Skip to content
Event

Black Friday 2026

See the deals
Browse deals, 187 live deals
Cover image: Tutor LMS vs MasterStudy: Which WordPress LMS Is the Better Lifetime Deal?

Comparison

Tutor LMS vs MasterStudy: Which WordPress LMS Is the Better Lifetime Deal?

Tutor LMS vs MasterStudy is the choice between the more complete course builder with its own checkout and the cheaper LMS with an AI Lab and Elementor widgets. Both sell a lifetime license for one site: Tutor LMS Pro costs $499 once, MasterStudy LMS Pro $249 once. This comparison covers pricing, payback, course tools, selling, design and which plugin fits which course business. Every price comes from the vendor’s own pricing page.

  • 8 min read
  • Updated
  • Prices checked between Sep 14, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026

Links marked “Ad” are affiliate links. Your price stays the same. Affiliate disclosure

Key takeaways

  • Price: Tutor LMS Pro costs $499 once, MasterStudy LMS Pro $249 once. Both lifetime licenses cover one site.
  • Payback: MasterStudy’s lifetime license beats its annual plan after 21 months, Tutor LMS after 31 months.
  • Selling: Tutor LMS sells courses, bundles and subscriptions through its own checkout. MasterStudy sells one time access, subscriptions, memberships, bundles and coupons.
  • AI and design: MasterStudy’s AI Lab drafts courses from one prompt and ships 50+ Elementor widgets. Tutor LMS AI Studio needs your own paid OpenAI key.
  • Best fit: Tutor LMS for course businesses that want every Pro add-on and their own checkout. MasterStudy for Elementor sites and anyone who wants a full LMS at the lower lifetime price.

  • $499 Tutor LMS Pro lifetime for one site

  • $249 MasterStudy LMS Pro lifetime for one site

  • 21 months until MasterStudy beats its annual plan

  • 11 LMS and learning plugins with a lifetime license in our catalog

Tutor LMS vs MasterStudy at a glance

The table puts the entry lifetime license of each LMS side by side. Both vendors sell in US dollars, so you compare the prices directly. Tutor LMS Pro adds lifetime tiers for 10 and 50 sites, MasterStudy LMS Pro for 10 and unlimited sites.

  • Tutor LMS Pro

    Lifetime price
    $499
    Sites
    1 site
    Annual plan
    $199
    Pays off after
    31 months
    Checked
    Sep 14, 2026

    LicenseOne-time payment for 1 site with lifetime updates and priority support; larger lifetime tiers cover 10 or 50 sites.

  • MasterStudy LMS Pro

    Lifetime price
    $249 (lowest)
    Sites
    1 site
    Annual plan
    $149
    Pays off after
    21 months (fastest)
    Checked
    Sep 30, 2026

    LicenseOne-time payment for 1 site with lifetime updates and priority support; lifetime licenses for 10 sites ($499) and unlimited sites ($999) are also available.

Highlighted: the lowest price and the fastest payback. Prices in the vendor’s currency, never converted. A price is only marked as the lowest when all products are sold in the same currency.

Want pros, cons and features side by side? Put both LMS plugins next to each other in the Arena.

MasterStudy vs Tutor LMS: the real difference

Both plugins turn WordPress into a course platform with lessons, quizzes, assignments and drip content, and both start from a free core plugin on wordpress.org. The difference is where each one puts its weight. Tutor LMS is built around its course builder and its own checkout: Pro unlocks every add-on and the Pro themes at once. MasterStudy is built around speed and design: an AI Lab drafts whole courses, and more than 50 Elementor widgets and 20 prebuilt websites shape the course pages.

So the choice depends less on features than on how you work. If you design with Elementor and want a course site live fast, MasterStudy fits that workflow. If you sell many courses and want checkout, bundles and subscriptions in one plugin, Tutor LMS is the tighter package. Our overview of WordPress LMS plugins with a lifetime license adds Academy LMS and Masteriyo to the picture.

Tutor LMS Pro lifetime: the complete course builder with checkout

Tutor LMS Pro builds courses with drag and drop and adds advanced quiz types, assignments, content drip and course prerequisites. Learners and instructors get their own dashboards. You sell courses, bundles and subscriptions through the built in checkout with Stripe, PayPal and other gateways, and coupons are part of Pro.

