LifterLMS
LifterLMS: A flexible WordPress LMS with a free core and paid add-ons for selling courses. Ranked #36 of 146 in Online Course Platforms by our editors (5.7/10); pricing: Free plan; best for self-hosted WordPress course sites.
At a glance
- Editor score5.7 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forSelf-hosted WordPress course sites
- Free planYes
- Founded2013 · Portland, Maine, United States
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free core supports unlimited courses, memberships, students, and teachers
- Supports multimedia lessons, quizzes, drip content, certificates, and reporting
- Integrates with payment, ecommerce, email, forms, and automation tools
Where it doesn't
- Requires a self-hosted WordPress website rather than a standalone hosted platform
- Paid bundles are needed for ecommerce, marketing, and advanced add-ons
- No native or branded mobile app
Our verdict on LifterLMS
LifterLMS is an open-source WordPress learning management system for course creators, coaches, schools, companies, and agencies. It runs on a customer’s own WordPress website and combines course creation, memberships, protected content, learner dashboards, assessments, certificates, reporting, and sales tools. The Core Plugin includes unlimited courses, memberships, students, and teachers, making it a strong fit for organizations that want control over their WordPress-based learning site rather than a separate hosted platform.
Its standout strength is breadth within the WordPress ecosystem. Courses can include video, audio, text, images, downloadable files, quizzes, question banks, assignments, cohorts, tracks, prerequisites, and drip content. Access can be sold through one-time, recurring, or payment-plan options, while certificates, achievement badges, automated learner emails, and student progress reporting support structured programs. The REST API and developer tooling also provide options for custom workflows. Integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, WooCommerce, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Formidable Forms, WPForms, and Zapier.
The freemium structure keeps the core accessible, while the Earth Bundle adds ecommerce tools for one active site, including Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Cart Abandonment Recovery, and Name Your Price. The Universe Bundle covers five active sites and adds the Sky Pilot theme, email marketing, CRM, ecommerce, and forms integrations. The Infinity Bundle supports unlimited active sites and includes 15 advanced add-ons plus everything in the Universe Bundle. Choose LifterLMS if WordPress ownership, flexible course design, and extensibility matter most. Choose an alternative if you want a hosted platform or a native mobile app.
Your product? Our editors can test LifterLMS in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
LifterLMS pricing
All 4 LifterLMS plans and prices →
LifterLMS fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Student limit | Not verified |
| Transaction fee | Not verified |
| Custom domain | Yes |
| Course formats | video, audio, text, images, quizzes, assignments |
| Payment options | Integrated |
| Email marketing | Yes |
| Mobile app | Not verified |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Tickets, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 1,500+ integrations: Zapier, Mailchimp, Kit, Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | lifterlms.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
LifterLMS integrations
LifterLMS lists 1,500+ integrations on its own site — the 13 named here are the ones its pages call out.
- Zapier
- Mailchimp
- Kit
- Stripe
- PayPal
- WooCommerce
- Gravity Forms
- WPForms
- Ninja Forms
- Formidable Forms
- Twilio
- BuddyPress
- bbPress
See all LifterLMS integrations →
Alternatives to LifterLMS
- ThinkificA full course business platform for established creators, with broad commerce and learning tools.9.3
- LearnWorldsA deep platform for interactive courses, learning paths, branded delivery, and digital sales.9.2
- FreshLearnA broad, budget-friendly course platform with commerce, marketing, mobile apps, and AI.9.0
See all LifterLMS alternatives →
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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used LifterLMS for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
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