The Best WordPress LMS Themes for Every Platform

So you’ve chosen to build your Learning Management System (LMS) on WordPress. Congratulations!

You may have even picked an LMS plugin to go with, which is more than half the battle.

Now it’s time to figure out which WordPress LMS theme to pair with your plugin.

I’ll explain the difference between between LMS themes & plugins so you have an idea what to look for. I’ll then provide the best themes to use for each of the most popular WordPress LMS plugins on the market. Whether you’re just starting out with your LMS build, or you’ve been at it for years and are looking for a new solution, we’ve got you covered.

I’ve been building sites with LearnDash for 5+ years and using WordPress for over 12. I’ve worked with clients using many different themes, and even developed a few plugins for LearnDash, WordPress’ most popular LMS platform. I’ve done the research so you don’t have to.

Let’s dive into the world of WordPress LMS themes, exploring the top contenders for popular LMS plugins like LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, LearnPress, and more.

TL;DR…

• Best overall theme in general for WordPress LMS plugins: GeneratePress
• Best theme for LearnDash: Kadence or GeneratePress
• Best theme for Tutor LMS: Tutor Starter
• Best theme for LifterLMS: Sky Pilot
• Best theme for LearnPress: Eduma
• Best theme for Sensei LMS: Course (block) or GeneratePress (classic)
• Best LMS theme for community sites: BuddyBoss
• Worth a look: Edubin

❌ We do not recommend using a WordPress LMS theme that bundles its features in the theme. We recommend using one of the popular LMS plugins (LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, Sensei LMS, LearnPress), and pairing it with an appropriate theme.

Table of Contents

Introduction to WordPress LMS

Before I give you guys the best LMS themes to use with WordPress, let’s go over what an LMS is, and how we turn WordPress into a fully functioning LMS platform.

WordPress LMS Themes vs. Plugins

IMPORTANT
For 99% of use cases, we recommend using a plugin and not a theme to convert WordPress into an LMS.

WordPress has many things that make it the most popular CMS in the world, but the two main components that most users need to understand are themes and plugins.

• Themes typically control the design & layout of your site
• Plugins add functionality & features to your site

An LMS platform obviously needs both functionality and features, as well as a beautiful and usable design. Thus, when creating an LMS with WordPress, you need to consider both themes and plugins.

NOTE: BuddyBoss is a bit unique in that they have a free plugin that adds functionality, and a premium theme that optimizes the design. However, BuddyBoss still requires you to use an LMS plugin like LearnDash, Tutor LMS, or LifterLMS because it doesn’t provide LMS features on its own.

Most LMS plugins also include all of the necessary design components that a site needs to function and look good, but how those plugins interact with the theme you’re using is where things get tricky.

I’m writing this article to help you better understand how LMS themes & plugins work together, and decide which WordPress LMS theme to choose for your online learning site.

The Best WordPress LMS Themes

Let’s get into the best WordPress themes to build an LMS platform on your site. I’ll separate this section into three parts:

• The best WordPress LMS themes to use alongside the most popular LMS plugins. These are general themes that you can use to build any type of site, and also work really well for LMS platforms.
• Themes to use with specific LMS plugins (LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, etc.)
• Standalone LMS WordPress themes that include all the functionality in their theme, and don’t require any additional plugins (not recommended)

Still deciding on which plugin to use? Read the best free WordPress LMS plugins if you’re on a tight budget.

LMS Themes to Use w/ Popular LMS Plugins

I’ve hand-picked these themes because of how well they integrate with the most popular WordPress LMS plugins. The following 3 themes will work well with all of the most used LMS plugins for WordPress (LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, Sensei).

All of the top 3 themes include:

• Clean code & fast page load speeds
• Excellent documentation & support
• Pre-built templates & sections to speed up design time
• Backed by legitimate companies that have been in the WordPress space for a long time

🥇 GeneratePress

GeneratePress is not only my favorite WordPress theme, but it’s my top choice for building an LMS site.

• The UI is easy to use and understand
• The features & options are incredibly well thought out
• The code is clean, which leads to fast page load speeds
• The documentation & support is excellent
• There are free & premium versions, along with a companion plugin, GenerateBlocks, to add even more features

Maybe my favorite thing about GeneratePress is its default styling. The font sizing, overall spacing between elements, simple & clean look… I realize this is subjective but I just think it’s 🤩.

