Course community · LearnDash
Build a LearnDash course community on WordPress
A course community where students enroll, work through lessons, and talk to each other in the same place. Learnomy runs the courses and installs free. If you already run LearnDash, keep it: the Reign LearnDash Addon styles every LearnDash surface in the same theme.
The Reign theme is the only thing you have to buy. See every plugin that installs free, or have us install the whole stack for $699.
Stack recipe
What you need to assemble.
Buy the theme. Install our plugins free. The third-party engine and its Reign add-on are here for people already running that stack, not a second bill everyone pays.
Build it in 5 steps
From zero to live community.
Install Reign, the one purchase
Reign is $99 a year or $249 once for a single site, and it is the only thing in this recipe you have to buy. Activate it, run the demo importer, and you have a working community layout before you add a single feature.
Add the community engine, free
BuddyNext gives you member profiles, an activity feed, groups, messages, and notifications at no cost. Already running BuddyPress or BuddyBoss? Keep it. Reign styles that stack too, and the BuddyPress Community Bundle adds our Pro community plugins from $249 a year.
Add courses with Learnomy, free
Learnomy handles courses, lessons, quizzes, student progress, and certificates in the free version, and Reign styles it out of the box. When courses start selling, Learnomy Pro adds payments, drip content, assignments, and grading from $149 a year.
Already on LearnDash? Style it instead
If your courses already live in LearnDash, nothing has to move. Install the Reign LearnDash Addon ($39 a year for one site) and the catalog, single-course pages, and focus mode render in Reign typography and color tokens. LearnDash sells its own license separately.
Take payments and follow up
Learnomy Pro, LearnDash, or WooCommerce can all take the money. Pick one. Then wire a CRM such as FluentCRM or Groundhogg to tag enrolled students: day 1 welcome, day 7 "have you started", day 14 milestone check. The follow-up is the difference between completing and dropping.
Add these free
More pieces you can add at no cost.
Same team builds the theme and the plugins, so these inherit the Reign design instead of needing custom CSS. The ones marked free install at no cost, and upgrades are sold per plugin, so nothing here needs a bundle.
BuddyNext
Our own community engine: profiles, activity, groups, messages, notifications.
Reign Demo Installer
One-click import of 30+ demo sites. Free with Reign theme.
Wbcom Essential
Free utility plugin bundling small enhancements for BP + Reign.
BuddyPress Check-ins
Daily check-ins build streaks + accountability.
BuddyPress Follow
Follow members + see their activity in a custom feed.
BuddyPress Giphy
GIF integration in posts + comments.
BuddyPress Group Reviews
Members rate + review groups. Helps surface active spaces.
Eventonomy
Events, calendars, and RSVPs for community sites.
See every plugin and what its free version does. Third-party tools such as LearnDash, Dokan, and MemberPress still fit where you already run them, and Reign styles those too.
FAQ
Common questions.
What does this cost to run?
The Reign theme is $99 a year or $249 lifetime for one site, and that is the only purchase you have to make. BuddyNext and Learnomy install free. If you go the LearnDash route instead, add the Reign LearnDash Addon at $39 a year plus your own LearnDash license, or take the pre-stacked LearnMate LearnDash kit from $129 a year. Hosting on a managed WP host runs $30-50 a month for under 1,000 active students.
Why would I pick Learnomy over LearnDash?
Learnomy starts free, comes from the same team as the theme, and is styled by Reign with no add-on in between. LearnDash has a longer track record and a larger integration ecosystem, and it costs money from day one. If you have no courses yet, start with Learnomy. If you already run LearnDash, keep it.
Can I migrate existing LearnDash content?
You do not have to. Activate Reign plus the Reign LearnDash Addon and your LearnDash data stays exactly where it is; only the styling layer changes. Test on staging first, since CSS overrides may need adjusting if you came from a heavily customized theme.
Does Reign support LearnDash focus mode?
Yes. The Reign LearnDash Addon styles focus mode in the same color tokens as the rest of the theme.
Do I need a bundle to unlock one feature?
No. Each in-house plugin sells its own Pro plan from $59 a year, so upgrading Learnomy has no effect on what you pay for forums, events, or media. The kits exist because some buyers want the theme plus a third-party add-on in one purchase, not because you need them.
Ship it
Reign is the only thing you have to buy.
Learnomy and the rest of our plugins install free, and the theme styles them out of the box. Building on LearnDash instead? The LearnMate LearnDash kit ships the theme with the matching Reign add-on.