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LMS · head to head

LearnDash vs LearnWorlds

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
LearnWorlds logo

LearnWorlds

LMS

Create and sell online courses with interactive experiences

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LearnWorlds has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; LearnWorlds the $24 Starter plan charges $5 for every paid enrollment, so selling a cheap course can cost more in fees than the plan
  • They diverge on capability: LearnDash covers Quiz engine, LearnWorlds covers Interactive video.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LearnDash and LearnWorlds actually diverge.

Attributes where LearnDash and LearnWorlds differ
AttributeLearnDashLearnWorlds
Starting price$199/yearFree
Pricing modelPer site per yearsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, WordPressWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2014

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 LearnDash

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

Only in LearnWorlds

  • Interactive video
  • Website builder
  • Assessments
  • Community
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics
  • Zapier
  • Mailchimp

Both cover

  • Course builder
  • Certificates

What people use each for

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

LearnDash

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

LearnWorlds

  • Online course platformnot LearnDash
  • Employee trainingnot LearnDash
  • Corporate learning managementnot LearnDash

Where each one falls short

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

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.

LearnWorlds

  • The $24 Starter plan charges $5 for every paid enrollment, so selling a cheap course can cost more in fees than the plan
  • Escaping the enrollment fee requires the $79 Pro Trainer plan
  • Active learners are capped monthly, at 1,000 on Starter and 2,000 on both Pro Trainer and Learning Center
  • The $249 Learning Center plan allows no more learners than the $79 plan, differing on admins and AI credits instead
  • Admin seats are rationed at 1, 5 and 25
  • AI credits are metered monthly at 300, 500 and 1,000

Pricing, plan by plan

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

LearnWorlds

Free
  • Starter$24/month
    • 1,000 active learners/month
    • 1 admin
    • 300 AI credits/month
  • Pro Trainer$79/month
    • 2,000 active learners/month
    • 5 admins
    • 500 AI credits/month
  • Learning Center$249/month
    • 2,000 active learners/month
    • 25 admins
    • 1,000 AI credits/month
  • Corporate$null/mo
    • Custom active learners/month
    • Custom admins
    • Dedicated success manager

Which should you pick?

Choose LearnDash if

  • You need quiz engine.
  • You work on Web, WordPress.
  • You also want groups and group leaders.
LearnDash review

Choose LearnWorlds if

  • You need interactive video.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want website builder.
LearnWorlds review

Questions people ask

Is LearnDash or LearnWorlds better?
Neither clearly leads. LearnDash starts at $199/year and LearnWorlds at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LearnDash or LearnWorlds?
LearnWorlds has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $199/year for LearnDash and Free for LearnWorlds.
Does LearnDash or LearnWorlds run on more platforms?
LearnDash runs on Web, WordPress. LearnWorlds runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use LearnWorlds for free?
Yes. LearnWorlds has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LearnDash starts at $199/year.
What is LearnDash best used for?
LearnDash is most often used for a creator whose course revenue has grown to the point where a percentage based platform costs more than a developer would, organisations that already run wordpress and want courses on their own domain and brand, training businesses that need learner data in a database they control rather than in a vendor account, agencies building course sites for multiple clients under one unlimited site licence. Of those, a creator whose course revenue has grown to the point where a percentage based platform costs more than a developer would and organisations that already run wordpress and want courses on their own domain and brand are not what LearnWorlds is typically brought in for.
What can LearnDash do that LearnWorlds cannot?
LearnDash covers Quiz engine, Groups and group leaders, Commerce integration, Ownership of data. LearnWorlds covers Interactive video, Website builder, Assessments, Community. Both handle Course builder, Certificates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

LearnWorlds: How much does LearnWorlds cost?

LearnWorlds pricing starts at $24/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) for Starter, $79/$99 for Pro Trainer, and $249/$299 for Learning Center. Corporate plans have custom pricing.

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.

LearnWorlds: Does LearnWorlds charge per student enrollment?

The Starter plan charges $5 per enrollment. Pro Trainer and higher tiers include unlimited enrollments with no per-enrollment fees.

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.

LearnWorlds: Does LearnWorlds offer a free trial?

Yes, LearnWorlds offers a 30-day free trial with access to core features and functionality. No credit card is required.

Source
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