Selecting a WordPress LMS plugin mostly comes down to one question: what does the free version actually let you do, and where does the paywall start? Nearly every plugin advertises a free tier, but they differ sharply on the features that decide whether you can run a real course of business, namely taking payments, issuing certificates, scheduling lessons, and managing several instructors. This guide compares eight of the most widely used options.<\/p>\n
If you want the most complete free version, Masteriyo and Academy LMS give you the most before you pay, and Tutor LMS is a close third because it sells through WooCommerce on the free plan, whereas Sensei needs its paid Pro plan before it can sell anything. Masteriyo leads for free selling because its free version includes built-in Stripe and PayPal checkout, which most other free tiers leave to WooCommerce or paid add-ons. If you want a polished paid product with a long track record, LearnDash is the benchmark.<\/p>\n
LifterLMS suits membership-led businesses, LearnPress suits budget-conscious sites that add features gradually, Sensei suits WooCommerce-first stores that are willing to pay for Pro, and MasterStudy is a budget-friendly paid option with a broad feature set.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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An LMS plugin turns a WordPress site into a teaching environment where you build courses from lessons and quizzes, enroll students, track progress and, if you choose to charge for access. Before comparing brands, decide which features you cannot do without a course builder you enjoy using, quizzes and assignments, certificates, content drip, a way to accept payments, memberships or subscriptions, multiple instructors with revenue sharing, and standards support such as SCORM if you deliver corporate training. The free-versus-paid question is really a question about which of those features you need on day one.<\/p>\n
Free versions generally give you an unlimited course builder, lessons, and basic quizzes. The differences appear at four points. The first is payments, since some plugins include checkout and others require WooCommerce or a paid add-on. The second is certificates and advanced quizzes. The third is drip scheduling by date or days since enrollment. The fourth is multi-instructor tools, reporting, and integration. Paid tiers also matter for support and updates, because most plugins tie updates to an active license.<\/p>\n
The table below summarizes the current position. Prices are annual and in USD, and they change often, so confirm them on the vendor page before buying.<\/p>\n
| Plugin<\/th>\n | What the Free Version Covers<\/th>\n | What Sits Behind the Paywall<\/th>\n | Paid Pricing<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tutor LMS<\/td>\n | Course builder, quizzes, dashboards, video lessons, and selling via WooCommerce<\/td>\n | Native checkout, subscriptions, memberships, certificates, drip content, and AI tools<\/td>\n | From $199\/yr<\/strong>; higher tiers $399\/yr and $799\/yr. Lifetime from $499<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n| LearnDash<\/td>\n | No free version<\/td>\n | Everything<\/td>\n | From $259\/yr<\/strong>; higher tiers $399\/yr and $599\/yr<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | LifterLMS<\/td>\n | Unlimited courses, students, and memberships (manual payments only)<\/td>\n | Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce add-ons, advanced quizzes, and assignments<\/td>\n | From $199\/yr<\/strong> first year; renews at $398<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | LearnPress<\/td>\n | Course builder, quizzes, PayPal, and offline payments<\/td>\n | Stripe, certificates, gradebook, and assignments<\/td>\n | Add-ons from $19<\/strong>; bundles $149 and $299<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Masteriyo<\/td>\n | Course builder, quizzes, certificates, Stripe, PayPal, and AI course creation<\/td>\n | Advanced drip, assignments, gradebook, bundles, and multi-instructor features<\/td>\n | Paid from $99\/yr<\/strong> (introductory); Pro $149\/yr; renews higher<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Sensei LMS<\/td>\n | Free courses, basic quizzes, and certificate builder<\/td>\n | WooCommerce selling, drip content, and advanced quizzes<\/td>\n | Free \u00b7 Pro from $179\/yr<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | MasterStudy LMS<\/td>\n | Course builder, quizzes, and WooCommerce compatibility<\/td>\n | Certificates, drip content, assignments, live lessons, and subscriptions<\/td>\n | Free \u00b7 Pro from $99\/yr<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Academy LMS<\/td>\n | Frontend course builder, quizzes, and multi-instructor support<\/td>\n | Drip content, prerequisites, Zoom, analytics, and extra integrations<\/td>\n | Pro from $99\/yr<\/strong> (launch price; normally $299)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n | 1. Tutor LMS<\/h3>\nPrice: Free \u00b7 Pro from $199\/yr<\/strong><\/p>\n Tutor LMS combines a modern frontend course builder with a free version generous enough to launch real courses. The free plan includes the course builder, unlimited lessons and courses, video player support, and quizzes, with monetization through WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads. On the free plan, you link a course to a WooCommerce product to sell it. That works well if you already run a store, but it adds a setup step if you do not.