Best WordPress LMS Plugins to Create and Sell Courses Online

Updated: August 31, 2025

12 Best LMS Plugins for WordPress in 2025

  • Staff Pick

    LearnDash

    LearnDash is an extensively used paid learning management system (LMS) for WordPress. It is widely trusted by corporations, universities, training institutions, and entrepreneurs across the globe to design and market their online courses.

    Developer: Liquid Web

    $199/year

  • Staff Pick

    TutorLMS

    Tutor LMS is a comprehensive and resilient WordPress plugin for creating and marketing courses online. This learning management system comes equipped with a wide range of features that meet all the necessary criteria for a fully functional online course marketplace.

    Developer: Themeum

    Freemium / $199/year

  • Staff Pick

    Sensei LMS

    Sensei is a user-friendly WordPress LMS plugin created by Automattic, the same team behind WooCommerce and Jetpack. With Sensei, designing engaging and interactive online courses is easy and straightforward.

    Developer: Automattic

    Free

  • LifterLMS

    LifterLMS is a secure and feature-rich WordPress plugin for creating and selling courses online. With this intuitive learning management system, you can easily build interactive courses with rich multimedia content, track student progress with in-depth reporting and quizzes.

    Developer: LifterLMS

    Freemium / $149/year

  • LearnPress

    LearnPress is a comprehensive and user-friendly WordPress LMS plugin that allows you to create and sell courses online effortlessly. It includes an easy-to-use interface for managing course curriculum, lessons, and quizzes, making it an ideal choice for creating online schools and education websites with no coding skills required.

    Developer: ThimPress

    Freemium / $299/year

  • WP Courseware

    WP Courseware offers an intuitive, drag-and-drop course builder that makes creating world-class courses quick and easy. With all the necessary features at your disposal, WP Courseware simplifies the process of course creation.

    Developer: Fly Plugins

    $129 /year

  • MasterStudy LMS

    MasterStudy is an all-in-one, free WordPress LMS plugin that can transform any WordPress site into a professional online platform with a wide range of eLearning and LMS features. It's the ideal tool for any eLearning business.

    Developer: StylemixThemes

    Freemium / $59 per year

  • Namaste! LMS

    Namaste! LMS is a comprehensive learning management system designed specifically for WordPress. It supports an unlimited number of courses, lessons, and assignments, and you can create customized rules for accessing and completing them based on test results, assignment completion, or manual admin approval.

    Developer: Kiboko Labs

    Freemium / $137 per year

  • LMS by Masteriyo

    Masteriyo LMS is a powerful and user-friendly WordPress LMS solution for creating and selling online courses. Its minimalist course builder is incredibly fast and straightforward to use, with no coding skills required.

    Developer: Masteriyo

    Freemium / $149 per year

  • Academy LMS

    Academy LMS is a next-generation WordPress LMS plugin that promises lightning-fast performance and seamless integration with any WordPress site. With its user-friendly interface and engaging course creation features, you can transform your website into a professional e-learning platform quickly and easily.

    Developer: Academy LMS

    Freemium / $119 per year

  • FluentCommunity

    FluentCommunity is a beginner-friendly WordPress plugin that lets you build an online community and run courses in one place. It combines social networking features with a built-in Learning Management System (LMS), so you can create groups, connect people, and manage courses without writing any code.

    WPManageNinja

    Freemium / $159 per year

  • WP Courses LMS

    WP Courses LMS is a free, full-featured learning management system (LMS) for WordPress. It makes creating online courses simple with an easy-to-use interface, drag-and-drop tools, helpful video tutorials, and more.

    hookandhook

    Freemium / $99 per year

What is a WordPress LMS plugin?

A WordPress LMS (Learning Management System) plugin is an extension that is built on top of the WordPress CMS. LMS plugins add course creation, student management, and e-learning functionality to your WordPress website. These plugins transform your regular WordPress site into a full-fledged online learning platform where you can create courses, manage students, process payments, and track student progress.

Think of an LMS plugin as the engine that powers your online education business, handling everything from course delivery to student certificates while integrating with your existing WordPress site.

