LearnDash
WordPress plugin for building and selling online courses
LearnDash report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for courses on a WordPress site you already run
LearnDash turns your WordPress site into a course platform: a drag-and-drop builder, quizzes, certificates, memberships and good reporting, for $399 a year with no fee on sales. If you're not already on WordPress, though, you're also signing up for hosting, a theme and updates. And the only way to try it is a 48-hour demo.
Who LearnDash is for
- Great if your business already runs on a WordPress site
- Good for agencies building learning sites for clients
- Handy when you sell group seats to companies, with Elite at $599 a year
Who LearnDash is not for
- Skip it if you don't want to look after WordPress, hosting and updates
- Not for you if you want a free trial longer than a 48-hour demo
- Tight if you let the license lapse, as updates and security patches stop
Why LearnDash gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPro is $399 a year, about $33 a month, with no fee per sale or per student, so $2,000 of sales costs $33 a month: the middle of this category. Hosting for the WordPress site is on top, and isn't in that figure.
- DFree plan and trialNo free version. There's a 48-hour demo site with no card needed, which is a look around rather than a trial.
- CFeaturesA drag-and-drop course builder, quizzes with 8 question types, assignments, certificates, MemberDash memberships, AI outlines and ProPanel reporting. Plenty, but it needs a WordPress site to be useful, and community comes from add-ons like bbPress.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. The builder is drag-and-drop, but first you need WordPress running on a host, then the plugin and its settings, so there's real setup.
- BPlatforms and integrationsRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Elementor, MemberPress, Gravity Forms, bbPress and ThriveCart. No apps listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Liquid Web's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make LearnDash? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/learndash#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/learndash.svg" alt="LearnDash: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where LearnDash stands among course and community platforms
LearnDash's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 0 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $33.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $41 for the category: 5 of the 17 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. LearnDash’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 18, level with 13
- DFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 18, level with 1
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 18, level with 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 18, level with 15
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 18, level with 17
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 19 course and community platforms. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep LearnDash, or make your own?
Your call
You could make the core of LearnDash for yourself: online courses.
What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $399 a year.
What you could make
- Online courses: an app builder makes this well.
- It runs in a browser, which is where something home-made would run too.
What you could not
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. LearnDash’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is LearnDash?
LearnDash is a learning management plugin for WordPress, first launched in 2013 and now sold by Liquid Web. It adds a drag-and-drop course builder, quizzes, assignments, certificates and progress tracking to your own WordPress site, and its built-in MemberDash handles memberships, subscriptions and bundles. It is bought as a yearly license, with no per-student fees.
LearnDash is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $399 per year. See every plan
Good for
- Course sellers who already run a WordPress site
- Agencies building learning sites for clients
- Training providers selling group seats to companies
Worth knowing
- LearnDash needs a WordPress site, so you supply and maintain the hosting, theme and updates yourself.
- The pricing page does not say how many sites a license covers; LearnDash's own license docs still describe 1-site, 10-site and unlimited licenses.
- Group seat sales, the instructor role and multi-instructor courses need Elite at $599 a year.
- The license renews automatically each year; without a valid license the plugin keeps working but gets no updates, security patches or support.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop course builder
- Arrange courses into lessons, topics and assessments, with shared course steps, video progression and a distraction-free focus mode for learners.
- Quizzes, assignments and certificates
- Quizzes with 8 question types including essays and sorting, assignment management, a certificate builder, and badges and points.
- MemberDash memberships
- Membership tiers, recurring subscriptions and course bundles are built in, and members manage their own payment details and subscriptions.
- AI course outlines
- Describe a topic and the AI builder drafts a course outline with lessons and a set of quiz questions to edit before publishing.
- ProPanel reporting
- Enrollment trends, completion rates, quiz performance and at-risk learners in one dashboard, with weighted grading and custom report cards.
- Groups and instructors
- On Elite, sell seats to organizations whose leaders manage their own teams, and let several instructors build courses from the front end.
LearnDash pricing
- Starts at
- $399 per year
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 48-hour free demo site, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $399per year, renews annually | Course and quiz builders, MemberDash memberships, Stripe and PayPal, certificates, AI course outlines and quizzes, ProPanel reporting and gradebook. |
| Elite | $599per year, renews annually | Everything in Pro, plus group management and seat sales, an instructor role with front-end course creation, multiple instructors, and ratings and reviews. |
Read from liquidweb.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with LearnDash before you buy.
Works with
- Stripe
- PayPal
- WooCommerce
- Elementor
- MemberPress
- Gravity Forms
- bbPress
- ThriveCart
LearnDash alternatives
- LearnDash vs MemberPress
From $399/yr
- LearnDash vs Thinkific
Free trial · from $40/mo
- LearnDash vs Teachable
Free trial · from $29/mo
- LearnDash vs LearnWorlds
Free trial · from $24/mo
- LearnDash vs Kajabi
Free trial · from $143/mo
Common questions
Is LearnDash free?
No, LearnDash is a paid product, but you can try it first. 48-hour free demo site, no credit card required.
How much does LearnDash cost?
LearnDash lists 2 plans. Pro: $399 per year, renews annually. Elite: $599 per year, renews annually. Prices were read from liquidweb.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does LearnDash work on?
LearnDash is available on Web.
Does LearnDash have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. LearnDash is listed for Web.
Does LearnDash have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. LearnDash is listed for Web.
Is LearnDash open source?
LearnDash is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does LearnDash have an API?
Yes. LearnDash offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does LearnDash integrate with?
LearnDash's listing names Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Elementor, MemberPress, Gravity Forms, bbPress and ThriveCart. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes LearnDash?
LearnDash is made by Liquid Web, LLC. It dates from 2013.
What are the alternatives to LearnDash?
The closest alternatives to LearnDash in our directory are MemberPress, Thinkific, Teachable, LearnWorlds and Kajabi. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with LearnDash.
How does LearnDash compare with other course and community platforms?
LearnDash's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 0 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 1).
Is LearnDash good value for money?
ToolGPA grades LearnDash C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $33.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $41 for the category: 5 of the 17 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of LearnDash?
You could make the core of LearnDash for yourself: online courses. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $399 a year. What you could not make: It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce among them, and has an API. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.