Description
LearnDash is a learning management system (LMS) plugin for WordPress, used to build, manage, and sell online courses directly from a WordPress site. First launched in 2013 and now part of Liquid Web (through its Nexcess brand), it is positioned as a course-building tool for people who want to own their platform, student data, and revenue rather than rely on a third-party course marketplace.
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Courses are structured in WordPress using a drag-and-drop builder, organized into lessons, topics, and quizzes with eight question types, including multiple choice, essay, sorting, and fill-in-the-blank. Course dates and structure can be rearranged on the fly. On the Pro and Elite plans, an AI Course Outline & Quiz Builder takes a topic description and generates a structured outline with lessons, which instructors then edit and publish, instead of starting from a blank page.
Payments and membership run through Stripe and PayPal integrations and a built-in membership system called MemberDash, which handles tiers, recurring subscriptions, and drip content without a separate plugin. ProPanel, included on Pro and Elite, adds a real-time analytics dashboard covering enrollment trends, completion rates, quiz-performance breakdowns, and flags for at-risk learners. On the Elite plan, LearnDash adds group-based, seat-based enrollment for organizations, multiple instructors working on one course, and a front-end instructor role that does not require WordPress dashboard access.
LearnDash is built for individual course creators, educators, businesses, and training and L&D teams running courses on WordPress, including agencies managing multiple client sites. Pricing is a single annual license with no per-student fees: Essentials at $259 a year, Pro at $399 a year (adds the AI course builder and ProPanel), and Elite at $599 a year (adds group and multi-instructor features), each covering unlimited courses and learners.
As a WordPress plugin, LearnDash requires a WordPress installation, and Liquid Web itself recommends managed hosting for higher-traffic sites; it is not a stand-alone, hosted course platform.
- CategoryAI Course Creators
- Pricing ModelSubscription
- DeploymentCloud
- PlatformsWordPress
LearnDash's Core Features
Drag-and-drop course builder with lessons, topics, and quizzes
AI Course Outline & Quiz Builder that generates a course outline from a topic description (Pro and Elite)
Quiz builder with eight question types, including multiple choice, essay, and fill-in-the-blank
MemberDash, a built-in membership system for tiers, subscriptions, and course bundles
ProPanel real-time analytics for enrollment, completion rates, and at-risk learner flags (Pro and Elite)
Certificate builder and achievement badges for learner progress
Stripe and PayPal payment integrations for direct course sales
Group-based, seat-based enrollment and multi-instructor course management (Elite)
How to use LearnDash?
Install LearnDash: add the plugin to a WordPress site and pick a plan, Essentials, Pro, or Elite
Build a course: use the drag-and-drop builder to add lessons, topics, and quizzes, or describe a topic to the AI Course Outline & Quiz Builder for a starting structure
Set up payments: connect Stripe or PayPal, or set up membership tiers with MemberDash
Publish and enroll learners: launch the course for individual sign-ups, or set up seat-based group enrollment for organizations (Elite)
Track results: use ProPanel to monitor enrollment, completion rates, and quiz performance, and step in where learners are struggling
LearnDash's Use Cases
- Course creation
- AI-assisted outlining
- Membership sites
- Enterprise training
