Best LMS for WordPress: Top 11 Plugins for 2025

Best LMS for WordPress: Thinking about building an online course or an entire eLearning platform? Good news: you don’t need to be a tech genius or spend a bunch to do this! With the correct LMS plugin, WordPress can help you quickly set up an online classroom.

For educators wanting to share their knowledge with entrepreneurs looking for new income streams, LMS plugins have got you covered—course builders, quizzes, certificates, payment gateways, and more. But with so many plugins out there, how do you choose the right one for you?

Don’t worry! We’ve done the research so you don’t have to. In this post we’ll go through the top LMS plugins for WordPress, what’s good about each one, how much they cost, and who they’re for.

An LMS (Learning Management System) plugin transforms your WordPress site into a powerful online learning platform. These plugins provide tools for creating, managing, and delivering courses, including quizzes, progress tracking, certifications, and student dashboards. Consider it a virtual classroom where you can create compelling lessons, assess students, and even monetize your work using built-in payment methods. Whether you are an educator, trainer, or entrepreneur, an LMS plugin provides complete control over your eLearning platform.

Why use LMS Plugins for WordPress?

Ease of Use: Most LMS plugins are easy to use and come with drag-and-drop course builders so you can get courses up and running quickly without any coding knowledge.

Cost Effective: With an LMS plugin you avoid the expensive standalone platforms and have full control of your site.

Customizable: WordPress LMS plugins are highly customizable so you can design your course pages to match your brand and audience.

Monetization Options: From one-time payments to recurring subscriptions and bundled memberships these plugins make it easy to sell and profit from your courses.

Scalability: Whether you’re a small business with a few courses or an enterprise with a massive eLearning library LMS plugins can scale with you.

In short LMS plugins are for anyone who wants to get into online education with minimal fuss and maximum results.

1. MemberPress

MemberPress is a membership and LMS plugin that makes course creation and management a breeze. It has a drag-and-drop course builder so you can create courses in no time. The built-in MemberPress Courses add-on has quizzes, progress tracking and customizable certificates all without any extra downloads.

This plugin rocks with its access rules so you can control who can access specific content based on membership levels or purchases. It also has content dripping so you can release lessons over time to keep students engaged. MemberPress integrates with popular payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net and tools like Zapier and WooCommerce for extra functionality.

MemberPress makes pricing pages easy with pre-designed layouts so you don’t need to know how to code. But limited payment gateways and no lifetime purchase plan might be a bummer for some users.

Why We Chose MemberPress

MemberPress is easy to use, has powerful course-building tools and can combine memberships and eLearning in one platform. Perfect for anyone who wants to sell courses and have full control over membership access and content.

2. Thrive Apprentice

Thrive Apprentice is a tool for course creators who want to combine detailed reporting and personalized learning content in one plugin. It’s flexible, you can design courses with flexible layouts, track student progress and set up drip content all while having tons of customization options.

The drag-and-drop course builder is super easy to use, you can structure lessons and add multimedia content. Thrive Apprentice also has detailed reporting so you can see how students are performing and adjust your content accordingly.

One of the best features of Thrive Apprentice is the ability to create highly personalized learning paths. You can segment your audience and deliver targeted content based on user behavior so the learning experience adapts to each student.

While the plugin is feature rich, to get the full functionality you need a Thrive Suite subscription. This might be a bummer for those who only need the course creation functionality.

Why We Chose Thrive Apprentice

Thrive Apprentice is perfect for course creators who want to focus on personalization and reporting and keep the user experience smooth and engaging. If you’re into holistic marketing and want to integrate your courses with your overall business goals this plugin is a great choice.

3. Courses for MemberMouse

Courses for MemberMouse is a full solution for enterprise level membership sites that want to add eLearning features. This plugin allows course creators to manage memberships, upsell courses and offer flexible access controls based on user roles or subscription plans.

With robust access management tools you can assign specific courses or content to different membership tiers so the right content gets to the right people. The integration with MemberMouse also allows you to monetize your courses with recurring billing and multiple payment options.

One of the key features of Courses for MemberMouse is the course upselling. You can offer additional courses or premium content to users based on their current membership level and increase your revenue.

While it’s powerful it may be too expensive for smaller businesses as the plugin is more expensive than other LMS options.

