LearnDash vs MemberPress
We give LearnDash a 2.0 GPA and MemberPress a 1.8, out of 4.0. LearnDash grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use 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
MemberPress
WordPress plugin for paid memberships, courses and communities
How we grade them
| 2.0GPALearnDashFair | 1.8GPAMemberPressWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $399 a year, about $33 a month, with no fee per sale or per student, so $2,000 of sales costs $33 a month: the middle of this category. Hosting for the WordPress site is on top, and isn't in that figure. | CLaunch is $399 a year at renewal plus 4.9% of every payment, about $131 a month at $2,000 of sales. Growth drops the fee: $699 a year at renewal, about $58 a month ($349.50 in the first year). The middle of this category, with hosting on top. |
| 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. | FNothing free: no free version and no trial in the listing. You buy a yearly license to see it. |
| Features | CA drag-and-drop course builder, quizzes with 8 question types, assignments, certificates, MemberDash memberships, AI outlines and ProPanel reporting. Plenty, but it needs a WordPress site to be useful, and community comes from add-ons like bbPress. | CPaywall rules, memberships, a course builder, quizzes and certificates on Growth, ClubSuite forums and a member directory, and CoachKit coaching. A broad kit, but it needs a WordPress site to be useful, and Zapier and the API wait for Scale. |
| 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. | CNo rating on record. You need WordPress on a host before anything else, then content rules and memberships to set up, so it takes some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | BRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Elementor, MemberPress, Gravity Forms, bbPress and ThriveCart. No apps listed. | BRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Kit. The REST API and webhooks are on Scale. |
| Best for | courses on a WordPress site you already run | paid memberships on your own 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: LearnDash and MemberPress. How we grade
Price against what you get
LearnDash starts at $33.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MemberPress starts at $33.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 3 score higher than LearnDash for less, and 3 score higher than MemberPress 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
- LearnDash starts at $399 per year. MemberPress starts at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50.
- MemberPress also covers community.
At a glance
| LearnDash | MemberPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $399 per year | $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 48-hour free demo site, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Liquid Web, LLC | Caseproof, LLC |
| Price read from | liquidweb.com | memberpress.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
LearnDash
- Course sellers who already run a WordPress site
- Agencies building learning sites for clients
- Training providers selling group seats to companies
MemberPress
- Site owners who want to sell memberships on their own WordPress site
- Paywalled content, courses and coaching under one login
- Builders who want to own their member data and pick their own host
Worth knowing
LearnDash
- LearnDash needs a WordPress site, so you supply and maintain the hosting, theme and updates yourself.
- The pricing page does not say how many sites a license covers; LearnDash's own license docs still describe 1-site, 10-site and unlimited licenses.
- Group seat sales, the instructor role and multi-instructor courses need Elite at $599 a year.
- The license renews automatically each year; without a valid license the plugin keeps working but gets no updates, security patches or support.
MemberPress
- MemberPress needs a WordPress site. Each plan covers one site activation, staging sites included; up to 15 more are sold as separate yearly subscriptions.
- Launch takes 4.9% of every payment and accepts Stripe only; Growth and Scale drop the fee, though Stripe or PayPal charges still apply.
- First-year prices are half the list price, and every plan renews at full price: $399, $699 or $999 a year.
- Forums, coaching and quizzes start on Growth; Zapier, the REST API and webhooks, and affiliates need Scale.
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
- On Elite, sell seats to organizations whose leaders manage their own teams, and let several instructors build courses from the front end.
MemberPress
- Paywall and content rules
- Smart Rules protect pages, posts, custom post types, categories, tags, files or parts of a page by membership; dripping content on a schedule needs Growth.
- Memberships and checkout
- Unlimited one-time and recurring memberships with upgrades, downgrades and pausing, coupons, a multi-item cart and a self-serve member dashboard.
- Courses and quizzes
- A drag-and-drop curriculum builder for unlimited courses and lessons; quizzes, assignments and certificates come with Growth.
- AI Course Generator
- Describe a course and AI drafts the sections, lessons and quiz questions, using a yearly allowance of AI credits that grows with the plan.
- ClubSuite community
- Forums and private groups called Circles, member profiles and a searchable directory on Growth, with direct messaging added on Scale.
- CoachKit coaching
- Run coaching programs with unlimited coaches, clients and cohorts, milestone and habit tracking, and dashboards for coaches and clients.
Plans
LearnDash
Pro$399
per year, renews annually
Course and quiz builders, MemberDash memberships, Stripe and PayPal, certificates, AI course outlines and quizzes, ProPanel reporting and gradebook.
Elite$599
per year, renews annually
Everything in Pro, plus group management and seat sales, an instructor role with front-end course creation, multiple instructors, and ratings and reviews.
MemberPress
Launch$399
per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50
$199.50 the first year. One site, unlimited members and courses, Stripe only, 25,000 AI credits. MemberPress takes a 4.9% fee on each payment.
Growth$699
per year at renewal, after a first year for $349.50
$349.50 the first year. No transaction fee, PayPal and Square, forums and member directory, CoachKit, quizzes, certificates, dripping, 50,000 AI credits.
Scale$999
per year at renewal, after a first year for $499.50
$499.50 the first year. REST API and webhooks, Zapier, Easy Affiliate, direct messaging, gradebook, corporate accounts, Authorize.net, 100,000 AI credits.
Ways to pay less
LearnDash
No public discounts listed.
MemberPress
- Other savings
Half price for the first year
The pricing page sells the first year of Launch at $199.50, Growth at $349.50 and Scale at $499.50; renewals are at the full $399, $699 and $999.
- Nonprofit
Introductory price for life for nonprofits
Qualifying nonprofits keep the introductory price at every renewal, which MemberPress describes as up to 50% off all plan levels.
