons
- Universe and Infinity add email marketing, CRM and forms integration add-ons.
- Lifetime license
- A lifetime Infinity Bundle license is sold separately, with no later renewal payments.
Plans
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.
LifterLMS
Core Plugin$0
Free LMS plugin for WordPress with unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers; you host it yourself.
Earth Bundle$398
per year for 1 site, renews at full price
Core plugin plus ecommerce add-ons for Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce, cart recovery and name-your-price.
Universe Bundle$598
per year for 5 sites, renews at full price
Adds the Sky Pilot theme, email marketing and CRM add-ons, forms add-ons and a weekly mastermind.
Infinity Bundle$1598
per year for unlimited sites, renews at full price
Everything in Universe plus 15 advanced add-ons and support for 3 users.
Ways to pay less
LearnDash
No public discounts listed.
LifterLMS
- Other savings
First year at 50% off
The pricing page says first-year bundle purchases are discounted by 50%, and an upgrade to a larger bundle gets the discount again.
- Lifetime license
Infinity Bundle lifetime license
The pricing page offers a lifetime Infinity Bundle license with updates, support and future products and no renewal payments.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LearnDash or LifterLMS?
As of Nov 12, 2026, LearnDash is cheaper to start with: $29.17 a month when paid by the year, against $33.17 a month when paid by the year for LifterLMS. LearnDash starts at $350 per year for 1 site, and LifterLMS starts at $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin.
Which has a free plan, LearnDash or LifterLMS?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only LifterLMS has a free plan. LearnDash does not, though it has a free trial.
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.