Fly Plugins

Overview

Fly Plugins is the creator of WP Courseware, one of the original learning management system plugins for WordPress. It provides educators and entrepreneurs with a drag-and-drop builder to create, manage, and sell online courses without needing to write code or rely on expensive third-party platforms.

Founder story

In 2012, Nate Johnson and Ben Arellano were frustrated by how difficult it was to build structured e-learning environments inside WordPress. At the time, creators were forced to hack together messy membership plugins just to sell a few videos. Deciding to solve their own problem, they built WP Courseware as the very first true LMS plugin for the platform. It exploded in popularity, bootstrapping into a highly profitable business that has powered tens of thousands of online academies.

What it does

• Builds online courses using a simple drag-and-drop interface
• Protects course content and pages from non-enrolled users
• Drips lessons to students based on calendar dates
• Generates downloadable PDF completion certificates
• Administers blocking and non-blocking quizzes to test knowledge.

Who it's for

• Online course creators
• Coaches and consultants
• Corporate trainers
• WordPress developers.

Why it works

• Data Ownership: Allows creators to host courses directly on their own WordPress sites instead of renting space on third-party networks
• Seamless Monetization: Integrates natively with WooCommerce and Stripe, allowing creators to bundle courses, charge subscriptions, and take payments easily
• Student Gamification: Motivates learners by awarding points, displaying leaderboards, and distributing customized certificates upon completion
• Robust Quizzes: Includes multiple question types like matrix sorting and file uploads, along with a built-in grade book for instructors
• xAPI Support: Embraces modern e-learning standards by connecting directly to Learning Record Stores for highly complex tracking.

Growth strategies

• Relied heavily on the first- mover advantage, capturing a massive chunk of the e-learning market by being the first major LMS on WordPress.
• Published highly detailed case studies of successful creators to show exactly how users could generate 6- figure incomes using the plugin.
• Built deep integrations with WooCommerce and massive membership plugins, forcing adoption by piggybacking on larger ecosystems.
• Monetized a highly responsive support structure, maintaining exceptional retention rates by providing obsessive, customer- centric help.

Alternatives

• LearnDash
• LifterLMS
• Tutor LMS
• Teachable

Comparison overview

• LearnDash: The massive heavyweight in the WordPress LMS space, highly respected for enterprise and academic use.
• LifterLMS: A deeply powerful course builder with native e-commerce and membership features baked directly in.
• Tutor LMS: A newer, highly visual, frontend-driven plugin that makes creating marketplaces very simple.
• Teachable: A completely hosted, all-in-one SaaS platform that requires zero technical setup but takes a cut of your sales.
• While hosted platforms like Teachable lock creators into expensive monthly fees, Fly Plugins' WP Courseware gives founders complete control over their data on WordPress. Despite heavy competition from newer plugins like Tutor LMS, WP Courseware remains revered as the rock-solid, original pioneer with unmatched third-party e-commerce integrations.