The internet has revolutionized learning. It provided a much-needed push towards a new, digitized world of education for students and teachers worldwide. As more industries are going online, it is an exciting time to be in the business of online courses.
It is no longer a debate about physical school vs online learning. We need to think out of the box and look at the bigger picture by bringing in new ways of learning.
Exciting online course content, using creative add-ons to engage every member of the education system, and even incorporating an innovative newsletter and social media into the learning sphere — it can make a big difference to students.
If you are looking to launch your own education website, you will need to incorporate the best Learning Management System (LMS) for your business. An effective LMS website plugin on WordPress will enable you to create engaging and assorted courses that provide value to your users.
You can build and sell courses online the easy way using some of the best plugins for WordPress. Two of the most popular and best WordPress LMS plugins are LearnPress vs LearnDash.
However, choosing the right WordPress LMS plugin for you can be a daunting task. A powerful plugin should help you manage your online users and courses efficiently, process payments safely, and provide flexible add-ons that benefit all the members who use it.
Looking for a learning management system for WordPress?
Look no further.
"Create and host my own course with LearDash LMS on WordPress"
So which LMS plugin is for you? This guide will answer some common questions regarding these products to help you decide.
We weigh in on the pros and cons of LearnDash vs LearnPress so that you can see which plugin best suits your online course.
What Is WP Courseware?
Let us first look at WP courseware. It describes any plugin for the WordPress dashboard that allows users to create and set up online courses.
Developed by Fly Plugins, WP Courseware is easy to use and serves as a basic learning management system. It features integration options like WP Pro Quiz, unlimited courses, analytics, drag-and-drop features, and more.
Before you start, sign up for a WordPress hosting account using your email address. Then you can then get started.
Here, we go further into some of the more popular WordPress LMS plugins and find out which suits you better with LearnDash vs LearnPress.
What Is LearnPress?
LearnPress is the world’s most popular Learning Management System. Built by ThimPress, it is one of the best WordPress LMS plugins available today. It is quite user-friendly and ideal for beginners.
LearnPress is a free plugin but also has premium add-on extensions. The LearnPress theme bundle is popular due to its convenient pricing options and the vast number of popular WordPress themes, too.
The LearnPress LMS course builder enables you to easily create lessons and quizzes with no prior knowledge of coding required.
Some key features of the LearnPress LMS include:
Course creation: A top-of-the-line user interface helps you create the perfect course. It has plenty of options to edit and customize curriculum layouts and maintain them.
Compatibility: LearnPress works well with other WordPress themes.
Ease of use: Drag and drop features, auto-save, and certificate builders take your online course to the next level.
Convenient payment methods: You can sell courses on your WordPress site and integrate a range of payment gateways. Some top gateways include Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce. Offline payment add-ons are available, too.
Content Drip: You can set specific times for your lessons to be available to students and control their access to the rest of the course.
Forums: Use BuddySupport and bbPress to set up an area for students to discuss topics and lessons.
Tracking learners: LearnPress has a statistics tracker. It collects user data to showcase students’ progress and results.
Range of languages: LearnPress works in 8 different languages and is continuously picking up translations to more.
What Is LearnDash?
LearnDash is another highly popular WordPress LMS and core plugin. It is useful for small and large organizations alike — from major universities to small start-ups and bloggers worldwide.
This LMS platform lets you build a wide variety of online courses and comes packed with add-ons. It enables you to incorporate assignments, forums, quizzes, and other engaging content to keep users interested. LearnDash is also pretty straightforward to use.
Read Also: Review of LearnDash
Looking for a learning management system for WordPress?
Look no further.
"Create and host my own course with LearDash LMS on WordPress"
Some of its key features include:
Flexible options: Choose to drip-feed your content by setting prerequisites on your lessons, quizzes, and courses to suit your schedule.
Individual user profiles: Learners can manage their course material, update personal information, access certificates, view course progress, and more via email and their user profile.
Monetization options: You can integrate PayPal, Stripe, 2Checkout, and WooCommerce into your LearnDash platform. You can also choose to charge users a one-time fee or a monthly subscription to your course and add a shopping cart for easy checkout.
Drag and drop functionality: The Drag & Drop Course Builder on LearnDash is one of the best in the industry. It enables you to create multi-layer courses easily. Also, the course builder lets you reuse content.
Assignment management: Accept, approve, and assess submitted assignments seamlessly with this feature.
Detailed reporting: Use LearnDash to view the results and performance of your courses and any member of the LMS.
LearnDash vs LearnPress — Differences and Similarities
Both LearnPress and LearnDash are WordPress plugins developed to build online courses with the user in mind. We will now look at some features to help you differentiate between the two and accurately weigh both sides of LearnDash vs LearnPress.
Pricing
One of the first things to look at as online course providers is how much it will cost you.
LearnPress is free for most of its users and ideal for those on a budget. It offers some premium add-ons that incur a one-time cost of between $29 and $49. If you are a novice entrepreneur or a private instructor, the low start-up cost may appeal to you.
But the Learnpress bundle starts at $299 with a year’s license and one-year support.
LearnDash starts at $199 a year. It might seem steep for some. However, this cost includes access to all its features. You do not have to worry about paying extra in the future for advanced features and products and or dealing with third-party costs.
