Tutor LMS pricing starts at $0 for the free core, then moves to paid annual plans of $199, $399 and $799 per year, or lifetime plans of $499, $999 and $1,999.
The plans differ by site count, not features. Prices below were read on the official Tutor LMS pricing page on October 24, 2026.
Quick Summary
- Tutor LMS annual plans: Individual $199 (1 site), Business $399 (up to 10 sites), Agency $799 (unlimited sites). Prices are in USD and exclude VAT and taxes.
- Tutor LMS lifetime plans: $499 (1 site), $999 (up to 10 sites) and $1,999 (up to 50 sites). The Individual lifetime plan pays back against the $199 yearly plan in about 2.5 years.
- The Tutor LMS core is free forever, but advanced features such as drip, assignments and Stripe sit in the paid tier.
- The pricing page lists no social feed or groups. If you want a community next to your courses, budget for a second plugin.
- TrueCommunity is a community and LMS plugin with a free core that already includes courses and quizzes. Pro starts at $119/year (Solo, 1 site) and renews at the same price. Tutor LMS is the deeper course-only LMS.
Ready to own your community?
Tutor LMS pricing: the six paid plans
Every paid plan includes all pro add-ons, unlimited courses and users, Pro themes, AI Studio, priority support and updates. Annual plans include one year of updates, and lifetime plans include updates for life. The only variable is how many sites you can use it on.
| Plan | Sites | Annual | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | 1 | $199/year | $499 one-time |
| Business | Up to 10 (lifetime: up to 10) | $399/year | $999 one-time |
| Agency | Unlimited (annual), up to 50 (lifetime) | $799/year | $1,999 one-time |
Prices checked on October 24, 2026, on the official Tutor LMS pricing page. The page also shows a “15% OFF” badge, so check the final amount at checkout. Older listings on third-party sites still show outdated tiers or describe the prices as monthly, which is wrong: these are yearly or one-time prices.
Key takeaway: You never pay more for features on a higher Tutor LMS plan. You pay more for more sites, so a single-site owner should start with Individual.
Is Tutor LMS free, and what does the free version include?
Yes. The official page says the full Tutor LMS core is free forever.
Its comparison table lists unlimited courses, learners and instructors on the free side. An October 2026 third-party review adds that the free version covers courses, basic quizzes, basic certificates and PayPal checkout.
The same review places drip content, assignments, Stripe, subscriptions, advanced quiz types, live classes (Zoom, Google Meet, Jitsi), custom emails, detailed reports and AI Studio on the paid side. The official comparison table is the place to check the exact split before you build a course around a single feature.
For a typical creator the free core is enough to test a first course. The jump to paid usually happens when you want drip schedules, assignments or recurring billing.
Annual or lifetime: the break-even math
The Individual lifetime plan costs $499 and the annual plan costs $199. Divide $499 by $199 and you get about 2.5 years. If you expect to run the site for three years or more, lifetime is cheaper on paper.
| Years | Individual annual (at $199/year) | Individual lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $199 | $499 |
| 2 | $398 | $499 |
| 3 | $597 | $499 |
| 5 | $995 | $499 |
The table holds the annual price at $199 for every year. If the price changes at renewal, the break-even point moves with it.
The same ratio applies higher up. Business lifetime ($999) against Business annual ($399) breaks even at about 2.5 years, and Agency lifetime ($1,999) against Agency annual ($799) also lands at about 2.5 years.
Note that the lifetime Agency plan covers up to 50 sites, while the annual Agency plan is unlimited, so an agency with more than 50 sites cannot use lifetime.
Watch out: Lifetime only pays back if the business survives. If you are still validating an idea, the annual plan or the free core carries less risk.
What does Tutor LMS really cost in total?
The license is one line on the bill. A real budget also includes hosting, payment gateway fees and any plugin that fills a gap.
- Hosting: your own WordPress hosting, which varies by provider and traffic.
- AI Studio: included in the plans, but the page states an OpenAI API key is required, so usage is billed by OpenAI.
- Payment gateways: Stripe, PayPal and the others charge their own fees on each sale.
- Community: the pricing page lists notes, discussions and Q&A inside courses, but no member feed, groups or direct messaging. If you want those, that is a second plugin with its own license.
