Creating and selling online courses is a lucrative business, but success often depends on the LMS software (Learning Management System) that you use. A high quality LMS solution will enable you to design interesting and varied courses that will engage your students and keep them coming back for more.
In this article, I’m going to share with you six of the best options on the market right now.
By comparing their many features and plans, you’ll be able to make an informed decision on which one will work best for your next project.
Best LMS software compared
Here’s a quick summary of the best LMS software that I’ve chosen for this collection:
| Software | Free Version | Cheapest Paid Plan | Available Formats | Key Features | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masteriyo | ✅ | $74.50 / year | WordPress plugin | Unlimited courses, lessons, instructors, students, quizzes Drag and drop course builder Offer subscription-based course payments Certificate builder for course completion | Go |
| LearnDash | ❌ | $199 / year | WordPress plugin Cloud | AI course outline and quiz builder Drag and drop course builder Sell course subscriptions, memberships, bundles, one-time purchases | Go |
| Teachable | ✅ | $468 / year | Cloud | Fully hosted solution User-friendly interface Extensive marketing tools | Go |
| LifterLMS | ✅ | * | WordPress plugin | Unlimited courses, memberships, instructors, students Library of add-ons to enhance functionality | Go |
| Moodle | ✅ | * | Software App Cloud | Extremely versatile and scalable Wide range of LMS integrations and plugins Open-source and can be deployed on any private server | Go |
| Talent LMS | ✅ | $1,308 / year | App Cloud | Uses the latest eLearning content standards (SCORM, xAPI, and cmi5) Lets you restrict the way courses are completed White-label courses on higher plans | Go |
WordPress users have long been spoiled for choice when it comes to LMS solutions. In many ways, this has made Masteriyo’s early success and fast adoption almost unexpected.
That is until you realize that Masteriyo offers a comparable feature set to many of the more “established” LMS plugins, but at a fraction of the price.
On top of that, the free version is extremely generous – to the point that many users won’t even need to upgrade to a premium plan.
What you’ll love about the free plugin 💙
- Unlimited courses, instructors, students, lessons, and quizzes
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Reviews and ratings from students on the courses they’ve enrolled in
- Built-in order system so you can sell online courses without needing a third-party ecommerce plugin
- Course filters based on personal student criteria
- Reset and retake course option
- Drip content system for giving course content teasers and allowing sequential progression
- Course completion certificate builder
- SCORM import feature to load up courses from other platforms
- Elementor page builder compatibility
Premium features 🌟
- White-labeling so you can replace the Masteriyo name and branding with your own brand
- Expiration dates to give students deadlines
- Multi-teacher collaboration on a single course
- Course prerequisites
- Image-based matching questions, letting students match answers with an image to text or an image to an image
- Bulk student enrollment via CSV file upload
- User restrictions to protect course content
- 2FA (two-factor authentication)
- Student login via Facebook or Google
Support 💬
- Self-help: Masteriyo has a detailed, easy-to-search documentation database.
- Customer support: Free users can use live chat or post questions to the community in either the Facebook group or in the WordPress repository. Premium users get additional help via support tickets.
Plans and prices 💰
In addition to its free option, Masteriyo has two premium plans – Starter and Growth. Both are available in an annual payment format or as a one-time fee for lifetime updates and support. The features are identical between them. The only difference is that Starter can be used on a single site, while Growth supports unlimited sites.
- Starter: $74.50 per year / $449.25 lifetime
- Growth: $149.50 per year / $899.25 lifetime
Masteriyo is a member of the Themeisle family of products and is maintained by the same team that supports WPShout.
2. LearnDash
LearnDash has been providing LMS solutions to WordPress users for well over a decade and in that time it has scaled into a comprehensive eLearning powerhouse. The downside is that it’s significantly pricier than Masteriyo and doesn’t have a free version. It also upsells a lot of its features as add-ons. However, if you have the money, then you won’t be disappointed by what it offers.
