Are you looking to create a learning experience for your target audience?
Using LMS plugins or a dedicated LMS platform is one of the best ways to start monetizing lessons and earning revenue from selling online courses. With LMS systems, you can create classes, assignments, and quizzes, offer memberships or online courses, and develop a sense of community around your brand. The two most popular options for LMS systems are LearnDash and Teachable.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at LearnDash and Teachable so you can easily choose one for your business.
LearnDash vs Teachable: Overview
LearnDash is a WordPress plugin that lets you create and sell online courses using your website.
Out of the box, LearnDash comes pre-built with LMS features that help you create professional-looking online courses and make it very easy to do so, even if you’re not very tech-savvy. You can integrate it with other popular WordPress plugins and themes to add more functionality to your online learning site and enhance the learning experience for your students.
Teachable provides an all-in-one SaaS solution for creating and selling online courses. It offers hosting, payment processing, and marketing tools in one platform.
LearnDash is a WordPress plugin focused solely on course creation and management. It integrates with existing WordPress sites and other plugins.
Key Differences:
- Hosting: Teachable hosts everything; LearnDash requires separate WordPress hosting.
- Customization: LearnDash offers more flexibility through WordPress, Teachable has limited options
- Tech skills: Teachable is more manageable for beginners; LearnDash needs WordPress knowledge
- Pricing: Teachable has monthly fees, LearnDash has a one-time cost plus hosting
Teachable handle many technical aspects automatically. This makes it simpler to use but less customizable.
LearnDash gives more control over course design and functionality. It works well for those already using WordPress or wanting specific features.
Both platforms let users create engaging courses with quizzes, assignments, and certificates. They also offer ways to sell courses and manage students.
The choice depends on individual needs. Teachable suits those wanting an easy start. LearnDash fits users seeking more control and WordPress integration.
Ownership And Extensibility
LearnDash gives users complete control over their course content and data. As a WordPress plugin, it lets site owners host courses on their own domain. This means they keep 100% of their profits without paying platform fees.
Teachable hosts courses on its platform. While convenient, this limits ownership and customization options. Users can’t fully control their course data or make deep changes to the system.
LearnDash offers many add-ons and integrations to extend functionality. Users can pick and choose extras like:
- Gamification features
- Advanced quizzing
- Social learning tools
- Payment gateways
Teachable has a more closed system. It provides a set feature list that can’t be easily expanded. Users are limited to the tools Teachable chooses to include.
For those who want complete ownership and flexibility, LearnDash is the better choice. It allows for unlimited customization on a self-hosted WordPress site.
Teachable works well for users who prefer a ready-made solution. It offers less control but requires less technical knowledge to use.
Main Similarities
LearnDash and Teachable share several key features for creating and selling online courses. Both platforms let instructors build multimedia lessons with videos, quizzes, and assignments.
They each offer ways to organize course content into modules and lessons. Students can track their progress through courses on both systems.
LearnDash and Teachable provide options for different pricing models:
- One-time payments
- Subscriptions
- Memberships
Both platforms integrate with payment processors to handle transactions. They also allow course creators to issue certificates upon completion.
LearnDash and Teachable offer some level of customization for course pages and branding. Instructors can add their logo and adjust colors on both platforms.
Each system provides basic analytics to track student enrollment and engagement. Course creators can view reports on completions, quiz scores, and revenue.
Both LearnDash and Teachable allow for student discussions through comments or forums. This enables community-building around courses.
The platforms support multiple instructors or admins to help manage larger course catalogs. They also offer some automated emails to students.
Main Differences
LearnDash and Teachable have several key differences in their platforms and features.
LearnDash is a WordPress plugin, while Teachable is a standalone cloud-based platform. This means LearnDash requires WordPress hosting, while Teachable handles hosting for you.
Pricing structures differ between the two. LearnDash has a one-time fee with yearly renewals for updates and support. Teachable uses a monthly or annual subscription model.
