LearnDash vs Tutor LMS: which plugin should power your WordPress e-learning platform?

LearnDash and Tutor LMS are two of the most widely used plugins for turning a WordPress site into an e-learning platform: courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates, student tracking and online sales. Both do the job, with different philosophies. This comparison, written by an agency that builds training platforms, helps you choose for your project: coach, training centre, school or company.

In short

• LearnDash: the established reference, robust, very rich in teaching options (advanced quizzes, drip content, groups, reports), with a large ecosystem of add-ons. No free version.
• Tutor LMS: a newer plugin with a solid free version, a visual course builder, ready-made student and instructor dashboards and built-in payments in the Pro version.

Pricing and licences

Tutor LMS has a free core, then Pro licences. At the time of writing (October 2026), the official site lists annual plans at $199 (1 site), $399 (up to 10 sites) and $799 (unlimited sites), plus lifetime licences at $499, $999 and $1,999, excluding tax. All paid plans include the Pro features, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

LearnDash has no free version. It is now sold by Liquid Web, with plans by number of sites that bundle other tools from the same company. Prices and billing terms change: check the official pricing page when you start your project.

Building courses

Both plugins offer a drag-and-drop course builder: sections, lessons, topics, quizzes. Tutor LMS focuses on a modern visual interface that non-technical trainers like, and lets instructors build courses from a front-end dashboard. LearnDash also has a visual builder and AI-assisted course outlines, with a very flexible structure (courses, lessons, topics) for long programmes.

Quizzes, assignments and certificates

• LearnDash: very complete quizzes (several question types, question banks, pass conditions, statistics), assignments and customisable certificates. Historically its strongest area.
• Tutor LMS: an advanced quiz builder with interactive question types, assignments with deadlines and multiple submissions, and a drag-and-drop certificate builder with QR-code verification.

Selling and payments

Tutor LMS Pro has its own sales module: single courses, subscriptions, bundles, coupons, with several international gateways (Stripe, PayPal and others). LearnDash offers payment integrations (Stripe, PayPal), works with WooCommerce and includes a membership module.

Check gateway availability for your country before choosing. Some international gateways do not onboard businesses registered in certain countries, including Morocco. In those cases, WooCommerce with a local payment gateway, or manual bank transfer, is the usual route. See subscription payments in Morocco.

Student experience

Tutor LMS ships a complete student dashboard out of the box (enrolled courses, progress, quizzes, certificates, wishlist). LearnDash's default experience is plainer and is usually enhanced by the theme or add-ons. Either way, the design must work on mobile: most of your students will take courses on their phone.

Live classes, groups and companies

• Tutor LMS Pro integrates Zoom, Google Meet and Jitsi for live sessions, and supports multiple instructors per course.
• LearnDash is very strong with groups: bulk enrolment and group leaders who track their learners, ideal for corporate training or classes.

Ecosystem and longevity

LearnDash benefits from a large ecosystem of third-party add-ons (reporting, gamification, SCORM through add-ons) and many developers who know it. Tutor LMS bundles more features into its Pro plan, which reduces the number of add-ons to combine. Both are actively maintained.

Our recommendation

• Independent coach or trainer who wants to launch fast with good value: Tutor LMS (Pro once you sell).
• Training centre or company with groups, long programmes and demanding assessment: LearnDash.
• Multi-instructor marketplace: Tutor LMS, designed for multiple instructors.
• Institution with many programmes: compare with Moodle too, see e-learning platforms for universities.
• Unusual requirements (mobile app, specific business logic): custom development.

We set up and customise both

We build WordPress training platforms with LearnDash or Tutor LMS: custom design, course structure, payments, protected videos, automatic emails and maintenance. Describe your project and we will tell you which of the two fits, and why.