Selling courses online can quickly get overwhelming. Between creating lessons, tracking progress, and managing payments, it’s easy to feel stuck.
That’s where a WordPress LMS plugin comes in. It makes the entire process fast and simple, letting you focus on what matters – your content and your students. In this post, we’ll show you why an LMS is essential for selling courses, and explore the four best LMS plugins for WordPress with free plans.
What is LMS?
Learning Management System (LMS) is software that lets you create and sell courses online. Usually, it has features for managing eLearning course content, processing payments, assessing students with quizzes and assignments, and more.
If you’re a course creator, a coach, or want to sell your training program online, WordPress is the solution for you. It’s a well-known content management system used by more than 810 million websites in 2024. LMS plugin can make it easier to build a learning platform on WordPress as it has tools to create courses, add engaging content, and track course reports.
Why You Need an LMS for WordPress Site
One of the many benefits of LMS plugins is the ease of use that you can find in different LMS solutions for WordPress, like MasterStudy. An LMS plugin helps you with each step of course creation, you can manage your courses directly from your WordPress site.
Imagine trying to control everything from course materials, student progress monitoring, and payment collection without an LMS – you’ll quickly get tired and unmotivated. With an LMS plugin like MasterStudy LMS, all of these tasks are streamlined into one flexible platform.
Top Features to Look for in LMS
Not all LMS plugins are created equal. When choosing an LMS plugin for a WordPress site to build an online learning platform, there are a few key features you should look for:
- Easy course creation. A good LMS includes features like a course builder that allow you to create courses or training programs more easily. You should be able to organize content in a logical way and add lessons, quizzes, assignments, and multimedia elements with minimal effort.
- Financial management. You need a reliable way to get paid for your online courses. Look for plugins that support and integrate with popular payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, or WooCommerce for smooth transactions and subscription options.
- Student engagement. Your students are more likely to stay engaged with your program if you add interactive features. Powerful LMS solutions let you implement quizzes, certificates, and discussion forums.
- Mobile-friendly design. Now, a lot of students prefer learning content from mobile devices so make sure the LMS platform is responsive and looks great on smartphones and tablets.
- Progress tracking. Choose LMS plugins that have tools to monitor student progress and get insights into your course performance, sales, and engagement. This can help you improve your courses and boost sales.
- Customization. The ability to match your LMS with your brand’s look and feel is crucial. Look for plugins that allow customization of design, certificates, and other elements.
There are many LMS plugins and online education themes available for WordPress, let’s look at some of the most popular ones:
MasterStudy LMS
MasterStudy LMS stands out as one of the best course management system plugins for WordPress in 2024. Creators choose it for features that give them flexibility and freedom in managing their eLearning courses. MasterStudy LMS is suitable for both beginners in teaching online and those who have experience. It has not only necessary and free features for course creation but also advanced options to upgrade your platform.
- All-in-one course management. MasterStudy allows you to easily create and manage online courses with lessons, quizzes, assignments, and video content. If you’re teaching a course for beginners or planning an advanced workshop, you can organize your content
- Powerful payment integration: With a variety of payment options, MasterStudy gives you different ways to accept payments through PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce. You can also set up flexible pricing models like one-time payments, subscriptions, or membership-based pricing.
- Student engagement tools. MasterStudy LMS has interactive features such as quizzes, certificates, and course progress tracking. With these tools, students will get interested in your lessons and have a sense of accomplishment.
- Analytics and reporting. See how your students are doing on your courses and check course performance with detailed reports. This information can help you optimize your content and sales strategy.
- Customizable design. You can customize and adjust the visuals, course pages, website design, course certificates, and more details. The plugin lets you personalize your platform to fit your needs.
- Seamless integration with WordPress. MasterStudy is built specifically for WordPress, and it integrates smoothly with your site. You can get started with your learning platform safely and maintain your courses.
Price: 99USD/a year with a free plan (currently 49.50 USD)
Besides all of these awesome features, MasterStudy LMS plugin comes with a Starter theme. It means you’ll have a ready website for eLearning courses if you purchase a plugin. Plus, you can get our MasterStudy bundle: MasterStudy LMS Pro plugin and MasterStudy Templates with a 50% discount this Black Friday exclusively. With this bundle, you’ll build a fully-featured LMS platform with a stunning website.
LearnDash
LearnDash is widely recognized for its robust features and flexibility, making it ideal for experienced course creators. It offers advanced quizzes, gamification options, and drip-feed content scheduling to keep students engaged.
The extensive feature set of LearnDash can be overwhelming for beginners, and the higher price point may not suit everyone. LearnDash is best for users who prioritize deep customization and don’t mind a steeper learning curve to get the most out of their platform.
Price: Price: 199 USD/a year with no free plan
LifterLMS
LifterLMS is a feature-rich solution offering tools for course creation, membership options, and payment management. One standout feature is its excellent customer support, which is especially helpful for beginners.
Many of the advanced features in LifterLMS, such as integrations with third-party tools, require paid add-ons, potentially increasing the total cost. Creators who value flexibility and are willing to invest in additional features over time can use it.
Price: 299 USD/a year with a free plan
Tutor LMS
Tutor LMS is a popular choice for educators online for its user-friendly interface. Beginners also can start their teaching journey with it. It supports multimedia content, assignments, and quizzes, providing a well-rounded course creation experience.
But, its advanced features, such as certificates and advanced reporting, are limited to the premium version. For creators who want a straightforward and budget-friendly option to get started, Tutor LMS is an excellent choice.
Price: 199 USD/year with a free plan
These four LMS plugins offer cool features necessary for building an LMS platform, although each has its pros and cons. Compared to them, MasterStudy LMS combines ease of use with advanced features at a reasonable price point.
How to Choose the Right LMS for Online Courses
Choosing the best LMS plugin depends on several factors:
- Are you offering video-based courses, live sessions, or written content? Make sure the LMS supports the type of content you want to use in your courses or training programs.
- You need to think about the budget. If you’re just starting, look for a plugin that provides great value for money. MasterStudy LMS offers a free version, with premium features available in the paid version.
- Do you need advanced features like quizzes, certificates, or membership options? Or only the basic ones to create a course? Check beforehand that the LMS plugin has the required tools you need to run your course smoothly.
Conclusion
In 2024, you can find numerous LMS solutions to deliver online courses. However, it’s important to look for plugins that have the features to effectively manage the learning platform such as progress tracking tools, seamless payments, and others.
MasterStudy LMS stands out as one of the best options for selling online courses on WordPress. It’s packed with features that streamline course creation, payment processing, and student engagement. Beginners and experienced course creators choose MasterStudy LMS for the tools that help them succeed.
Ready to create and sell your online courses? Get started with MasterStudy LMS Pro plugin today and take your eLearning business to the next level!