Course creation tools vary. LearnDash offers more customization options but has a steeper learning curve. Teachable provides an easier-to-use course builder with less flexibility.
LearnDash gives users complete control over their website design. Teachable limits customization but offers ready-made templates.
Payment options differ, too. LearnDash integrates with various payment gateways. Teachable has built-in payment processing but charges transaction fees on some plans.
LearnDash supports more advanced quiz types and gamification features. Teachable has more straightforward quiz options and lacks built-in gamification.
Marketing tools also vary. Teachable includes basic email marketing and affiliate features. LearnDash requires add-ons or integrations for these functions.
Teachable’s Biggest Limitations
Teachable has some key drawbacks to consider. The platform lacks built-in gamification features like badges or points. This can make courses less engaging for students.
Course customization options are limited on Teachable. Users can’t fully change the look and feel of their course site. The design choices are restricted compared to other platforms.
There’s no option for self-hosting with Teachable. All courses must be hosted on their servers. This gives users less control over their content and data.
Teachable doesn’t offer as many integrations as some competitors. Users may struggle to connect their favorite tools and services.
The platform charges transaction fees on some plans. This can cut into profits, especially for new course creators.
Teachable’s quiz features are essential. There are no options for advanced question types or randomization.
Customer support is limited on lower-tier plans. Users may face delays in getting help with technical issues.
The platform lacks a robust community feature. Students can’t easily connect and interact within courses.
Pricing can get expensive as you scale. More prominent course creators may find better value elsewhere.
LearnDash’s Biggest Limitations
LearnDash has some key drawbacks to consider. As a WordPress plugin, it requires users to have their own WordPress site and hosting. This adds extra costs and technical complexity.
The interface can be challenging for beginners. Setting up courses and configuring settings often takes longer than all-in-one platforms.
Payment processing isn’t built-in. LearnDash relies on third-party integrations for accepting payments, which may involve additional fees.
Marketing features are limited. Users need separate tools or plugins for email marketing, affiliate programs, and advanced sales funnels.
The base plugin lacks some features found in competitors. Things like video hosting, advanced quizzes, or certificates require paid add-ons.
Customization options can be overwhelming. With so many settings and add-ons available, getting lost in the details is easy.
Support is limited to email tickets. There’s no phone or live chat support included in standard plans.
Updates can sometimes cause conflicts with WordPress themes or other plugins. This may lead to unexpected issues on your site.
Which One Has The Best Course Builder
LearnDash and Teachable both offer course builders with different strengths. LearnDash’s builder is highly customizable and flexible. It lets users create complex course structures with nested lessons and topics.
Teachable’s course builder is more straightforward and more user-friendly. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes organizing content easy. Users can quickly add text, images, videos, and quizzes.
LearnDash gives more control over course design and layout. Users can create unique course pages and customize the look and feel. Teachable’s design options are more limited but still allow for essential branding.
For advanced features, LearnDash edges out Teachable. It supports:
• Gradebooks • Certificates • Badges • Leaderboards
Teachable lacks some of these gamification elements. But it does offer built-in sales pages and checkout processes.
LearnDash requires more technical know-how to be set up and used effectively. Teachable is designed for ease of use, even for non-technical course creators.
Both platforms support quizzes, assignments, and multimedia content. They also allow drip-feeding of lessons over time.
Which One Has The Best Non-Course Pages & Website
LearnDash offers more flexibility for non-course pages and website design. It integrates directly with WordPress, giving users full control over their site’s look and functionality.
Users can choose from thousands of WordPress themes and customize every aspect of their site. This allows for a unique brand identity beyond just course pages.
LearnDash works with popular page builders like Elementor and Divi. These tools make it easy to create professional-looking layouts without coding skills.
Teachable provides a more limited set of options for non-course pages. Users get a basic blog and a few customizable pages like About and Contact.
