1
LearnDash
Course creators and training businesses that want a mature, premium LMS with built-in selling and are comfortable with an annual licence.
95overall scoreDetails
Best WordPress LMS Plugins (2026)
Course builders, quizzes, certificates, drip content and selling courses: how the main WordPress LMS plugins compare.
About LMS Plugins
A learning management system (LMS) plugin turns WordPress into a course platform: you build courses from lessons and quizzes, enrol students, track their progress and issue certificates. Most LMS plugins can also sell courses, either with their own checkout or through WooCommerce and membership plugins, so you keep your students and revenue on your own site.
We compare the most popular WordPress LMS plugins, including LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS, LearnPress, Sensei LMS, MasterStudy LMS, Masteriyo, Thrive Apprentice, Academy LMS and MemberPress Courses. Each one is checked against 25 features covering course building, quizzes and certificates, selling courses, student engagement, and admin and reporting.
Every feature is marked as free, paid, add-on, partial or not offered, with a note and a link to the source. The ranking combines feature coverage with popularity and ratings.
The ranking
Overall score = 55% features, 20% popularity, 25% ratings. Filter by the features you need, or tick two plugins to compare them.
Must have
2
Tutor LMS
Course creators and multi-instructor marketplaces that want a modern free LMS with built-in selling and a clear upgrade path.
95overall scoreDetails
3
Masteriyo LMS
Educators who want a modern free LMS with native payments and an easy migration path from another LMS plugin.
91overall scoreDetails
4
MasterStudy LMS
Course creators and marketplaces that want native checkout and a large catalogue of optional LMS add-ons.
91overall scoreDetails
5
LifterLMS
Course creators and membership site owners who want a full-featured free core and will add paid extensions as they scale.
90overall scoreDetails
6
Academy LMS
Agencies and budget-conscious educators who want a full-featured Pro LMS licence across many sites at a low price.
89overall scoreDetails
7
LearnPress
Budget-conscious educators who want a free LMS core and to pay only for the specific add-ons they need.
87overall scoreDetails
8
MemberPress Courses
Membership site owners who want to add structured courses to the subscriptions they already sell with MemberPress.
80overall scoreDetails
9
Sensei LMS
WooCommerce stores and block-theme sites that want a clean, Automattic-built LMS and plan to sell through WooCommerce.
80overall scoreDetails
10
Thrive Apprentice
Solo creators who want visually polished, conversion-focused course sites and already use Thrive tools.
78overall scoreDetails
No plugin matches every filter you selected. Try removing one.
Pricing compared
Entry and top plans on the same billing period, plus any lifetime deal. Prices are list prices before discounts or tax.
| Plugin | Free version | Entry plan | Top plan | Lifetime | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LearnDash |
No | $259/yrEssentials, 1 site | $599/yrElite, 1 site | — | 3 |
| Tutor LMS |
Yes | $199/yrIndividual, 1 site | $799/yrAgency, Unlimited | — | 3 |
| Masteriyo LMS |
Yes | $199/yrBasic, 1 site | $799/yrElite, 10 sites | $499Elite Lifetime, 1 site | 4 |
| MasterStudy LMS |
Yes | $149/yrSingle site, 1 site | $599/yrUnlimited | — | 3 |
| LifterLMS |
Yes | $398/yrEarth Bundle, 1 site | $1,598/yrInfinity Bundle, Unlimited | — | 3 |
| Academy LMS |
Yes | $149Individual Lifetime, 1 site | — | $149Individual Lifetime, 1 site | 5 |
| LearnPress |
Yes | $19Individual add-ons, 1 site | — | $19Individual add-ons, 1 site | 2 |
| MemberPress Courses |
No | $399/yrLaunch, 1 site | $999/yrScale, 1 site | — | 3 |
| Sensei LMS |
Yes | $60/yrInteractive Blocks, 1 site | $360/yrSensei Agency, 20 sites | — | 3 |
| Thrive Apprentice |
No | $299/yrThrive Apprentice, 1 site | $599/yrThrive Suite, 5 sites | — | 2 |
Spotted an out-of-date price? Suggest an edit.
