LearnPress vs Thrive Apprentice
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 25 features compared side by side.
Free WordPress LMS by ThimPress with courses, lessons, quizzes and PayPal checkout; certificates, drip and other extras are low-cost add-ons.
Premium WordPress course plugin from Thrive Themes focused on visual course design, flexible drip schedules and built-in Stripe selling.
Choose LearnPress if…
- You need points, badges & gamification and multiple instructors
- You also want import / migration
- You want the more complete feature set (85/100 vs 77/100)
- You want to start with a free version
Choose Thrive Apprentice if…
- Solo creators who want visually polished, conversion-focused course sites and already use Thrive tools
LearnPress includes 3 features that Thrive Apprentice lacks, including Points, badges & gamification, Multiple instructors and Import / migration. 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.
LearnPress Thrive ApprenticeCourse building6/66/6
Free curriculum builder for sections, lessons and quizzes.
Drag-and-drop builder for modules, chapters and lessons.
Lessons with text, video embeds and media; H5P is a paid add-on.
Text, video and audio lessons with downloadable resources.
Content Drip is a paid add-on ($39).
Six drip schedule types including evergreen, calendar and specific dates.
Free official Prerequisites Courses add-on.
Lessons can unlock after earlier content or another course is completed.
Assignments is a paid add-on ($39).
Assessments accept file uploads, YouTube or external links and quizzes for grading.
Gutenberg blocks for single course, archive and course lists; Elementor via Thim Elementor Kit.
Templates built in Thrive's own visual editor rather than Gutenberg blocks.
Quizzes & certificates5/54/5
Core quiz types: single, multiple, true/false, fill-in-blank, essay; Sorting Choice is paid.
Quizzes come from Thrive Quiz Builder (paid; included in Thrive Suite).
Questions can be reused in core; random question pools need the paid Random Quiz add-on.
Question pools or random questions are not documented for Thrive Quiz Builder.
Quiz duration, retake count and passing grade in core.
Lessons can unlock on quiz score thresholds; time limits not documented.
Certificates with drag-and-drop builder is a paid add-on ($39).
Drag-and-drop certificates with dynamic data, serial numbers and QR codes.
Gradebook is a paid add-on ($39) with CSV export.
Assessment inbox for grading submissions; no full gradebook view.
Selling courses5/55/5
PayPal is built into core; Stripe and other gateways are paid add-ons.
Stripe is built in for one-time and recurring products.
WooCommerce integration is a paid add-on ($49).
WooCommerce is a supported checkout integration.
Memberships & Subscriptions or Paid Memberships Pro add-ons (paid).
Stripe subscription products with optional free trials.
Paid Upsell add-on sells course packages; Collections groups courses.
Products can contain two or more courses sold together.
Coupons come with the paid Upsell add-on; not in core.
Stripe products can allow promotion codes at checkout.
Students & engagement5/64/6
Student profile shows courses, progress and quiz results.
Profile pages and course lists with progress labels; no single learner dashboard.
Lesson and course progress tracking in core.
Progress bars and lesson completion tracking.
Points and rewards via the paid myCRED add-on ($29).
No points, badges or leaderboards in Apprentice.
Free bbPress and BuddyPress integration add-ons.
Students can comment on lessons (WordPress or Thrive Comments).
Automated emails for enrolment, completion and checkout in core.
Built-in course welcome emails; other emails via Thrive Automator or an autoresponder.
No group or team enrolment add-on in the official catalogue.
No group or team enrolment feature.
Admin & reporting3/31/3
Basic statistics in core; detailed grading via paid Gradebook add-on.
Reports on enrolments, completions, lesson progress, drop-off and engagement.
Instructor role in core; Co-Instructors and Commission are paid add-ons.
Single-owner course tool; no instructor roles or revenue sharing.
Free Backup & Migration add-on imports from Tutor, LearnDash, MasterStudy.
No course import; content from other platforms must be rebuilt.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
LearnPress Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Individual add-ons | $19 one-off, 1 site |
| Pro Bundle | $299 per year, 1 site |
Thrive Apprentice Premium
| Thrive Apprentice | $299 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Thrive Suite | $599 per year, 5 sites |
Downloads trend
LearnPress
30,145 downloads last week
Thrive Apprentice
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
LearnPress scores higher on our feature checklist (85/100 against 77/100) and includes points, badges & gamification, multiple instructors and import / migration that Thrive Apprentice does not. Only LearnPress has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
LearnPress: via add-on. Thrive Apprentice: not included. Points and rewards via the paid myCRED add-on ($29).
LearnPress: via add-on. Thrive Apprentice: not included. Instructor role in core; Co-Instructors and Commission are paid add-ons.
LearnPress: via add-on. Thrive Apprentice: not included. Free Backup & Migration add-on imports from Tutor, LearnDash, MasterStudy.
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, LearnPress or Thrive Apprentice?
LearnPress scores higher on our feature checklist (85/100 against 77/100) and includes points, badges & gamification, multiple instructors and import / migration that Thrive Apprentice does not. Only LearnPress has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
LearnPress includes 24 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 LearnPress free?
LearnPress has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $19.
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 LearnPress 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.