The platform offers some design choices, but customization is restricted compared to WordPress. Teachable sites tend to have a similar look and feel.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Feature | LearnDash | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Full website control | Yes | No |
| Custom themes | Yes | Limited |
| Page builders | Yes | No |
| Blog functionality | Yes | Basic |
LearnDash is better for those who want a fully-featured website alongside their courses. Teachable works well for users who prefer a simpler, course-focused site.
Teachable offers an all-in-one solution for creating, hosting, and selling your online courses from a single place.
The robust platform not only lets you create and host online courses but comes pre-built with a lot of native features for doing things like accepting payments from students, offering discounts, and email marketing. Unlike LearnDash, it hosts your online learning site on a dedicated LMS platform, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing hosting, setting up your WordPress site, and installing plugins to start selling online courses.
LearnDash vs Teachable: Comparing features
Here, we’ll dive deeper into the features of both platforms and see how they compare against each other.
LMS features
Both platforms offer extensive LMS features that allow brands to provide an enhanced learning experience for their target audiences.
LearnDash packs an intuitive drag-and-drop course builder that lets you create and structure your lessons and online courses how you want.
Using multiple course sections, you can add lessons, assignments, and quizzes to your online courses. The best part is that you can use various types of content, including text, video, and audio, to create topics and lessons for your online courses. Creating quizzes is also pretty straightforward with LearnDash’s drag-and-drop online course builder. After choosing the type of question, you can specify the minimum passing grade, a time limit, and even the number of times a student can retry the quiz to get better results. This helps you deliver an enhanced learning experience.
On the other hand, with Teachable, you can access a “School” feature that lets you create and manage all of your online courses from anywhere. Similar to what can be achieved with LearnDash, Teachable also enables you to organize your topics and content into multiple lectures so it’s easier for your students to digest content. While you can also create quizzes and assignments with Teachable, you must purchase the premium plans to add graded quizzes to your online courses.
User engagement tools
User engagement is essential for any learning website since you want your students to stay engaged with your content throughout the online course. LearnDash and Teachable offer drip content functionality to ensure your members or students complete the online course.
A COMPLETE STEP-BY-STEP CHEATSHEET
TO CREATING, LAUNCHING & GROWING A SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP WEBSITE
LearnDash lets you set up course prerequisites so you can have some control over your student’s progression when they first purchase a new online course. For example, you can let users access the “English level 2” online course or lesson only if they have completed the “English level 1” lesson first. This encourages your students to purchase more online courses or lessons and is a great way to navigate your student’s progression through an online course while keeping them engaged.
LearnDash also comes pre-built with multiple gamification features that boost user engagement on your online learning platform. You can award users course certificates so they can showcase them on their portfolios or personal profiles. This also encourages other members to complete online courses to earn their certificates.
Teachable, on the other hand, offers limited user engagement tools that are out of the box, especially with their most basic pricing plans. While you can access drip content features to create an optimized learning experience for your students, you don’t have many gamification features with the basic plan. However, you can use third-party tools to add these features to your site. Keep in mind that this will increase costs for your business.
Design and interface
While solid LMS features let you create an enhanced learning experience, the overall design and interface of your online course also play a crucial role in determining the quality of the learning experience on your site.
If you’re using LearnDash, you have complete control over the design of your online course site. You can use any WordPress theme that best suits your brand’s unique requirements and aesthetics. In addition to the vast selection of WordPress themes to choose from, you also have the option to add custom pages using page builders like Elementor. This means you can create custom-looking online course pages that look great and are fully optimized for performance.
In contrast, Teachable offers limited control over the overall look and feel of your online course “School”. You configure colors and upload a logo, but there’s no way to change the look or layout using third-party themes or page builders. This can be a massive problem for businesses that want to stand out from competitors by leveraging a custom-designed learning site.
Membership features
If you want to create a sense of community around your brand, you will need membership features and user role options.