Full feature matrix
Every plugin against every feature. Scroll sideways on small screens.
| Feature | LearnDash | Tutor LMS | Masteriyo LMS | MasterStudy LMS | LifterLMS | Academy LMS | LearnPress | MemberPress Courses | Sensei LMS | Thrive Apprentice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course building | ||||||||||
| Drag & drop course builder | ||||||||||
| Video, text & file lessons | ||||||||||
| Drip & scheduled content | ||||||||||
| Prerequisites & sequencing | ||||||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Block editor & page builder support | ||||||||||
| Quizzes & certificates | ||||||||||
| Quiz builder | ||||||||||
| Question banks & randomisation | ||||||||||
| Timed quizzes & retakes | ||||||||||
| Certificates | ||||||||||
| Gradebook | ||||||||||
| Selling courses | ||||||||||
| Sell courses (built-in checkout) | ||||||||||
| WooCommerce integration | ||||||||||
| Subscriptions & memberships | ||||||||||
| Course bundles | ||||||||||
| Coupons | ||||||||||
| Students & engagement | ||||||||||
| Student dashboard | ||||||||||
| Progress tracking | ||||||||||
| Points, badges & gamification | ||||||||||
| Discussions & Q&A | ||||||||||
| Student emails | ||||||||||
| Groups & cohorts | ||||||||||
| Admin & reporting | ||||||||||
| Reports & analytics | ||||||||||
| Multiple instructors | ||||||||||
| Import / migration | ||||||||||
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Head-to-head comparisons
LearnPress/Masteriyo LMSLearnDash/LearnPressLifterLMS/Masteriyo LMSAcademy LMS/MasterStudy LMSAcademy LMS/MemberPress CoursesMasteriyo LMS/Tutor LMSAcademy LMS/Masteriyo LMSLearnDash/MemberPress CoursesAcademy LMS/Thrive ApprenticeLifterLMS/MemberPress CoursesMasteriyo LMS/Sensei LMSAcademy LMS/LearnDashLearnDash/MasterStudy LMSMemberPress Courses/Tutor LMSMasterStudy LMS/Thrive ApprenticeAcademy LMS/LifterLMSLifterLMS/MasterStudy LMSLearnPress/MemberPress CoursesMasteriyo LMS/Thrive ApprenticeAcademy LMS/Tutor LMSMasterStudy LMS/Tutor LMSMemberPress Courses/Sensei LMSLearnDash/Thrive ApprenticeAcademy LMS/LearnPressLearnPress/MasterStudy LMSLifterLMS/Thrive ApprenticeAcademy LMS/Sensei LMSMasterStudy LMS/Sensei LMSThrive Apprentice/Tutor LMSMasterStudy LMS/MemberPress CoursesMasteriyo LMS/MasterStudy LMSLearnPress/Thrive ApprenticeMasteriyo LMS/MemberPress CoursesLearnDash/Masteriyo LMSSensei LMS/Thrive ApprenticeMemberPress Courses/Thrive ApprenticeLifterLMS/Sensei LMSSensei LMS/Tutor LMSLearnPress/Sensei LMSLearnDash/LifterLMSLearnDash/Tutor LMSLifterLMS/Tutor LMSLearnPress/LifterLMSLearnPress/Tutor LMSLearnDash/Sensei LMS Buyer's guide
Building courses
Every LMS here can create courses, lessons and quizzes. The differences show up in drip scheduling, prerequisites, assignments and how comfortable the course builder is to use. If you design pages with a page builder or the block editor, check how course pages are templated.
Assessment and certificates
Quiz question types, question banks, time limits and gradebooks matter for formal training and certification. Certificates are common, but some plugins keep custom certificate designs or advanced quiz features in paid plans.
Selling courses
Decide whether you want a built-in checkout or to sell through WooCommerce or a membership plugin. Check which payment gateways are included, whether subscriptions and bundles are supported, and whether the plugin charges any transaction fee.
Students and teams
A clear student dashboard, progress tracking and reminder emails keep learners moving. If you train teams or sell to companies, group enrolment and group leader reporting are essential, and gamification can help completion rates.
Growth and migration
For course marketplaces, look for multiple instructors and revenue sharing. Switching LMS later is hard, so check import tools and reporting before you build a large catalogue.
Browse by feature
Drag & drop course builder (10)
Video, text & file lessons (10)
Drip & scheduled content (10)
Prerequisites & sequencing (10)
Assignments (10)
Block editor & page builder support (10)
Quiz builder (10)
Question banks & randomisation (9)
Timed quizzes & retakes (10)
Certificates (10)
Gradebook (10)
Sell courses (built-in checkout) (9)
WooCommerce integration (9)
Subscriptions & memberships (10)
Course bundles (10)
Coupons (10)
Student dashboard (10)
Progress tracking (10)
Points, badges & gamification (4)
Discussions & Q&A (10)
Student emails (10)
Groups & cohorts (8)
Reports & analytics (10)
Multiple instructors (8)
Import / migration (9)