Search filters
Switch each filter on or off and drag them into the order visitors see on the course search page.
1Category
2Course level
3Language
4Price range
5Minimum rating
What is it?
Your own course & community platform
A multilingual WordPress theme with courses, lessons, progress tracking and subscriptions, plus a members list and group chat inside every course. No stack of third-party LMS, community and e-commerce plugins.
Make money
Keep 100% of every sale
Sell your own courses through built-in enrolment and keep 100% of every sale, with no platform commission.
Charge for memberships and recurring subscriptions, let instructors publish their own courses, and sell featured placements, all managed from the admin.
Courses, Lessons & Modules
Build structured courses with modules, video and text lessons and downloadable materials. Drag lessons into order, with no LMS plugin required.
- Modules, lessons & materials
- Drag-and-drop ordering
- No LMS plugin needed
A Community Inside Every Course
Each course has a Members tab and a Discussion tab, a group chat that only enrolled students can join. Members can also message each other. No forum plugin to wire up.
- Members list per course
- Course group chat
- Member messaging
Lessons, Previews & Progress
Build courses from sections and lessons, mark any lesson as a free preview, and let students tick lessons off as they go, with a progress bar and resume button.
- Free preview lessons
- Mark complete & progress bar
- Resume where you left off
Elementor-Ready Online Course Templates
Elementor-friendly: Easily customize and design your pages using the free Elementor plugin.
Course pages are stacks of blocks, such as curriculum lists, lesson players and pricing tables, arranged visually in Elementor.
View Live DemoPre-Built Course Blocks
Build your course website faster with our Elementor block system. Pick, drag and drop pre-designed blocks into place.
Explore Our ThemesStudent & Instructor Accounts
Students enrol and track their progress, while instructors create and manage their own courses, and you approve everything from the admin.
- Student progress tracking
- Instructor accounts
- Approve courses from admin
Free & Paid Enrolment
Offer free courses to grow your audience and paid courses to earn. Sell a course once, or by monthly or yearly subscription with an optional free trial.
- Free & paid courses
- Subscriptions with free trials
- Coupons at checkout
Membership System Built In
Sell site-wide membership plans and per-course subscriptions with recurring payments, with no membership plugin required.
- Membership plans
- Recurring subscriptions
- Free trials
Payments & 30+ Gateways
Take card and PayPal payments through free gateway add-ons, with thirty-plus to choose from, and keep 100% of every course sale, with no platform commission.
- Stripe & PayPal add-ons
- 30+ free gateways
- No fees on your sales
Advanced Ajax Search & Filters
One of the most powerful search systems on the market. Ajax search with custom filtering helps students find the right course by topic, level and price.
- Instant Ajax results
- Filter by level & price
- Custom filter fields
Star Ratings & Reviews
Let students rate and review every course. That social proof sells the next enrolment, and it is all moderated from the admin area.
- Student star ratings
- Reviews on every course
- Moderate from the admin
Student Dashboard & Progress
Every student gets their own account with a personal dashboard showing enrolled courses, resume-where-you-left-off and completion progress. That cuts your support load.
- Personal learning dashboard
- Resume any course
- Per-course progress
Pricing Tables, Upgrades & Memberships
Your website, your rules. Sell single courses or recurring memberships, with optional featured and homepage placements.
- Single course sales
- Featured & homepage upgrades
- Recurring memberships
Responsive & Multi-Language
People learn on their phones, so course pages, the lesson player and the student dashboard all work on mobile, with 10 language packs included.
- Works on any screen size
- 10 language packs
- Translation-ready
27 ready-to-use designs
Browse all 27 designs One theme. Every kind of course site.
Choose a starting point for your course business. Make it yours in minutes.
Course membership sites
One membership opens every course, live session and member group, under your own brand.
Coaching communities
Coaches selling programmes in mindset, business, health and more.
Expert communities
Specialists teaching live cohorts and sharing their playbooks.
Online course communities
Self-paced courses and live cohorts with a community around them.
Creator course businesses
For creators who build, sell and grow their own online courses.
Paid community platforms
Courses, live cohorts and coaching inside one members-only community.
Online learning communities
Structured courses with lessons, community and progress in one place.
Creator academies
Skills for creators, from AI video to design, marketing and music.
Community learning sites
Learners take the same course together, with live classes and a group that keeps them going.
Every design includes video and text lessons, free previews and membership plans.
- Fully responsive designs
- No plugins required
- Easy to customise
Free guide
The Online Course Playbook
How to plan, build and grow an online course website that students finish, and come back to. 34 pages, from choosing a niche to your first 90 days.
