MasterStudy LMS vs Tutor LMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tutor LMS grades higher than MasterStudy LMS: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Tutor LMS grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MasterStudy LMS
WordPress LMS plugin with a free Starter license and paid yearly tiers
Tutor LMS
WordPress course plugin with a free core and paid Pro licenses
Which one is for you
Pick MasterStudy LMS if
- Fits if you already run WordPress and want to add a course area
- Works for agencies who need a license covering 10 or unlimited sites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to host a site, since it runs only on self-hosted WordPress
- Tight if you stay on the free Starter license, as it comes with 1 prebuilt site and community support only
- Pricey if you build for many clients: $299 a year for 10 sites, $599 for unlimited
- Watch out: paid licenses give a year of updates and support, and the Lifetime prices on the page could not be read
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
| 2.4GPAMasterStudy LMSFair | 2.6GPATutor LMSGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$149 a year for one site is about $12.42 a month, inside the cheapest quarter of courses tools, which start at $20. The free Starter license costs nothing, but you still pay for your own 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 | BThe Starter license is free with updates and community support. Priority ticket support and 20 prebuilt sites need a paid license. | 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 | BCourse builder, quizzes, assignments, Zoom lessons, drip content, certificates and group courses. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job. | 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 inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting, updates and security are yours to set up. No store rating is on record. | DNo rating on record. It only runs inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting and updates are your job. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, through WordPress, with Zoom and Google Classroom on the list. Nothing for phones or desktops is listed. | BWeb only, but it connects to WooCommerce, Zoom, Google Meet, Paid Memberships Pro, FluentCRM, BuddyPress, Elementor and OpenAI. |
| Best for | WordPress course sites on a small budget | 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: MasterStudy LMS and Tutor LMS. How we grade
Price against what you get
MasterStudy LMS starts at $12.42 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 $4.16 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 8 score higher than MasterStudy 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
- MasterStudy LMS is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| MasterStudy LMS | Tutor LMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $149 per year for 1 site | $199 per year for 1 site |
| Free plan | Starter: free license and free updates with community support and 1 free prebuilt website. | 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 | StylemixThemes | Tutor LMS |
| Price read from | stylemixthemes.com | tutorlms.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MasterStudy LMS
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site, so hosting and security are your job.
- Paid licenses give 1 year of updates and support from the purchase date.
- The pricing page also has a Lifetime toggle, but those prices could not be read from the page text.
- Refunds are offered within 14 days, under the vendor's refund policy.
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
MasterStudy LMS
- Course builder
- Build courses with lessons, a course details page and prerequisites, and import classes from a Google Classroom account.
- Quizzes and assignments
- Add knowledge-test quizzes to courses and set detailed assignments for students to submit.
- Live lessons
- Teach with Zoom lessons, meetings and webinars from inside the course site, with live-stream support listed on the product pages.
- Drip content and certificates
- Release lessons on a schedule and design certificates for completed courses with a template builder.
- Group courses and notifications
- Group courses let a buyer enroll several students; on-site and browser push notifications keep students and instructors informed.
- Prebuilt websites
- Starter-site templates for a ready-made course site: 1 on the free license and 20 on paid licenses.
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
MasterStudy LMS
Starter$0
Free license and updates, community support and 1 prebuilt website.
Single site$149
per year for 1 site
1 site license, updates for 1 year, priority ticket support and 20 prebuilt websites.
10 sites$299
per year for up to 10 sites
Same inclusions as the single-site plan, with a license for 10 sites.
Unlimited$599
per year for unlimited sites
Same inclusions with an unlimited-site license, marked on the page as for developers.
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
MasterStudy 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, MasterStudy LMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, MasterStudy LMS is cheaper to start with: $12.42 a month when paid by the year, against $16.58 a month when paid by the year for Tutor LMS. MasterStudy LMS starts at $149 per year for 1 site, and Tutor LMS starts at $199 per year for 1 site.
Which has a free plan, MasterStudy LMS or Tutor LMS?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both MasterStudy 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.