You might have found two popular options. LearnDash and Teachable. These LMSs are used for creating and selling courses online. LMSs offer many features. They help in running your e-learning business. 

We will be comparing LearnDash and Teachable LMSs. Analyzing top 12 criteria to help you decide. You'll learn about their pros and cons. Let's begin!

A Brief Comparison of LearnDash Vs Teachable Vs Thinkific

Pricing

Pricing is important while choosing an LMS platform. LearnDash and Teachable each have unique pricing structures.

LearnDash: It requires an annual license fee. The fee starts at $199 for one site. LearnDash has three different plans. They offer varying levels of site licenses and support. While LearnDash doesn't have a free version, a demo is available to preview its capabilities. You have full control over course content and design. But, you may need extra plugins for more features.

Teachable: It has a free plan. Teachable allows testing with basic features. These include the creation of one course, one admin, and up to ten students. Its paid plans range from $39 to $499 per month. They unlock extra benefits, like unlimited courses, students, integrations, and certificates. 

A LearnDash license costs $199 yearly. Teachable's plan ranges from $39 to $499. The price is dependent on the features.

User Interface Design

Designing the online course interface is vital. It affects how users engage - both instructors and students.

LearnDash- It has a great user interface. It is easy to use. And has many features. You can also customize it. But, LearnDash's user interface also depends on your website's WordPress theme. This means you have to choose a theme that works with LearnDash. It also has to fit your branding and style.

Teachable- Teachable has very few themes. But, they are all easy to use and pretty. You can change the fonts and images. It prevents you from changing the layout of your pages.

As you can see, the user interface design of these two platforms varies significantly. Choose any of these LMSs on the basis of UI interfaces. It depends on one's needs and preferences.

Customization

Customization is a decisive factor in selecting an LMS. It allows you to tailor the course's appearance to your preference.

LearnDash- It is known for its high level of customization. It grants complete control over course content and layout. It is a WordPress plugin. It lets you choose any theme and plugin for personalization.

Teachable- Basic customization options are available in the lower tiers, enabling changes to logos, colors, fonts, and images. However, the overall page design remains unchanged. Higher-tier plans, like the Pro plan, are required for more advanced customizations including custom CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.

LearnDash affords extensive customization capabilities for advanced customization. In case you want a custom plugin or a theme developed for your Learndash website, you can opt for our LearnDash Custom Development. Teachable customization potential increases with higher-tier plans. Teachable customization potential increases with higher-tier plans.

Course Delivery Features

When selecting an LMS, the quality of course delivery features is often a deciding factor.

LearnDash:It has a suite of great course delivery tools. These include drip-feed content, quizzes, assignments, certificates, and discussion forums. They all come with an annual license fee.

Teachable: Teachable offers many similar features. These include quizzes, content dripping, assignments, and certificates. However, access to these features is tiered across various premium plans.

Comparing LearnDash and Teachable, both offer similar course delivery options. But, LearnDash includes them in one package. Teachable and Thinkific offer them but in higher-tier plans.

Payment Option

Payment methods are crucial for making money from your online courses. Various gateways facilitate this feature.

LearnDash: It's based on WordPress. It supports many payment plugins for WordPress. These include PayPal and Stripe. Square, Braintree and Skrill. LearnDash imposes no transaction fees. You can keep all the profits you gain.

Teachable: It restricts its payments to PayPal and Stripe. It also charges transaction fees on its basic plan. These fees could reduce earnings. The fees are $1 + 10% for the free plan and 5% for the basic plan, but they are waived for professional and business plans.

LearnDash stands out for its flexibility. It works with any WordPress-friendly payment plugin. Teachable limits to PayPal and Stripe. It also has additional fees. Teachable offers a hosted solution. This means you do not need to manage a website or deal with technical issues.

Reporting and analytics

Reporting and analytics are vital for tracking the effectiveness of online courses.

LearnDash: Offers straightforward reporting features like course completion and quiz results. To get deeper insights, you need the ProPanel add-on. It offers real-time tracking and advanced reports.

