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Summary
LearnDash is a WordPress plugin that allows users to create and manage online courses, with features such as course content management, quizzes, and certificates.
Overall
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Ease of Use - 85%
85%
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Features - 91%
91%
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Content Quality - 92%
92%
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Support & Resources - 88%
88%
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Pricing - 85%
85%
Pros
- High customisation
- A wealth of student engagement tools
- Trusted by major universities
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- No free plan
- Expensive
- Not easy to use
Introduction to our LearnDash Review:
Does this LMS deliver as advertised? Read more about this plugin in this LearnDash review. Be sure to read until the end. Find out how you can create a self-selling LearnDash membership site. I’ll also throw in access links to LearnDash coupons and LearnDash discounts.
Overview: The “Most Trusted LMS Plugin”?
LearnDash brands itself as “the most trusted WordPress LMS plugin” and visibly displays its credentials on its official website. It is the learning management system (LMS) of choice of several large universities and Fortune 500 companies – certainly a feather in this plugin’s cap. Combining power and simplicity, this LMS is a feature-rich and highly scalable platform to create, sell, and monetise online courses. Not only that, it allows you to incorporate gamification to build rich and engaging content for your learners.
Ease of Use:
To start this LearnDash review, ease of use is the primary consideration. If a platform or plugin is too complex to use, why bother, right? If you evaluate Learn Dash from a WordPress user standpoint, then it’s quite intuitive and user-friendly. It has full WordPress integration so you can breeze through the course creation and selling process as you would any WordPress site. Just install the plugin, and you’re good to go.
However, for casual users and beginners, using the plugin may not be as straightforward as hoped. There are too many options to choose from and so many configuration possibilities to consider. Therefore, if you compare it to all-in-one third-party online course platforms like Teachable or Thinkific, Learn Dash demands more time and effort. So for novices, Learn Dash is not that intuitive.
LearnDash Features:
Course Navigation:
Navigating courses in this LMS can be done in two ways: Linear and Free Form. Course creators are given full control over how members or learners navigate through the online course or LearnDash membership site.
- Linear: This is the default course navigation setting; under the linear form, users need to undergo the course outline strictly, completing one lesson before moving on to the next. Also, you can set other prerequisites such as quizzes before users can take the next lesson in the outline.
- Free form: this navigation has no set parameters for course structure or flow. Therefore, you can take lessons in any order you prefer.
Video Quality:
For this LearnDash review, assessing video quality is crucial. Learn Dash offers a video progression feature that enables creators to embed videos to their online courses effortlessly. Unlike Udemy which has its own native video hosting feature, Learn Dash only recognises externally hosted videos. You can set the video on autoplay so that the next video pops immediately once a user finishes the previous one. There’s also an option to hide the play bar to prevent users from skipping videos. It’s all up to you. Since videos featured in the LMS are embedded, video quality depends on the recommended settings by the video host.
Layout:
Layout and design are one of the strongest areas of this LMS as found in this LearnDash review. Once you’ve come around to the basics of course creation with this plugin, it’s exciting to play with the stunning LearnDash templates and layout for your online course of LearnDash membership site. Why is this important to this LearnDash review? The more visually compelling the online course experience, the more that students are motivated to learn and to pay to learn.
By default, the layout and appearance of your Learn Dash site are determined by the active template. While your WordPress theme controls the appearance of your whole site, this active template manages how course elements and general layout appear to your users. Active templates come in either the Legacy or LegacyDash 3.0 design.
If you feel the need to go a notch higher with your LearnDash membership site design, you can use page builders such as LearnDash Elementor or Divi, or a page builder plugin like Visual Composer.
You can make a stunning online course or LearnDash membership site at LearnDash discounted prices if you apply though our LearnDash coupon link below.
Community Interaction:
Asynchronous learning can be bland and uninspiring because human interaction is absent. For this LearnDash review, the LMS solves this problem by offering venues for community interaction:
- Forums can be set up for users and members;
- Comments section to provide feedback on LearnDash assignments;
- Weekly webinars;
- Coaching calls;
- Tutorial sessions;
- Gamification components in quizzes, where users earn and lose points – and where a leaderboard determines whose scores are highest
These engagement tools are available if you subscribe to their plans. Be sure to use our LearnDash coupon link to get LearnDash discounts.
Mobility:
There is no native LearnDash mobile app that comes with this LMS.
LearnDash Addons:
LearnDash also offers a variety of add-ons that enhance its functionality, such as the ProPanel, which provides detailed reporting and analytics, and the Content Cloner, which allows course creators to quickly duplicate courses and content.
Other popular add-ons include the LearnDash Notifications add-on, which lets site administrators customize and automate email notifications, and the LearnDash Course Grid add-on, which displays courses in an attractive grid format on the website.
LearnDash Groups is an add-on that allows site administrators to create and manage groups of users within their online courses. With this add-on, instructors can track progress and performance of each group and even send group-specific notifications and announcements.
