Softwr

LMS · head to head

LearnDash vs Skillshare

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
Skillshare logo

Skillshare

LMS

Online learning community for creative skills

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Skillshare 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.; Skillshare limited language support available compared to Udemy which offers 75 languages
  • They diverge on capability: LearnDash covers Course builder, Skillshare covers Video classes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LearnDash and Skillshare actually diverge.

Attributes where LearnDash and Skillshare differ
AttributeLearnDashSkillshare
Starting price$199/yearFree
Pricing modelPer site per yearsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, WordPressWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2010

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 Skillshare

  • Video classes
  • Class projects
  • Discussions
  • Offline viewing
  • Mobile learning
  • Workshops
  • Curated paths
  • Teacher studio

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

Skillshare

  • Skill developmentnot LearnDash
  • Creative projectsnot LearnDash
  • Career growthnot LearnDash
  • Side hustlesnot 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.

Skillshare

  • Limited language support available compared to Udemy which offers 75 languages
  • Focus on creative skills means limited technical or professional development courses
  • Video quality and instructor expertise varies across courses

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

Skillshare

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Select free classes
    • Class projects
  • Premium$13.99/month
    • All classes
    • Offline viewing
    • No ads
  • Teams$undefined/month
    • Team management
    • Analytics
    • Custom content

Which should you pick?

Choose LearnDash if

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

Choose Skillshare if

  • You need video classes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want class projects.
Skillshare review

Questions people ask

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

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.

Skillshare: How much does Skillshare cost?

Skillshare Premium membership costs $167.88 per year (about $13.99 per month) when billed annually, or $17.99 to $32 per month when paying month-to-month. New members receive a free trial before billing begins.

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.

Skillshare: What topics does Skillshare cover?

Skillshare offers more than 30,000 project-based classes in design, illustration, photography, video, writing, marketing, and productivity. Courses often include downloadable resources like templates, brushes, and design files.

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.

Skillshare: Can I download Skillshare classes for offline viewing?

Yes, Skillshare Premium members can download classes for offline viewing, allowing you to watch content anywhere without an internet connection.

Source
Skillshare: Does Skillshare offer certificates?

Yes, Skillshare classes include certificates of completion as part of the project-based learning model, allowing you to track and share your learning progress.

Source
Skillshare: Is there a free tier on Skillshare?

Skillshare offers a free one-month trial to new users who provide card details. After the trial, a paid subscription is required for continued access.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on LearnDash

More on Skillshare

Keep looking

Other head to heads