Academy LMS vs Teachable Comparison
Looking for a Teachable alternative that won’t burn a hole in your pocket with high monthly fees? Academy LMS is a self-hosted WordPress LMS that gives you more control, deeper course features, and dramatically lower long-term cost — without the recurring SaaS bill. Here’s a clear head-to-head so you can decide if it’s time to switch.
|
Platform Type & Ownership |
Teachable |
|
|
Platform Type |
Self-hosted WordPress plugin |
Not Hosted SaaS |
|
Data & Site Ownership |
You own everything |
Platform-controlled |
|
Custom Domain |
Full control |
Available (higher plans) |
|
White-label / Remove Branding |
Full |
Growth+ |
|
Lifetime / One-time Option |
Yes (lifetime plans) |
No (subscription only) |
|
Free Version |
Robust free core |
No free plan |
“If you just need a FAST and LIGHTWEIGHT lms plugin then academy LMS is for you. I was trying to search for ages for a optimized lms plugin that uses the least ram as possible and that do not slow down wp-admin. This one is the KEY. Please keep it that way! Thank you so much for doing this..”
aquasp
@aquasp
|
LMS Core |
Teachable |
|
|
SPA Interface |
Advance |
Available |
|
Easy Installation Wizard |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Analytic/Report |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Frontend Dashboard |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Migration Tool |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Tutor Booking |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Teacher Registration Form |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Student Registration Form |
Advance |
Available |
|
CSV Bulk Import |
Advance |
Available |
|
Quiz Import/Export From CSV |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Tracking Course Progress |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Course Difficulty Level |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Define Course Duration |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Course Requirements Instructions |
Advance |
Available |
|
Content Security |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Add Student & Instructor from the Dashboard |
Advance |
Available |
|
Import Lessons From CSV Files |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Revenue Sharing Option |
Moderate |
Available |
|
Public Profiles |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Student & Instructor Dashboards |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Duplicate Course, Lesson, Quiz And Assignment |
Advance |
Available |
|
RTL Ready |
Available |
Available |
|
Lesson, Quiz, And Assignment Auto Complete |
Available |
Available |
|
No Hosting or Plugin Maintenance |
Moderate |
Advance |
|
Built-In Email Marketing & Automation |
Available |
Moderate |
|
Sales Funnels & Landing Pages |
Available |
Available |
|
Website Builder & Blog |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Sales Tax / VAT Collection |
Available |
Advance |
|
Student Mobile App |
Available |
Advance |
|
Redesigned Admin with Light / Dark Mode |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Multi-Role Frontend Dashboard (Learning, Teaching, Family views) |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Guardian / Family Accounts |
Advance |
Not Available |
“These days it’s hard to find efficiency + good quality in one company. This is what you can expect from the guys behind this fantastic software Academy LMS. Polite, quick to solve issues and great quality code. Thanks for being Awesome!.”
speakeasysiena
@speakeasysiena
|
Course |
Academy LMS |
Teachable |
|
Course Builder |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Unlimited Course And Lessons |
Available |
Moderate |
|
Quiz Builder |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Question And Answer |
Available |
Available |
|
Video Player With Resuming |
Available |
Available |
|
Multiple Video Sources |
Advance |
Available |
|
Global Announcement |
Available |
Available |
|
Unlimited Course Instructor |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Course Review And Rating |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Public Course |
Available |
Available |
|
Video Lessons |
Available |
Available |
|
Course Video Poster (Trailer/Teaser) |
Available |
Available |
|
Sub-Curriculum |
Advance |
Available |
|
Meeting |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Private Course |
Available |
Available |
|
Course Schedule |
Available |
Available |
|
Course Preview |
Available |
Available |
|
YouTube Playlist As Course |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Certificate Builder (choose a different certificate per course) |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
More Quiz Question Types (Dropdown, Short Answer, Image Answer, Fill in the Blanks) |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Quiz Question Bank & Difficulty Levels |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Multi-Step, Route-Based Course Builder (no modals) |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Rebuilt Learn Page (Notes, Q&A, Announcements, Progress drawers) |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Text-to-Speech Read-Aloud |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Lesson Video Subtitles (.vtt captions) |
Available |
Advance |
|
Course Active Timer (heartbeat-based course locking) |
Available |
Not Available |
“I recommend using this LMS system, it contains a complete solutions, instead of using multi plug-ins. (6 in 1) solution, like forms, emails, importing / exporting, video player, scorm, web hooks and many more and the platform is very nice looking, It’s really nice job.”