LearnDash Integration:
LearnDash BuddyPress is an integration plugin that connects LearnDash with BuddyPress, a social networking plugin for WordPress. This integration allows you to create an online community within your e-learning website, where learners can interact with each other, join groups, and collaborate on projects.
LearnDash BuddyBoss is a plugin that integrates LearnDash with the BuddyBoss theme and platform. This integration allows for a more streamlined and cohesive learning experience, with features such as social learning, gamification, and community building. It also offers additional customization options to enhance the look and feel of your online courses.
Course Content:
Range of courses:
You get to create an unlimited number of lessons as well as an unlimited number of courses with Learn Dash. LearnDash membership sites house content on a diverse range of topics. However, unlike the platform+marketplace model of Udemy, this LMS requires the user to sell their own course.
If you're smart, you can create our very own online school and save at the same time. Just use our LearnDash coupon links below, and avail of LearnDash discounted prices here.
Course Examples:
For this LearnDash review, I surveyed case studies of this LMS. To get a feel of LearnDash online courses and LearnDash membership sites, here are a few LearnDash examples:
- University of Florida
- InfusionSoft
- Digital Marketer
- University of Washington
- WP Elevation
- ProBlogger
- University of Michigan
Remember – you don't have to break the bank to get online courses as reliable as these. There are LearnDash coupon codes and LearnDash discounts to apply if you click on our links below.
Accreditation:
One great thing that needs to be stated in this LearnDash review is that it’s possible to create certificates of completion to users with this LMS. However, Learn Dash doesn’t have a native app to create them. You need to use a third-party app like Canva and use shortcodes to customise the elements and data in the certificate. These LearnDash certificates can be construed as completion of your online course and do not automatically earn credits with a formal institution or accreditation agency.
Content Quality:
Like many online course platforms, Learn Dash believes in the autonomy of course creators. They are free to structure their courses and choose the content they believe will power their e-learning product. Therefore, content quality is not screened. Users and potential members need to do their due diligence when subscribing to a LearnDash membership site or online course.
See more LearnDash course content features
Support and Resources:
This platform offers decent support for its users. A handy tool is the integrated Learn Dash Bootcamp to guide the user through the basics of Learn Dash course building. You get immediate after-purchase support on how to use the plugin.
If you have specific questions about the plugin, there is an extensive knowledge database made up of articles, tutorials, and tips on course creation and monetisation. If their knowledge base doesn’t suffice, you can send them a ticket via their Contact page. Sadly, there is no phone support or live chat feature.
See more LearnDash support features
LearnDash Pricing:
Learn Dash comes in three subscription plans:
- Basic,
- Plus, and
- Pro.
The prices are quite steep and obviously more expensive than other LMS plugins. Yet, you’ll be rewarded with amazing flexibility and customisation with each plan. Of course, you can use our LearnDash coupon link to get LearnDash discounted prices.
LearnDash free trial/refund policy/money-back guarantee:
Learn Dash does not offer a free trial. However, the terms page states there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee with every plan.
Again, be smart and use the LearnDash coupon code link below to get LearnDash discounts!
>> Check for latest LearnDash pricing discounts <<
Conclusion and Recommendation to our LearnDash Review:
Who is this LMS plugin for?
Overall, Learn Dash is a trustworthy LMS plugin that could help you build a solid e-learning business. With its many features and customisation tools, this LMS offers many possibilities. Therefore, if you want a highly personalised and feature-packed online course or membership site – then it checks several boxes.
Who is this LMS plugin not for?
However, if you want it simple, uncluttered, and user-friendly, then this LMS is not for you. Also, the platform isn’t for creators who have a thin budget.
LearnDash Alternatives:
If you are searching for a WordPress LMS Plugin, here's a list of the best LearnDash alternatives;
| Ranking | eLearning Wordpress Plugins | Our View |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LearnDash | Best for creating advanced e-learning sites |
| 2 | Memberpress | Best for membership and course management |
| 3 | AccessAlly | Best for advanced membership and course management |
| 4 | Lifter LMS | Best for creating and selling online courses |
For stress-free dedicated online course creation platforms, you can vet LearnDash alternatives like;
| Ranking | Course Platform | Our View |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thinkific | Best for building your online course empire |
| 2 | Learnworlds | Best for interactive and visually stunning courses |
| 3 | Teachable | Best for easy course creation |
| 4 | Podia | Best for digital product sales and online courses |
| 5 | Teachery | Best for streamlined online course creation |
LearnDash Review Final word:
To wrap up this LearnDash review, I am personally sold with this LMS plugin and recommend its use. The fact that large universities use it for their distance learning courses is proof of its reliability. However, it simply isn’t for everybody. Still, if you’re curious about this platform, go to their demo page here.
FAQ
Does Learn Dash offer free trials?
No. They don’t offer free trials. You can get your money back after 30 days if you’re not happy with their plugin.
Does Learn Dash support webinars?
Support for webinars is not among the built-in features. However, you can integrate apps for conferencing via Zapier.
That's all for now:
Thank you for reading our LearnDash review! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles of education platforms, website builders, eCommerce platforms, and more such as;