Sensei LMS vs MemberPress (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sensei LMS grades higher than MemberPress: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Sensei LMS grades higher on value for money and the free plan. MemberPress grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Sensei LMS
WordPress course plugin with a free core and a paid Pro tier
MemberPress
WordPress plugin for paid memberships, courses and communities
Which one is for you
Pick Sensei LMS if
- Fits if you run a WordPress site and want to start with free courses
- Works for a single site that will add WooCommerce to sell
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to host WordPress yourself
- Tight if you want to sell: selling and cohorts need Pro at $179 a year per site
- Watch out: there is no free trial, only the free plugin and a 14-day refund on paid plans
- Watch out: it doesn't host videos, so you pay for that elsewhere
Pick MemberPress if
- Fits if you want a membership business on a WordPress site you control
- Works for owners who want posts, courses and coaching under one login, with member data on their own host
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before you pay, as there's no trial or free version
- Skip it if you don't want to look after WordPress and hosting
- Pricey if you budget on year one, since every plan renews at double the first-year price
- Watch out: each plan covers one site, and up to 15 more are separate yearly subscriptions
- Watch out: Launch takes 4.9% a payment, and Zapier, the API, webhooks and affiliates need Scale at $999 a year
How we grade them
| 2.2GPASensei LMSFair | 1.8GPAMemberPressWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BSensei Pro is $15 a month billed yearly ($179), under the $29 cheaper quarter of courses and communities tools, but you also pay for WordPress hosting. | 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 | CThe free core gives unlimited free courses, a certificate builder and basic quizzes. Selling courses and advanced quizzes need Pro, and there is no trial. | FNothing free: no free version and no trial in the listing. You buy a yearly license to see it. |
| Features | CCourses, quizzes, WooCommerce selling, interactive blocks, groups and certificates. The listing's gap: selling, advanced quizzes and cohorts need Pro, and it doesn't host video. | CPaywall rules, memberships, a course builder, quizzes and certificates on Growth, ClubSuite forums and a member directory, and CoachKit coaching. It needs a WordPress site to be useful, and Zapier and the API wait for Scale. |
| Ease of use | DIt runs only on a WordPress site you host yourself. | 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 | BWeb only, with WooCommerce, VideoPress, YouTube and Vimeo connections. | 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 WordPress with a free core | 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: Sensei LMS and MemberPress. How we grade
Price against what you get
Sensei LMS starts at $15 a month and scores 2.0 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.
MemberPress scores higher, and starts $18.25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 3 score higher than Sensei LMS 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
- Sensei LMS is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Sensei LMS also covers templates.
- MemberPress also covers community.
At a glance
| Sensei LMS | MemberPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $15 per month, billed yearly ($179), for Sensei Pro; the core plugin is free | $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50 |
| Free plan | Sensei Free: unlimited free courses, certificate builder, basic quizzes and learning mode, open-source and community supported. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Automattic | Caseproof, LLC |
| Price read from | senseilms.com | memberpress.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Sensei LMS
- It runs only on a WordPress site you host yourself.
- Selling courses, advanced quizzes and cohorts need Sensei Pro; one Pro license covers one site.
- There is no free trial; the vendor points to the free plugin instead, and paid plans carry a 14-day refund guarantee.
- Sensei does not host videos.
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
Sensei LMS
- Courses and quizzes
- Unlimited courses and students on the free plugin, with basic quizzes; Pro adds auto-graded, timed quizzes and AI quiz generation.
- Selling with WooCommerce
- Selling courses uses WooCommerce and is part of Sensei Pro, not the free plugin.
- Interactive Blocks
- Interactive videos, flashcards, image hotspots and accordions that work in pages, posts and lessons.
- Groups and cohorts
- Sensei Pro adds group management, cohorts with scheduled access, and co-teachers.
- Tutor AI
- A feature listed on the pricing comparison for AI chat inside a lesson.
- Certificates and learning mode
- A certificate builder and a distraction-free learning mode come with the free plugin.
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
Sensei LMS
Sensei Free$0
Open-source plugin you host yourself, with unlimited free courses, basic quizzes and a certificate builder.
Interactive Blocks$5
per month, billed yearly ($60)
Interactive videos, flashcards, image hotspots, accordions, task lists and quiz blocks; Sensei LMS not required.
Sensei Pro$15
per month, billed yearly ($179)
Everything in Free plus selling courses, advanced quizzes, interactive lessons, groups and cohorts; 1 site.
Sensei Agency$30
per month, billed yearly ($360)
Sensei Pro and Interactive Blocks on up to 20 sites or 1 Multisite network.
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
Sensei LMS
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Sensei LMS or MemberPress?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sensei LMS is cheaper to start with: $15 a month, against $33.25 a month when paid by the year for MemberPress. Sensei LMS starts at $15 per month, billed yearly ($179), for Sensei Pro; the core plugin is free, and MemberPress starts at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50.
Which has a free plan, Sensei LMS or MemberPress?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Sensei LMS has a free plan. MemberPress does not.
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.