LifterLMS review (2026): is the free plan enough?
WordPress LMS plugin with a free core and paid bundles
Black Friday: is there a LifterLMS sale?
LifterLMS report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a free WordPress course plugin you host yourself
LifterLMS is a WordPress course plugin with a free core and paid bundles from $398 a year. It only runs on a WordPress site you host, and the bundles renew at full price.
Who LifterLMS is for
- 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
Who LifterLMS is not for
- 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
Why LifterLMS gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyThe 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.
- BFree plan and trialThe free core gives unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers with quizzes and certificates. You pay for hosting yourself.
- CFeaturesCourses, memberships, ecommerce and reporting add-ons. The listing's gap: advanced quizzes, assignments and continuing education tracking need the Infinity bundle.
- DEase of useIt runs only on a WordPress site you host and update yourself.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal and WooCommerce connections.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from LifterLMS's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/lifterlms#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/lifterlms.svg" alt="LifterLMS: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where LifterLMS stands among course and community platforms
LifterLMS's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 14 of the 41 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 35 of 41) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $33.17 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $49 for the category: 10 of the 36 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 10 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 42 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. LifterLMS’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 9 of 41, level with 25
- BFree plan and trialAbove 35 of 41, level with 6
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 41, level with 26
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 41, level with 3
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 41, level with 34
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 39 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 LifterLMS, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace LifterLMS you would be making email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $398 a year.
What you could make
- Online courses, templates and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
What this rests on. LifterLMS’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 LifterLMS?
LifterLMS is a learning management plugin for WordPress. The free core plugin covers unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers, and quizzes and certificates. Paid yearly bundles add ecommerce, email marketing, forms and advanced add-ons, priced by the number of active sites.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
LifterLMS pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, LifterLMS has a free plan, and paid plans start at $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin.
- Starts at
- $398 per year for 1 site (Earth bundle), or a free core plugin
- Free plan
- Core plugin: unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers, with quizzes, certificates and achievement badges.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Core Plugin | $0 | Free LMS plugin for WordPress with unlimited courses, memberships, students and teachers; you host it yourself. |
| Earth Bundle | $398per 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 | $598per 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 | $1598per year for unlimited sites, renews at full price | Everything in Universe plus 15 advanced add-ons and support for 3 users. |
Read from lifterlms.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with LifterLMS before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsFirst 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.
Stated on lifterlms.com - Lifetime licenseInfinity Bundle lifetime license
The pricing page offers a lifetime Infinity Bundle license with updates, support and future products and no renewal payments.
Stated on lifterlms.com
Works with
LifterLMS alternatives
- LifterLMS vs LearnDash
Free trial · from $350/yr
- LifterLMS vs Sensei LMS
Free plan · from $15/mo
- LifterLMS vs MemberPress
From $399/yr
- LifterLMS vs Paid Memberships Pro
Free plan · from $49/mo
Common questions
Does LifterLMS have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. LifterLMS is listed for Web.
Does LifterLMS have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. LifterLMS is listed for Web.
Is LifterLMS open source?
LifterLMS is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.