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LMS · head to head

iSpring Learn vs LearnDash

iSpring Learn logo

iSpring Learn

LMS

Fast LMS for corporate training

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LearnDash logo

LearnDash

LMS

WordPress plugin that turns a site you already own into a course platform with no revenue share

From
$199/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only iSpring Learn has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: iSpring Learn the smallest published plan is 100 users at $8,286 a year, so there is no entry point for a small team; LearnDash the flat licence excludes everything around it. Hosting, backups, security patching, video hosting and email deliverability are now your cost and your responsibility, and they are not small once traffic grows.
  • They diverge on capability: iSpring Learn covers Course player, LearnDash covers Course builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which iSpring Learn and LearnDash actually diverge.

Attributes where iSpring Learn and LearnDash differ
AttributeiSpring LearnLearnDash
Starting priceFree$199/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer site per year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, WordPress
Founded2001Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in iSpring Learn

  • Course player
  • Quiz builder
  • Learning paths
  • Certifications
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • PowerPoint import
  • SCORM support

Only in LearnDash

  • Course builder
  • Quiz engine
  • Certificates
  • Groups and group leaders
  • Commerce integration
  • Ownership of data

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

iSpring Learn

  • employee trainingnot LearnDash
  • corporate learning managementnot LearnDash
  • staff developmentnot LearnDash

LearnDash

  • A creator whose course revenue has grown to the point where a percentage based platform costs more than a developer wouldnot iSpring Learn
  • Organisations that already run WordPress and want courses on their own domain and brandnot iSpring Learn
  • Training businesses that need learner data in a database they control rather than in a vendor accountnot iSpring Learn
  • Agencies building course sites for multiple clients under one unlimited site licencenot iSpring Learn

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

iSpring Learn

  • The smallest published plan is 100 users at $8,286 a year, so there is no entry point for a small team
  • Per user rates fall steeply with volume, from $6.91 a month at 100 users to $3.97 at 500, so smaller buyers pay nearly twice as much per head
  • Billing is per active user, defined as anyone who logged in at least once in a month, so a single login costs a full seat
  • Plans are sold in fixed user bands rather than by actual headcount

LearnDash

  • The flat licence excludes everything around it. Hosting, backups, security patching, video hosting and email deliverability are now your cost and your responsibility, and they are not small once traffic grows.
  • WordPress plugin conflicts are a live risk. A core or theme update can break checkout or course progression at a moment you did not choose, and there is no vendor operations team standing behind uptime.
  • Performance under load needs deliberate hosting work. Shared hosting handles a small course and fails visibly during a launch, and fixing that is a hosting migration rather than a setting.
  • Selling requires assembling several plugins for payments, memberships and email, so the true stack is four or five vendors with independent update cycles rather than one product.
  • Support covers the plugin, not your site. When the fault sits in the interaction between your theme, your host and another plugin, resolving it is your problem and often a contractor invoice.

Pricing, plan by plan

iSpring Learn

Free
  • Business 100 users$6.91/user/month
    • 100 users at this rate
    • unlimited learning content
    • reports and analytics
  • Business 300 users$4.46/user/month
    • 300 users at this rate
    • unlimited learning content
    • reports and analytics
  • Business 500 users$3.97/user/month
    • 500 users at this rate
    • unlimited learning content
    • reports and analytics
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • custom pricing
    • dedicated support

LearnDash

$199/year
  • LearnDash LMS, 1 site$199/year
    • Single site licence
    • All course, quiz and certificate features
    • No share taken of course revenue
  • LearnDash LMS Plus, 10 sites$399/year
    • Up to ten sites
    • Same feature set
    • Suits agencies and multi brand operators
  • LearnDash LMS Pro, unlimited sites$799/year
    • Unlimited sites
    • Same feature set
    • Priced for agencies building for clients

Which should you pick?

Choose iSpring Learn if

  • You need course player.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want quiz builder.
iSpring Learn review

Choose LearnDash if

  • You need course builder.
  • You work on Web, WordPress.
  • You also want quiz engine.
LearnDash review

Questions people ask

Is iSpring Learn or LearnDash better?
Neither clearly leads. iSpring Learn starts at Free and LearnDash at $199/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, iSpring Learn or LearnDash?
iSpring Learn has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for iSpring Learn and $199/year for LearnDash.
Does iSpring Learn or LearnDash run on more platforms?
iSpring Learn runs on Web, IOS, Android. LearnDash runs on Web, WordPress.
Can I use iSpring Learn for free?
Yes. iSpring Learn has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LearnDash starts at $199/year.
What is iSpring Learn best used for?
iSpring Learn is most often used for employee training, corporate learning management, staff development. Of those, employee training and corporate learning management are not what LearnDash is typically brought in for.
What can iSpring Learn do that LearnDash cannot?
iSpring Learn covers Course player, Quiz builder, Learning paths, Certifications. LearnDash covers Course builder, Quiz engine, Certificates, Groups and group leaders.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

iSpring Learn: Does iSpring Learn offer a free trial?

Yes, iSpring Learn provides a free 30-day trial with no credit card required.

Source
LearnDash: Does LearnDash take a percentage of my course sales?

No. It is a flat annual licence per site and you keep all revenue. That is the main financial argument against percentage based hosted platforms once sales volume is meaningful.

iSpring Learn: Are there hidden costs in iSpring Learn pricing?

No, iSpring Learn emphasizes transparent pricing with no hidden costs and offers a money-back guarantee.

Source
LearnDash: What is the real total cost?

The licence plus hosting capable of handling your traffic, plus video hosting, plus an email service, plus whatever developer time keeps the stack working. Budget for the stack, not the plugin.

iSpring Learn: How does iSpring Learn pricing scale with user count?

iSpring Learn uses per-user monthly pricing that decreases as you add more users: 100 users at $6.91/user, 300 users at $4.46/user, or 500 users at $3.97/user per month.

Source
LearnDash: Should I use LearnDash Cloud instead?

If you want the plugin without administering WordPress, yes. You give up some of the cost advantage and some control in exchange for not being responsible for the server.

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