Academy LMS vs Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators

Academy LMS — The Top-Rated WordPress LMS Plugin to Create, Sell & Manage Online Courses Academy LMS is the top-rated WordPress LMS plugin (4.9★) for building a complete eLearning platform — create, sell, and manage online courses on any WordPress site, with no coding required. From a single course to a full online academy, you get a fast, modern course builder and everything needed to teach, engage, and earn. And it’s powered by AI. Academy LMS AI Studio generates complete course outlines, lessons, quizzes, and images from a single prompt — turning hours of content work into minutes. Behind it runs a lightning-fast React SPA admin that loads instantly, with no laggy reloads. Whether you’re launching your first course, running a multi-instructor academy, or selling premium programs worldwide, Academy LMS gives you the full learning management system in one lightweight plugin. 👉 Academy LMS | Docs | Academy LMS Pro | Video Tutorials | Public Roadmap Check our overview video of Academy LMS 👇 🎯 Built for everyone who teaches online Course creators & educators — build and sell courses without writing code Coaches & solopreneurs — turn your expertise into a paid online academy Training businesses & academies — run multi-instructor courses with built-in revenue sharing Agencies & developers — white-label and build LMS sites for clients Membership & community sites — gate courses and add discussions natively Schools & institutions — SCORM, certificates, and attendance for structured learning 🤖 Build Entire Courses in Minutes with AI Studio Academy LMS AI Studio redefines course creation. Generate full course outlines, lessons, quizzes, and eye-catching images from a simple prompt, then refine and publish — so you spend less time building and more time delivering high-quality learning experiences. 🎓 A Complete Course Builder — No Code Required Frontend course builder — add videos, attachments, prerequisites, and benefits right from your live site Video lessons from multiple sources — self-hosted, YouTube, Vimeo, HTML5, or embedded video Video posters & trailers to preview courses and lift enrollments Difficulty levels & precise durations so learners know exactly what to expect Course requirements, instructions & lesson notes for clarity and structure Content security to protect your premium course content Course preview & wishlists to drive sign-ups Content drip to release lessons step by step [Pro] SCORM support to import and track compliant courses [Pro] Duplicate courses, lessons & quizzes to save build time [Pro] Course bundles to package related courses into learning programs [Pro] Easy Content Manager — organize, update, and manage courses, lessons, and learning content from one centralized interface. Design every course page visually with aBlocks, our native Gutenberg builder — or use Elementor and Divi, all fully supported. 📝 Quizzes, Assignments & Certificates Built-in quiz builder with multiple question types — free Award completion certificates with easy creation and distribution — free Advanced quiz builder — True/False, single & multiple choice, short answer, image answer, and fill-in-the-blank Assignments tied to course topics to measure real learning [Pro] Gradebook to track and manage student grades [Pro] Auto-complete for lessons, quizzes, and assignments [Pro] Want assessments at the next level? QuizPress, our native quiz and exam engine, adds 20+ question types, polls, surveys, timed exams, instant scoring, and certification — all inside WordPress. 💰 Sell Courses & Earn — Monetization Built In Native checkout via StoreEngine — sell courses, memberships, and digital products through a fast, lightweight commerce engine built for the same ecosystem — free Sell paid courses with native WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, and SureCart integration — free Multi-instructor support with revenue sharing and commission structures — free Earnings management & frontend withdrawals for instructors — free Recurring course access with WooCommerce subscriptions [Pro] Membership-based access control to gate premium content [Pro] 📊 Track Progress & Keep Students Engaged LMS analytics & reports on courses, lessons, quizzes, and earnings — free Course progress tracking with detailed statistics to drive completion Q&A discussions, course reviews & ratings to boost interaction Student & instructor dashboards plus public instructor profiles for trust Global announcements to keep every user informed Advanced analytics for deeper performance insights [Pro] Attendance tracking for live or scheduled classes [Pro] Boost completion rates with GameEngine, our native gamification plugin — award points, badges, and levels that keep learners motivated and coming back. 