LearnDash
LearnDash is the WordPress LMS plugin: a one-time annual license you install on your own site, with unlimited courses and learners on every tier. It bills by license (Essentials / Pro / Elite per year), takes no cut of your sales, and is the only cluster member priced annually-only.
Verified against: learndash.comlearndash.com as of 2026-09-19
Quick verdict: LearnDash earns 3.8/5 in our research-based assessment — the cluster's cost floor at scale. A $259/yr license (about $21.58/mo) with unlimited learners and zero per-sale fees undercuts every SaaS bill once real volume shows up, and the WordPress dependency is a genuine advantage for anyone already on that stack. The trade is ownership of the whole: hosting, security and a 4.3-moat CMS you must keep current. Pick LearnDash for high-volume courses on your own domain; pick the hosted SaaS when you want to stay out of operations. (Research sweep, no paid workspace tested.)
- Our rating: 3.8/5
- Strongest dimension: Functionality (4/5, research only)
- Weakest dimension: Localization (2/5, research only)
- Pricing: 48-hour live demo (no card) · $259/yr (Essentials, about $21.58/mo)
- Verification: Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-19. Sources: learndash.com, learndash.com
LearnDash pricing details
- 48-hour live demo (no card)
- paid plans from $259/yr (Essentials, about $21.58/mo)
- annual license only — no monthly billing
- essentials $259/yr · Pro $399/yr · Elite $599/yr (annual, Liquid Web bundled plans)
LearnDash is a plugin, not a SaaS: you pay a yearly license (Essentials $259, Pro $399, Elite $599) on top of your own WordPress hosting (roughly $10-20/mo). Every plan includes unlimited courses and learners and no per-sale fee. Since the Liquid Web acquisition, new customers buy the bundled Essentials/Pro/Elite plans; legacy 1-site/10-site/unlimited licenses are grandfathered. MemberDash memberships are bundled into every tier.
In our index: No free plan; 48-hour card-free demo; annual license only — Essentials $259/yr · Pro $399/yr · Elite $599/yr (on top of your own WordPress hosting)
How LearnDash scores across our 6 index dimensions
- Functionality: 4/5 (research only)
- Usability: 3/5 (research only)
- Stability: 4/5 (research only)
- Collaboration: 3/5 (research only)
- Localization: 2/5 (research only)
- Value: 4/5 (research only)
Score rationale: The lowest true cost for high-volume selling: a $259/yr license with unlimited learners and zero transaction fees beats every SaaS bill once you pass roughly a dozen concurrent students a month. The trade-offs are self-hosting — you own the hosting bill, the security and the 4.3/5-moat WordPress dependency (ease 3/5, localization 2/5). No hands-on testing this round; figures from the official pricing page.
What LearnDash does well
- Cheapest true cost at volume: $259/yr Essentials with unlimited courses and learners, no transaction fees
- Owns your data and domain — the WordPress stack stays yours, no platform lock-in
- Pro adds AI course/quiz builders, weighted grading, report cards and cohort groups; Elite adds multi-instructor front-end creation
- MemberDash memberships bundled into every tier since the Liquid Web acquisition
Where LearnDash falls short
- Self-hosted: hosting (roughly $10-20/mo), security and WordPress maintenance are on you
- Annual-license-only pricing — no monthly option, and the $199 entry price quoted across Google is retired
- No native mobile apps; front-end experience depends on themes and add-ons
How LearnDash compares to other Online Courses tools
Our index tracks 5 Online Courses tools. LearnDash sits at 3.8/5, with essentials $259/yr · pro $399/yr · elite $599/yr (annual, liquid web bundled plans). Here are the 4 closest alternatives we hold pricing and scoring evidence for.
- Kajabi — 4.2/5 · 14-day free trial · $143/mo (annual, Basic)
Kajabi is the all-in-one creator operating system: courses, coaching, podcasts, community, email marketing, landing pages and a website in one subscription. It bills by product and contact volume, and its January 2026 restructure removed the cheap Kickstarter entry — Basic is now the floor at $143/mo annual. - Thinkific — 4.1/5 · 30-day free trial · $40/mo (annual, Basic)
Thinkific is a hosted course platform that builds, markets and sells courses, communities and digital downloads without a developer. It bills by tier and is the cluster's standout on fees: 0% platform transaction fees on Start, Grow and Plus tiers, with a 5% surcharge on Basic — and the only cluster member whose free option is a 30-day full-featured trial. - Podia — 4.0/5 · Free plan · $39/mo (monthly, Mover)
Podia is an all-in-one creator commerce platform for courses, downloads, memberships and coaching, aimed squarely at solo sellers. It bills by tier and is the cluster's only standing free plan (1 product, 8% fee); paid tiers are flat-priced with unlimited products and 0% fees on Shaker and up. - Teachable — 3.9/5 · 7-day free trial · $39/mo (monthly, Starter)
Teachable is a course-first platform for selling self-paced courses, coaching and digital products with native iOS and Android student apps. It bills by product count, not by seat, and its entry tier carries a 7.5% transaction fee that drops to 0% at the Builder tier.
Frequently asked questions about LearnDash
How much does LearnDash cost?
48-hour live demo (no card); paid plans from $259/yr (Essentials, about $21.58/mo); annual license only — no monthly billing; essentials $259/yr · Pro $399/yr · Elite $599/yr (annual, Liquid Web bundled plans). Billing detail: LearnDash is a plugin, not a SaaS: you pay a yearly license (Essentials $259, Pro $399, Elite $599) on top of your own WordPress hosting (roughly $10-20/mo). Every plan includes unlimited courses and learners and no per-sale fee. Since the Liquid Web acquisition, new customers buy the bundled Essentials/Pro/Elite plans; legacy 1-site/10-site/unlimited licenses are grandfathered. MemberDash memberships are bundled into every tier. Figures verified 2026-09-19.
Does LearnDash have a free plan?
No free plan is listed for LearnDash, but a trial is offered (48-hour live demo (no card)). Paid plans start at $259/yr (Essentials, about $21.58/mo).
What is LearnDash rated in our index?
LearnDash sits at 3.8/5 in our index, strongest on functionality (4/5, research only) and weakest on localization (2/5, research only). LearnDash earns 3.8/5 in our research-based assessment — the cluster's cost floor at scale. A $259/yr license (about $21.58/mo) with unlimited learners and zero per-sale fees undercuts every SaaS bill once real volume shows up, and the WordPress dependency is a genuine advantage for anyone already on that stack. The trade is ownership of the whole: hosting, security and a 4.3-moat CMS you must keep current. Pick LearnDash for high-volume courses on your own domain; pick the hosted SaaS when you want to stay out of operations. (Research sweep, no paid workspace tested.)
What are the drawbacks of LearnDash?
Self-hosted: hosting (roughly $10-20/mo), security and WordPress maintenance are on you Annual-license-only pricing — no monthly option, and the $199 entry price quoted across Google is retired No native mobile apps; front-end experience depends on themes and add-ons.
What does LearnDash do well?
Cheapest true cost at volume: $259/yr Essentials with unlimited courses and learners, no transaction fees Owns your data and domain — the WordPress stack stays yours, no platform lock-in Pro adds AI course/quiz builders, weighted grading, report cards and cohort groups; Elite adds multi-instructor front-end creation MemberDash memberships bundled into every tier since the Liquid Web acquisition.
How was LearnDash verified?
Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-19. Sources: learndash.com, learndash.com.
What are the alternatives to LearnDash?
We track Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, LearnDash, Podia as the closest alternatives in our Online Courses index, and 4 head-to-head comparisons against LearnDash are available.