<\/p>\n The paywall covers the selling and engagement layer. Pro adds native checkout, subscriptions and memberships, and live classes run through Zoom and Google Meet integrations. Certificates, advanced quiz types, and the AI Studio also require a paid plan. Pro costs $199 a year for one site, $399 for up to 10 sites, and $799 for unlimited sites. Lifetime licenses are also available at $499 for one site and $999 for up to 10 sites. It is a strong pick for educators who care about student experience and quiz quality and do not mind WooCommerce.<\/p>\n Price: From $259\/yr<\/p>\n LearnDash has been the reference point for WordPress LMS plugins for years, and it is the only plugin on this list with no free version. Capterra lists it with no free trial and no free version. A 15-day money-back guarantee is the way to test it.<\/p>\n Pricing has changed recently, and many articles still quote the old figure. LearnDash’s own pricing page lists Essentials at $259 a year, Pro at $399, and Elite at $599. Essentials include the drag-and-drop course builder, quiz builder, memberships, Stripe and PayPal integrations, focus mode, and a certificate builder. Pro adds an AI course outline and quiz builder, advanced reporting, and weighted grading, while Elite adds multi-instructor management and frontend course creation. Renewals are charged at the then-current rate, so the price you pay in year one is not guaranteed later.<\/p>\n LearnDash has no native SCORM or xAPI support, so compliance-style content usually relies on a third-party add-on such as GrassBlade or Tin Canny. LearnDash is the natural choice for training organizations, universities, and businesses with complex course structures. It is probably more of a platform than a solo creator with a single course needs.<\/p>\n Price: Free \u00b7 Pro from $199\/yr<\/strong><\/p>\n LifterLMS was built around courses and memberships together, which makes it a good fit for coaches and creators selling recurring access. The core plugin is free and includes unlimited courses, lessons, students, memberships, and basic quizzes. The catch is monetization. The free core processes payments manually only, and Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce support come with the Earn Bundle.<\/p>\n The most recent pricing checklist lists Earth at $199 for the first year and $398 on renewal, Universe at $299 then $598 for five sites, and Infinity at $799 then $1,598 for unlimited sites. LifterLMS’s own pricing page presents the first-year figures as an introductory 50% discount, and older articles that quote lower prices are out of date. Advanced quizzes and assignments are paid add-ons. For subscription-driven businesses, LifterLMS is strong. For single-course sales, the bundle cost and the jump at renewal make it harder to justify.<\/p>\n Price: Free \u00b7 Add-ons from $19<\/strong><\/p>\n LearnPress fits the classic WordPress workflow, with courses built in the way you build posts and pages. The free version handles free courses or PayPal-only paid courses, and Stripe, drip, advanced quizzes, and certificate customization all move into add-ons. Individual add-ons run from $19 to $49, with the Stripe and Certificates add-ons at $39 each. The Semi-Pro Bundle is $149, and the Pro Bundle is $299. The Pro Bundle covers one site with 12 months of support and updates, and the free plan comes with 8 free add-ons.<\/p>\n That makes LearnPress inexpensive to start and easy to outgrow. It suits site owners who want to add a course area to an existing site, accept PayPal, and buy only the add-ons they need. If you expect to need Stripe, certificates, and a gradebook, price the add-ons together before deciding if it is the cheaper route.<\/p>\n Price: Free \u00b7 Pro from $99\/yr<\/strong><\/p>\n Masteriyo has one of the fullest free tiers of the group. The free version includes the built-in order system with Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce checkout, plus quizzes and certificates. AI-assisted course creation is available in the free plan too, although you connect to your own OpenAI key.<\/p>\n Sequential content drip is free, while scheduling lessons to unlock after a set number of days or on specific dates is a Pro feature. Pro also adds prerequisites, assignments, advanced quiz types, a gradebook, course bundles and subscriptions, coupons, multiple instructors per course, and Zoom and Google Meet integration. Paid plans start at $99 a year (Basic), $149 (Pro), and $399 (Elite, which covers 10 sites). These are introductory prices, and the list prices are $199, $299, and $799. Pro renews at $299 after the introductory year.<\/p>\n Price: Free \u00b7 Pro from $179\/yr<\/strong><\/p>\n Sensei is built by Automattic, the company behind WooCommerce, and it is designed to work with a WooCommerce store. The free plugin offers unlimited free courses, a certificate builder, basic quizzes, and a distraction-free learning mode. The important limit is that free Sensei is for free courses. Selling requires Sensei Pro at $179 a year (about $15 a month billed annually). An Agency plan at $360 a year covers up to 20 sites, and Interactive Blocks is a separate add-on at $60 a year. If your store already runs on WooCommerce and you value native block-editor integration, Sensei is worth a look. If you need to sell without paying, it is not the strongest free option.