Why Choose WordPress LMS Plugins Over Standalone Platforms?

While platforms like Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi offer hosted solutions, WordPress LMS plugins provide several compelling advantages:

Complete Ownership and Control: You own your content, student data, and entire platform. No risk of platform changes affecting your business or losing access to your courses.

Cost Effectiveness: Most WordPress LMS plugins cost $100–$ 500 annually, compared to $300–$ 2000+ for hosted platforms with similar features. You also avoid transaction fees on many plugins.

Unlimited Customization: WordPress’s flexibility means you can customize every aspect of your learning platform, from design to functionality, without platform restrictions.

Integration: If you already have a WordPress website with existing content, traffic, and SEO rankings, adding LMS functionality maintains that foundation while expanding your offerings.

No Additional Transaction Fees: Most WordPress LMS plugins are self-hosted and don’t charge per-transaction fees, unlike many hosted platforms that take 2–10% of your revenue.

Quick Overview of Top WordPress LMS Plugins

Before diving deep, here’s a snapshot of the leading options:

Plugin Active Install Freemium Pro
Tutor LMS 100,000 Available $199 per year
LearnPress 90,000 Available $149 per year
Sensei LMS 10,000 Available $179 per year
LifterLMS 10,000 Available $149 per year
MasterStudy LMS 10,000 Available $149 per year
FluentCommunity 5000 Available $159 per year
Masteriyo LMS 3000 Available $149 per year
Academy LMS 2000 Available $99 per year
WP Courses LMS 600 Available $99 per year
LearnDash N/A N/A $199 per year
Namaste! LMS N/A N/A $137 per year
WP Courseware N/A N/A $159 per year

How to Choose the Right LMS Plugin

When choosing a learning management system (LMS) plugin for WordPress, it is important to think about more than just the price. The right plugin should make it simple to create and manage courses, while also offering tools that keep students motivated and engaged. The main features to look at include course creation, quizzes, assignments, certificates, gradebooks, payment gateways, and live class options.

Course Creation

The course builder is the most important part of any LMS plugin. It should feel easy to use while still being powerful enough to cover all your needs. If the process feels overly complicated, or if the plugin is missing something essential like assignments or video integration, you may face problems later.

  • Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop course builders save time. Compatibility with Gutenberg or Elementor makes design seamless.
  • Course Builder: A good builder supports modules, lessons, quizzes, assignments, and multimedia (YouTube, Vimeo, or self-hosted videos). Advanced options like nested structures or templates are a bonus.
  • Course Import/Export: Important for migrating between sites or backing up content. Some plugins offer it free; others require a paid addon.
  • Content Dripping: Release lessons gradually (e.g., one per week) to keep learners engaged and prevent overwhelm.
  • Filtering & Search: Helps students quickly find courses based on category, difficulty, or completion status.
  • Lesson & Topic Structure: Supports breaking content into smaller, structured units with interactive elements (H5P, SCORM).
  • Live Classes: Some plugins integrate directly with Zoom, Google Meet, or WebRTC for real-time sessions.
Course Creation – Feature Comparison Table

Here’s a detailed comparison of popular WordPress LMS plugins based on course creation capabilities. I’ve focused on backend/frontend building, content drip, live class support, and course export/import. “Free” indicates available in the free version, “Pro” means it’s a paid addon or premium feature, and “N/A” means it’s not supported.

Plugin Backend Course Creation Frontend Course Creation Content Drip Live Class Course export/import
Tutor LMS Free Pro Pro Pro Pro
LearnDash Pro Pro Pro Pro Pro
Sensei LMS Free N/A Pro N/A Free
LifterLMS Free N/A Free N/A Free
MasterStudy LMS Free Pro Pro Pro Free
FluentCommunity N/A Free Free N/A N/A
Masteriyo LMS Free N/A Pro Pro Free
Academy LMS Free Pro Pro Pro Free
WP Courses LMS Free N/A N/A N/A N/A
LearnPress Free Pro Pro N/A Free (XML)
Namaste! LMS Pro N/A Pro N/A Pro
WP Courseware Pro Pro Pro N/A Pro