🎥 Live Classes & Communication Live classes via Zoom & Google Meet — video calling, screen sharing, and recording [Pro] Automated, customizable email notifications for courses, assignments, and due dates [Pro] Push notifications for course updates and alerts [Pro] GemCRM — run email marketing and nurture students with our native WordPress CRM, with FluentCRM, MailChimp, and SendFox also supported ZenCommunity — build learner communities, discussions, support tickets, and live chat around your courses Tutor Booking integration — schedule and manage one-to-one coaching sessions, consultations, and tutoring appointments. 📱 Turn Your Academy Into a Mobile App Publish a dedicated mobile app for your courses with ZenAppBuilder — give students a native Android and iOS learning experience built directly from your Academy LMS site, no separate development team required. 🔌 Some Additional Integrations Native Gutenberg design with aBlocks, plus full Elementor and Divi support Community: ZenCommunity, Buddyboss, BuddyPress, FluentCommunity. Email, CRM & marketing — GemCRM (Native), with FluentCRM, MailChimp, and SendFox [Pro] Google Classroom, GamiPress & social login for extended workflows [Pro] Membership plugins — MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, Restrict Content Pro, WishList Member, Group Plus, and more. [Pro] WPML for fully multilingual course sites [Pro] 🛠️ Admin & Developer Tools Lightning-fast React SPA admin — instant loading with no reloads Migration tool to move from any LMS platform with zero data loss Manual student enrollment — enroll learners individually with complete admin control. CSV import/export for lessons — free; bulk enroll and import students [Pro] Webhooks to sync LMS events with external systems and automations Drag-and-drop form builder for custom student and instructor registration RTL-ready for Arabic, Hebrew, and other right-to-left languages White label to brand the platform as your own [Pro] Security — Google reCAPTCHA, 2-step email verification, and device login restriction [Pro] 💎 Why Academy LMS Top-rated, by a clear margin — a 4.9★ rating that reflects how satisfied our users are A free version that simply goes further — tools like multi-instructor revenue sharing, certificates, and the quiz builder come standard here, where comparable platforms often reserve them for paid tiers AI-powered course creation built right in with AI Studio Genuinely fast — a React SPA admin instead of a sluggish dashboard A complete native ecosystem — everything connects, so you never stack mismatched plugins Get Started With Academy LMS Whether you’re launching your first course or scaling a full online academy, Academy LMS gives you the complete WordPress LMS toolkit — course builder, quizzes, certificates, selling, and AI — in one fast plugin. Install Academy LMS today and create your first course in minutes. Join the thriving Academy LMS community of educators, instructors, entrepreneurs, and developers building the future of online learning. 🔥 The KodeZen Ecosystem — Everything Your Academy Needs, Natively Academy LMS works seamlessly with our family of WordPress plugins, so your whole platform speaks the same language: StoreEngine — sell courses, memberships, and digital products with a fast, lightweight eCommerce engine aBlocks — design lightning-fast course pages with 100+ Gutenberg blocks, no code ZenCommunity — communities, discussions, support ticketing, and live chat around your courses QuizPress — advanced quizzes, polls, surveys, exams, and certification with 20+ question types GameEngine — gamify learning with points, badges, levels, and rewards GemCRM — a complete WordPress CRM and email marketing solution to nurture your students ZenAppBuilder — turn your Academy LMS site into a native mobile app GemBooking — accept, manage, and automate bookings for appointments, coaching sessions, rentals, and services with one complete booking system. GemBoards — manage projects, tasks, teams, and workflows with a modern Kanban board. Easy Content Manager (ECM) — create and manage custom post types, fields, taxonomies, and structured content with complete visual control—no code required. Zaplane — automate WordPress workflows by connecting your favorite apps, plugins, and services without writing code.