Teachable: Teachable lacks native reporting tools. It needs external integrations, like Google Analytics, for detailed student analytics.

LearnDash provides basic analytics. It has options to expand. Teachable rely on external solutions. Thinkific includes integrated reporting features and supports third-party tools as well. Your choice will depend on your requirements and budget.

Gamification

Gamification improves online courses. It does this by adding elements like points and badges. These boost student engagement and achievement.

LearnDash: Features ‘LearnDash Achievements' for awarding badges based on course progress. You can add more gamification with BadgeOS or GamiPress. They award points, ranks, and leaderboards.

Teachable: Teachable lacks native gamification. But, it supports adding such features with plugins. Tools like Zapier enable integration with platforms like Badgr.

In summary, LearnDash has gamification built in. It allows for further expansion. Teachable relies on third-party plugins for these features.

Bulk Course Enrollment 

Bulk course enrollment is a feature. It makes it easier to add many students to courses. It saves time and effort, especially for large groups.

LearnDash: LearnDash allows bulk enrollment. You can do it through a CSV file upload. The file must detail student email addresses. Additionally, the 'LearnDash Groups' feature lets you create student groups. You can use them for course assignments.

Teachable: Offers a similar bulk enrollment option via CSV file uploads. The "Teachable School" feature makes it even easier to create sub-accounts. These accounts are for instructors and students. They can also assign courses.

Both platforms have bulk enrollment features. This makes the process easier for educators. 

Certificate

Certificates are valuable for acknowledging student accomplishments upon course completion.

LearnDash: LearnDash enables free certificate creation and customization. It has integration options for added versatility. They let you reward learners and affirm your course's value. Through LearnDash Developer you can add custom-developed certificates to your Learndash site.

Teachable: Certificates are available starting from the pro plan. This needs a higher investment but allows for more formal certification for students.

In summary, LearnDash includes certificates in its single-price plan. Teachable requires a more premium plan for certificates.

Assignments

Assignments are essential for evaluating students' progress. It also provides feedback in online courses.

LearnDash: It helps you create custom assignments. And it's free. Assignments can be text-based or file uploads. Instructors can choose automatic or manual approval.

Teachable: Teachable lacks a built-in assignment feature. But, it can integrate with external tools like Google Forms or Typeform via Zapier. This integration allows for creating and distributing assignments.

In summary, LearnDash has a built-in assignment feature. It has extensive customization. Teachable requires third-party integrations to add assignments.

Supported Quiz Types

Quizzes are a key part of online courses. They are a tool for testing knowledge and boosting retention.

LearnDash: LearnDash supports eight quiz question types. These include single and multiple choice, free and sorting choice. Also, matrix sorting, fill-in-the-blank, assessment, and essay. It also allows much quiz customization. You can set question count, timing, pass marks, attempt limits, and feedback. You can also integrate certification.

Teachable: You get six types of quiz questions here. Multiple-choice, true-false and fill in the blank. Matching, short answer and essay. Customization options include setting the number of questions, randomization, feedback, and certificate linkage.

In summary, LearnDash offers a broader variety of question types and customization features. Teachable provides basic quiz functionalities with single and multiple-choice questions.

Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile responsiveness is a key feature of online courses. It ensures access to many devices.

LearnDash: LearnDash is mobile-friendly, works with modern WordPress themes, and fits various devices. Customization for specific devices can be done with the help of a LearnDash developer. 

Teachable: Teachable also features mobile responsiveness. It adjusts course content to fit the screens of smartphones, tablets, or laptops.

Both platforms, including Thinkific, are mobile responsive. They allow for seamless course presentation on any device.

Wrapping Up!

Each online course platform has distinct advantages. These platforms include LearnDash and Teachable.

LearnDash is tightly integrated with WordPress. It offers strong tools for course creation. It's ideal for those already using WordPress. Teachable is known for its ease of use and extensive marketing features. But, it has transaction fees on earnings.

The choice between LearnDash and Teachable hinges on personal preference. It also depends on technical needs and business goals. Match the platform's offerings with your specific requirements for successful online teaching.