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LMS · head to head

LearnDash vs LinkedIn Learning

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
LinkedIn Learning logo

LinkedIn Learning

LMS

Develop skills with expert-led courses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; LinkedIn Learning no pricing published on main site; specific subscription costs and billing periods not disclosed
  • They diverge on capability: LearnDash covers Course builder, LinkedIn Learning covers Video courses.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LearnDash and LinkedIn Learning actually diverge.

Attributes where LearnDash and LinkedIn Learning differ
AttributeLearnDashLinkedIn Learning
Starting price$199/yearOn request
Pricing modelPer site per yearsubscription
PlatformsWeb, WordPressWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2003

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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

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

Only in LinkedIn Learning

  • Video courses
  • Learning paths
  • Skill assessments
  • LinkedIn integration
  • Mobile learning
  • Offline viewing
  • Recommendations
  • LinkedIn

Both cover

  • 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 LinkedIn Learning
  • Organisations that already run WordPress and want courses on their own domain and brandnot LinkedIn Learning
  • Training businesses that need learner data in a database they control rather than in a vendor accountnot LinkedIn Learning
  • Agencies building course sites for multiple clients under one unlimited site licencenot LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning

  • Skill developmentnot LearnDash
  • Career growthnot LearnDash
  • Team trainingnot LearnDash
  • Professional developmentnot 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.

LinkedIn Learning

  • No pricing published on main site; specific subscription costs and billing periods not disclosed
  • Free trial available but specific trial duration not stated on homepage

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

LinkedIn Learning

On request
  • Monthly$29.99/month
    • All courses
    • Certificates
    • LinkedIn integration
  • Annual$19.99/month
    • All courses
    • Offline viewing
    • Personalized recommendations
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Admin tools
    • Analytics
    • Learning paths

Which should you pick?

Choose LearnDash if

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

Choose LinkedIn Learning if

  • You need video courses.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want learning paths.
LinkedIn Learning review

Questions people ask

Is LearnDash or LinkedIn Learning better?
Neither clearly leads. LearnDash starts at $199/year and LinkedIn Learning at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LearnDash or LinkedIn Learning?
LearnDash starts at $199/year and LinkedIn Learning at On request.
Does LearnDash or LinkedIn Learning run on more platforms?
LearnDash runs on Web, WordPress. LinkedIn Learning runs on Web, IOS, Android.
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 LinkedIn Learning is typically brought in for.
What can LearnDash do that LinkedIn Learning cannot?
LearnDash covers Course builder, Quiz engine, Groups and group leaders, Commerce integration. LinkedIn Learning covers Video courses, Learning paths, Skill assessments, LinkedIn integration. Both handle 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.

LinkedIn Learning: How much does LinkedIn Learning cost?

LinkedIn Learning does not publish subscription prices on its website. Pricing is only available after clicking the 'Start free trial' or 'Buy for my team' buttons to access the purchase page.

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.

LinkedIn Learning: Does LinkedIn Learning offer a free trial?

Yes, LinkedIn Learning offers a free trial option accessible from the main site, though the specific trial duration is not stated on the homepage.

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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Related pages

More on LearnDash

More on LinkedIn Learning

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