Sensei LMS vs Tutor LMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tutor LMS grades higher than Sensei LMS: 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 the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use 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
Tutor LMS
WordPress course plugin with a free core and paid Pro licenses
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 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
| 2.2GPASensei LMSFair | 2.6GPATutor LMSGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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 | 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. | 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, 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. | 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 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 WooCommerce, VideoPress, YouTube and Vimeo connections. | BWeb only, but it connects to WooCommerce, Zoom, Google Meet, Paid Memberships Pro, FluentCRM, BuddyPress, Elementor and OpenAI. |
| Best for | courses on WordPress with a free core | 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: Sensei LMS and Tutor LMS. 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. Tutor LMS starts at $16.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Tutor LMS scores higher, and starts $1.58 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 Sensei LMS 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
- Sensei LMS is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Sensei LMS | Tutor LMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per month, billed yearly ($179), for Sensei Pro; the core plugin is free | $199 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | Sensei Free: unlimited free courses, certificate builder, basic quizzes and learning mode, open-source and community supported. | 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 | Automattic | Tutor LMS |
| Price read from | senseilms.com | tutorlms.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Sensei LMS
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Sensei LMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sensei LMS is cheaper to start with: $15 a month, against $16.58 a month when paid by the year for Tutor LMS. Sensei LMS starts at $15 per month, billed yearly ($179), for Sensei Pro; the core plugin is free, and Tutor LMS starts at $199 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, Sensei LMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Sensei LMS 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.