COMPARISON

LearnDash vs MemberPress: Which is the better LMS?

Last Updated: 9 mins By: Sanjeev Bhattarai

Looking for a WordPress plugin for your eLearning platform? You might have come across LearnDash and MemberPress.

These are two popular WordPress plugins for LMS platforms and membership sites. But which one is for you? Let’s find out.

In this article, we will compare LearnDash against MemberPress, two popular WordPress LMS plugins, to help you decide the best option for you.

LearnDash vs MemberPress At a Glance

Before we begin, let’s quickly introduce the two WordPress plugins. 

LearnDash is the brainchild of Justin and Kloé Ferriman. It debuted in 2013 and became part of StellarWP in 2021.  

MemberPress came into existence in 2012. However, the team behind this member has previously built membership software solution for clients. MemberPress just made their solution scalable, extendable, and attainable.

LearnDash Logo
LearnDash

By StellarWP

80,000+ Active Installation

Add-ons and Integrations

Premium

MemberPress

By iGot-Web

500+ Active Installation

Add-ons and Integrations

Premium


Plans and Pricing

LearnDash

LearnDash’s pricing is pretty rigid. There is no free tier or lifetime license, either. You must sign up for one of the three yearly subscriptions, which start at $199 per year.  

LearnDash only has a few add-ons since most of the features are included in the plugin itself. However, you’ll have to pay an additional $49 per year for each premium add-on you use. 

LearnDash PlansPricing Benefits 
Basic $199/year 
No Lifetime Package 
1-site license 
Core LMS Features 
Free integrations and add-ons 
1 year of updates and support 
Plus $399/year 
No Lifetime Package  
10-site license
Core LMS Features 
Free integrations and add-ons 
1 year of updates and support  
Pro $799/year 
No Lifetime Package 
Unlimited site licenses
Core LMS Features
Free integrations and add-ons
1 year of updates and support  

MemberPress

MemberPress, too, doesn’t offer free and lifetime plans. It has four tiers of paid plans, each with different features, add-ons, and integrations.

MemberPressPricingBenefits
Basic$179.50/year1-Site License
Basic Add-Ons & Integrations
ReadyLaunch Page Maker
Plus$299.5/year2-site License
Advanced Add-Ons & Integrations
Developer Tools
Pro$399.50/year3-site License
Advanced Add-Ons & Integrations
Developer Tools
Elite$499.50/year5-site License
Advanced Add-Ons & Integrations
Developer Tools

We Recommend: None of the two LMS plugins offer a lifetime license. So, if you don’t want to pay a subscription fee, you should look into other options. Masteriyo is one such plugin with a lifetime license for both individuals and agencies.  


Features

Initial Setup

After installing the respective plugins, you are welcomed by the setup wizard, which lets you set the basic settings.

LearnDash configures basic course and payment settings. On the other hand, MemberPress focuses on content security as well.

LearnDash MemberPress 
Setup Wizard ✅ ✅ 
Native Theme 
Demo Content Import 
Migration ✅ (Tutor LMS, LearnPress, Sensei) ✅ (LearnDash)

Course Builder

MemberPress has a really good drop-and-drag course builder for a membership plugin. However, it is no match for LearnDash, which offers advanced course creation features.

LearnDash MemberPress 
Drag and Drop Builder ✅ ✅ 
Front-end Builder ✅ (Premium Add-on) ❌ 
Unlimited Courses and Lessons ✅ ✅ 
Course Dashboard ✅ ✅ 
Course Attachments ✅ ✅ 
Download Materials ✅ ✅ 
Course Preview ✅ (Available as Sample Lessons) ❌ 

Quiz Builder

With recent updates, MemberPress has improved its quiz builder, adding newer question types and advanced settings. However, it is no match for LearnDash, which offers much more.

LearnDashMemberPress
Unlimited Quizzes ✅ ✅ 
Drop and Drag Builder ✅ ✅ 
Multiple Question Types ✅ (8, Includes Survey) ✅ (9, Includes Likert)
Quizzes Import and Export ✅ ❌ 
Randomize Questions ✅ ❌ 
Quiz Duration ✅ ❌ 
Limit Quiz Attempts ✅ ✅ 
Quiz Hints ✅ ❌ 
Answer Explanation ✅ ❌ 
Quiz Leaderboard ✅ ❌ 
Email Notification ✅ ❌ 

Built-in Order & Payment Support 

MemberPress has built-in support for Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net. LearnDash only has Stripe.

LearnDash MemberPress
Built-in Order System ✅ (Stripe Connect) ✅ (Stripe, PayPal, Offline, Authorize.net)
Course Subscription ✅ ✅ 
Revenue Sharing ✅ ❌ 

Sales and Ecommerce Integrations

Sales and e-commerce integration options are similar across LearnDash and MemberPress. However, MemberPress doesn’t support third-party membership plugins, as the feature is built right into it.

LearnDash MemberPress
WooCommerce ✅ 
WooCommerce Subscriptions✅ ❌ 
Stripe ✅ 
PayPal ✅ 
Razorpay Integration ✅ ✅ (via Zapier, Integrately)
Easy Digital Downloads ✅ ✅ (via Uncanny Automator)
Membership Site✅ (Paid Membership Pro, Restrict Content Pro)✅ (Built-in)

Certificate Builder

LearnDash features a Gutenberg-based drag-and-drop certificate builder, which gives you a lot of control over the design. On the other hand, MemberPress offers premade templates and is less flexible when it comes to customization.

