LearnDash vs Thrive Apprentice
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 25 features compared side by side.
Premium WordPress LMS for selling and managing courses, with drip content, quizzes, certificates, groups and native Stripe/PayPal checkout.
Premium WordPress course plugin from Thrive Themes focused on visual course design, flexible drip schedules and built-in Stripe selling.
Choose LearnDash if…
- You need groups & cohorts and points, badges & gamification
- You also want multiple instructors and import / migration
- You want the more complete feature set (99/100 vs 77/100)
- You want the lower entry price ($259/yr vs $299/yr)
Choose Thrive Apprentice if…
- Solo creators who want visually polished, conversion-focused course sites and already use Thrive tools
LearnDash includes 4 features that Thrive Apprentice lacks, including Points, badges & gamification, Groups & cohorts and Multiple instructors. Both include 20 of the 25 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
LearnDash Thrive ApprenticeCourse building6/66/6
Drag-and-drop course builder plus a course creation wizard in all plans.
Drag-and-drop builder for modules, chapters and lessons.
Lessons and topics take any block content, with video progression to require watching videos.
Text, video and audio lessons with downloadable resources.
Lessons can unlock X days after enrolment or on a specific date; no extra plugin needed.
Six drip schedule types including evergreen, calendar and specific dates.
Linear course progression plus course and quiz prerequisites.
Lessons can unlock after earlier content or another course is completed.
Core assignment uploads with approval, grading and comments.
Assessments accept file uploads, YouTube or external links and quizzes for grading.
20+ Gutenberg blocks; shortcodes and an Elementor add-on cover page builders.
Templates built in Thrive's own visual editor rather than Gutenberg blocks.
Quizzes & certificates5/54/5
Quiz builder with eight question types, including essay, sorting and matching.
Quizzes come from Thrive Quiz Builder (paid; included in Thrive Suite).
Shared questions across quizzes and display of a random subset of questions.
Question pools or random questions are not documented for Thrive Quiz Builder.
Per-quiz time limit, retake limits and passing percentage.
Lessons can unlock on quiz score thresholds; time limits not documented.
Certificate builder for courses, quizzes and groups in every plan.
Drag-and-drop certificates with dynamic data, serial numbers and QR codes.
Gradebook with weighted grading and report cards comes with the Pro plan.
Assessment inbox for grading submissions; no full gradebook view.
Selling courses5/55/5
Built-in checkout with Stripe and PayPal; Razorpay and 2Checkout integrations documented.
Stripe is built in for one-time and recurring products.
Free official WooCommerce integration add-on links courses to products.
WooCommerce is a supported checkout integration.
Recurring payments plus memberships via bundled MemberDash in all plans.
Stripe subscription products with optional free trials.
Bundles included in Essentials; groups can also sell several courses together.
Products can contain two or more courses sold together.
Native flat or percentage coupons for courses and groups (one-time payments only).
Stripe products can allow promotion codes at checkout.
Students & engagement6/64/6
Profile block shows enrolled courses, progress and certificates.
Profile pages and course lists with progress labels; no single learner dashboard.
Lesson, topic and course completion tracking with progress bars.
Progress bars and lesson completion tracking.
Achievements add-on (badges, points, leaderboards) included with all plans.
No points, badges or leaderboards in Apprentice.
Lesson comments in Focus Mode and an official bbPress integration for forums.
Students can comment on lessons (WordPress or Thrive Comments).
Learner notifications for enrolment, completion and more in all plans.
Built-in course welcome emails; other emails via Thrive Automator or an autoresponder.
Core groups with group leaders; seat sales and org hierarchy need Elite (Groups Plus).
No group or team enrolment feature.
Admin & reporting3/31/3
Core reports and CSV exports in all plans; ProPanel analytics need the Pro plan.
Reports on enrolments, completions, lesson progress, drop-off and engagement.
Instructor Role add-on with commissions and front-end course creation is Elite-only.
Single-owner course tool; no instructor roles or revenue sharing.
Official Migration add-on imports from LearnPress, Tutor, Sensei, LifterLMS; SCORM needs a third party.
No course import; content from other platforms must be rebuilt.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
LearnDash Premium
| Essentials | $259 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Pro | $399 per year, 1 site |
| Elite | $599 per year, 1 site |
Thrive Apprentice Premium
| Thrive Apprentice | $299 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Thrive Suite | $599 per year, 5 sites |
Verdict
LearnDash scores higher on our feature checklist (99/100 against 77/100) and includes groups & cohorts, points, badges & gamification and multiple instructors that Thrive Apprentice does not. Paid plans start at $259/yr for LearnDash and $299/yr for Thrive Apprentice. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
LearnDash: included. Thrive Apprentice: not included. Core groups with group leaders; seat sales and org hierarchy need Elite (Groups Plus).
LearnDash: included. Thrive Apprentice: not included. Achievements add-on (badges, points, leaderboards) included with all plans.
LearnDash: paid version (Elite). Thrive Apprentice: not included. Instructor Role add-on with commissions and front-end course creation is Elite-only.
LearnDash: via add-on. Thrive Apprentice: not included. Official Migration add-on imports from LearnPress, Tutor, Sensei, LifterLMS; SCORM needs a third party.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, LearnDash or Thrive Apprentice?
LearnDash scores higher on our feature checklist (99/100 against 77/100) and includes groups & cohorts, points, badges & gamification and multiple instructors that Thrive Apprentice does not. Paid plans start at $259/yr for LearnDash and $299/yr for Thrive Apprentice. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
LearnDash includes 25 of the 25 features we track, against 20 for Thrive Apprentice. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is LearnDash free?
LearnDash is premium only. Paid plans start at $259/yr.
Is Thrive Apprentice free?
Thrive Apprentice is premium only. Paid plans start at $299/yr.
Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to LearnDash or Thrive Apprentice. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.