The last item is the one most pricing guides skip, and it is where the stack cost grows.
What happens when a Tutor LMS license expires?
Annual plans include updates for one year, and priority support is listed on every plan. Themeum’s license terms are the authority on what applies once the year ends, so read them before you rely on a lapsed license on a production site.
Lifetime plans list updates for lifetime, which removes the question.
Try TrueCommunity free, upgrade when you need more
Refunds and trials
The official page shows a 30-day money-back guarantee. It also offers Start for Free, which is the core plugin rather than a timed trial of the paid plans. The free core is therefore the practical way to test before you pay.
Price per site: where agencies feel the difference
Freelancers and agencies pay per site, so the cost per site matters more than the headline number. Dividing each plan price by its site limit gives a simple comparison. Tutor LMS Agency is unlimited on annual, so a per-site figure only exists if you pick a number of sites.
| Plan (yearly) | Price | Sites | Per site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutor LMS Individual | $199 | 1 | $199.00 |
| Tutor LMS Business | $399 | Up to 10 | $39.90 at 10 sites |
| TrueCommunity Solo | $119 | 1 | $119.00 |
| TrueCommunity Studio | $199 | 5 | $39.80 |
| TrueCommunity Agency | $299 | 30 | $9.97 |
| Plan (lifetime) | Price | Sites | Per site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutor LMS Individual | $499 | 1 | $499.00 |
| Tutor LMS Business | $999 | Up to 10 | $99.90 at 10 sites |
| Tutor LMS Agency | $1,999 | Up to 50 | $39.98 at 50 sites |
| TrueCommunity Solo | $249 | 1 | $249.00 |
| TrueCommunity Studio | $399 | 5 | $79.80 |
| TrueCommunity Agency | $599 | 30 | $19.97 |
Per-site figures assume you fill every site slot. A Tutor LMS Agency license for dozens of client sites is competitive on price per site, and its annual plan has no site cap at all. The two products also do different jobs, which the next sections cover.
Which Tutor LMS plan should you pick?
- One site, one course business: start with the free core, then buy Individual when you hit a paid-only feature.
- A freelancer with a few client sites: Business covers up to 10 sites at $399/year.
- An agency with many projects: Agency is unlimited on annual and up to 50 sites on lifetime.
- A long-term site you will run for 3+ years: compare the lifetime price against the break-even table above.
A simple rule: pick the smallest plan that covers your site count, because every plan has the same features. Upgrading for features alone does nothing, since the extra money only buys extra sites.
Tutor LMS vs an all-in-one community and LMS
If your goal is courses only, Tutor LMS is a mature and deep option. The official page lists a certificate builder, a gradebook, analytics, multi-instructor support and a long list of payment gateways. Those are real strengths, and TrueCommunity does not match them.
If your goal is a paid or private community where people also take courses, the cost question changes. You are not buying one license, you are buying an LMS plus a community plugin, with two sets of updates and two places to configure members.
TrueCommunity is a community and LMS plugin for WordPress that combines both in one install. It uses your existing WordPress accounts, and the data stays in your own database with no per-member fees.
The free plugin on WordPress.org includes the activity feed, profiles, groups, messages, notifications, courses, lessons and auto-graded quizzes with seven question types.
The what is TrueCommunity doc explains how the pieces fit together.
| Item | TrueCommunity | Tutor LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Community plus courses and quizzes | Core LMS, free forever |
| Cheapest paid yearly | $119 (Solo, 1 site) | $199 (Individual, 1 site) |
| Mid plan | $199, 5 sites (Studio) | $399, up to 10 sites (Business) |
| Top yearly plan | $299, 30 sites (Agency) | $799, unlimited sites (Agency) |
| Lifetime, 1 site | $249 | $499 |
| Feed, groups and member messaging | Included in free | Not listed on the pricing page |
| Certificates | Not available | Certificate builder listed |
Prices checked on October 24, 2026, on the official Tutor LMS pricing page and the TrueCommunity pricing page. Every TrueCommunity plan has every Pro feature, and plans differ only by site count and support.
