Design Upgrade for LearnDash — WordPress LMS Plugin
by Dave Warfel · WordPress.org page
Design Upgrade for LearnDash has 7,000+ active installs on WordPress.org and 238,921 downloads all time. We have tracked it since September 4, 2026; download trends appear after 30 days of data. The last update was on August 9, 2022, tested up to WordPress 6.0.14.
Design Upgrade for LearnDash at a glance
Is Design Upgrade for LearnDash well maintained?
Features
The feature list from the plugin's own readme on WordPress.org, trimmed to the essentials.
- Achievements Add-On: 10 new customization options
- Show/Hide various course & profile features
- Disable expand/collapse links & show all by default
- Course Content Lists: Update background & text colors, hover effects, customize line separators, remove the list count numbers and more
- Progress Bar: Customize the color, border radius & height, add stripes, and animate the bar on page load
- Buttons: Add your own background & text colors
- [ld_profile]: Avatar shape, custom “edit profile” link, hide profile info, hide quiz information, and more
- Login/Registration Popup: 10+ design options
- Focus Mode: 20+ design options, including 7 for Focus Mode comments
- Course Navigation Widget: 15+ design options
- Course Grid Add-On: 20+ design options
- Alerts: 9 custom colors, plus a few other options
Design Upgrade for LearnDash reviews and ratings
53 reviews on WordPress.org, with the most recent ones as their authors posted them.
53 reviews
- 5★
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52
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- 3★
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Not worth the paid version
This plugin worked great, but broke down when interoperating with other vital plugins and customizations in our LearnDash install. I didn't request a refund because the refund policy requires you to "prove" that the plugin won't interoperate. Instead I uninstalled it within hours of buying it and cancelled my subscription. Then when I was charged a year later, I got the refund I requested, MINUS the processing fee. In summary, great plugin for relatively simple LD installs. Company policies not so great. Good luck.
ianbryan -
Worth Buying the Paid version
This plugin is easy to deploy and well worth the cost for the paid version. Styling LearnDash is not really difficult, but this plugin will solve 99% of your challenges with getting the courses, lessons, and topics pages formatted to "look nice" in a matter of minutes, vs countless hours if you stick to just out of the box Wordpress or even a tool like Elementor. Note that the plugin will "play nice" with Elementor. It seemlessly does its job formatting the various Learndash elements such as course lists which can then be inserted into course pages that are formatted in any way, including the application of an Elementor Template. I am finding the the actual lessons and topics pages are more or less best left alone and run in "focus" mode. With this tool, you have the perfect way to format the content for lessons and topics which then display in focus mode. The plugin "just works", the available tutorial video provided by the company will walk you through the configuration and setup, and in no time flat, your Learndash elements will have the look and feel you need for a professional & customized site. Highly recommended for anyone building a Learndash based course.
trainingcity -
Great Plugin and Exceptional Customer Service
I debated for a bit before buying the pro version of this plugin but it really is a life saver and makes LearnDash look 1000 times better. I spent 20+ hours being really frustrated trying to make this one thing work that is super important to my brand. I reached out to customer support and had and answer that worked within a few hours. Thank you so much!!!!
arika -
Great Plugin and Support
The plugin offers some amazing additional options to improve your Learndash site, but where they really go above and beyond is the support. I have the free and pro version which goes even further. Dave was able to diagnose my problem, wrote some css for me, and showed me where to place it. Solved my problem perfectly! Would highly recommend this plugin (and the pro version) if you have a Learndash site!
rhartland -
Fantastic plugin!
Provides great advanced styling and layout functionality that SHOULD have been included with LearnDash.
clayray -
I'm thrilled!
After hours of trying to update my site on my own, I found Dave and his awesome plugin! I downloaded the Pro version right away, and Dave also offered me some much-needed personal support in getting the customizations just right. The best $29 I've spent all year was on this plugin!
jeanniesullivan
Where Design Upgrade for LearnDash ranks on WordPress.org
The rankings we track that Design Upgrade for LearnDash appears in, and how its position changed over 30 days.
| Ranking | WordPress.org placement | Position | 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best LMS Plugins | #11 by tag, not in search | #35 | – |
Design Upgrade for LearnDash alternatives
Plugins that solve the same problem, ranked by how closely they overlap with Design Upgrade for LearnDash.
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Masteriyo LMS 5,000+ installs · 4.8 -
Academy LMS 2,000+ installs · 4.9 -
Uncanny Toolkit for LearnDash 20,000+ installs · 4.8 -
LearnPress 70,000+ installs · 4.3 -
LifterLMS 10,000+ installs · 4.8
Details
Instantly improve LearnDash's design -- focus mode, course content, profile page, course navigation & course grid -- to more closely match yo …
The full description, screenshots and every review live on the WordPress.org page.
Rankings Design Upgrade for LearnDash competes in
Tags
- css
- learndash
- learning management system
- lms
- online courses
More from Dave Warfel
-
Widget Areas for LearnDash 600+ installs
- Version
- 2.12
- Last updated
- Aug 9, 2022
- First published
- May 14, 2018
- Requires WordPress
- 4.6
- Tested up to
- 6.0.14
- Requires PHP
- 5.6
- Pricing
- Free on WordPress.org
Design Upgrade for LearnDash FAQ
What does Design Upgrade for LearnDash do?
According to its WordPress.org readme, Design Upgrade for LearnDash offers Achievements Add-On: 10 new customization options, Show/Hide various course & profile features, Disable expand/collapse links & show all by default, Course Content Lists: Update background & text colors, hover effects, customize line separators, remove the list count numbers and more and Progress Bar: Customize the color, border radius & height, add stripes, and animate the bar on page load.
How many active installs does Design Upgrade for LearnDash have?
WordPress.org reports 7,000+ active installs for Design Upgrade for LearnDash as of September 7, 2026.
Is Design Upgrade for LearnDash still maintained?
The last release was on August 9, 2022, more than a year ago. WordPress.org shows a warning on plugins that go this long without an update.
Is Design Upgrade for LearnDash free?
Design Upgrade for LearnDash is free to install from WordPress.org. Many plugins also sell a paid version or add-ons.
Where does Design Upgrade for LearnDash rank among LMS Plugins?
Design Upgrade for LearnDash is #35 in the WordPress.org LMS Plugins ranking.