If you are looking to create courses on WordPress, you can do so using LearnDash. Well, you get two choices- LearnDash LMS or LearnDash Cloud.

In LearnDash LMS, you are in control. You decide which hosting you need to get, and which security you want to implement, and can even customize it to your liking. But in LearnDash Cloud, you do not need to worry about hosting and security. All this is done by the host itself. You only need to focus on your course creation.

In this blog, I will compare the features of LearnDash LMS and LearnDash Cloud, and give you a better understanding of which one you should go for. So let us begin!

When you opt for LearnDash LMS, you get a LearnDash core plugin and that’s it. Yes, with just the raw LearnDash plugin you are to continue your journey alone. No hosting support, no analytical tool, and no performance booster.

But looking on the bright side, LearnDash is yours. You can do anything and everything with it. If you have your own unique customizations you want to do, you can do so. And if you do have coding experience, you can opt for LearnDash development services to bring your customization to reality.

And not just customizations, you can even get additional plugins to help you on your LearnDash journey. The only con would be the pricing of those plugins. It’s great if the plugins are free, or else you might need to pay for them.

In LearnDash Cloud, the cloud hosts your website. You get a ready-made LearnDash site. You only need to put in your course contents and your site is ready. Along with the hosting, you also get ProPanel reporting and Object Cache Pro for caching all included in the LearnDash Cloud package.

You also get access to multiple templates which you can use to create your course. The downside of LearnDash Cloud would be the freedom. Since LearnDash is hosting your site, you get very limited control of your site.

LearnDash LMS is for those who already have their WordPress site. You get a LearnDash plugin and the rest you need to set up.

LearnDash Cloud is for those who do not own a WordPress site. LearnDash cloud hosts your site and also provides you with security, reporting, and performance tools included in the package.

LearnDash LMS plugin costs $199 per year. This is a one-time payment without any hidden costs.

Whereas, LearnDash Cloud offers 2 pricing. $24/month (annually) and $29/month (monthly).

Comparing the prices, the LearnDash LMS plugin is cheaper as you only get the plugin. While LearnDash Cloud is costlier as it is the one hosting your site. It also offers security, reporting, and performance tools included with the hosting.

LearnDash LMS users have to get separate security plugins.

As for LearnDash Cloud users, they get the Solid Security Pro plugin included in the hosting package.

For the LearnDash LMS plugin, you need to get additional analytical plugins. They could be free or paid depending on your choice. But LearnDash does not offer you any free analytical tool.

LearnDash Cloud users get the ProPanel plugin free. ProPanel is LearnDash’s own analytical plugin. You don’t have to pay extra.

LearnDash plugin works well with all WordPress-supported themes. And with customization you can build custom LearnDash plugins that offer unique features for your eLearning website. You could get help from a professional LearnDash developer to easily create customized plugins and themes.

LearnDash Cloud also performs well with all WordPress-supported themes. Additionally, LearnDash Cloud offers Kadence and Astra theme templates. You could use them while creating your course.

LearnDash LMS and LearnDash Cloud both offer exceptional tech support.

Both LearnDash LMS plugin and LearnDash Cloud offer the same features for course creation. You get the best drag-and-drop builder, access to quizzes, certificates, and assignments.

You get the same options to monetize your courses in both the LearnDash plugin and LearnDash Cloud.

With the LearnDash LMS plugin, you do not get any performance booster plugin. You need to get it separately.

As for LearnDash Cloud, you do get the Object Cache Pro plugin included in the Cloud package.

Choosing between LearnDash LMS and LearnDash Cloud depends completely on your requirements.

With a host-

If you are a WordPress user and have a WordPress site, then the LearnDash LMS plugin would be the perfect choice for you. With the LearnDash plugin, you get the freedom to customize your website as you need. You can create and manage courses and even monetize them. The site is completely under your control.

Without a host-

If you do not have a WordPress website, then opting for LearnDash Cloud is the better choice. LearnDash Cloud does the hosting for your website. But you do get the freedom to largely customize your website as you won’t have complete control of your site.

You can create creative courses with the drag-and-drop editor. Also, you get free Kadence and Astra templates to use in your courses. With the LearnDash Cloud, you get access to the ProPanel reporting plugin to manage your learners. Solid Security Pro plugin protects your site from security threats. And Object Cache Pro can be used to optimize your website. All these premium plugins are included in the LearnDash Cloud package.

Moreover, if you are hosting your site and want the premium plugins, you could go for the LearnDas bundles where LearnDash LMS, ProPanel, Groups Plus, Notes, and Gradebook are included.

From this blog, we understood the features of both the LearnDash LMS plugin and the LearnDash Cloud. I compared both of them on the basis of Pricing, Hosting, and Course creation.
Also, some crucial aspects such as security, analytics, and performance were compared.
In the end, I discussed which one you should go for and why.
LearnDash is vast and you need to explore it well to give a better learning experience.