Hey everyone, I’m in a bit of a pickle here. My client wants to set up an online learning platform, but I’m struggling to find the right software. We’re using a LAMP stack, so PHP and MySQL are our go-to.
Here’s what we absolutely need:
Bulk pricing (like $99 for 1-4 items, $89 for 5-9, etc.)
Support for digital products (videos, audio files, ebooks)
Download protection to prevent unauthorized sharing
The dream scenario is a system where we can:
Sell access to individual lessons
Bundle lessons into courses with expiration dates
Manage user access easily
I’ve been searching for ages and I’m out of ideas. Is there anything out there that fits the bill? Preferably something free or under $400? If not, what’s a good base we could build on?
I’ve been down this road before, and it’s definitely a challenge to find the perfect fit. Have you looked into Moodle with WooCommerce integration? It’s PHP-based and can handle most of your requirements out of the box.
For bulk pricing and digital product support, WooCommerce has plugins that can cover those needs. As for download protection, you might want to consider a digital rights management (DRM) solution or a custom plugin.
The tricky part is selling individual lessons and managing expiration dates. You might need to extend Moodle’s functionality with custom code or plugins. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a solid starting point that won’t break the bank.
Alternatively, if you’re open to building from scratch, Laravel could be a good foundation. It’s PHP-based and has robust e-commerce packages available. It would require more development time, but you’d get a tailor-made solution.
Have you considered giving LMS platforms like LearnDash or LifterLMS a shot? They’re WordPress-based (so PHP), and might tick a lot of your boxes. I’m curious - how tech-savvy is your client? These systems can be pretty user-friendly once set up.
LearnDash especially has some cool features for selling individual lessons and bundling courses. Not sure about their bulk pricing out of the box, though. Maybe we could brainstorm some workarounds?
What’s your timeline like for this project? If you’ve got some wiggle room, it might be worth exploring a custom solution. I’ve seen some amazing things done with Laravel + some e-commerce packages.
Oh, and for download protection - have you looked into Amazon S3 with expiring links? Could be a neat solution to prevent unauthorized sharing.
Just spitballing here, but I’m really intrigued by your project. Keep us posted on what you decide to go with!
have u checked out opencart? its php based n can handle digital products. might need some tweaking for bulk pricing n expiration dates, but its pretty flexible. plus its free, so u can spend that budget on customization if needed. just a thought!