Why We Chose Courses for MemberMouse

Courses for MemberMouse is for businesses with large membership bases that need advanced access management and monetization features. It’s deep integration with MemberMouse makes it a good choice for enterprise level sites.

4. WishList Member

WishList Member is a membership plugin that’s great for creating gamified and engaging course experiences. Perfect for course creators who want to boost student retention and motivation it has features like gamification, progress tracking and rewards systems to make learning more interactive.

You can create multiple membership tiers with WishList Member and control access to specific content so you can create a structured learning path for your students. It integrates with a range of LMS systems including LearnDash and LifterLMS to give you a more complete learning experience.

One of the best features of WishList Member is the gamification. You can award points, badges and certificates for completing lessons or achieving milestones so students stay engaged and motivated throughout the course.

Why We Chose WishList Member

WishList Member is a good choice for course creators who want to add gamification to their courses to increase engagement. It’s integration with other LMS tools makes it a flexible solution to build a more interactive and rewarding learning experience.

5. AccessAlly

AccessAlly is an all-in-one course creation and membership site that’s super strong on CRM integrations and automation. Perfect for coaches and course creators, AccessAlly integrates seamlessly with popular CRMs like HubSpot and Infusionsoft so you can manage your students and automate parts of your course delivery.

The plugin has course bundling, personalized content delivery and advanced reporting which helps scale your eLearning business. You can create custom learning paths based on individual student data and track their progress with ease.

One of the biggest strengths of AccessAlly is the automated workflows for customer management. Whether it’s sending automated emails, managing course enrollments or handling payments, AccessAlly makes these processes easy so you can focus on delivering great content.

Why We Chose AccessAlly

AccessAlly is perfect for coaches and course creators who want to scale their business with CRM integrations and automation. Its advanced features for personalized learning and student management make it the top choice for entrepreneurs who want to provide a personalized and efficient learning experience.

6. LearnDash

LearnDash is a powerful and feature-rich LMS plugin for educators to create complex and engaging learning experiences. Famous for its advanced features, LearnDash allows you to create courses with quizzes, assignments, discussion forums and multimedia content.

The plugin has flexible monetization options including integration with WooCommerce to sell your courses and manage memberships. LearnDash has content protection, course certificates, and detailed student reporting so you have full control over your courses and learner progress.

One of the biggest strengths is its advanced quiz functionality where you can create different types of quizzes, assignments and even graded assessments. Perfect for instructors who want to grade their students more seriously.

Why We Chose LearnDash

LearnDash is the perfect choice for educators and institutions that need a feature-rich platform to manage complex courses and evaluations. Its scalability and flexibility makes it perfect for anyone who needs a full LMS.

7. LifterLMS

LifterLMS is a beast of an LMS plugin for fitness pros, online coaches and eLearning entrepreneurs. With membership tiers, gamification, multimedia support and custom quizzes you can create personalized and engaging learning experiences for your students.

One of the key features of LifterLMS is learner engagement. With gamification, badges and certificates you can motivate students and increase course completion rates. Plus it integrates with popular payment gateways so you can monetize your courses.

LifterLMS also has powerful automation tools for delivering personalized content and tracking student progress. It’s a versatile platform that works for any industry from fitness to professional training.

Why We Chose LifterLMS

LifterLMS is for fitness pros and eLearning entrepreneurs who want to create an interactive and gamified learning experience. Its range of engagement tools and monetization options make it perfect for growing businesses.

8. WP Courseware

WP Courseware is a highly customizable LMS plugin for multi-instructor platforms. Course management, student progress tracking and quizzes, WP Courseware is for platforms that want to offer courses from multiple instructors in a structured and scalable way.

The plugin has a drag-and-drop course builder so you can create and organize courses. WP Courseware also allows you to assign instructors to courses, manage content and track learner progress through detailed reports.

WP Courseware integrates with many membership and eCommerce plugins so it’s a flexible solution for businesses that want to monetize their courses.

Why We Chose WP Courseware

WP Courseware is for businesses that want to create a multi-instructor learning platform. With flexible course management and progress tracking tools each instructor can manage their own content while maintaining a unified learning experience.

