LearnDash – The Best LMS WordPress Plugin

LMS (learning management system) is a software application that can save time and money by administering information available in a web-based environment. It is used for documentation, tracking, reporting, delivering, and much more.

You can add LMS features in your WordPress website with the help of plugins. With a perfect LMS plugin, you can manage your online course, content, subscriptions, quizzes, etc. Choosing a WordPress LMS plugin from a wide range of options in the market is tough.

To simplify the process we have researched and picked one of the best LMS plugins in the market – LeanDash. This plugin is trusted by major universities and Fortune 500 companies because of its robust features, good support, and industry expertise.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through the features, functionalities, pricing and more to help you decide if its the right fit for you.

LearnDash

LearnDash is a premium WordPress plugin that helps you to transform your website into a powerful learning management system. You can create or sell courses, track user progress, deliver certificates, award points & badges, and so on. LearnDash can be used on any modern WordPress themes and it works well without any membership plugin.  

Demo

In order to access the demo, you have to register. Once you have an account, you can access the available LearnDash demonstration courses. The courses can be categorized as paid and free.

Features

Course features

• Intelligent course builder- courses can be created easily
• Advanced quizzing type- includes question type, custom messages, question banks, etc
• Drip feed content- schedule lessons over a specified amount of time
• Lesson timers – minimum time that must be spent on each class
• Flexible prerequisites- course, lesson, and quiz can be set based on qualification and requirement   
• Dynamic forums- public or private forums can be provided to enrolled users
• Gradebook- synchronizes quiz, assignments, and manual grading
• Course points- provide points for completed courses to unlock the upcoming one
• Certificates and badges- provide certificates and badges for course activities

Monetize features

• Content purchase- supports one-time payment (customers are billed once) and recurring payment (customers are billed according to the billing cycle you specify). They accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card
• Subscriptions- offer subscription options
• Shopping cart- implement a shopping cart and sell your courses
• Memberships- provide access to all courses with membership options
• Course bundles- sell your courses as separate packs
• Course licenses- create an online course market place like Udemy

Administration features

• User profiles- create front-end profiles for users to track their course activity
• Email notifications- email triggers can be sent to users to increase learning engagement
• Group management- create groups and allow masters to manage them
• Detailed reporting- reports can be created for user enrollment, progress, and quiz performance
• Assignment management- manage submitted assignments by approving, commenting, and providing points
• Expire access- set expire time and remove access after a specific time period

Tech features

• Tin can API & SCORM- programs like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, iSpring, or H5P can be used
• Multisite enabled- LearnDash can be used in WordPress multisite network
• Use any theme- supports any modern WordPress themes and does not require custom coding
• Use any media- videos, images, audio, Google docs, and more can be inserted
• Responsiveness- LearnDash is responsive across mobile, desktop, and various devices
• Industry experts- great support is provided by experienced e-learning experts

Add-ons

3rd party extensions

• LearnDash Toolkit
• BuddyPress Integration
• BadgeOS Integration
• GamiPress Integration
• GrassBlade  
• Content Cloner

Premier extensions

• MailChimp Integration
• LearnDash Notes
• Visual Customizer
• LearnDash Gradebook
• ConvertKit Integration
• Memberium Integration

Free extensions

• WooCommerce Integration
• EDD Integration
• Stripe Integration
• SamCart Integration
• Course Grid
• Zapier Integration
• 2Checkout Integration
• LearnDash Notifications, etc

Click here to learn more about all the other extensions.

Price (paid annually)

• Basic: $159 with 30-day money back guarantee (1 website license)
• Plus package: $189 with 30-day money back guarantee (up to 10 website license)
• Pro package: $329 with 30-day money back guarantee(up to 25 website license)

Pros

• Most of the areas can be controlled as it has deep functionality options
• Drag and drop course builder options makes the procedure simple and easy
• In-built video progression is useful for conducting video courses
• Process can be automated with the help of email/Zapier trigger functionalities  

Cons

• Functionality options can be overwhelming for beginners
• For deeper membership/payment functionalities like automated email listings, managing and administering grades of students, selling multiple licenses for your courses, membership/payment functionality you have to install third-party plugin integrations
• Features may not be useful if you want to build a membership website without selling courses
• Lacks Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) support
• Cannot create custom registration forms

Famous websites using LearnDash

Here are some famous websites that use LearnDash.

1. Infusionsoft (Keap)

2. Yoast Academy

3. University of Michigan

4. WPElevation

5. Bionic Turtle

6. Fit Father Project

Membership plugin usage

If you use only LearnDash plugin

If you choose LearnDash then you don’t require a membership plugin to protect your content. LearnDash can be integrated with popular shopping carts like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, SamCart, and ThriveCart (beta). The plugin also supports PayPal, Stripe, and 2Checkout.

If you use only membership plugin

If you don’t require course enrollments features like quizzes, certificates, badges, points, and learning reports, you can use a membership plugin.

If you use LearnDash and a membership plugin

Using a membership plugin along with LearnDash can add many functionalities to your website. If you need additional metrics like reporting capabilities, you can use both LearnDash and a membership plugin.

Here are some membership plugins supported by LearnDash,

• MemberPress
• PaidMembershipsPro
• Restrict Content Pro
• Memberful
• Memberium
• UltimateMember
• ActiveMember360
• iMember360   

LearDash is considered as one of the best LMS WordPress plugins due to its extensive functionalities. This plugin is the perfect option for creating custom online courses for small, medium and large organizations, for profits and nonprofits alike. We hope this article helped you better understand Learn Dash, so we hope you have success using this plugin and adding all the desired functionalities to your LMS WordPress website.

LearnDash can help to quickly set up an LMS. But, sometimes you need to tweak it to match your exact requirements. Our expert developers at Wisevu know the inside and out of LearnDash development. We can build a feature-packed LMS website to get your courses in the marketplace in no time. Contact us now to get the best service for your LearnDash project.

Do you prefer or use another WordPress LMS plugin? We’d love to hear about your experience. Please do comment below!