LifterLMS is an all-in-one Learning Management System plugin for WordPress. Introducing a host of new features, a flexible and easy to use interface and a complete support system, it can support all your personal and professional requirements for e-learning.
Unlike existing LMS plugins, LifterLMS offers a complete package for online course creation and selling. It is integrated with several e-commerce and membership plugins like InfusionSoft, PayPal, WooCommerce and BuddyPress that ensures you need never install another plugin again.
What’s New?
Despite being the new kid on the LMS block, LifterLMS works seamlessly with almost every well-coded theme in WordPress. In addition, it has tons of features that allow you to create and customize any course imaginable. Take a look:
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- Courses: You can create an infinite number of hierarchical, completable courses that can be categorized and organized easily from the Dashboard itself.
- Sections: LifterLMS follows a two-step hierarchy for classification. Courses are sub-divided into sections that can be assigned difficulty levels and individual quizzes.
- Lessons: Lessons can incorporate everything from a regular text-based approach to audio-video sessions, external reference material or any combination.
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- Quizzes: Due to the built-in automatic weightage system, quizzing and grading becomes very easy, though there is an option for manual grading too. Certificates can be issued automatically when the course is completed. One drawback is that only the MCQ type of answer format is available, so it does not support subjective or any other kind or answer formats.
- Student Analytics: The plugin has robust analytics that allow you to keep precise track of how your students are doing. You can customize student profile pages to see their course lists in the sidebar itself.
- Live Learning Experience: LifterLMS has an integrated Hangout platform where students can interact live with their tutors. It is also possible to build support forums, chat rooms and discussion threads for free flow of information.
- Drip Content: Content can be dripped out according to lesson completion or after specific time intervals.
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- Prerequisites: It is possible to restrict access to courses and lessons and set necessary prerequisites for the same.
What’s Different?
Considering the extensive market for e-learning, LifterLMS gives you loads of options to make your course more engaging for users. You can award badges, certificates, discount coupons and a lot more. A completely independent plugin, it has customizable e-commerce and membership functionalities too.
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LifterLMS has extensive gamification options like badges and downloadable certificates on successful completion of lessons, sections and courses which adds a fun element to the course and keeps the students engaged.
Besides, you can even award Achievement badges for special events like logging in the first time or for the first course completion. Conversely, if a user hasn’t logged in for several days, an automatic e-mail reminder can be sent. This ensures continued engagement.
Fully integrated with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe and e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, LifterLMS lets you sell your courses in an easy and hassle-free way.
There are options for enabling single or recurring purchase price or even adding discounts for definite time periods to boost sales. Tracking of sales and income is easy due to robust e-commerce analytics. The best part is that it comes with a built-in State Tax Deduction functionality, so that’s one worry down!
Unlike most LMS plugins that require additional plugins to implement membership, LifterLMS is built with integrated membership functionalities. You can create unlimited membership levels like Students, Tutors, Teaching assistants, etc. with restricted access for each, so that all your content is safe.
You can even maintain a membership-only policy for access, thereby effectively locking down your entire site.
Pricing & Support
Most big names in WordPress LMS will have you pay for a single site license, and incur additional costs for paid extensions and customizations.
In contrast, LifterLMS follows a unique pricing model where you get the plugin in all it’s glory and features FOR FREE, but has a Pro version where you pay 99$/Year for “front of the line” support, access to weekly live office hours with a LifterLMS developer, special graphics pack for your website and exclusive offers.
Support queries filed by Pro users are usually processed within 12 working hours and they can also avail micro assistance from a dedicated team which personally handles all your issues on your staging site.
The Verdict
LifterLMS is an all-round learning management system that can be used to turn your knowledge and experience into a full-fledged source of income. The extremely user-friendly interface, myriad features, gamification options and seamless integration with e-commerce applications are all factors that work in its favor and make it one of the best LMS plugins out there.
On the downside, LifterLMS has only about four or five extensions. While these extensions are good enough to take care of basic essentials like ecommerce, mailings lists and CRM, noticeably absent are the integrations with TinCan analytics, Form Builder plugins, Events registration other sub systems in WordPress that one might use on an elearning website.
However, the sheer number of functionalities and customization options that LifterLMS offers over its contemporaries makes the plugin absolutely worthwhile. The learning curve here is very small and the support forums are extremely active to put all your quibbles and queries to rest. They have an excellent response system and their podcast videos guide you all the way through building and maintaining your course website.
Great functionalities, systematic and straightforward operation and a standalone approach make LifterLMS an exceptional learning management system plugin.
