Tutor LMS allows you to build, manage, and scale your online courses and eLearning business with a powerful WordPress LMS.
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $199/year
- Category
- Membership & LMS
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for Tutor LMS
Tutor LMS vs WP Shell
Evenly matched on the points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.
At a glance
| Feature | Tutor LMS | WP Shell |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 7.6/10 | Not rated |
| Starts at | $199/year | $196 |
| Free version | Yes | – |
| Refund window | 30 days | – |
| Billing | Subscription | Not listed |
| Active installs | 100K+ | – |
| Last Black Friday | 50% off | – |
| Category | Membership & LMS | Membership & LMS |
| Vendor | Tutorlms | WP Shell |
| Black Friday 2026 | Not announced | Not announced |
Which should you choose?
Choose Tutor LMS if…
- Course creators selling courses on WordPress
- Agencies building learning sites for clients
- You want to start free
Choose WP Shell if…
An online course that teaches how to run and manage your own WordPress site on dedicated servers or the cloud.
Features
Tutor LMS
- Course builder
- Quizzes and assignments
- Course selling
- Payment gateways
- AI Studio
- Certificates
- Live classes
WP Shell
- 26 lessons free in the Starter plan
- Lifetime access with the Premium plan
- Access to 92+ lessons
- Certificate of completion
- Advanced modules
- Discord community
Pros and cons
Tutor LMS
- The core plugin is free
- Tutor LMS does not take a percentage of course revenue
- All paid plans include unlimited courses and users
- Lifetime plans are available
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- AI Studio requires your own OpenAI API key
- The Individual plan covers one site only
- Sites beyond 10 need the Agency plan
WP Shell
- Pricing page at wpshell.com/pricing/ returned HTTP 404
- Homepage at wpshell.com shows a self-hosting WordPress course, not a plugin
Pricing plans
Tutor LMS
IndividualStarts here
$199/year
1 site
- All pro add-ons and features
- Unlimited courses and users
- Priority support
Business
$399/year
10 sites
- All pro add-ons and features
- Unlimited courses and users
- Pro themes
Agency
$799/year
Unlimited sites
- All pro add-ons and features
- Unlimited courses and users
- Updates for 1 year
WP Shell
Plans not listed. See WP Shell pricing
What Reddit says
Tutor LMS
Reddit users see Tutor LMS as a cheap, workable choice for simple course sites, but several say it gets expensive once extra features are needed. Threads also mention bugs that affected unrelated pages and a critical authentication bypass in Tutor LMS Pro.
WP Shell
Not enough Reddit discussion yet.
Tutor LMS vs WP Shell questions
Is Tutor LMS better than WP Shell?
They're evenly matched on the points we can measure. Pick by features and budget.
Which is cheaper, Tutor LMS or WP Shell?
Tutor LMS starts at $199/year and WP Shell starts at $196.
Can I get Tutor LMS or WP Shell cheaper on Black Friday?
Both are on our Black Friday tracker. Tutor LMS was 50% off last year.
Both products
An online course that teaches how to run and manage your own WordPress site on dedicated servers or the cloud.
- Free version
- –
- Price
- $196
- Category
- Membership & LMS
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for WP Shell