Comparisons
LearnWorlds vs LearnDash: hosted SCORM or WordPress ownership
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If SCORM is a hard requirement, LearnWorlds is the documented choice: it publishes SCORM from Pro Trainer at $79 per month, while LearnDash has no native SCORM in its license grid. If you already run WordPress and want to own the stack at a flat yearly cost, LearnDash's $259 to $599 a year licenses undercut LearnWorlds once you factor in hosting you already pay for. Which one wins comes down to SCORM and support versus ownership and license price.
Our pick for published SCORM
SCORM from Pro Trainer at 79 dollars a month, hosted, with support included.
See pricing →Choose LearnDash if
You already run WordPress and want a flat yearly license with no per-seat platform fee.
See pricing →Side by side
LearnWorlds bills monthly and hosts everything. LearnDash bills once a year for the license; hosting and maintenance are separate.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Admins | Fees | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | $24/mo | 1 | $5 per course sale | custom domain; core course builder; no free courses |
| Pro Trainer | $99/mo | $79/mo | 5 | No platform fee | no per-sale fee; unlimited free courses; 20 SCORM or multimedia uploads |
| Learning Center | $299/mo | $249/mo | 25 | No platform fee | full white label; unlimited SCORM uploads; up to 10 client groups |
| Corporate | Custom pricing | Custom pricing | custom | No platform fee | custom contract; custom groups and seats |
| License | Price per year | Sites | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $259 | 1 | course and quiz builders; memberships and subscriptions; Stripe and PayPal; certificate builder |
| Pro | $399 | 1 | AI course outline and quiz builder; advanced reporting; enrollment tracking; custom report cards |
| Elite | $599 | 1 | group course management; sell seats; instructor role; multi-instructor management |
The decision lines
SCORM. LearnWorlds publishes SCORM from Pro Trainer ($79 per month, 20 packages) and unlimited from Learning Center ($249 per month). LearnDash does not include native SCORM in its license grid; third-party WordPress SCORM plugins exist but are a separate purchase and integration.
Total cost. LearnWorlds Starter is $24 per month on annual billing, about $288 a year, hosted. LearnDash Essentials is $259 a year for the license alone; add WordPress hosting before comparing totals.
B2B seat selling. LearnWorlds includes 1 client group on Pro Trainer ($79 per month) and up to 10 on Learning Center ($249 per month). LearnDash opens group course management and seat selling on the Elite license, a flat $599 a year regardless of group count.
Ownership. LearnDash gives you the WordPress site outright, with no monthly platform fee beyond hosting. LearnWorlds hosts everything, trading ownership for zero server management.
Support. LearnWorlds includes hosted support with the plan. LearnDash is self-supported by default, backed by documentation and community rather than a vendor help desk.
Which one for your situation
- SCORM is a hard requirement: LearnWorlds. LearnDash has no native SCORM in its license.
- You already run WordPress and want a flat yearly cost: LearnDash. Essentials at $259 a year is the cheapest license here once hosting is already sunk cost.
- You sell B2B seats and want the lowest total license price: LearnDash Elite at $599 a year is flat regardless of group count, against LearnWorlds Learning Center at $249 a month (about $2,988 a year) for up to 10 groups.
- You want hosting, updates and support included: LearnWorlds. No server, no plugin maintenance.
What neither publishes
Confirm these before you rely on them:
- LearnDash SSO depends entirely on which WordPress plugins you add; it is not a license feature.
- LearnWorlds delegated per-group admin rights and SSO protocols by plan are not itemized publicly.
- Real WordPress hosting cost for LearnDash varies by host and traffic; price it before comparing totals.
Take the next step
What the two products actually look like
Frequently asked questions
Does LearnDash support SCORM like LearnWorlds does?
Which costs less, LearnWorlds or LearnDash?
Which is better for selling B2B seats?
Do I need to manage hosting with LearnDash?
Keep deciding
LearnDash: licenses, ownership, limits, and who should shortlist it
LearnDash license tiers, full ownership on WordPress, group selling on Elite, and the self-hosting reality: updates, backups and support are yours.
SCORM support across all five platforms
SCORM needs import, playback and score reporting back. LearnWorlds sells it self-serve, Thinkific gates it to Plus, and video-course platforms often skip it.
Hosted LMS vs WordPress LMS: ownership and total cost
SaaS subscription versus a LearnDash license plus hosting, updates and backups. The yearly cost, the responsibility split, and who owns your data.
Thinkific vs LearnDash: hosted convenience or WordPress ownership
Thinkific is a hosted platform from $40 a month on annual billing. LearnDash is a WordPress plugin from $259 a year, license only. Compare cost, control and B2B selling.