LearnDash vs MasterStudy LMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MasterStudy LMS grades higher than LearnDash: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
LearnDash grades higher on ease of use and platforms. MasterStudy LMS grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features.
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
MasterStudy LMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free Starter license and paid yearly tiers
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 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
| 2.0GPALearnDashFair | 2.4GPAMasterStudy LMSFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | DNo free version. There's a 48-hour demo site with no card needed, which is a look around rather than a trial. | BThe Starter license is free with updates and community support. Priority ticket support and 20 prebuilt sites need a paid license. |
| 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. | 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 | 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 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 | BRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Elementor, MemberPress, Gravity Forms, bbPress and ThriveCart. No apps listed. | CWeb only, through WordPress, with Zoom and Google Classroom on the list. Nothing for phones or desktops is listed. |
| Best for | courses on a WordPress site you already run | 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: LearnDash and MasterStudy LMS. 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. MasterStudy LMS starts at $12.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
LearnDash scores higher, and starts $16.75 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 8 score higher than LearnDash 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.
- MasterStudy LMS also covers templates.
At a glance
| LearnDash | MasterStudy LMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $350 per year for 1 site | $149 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | None | Starter: free license and free updates with community support and 1 free prebuilt website. |
| Free trial | 48-hour free demo site, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Liquid Web, LLC | StylemixThemes |
| Price read from | liquidweb.com | stylemixthemes.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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, LearnDash or MasterStudy LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MasterStudy LMS is cheaper to start with: $12.42 a month when paid by the year, against $29.17 a month when paid by the year for LearnDash. LearnDash starts at $350 per year for 1 site, and MasterStudy LMS starts at $149 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, LearnDash or MasterStudy LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only MasterStudy LMS 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.