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LMS · head to head

LearnDash vs Moodle

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
Moodle logo

Moodle

LMS

Open-source LMS designed by educators for educators

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Moodle 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.; Moodle self-hosted deployment requires significant IT resources and technical expertise
  • They diverge on capability: LearnDash covers Course builder, Moodle covers Course management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LearnDash and Moodle actually diverge.

Attributes where LearnDash and Moodle differ
AttributeLearnDashMoodle
Starting price$199/yearFree
Pricing modelPer site per yearUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, WordPressWeb
FoundedUnknown2002

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

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

Only in Moodle

  • Course management
  • Quiz builder
  • Forums
  • Assignments
  • Gradebook
  • Badges
  • Competencies
  • Mobile app

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

Moodle

  • Online learningnot LearnDash
  • Blended learningnot LearnDash
  • Corporate trainingnot LearnDash
  • Compliance trainingnot 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.

Moodle

  • Self-hosted deployment requires significant IT resources and technical expertise
  • Managed hosting has higher costs for large institutions compared to self-hosting

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

Moodle

Free
  • Self-HostedFree
    • Full feature access
  • MoodleCloud Starter$200/year
    • 50 users
    • Managed hosting

Which should you pick?

Choose LearnDash if

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

Choose Moodle if

  • You need course management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want quiz builder.
Moodle review

Questions people ask

Is LearnDash or Moodle better?
Neither clearly leads. LearnDash starts at $199/year and Moodle at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LearnDash or Moodle?
Moodle has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $199/year for LearnDash and Free for Moodle.
Does LearnDash or Moodle run on more platforms?
LearnDash runs on Web, WordPress. Moodle runs on Web.
Can I use Moodle for free?
Yes. Moodle 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 Moodle is typically brought in for.
What can LearnDash do that Moodle cannot?
LearnDash covers Course builder, Quiz engine, Certificates, Groups and group leaders. Moodle covers Course management, Quiz builder, Forums, Assignments.

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.

Moodle: Is Moodle free or paid?

Moodle is free and open-source software. However, self-hosting requires IT resources and server infrastructure. Managed cloud hosting through MoodleCloud starts at $200/year for 50 users.

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.

Moodle: What languages does Moodle support?

Moodle is available in over 160 languages, making it accessible to educators and learners worldwide.

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.

Moodle: Is Moodle suitable for corporations and enterprises?

Yes, Moodle is suitable for K-12, higher education, vocational training, and corporate learning. Moodle Workplace is the enterprise edition with multi-tenancy and compliance tooling.

Source
Moodle: What learning standards does Moodle support?

Moodle supports various e-learning standards including SCORM and Tin Can API for compatibility with other educational systems.

Source
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