Creator LMS is the best free WordPress LMS plugin for coaches, consultants, and online course creators. Sell courses and run your teaching business inside WordPress — with zero monthly fees and no WooCommerce required. Upgrade to Pro to add cohort-based group coaching and a built-in community. Trusted by 100+ coaches and educators worldwide. Rated ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars on WordPress.org. The core plugin is 100% free forever — unlimited courses, unlimited students, native Stripe checkout, quizzes, and certificates included at no cost. 🚀 Live Demo | 📘 Documentation | 🎥 Video Tutorials | 🎬 Setup Tutorial | 💁‍♂️ Facebook Community | 🗺️ Roadmap Why Coaches Choose Creator LMS Most WordPress LMS plugins are built for universities and corporate training. Creator LMS is built for coaches who need to sell, scale, and engage — without complex tech or expensive monthly platforms. Creator LMS is the go-to WordPress coaching plugin for: 🧑‍💼 Life coaches selling 1:1 and group programs 💼 Business coaches running cohort-based masterminds 💪 Fitness & health coaches running subscription programs 🎓 Online educators building course libraries 🤝 Consultants packaging expertise into sellable courses 🏢 Agencies building LMS sites for clients Six reasons coaches pick Creator LMS over everything else: Cohort-based learning (Pro) — Students start together, progress together. Creates accountability, higher completion, and justifies premium pricing. Built-in community (Pro) — Students connect, ask questions, and support each other — no BuddyPress, no Facebook Groups. AI course builder (Pro) — Describe your coaching topic and AI generates a complete course outline in minutes. Native checkout — Sell coaching programs with Stripe or Mollie. No WooCommerce. No cart abandonment. Memberships & subscriptions (Pro) — Monthly or yearly coaching memberships for predictable recurring revenue. One-click upsells (Pro) — Increase revenue per student with post-purchase upsell offers, no redirect needed. 🎯 Popular Use Cases for Coaches Group Coaching Programs (Pro) Run structured group coaching with cohorts — students enroll, start on a set date, and move through your curriculum as a group. Perfect for high-ticket coaching offers. Self-Paced Online Coaching Courses Package your coaching methodology into a self-paced course. Students access lessons anytime, complete quizzes, and earn certificates to share. Coaching Memberships (Pro) Monthly or yearly memberships that unlock your full course library, community access, and new content drops. Predictable recurring revenue without per-sale hustle. Bootcamp & Workshop Programs (Pro) Intensive time-limited programs with cohorts, live session scheduling, and community discussion for peer accountability and support. Free Lead Magnet Courses Offer a free introductory course to build your email list, then convert students to paid coaching programs with one-click upsell offers (Pro). Corporate & Team Training Deliver employee training for business clients. Track team progress, issue completion certificates, and manage bulk enrollments. 🆓 Best Free WordPress LMS Plugin Creator LMS offers more in its free version than most paid WordPress LMS plugins. No trial. No credit card. Free forever. Free version includes: – ✅ Unlimited courses, lessons, and students – ✅ Native Stripe and Mollie checkout — no WooCommerce – ✅ Quiz builder with 6+ question types – ✅ Certificate builder with verification – ✅ Gutenberg, Elementor, and Bricks Builder support – ✅ Multiple lesson types (video, audio, text, downloads) – ✅ Student progress tracking and analytics – ✅ Course categories, tags, and prerequisites – ✅ Custom video player (removes YouTube/Vimeo branding) – ✅ Student dashboard and profile management Creator LMS Pro unlocks: – Cohort-based learning for group coaching programs – Built-in community platform – AI course builder – Gamification (badges, leaderboards, points) – One-click upsells and down-sells – Memberships and subscriptions – Advanced email automation (Mail Mint) – Content protection (screen recording prevention) – Additional payment gateways (PayPal, Razorpay, Authorize.net) – Advanced analytics and reporting Creator LMS vs. Kajabi, Teachable, LearnDash & More The best Kajabi and Teachable alternative for WordPress coaches and course creators. Kajabi costs $149–$399/month and takes a revenue cut. Teachable charges per transaction. Creator LMS runs on your own WordPress site — one-time Pro cost, zero revenue share, 100% data ownership. Creator LMS vs. Kajabi Kajabi charges $149–$399/month forever, plus revenue sharing on lower plans. Creator LMS is a one-time Pro purchase on your own WordPress site. You get cohort-based learning, a built-in community platform, AI course generation, and one-click upsells — everything Kajabi offers, without the monthly platform fee or data lock-in. Kajabi: $149–$399/month + revenue share Creator LMS Pro: one-time cost, no revenue share Your student data stays on your own server — not locked in a SaaS platform Creator LMS vs. Teachable Teachable charges per-transaction fees on lower plans and scales monthly costs as your revenue grows. Creator LMS has no transaction fees and no monthly platform fee. You keep full control of your