Progress and certificates do not follow
Every LMS stores completions, quiz results and certificates differently. Export tools move the course and leave students at zero, which they notice the same day.
/Services — LMS migration
LMS Migration
Moving a course site to a new LMS plugin, a new theme or a new host without losing students, progress, certificates or orders. I have shipped Tutor LMS, LearnDash, LearnPress, MasterStudy and custom LMS sites, so I know what each one stores and where a move goes wrong. 1,000+ projects for 600+ clients across 40+ countries, since 2019.
7+years
1,000+projects
600+clients
40+countries
71documented case studies
/Where it gets stuck Three ways an LMS
Three ways an LMS
move goes wrong.
Courses are the easy part. The migration tools export lessons and quizzes; they do not understand your students' progress, your orders or your old URLs.
Orders and subscriptions break
Enrolments bought through WooCommerce, subscriptions that must keep renewing, bundles and coupons. If the mapping is wrong, paying students lose access.
Old URLs and rankings vanish
Course and lesson URLs change with the plugin. Without a redirect map, years of search traffic and shared links land on a 404.
/What I build How a migration
How a migration
actually runs.
The method is the same whether the move is LearnDash to Tutor LMS, a page builder to a custom theme, or one host to another.
An inventory before anything moves
Courses, lessons, quizzes, students, enrolments, progress, certificates, orders, subscriptions and URLs, counted on the old site so they can be counted again on the new one.
A staging copy and a dry run
The whole move is rehearsed on a copy first. Nothing touches the live site until the dry run matches the inventory.
Progress, results and certificates mapped
Student completions and quiz results are translated between the two systems' data models, not re-done by hand, and spot-checked with real accounts.
Orders and subscriptions kept alive
Enrolments bought through WooCommerce keep their access and subscriptions keep their renewal dates, checked against the old orders list.
A redirect map for every old URL
Each old course, lesson and category URL gets a 301 to its new home, so search rankings and shared links survive the switch.
A rebuild that keeps the live database
When the move is to a new theme rather than a new LMS, the custom code moves into its own plugin and the live data is never touched.
/Which one Moves I take on,
Moves I take on,
and what each one needs.
Say which two ends you have and I will tell you on the call what carries over automatically, what needs mapping, and what is worth leaving behind.
- 01
LearnDash to Tutor LMS, or back
Courses move with the tools from LearnDash to Tutor LMS; the way back is a custom import. Groups, seats, drip rules and certificates need mapping either way, because the two plugins model them differently.
- 02
LearnPress or MasterStudy to LearnDash or Tutor LMS
Usually a move to grow. Progress and orders need a custom mapping; the new structure is a chance to fix what the old setup got wrong.
- 03
Page builder to a custom theme
Same LMS, new front end. The win is speed and editability; the risk is custom code hidden in the old theme, which moves into a plugin.
- 04
Hosted platform to WordPress
From Teachable, Thinkific or similar. Content exports; students re-enrol through imported accounts and a clear first-login flow.
- 05
Host to host
Same site, new server. The quiet one, where cron jobs, email, caching and payment webhooks are what break if nobody checks them.
/Case studies Both ends of the move,
Both ends of the move,
documented.
A migration only goes well when you know what each LMS stores. These are shipped sites on each of the platforms a move usually starts from or ends on.
E-learningWooCommerceLearnDash
Troy Downward
Melbourne guitarist Troy Downward sells courses on LearnDash and WooCommerce. The site was rebuilt on a custom theme with no page builder, client code was moved into its…
E-learningElementorWooCommerce
CoachTribe
CoachTribe is a membership academy from the Dutch UNLP institute, with over 100 on-demand modules for coaches, leaders and HR teams. It combines LearnDash with subscription tiers, a…
FinanceElementorWooCommerce
ReidFX
ReidFX teaches Forex trading to beginners and experienced traders. The site runs Tutor LMS courses with quizzes and assignments, gates premium material behind memberships, and includes custom risk…
E-learningElementorWooCommerce
EthiopianExam
EthiopianExam is an online assessment platform where students enrol in courses, submit assignments, take quizzes and track progress. Custom back-end work handles assignment grading, quiz security and moderation,…
E-learningElementorWooCommerce
Echt Nederlands
Echt Nederlands teaches Dutch online at several levels. Built on MasterStudy LMS, the site organises lessons, quizzes and progress tracking by level, with custom course layouts and dashboards…
E-learningElementorLearnDash
TCF Academy
TCF Academy prepares candidates for the TCF Canada French exam. Custom WordPress simulators reproduce exam conditions with timers, AI-assisted scoring gives instant feedback, weekly reports shape each study…
/How it runs Inventory, dry run,
Inventory, dry run,
switch, verify.
