LearnDash vs Building a Custom LMS: When to Use What

I've built online learning platforms with LearnDash, BuddyBoss, and fully custom solutions. The right choice depends on your budget, timeline, and how unique your requirements are.

When LearnDash Wins

• Budget under $15K: LearnDash + BuddyBoss gives you courses, quizzes, certificates, and community features out of the box
• Quick launch: You can have a working LMS in 2-4 weeks
• Standard features: Drip content, prerequisites, group management, reporting
• WordPress ecosystem: WooCommerce integration, membership plugins, marketing tools

When Custom Wins

• Unique interactions: Custom quiz types, simulations, or interactive exercises
• Scale: 10,000+ concurrent users need optimized architecture
• Integration: Complex API integrations with HR systems, CRMs, or proprietary tools
• Brand experience: When the learning platform IS the product

The Hybrid Approach

My favorite pattern: use WordPress + LearnDash for content management and course structure, but build the student-facing frontend with Next.js. You get the admin convenience of LearnDash with the performance and design freedom of a custom frontend.

Don't build custom what you can configure. Don't configure what needs to be custom.