checkout, branding, and student experience. Teachable: $65+/month + transaction fees on lower plans Creator LMS Pro: no monthly fee, no transaction cuts Native Stripe checkout built in — no third-party cart required Creator LMS vs. LearnDash LearnDash requires WooCommerce (or a paid add-on) for checkout. Community and cohort learning require separate paid add-ons. There is no built-in AI course generation. Creator LMS Pro bundles native checkout, community, cohorts, and AI course builder at one price. LearnDash: $199/year base + WooCommerce + paid add-ons for community and cohorts Creator LMS Pro: all features included, native checkout, no WooCommerce dependency Free one-click migration from LearnDash is built in Creator LMS vs. Tutor LMS Tutor LMS has a similar feature set at the base level, but requires WooCommerce for full checkout functionality. Creator LMS has fully native checkout built in — no WooCommerce needed. Tutor LMS: requires WooCommerce for checkout Creator LMS: native Stripe checkout, no WooCommerce dependency Free one-click migration from Tutor LMS is built in Creator LMS vs. LearnPress LearnPress is lightweight and free, but lacks cohort learning, community features, AI course generation, and a native checkout. Scaling up requires multiple paid add-ons. Creator LMS Pro covers all of this at one price. Free one-click migration from LearnPress is built in Creator LMS vs. MasterStudy LMS MasterStudy LMS offers solid course creation features but requires WooCommerce for payments and lacks built-in cohort learning, community, and AI course generation. Creator LMS Pro bundles all of these natively. MasterStudy LMS: WooCommerce-dependent checkout, no built-in cohorts or community Creator LMS Pro: native checkout, cohort learning, community platform, and AI course builder included Free one-click migration from MasterStudy LMS is built in Free Migration from Your Current LMS Already using another LMS? Switch to Creator LMS with free built-in one-click migration from: LearnDash Tutor LMS LearnPress MasterStudy LMS Migration is non-destructive. Your original data stays intact until you confirm everything transferred correctly. 🏗️ Course Builder for Coaches Create and sell coaching courses in minutes with Creator LMS’s drag-and-drop course builder — no technical skills required. Lesson Types – Video Lessons — Self-hosted, YouTube, or Vimeo. Custom branded player removes platform branding, recommendations, and watermarks. – Audio Lessons — Podcast-style lessons or guided audio coaching – Text Lessons — Rich text with formatting, images, and embeds – Downloadable Resources — PDFs, worksheets, templates, swipe files Course Organization Unlimited chapters, drag-and-drop lesson ordering, course prerequisites, lesson preview for non-enrolled students, and multiple professionally designed course layout templates. AI-Powered Course Creation Describe your coaching niche and target student — AI generates a complete course outline with chapters, lessons, and learning objectives in minutes. 🎓 Cohort-Based Learning — Run Group Coaching Programs Transform your coaching programs into cohort experiences where students start together, learn together, and complete together. Perfect for: – High-ticket group coaching programs – Mastermind and accountability courses – Bootcamp-style intensives – Live workshop series – Corporate training sessions Cohort features: – Set start and end dates per cohort – Run multiple cohorts per course year-round – Cohort-specific announcements and content schedules – Live session scheduling inside cohort timelines – Track progress across an entire cohort – Manage waitlists for upcoming cohorts Cohort-based programs see 3–5x higher completion rates compared to self-paced courses. Higher completion = better results for students = stronger testimonials and referrals for your coaching business. 🏘️ Built-In Community Platform for Coaches Keep students engaged between lessons with a fully integrated community — no BuddyPress, no Circle, no separate subscription. Community features: – Course-specific discussion forums – Student Q&A sections with instructor responses – Member profiles with achievements and course progress – No third-party community plugins needed Active communities drive 70%+ higher course completion rates. When students connect with peers, ask questions, and share wins, they stay engaged longer and get better results from your coaching. 🧩 Quiz & Assessment System Test student knowledge with a flexible quiz builder supporting 6+ question types. Multiple Choice and Single Choice True / False Fill in the Blank Short Answer and Essay Matching and Reorder Quiz timers and attempt limits Automatic grading for objective questions Manual grading for essays and short answers Detailed quiz result reports with explanations Retake options and controls 📜 Certificates & Credentials Issue branded completion certificates that students can download, share on LinkedIn, and use as credentials. Custom certificate templates with your branding and logo Automatic generation when students meet completion requirements Unique verification code per certificate PDF download for students Set custom completion criteria (lessons + quiz pass rates) 💳 Native eCommerce — Sell Coaching Programs Without WooCommerce Creator LMS includes a complete native checkout system built for selling coaching courses and programs — no WooCommerce required. Free: Stripe, Mollie, offline payments Pro: PayPal, Razorpay, Authorize.net Pricing models: – One-time course purchases – Subscription and membership pricing – Installment payment plans (Pro) – Free courses with upsell offers – Coupon codes and discounts – Course bundles and packages Order management, refunds, and revenue reports live inside Creator LMS. No WooCommerce orders, no plugin conflicts. 