A fixed price for the whole move, with the live site untouched until the rehearsal matches the numbers.
- 01
Call
30 minutes on Google Meet. You show me the current site, where it is going, and what must not break.
- 02
Inventory and scope
Counts of everything that has to move, a written scope and a fixed quote, including the redirect map.
- 03
Dry run on staging
Half up front. The migration is run on a copy and checked against the inventory with real student accounts.
- 04
Switch
A short, announced window. The live move, redirects on, payments and emails tested end to end.
- 05
Verify and care
Counts compared again after the switch, the second half due on sign-off, and an optional retainer for the weeks after.
/Pricing What an LMS
What an LMS
migration costs.
Fixed quotes after the call and the inventory. Half up front, half on sign-off.
- 01from $499
Small move or host change
Same LMS and design: a new server or domain, with redirects and checks.
- 02from $499
LMS to LMS migration
Courses, students, progress, orders and redirects mapped and verified.
- 03$2,500–6,000
Migration with a rebuild
New design or platform plus the move, in one scope.
- 04$199 / month
Care and retainer
The weeks after a move are when small things surface.
/Questions Asked before
Asked before
every migration.
Will my students lose their progress?
Not if progress is mapped rather than left to the export tool. Completions and quiz results are translated between the two systems and spot-checked with real accounts on staging before the live switch. If something cannot be carried across, you know before the move, not after.
How long is the site down?
Because the whole move has already been run on staging, the live switch is a short, announced window agreed in the scope, and the old site stays reachable until the new one is verified.
What happens to our search rankings?
Every old course, lesson and category URL is mapped to a 301 before the switch, so Google and anyone holding an old link land on the right page instead of a 404. The redirect map is part of the fixed scope, and I check it against the old URL list after the move.
Can you migrate from Teachable or Thinkific?
Yes, within what their export includes. Course content and student accounts come across, and a clear first-login flow gets learners into the new site. Progress from a hosted platform only moves if it is in the export, and I tell you exactly what that is before quoting.
Which LMS should we move to?
It depends on how you sell. Teams and groups point to LearnDash; individual course sales and simplicity point to Tutor LMS. The LMS comparison on the WordPress LMS Development page explains the trade-offs, and I settle it with you on the call.
Do you need access to our current site?
Yes, admin access to the old site and the new host, so the inventory and the dry run use real data. Nothing on the old site is changed until the switch.
Where are you based, and how fast do you reply?
Dhaka, Bangladesh (GMT+6). I work with clients in 40+ countries and reply to every brief within one business day.
Tell me where your courses are now, and where they are going.
Book a 30-minute call, or send the brief first. Either way the next step is an inventory, a written scope and a fixed price.
/Contact — pick a slot or write Thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Then a written scope.
Book directly into my calendar, or send the brief and I reply within one business day, GMT+6.
Pick a time · 30 min on Meet
Mon · 11:00–14:00, 15:00–19:00, 22:00–24:00; Tue–Thu · 10:00–14:00, 15:00–19:00, 22:00–24:00; Fri · 15:00–19:00, 22:00–24:00; Sat–Sun · 10:00–14:00, 15:00–19:00, 22:00–24:00 Dhaka time
Next open time: Tue 10 Nov, 10:00 Dhaka time
30-minute calls on Google Meet · at least 3 h notice · up to 30 days ahead.
Prefer to write first?
Send the brief — what you are building, what it runs on today, roughly when. I read every one myself and reply with questions or a written scope.
Dhaka ·
Brief received.
Thanks — I read every brief myself, you will hear from me within one business day.
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