With LearnDash, you can create “Groups” and assign group leaders. This way, students who enroll in your online courses can interact with other members and discuss the learning material. While there’s no native functionality for creating forums and member user roles, LearnDash integrates with some of the most popular membership and forum creation plugins like bbPress and Paid Memberships Pro.
Teachers are also reasonably limited when setting up communities and member-user roles. You can integrate it with Circle. So create discussion forums for your students to interact with their peers and discuss the learning material. However, this also costs your business more money than using free WordPress plugins with LearnDash.
Marketing Functionality
Any LMS platform must have solid features to create professional-looking online courses. However, it would help if you also found a way to start promoting and selling your online courses. Both platforms seamlessly integrate with some of the most popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, so receiving payments from your students is not an issue.
Teachable wins this one as it makes it easy to start selling online courses. The platform helps configure and set up payment options and offers a wide range of tools to promote them to your students. You can offer coupons, affiliate discounts, and integrate other marketing services to boost sales of your online courses as soon as you launch them.
With LearnDash, you must develop a solid marketing strategy to start making sales on your WordPress-powered learning site. While you can also harness the power of eCommerce using WooCommerce, there’s a lot you have to figure out on your own when setting up and promoting your online courses.
Which One Has The Best Sales/Payments
LearnDash and Teachable both offer solid options for handling course sales and payments. LearnDash integrates with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. It allows for one-time purchases, subscriptions, and payment plans.
Teachable provides an all-in-one solution with built-in payment processing. It accepts major credit cards and PayPal. Teachable also handles EU VAT taxes automatically.
Both platforms support coupons and discounts to boost sales. They each allow course creators to offer free trials as well.
LearnDash gives more flexibility in pricing models. It enables things like lifetime access and memberships. Teachable is more straightforward but more limited in pricing options.
For payouts, Teachable processes payments and sends instructors their earnings automatically. With LearnDash, site owners handle payouts themselves using their chosen payment gateway.
Teachable make it easy to set up affiliate programs to increase sales. LearnDash requires a separate plugin for affiliate marketing.
Here’s a quick comparison of key sales/payment features:
| Feature | LearnDash | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Payment gateways | Multiple options | Built-in processing |
| Pricing models | Very flexible | More limited |
| Affiliate Program | Requires plugin | Built-in |
| Automatic payouts | No | Yes |
Which One Has The Best Quizzes/Assessment Functionality
LearnDash offers more advanced quiz and assessment features. It includes multiple questions like multiple choice, true/false, essay, and fill-in-the-blank.
LearnDash also supports question banks and randomization. This allows teachers to create large pools of questions and present a different set to each student.
Quizzes in LearnDash can be timed and set to require passing scores. The system tracks attempts and can display results immediately or after manual grading.
Teachable’s quiz options are more basic. It mainly offers multiple-choice and true/false questions. Essay questions are possible but require manual grading.
Both platforms allow teachers to add explanations for correct and incorrect answers. This helps students learn from their mistakes.
LearnDash edges out Teachable with its quiz reporting. It provides detailed analytics on student performance, question difficulty, and more.
For those needing robust assessment tools, LearnDash is the more substantial choice. Its quiz features are more flexible and powerful overall.
Teachable work well for simple knowledge checks. However, it may fall short for instructors who want to create complex exams or assessments.
Which One Has The Video Courses & Interactive Content Integration
LearnDash and Teachable both support video courses and interactive content. LearnDash works with popular video hosting platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia.
Teachable has built-in video hosting. It allows uploading videos directly to the platform. This saves time and simplifies the process.
LearnDash offers more flexibility for interactive elements. It supports quizzes, assignments, and certificates. Users can create diverse content types.
Teachable provides basic quizzes and surveys. It lacks some of the advanced interactive features of LearnDash.
Both platforms allow drip-feeding content. This means releasing lessons over time. It helps keep students engaged throughout the course.
LearnDash integrates with many WordPress plugins. This expands options for adding interactive elements. Users can incorporate discussion forums, gamification, and more.