💸 One-Click Upsells & Down-sells (Pro) Increase average order value by 30–50% with native one-click offers — no funnel builder plugins needed. After a student purchases a course, present a one-click upsell offer. They accept with one click (no re-entering payment details) or decline. If they decline, present a down-sell at a lower price point. Upsell strategies for coaches: – Beginner course → Advanced coaching program – Self-paced course → Cohort group coaching access – Single course → Full coaching membership – Free course → Paid program Track offer acceptance rates and total upsell revenue from your dashboard. 💎 Memberships & Subscriptions (Pro) Create recurring revenue with coaching memberships — monthly, yearly, or custom billing cycles. Member-only course access Automatic renewal and cancellation handling Subscription analytics Tiered membership levels (coming soon) 🎮 Gamification — Keep Students Engaged Boost course completion rates by making learning rewarding. Achievement badges for course milestones Leaderboards ranked by points or completion Points for lessons, quizzes, and community posts Learning levels (Beginner → Expert) Milestone rewards (discount codes, bonus access) 🤖 AI Course Builder (Pro) Generate complete coaching courses in hours, not weeks. AI-powered course outline generation (OpenAI GPT-4 or Anthropic Claude) Course thumbnail and graphic generation AI-assisted curriculum design for your coaching niche Describe your coaching topic, target audience, and expertise level. AI creates a structured course plan with chapters, lessons, and learning objectives — you add your unique methodology and expertise. 📧 Email Automation Free — Transactional emails included: – Course enrollment confirmation – Course completion congratulations – Certificate delivery – Quiz completion notification – Purchase confirmation and receipt – Password reset Pro — Behavior-based automation: – Started course but didn’t finish lesson 1 – Passed or failed a quiz – Reached course milestones – Inactive for 7, 14, or 30 days (re-engagement) – Progress-triggered drip campaigns – Mail Mint integration for advanced segmentation and automation 📊 Analytics & Reporting Student progress and completion tracking Course completion rates Quiz performance by question Revenue and sales trends Enrollment statistics Student engagement metrics Instructor earnings reports 🔌 Integrations & Compatibility Page Builders: Gutenberg, Elementor, Bricks Builder, WPBakery Payment Gateways: Stripe (free), Mollie (free), Offline (free), PayPal (Pro), Razorpay (Pro), Authorize.net (Pro) Email & CRM: Mail Mint (Pro), WP Fusion (Pro), Webhooks for Zapier and Make Other: SCORM import, WordPress Multisite, WPML, Loco Translate, Weglot, 30+ WordPress themes 🔄 Migrate to Creator LMS — Free Already using another LMS? Switch to Creator LMS in minutes with built-in free migration tools. Migrate from: – LearnDash — Course structure, quizzes, student enrollments and progress – Tutor LMS — Courses, lessons, quizzes, student data – LearnPress — Full data import including enrollments and progress – Any SCORM LMS — Import SCORM-compliant course packages What migrates: Course structure, lesson content, quiz questions and answers, student enrollments, progress data, course settings. Migration is non-destructive. Your old LMS data stays intact until you’re confident everything transferred correctly. Free migration support from our team if you run into issues. 🌐 Multilingual & RTL Support Fully translatable (.pot files included) Spanish language included RTL support (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian) WPML compatible Works with Loco Translate, Weglot, TranslatePress ⭐ What Coaches Are Saying Creator LMS has a 100% five-star rating on WordPress.org. “Best LMS for coaches” — Simple enough for beginners, powerful enough to scale a real coaching business. “Everything in one plugin” — No need to buy 5 add-ons to get features Creator LMS includes out of the box. “Native checkout is a game-changer” — No WooCommerce, no complexity — just sell my coaching programs. 👉 Read all reviews | Leave a review If Creator LMS has helped your coaching business, please take 2 minutes to leave a review. It helps other coaches find the plugin and helps us keep improving it. 🙏 Privacy Policy Creator LMS uses OpenPanel to collect anonymous usage data — only with your explicit permission during plugin setup. What we collect (if you opt-in): WordPress version, PHP version, plugin version, active plugin count, anonymized feature usage. We never collect: personal information, student data, course content, or payment data. We never sell data to third parties. Collection is 100% optional — opt-out anytime.