A learning management system (LMS) plugin turns WordPress into a course platform. It adds courses and lessons, tracks student progress, runs quizzes and controls who can see what. There are half a dozen serious options, and they differ more in business model and workflow than in raw features. Here’s how they compare and which kind of site each one suits.
On this page
Quick picks
- Best all-in-one paid plugin: LearnDash
- Best free start, with memberships built in: LifterLMS
- Best for multiple instructors: Tutor LMS
- Best for WooCommerce stores: Sensei LMS
- Best if your theme is built for it: LearnPress or MasterStudy LMS
Side-by-side comparison
| Plugin | Made by | Free version | Pricing model | Selling courses | Stands out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LearnDash | StellarWP | No | Annual license, priced by number of sites | Built-in Stripe and PayPal, or WooCommerce | Mature quizzes, drip schedules, groups |
| LifterLMS | LifterLMS | Yes | Free core, paid add-ons and bundles | Paid gateway add-ons | Courses and memberships in one plugin |
| Tutor LMS | Themeum | Yes | Free core, paid Pro license | Built-in checkout or WooCommerce | Front-end course builder |
| Sensei LMS | Automattic | Yes | Free core, paid Sensei Pro | WooCommerce, via Sensei Pro | Built around the block editor |
| LearnPress | ThimPress | Yes | Free core, paid add-ons | Add-ons, including WooCommerce | Bundled with many education themes |
| MasterStudy LMS | StylemixThemes | Yes | Free core, paid Pro version | Varies by edition | Pairs with the MasterStudy theme |
Prices and plan contents change often, so treat each vendor’s own pricing page as the final word.
LearnDash
LearnDash is the long-standing premium choice. There is no free version, but nearly everything a course business needs is in the one plugin: a drag-and-drop course builder, quizzes with many question types, lessons that unlock on a schedule, certificates, and groups that suit schools and company training. It takes payments through Stripe and PayPal out of the box and also works with WooCommerce and membership plugins.
Watch out for: the yearly renewal you need to keep updates and support.
Best for: anyone selling courses as a business who wants one mature, well-supported plugin.
LifterLMS
LifterLMS gives you a capable LMS for free: courses, lessons, quizzes, drip content, certificates and memberships are all in the core plugin. Its business model is add-ons: payment gateways, email marketing integrations and advanced features are sold separately or in bundles.
Watch out for: taking card payments online needs a paid add-on, so price the add-ons before you commit.
Best for: creators who want courses and a membership site together, starting without upfront cost.
Tutor LMS
Tutor LMS, from Themeum, is known for its front-end course builder: instructors create and edit courses without going into the WordPress admin. That makes it a natural fit for sites with several teachers, including marketplaces where instructors earn a share of each sale. The free version is generous; Pro adds features such as certificates, content drip and live-class integrations like Zoom and Google Meet.
Watch out for: check which of the features you need are Pro-only before you build on the free version.
Best for: multi-instructor sites, and anyone who wants a polished student and instructor area without extra work.
Sensei LMS
Sensei LMS comes from Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce. Courses and lessons are built with blocks in the normal editor, so it feels native if you already use the block editor. The free plugin covers courses, lessons and quizzes; Sensei Pro adds selling through WooCommerce, content drip and more.
Watch out for: selling courses needs both WooCommerce and Sensei Pro.
Best for: sites already running WooCommerce, and anyone who wants an LMS that closely follows WordPress’s own design.
LearnPress and MasterStudy LMS
Both are free plugins from theme companies, ThimPress and StylemixThemes, and both power best-selling education themes: Eduma is built on LearnPress, and the MasterStudy theme on MasterStudy LMS. If you buy one of those themes, using its matching LMS is the path of least resistance.
Watch out for: lock-in. The theme, the LMS and their add-ons are designed around each other, which can make it harder to change one piece later.
Best for: people who want a complete, ready-made academy design on day one.
How to choose
- Will you sell, and how? One-off course sales, subscriptions and memberships each favor different plugins.
- One instructor or many? Several teachers point toward Tutor LMS, or another plugin with strong instructor roles.
- Who are the students? Public learners need a smooth checkout; a school or company needs groups, admin-managed enrollment and reporting.
- What’s the real budget? Add up the license plus every add-on you’ll actually use, every year.
- Does your theme support it? Look for named support for your LMS in the theme’s documentation. Our education themes guide lists themes that do.
Don’t forget hosting
Course sites are mostly logged-in traffic, so page caching helps far less than it does on a blog. Choose hosting with enough PHP workers and object caching for the number of students you expect online at the same time, and test lesson pages while logged in, not just the home page.
FAQ
What’s the best free LMS plugin for WordPress?
For most sites, LifterLMS or Tutor LMS. Both have capable free versions. Choose LifterLMS if memberships matter, and Tutor LMS if you want instructors to build courses from the front end.
Do I need WooCommerce to sell courses?
No. LearnDash and Tutor LMS can take payments without it, and LifterLMS uses its own gateway add-ons. Sensei LMS is the one that sells through WooCommerce.
What happened to CoursePress Pro?
WPMU DEV retired it. See CoursePress Pro alternatives for where to move and how to migrate.