Premium plugin features 🌟
- AI course outline builder automatically generates lesson titles for both new and existing courses
- Drag and drop functionality
- Course duplication
- Learning paths for student segmentation
- Completion certificates based on quiz performance, completing a course, or both
- Onboarding wizard
- Virtual and in-person elements for a blended learning experience
- Multiple ways to sell your courses: pre-sale, one-time fee, recurring subscription
Cloud plan features ☁️
The cloud plans offer all of the above, plus the following:
- Hosting for your website, with WordPress and the LearnDash plugin installed
- ProPanel analytics
- Object cache pro
- SolidSuite security solution
- 24/7 phone support
Support 💬
- Self-help: LearnDash offers a well-documented knowledge base with an embedded AI chatbot to help you navigate the content. There is also a separate LearnDash Academy, which contains courses, videos, webinars, and other resources to help you.
- Customer support: All users can posts questions in the LearnDash Facebook community. Premium users can submit support tickets for dedicated assistance and cloud plan users also get 24/7 phone support.
Plans and prices 💰
LearnDash is available as a premium WordPress plugin (no free version) with three annual payments options that have the same features. The only difference is how many sites you can use the plugin on. There is also a hosted cloud solution that includes a WordPress website and additional bonuses like certain premium plugins. In addition, there are lots of paid add-ons and several bundled solutions that include the base LMS software along with some of those add-ons.
- WordPress plugin only: $199 for one site / $399 for ten sites / $799 for unlimited sites (all prices billed annually)
- Cloud plan with web hosting: $299 for 1,000 / $499 for 5,000 learners / $999 for 25,000 learners (all prices billed annually; monthly billing available but at a higher rate)
3. Teachable
If you want a straightforward LMS solution that lets you focus solely on building courses (with minimal website management), then Teachable is an excellent choice. It also takes an interesting approach with its free plan. Rather than outright restricting various features behind a paywall, it gives you access to most of them and instead limits you in a different way – by how many students you can have and various products you can sell.
This lets you test the viability of your course before investing money on a paid plan.
All plan features 💙
- AI tools to generate course outlines and overviews in seconds
- Upsells and order bumps
- Digital downloads as lead magnets
- Tracking and analytics
- Third-party app integration (there’s even a WordPress plugin)
- Automated subtitles and translations
- Code snippets and custom CSS for enhanced customization
- Course compliance tools to enforce the order courses are viewed in
Support 💬
- Self-help: Teachable has a solid knowledge base and a separate online course library (Teachable U) to help you with creating an eLearning business.
- Customer support: Email support is offered on all plans. Pro, Pro+, and Business users get chat support from Monday through Friday, between 10am and 5pm EST. Ticket support is also offered, though it’s not clear on which plans.
Plans and prices 💰
Aside from the free plan, Teachable offers four premium plans – Basic, Pro, Pro+, and Business. All are available in monthly or annual payment formats. Each plan offers increasing capabilities and capacity for course creators.
- Free: $0 per year / 1 course / 1 digital product / 1 coaching product / 10 students / 1 admin user / 1 video
- Basic: $468 per year / 5 courses / 5 digital products / 5 coaching products / unlimited students / 1 admin user / unlimited videos
- Pro: $1,428 per year / 50 courses / 50 digital products / 50 coaching products / unlimited students / 5 admin users / unlimited videos
- Pro+: $2,388 per year / 200 courses / 200 digital products / 200 coaching products / unlimited students / 5 admin users / unlimited videos
- Business: $5,988 per year / unlimited courses / unlimited digital products / unlimited coaching products / unlimited students / 20 admin users / unlimited videos
There are also various payment processing fees that vary based on which provider you use. On top of that, the Free plan charges an additional transaction fee of $1 + 10% from each sale. The Basic plan removes the $1 and lowers the percentage to 5%. All other premium plans don’t charge this fee.
4. LifterLMS
LifterLMS is another WordPress plugin solution that can be an attractive alternative to LearnDash. In practice, its premium plans are structured similarly to LearnDash’s bundles, but are easier to navigate.
