LearnDash vs Tutor LMS (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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LearnDash

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.