9. Teachable

Teachable is an external course platform where you can create and sell courses and keep everything separate from your WordPress site. With a drag-and-drop builder Teachable makes it easy to design and sell your courses with no tech skills.

The platform has built-in tools for email marketing, affiliate programs and student analytics to help you grow your audience and sell more. Teachable also integrates with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe so you can manage transactions and monetize your content.

Teachable is standalone, that’s both a pro and con. It’s great for course creators who don’t want to use WordPress but if you want to keep everything within your WordPress environment you may want to look elsewhere.

Why We Chose Teachable

Teachable is great for creators who want to keep their courses separate from WordPress. With built in marketing tools and a user friendly interface it’s a great solution for anyone who wants to sell courses without the hassle of WordPress integrations.

10. LearnPress

LearnPress is a free LMS plugin that has all the basic course creation and management tools. Great for beginners, LearnPress lets you create and deliver courses, set up quizzes and issue certificates with no upfront cost.

The core plugin is free but LearnPress has a range of premium add-ons that unlock extra features like content protection, extended reporting and more. So it’s a flexible solution that can grow with you.

LearnPress integrates with popular plugins like WooCommerce and BuddyPress which helps to expand its functionality if you want to monetise your courses or build a community around them.

Why We Chose LearnPress

LearnPress is great for those who want a free LMS plugin to start with course creation. Its flexibility and premium add-ons make it suitable for users who may want to upgrade as their business grows.

11. Sensei LMS

Sensei LMS is a powerful and flexible LMS plugin for WooCommerce store owners who want to sell courses alongside their products. With seamless WooCommerce integration Sensei LMS lets you manage courses, track progress and sell your courses within the same platform.

The plugin has course management, quizzes, reporting and student enrollment tools all while integrating with WooCommerce for payment and order management. If you already have a WooCommerce store you’ll love this.

Why We Chose Sensei LMS

Sensei LMS is for WooCommerce store owners who want to sell courses alongside physical or digital products. It’s a tight integration with WooCommerce so if you already know the platform you’ll love this.

To have a smooth learning experience you need to optimize your WordPress LMS:

High-Quality Hosting: Use Rocon for fast loading speeds, uptime and a smooth experience for your students.

Optimize Images and Videos: Compress media files with Smush or TinyPNG to improve site performance without compromising quality.

Caching: Use WP Rocket to boost loading times and overall speed.

Secure Your Platform: Install SSL and set up regular backups to protect your data and students progress.

Engage Students: Gamify with badges, leaderboards and certificates to keep them motivated.

Monitor Performance: Use analytics to track user behaviour and improve the platform.

What Plugin to Choose?

The right plugin depends on your goals. If you want simplicity, try MemberPress or Tutor LMS. Need advanced features like gamification and certificates? LearnDash or LifterLMS might be better. For budget-friendly options, check out LearnPress or Good LMS. Choose based on features, budget, and the scale of your courses!

Building your own eLearning platform with WordPress? Yes, you can—and it’s awesome! With the right LMS plugin and theme, you’re not just building a website, you’re creating an experience for your audience. Imagine delivering courses with multimedia content, fun gamification features, and a professional design—all while keeping it easy for you to manage.

But don’t stop there. Add reliable hosting like Rocon, optimize your media files, secure your platform, and add features that will keep students coming back for more. Badges, leaderboards, and certificates to keep them motivated!

1. What’s the best LMS plugin for WordPress?

It depends on your needs. MemberPress is good for membership and course management, LearnDash is good for advanced eLearning features like drip content and gamification.

2. Can I use a free LMS plugin for WordPress?

Yes, LearnPress and Sensei LMS have free versions with basic features. But for payment gateways, certificates and detailed reporting, you may need premium add-ons or plugins.

3. Do I need coding knowledge to set up an LMS on WordPress?

No, most LMS plugins have drag-and-drop builders and user-friendly dashboards so you can create courses and manage your platform without coding.

4. What payment gateways are supported by LMS plugins?

Most LMS plugins support Stripe, PayPal and Authorize.net. Some plugins, like WooCommerce-integrated LMSs also support more payment options.

5. How can I make my WordPress LMS mobile-friendly?

Choose a responsive WordPress theme and make sure your LMS plugin is mobile optimized. Use tools like Google Mobile-Friendly Test to identify and fix any mobile usability issues.