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 ThirstyAffiliates
ThirstyAffiliates wins 3 of the 4 points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.
At a glance
| Feature | LifterLMS | ThirstyAffiliates |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8/10 | 8.4/10 (better) |
| Starts at | $199/year | $99.60/year (better) |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Refund window | 30 days (better) | 14 days |
| Billing | Subscription | Subscription |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 30K+ (better) |
| Last Black Friday | – | – |
| Category | Membership & LMS | Membership & LMS |
| Vendor | Lifterlms | ThirstyAffiliates |
| 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 ThirstyAffiliates if…
- Affiliate marketers managing many links
- Bloggers with Amazon affiliate links
- 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
ThirstyAffiliates
- Link cloaking and shortening
- Automatic keyword linking
- Amazon API importing
- Advanced statistics reports
- Geolocation link redirects
- Automatic affiliate disclosure
- Automatic 404 checker
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
ThirstyAffiliates
- Free version available on WordPress.org
- 14-day refund guarantee on paid plans
- Automatic keyword linking and Amazon API importing on every paid plan
- Works with WPML and Polylang
- Paid plans are billed yearly
- Plans are limited to 1, 5, or 10 sites
- Pricing page shows sale prices next to higher normal prices, so the discount may end
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
ThirstyAffiliates
BasicStarts here
$99.60/year
1 site
- Automatic keyword linking
- Amazon API importing
- Geographic redirects
Plus
$149.60/year
5 sites
- Automatic keyword linking
- Amazon API importing
- Geographic redirects
Advanced
$199.60/year
10 sites
- Automatic keyword linking
- Amazon API importing
- Product displays
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.
ThirstyAffiliates
Not enough Reddit discussion yet.
LifterLMS vs ThirstyAffiliates questions
Is LifterLMS better than ThirstyAffiliates?
On our comparison ThirstyAffiliates comes out ahead on 3 of 4 measurable points. The right pick still depends on what you build.
Which is cheaper, LifterLMS or ThirstyAffiliates?
LifterLMS starts at $199/year and ThirstyAffiliates starts at $99.60/year.
Can I get LifterLMS or ThirstyAffiliates cheaper on Black Friday?
Both are on our Black Friday tracker. We'll add each discount the moment it goes live.
Both products
WordPress Affiliate Link Management Plugin
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $99.60/year
- Category
- Membership & LMS
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for ThirstyAffiliates