ahmedsabri1968
@ahmedsabri1968
|
Integration |
Teachable |
|
|
AI Course Builder |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Native Payments |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Gutenberg Integration |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
WooCommerce Integration |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Pabbly Connect |
Advance |
Available |
|
Paid Memberships Pro |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Bitapps |
Available |
Available |
|
FluentCRM |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
SureCart |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Gradebook |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
SureMembers |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
MailChimp |
Available |
Available |
|
Google Classroom |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Push notification |
Advance |
Available |
|
GamiPress |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Elementor |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Webhooks |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
WooCommerce Subscriptions |
Available |
Not Available |
|
SureTriggers |
Available |
Available |
|
YouTube API |
Available |
Available |
|
Bunny.net |
Available |
Available |
|
Loco Translate |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Divi |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Zoom Integration |
Advance |
Available |
|
Google reCAPTCHA |
Available |
Not Available |
|
WishList Member |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Google Meet |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Easy Digital Download |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Restrict Content Pro |
Available |
Not Available |
|
BuddyBoss |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
BuddyPress |
Available |
Not Available |
|
WPML |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Membership-Based Course Enrollment (auto-enroll and cancel with membership) |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Auto-Created Zoom / Google Meet Links for Tutor Bookings |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Points & Achievement-Based Course Access (GameEngine) |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Incoming Webhooks (HMAC-Authenticated) |
Advance |
Not Available |
Since install and setup, I have had a fantastic experience with both the plugin and the developers. I found it easy and intuitive to install/setup; tons of features; quick and learn code base. Had a couple questions and the support staff were fast and very helpful. Highly recommend it
Zenjukai
@ecoist
|
Advanced Functionality |
Teachable |
|
|
Group Access |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Earning Management |
Available |
Available |
|
Content Drip |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Multimedia Attachment |
Available |
Available |
|
Email Notification |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Multi Instructors |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Manual Enrollment |
Advance |
Available |
|
Assignments |
Available |
Available |
|
Frontend Course Builder |
Advance |
Advance |
|
Auto Load Next Topic |
Advance |
Available |
|
Auto Complete Topic |
Available |
Available |
|
2-Step Email Verification |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Expire Enrolment |
Available |
Available |
|
Starter Templates |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Student Dashboard with reporting |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Instructor Dashboard with reporting |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Advanced Analytics |
Advance |
Available |
|
White Label |
Available |
Available |
|
SCORM |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Auto WooCommerce Product Creation |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Course Prerequisites |
Available |
Available |
|
Course Bundle |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Form Builder |
Advance |
Available |
|
Device Login Restrictions |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
PHP Rendering |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Notes Features |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Block-Based Course Templates for the Site Editor (Course Grid, Filters, Sort) |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Live Customizer for Course Cards, Course Page, Learn Page and Dashboard |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Rich-Text Mail Builder |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Multi-Question Assignments |
Advance |
Not Available |
|
Reset Progress on Re-Enrollment |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Memberships & Subscriptions |
Advance |
Moderate |
|
Coupon Management |
Available |
Advance |
|
Affiliate Program |
Available |
Available |
|
Community Forums & Member Directory |
Available |
Not Available |
|
Coaching Programs & Cohorts |
Moderate |
Advance |
“Academy LMS is a fantastic plugin for creating e-learning websites. It’s fast, lean, and well-crafted. The theme customizer offers extensive options for customization, and the customer service is excellent. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to build a quality e-learning platform. I will give you another rating on Academy Certificates – Certificate Builder for Academy LMS very soon.”
Ashim Kumar
@ashimkumar
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Academy LMS a cheaper alternative to Teachable?
Yes in the long run. Teachable charges monthly (and sometimes transaction fees). Academy LMS has a free version and Pro/lifetime options with no platform fee. See our best WordPress LMS plugins ranking and cost of running a WordPress LMS.
Can I migrate my courses from Teachable to Academy LMS?
Yes. You can export content and rebuild on WordPress. Academy LMS includes migration tools for common LMS formats. Guide: how to create an online course website on WordPress.
Does Teachable have a free plan?
No. Academy LMS has a robust free core with many 4.0 features unlocked. Compare free options on our free LMS plugins for WordPress page.
Which is better for advanced quizzes and SCORM?
Academy LMS. It has a reusable Question Bank, difficulty levels, and SCORM support on Pro. Teachable is more basic here. Details: quiz features and SCORM on WordPress.
Do I need technical skills to use Academy LMS?
Basic WordPress knowledge helps, but Academy LMS has an easy installation wizard and modern course builder. Many creators switch from SaaS platforms successfully. Also see Academy LMS vs Kajabi.
What about other SaaS alternatives?
Also compare Academy vs Kajabi and our pillar page for the full picture of WordPress LMS options.
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