What LearnDash Cloud includes, and what stays behind
LearnDash's documentation, now hosted on Nexcess's docs site, describes LearnDash Cloud as a managed WordPress site with the LearnDash plugin preinstalled. It lists the ProPanel 3.0 reporting add-on, daily backups that Support can restore on request, a free SSL certificate for a connected custom domain, and preinstalled plugins: Solid Security Pro, Object Cache Pro, Code Snippets, Akismet, Fluent Forms, Cache Enabler and Kadence AI Starter Templates. You can add your own themes and plugins.
The key line for anyone leaving is that LearnDash Cloud Sites licenses are non-transferable: the site cannot move to another host under the same license. Liquid Web's October 2026 software town hall recap says LearnDash Cloud keeps its current subscriptions, and that LearnDash in the new plugin stack includes ProPanel reporting, after more than ten add-ons were folded into the core product earlier in 2026.
| On LearnDash Cloud | After you leave | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| LearnDash license | Cloud license does not transfer | Buy a LearnDash plan; one site is listed at $350 a year |
| ProPanel reporting | Included in current LearnDash plans per the 2026 recap | Confirm it activates under the new license |
| Solid Security Pro | The recap says Kadence Security, a product formerly known as Solid, is sold separately; the Cloud docs do not say whether Solid Security Pro carries over | Buy it, or choose another security approach with the new host |
| Object Cache Pro | The Cloud docs do not say whether this license continues | Ask Support before leaving; confirm the new host offers a compatible object cache |
| Kadence starter templates and theme | Kadence is included in LearnDash plans | Reactivate under the new account |
| Daily backups and restores by Support | End with the account | Set up the new host's backups and an off-site copy |
| Domain bought through LearnDash | Stays with LearnDash until transferred | Ask Support for DNS changes or an EPP transfer code |
The move, in the order LearnDash documents it
LearnDash's Moving Away from LearnDash Cloud article starts with a full off-site backup and suggests Solid Backups or UpdraftPlus, which can store copies in cloud storage or download them to your computer. It names All-in-One WP Migration as one way to move the site to a new host. Destination hosts offer their own routes: Kinsta lists unlimited free migrations from any host for standard WordPress installations, and SiteGround provides a WordPress Automigration plugin from its setup wizard.
For DNS, the article says to point a custom domain at the new site through your registrar or new host. If you bought the domain through LearnDash, contact Support to update DNS when the new site is ready, or ask for a transfer code to move the domain to another registrar.
Before DNS changes, activate the new LearnDash license on the new site. LearnDash's license article says a license counts every domain where LearnDash is installed, including subdomains, and includes one bonus development domain that must be a subdomain named test of your main domain.
Cancellation timing: do this last
This is where a move can lose data. The leaving article gives two options and one hard deadline.
| Option | When it takes effect | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off auto-renewal in your LearnDash account | At the end of the current billing cycle | Site runs until the term ends |
| Contact Support to cancel immediately | As soon as Support processes it | Cancellation is flagged |
| After cancellation is flagged | 24 hours | The account is canceled, all content is discarded and the site is terminated |
Refunds and renewal dates
LearnDash's billing article says licenses renew automatically one calendar year after purchase, that auto-renewal can be turned off from the Subscriptions tab, that cancelling from the account portal does not trigger a refund, and that refunds are offered within 30 days of the initial purchase. The billing article does not cover LearnDash Cloud billing specifically, so confirm refund terms for a Cloud plan with Support before you cancel.
The cleanest timing is to finish the move several weeks before your Cloud renewal, turn off auto-renewal, and let the term run out while the new site serves students. That keeps the Cloud site as a fallback until the end of the term.
Destination cost for the same site: a worked example
Take a single course site with a few hundred active students. Neither SiteGround nor Kinsta publishes a student limit; Kinsta prices by monthly visits and SiteGround lists unlimited traffic. The comparison below adds the $350 LearnDash one-site plan to each host's published price.
| Destination | Published hosting price | Year 1 with LearnDash | Year 2 with LearnDash |
|---|---|---|---|
| SiteGround StartUp (1 site, 10 GB) | $2.99/mo intro prepaid 12 months; renews at $17.99/mo | $35.88 + $350 = $385.88 | $215.88 + $350 = $565.88 |
| SiteGround GrowBig (unlimited sites, 50 GB) | $4.99/mo intro prepaid 12 months; renews at $29.99/mo | $59.88 + $350 = $409.88 | $359.88 + $350 = $709.88 |
| Kinsta Single 35k (35,000 visits/mo, 10 GB, 14-day backups) | $350/yr billed annually, or $35/mo monthly | $350 + $350 = $700 | $350 + $350 = $700 |
Leaving LearnDash Cloud checklist
- Note your Cloud renewal date and plan the move to finish weeks before it.
- Ask Support which licenses, including Object Cache Pro, end with the Cloud account.
- Take a full off-site backup and keep it outside both hosts.
- Buy a LearnDash plan and activate it on the new site; use the test subdomain for staging.
- Migrate, then test logins, course progress, quizzes, certificates and checkout on the new host.
- Update DNS yourself, or ask Support if the domain was bought through LearnDash.
- Turn off auto-renewal; do not request immediate cancellation until the new site is live, because content is discarded 24 hours after cancellation is flagged.
Questions before you decide
Can I take my LearnDash Cloud license to another host?
No. LearnDash's LearnDash LMS for the Cloud article says Cloud Sites licenses are non-transferable and the site cannot move to a different host under the same license. You need a separate LearnDash plan.
How long do I have after cancelling LearnDash Cloud?
LearnDash's Moving Away from LearnDash Cloud article says you have 24 hours after cancellation is flagged to migrate remaining content; after that the account is canceled and all content is discarded.
How much does LearnDash cost after leaving Cloud?
Liquid Web lists LearnDash plans at $350 a year for one site, $599 for up to 10 sites and $999 for up to 100 sites, each including Kadence, Give and The Events Calendar.
Is SiteGround or Kinsta cheaper for a LearnDash site?
On published prices, SiteGround is cheaper in year one because of its introductory rate; at renewal, GrowBig hosting costs $359.88 a year against Kinsta Single 35k at $350 billed annually. Compare resources, not just price.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- LearnDash (Nexcess docs): Moving away from LearnDash Cloud Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- LearnDash (Nexcess docs): LearnDash LMS for the Cloud Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- LearnDash (Nexcess docs): How to back up your site Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- LearnDash (Nexcess docs): Billing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- LearnDash (Nexcess docs): License Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Liquid Web: LearnDash pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Liquid Web: Recap and live replay, Nexcess Software Town Hall (October 2026) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: Migrations Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: WordPress hosting plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: Transfer an existing site Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.