Teachable’s all-in-one system is more straightforward to use. It has fewer customization options but requires less technical know-how.
For video hosting, Teachable is more straightforward. For interactive content, LearnDash offers more possibilities. The best choice depends on specific course needs and technical skills.
LearnDash vs Teachable: Pricing
LearnDash pricing starts at $199 per year for a single-site license. You don’t have to pay extra to unlock more plugin features, only if you want multiple site licenses.
Teachable is free to start, but you must pay a $1 + 10% transaction fee for each online course sold through them. While this is great for brands just starting, it can ramp up costs quickly once your online course business starts to pick up momentum.
You also don’t get access to the most advanced features like email marketing, coupons, or the ability to set up an online community with the free or the Basic plan. To unlock the full potential of Teachable, you will have to get the Pro + plan that starts at $199 per month, billed annually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the main difference between LearnDash and Teachable?
A: The main difference is that LearnDash is a WordPress plugin that turns your website into a learning management system (LMS). At the same time, Teachable is a cloud-based platform designed to create and sell online courses.
Q: Can I customize my courses on LearnDash and Teachable?
A: Yes, both platforms offer customization options. LearnDash allows extensive customization through its WordPress integration, whereas Teachable provides templates and branding options for course design.
Q: Which platform offers better features for quizzes and assessments?
A: LearnDash provides robust quiz features and allows for advanced assessments, including question banks and timed quizzes. Teachable also offers quiz functionality but is more limited compared to LearnDash in terms of advanced features.
Q: Is email marketing integrated into LearnDash and Teachable?
A: Teachable allows you to set up email marketing campaigns directly within the platform. At the same time, LearnDash doesn’t have built-in email marketing features but can integrate with various email marketing services through add-ons and plugins.
Q: What are the costs associated with LearnDash and Teachable?
A: The actual cost of LearnDash can vary based on the plan you choose and any additional add-ons, while Teachable offers a pro plan with a monthly fee that includes various features. It’s essential to compare the pricing models based on your needs.
Q: How does LearnDash Cloud differ from the standard LearnDash plugin?
A: LearnDash Cloud is a hosted version that provides everything you need to create and manage your courses without installing WordPress. The standard LearnDash plugin requires you to set up a WordPress site.
Q: Can I sell digital downloads on both platforms?
A: Teachable allows you to sell digital downloads and courses, making it versatile for course creators. LearnDash also supports digital downloads but primarily focuses on course content.
Q: What are the advantages of using LearnDash over Teachable for course completion tracking?
A: LearnDash provides in-depth course completion tracking features, including achievements and badges, which can enhance user engagement. Teachable offers basic tracking but is less comprehensive than LearnDash in this aspect.
Q: How does the branding differ between LearnDash and Teachable?
A: Teachable branding can be more prominent with its cloud-based setup, while LearnDash allows for complete control over branding since it’s integrated into your own WordPress site.
Q: Which platform is better for course creators: Teachable or LearnDash?
A: The choice between Teachable and LearnDash depends on your specific needs. If you prefer a hosted solution with ease of use, Teachable may be better. If you want flexibility and deeper customization with a WordPress site, LearnDash is a strong choice.
Conclusion
LMS systems are an effective way to generate income by selling learning material to your target audience.
To recap:
- If you’re looking to start with low costs, Teachable is an excellent option, as it offers a free plan for creators who want to start creating and selling online courses as quickly as possible and without breaking the bank. The downsides are the high transaction commission fee and its limited free plan. It’s also more suitable for brands that want to start selling online courses without worrying about creating a learning site but are satisfied with limited design and LMS features.
- For businesses that want more control over their online course website, LearnDash is the way to go. It gives you complete control over significant aspects of your site and makes it possible to add more functionality and design elements using WordPress plugins and themes.
What are some of the features you look for in an LMS platform? Let us know in the comments box below.