Plus, unlike LearnDash, it actually has a free option. If you know ahead of time what tools you’re going to need as part of your business, then LearnDash might still make more sense.
However, if you only have a rough idea and want a general set of tools based on categories (e.g., email marketing, forms, ecommerce), then it’s easier to pick a LifterLMS plan that gives you that.
What you’ll love about the free plugin 💙
- Unlimited courses, memberships, students, teachers
- Drag-and-drop builder for designing your course
- Built-in payment gateway
- Badges, certificates, emails, and a community built around your course(s)
Premium features 🌟
- Ecommerce add-ons, including Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, and Authorize.net
- Additional add-ons and features available in the Universe and Infinity plans only include: Mailchimp, Kit, Formidable Forms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, WP Forms, Twilio Extension, a private Facebook group, and a weekly mastermind
- Additional features available only in the Infinity plan include an entire range of advanced add-ons like course cohorts, PDF uploads, private areas, and more
Support 💬
- Self-help: LifterLMS has a thorough knowledge base.
- Customer support: Premium plan users can open support tickets for assistance.
Plans and prices 💰
LifterLMS offers a free Core Plugin and three premium plans – Earth, Universe, and Infinity. All premium plans include unlimited courses, memberships, students, and teachers.
- Earth: $149.50 first year / renews at $299 / 1 active site / 1 user / basic features
- Universe: $249.50 first year / renews at $499 / 5 active sites / 2 users / advanced features
- Infinity: $749.50 first year / renews at $1499 / unlimited sites / 3 users / all features
5. Moodle
When it comes to learning management software, Moodle is undoubtedly a solidified veteran. They’ve been at this since the 90s, and over that time, they’ve developed a world-class product that can be customized for virtually any eLearning need imaginable.
It’s also open-source, which means you can install it on any private server for absolutely nothing.
And if tinkering with servers isn’t your thing, there are also hosted and fully managed options available.
What you’ll love about the free software 💙
- Range of formats for delivering course content
- Integrated content accessibility checkers and text-to-speech tools
- Automated email and mobile alerts
- Analytics and custom reports
- Moodle App for access your LMS online, offline, and on the go
- LMS integrations, including video conferencing, student information systems, plagiarism detection, and more
- World-leading privacy and security features that protect your students’ privacy and meet stringent compliance standards
Support 💬
Describing Moodle’s support options is a bit tricky because it largely depends on if you:
- Install the software on your own server
- Go with one of Moody’s hosted plans
- Choose a managed solution through one of their partners
If you plan on using your own hosting and only need the Moodle software, then all you’ll have is the knowledge base. For the cloud (hosted) plans, there is also a knowledge base, but you can open support tickets for additional help. Managed solutions provide much deeper support, including full support for implementation, staff training, and more.
Plans and prices 💰
The Moodle software is 100% free. If you’d like to use Moodle’s hosting, there are two types of plans available – Standard and Premium. The former comes in five tiers, while the latter is a custom-built solution with no upfront price tag (since the price ultimately depends on what you’ll need). Below is the pricing information for the five Standard tiers:
- Starter: $130 per year / 50 users
- Mini: $220 per year / 100 users
- Small: $410 per year / 200 users
- Medium: $930 per year / 500 users / custom domain optional add-on for $160 AUD per year
- Standard: $1,770 per year / 750 users / custom domain connection included (though domain must still be purchased separately)
The prices above reflect U.S. dollars (USD), but the actual billing is done in Australian Dollars (AUD). Country-specific taxes may also apply.
In addition to the above, Moodle partners with 114 delivery providers around the world to offer fully managed solutions wherever your business or organization is located.
6. TalentLMS
If you’re looking for a good, non-WordPress LMS solution but Teachable doesn’t quite meet your needs, then consider checking out TalentLMS. It’s roster of clients is not only wide-ranging in terms of industries, but it also has some very recognizable names like Isuzu and Rosetta Stone. The company has received lots of industry awards for their eLearning platform and if you take it for a spin, you’ll understand why.
