LearnDash Consultant Recommendation on Using LearnDash Without WooCommerce

I see a lot of online course builders using LearnDash e-commerce features. You can use it to take payments with Stripe, Paypal or Razorpay. You can use it to sell individual courses and groups of courses. As an experienced LearnDash consultant, what I see a lot is you very quickly outgrown what LearnDash e-commerce offers. It's e-commerce features fall way short.

LearnDash Consultant on the Issues

With LearnDash e-commerce, you cannot sell courses that include more than just course content. It's difficult to give someone a free trial for a period of time. Giving people free access to content requires you use registration forms that are cumbersome and not user friendly. Their selling page templates are so-so. And if you want to sell any hard items like books, t-shirts, caps or mugs you, just can't do it.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm a BIG LearnDash fan. My LearnDash consultant team and I build 2 to 4 sites a month using it. It is a fully functioning Learning Management System (LMS) with the features most online course builders need. The features it doesn't have are delivered by third-party provide that have added a pretty comprehensive list to pick from. It's a best-in-breed LMS, but doesn't have a strong e-commerce.

If what you want is a best in breed e-commerce solution, my recommendation would be WooCommerce. WooCommerce is a free Wordpress plugin. Consider that a free entry-level solution that makes it easy for them to sell you upgrades. They charge for the WooCommerce Subscription for recurring payments. For $99 a year, you have a very complete e-commerce solution.

LearnDash Consultant on Using WooCommerce Instead

WooCommerce has a large number of available options. Like LearnDash, there is a BIG after-marketing of third-party providers that provide even more features. When I'm speaking with an online course builder that needs something I haven't done before, I typically begin searching and very quickly I find something that does what they need. Sometimes it takes some adjustments and customizations, but for the most part, I am able to get customers what they want without having to bring in a programming team to do customer code development.

So if you are working with LearnDash and are getting frustrated with the e-commerce experience and features you are able to offer, consider WooCommerce and I'm sure you'll have success with a LearnDash / WooCommerce combined solution.