6 setups compared for a course community. Reign with Learnomy, our own LMS that installs free, against Reign with a third-party LMS add-on, eLumine, BuddyBoss, Astra and BuddyX. Which one fits what you are building.
Comparison
6 setups side by side.
Prices are the theme or subscription only. Every row except the first also needs a third-party LMS licence on top: LearnDash is $199/year, and LifterLMS, Tutor LMS and Sensei each have a free core with a paid tier for the features a production course site usually needs. Learnomy is the only LMS in this list that is ours, and the only one where the free version is the version we support.
Theme
Price
LMS supported
Reign + Learnomy LMS installs free
$99/yr theme, Learnomy free (Pro from $149/yr)
Learnomy
Reign + third-party LMS add-on
$99/yr theme + $39/yr per add-on, plus the LMS licence
LearnDash · LifterLMS · Tutor LMS · Sensei
eLumine (LearnDash-only)
$50/year + LearnDash licence
LearnDash
BuddyBoss + LearnDash
$228/year + LearnDash licence
LearnDash
Astra + LearnDash
Free theme + LearnDash licence
LearnDash
BuddyX + LearnDash
$79/year Pro + LearnDash licence
LearnDash · LifterLMS · Tutor LMS
Per-theme
Verdicts.
Reign + Learnomy
$99/yr theme, Learnomy free (Pro from $149/yr)
Strengths. Learnomy is Wbcom's own LMS and it installs free: courses, lessons, quizzes, student progress, certificates. Same team builds the theme and the plugin, so the course pages inherit the Reign design system with no bridge plugin and no second design language. Pro adds payments, drip content, assignments, grading and instructor payouts.
Verdict. Best starting point for a course community. The LMS costs nothing to run, so the whole build is the $99 theme until courses start selling.
Reign + third-party LMS add-on
$99/yr theme + $39/yr per add-on, plus the LMS licence
Strengths. All 4 third-party LMS plugins styled natively via separate Reign add-ons, alongside BuddyPress or BuddyNext community on the same install.
Verdict. Best if you already run LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS or Sensei and want it to look native rather than migrating your course data.
Verdict. Best for sites that want LearnDash + community + native mobile app.
Astra + LearnDash
Free theme + LearnDash licence
Strengths. Lightweight + fast. Free theme.
Verdict. Best for LearnDash-only sites where performance matters and community is not needed.
BuddyX + LearnDash
$79/year Pro + LearnDash licence
Strengths. Cheaper than Reign. Covers 3 of the 4 major third-party LMS plugins.
Verdict. Best for budget course communities on BuddyPress.
Bundled kits
Already on a third-party LMS?
These kits are the shortcut for the third-party path: the theme, the matching styling add-on and the community bundle in one purchase. Starting fresh instead? Install Learnomy free and skip the assembly entirely.
Start with Learnomy. It is Wbcom's own LMS, it installs free, and it covers courses, lessons, quizzes, progress and certificates, with payments, drip, assignments, grading and instructor payouts on the $149/yr Pro plan. LearnDash ($199/year) is the third-party option for enterprise integrations, LifterLMS for flexible course types with built-in membership, Tutor LMS for modern instructor dashboards, Sensei for educational institutions. Reign styles all of them.
Learnomy or LearnDash on Reign?
Learnomy if you are starting now: nothing to buy, and the LMS shares users, permissions and design with the rest of the Reign stack. LearnDash if you already run it, need one of its enterprise integrations, or your course data is already there. LearnDash is $199/year on top of the theme and needs the $39/yr Reign LearnDash add-on for native styling; Learnomy needs neither.
Why does Reign need a separate add-on per third-party LMS?
Each third-party LMS has different page structures, so the Reign LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS and Sensei add-ons each style their own surfaces. You install only the one for the LMS you use. Learnomy needs no add-on because it is built on the same design system as the theme.
Reign vs eLumine?
eLumine is LearnDash-specific (strong focus mode + course design) and assumes you have bought LearnDash. Reign adds the community layer on the same install and pairs with Learnomy, so the LMS itself can cost nothing. Pick eLumine if you are committed to LearnDash and want pure LMS. Pick Reign for a course community.
BuddyBoss + LearnDash vs Reign + Learnomy?
BuddyBoss is $228/year and LearnDash is $199/year on top of it. Reign is $99/year and Learnomy installs free, so the first year is $99 unless you take Learnomy Pro. BuddyBoss still wins if a native mobile app is non-negotiable.
What about course community + marketplace + jobs in one site?
Reign styles all three, and each has a free Wbcom plugin behind it: Learnomy for courses, WP Sell Services for a services marketplace, WP Career Board for jobs. If you would rather run Dokan, WCFM or WP Job Manager, the matching Reign add-ons style those instead.
Free LMS theme?
Astra free + LearnDash works but you sacrifice community + design polish, and LearnDash is still $199/year. Reign is paid at $99/year, but the LMS on top of it (Learnomy) is free, which is the cheaper way to a production course community.
Migrate from eLumine to Reign?
Possible - LearnDash data stays in the database. Theme switch retains all course content. Custom CSS overrides need adjustment. Test on staging first.
Course community
Buy the theme. Install the LMS free.
Reign is $99 a year. Learnomy, the LMS, installs free and only asks for money when your courses do.
