Should You Use LearnDash? Read This…

By: Justin Ferriman July 23, 2014
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“Do you think that LearnDash would be a good solution for my online course(s)?”

This is a question we get quite often, and with good reason. Setting up an online training site takes careful consideration, especially on WordPress when there are so many ways you could go about it.

But there are also other questions that you may want to consider…

  • How do I want courses delivered?
  • Is it scaleable?
  • Is it WordPress multisite compatible?
  • What kind of integrations would I need (i.e. WooCommerce)?
  • What can I expect in terms of support?

Truth is, you could go about setting up your training site a variety of ways.

Just to give one example, you could just download a free membership plugin, and you have a means to offer your online course (and for some, this is fine).

But if that were the right option for you, then you probably wouldn’t be here.

There is a lot of information and reviews out there on WordPress LMS plugins from various sources. You should certainly read these articles as they will provide you with some interesting ideas and considerations from a wide-range of backgrounds.

While these opinion pieces are beneficial, they may not provide you with all the answers to your questions. Based on our elearning industry experience, as well as our current customer base, we may be able to give you a good idea if LearnDash is right for you.

Instead of providing a long list of potentially desired features (feature priority is quite subjective), it might be more beneficial to describe some common LearnDash user backgrounds.

Example LearnDash Users Include…

Industry professionals with WordPress powered sites – If you are part of a firm, or perhaps an independent blogger, but have industry experience to share with others – then LearnDash may be a good solution for you. We have seen lawyers, medical professionals, consultants, and marketers all leverage LearnDash to deliver their specialized training. Here is an example of a WordPress consultant who uses LearnDash.

Classrooms & Professors- Perhaps you are surprised by this one as LearnDash is often (wrongfully) portrayed as a more corporate solution. In reality however, our customers include college professors, university departments, and grade school classrooms. Educational programs are using LearnDash to deliver a blended training environment. Here is an example of one educational program using LearnDash.

Organizations launching elearning programs – In addition to industry professionals and classrooms, we also have customers launching programs like Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate. This makes since as our roots are planted deeply in elearning. We’ve actually used these programs. Extensively in fact. Here is an example of a site that is launching Articulate Storyline as part of their online courses.

Developers with clients needing an LMS – There are a number of developers and development firms that receive inquiries for a learning management system. LearnDash cuts down on development time significantly, delivering essential features for projects of this nature. Partnering with LearnDash means that the software will always be up-to-date with the latest elearning and WordPress trends given our regular updates. This firm has experience creating cool things with LearnDash, and so does this one.

Not for Everyone

Truth is, LearnDash isn’t a the right choice for everyone. For example, if you are looking to transfer information to your new site using Common Cartridge, then LearnDash isn’t going to be the solution for you.

Another way to see if LearnDash would be a good option is to analyze your “must-have” features. If your hard requirements are very custom to a rather unique user-base, then out-of-the-box LearnDash will likely not meet all requirements exactly.

That said, a little custom development could bring you to where you need to be, and at a price-point that is far less than you would get by developing everything from scratch. In some cases, it could be just adding another plugin.

The Most Important Thing to Remember…

One piece of advice I give to everyone is to always choose the solution that has the right mix of features coupled with support. While you may be willing to compromise on some features, you should never compromise on the quality of support.

Ultimately you will have questions and you will be saving yourself long-term problems by partnering with people who have been there before you and are there to help you succeed. Not just with technical support, but with practical industry support.

How do you know if support is good?

One easy test is to send a pre-sales email and to see how long it takes for a response. Sales are the life-blood of any company. If you are left waiting on a pre-sales message, that pretty much guarantees your support inquiries will collect dust for days.

In Summary…

LearnDash is a great solution for many, but we are first to admit that it is not for all situations. That said, we know that organizations of all sizes as well as individual bloggers enjoy using LearnDash because it is easy, integrates with other popular solutions, and has industry leading support.

If you are still curious as to whether LearnDash is the right choice for your needs, feel free to send us a note. We promise you won’t have to wait long to hear back 😉 .

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter