LearnDash vs LifterLMS

LifterLMS wins 3 of the 3 points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.

Feature	LearnDash	LifterLMS
Our score	7.2/10	8/10 (better)
Starts at	$350/year	$199/year (better)
Free version	No	Yes (better)
Refund window	–	30 days
Billing	Subscription	Subscription
Active installs	–	10K+
Last Black Friday	30% off	–
Category	Other tools	Membership & LMS
Vendor	Liquid Web	Lifterlms
Black Friday 2026	Not announced	Not announced

Which should you choose?

Choose LearnDash if…

Course creators selling online courses
Companies training teams with group seats

LearnDash review Visit LearnDash

Choose LifterLMS if…

Course creators on WordPress
Membership sites that need a free starting point
You want to start free
You want the lower starting price

LifterLMS review Visit LifterLMS

Features

LearnDash

Course builder
Quiz question types
Certificates and assignments
Built-in memberships
Group enrollment
Front-end course creation
Progress reporting

LifterLMS

Course builder
Memberships and access plans
Payment gateways
Cart abandonment recovery
Email and form integrations
Quizzes and assignments
Private groups and cohorts

Pros and cons

LearnDash

Drag-and-drop course builder with 8 quiz question types
Memberships and group enrollment are built in
Front-end course creation for multiple instructors

Standalone plan prices are not listed on the official page
The lowest price is a bundle that includes The Events Calendar, Give and Kadence
The 1-site plan is $350 per year

LifterLMS

Core LMS plugin is free with unlimited courses and students
Paid bundles include ecommerce and marketing add-ons
30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans

Ecommerce and advanced features need a paid bundle
Paid bundles renew at full price after the first year

Pricing plans

LearnDash

1 siteStarts here
$350/year
1 site
- Bundle with The Events Calendar, Give, LearnDash and Kadence
10 sites
$599/year
10 sites
- Bundle with The Events Calendar, Give, LearnDash and Kadence
25 sites
$799/year
25 sites
- Bundle with The Events Calendar, Give, LearnDash and Kadence

LifterLMS

LifterLMS Core Plugin
Free
Unlimited sites
- Unlimited courses
- Unlimited memberships
- Unlimited students and teachers
EarthStarts here
$199/year
1 site
- Unlimited support for 1 user
- Ecommerce add-ons for Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce
- Cart abandonment recovery add-on
Universe
$299/year
5 sites
- Unlimited support for 2 users
- Sky Pilot theme
- Email marketing and CRM add-ons

What Reddit says

LearnDash

Reddit users are split on LearnDash. Its accessibility overhaul is cited as a success, but a recent price rise of more than 100% on some tiers has angered many users, who say promises to honour legacy licences were not kept.

LifterLMS

Reddit mentions of LifterLMS are thin: a 2019 sysadmin thread lists it as one WordPress LMS option for a 500-user organisation, and a 2026 post reports that Elementor editing did not work on course pages until course and lesson options were enabled in Elementor settings.