The admin area
One admin area runs your entire course site.
Courses, lessons, search filters and member checks are all set from one dashboard instead of a stack of LMS plugins.
Open the admin demoLessons
Build each course from video, text or embedded lessons, grouped into sections, with free previews before students enrol.
Lesson titletitle
Sectionsection
Lesson typetype
Length in minutesminutes
Free previewpreview
One dashboard
New courses, members and comments over 7, 30 or 90 days, a to-do list of orders waiting for you, and every other screen one click away.
Approval & expiry
Hold new free courses for review, and choose what happens to a course when its time runs out.
Review pending courses2 courses are awaiting approval2
Yes, hold new FREE listings for review
Paid listings go live the moment payment is completed.Set to draft, unlisted
Verified members
Ask members to confirm their email or phone before they can use their account, or upload a photo ID for a Verified badge.
Email verification
Members confirm their email address by clicking a link we send them.
SMS verification
Members confirm their phone number with a 6-digit code.
Photo ID verification
Approved members get a Verified badge.
Site generator
Connect your own AI account, describe your course site, and the generator lays out the pages. Ask for changes in plain English or move the blocks yourself.
Works with your own AI account
AssistantAdd a row of trending design courses under the hero.
Automatic emails
Every email the site sends is ready to go. Edit the wording of any of them, or switch one off.
Manage emailsAll 50 on
Welcome / Account createdSent to a member when they create an account
Order confirmationSent after a successful payment
Membership plan assignedWhen a member's membership plan is set or changed
New private messageWhen a member receives a message
Social proof
Pop-ups and bars that show visitors what is happening on your course site, such as new courses, purchases, reviews and how many people are browsing right now.
Recent activityCourse purchases and new courses as they happen
Sign-upsNew members and subscribers
ReviewsStar ratings members leave
Live activityPeople browsing right now
Countdown timerA deadline offer or top bar
Announcement barA promotion pinned to the top
New course: Copywriting That ConvertsAdded just now
SMS & payment gateways
Text members through Twilio, Vonage, MessageBird or Plivo, and take payments through PayPal, Stripe and 140 more gateway plugins.
Members choose email, SMS or both for their notifications.
TwilioVonageMessageBirdPlivo
Uses your own account with the providerSend test
+140 more
Everything, built in
No extra plugins to buy or configure
These are the plugins most course sites end up installing. With the LMS theme they are already there, switched on from the admin area.
Elementor editing
By PremiumPress
Restyle course pages, headers and landing pages in the free Elementor page builder.
Needs: Free Elementor pluginElementor-ready
170+ course blocks
By PremiumPress
Course grids, subject chips, community cards and pricing sections.
Find it: Block ExplorerBuilt in
11 languages
By PremiumPress
English plus 10 language packs. Every label can be translated.
Switch on: Settings › LanguageBuilt in
146 payment gateways
By PremiumPress
PayPal, Stripe and 144 more free gateway plugins for your own merchant account.
Switch on: Checkout › GatewaysFree add-ons
Lessons & curriculum
By PremiumPress
Video, text and embedded lessons in sections, with free preview lessons.
Find it: Courses › LessonsBuilt in
Memberships
By PremiumPress
Sell membership plans, each with its own price, length and features.
Switch on: Users › MembershipsBuilt in
Course listing plans
By PremiumPress
Charge instructors to list a course, with packages you set up.
Switch on: Courses › Pricing PlansBuilt in
Search & filters
By PremiumPress
Category, course level, language, price and rating filters, in your order.
Switch on: Design › Search Page DesignBuilt in
Reviews & ratings
By PremiumPress
Students rate and review courses. You approve and reply.
Switch on: Users › CommentsBuilt in
A self-hosted Skool alternative for WordPress
Hosted community platforms like Skool charge every month and host your members for you, while WordPress LMS plugins bolt community on as an extra. This is one complete WordPress theme with courses and a course community for a single price, on your hosting, your rules.
| WordPress LMS Theme | Skool | LearnDash | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 one-time | $99/mo | $259+/yr |
| Courses + community together | Built in | Built in | Community is an add-on |
| Subscriptions with free trials | Built in | Built in | Built in |
| Self-hosted, you own the data | Yes | No, hosted for you | Yes |
| Unlimited installs | Yes | One community per plan | 1 site (base licence) |
| Members can list their own courses | Yes (payouts are manual) | Single community | Add-on |
| Renewal / monthly fees | None | $99 every month | Yearly renewals |
| Works with Elementor (free) | Yes | No | Theme-dependent |
Step-by-step guide
How to build an online course website with WordPress
Six simple steps to your own online course website. Sell your courses on WordPress, keep every payment, and never share a penny with anyone else. No coding required.