🥈 Astra

Astra from Brainstorm Force would be the next theme I’d look to when building a WordPress LMS site. It’s been around the longest of our top 3 choices, and has a history of consistent development.

It offers most of the same major features as GeneratePress, but I prefer the GeneratePress interface a little more. I also think the styling that GeneratePress uses is a bit more polished than Astra.

🥈 Kadence

Kadence is really on par with Astra. They haven’t been around as long, but they were acquired by StellarWP (Liquid Web) a few years ago, and that added money and developer resources behind the project. It has continued to improve since the acquisition.

Kadence also makes Kadence Blocks, which can be incredibly powerful, especially if you’re building a dynamic site with custom post types, custom fields, etc.

This is very similar to GeneratePress’ approach with how they also have GenerateBlocks. I’m a big fan of one company building a theme AND a companion plugin to supplement it’s features.

Using LearnDash?
Since Kadence & LearnDash are owned by the same company, they are more compatible with each other than any other theme is with LearnDash. I expect this integration to continue improving in the coming years, thus making Kadence the best WordPress LMS theme for LearnDash.

Edubin

Edubin is a popular LMS theme on ThemeForest with over 3,000 sales and a 4.97/5.0 rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I haven’t tested this theme yet, but it boasts integrations with:

• LearnDash
• Tutor LMS
• LearnPress
• Sensei LMS

…and has demos for MasterStudy and LifterLMS coming soon.

This is one of the few LMS themes on ThemeForest that I recommend taking a look at. I can’t officially recommend it until I’ve had a chance to play around with it, but it’s definitely worth a mention.

BuddyBoss Theme

BuddyBoss is the most unique WordPress LMS theme on the market. The big thing you need to understand about BuddyBoss is that it is both a theme AND a plugin.

The BuddyBoss Platform plugin is free to download. It adds deep integrations for those using LearnDash, Tutor LMS, or LifterLMS. The BuddyBoss Platform rewrites many of the templates that these plugins use, and merges its community features with the LMS.

However, using the BuddyBoss Platform with any other theme except for the BuddyBoss theme will leave you with an unstyled site. The premium BuddyBoss theme adds all the necessary styling to make the BuddyBoss Platform features look good. Without it, you’d need to write a ton of custom CSS to make the Platform features worth using.

BuddyBoss is arguably the most beautiful WordPress LMS theme available today, however, it should only be used by those creating a social platform or deeply rooted community-based learning site.

While the Platform plugin is free to use, the BuddyBoss theme costs $299/yr., and they really should be a packaged deal.

Using LearnDash?
Read our complete LearnDash + BuddyBoss review →

Themes to Use with Specific LMS Plugins

Standalone WordPress LMS Themes

As previously mentioned, I recommend you use an LMS plugin for your online learning platform, and supplement it with a theme that integrates with that plugin, or works for a majority of LMS plugins.

Therefore, I do not recommend using the following WordPress LMS themes that have prepackaged their functionality into the theme. This is not how WordPress recommends developing products for its ecosystem.

• Any of the LMS themes on ThemeForest that claim integration with LearnDash or other LMS plugins, unless mentioned above
• Social Learner: You’ll see this theme listed on other articles, but it no longer exists. It has been replaced with the BuddyBoss Theme + Platform Plugin.

Many of these themes are poorly built and include tons of additional features that you don’t need and will never use. You’ll find them difficult to use, and they’ll often slow down your site. Some don’t even offer the integrations they claim to support.

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A Note About WordPress Block Themes

WordPress block themes are a new form on WordPress theme that includes a new way to manage the overall look & feel of your entire site. Block themes are designed to be used exclusively with the block editor, and they make use of a new “site editor” as opposed to classic WordPress themes that make use of the “Customizer.”

I won’t get into all the specifics of how block themes differ from classic WordPress themes. The main point here is that block themes are not at a point where they can or should be used with LMS plugins. Most LMS plugins have not made the necessary code changes to be fully compatible with block themes.

Therefore, at this time, I don’t recommend using block themes with any LMS plugin. See below for one exception.

Popular block themes include: Spectra One, Blocksy, Greenshift, Ollie, Frost

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If I left any WordPress LMS themes off this list, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about your experience building an LMS with WordPress, which plugin you chose, which theme you decided on, and if there’s anything else you’d like to share.