LearnDash
Corporate learning management systems
Learning management systems
Online learning platforms
Talent management software
Training eLearning software
Education software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$199 per year
Free Trial unavailableFree version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
- Accommodation and food services
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation
What is LearnDash
LearnDash is a WordPress-based learning management system used to create, deliver, and sell online courses. It is typically adopted by small to mid-sized organizations, training providers, and educators that already run their websites on WordPress and want to add structured courses, quizzes, and certificates. The product is delivered as a WordPress plugin and relies on the WordPress ecosystem for hosting, themes, and many extensions. It supports course authoring and learner management within WordPress, with optional integrations for e-commerce, memberships, and marketing tools.
Native WordPress deployment model
LearnDash installs as a WordPress plugin, which fits teams that already manage content and users in WordPress. This approach allows organizations to keep the learning experience on their own domain and align it with existing site navigation and branding. It also enables administrators to use familiar WordPress roles, pages, and content workflows. For buyers comparing LMS options, this can reduce the need to adopt a separate hosted platform when WordPress is already the system of record for web content.
Strong course and assessment tools
The platform includes structured course building with lessons, topics, prerequisites, and drip scheduling. It provides quizzes and question banks with multiple question types and grading options, plus certificates and badges for completion. These features cover common compliance and skills training patterns without requiring custom development. Reporting is available, and many organizations extend analytics through WordPress plugins or external BI via integrations.
Large integration and add-on ecosystem
LearnDash integrates with common WordPress e-commerce and membership approaches (for example, selling courses, subscriptions, or bundles). It also supports integrations with CRMs, email marketing, and automation tools through add-ons and third-party connectors. This ecosystem can help organizations assemble a broader learning stack without replacing existing web tooling. Compared with more closed platforms, the WordPress marketplace offers many implementation paths, though outcomes depend on configuration choices.
Requires WordPress hosting and upkeep
Because it runs on WordPress, the buyer is responsible for hosting, performance, backups, and security hardening. Ongoing maintenance includes WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates, which can introduce compatibility issues. Organizations without web operations support may find the operational burden higher than a fully hosted LMS. Scaling to large learner volumes often requires careful infrastructure and caching configuration.
Enterprise LMS features may vary
Capabilities often expected in corporate LMS deployments—such as advanced multi-tenant management, complex organizational hierarchies, and deep native analytics—may require additional add-ons or custom work. Some talent management functions (e.g., performance management, succession planning) are not core to the product and typically sit outside WordPress-based LMS deployments. Buyers needing standardized enterprise governance and audit controls may need to validate requirements carefully. The product can support many use cases, but the path is frequently configuration- and integration-driven.
Implementation depends on add-ons
Many common requirements (payments, memberships, SSO, advanced reporting, or specific integrations) rely on third-party plugins or paid extensions. This can increase total cost of ownership and create vendor fragmentation across multiple plugin providers. Troubleshooting can be more complex when issues span WordPress, hosting, themes, and several plugins. Procurement and IT teams may need to assess plugin quality, update cadence, and support coverage as part of the rollout.
Plan & Pricing
LearnDash LMS (self-hosted WordPress plugin — annual licenses)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Site | $199 per year | Includes updates & support; drag & drop course builder, AI course outline & quiz builder, assignment management, Focus Mode, ProPanel (add-on marketplace available). cite |
| 10 Sites | $399 per year | Same feature set as 1 Site license; multi-site / multi-client use case. cite |
| Unlimited Sites | $799 per year | Full feature set for unlimited installs; intended for agencies/enterprises. cite |
StellarSites Learning (LearnDash Cloud / hosted WordPress — monthly or annual billing)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Essential (Starter) | $29 per month (when billed annually — $348/yr) or $39 per month (month-to-month) | Fully managed WordPress hosting optimized for learning; includes LearnDash LMS, hosting, starter templates, daily backups, security, email/chat support. Billed in USD plus applicable taxes. cite |
| Plus (Growth) | $55 per month (when billed annually) or $69 per month (month-to-month) | More capacity and features (Advanced Analytics, Instructor Selling Tools, reporting dashboards, Groups Management, Gradebook, Notes add-on). cite |
| Ultimate (Pro) | $79 per month (when billed annually) or $99 per month (month-to-month) | Maximum capability: highest performance, more storage/bandwidth, Groups Management, Gradebook, Notes, advanced tooling. cite |
Notes:
- Add-ons: LearnDash offers both free and paid add-ons (examples: Gradebook, Notes — free; premium add-ons start at roughly $49–$99; some listed as “Starting at $80/99”). See Add-ons page for individual pricing. cite
- All prices shown on the LearnDash site are in USD and do not include applicable taxes. Annual vs monthly billing differences are noted on the site. cite
