LifterLMS has everything you need to easily create, launch, and scale courses from your own WordPress LMS website.
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $199/year
- Category
- Membership & LMS
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for LifterLMS
LifterLMS vs Paymattic
Paymattic wins 2 of the 3 points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.
At a glance
| Feature | LifterLMS | Paymattic |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8/10 | 8.3/10 (better) |
| Starts at | $199/year | $83/year (better) |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Refund window | 30 days | – |
| Billing | Subscription | Free + paid plans |
| Active installs | 10K+ (better) | 3K+ |
| Last Black Friday | – | 50% off |
| Category | Membership & LMS | Membership & LMS |
| Vendor | Lifterlms | Paymattic |
| Black Friday 2026 | Not announced | Not announced |
Which should you choose?
Choose LifterLMS if…
- Course creators on WordPress
- Membership sites that need a free starting point
Choose Paymattic if…
- Small businesses that take payments on WordPress
- Nonprofits that collect donations
- You want the lower starting price
Features
LifterLMS
- Course builder
- Memberships and access plans
- Payment gateways
- Cart abandonment recovery
- Email and form integrations
- Quizzes and assignments
- Private groups and cohorts
Paymattic
- Subscriptions and one-time payments
- Global and local payment gateways
- Recurring and one-time donations
- Drag and drop form builder
- Customer and donor dashboards
- Coupons and currency support
- Webhooks and notifications
Pros and cons
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
Paymattic
- Free version available on WordPress.org
- Supports subscriptions and one-time payments
- Lifetime plans are available for each license tier
- Paid plans renew each year unless you buy a lifetime license
- No money-back guarantee is listed on the pricing page
Pricing plans
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
Paymattic
PersonalStarts here
$83/year
1 site
- 1 domain
- 1 year of plugin updates
- 1 year of priority support
Agency
$167/year
20 sites
- 20 domains
- 1 year of plugin updates
- 1 year of priority support
Unlimited
$251/year
Unlimited sites
- Unlimited domains
- 1 year of plugin updates
- 1 year of priority support
What Reddit says
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.
Paymattic
Not enough Reddit discussion yet.
LifterLMS vs Paymattic questions
Is LifterLMS better than Paymattic?
On our comparison Paymattic comes out ahead on 2 of 3 measurable points. The right pick still depends on what you build.
Which is cheaper, LifterLMS or Paymattic?
LifterLMS starts at $199/year and Paymattic starts at $83/year.
Can I get LifterLMS or Paymattic cheaper on Black Friday?
Both are on our Black Friday tracker. Paymattic was 50% off last year.
Both products
Simplest WordPress Payment and Donation Plugin
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $83/year
- Category
- Membership & LMS
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for Paymattic