What TrueCommunity Pro adds
Pro adds topics inside lessons, prerequisites, drip content, required video, assignments with approval and feedback, live classes, a challenge exam, and gamification with points, ranks, badges and leaderboards.
It also adds course selling through WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads. See the Free vs Pro comparison for the full list, and the sell a course docs for how sales work.
TrueCommunity does not process payments itself, so fees come from your store and gateway. Refunds follow a 14-day policy on every payment, including renewals, as set out in the refund policy.
TrueCommunity renewals and lapsed licenses
Yearly plans include 12 months of updates and renew at the same price, with no intro discount followed by a jump. If a license lapses, the plugin keeps working, but updates and support stop until you renew.
Lifetime is a single payment that keeps core Pro plugin updates coming for life, with the same support level as the yearly plan. It does not cover any separate paid add-on released in the future.
| Years | TrueCommunity Solo yearly ($119) | TrueCommunity Solo lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $119 | $249 |
| 2 | $238 | $249 |
| 3 | $357 | $249 |
Solo lifetime ($249) against yearly ($119) breaks even in just over two years, a shorter horizon than the Tutor LMS Individual plan. Studio ($399 against $199) and Agency ($599 against $299) both break even at two years.
Cost check: A lone LMS license is not the whole bill if you also want a community. Price the LMS, the community plugin and their renewals together before you compare it with a single all-in-one plugin.
When TrueCommunity fits (and when it does not)
TrueCommunity fits when members and courses belong together: a coaching program, a membership-style learning space, an association or a school community. It also fits if you want a free tier with real courses, flat renewals and one set of updates. It needs WordPress 6.3 or newer, PHP 8.0 or newer and pretty permalinks, and the install guide walks through setup.
It is not the best choice in several cases:
- You need certificates. TrueCommunity does not offer them, and Tutor LMS has a certificate builder.
- You need SCORM or xAPI, or enterprise-scale reporting. TrueCommunity does not provide these, and Tutor LMS, LearnDash and LifterLMS are deeper LMS products.
- You need subscription billing or paid memberships. These are planned, not shipped. Course sales work through WooCommerce or EDD, and only for Private courses.
- You need a mobile app. There is none yet, though the community works in phone browsers.
- You want instructors to create their own courses or groups. Course and group creation is admin-only.
If none of these are blockers, try the free plugin first. Existing posts, groups, courses and members stay in place if you later upgrade, and the quick setup guide takes about five minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Tutor LMS cost per year?
The annual plans are $199 (1 site), $399 (up to 10 sites) and $799 (unlimited sites). Each includes the full pro feature set and one year of updates. Prices exclude VAT and taxes, and the page shows a 15% OFF badge, so check the final amount at checkout.
Is Tutor LMS free, and what does the free version include?
Yes, the core is free forever with unlimited courses, learners and instructors. Some capabilities, including advanced quizzes, assignments and drip, sit in the paid tier. Check the official comparison table before you build a course around a feature.
Is Tutor LMS Pro worth it compared with the free version?
It is worth it once you need a paid-only feature such as drip, assignments, extra payment gateways or detailed reports. Until then the free core lets you validate a course at no cost. If you also need a community, count the extra plugin in the comparison.
Does Tutor LMS have a lifetime deal, and is it worth buying?
Yes: $499 for 1 site, $999 for up to 10 sites and $1,999 for up to 50 sites. The Individual plan breaks even against the $199 annual plan after about 2.5 years. It suits a site you are sure you will keep, not an experiment.
What happens when my Tutor LMS license expires?
Annual plans include one year of updates, so updates are what you are renewing. Read Themeum’s license terms for the exact behavior after expiry. A lifetime plan avoids the issue because updates are listed for life.
Does Tutor LMS offer a refund or a free trial?
The official page shows a 30-day money-back guarantee. There is no timed trial of the paid plans, but the free core is available at no cost. Test your workflow there before buying.
Is Tutor LMS cheaper than a community plus LMS stack?
It depends on whether you need a community. On license price alone Tutor LMS starts at $199/year for one site, while TrueCommunity Pro starts at $119/year and includes community features. Tutor LMS is deeper on certificates and reporting, so the right choice depends on which features you cannot do without.
Build your community on a site you own