The Tutor LMS lifetime license costs $499 once for 1 site, with lifetime updates and priority support. The annual plan costs $199. Keep in mind that AI Studio needs your own OpenAI API key, which is a running cost outside the license.

Tutor LMS Pro: pros and cons

Pros

  • Free core plugin on wordpress.org to try the basics first
  • All Pro add-ons and Pro themes included
  • Lifetime updates for a single payment

Cons

  • The entry lifetime tier covers only 1 site
  • The wide range of settings takes time to learn
  • AI features need a paid OpenAI API key
Tutor LMS ProLicense terms, per the vendor

One-time payment for 1 site with lifetime updates and priority support; larger lifetime tiers cover 10 or 50 sites.

Vendor pricing page(opens in a new tab)

MasterStudy LMS Pro lifetime: AI course drafts and Elementor widgets

MasterStudy LMS Pro builds courses in a front end course builder, and its AI Lab drafts courses, lessons and quizzes from a single prompt. Students get certificates, a gradebook and drip content. You sell access as one time purchases, subscriptions, memberships, bundles or with coupons.

The MasterStudy LMS Pro lifetime license costs $249 once for 1 site, with lifetime updates and priority support. The annual plan costs $149. The page shows $379 as a crossed out list price without an end date, so compare with the annual plan, not with the list price.

MasterStudy LMS Pro: pros and cons

Pros

  • Lifetime updates and support from the date of purchase
  • Large free version on wordpress.org to start with
  • Complete course platform without extra add-on purchases

Cons

  • The crossed-out list price has no stated end date
  • Requires the free MasterStudy LMS plugin as a base
MasterStudy LMS ProLicense terms, per the vendor

One-time payment for 1 site with lifetime updates and priority support; lifetime licenses for 10 sites ($499) and unlimited sites ($999) are also available.

Vendor pricing page(opens in a new tab)

Features compared: quizzes, certificates, AI and selling

The list names the feature first, then which plugin covers it in the entry lifetime plan. The points come from the vendors’ feature pages and our deal data.

  • Course builder

    Both. Tutor LMS uses drag and drop, MasterStudy a front end course builder.

  • Quizzes and assignments

    Both. Tutor LMS adds advanced quiz types.

  • Drip content

    Both release lessons on a schedule. Tutor LMS also sets course prerequisites.

  • Certificates and gradebook

    MasterStudy names a certificate builder and a gradebook in its Pro features.

  • AI course drafts

    MasterStudy AI Lab is included. Tutor LMS AI Studio needs your own paid OpenAI API key.

  • Own checkout

    Tutor LMS with Stripe, PayPal and other gateways.

  • Subscriptions, bundles and coupons

    Both. MasterStudy adds memberships for course access.

  • Elementor widgets and prebuilt sites

    MasterStudy with 50+ widgets and 20 websites. Tutor LMS includes its Pro themes.

Tutor LMS pricing vs MasterStudy LMS pricing

Tutor LMS Pro costs $199 a year or $499 once, so the lifetime license wins after 31 months. MasterStudy LMS Pro costs $149 a year or $249 once and wins after 21 months.

Months until each LMS lifetime license beats its annual plan

Lifetime price divided by the same vendor’s annual plan, rounded up to whole months. Prices in the vendor’s currency.

Months until each LMS lifetime license beats its annual plan
DealPays off afterLifetime priceAnnual plan
MasterStudy LMS Pro21 months$249$149
Tutor LMS Pro31 months$499$199

A course site is a long project: students expect to reach their courses for years, so the LMS stays installed long after launch. That is why a lifetime license usually pays off here. How to read payback periods in general is explained in our guide to lifetime license vs subscription.

Which LMS plugin is better for Elementor sites?

If your site runs on Elementor, MasterStudy has the clear head start: more than 50 Elementor widgets and 20 prebuilt websites let you design course lists, course pages and instructor profiles without code. It needs the free MasterStudy LMS plugin as a base.

Tutor LMS brings its own Pro themes and works with any theme. More widgets for that builder are in our Elementor addons comparison, and all builders with a lifetime license are listed in the page builder comparison.

Tutor LMS or MasterStudy for agencies and more sites

Both entry licenses cover 1 site, so an agency needs a bigger tier or one license per client. Tutor LMS sells larger lifetime tiers for 10 or 50 sites. MasterStudy sells lifetime licenses for 10 and for unlimited sites, which is the safer bet if you build course sites for many clients.