<\/p>\n Price: Free \u00b7 Pro from $99\/yr<\/strong><\/p>\n MasterStudy LMS is a feature-rich option with a free version on WordPress.org and a budget-friendly paid tier. It works with WooCommerce and Paid Memberships Pro. Pro unlocks additional lesson types, assignments, certificates, drip content, live classes, subscriptions and memberships, advanced analytics, and instructor payouts and marketplace tools. The single-site Pro plan starts at $99 a year and includes premium add-ons, one year of updates, and priority ticket support. A Pro Plus tier adds 26 more add-ons. It is a good middle path for people who want a wide feature set for less than LearnDash, though it is less widely covered than the bigger names, so test it with your theme before committing.<\/p>\n Price: Free \u00b7 Pro from $99\/yr<\/strong><\/p>\n Academy LMS is the plugin to look at if you want to run a marketplace. The free version includes a fast frontend admin interface, a frontend course builder, quizzes, certificates, multi-instructor support with revenue sharing, and earnings and withdrawal management. To sell paid courses on the free plan, you connect to WooCommerce. Academy also offers StoreEngine, a native checkout plugin from the same company that is free to install, with a Pro version at $49 a year.<\/p>\n Pro adds advanced quizzes, content drip, assignments, SCORM import, Zoom and Google Meet, advanced analytics, course bundles, gradebook, prerequisites, WooCommerce Subscriptions, and automatic WooCommerce product creation. Paid plans are sold yearly or as lifetime licenses, and the tiers are defined by site count.<\/p>\n The plugin license is only part of the bill. On a self-hosted plugin, you also pay for hosting, a domain, your payment processor fees, and, often, a theme or add-ons. One recent breakdown suggests budgeting roughly $60 to $120 a year for basic managed hosting<\/a> on top of a LearnDash license. Another estimates $450 to $650 in year one, including hosting, a theme, and a couple of add-ons. (Both sources are listed under Sources below.) Two points make the difference between a cheap-looking plugin and a cheap-running site. The first is renewal pricing, since LifterLMS and Masteriyo both renew above their first-year price. The second is add-on stacking, since LearnPress can start free and end up costing as much as an all-in-one plugin once Stripe, certificates, and a gradebook are added.<\/p>\n Compared with hosted platforms such as Teachable or Thinkific, a WordPress plugin usually charges no cut of your sales, so you pay software, hosting, and processor fees and keep the rest. Hosted platforms offer faster setup and no server to manage, in exchange for a monthly fee and, often, a transaction fee on sales.<\/p>\n An LMS is heavier than a brochure site, because students log in, load lessons, and submit quizzes, and logged-in traffic cannot be served from a page cache the way anonymous traffic can. In practice, that means choosing a host with enough PHP workers and memory for concurrent students, a current PHP version, object caching such as Redis, staging for testing updates, and reliable daily backups. Video is the biggest load. Host it on a dedicated video service rather than your own server; embed it in lessons. For small academies, good managed WordPress hosting is usually enough. Once you have hundreds of simultaneous learners, a VPS or cloud plan with dedicated resources is the safer choice. Compare providers on our WordPress hosting<\/a> pages before you commit.<\/p>\n Stay on a free plan while you are validating an idea, running a single instructor course, or selling through a checkout the free tier already includes. Upgrade when you hit a concrete limit: you need date-based drip, certificates that are locked behind Pro, assignments and grading, subscriptions or memberships, multiple instructors with payouts, detailed reporting, or dependable priority support. Consider a hosted platform instead if you would rather not manage WordPress updates, security, and performance yourself.<\/p>\n The best WordPress LMS plugin is the one whose free tier already covers your first course and whose paid tier does not surprise you later. Masteriyo and Academy LMS give you the most for free, Tutor LMS sells through WooCommerce on its free plan, while Sensei needs Pro before it can sell; LearnDash and LifterLMS are the mature paid options, LearnPress is cheap to start but add-on heavy; and MasterStudy offers broad features at a modest price. Start free, list the features you cannot work without, price the upgrade path honestly, and pair the plugin with hosting that can handle your students.<\/p>\n Ans.<\/strong> It depends on what you need to do without paying. Masteriyo includes checkout, certificates and quizzes in its free version, Academy LMS has a strong free multi-instructor setup; and Tutor LMS is a solid free choice if you sell through WooCommerce.<\/p>\n Ans. <\/strong>Yes. Masteriyo includes built-in Stripe and PayPal payments in the free plugin, and several others let you sell for free through WooCommerce, which is itself free to use.<\/p>\n Ans. <\/strong>For organizations that need complex course structures, advanced reporting, groups, and cohorts, it often is. For a solo creator selling one course, cheaper options cover most needs.<\/p>\n Ans. <\/strong>Tutor LMS and Sensei both integrate closely with WooCommerce. Tutor’s free version can sell through it, while Sensei requires its paid Pro plan to sell.<\/p>\n Ans. <\/strong>The plugins covered here do not take a percentage of your sales. You pay your payment processor fees, plus your hosting and license costs.<\/p>\n Ans. <\/strong>Yes, though it takes planning. Some plugins, such as Masteriyo, include a migration tool, but you should always test a staging site first.<\/p>\n |