LMS Pricing Calculator

The calculator uses industry-standard benchmarks. SaaS defaults (11% annual increase, $5/user/month) are based on observed market averages. Your actual costs will vary — adjust every input to match your real quotes and the comparison will reflect your specific situation.

SaaS LMS platforms charge per active user and typically increase prices annually. As your learner base grows, costs compound from two directions: more users paying a higher per-user rate each year. Over a 5–10 year window, this usually makes SaaS significantly more expensive than owning your platform outright.

The custom build covers initial development (design, engineering, deployment), ongoing annual maintenance (bug fixes, updates at 15% of build cost), and server hosting. The default of $150,000 is a mid-market estimate for a feature-complete LMS — adjust to your actual developer quote for an accurate comparison.

Mentor LMS is a one-time licensed platform: you pay once, install it on your own server, and own it outright — no per-user fees, no monthly subscriptions. Unlike a full custom build, the core platform is already engineered, so setup costs are a fraction of building from scratch.

Yes. The 'hidden costs' input covers extras beyond the per-user rate: premium integrations, API access, custom branding, priority support, and tier upgrades. Most SaaS LMS platforms add 15–25% on top of the base subscription in these charges.

For most training businesses with 500+ learners, a custom LMS or Mentor LMS typically crosses breakeven with SaaS within 3–5 years. The calculator shows you exactly when that crossover happens based on your numbers.