LearnDash MemberPress
Certificate Blocks ✅ (4 Custom Blocks) ✅ (5+ Sections)
Pre-built Certificate Templates ❌ 
Unlimited Certificates ✅ ✅ 
Certificate Dashboard ✅ ✅ 
Auto Attach Certificate to Email ❌ ❌ 
QR Verification for Certificate ❌ ❌ 

We Recommend: That said, there are WordPress LMS plugins that have more feature-rich certificate builders. Take Masteriyo, for instance. It offers QR verification and the ability to automate emails with certificates upon course completion. 


Gradebook and Analytics 

LearnDash lets you structure custom grades to evaluate your student’s assignments. This feature is missing on MemberPress.

On the other hand, analytics is part of MemberPress’ core feature, whereas you will have to pay an additional fee to unlock it on LearnDash.

LearnDashMemberPress
Gradebook ✅ ❌ 
Course Analytics ✅ (Available as ProPanel) 

Live Sessions

MemeberPress is not just a membership and LMS plugin; it is also dedicated to the online coaching business. Thus, it comes with all the features required for live interactions.

LearnDash MemberPress
Calendar ✅  (Event Calendar)✅  (Calendly)
Live Interaction ✅ (Zoom, Google Meet, GoToWebinar) ✅ (Zoom, GoToWebinar, Crowdcast, Calendly, SSA) 

Course Protection and Security

LearnDash and MemberPress have measures in place to secure course material as well as user data.

LearnDashMemberPress
Course Content/Video Protection ✅ ✅  (Requires VideoPress)
Password Strength Checker ✅ ✅ 
Google reCAPTCHA ✅ ✅ 
Email Verification ✅ ✅ 

Student Engagement 

There is no feature in MemberPress that allows learners to rate and review courses which gives it a disadvantage over LearnDash.

LearnDash MemberPress
Q&A Section ❌ ❌ 
Review System ✅ ❌ 
Course-wide Announcement ❌ ❌ 
Notification System ✅ ✅ 

Course Control and Access 

Access rules on MemberPress allow you to restrict and control the release of course content. However, LearnDash supports all of its features, plus a few more, making it the better choice between the two.

LearnDash MemberPress
Course Preview ✅ (Available as Sample Lessons) ❌ 
Course Content Access for Instructor/Admin ✅ ✅  
Course Prerequisites ✅ ✅ 
Content Drip ✅ ✅ 
Course Retake ✅ ✅ 
Challenging Exams ✅ ❌ 
Course Bundle ✅ (Available as Course Groups) ✅ 
Course Expiration✅ ✅ 

User Roles and Membership 

LearnDash and MemberPress cover all the essential user roles and membership functions. However, in a broader sense, LearnDash leans more toward the LMS side, whereas MemberPress is more about creating a membership site.

LearnDash MemberPress
Unlimited Instructors and Students ✅ ✅ 
User Import and Export ✅ ✅ 
Course Content Access for Instructor/Admin ✅ ✅ 
Bulk Course Enrollment ✅ ✅ 
User Profile 
Social Login ❌ ❌ 
Multiple Instructor ✅ ❌ 
Membership Site 

Design and Customization 

Being on WordPress, LearnDash, and MemberPress offer similar design and customization options.

LearnDash MemberPress
Bundled Theme ❌ ❌ 
 Page Builder ✅ (Elementor, Divi, Beaver)✅ (Elementor, Divi, Beaver, WPBakery) 
White Label ❌ ❌ 
Webhooks ✅ (Zapier) ✅ (Zapier, Pabbly, Integrately)
Advanced Email Automation 
 Shortcodes ✅  

We Recommend: Still, the two plugins don’t allow you to white-label your website with your logo and branding. If this is important to you, you should consider LMS with white-labeling features like Masteriyo.


Support and Documentation 

From documentation to video tutorials, you get plenty of resources with both LearnDash and MemberPress.

LearnDashMemberPress
Live Chat ❌ ❌ 
Documentation ✅ ✅ 
Video Tutorials ✅ (YouTube, Academy) ✅ (YouTube, Academy)
Live Walkthrough ✅ ❌ 
Facebook Community ✅ ✅ (Unofficial)

LearnDash vs MemberPress: Which should you choose? 

Here’s a summary of everything discussed so far. To give you a broader sense of the competition, we’ve also included Masteriyo in the comparison chart. 

FeatureLearnDash  MemberPressMasteriyo 
Pricing 4 ⭐3.5 ⭐5⭐
Initial Setup 4.5⭐5⭐5⭐
Course Builder 5⭐4.5⭐5⭐
Quiz Builder 5⭐3 ⭐4.5 ⭐
Certificate Builder 4⭐4⭐5⭐
Live Sessions 5⭐5 ⭐5⭐
Course Protection and Security 5⭐5⭐5⭐
Student Engagement 4⭐1.5⭐5⭐
Built-in Order and Payment 4⭐5⭐5⭐
Sales and Ecommerce 5⭐5⭐5⭐
Gradebook and Analytics 4.5⭐3⭐5⭐
Course Control and Access 5⭐4⭐  4.5⭐ 
User Roles and Membership 5⭐5⭐5⭐
Design and Customization 4.5 ⭐ 4.5 ⭐ 5⭐
Support and Documentation 5⭐4⭐5⭐
LearnDash vs MemberPress: Which is the better LMS?
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