Hi @jeditor, I just have to plug my 2 cents in here. ?? I know it’s been a couple weeks since you posted, but in case anyone else stumbles on this, I feel compelled to share my experience.
I’ve been involved with LMS systems for years, also. I have experience with Moodle, Canvas, Angel, Blackboard, Schoology, and more. I’ve also been developing in WP for about 10 years. You are correct that Namaste! LMS is not an “actual” LMS, if you’re comparing it to those dedicated systems….it is a plugin for WordPress, which allows WordPress to function as an LMS…in addition to/concurrent with all the other things WordPress “can” do. But it’s not an “out of the box” solution….it takes effort and knowledge of WordPress to set up, as well as a vision for what you want your user experience to be. It’s extremely flexible — far more so than a dedicated LMS.
On the basis of features and options, compared to the common, dedicated LMSes I’ve listed above, Namaste! LMS is an excellent WordPress-based LMS…and based on my analysis of the other available WP LMSes on the market right now, I can’t help but agree with the developer, in spite of his understandable bias: Namaste! LMS is the BEST LMS plugin available for WP. And not just the best of the free ones….I think even the free version is better than the paid ones!
I made this analysis based on some advanced LMS features my company was looking for, like conditional release, classes/groups, etc. that are available in Moodle and other LMSes, but are totally unavailable in the other WP based LMS plugins — including the paid ones. While Namaste! LMS may not compare well against the “big players” in the commercial or open source LMS market, as a WordPress plugin it has no equal in terms of features and options.
I do agree that the documentation is lacking, and that may turn away some inexperienced or impatient users. But I have found that with a decent background in WP and a little creative vision, playing around with it got me going really quickly. Additionally, the developer is VERY quick with updates and VERY responsive with support (and even “dumb questions”), and there are a LOT of additional features available via other plugins they’ve created – and they are all free (with pro options).
Prasnusen’s statement that users are supportive is indicative of how much the users of this plugin like the features, and want to help the plugin grow and be successful. I hope it continues to grow, and that enough people grab the paid version (which is a bargain for the feature set it adds!) to ensure that the developers have the resoruces to write good documentation. In the mean time, we, the users, can share our own experiences, tips and tricks, and help each other. Documentation can and will develop over time.
I hope you find what you’re looking for in an LMS, and if super documentation or “out of the box” UI functionality are features that are important to you, I hope you will find it. But based on my research, I feel confident that you will be hard-pressed to find the overall feature set offered by Namaste! LMS (and it’s associated plugins) in any other WP LMS plugin, for any price.
Wishing you all the best in your pursuit!