- 1
Upload the LMS Theme
Upload the WordPress LMS Theme to any WordPress site under Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme, then activate it.
- 2
Activate your academy licence
Enter your licence key in the admin area to switch on updates and support. One licence covers unlimited installs on sites you own.
- 3
Import the demo academy
Run the one-click demo import so your site instantly looks like our live demo, ready to customise.
- 4
Add your courses and lessons
Create courses with sections and video, embedded or text lessons, mark free preview lessons, or let instructors add their own.
- 5
Enable enrolment and payments
Set up free and paid enrolment, memberships and your payment gateway so students can pay and access courses.
- 6
Customise the design with Elementor
Use the ready-made Elementor design blocks to style your pages and layout, then launch your online course website.
Questions
WordPress LMS Theme FAQ
The questions we hear most before people buy. Still unsure? Our support team is happy to help.
How do I build an online course website with WordPress?
Install the WordPress LMS Theme, import the demo academy and start adding your courses, lessons and pricing from the admin area. Student accounts and payments are built into the theme, and none of it needs code.
Can I build a site like Udemy, Teachable or Skool?
Yes. The WordPress LMS Theme runs online course websites in the style of Udemy or Teachable. With a members list and group chat inside every course, it also runs a course-and-community site in the style of Skool. All of them come with member accounts and built-in payments.
Is this a self-hosted Skool alternative?
Yes. It combines courses with a community inside each course, a members list and a group chat for enrolled students, plus member-to-member messaging. It follows the course-plus-community model of Skool, but self-hosted on your own WordPress site. You pay once instead of a monthly fee, own your data and members, and there are no per-member charges. It has no site-wide activity feed or live video classes.
Can I run a members community, not just courses?
Yes. Every course has a Members tab and a Discussion tab where enrolled students talk in a group chat, and members can message each other. You can sell courses, course subscriptions and site-wide memberships in the same place.
Can I sell courses by subscription?
Yes. Each course can be a one-time purchase or a monthly or yearly subscription, with an optional free trial. A trial can only be used once per account.
Can students enrol in courses and track their progress?
Yes. Students enrol in free or paid courses, work through video, embedded or text lessons, mark lessons complete and resume where they left off. The theme does not include quizzes, certificates or drip scheduling.
Does the online course theme work with Elementor?
Yes. Course pages, curriculum sections and landing pages are assembled from ready-made blocks in the free Elementor page builder, with no theme files to edit.
Will my site look like the online course demo out of the box?
Yes. One-click demo content sets up your site to look like our live demo. You get a ready-made online course website that you can then fill with your own content and branding.
Do I need coding skills to run an online course website?
No. Everything in the WordPress LMS Theme is managed from the admin area, and it works with the free Elementor page builder for drag-and-drop editing. Step-by-step video tutorials and documentation are included.
Will my online course website work on mobile phones?
Yes. Students learn on phones and tablets as much as laptops, so course pages, lesson players and dashboards resize to fit every screen.
Can I launch more than one online course website with a single licence?
Yes. One User License covers unlimited course sites you own, so you can run separate academies per subject if you like. Building course sites for clients falls under the Developer License.
Is there a free or nulled version of the WordPress LMS Theme?
No. An education site asks students to trust you with accounts and payments, and a nulled theme with no updates and possible malware undermines exactly that. Buy once and you get 6 months of updates and support plus a 14-day money-back guarantee.
What's the refund policy on the WordPress LMS Theme?
Every purchase has a 14-day money-back guarantee. If the WordPress LMS Theme isn't right for you, contact us within 14 days for a full refund.
How often is the online course theme updated?
Every WordPress LMS Theme purchase includes 6 months of free updates and support, keeping the theme compatible with the latest version of WordPress. After that you can optionally extend updates and support for $49 per 6 months.
Are there any hidden costs to run an online course website?
No. There are no hidden costs or forced premium plugins, and the online course theme works with free plugins such as Elementor. Everything you need to run an online course website is included. The only optional extra is extended updates and support after the first 6 months, at $49 per 6 months if you want it.
What students say about the WordPress LMS Theme
“Mark has been really helpful and really made a difference . Amazing theme, really happy with my purchase. Thank you!”
Aadhya
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Launch a course & community site that earns.
One-time $99 · unlimited installs · courses & community built in · 14-day money-back guarantee.