A learning management system (LMS) is a tool or platform that allows you to build online courses and training platforms. There are two kinds of LMS systems.
The first one is online and hosted by different corporations like Skillshare and Udemy. The second is a self-hosted option that lets users build their courses and have complete control over them.
LMS plugins help to create and run online courses on WordPress, like Udemy. These plugins include features for handling online subscriptions, managing the course’s content, organizing and grading examinations, accepting payment, and so much more. These plugins also allow the integration of rich multimedia content, surveys, quizzes, and more, with the course.
With so many LMS plugins present in the market, choosing one can prove a daunting task. Don’t worry! This article will compare the five best WordPress Plugins for online courses to help you make an informed choice.
1. LifterLMS
LifterLMS is a popular learning management system plugin that has a set of advanced features and tools. It is most suitable for WordPress users who are experienced and advanced in creating online courses.
Online courses can be easily created with the help of this plugin. It allows users to create multimedia courses with videos, images, quizzes, and much more. It also allows the creators to add assignments to each lesson.
The pricing for this plugin starts at $99 per year, and other pricing plans give access to different useful add-ons.
Features:
- Drip content support for scheduling course availability.
- Several add-ons are available to extend functions and features.
- Proficiency in adding coupons and flexible payment plans.
- An Advanced course builder suitable for building courses of all kinds.
2. LearnPress
LearnPress enables users to create online courses for free. The free version of this plugin provides numerous tools to build and sell online courses easily. However, the advanced creators need to buy the paid version to access additional add-ons and advanced tools. The paid version is available for $49.
This plugin offers a bit of a learning curve for beginners. The users will need to set up this plugin on their own. Hence they may need some time to learn the proper functioning of this plugin. With this plugin, building multimedia courses and quizzes are also possible.
Features:
- Users can add unlimited instructors and create unlimited courses.
- Payments processing options through Paypal or other offline modes.
- Plenty of add-ons available in its paid version.
- Supports scheduled content, quizzes, assignment grading, and more.
- BuddyPress and bbPress integration for adding discussion boards.
3. LearnDash
LearnDash is one of the most popular LMS plugins for creating online courses on WordPress. It is one of the most versatile plugins that offers everything necessary to build different online courses, coaching and training programs, and much more. Plus it is easy to install and use.
Users can also create a complete online school using this plugin. Several big Fortune 500 companies and universities are already using this plugin. The pricing plan of LearnDash starts at $199/year. It offers a license for a single site and support for an entire year. Other plans are available at $229 and $369, offering licenses for 10 and 25 sites, respectively.
Features:
- Beginner-friendly course builder and setup process.
- Creation of discussion forums for each course.
- Drip content creation to enable the release of content as per schedule.
- Provides detailed reports on the progress of students.
4. Tutor LMS
Tutor LMS is identical to LearnDash. It comes with multiple useful features that enable users to create online courses. With it, one can easily build an entire school system.
However, the user interface of Tutor LMS is smoother as compared to its competitors. It makes Tutor LMS the best choice for beginners. This plugin offers a free version with which the creation of professional courses is feasible. For advanced features like providing certificates, etc., users need to subscribe to its paid plans offered at $149 and $299.
Features:
- Lessons created with quizzes and multimedia content.
- Beginner-friendly user interface.
- Detailed and simplified reports provided related to students and courses.
- Drag and drop editor available for building front end courses.
- Potential to add numerous instructors.
5. Teachable
Teachable is a popular online course builder plugin. Apart from acting like a WordPress plugin, it can be used as a subdomain or even a custom domain name. The creators can easily add a link to the school’s page on this plugin.
With Teachable, hosting is not needed. It hosts online courses and provides all the necessary tools to build highly interactive online courses. Analytics, built-in email marketing integration, and other marketing tools are provided in this plugin.
It also handles the payment process and allows integration with platforms like Paypal and Stripe. The payment period depends upon the chosen pricing plan.
Users need not download and install this plugin on their WordPress websites. They can sign in to the platform and start creating online courses. The free version allows the creation of unlimited online courses. However, the creators will have to pay a hefty commission for each sale made. Other pricing plans are offered for $29 and $79 per month.
Features:
- Allows creation of courses effortlessly without WordPress.
- Offers detailed analytics to turn insights into sales and courses.
- Embedding multimedia content is allowed.
- Integration of Zapier to connect more functions and apps.
- Users get their own sales page to promote online courses.
Final Thoughts
The creation of any online course or program becomes feasible with these WordPress plugins. We hope that this article helped you compare the various LMS plugins based on their features. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced WordPress user, you can take your pick from the plugins featured above.
With the fantastic features and add-ons offered by these plugins, the users can create excellent eLearning courses. All of these plugins allow seamless integration with the major payment platforms. The powerful membership rules allow the configuration of access control, selling subscription packages, and so much more. Also, a majority of them feature free plans as well.
Need help managing your WordPress website? Don’t have time to make necessary changes and updates to your existing themes and plugins? Contact our team today for help with your WordPress website management.