Other tools that cover every client with one payment are collected in our guide to lifetime plugins for unlimited sites.

Tutor LMS alternative or MasterStudy alternative

Looking for a cheaper Tutor LMS alternative? Academy LMS Pro costs $149 once and designs course pages in the block editor. Masteriyo Elite costs $499 once and adds live lessons with Google Meet and Zoom. How it compares with MasterStudy is shown in our duel MasterStudy vs Masteriyo.

Want a community next to your courses? FluentCommunity Pro adds spaces, member profiles and courses in one plugin. For course videos with saved playback position, FluentPlayer Pro is a lifetime option. All tools in this field are listed under LMS plugins with a lifetime license.

Checklist: choosing between Tutor LMS and MasterStudy

  1. Build one sample course for freeBoth have a free version on wordpress.org. Moving courses between LMS plugins is hard, so pick the editor you enjoy.
  2. Decide how you sellOwn checkout and bundles point to Tutor LMS, memberships for course access to MasterStudy.
  3. Check your page builderOn Elementor, MasterStudy’s widgets save design time. On another builder, both work.
  4. Count your sitesBoth entry licenses cover one site. Plan staging and client sites before you pick a tier.
  5. Read the license termsUpdates, support, sites and crossed out prices. Our lifetime deal checklist lists what to look for.

Tutor LMS or MasterStudy: which one suits you?

Frequently asked questions

Tutor LMS vs MasterStudy: which is better?

It depends on how you sell. Tutor LMS Pro is the more complete course builder with its own checkout, MasterStudy LMS Pro is cheaper and brings an AI Lab and Elementor widgets. Both lifetime licenses cover one site.

Does Tutor LMS have a lifetime license?

Yes. Tutor LMS Pro costs $499 once for 1 site with lifetime updates and priority support, as checked on Sep 14, 2026. Larger lifetime tiers cover 10 or 50 sites.

How much does MasterStudy LMS Pro lifetime cost?

MasterStudy LMS Pro costs $249 once for 1 site, as checked on Sep 30, 2026. Lifetime licenses for 10 and unlimited sites are also available.

Is MasterStudy good for Elementor?

Yes. MasterStudy LMS Pro brings more than 50 Elementor widgets and 20 prebuilt websites for course pages.

Are there free versions of Tutor LMS and MasterStudy?

Yes. Both have a free core plugin on wordpress.org, and the Pro version builds on it. Test your course there before you buy.

More LMS plugins with a lifetime license

11 learning plugins in our catalog, each with the date we last checked the price.

See all LMS plugins

Ads don’t buy a review

Which deals appear in a guide and which drawbacks we name is an editorial decision. Affiliate links and booked placements never change what we write. Affiliate disclosure

Keep reading

  • Courses & Membership

    WordPress LMS Plugin with a Lifetime License: Tutor LMS, MasterStudy, Academy and Masteriyo Compared

    A WordPress LMS plugin with a lifetime license lets you build and sell online courses without a yearly bill for the software behind them. Our catalog lists four full LMS plugins with a one-time price: Tutor LMS Pro, MasterStudy LMS Pro, Academy LMS Pro and Masteriyo Elite. We compare price, site limits, payback and course features, and add the community and membership plugins that pair with them. Every number comes from the vendor’s own pricing page.

    8 min readUpdated

  • Courses & Membership

    FluentCommunity Lifetime Deal: Pricing, Free vs Pro and Payback

    The FluentCommunity lifetime deal costs $399 once for 1 site and becomes cheaper than the annual plan after 31 months. This review shows what the one-time price includes, from spaces and chat to the course builder, what Pro adds to the free plugin, and how it compares with PeepSo as a lifetime option for your own community. All prices come from the vendor’s pricing page.

    6 min readUpdated

  • Lifetime basics

    Lifetime License vs Subscription: When Does a WordPress Plugin Pay Off?

    Lifetime license vs subscription is a question with a clear answer once you know one number: the month in which the annual plan would have cost more than the one-time price. This guide works that number out for all 114 deals in our catalog whose vendor also sells an annual plan, using the prices we checked on each vendor’s own site, and shows when a subscription is still the better choice.

    9 min readUpdated