LMS Comparison

One-time purchase with lifetime updates vs monthly subscription that grows with your revenue.

Mentor LMS vs Teachable

Teachable is a popular hosted course platform. You pay every month — and on lower plans, they also take a cut of every sale. Mentor LMS is a self-hosted Laravel script you purchase once, own forever, and get lifetime updates included.

Mentor LMSOur pick

A self-hosted Laravel LMS. Buy once (~$59), own it forever. No monthly fees, no transaction fees, no revenue cuts. Lifetime updates and premium support included. Full control over your data, your students, and your branding.

Teachable

A hosted SaaS course platform. Easy to start, but $39–$299/month depending on your plan. Lower tiers include a 5% transaction fee on every sale you make.

Feature by Feature

A direct comparison of what each platform offers.

Pricing modelAdvantage

Mentor LMS

One-time purchase (~$59)

Teachable

$39–$299/month
Transaction feesAdvantage

Mentor LMS

None — you keep 100%

Teachable

5% on Basic plan, 0% on Pro+
Lifetime updatesAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Included with purchase

Teachable

Included while subscribed
Premium support

Mentor LMS

Dedicated support team included

Teachable

Email support (live chat on higher plans)
Hosting

Mentor LMS

Your own server

Teachable

Fully hosted by Teachable
Data ownershipAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Your server, your database

Teachable

Teachable's servers
Custom domain

Mentor LMS

Yes — full control

Teachable

Yes — on paid plans
Course builder

Mentor LMS

Drag-and-drop curriculum builder

Teachable

Lesson-based builder
Quizzes & assessments

Mentor LMS

7 question types, auto & manual grading

Teachable

Basic quizzes
Standalone exam systemAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Full standalone exam platform included

Teachable

Not available
Drip content

Mentor LMS

Built-in drip scheduling

Teachable

Available on higher plans
Live classes

Mentor LMS

Zoom integration built-in

Teachable

Not natively built-in
Certificates & Marksheets

Mentor LMS

Custom template builder, auto-issued

Teachable

Available on higher plans
Multi-instructor marketplaceAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Built-in marketplace with commission management

Teachable

Not available
Payment gatewaysAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Paystack, Mollie, SSLCommerz

Teachable

Stripe and PayPal only
Offline / bank transfer paymentsAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Built-in

Teachable

Not available
Drag & drop page builderAdvantage

Mentor LMS

Built-in with 40+ pre-built sections

Teachable

Limited to Teachable's templates
Affiliates

Mentor LMS

Built-in affiliate system

Teachable

Available on Pro plan
Storage options

Mentor LMS

Local, Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2

Teachable

Teachable-managed storage
Multi-language & RTL

Mentor LMS

Built-in with translation editor

Teachable

Limited
Email marketing

Mentor LMS

Via third-party integrations (webhooks, API)

Teachable

Built-in email + Mailchimp, ConvertKit
Mobile app

Mentor LMS

Mobile-responsive web only

Teachable

iOS & Android app for students
Long-term cost (3 years)Advantage

Mentor LMS

~$59 one-time + hosting

Teachable

$1,404–$10,764 in fees alone

Where Each Platform Wins

An honest look at the strengths of both sides.

Where Mentor LMS wins
  • No Monthly Fees — Ever

    Teachable charges $39–$299/month. With Mentor LMS, you pay once and own the platform forever. No subscriptions, no renewals. Over three years, that's a difference of thousands of dollars that stays in your business.

  • Zero Transaction Fees — You Keep Every Dollar

    Teachable's Basic plan takes 5% of every sale you make. On a course priced at $200, that's $10 per student going to Teachable. Mentor LMS takes nothing — 100% of every sale is yours.

  • Lifetime Updates & Premium Support

    Every Mentor LMS purchase includes lifetime updates and a dedicated support team. With Teachable, you're paying monthly but your feature access depends entirely on your subscription tier.

  • You Own Your Data and Your Students

    With Teachable, your student data lives on their servers. With Mentor LMS, your database is on your own hosting. Export, migrate, or back up everything at any time — no permission needed.

  • Multi-Instructor Marketplace

    Mentor LMS has a built-in marketplace mode where instructors can join your platform, create courses, and sell — with you earning a commission on every sale. Teachable has no equivalent.

  • Full Design Freedom with Built-in Page Builder

    Mentor LMS includes a visual drag-and-drop page builder with 40+ pre-built sections. Customize every page of your course platform freely. Teachable locks you into their templates.

Where Teachable wins
  • Zero Setup — Start in Minutes

    Teachable is fully managed. Sign up, add your course, publish. No server to provision, no installation, no configuration. If you want the absolute fastest path to your first sale, Teachable wins on initial convenience.

  • Native Mobile App for Students

    Teachable has iOS and Android apps so students can watch lessons on mobile. Mentor LMS is mobile-responsive but does not have a dedicated native app.

  • Built-In Email Marketing

    Teachable includes basic email tools and native integrations with Mailchimp and ConvertKit. Mentor LMS integrates with email services via webhooks and third-party APIs.

  • Managed Infrastructure

    You never have to think about server uptime, backups, or performance. Teachable handles all of that. Mentor LMS requires you to manage (or pay for managed) web hosting.

The Verdict

Both have a place. Here's how to choose.

Choose Mentor LMS if…

Choose Mentor LMS if you're serious about your online course business long-term. You want to own your platform, keep 100% of your revenue, get lifetime updates, and never pay a growing monthly subscription. One purchase gives you everything — forever.

Choose Teachable if…

Choose Teachable if you want the fastest possible path to publishing a course with zero technical setup. It's a great starting point — but budget for monthly fees and transaction cuts that compound as your revenue grows.

Not sure yet? See Mentor LMS in action first.

View Live Demo

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Mentor LMS vs Teachable.

It depends on your Teachable plan. On the Basic plan at $39/month, you'd save $468/year — plus recover the 5% transaction fee on every sale. On the Pro plan at $119/month, the savings are $1,428/year. Mentor LMS costs ~$59 one-time and includes lifetime updates.

Mentor LMS requires a server and about 15 minutes for the initial setup. Teachable requires zero setup on your part. If you're comfortable with basic web hosting, the difference is minimal — and you regain full control over your platform.

Mentor LMS matches or exceeds Teachable on most features — quizzes with 7 question types, certificates, payments, marketplace, live classes, drip content, and more. Teachable has a native mobile app and simpler initial setup. Mentor goes further with a standalone exam system, offline payments, a full page builder, and no transaction fees.

Yes. You connect your own Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, or another supported account. The money goes directly to your bank — no waiting for Teachable to pay out, and no percentage taken.

With Teachable, you'd lose access to your platform and student data. With Mentor LMS, everything is on your own server — fully under your control regardless of what happens to any third-party service.

One-time purchase · Lifetime access

Own your platform.
Keep every dollar you earn.

No monthly fees. No revenue cuts. No vendor lock-in. Buy Mentor LMS once on CodeCanyon, install it on your own server, and it's yours forever.

One-time purchase, no subscription
Lifetime updates included
Dedicated support team