LifterLMS vs Paid Memberships Pro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Paid Memberships Pro grades higher than LifterLMS: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Paid Memberships Pro grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LifterLMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free core and paid bundles
Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with managed hosting
Which one is for you
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
Pick Paid Memberships Pro if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want paid membership with free software
- Works for developers who will add the add-ons they need
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want WordPress, because it only runs there
- Tight if you stay free: no license key, no support and no premium add-ons
- Pricey if you want managed hosting: that starts on Max at $99 a month
- Watch out: Max plans are billed per server, and Standard covers one site with no hosting
How we grade them
| 2.2GPALifterLMSFair | 2.4GPAPaid Memberships ProFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CThe core is free but needs your own WordPress hosting, so it counts as a middle price. Standard is $49 a month and Max $99. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free core gives unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers with quizzes and certificates. You pay for hosting yourself. | BSelf-host the core plugin with 25 free add-ons and payment gateways at no cost. There is no support and no premium add-ons. |
| Features | CCourses, memberships, ecommerce and reporting add-ons. The listing's gap: advanced quizzes, assignments and continuing education tracking need the Infinity bundle. | BRestricting content, payment gateways and many add-ons, with managed hosting on Max. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | DIt runs only on a WordPress site you host and update yourself. | DIt runs only on WordPress, which you host, unless you pay for Max managed hosting. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce connections. | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Paystack and CCBill gateways. |
| Best for | a free WordPress course plugin you host yourself | a free membership plugin for WordPress |
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: LifterLMS and Paid Memberships Pro. How we grade
Price against what you get
LifterLMS starts at $33.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
Paid Memberships Pro scores higher, and starts $15.83 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 10 score higher than LifterLMS for less, and 7 score higher than Paid Memberships Pro 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
- Paid Memberships Pro is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- LifterLMS also covers marketing automation, reports and online courses.
- Paid Memberships Pro also covers paid newsletters.
At a glance
| LifterLMS | Paid Memberships Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin | $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core |
| Free plan | Core plugin: unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers, with quizzes, certificates and achievement badges. | Self-host the open-source PMPro platform with the core plugin, 25 free add-ons and payment gateways; no support or premium add-ons. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | LifterLMS | Paid Memberships Pro |
| Price read from | lifterlms.com | paidmembershipspro.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Paid Memberships Pro
- It runs only on WordPress; Free has no license key or support.
- Standard covers one site and does not include hosting.
- Max plans are billed per server, with the vendor saying a 100-day money-back guarantee applies.
Key features
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.
Paid Memberships Pro
- Restrict content
- Limit pages and posts to members by level, with registration, subscriptions and member emails built in.
- Payment gateways
- Gateways listed include Stripe, PayPal, Paystack, CCBill and manual payment.
- Add-ons
- 25 free add-ons come with the free plugin and 54 premium add-ons come with paid plans.
- Managed hosting on Max
- Max plans run on a dedicated server with caching, daily backups, a CDN and free migration from other platforms.
- Do It For Me credits
- Max includes 25 credits every month for custom code, add-on setup and design changes, which the vendor quotes per request.
- Use cases
- Pages cover courses, paid newsletters, private video, podcasts, member directories and communities.
Plans
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.
Paid Memberships Pro
Free$0
Open-source core plugin and 25 free add-ons that you host yourself, without support.
Standard$49
per month, billed monthly ($499 billed yearly)
1-site license with all 54 premium add-ons and support; you host the site.
Max$99
per month, billed monthly ($999 billed yearly)
Managed hosting, free migration and 25 credits a month; the page crosses out a normal price of $149.
Max 2x$299
per month, billed monthly ($2,999 billed yearly)
Twice the server and 50 credits a month, for busier sites.
Ways to pay less
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.
Paid Memberships Pro
- Annual discount
Pay annually, save about 2 months
The pricing page lists yearly totals of $499 for Standard, $999 for Max and $2,999 for Max 2x against monthly plans of $49, $99 and $299.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LifterLMS or Paid Memberships Pro?
As of Nov 12, 2026, LifterLMS is cheaper to start with: $33.17 a month when paid by the year, against $49 a month for Paid Memberships Pro. LifterLMS starts at $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin, and Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core.
Which has a free plan, LifterLMS or Paid Memberships Pro?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both LifterLMS and Paid Memberships Pro have a free plan.
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.