If you have institutional support or a substantial following ensuring higher enrollment rates, this platform may work better for your short-term and long-term budgeting.
Ease of Use
User experience and end-to-end seamless functionality are at the forefront of both LMS plugins.
When comparing them to each other, some users find LearnDash to be a bit more complicated compared to the simplicity of LearnPress.
Both LMS plugins have dedicated dashboards with interfaces and features like the drag-and-drop builder that are not difficult to master.
The LearnPress vs LearnDash competition comes to a close call for usability, and WordPress works well with either.
Integration with a Marketing Platform
Both LearnDash and LearnPress require third-party tools like WPFusion or Zapier to connect your WordPress site courses to your CRM. You will need to consider your CRM activity (like those via email) as a separate entity from the rest of your online course builder.
System Source
LearnPress is an open-source system, which means that anybody can access, change, and dispense out its source code. This open-source platform makes it easier for users to personalize and adapt according to their courses’ needs.
While LearnDash is also open source, it receives regular updates and new features as a closed-source system. It provides you with the best of both worlds.
Customer Support
Having substantial support while you navigate your online course setup and the world of LMS plugins is crucial and necessary.
LearnDash comes with an expansive library of resources, free for your reference. You also can reach their team through their email address for additional help.
LearnPress has limited resources online. You will have to go through the ThimPress email address and contact form with your questions.
Advantages of LearnDash vs Others
Looking for a learning management system for WordPress?
Look no further.
"Create and host my own course with LearDash LMS on WordPress"
- Visual Course Builder: It makes it super easy to lay out your course and visualize it.
- Convenient Course Scheduling: Stagger your timetable and drip feed content as you like.
- Advanced Quizzing Options: With more functions and complex and intricate features, you can make your quizzes personalized and engaging.
- Video Progression Feature: This function allows you to easily embed videos into your course, making it unique from other LMS platforms.
- Customize Course Bundles: Create and sell bundles of courses and offer discounts on bulk buys. It’s an excellent feature for selling online classes.
- Integrate Third-Party Add-Ons: For additional functionalities, use a wide range of plugins and designs.
Disadvantages of LearnDash
- No Free Trial: Many online course applications may find the price of LearnDash expensive, and they do not offer a free trial period.
- No Onboarding Guide: Even though it is beginner-friendly, you need to play around with the LMS yourself to figure out how to use it.
Looking for a learning management system for WordPress?
Look no further.
"Create and host my own course with LearDash LMS on WordPress"
Advantages of LearnPress vs Others
- It Is Free: If cost is an issue, there is no contest between LearnPress vs other plugins
- Rich in Features: You can create your course, incorporate wishlists, collect reviews, and import and export courses and learning material all through one platform.
- Excellent Compatibility: This LMS plugin works well with other tools and add-ons like WooCommerce and Stripe. It makes collecting payments for your courses straightforward.
- Create Courses Easily: Develop a unique and special course using quizzes, lessons, and other free features.
- Easy to Use: Anyone can get started on this LMS, and you do not need a background in web development.
Disadvantages of LearnPress
- Lack of Support: As mentioned, a common grievance about LearnPress is its lack of customer support and guidance. If you lack familiarity with online course website development, the lack of support can be a significant issue.
- Only Basics Come Included: It might be free, but anything extra comes at a cost. Specific quiz options, add-ons, certifications, and features cost extra. Most businesses keep an eye out for discount codes and special offers, which they run occasionally.
- Not Very Powerful: It is enough for a small-scale business but might be too lightweight to scale long-term and for substantial growth.
What Are Other WordPress Plugins?
LifterLMS
In LMS debates, you’ll often see a comparison of LifterLMS vs LearnDash vs LearnPress.
The LifterLMS plugin is free, and you can use it to sell courses manually. Creating courses, quizzes, badges, certificates, and more, has never been easier than on LifterLMS.
What sets LifterLMS apart from LearnDash and LearnPress is the support it offers to users.
LifterLMS is also extremely scalable and adaptable to suit your growth. The pricing plan starts at $749 per year
You can sell your courses and start your online business with LifterLMS for free and upgrade when you need it.
AccessAlly
AccessAlly is an all-in-one member plugin solution makes it easy and flexible for you to sell online courses. It enables recurring memberships, free classes, free add-ons, and gamification features.
Members can sign up to AccessAlly for flexible and seamless access across multiple platforms and devices. You can auto-save your password for easy access as well.
LearnDash vs LearnPress – Which One Is for You?
Whether you choose LearnDash, LearnPress, or any other WordPress LMS plugin – each comes with advantages and drawbacks, as detailed here. Think carefully about the needs of your project and training organizations.
Ultimately, whichever plugin you pick, you will be able to create an online course that engages your students. Either one will enable you to grow substantially and deliver impressive products to a digital-first audience.
LMS plugins need to be user-friendly and safe for your business. Only you can decide which ones are best for your business and meet your goals. Compare the features, offerings, and add-ons to determine which ones you would like to see incorporated into your online classroom. If you have long-term goals in mind, quality should be of utmost importance to you.
Reach out to us if you have any questions, and we will do our best to address all your queries as soon as we can.
