LifterLMS vs Tutor LMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tutor LMS grades higher than LifterLMS: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Tutor LMS grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on 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
Tutor LMS
WordPress course plugin with a free core and paid Pro licenses
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 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
How we grade them
| 2.2GPALifterLMSFair | 2.6GPATutor LMSGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$199 a year for 1 site is about $16.60 a month, inside this category's cheapest quarter ($20), and a $499 lifetime price is under two years of its $37 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free core gives unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers with quizzes and certificates. You pay for hosting yourself. | BThe free core has unlimited courses, learners and instructors, a basic quiz builder and native video, which one person can run a course on. |
| Features | CCourses, memberships, ecommerce and reporting add-ons. The listing's gap: advanced quizzes, assignments and continuing education tracking need the Infinity bundle. | BLessons, quizzes, assignments, checkout, memberships, many payment gateways and live classes cover the job, with the advanced parts on Pro. |
| Ease of use | DIt runs only on a WordPress site you host and update yourself. | DNo rating on record. It only runs inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting and updates are your job. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce connections. | BWeb only, but it connects to WooCommerce, Zoom, Google Meet, Paid Memberships Pro, FluentCRM, BuddyPress, Elementor and OpenAI. |
| Best for | a free WordPress course plugin you host yourself | selling courses from a 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: LifterLMS and Tutor LMS. 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. Tutor LMS starts at $16.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Tutor LMS scores higher and starts $16.59 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 26 score higher than LifterLMS for less, and 2 score higher than Tutor 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
- LifterLMS also covers marketing automation, reports and community.
At a glance
| LifterLMS | Tutor LMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin | $199 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | Core plugin: unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers, with quizzes, certificates and achievement badges. | The Tutor LMS core is free: unlimited courses, learners and instructors, a basic quiz builder and native video support. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | LifterLMS | Tutor LMS |
| Price read from | lifterlms.com | tutorlms.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LifterLMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tutor LMS is cheaper to start with: $16.58 a month when paid by the year, against $33.17 a month when paid by the year for LifterLMS. LifterLMS starts at $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin, and Tutor LMS starts at $199 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, LifterLMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LifterLMS and Tutor LMS 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.