Big Cartel vs LearnDash Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Big Cartel | LearnDash | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $15/mo | $21/mo |
| Number of plans | 2 | 3 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | ||
| Pricing model | flat-rate | flat-rate |
Platinum
Popular- Support for custom domains
- Sell physical and digital products
- Print shipping labels and track orders
- Customize your shop design
- Easy-install apps for print-on-demand & more
Diamond
- Recover abandoned carts
- Schedule product drops
- Password-protect products
- Connect to 7,000+ apps with Zapier
- Priority support from humans
Essentials
- Drag-and-drop course builder
- Quiz builder
- Memberships, subscriptions, bundles
- Payment integrations (Stripe, PayPal)
- Onboarding wizard
- Video progression
- Focus mode for learners
- Certificate builder & achievements
- Plagiarism detection
- Learner notifications
Pro
Popular- AI Course Outline & Quiz Builder
- Advanced reporting & analytics
- Enrollment tracking
- Weighted grading
- Custom report cards
- Student notes
- Group leader communications
Elite
- Group course management
- Instructor role
- Front-end course creation
- Multi-instructor course management
- Ratings, reviews, and feedback
- Sell seats
Big Cartel vs LearnDash FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Big Cartel starts lower at $15/mo, compared to $21/mo for LearnDash.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Big Cartel has a free plan. LearnDash doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
- How do they charge?
- Both use a flat-rate model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Big Cartel: This is budget territory compared to Shopify or BigCommerce — Big Cartel is explicitly courting indie artists and small-batch makers who'd bounce off a $39+/mo Shopify plan. They're not trying to win enterprise or even serious mid-size retail; they're the low-commitment option for someone testing if their craft can be a business. LearnDash: At roughly $22-50/month billed annually, LearnDash undercuts hosted LMS platforms like Thinkific or Kajabi that charge per-active-student or bundle in marketing tools at higher price points. They're positioned as the budget-to-mid-tier choice for WordPress users who already have hosting sorted and just want course infrastructure, not a full business-in-a-box.
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