What you’ll love about the free plan 💙
- Ten courses with five
- AI course generator to speed up content creation
- 100 MB upload limit per file with uncapped total storage
Premium features 🌟
- 1000+ ready-made courses to fit your unique needs
- File uploads (capped at 600 MB per file) to enhance course content with uncapped total storage limits
- Data synchronization and workflow automation via integration with HR platforms, communication software, and other tools
- Learning paths so learners always know what to do and when
- Leaderboards, points, and badges add gamification to your courses
- Assessments to strengthen knowledge, make learning stick, and gauge student progress
- Separate portals for different groups to provide tailored learning solutions
- Real-time performance tracking and custom reports on a set schedule
Support 💬
- Self-help: TalentLMS has one of the most comprehensive self-help platforms of any LMS provider. There is a help center with a knowledge base, but also podcasts, webinars, ebooks, research reports, and even a blog.
- Customer support: All users get email support (even on the free plan). The Pro and Enterprise plans also get a customer success manager with live chat, while the Enterprise plan receives a dedicated account manager with phone support.
Plans and prices 💰
TalentLMS offers four premium plans – Core, Grow, Pro, and Enterprise, with monthly and yearly billing options (yearly saves 20%). Prices below reflect annual billing.
- Core: $1,308 per year / / 1 branch / basic TalentCraft / onboarding discovery
- Grow: $2,748 per year / / 3 branches / premium TalentCraft / onboarding starter / custom reports / LTI 1.3 support
- Pro: $4,788 per year / / 15 branches / premium TalentCraft / onboarding advanced / automations / white-labeling / skills functionality
- Enterprise: Custom pricing / 1000+ users / unlimited branches / unlimited TalentCraft / onboarding premium / advanced features
All plans include unlimited courses, custom homepage, single sign-on, custom domain + SSL, and API access. Higher tiers add enhanced capabilities, automation tools, and branding customization options.
What to look for when making your decision
Choosing the right learning management software for your project isn’t an easy feat, and the solution you select should very much depend on the needs of your business or eLearning niche, as well as the needs of your students. That said, there are a few key features that everyone should consider when trying to identify the right tool for the job:
- Ease of Use – A quality LMS software should incorporate an intuitive interface for users and administrators, as well as a user-friendly course creation process. Luckily, most tools offer some form of free trial or money-back guarantee, so you can test out how you like the interface before committing.
- Course Features – You need your courses to be engaging and appeal to all types of learners. Therefore, the LMS software you choose should include a wide assortment of course and lesson types, including quizzes and tests, the option of adding multimedia, discussion forums, certificates, and more.
- Monetization Options – A top-class platform should offer numerous monetization options to enable you to grow your business and revenue. Look for features like multiple payment gateways, sales pages, one-off payments and subscription options, coupons, and more.
- Support – Always check out the support offered before you make a purchase. Is there a useful help center? Are the onboarding tutorials easy to follow? And can you speak to a customer service agent if you run into problems?
- Price – LMS software differs greatly in price. Work out your budget and then pick a solution accordingly. It’s best to factor in the price at which you want to offer your courses vs the cost of the software.
Final thoughts
It’s clear that there are a number of impressive LMS services and platforms available. Each of the solutions mentioned in this article offer different features, as well as a variety of pros, cons, and price points. Think carefully about the service and functionality you need, and then select the one that best suits your project.
That said, here are my top recommendations:
- That said, here are my top recommendations:
- 🧑🏼🏫 Masteriyo – Ideal for eLearning businesses and entrepreneurs. LearnDash has all the features that you will need to create engaging and successful online courses. It delivers more value per dollar than arguably any other WordPress LMS option on the market today.
- 👩🏾🏫 Teachable – An affordable, fully-hosted, all-in-one solution, that will take care of all the back-end tasks, leaving you to focus on simply creating and selling your courses.
- 👨🏻🏫 Moodle – A professional and scalable LMS software that will empower your business to train employees, stakeholders, and customers. Plus you have three different ways of using it: the free open-source version, a hosted solution, or a fully managed solution with an official Moodle partner.
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