# LearnWorlds mobile app: what it really costs, and when your own app is better

> The LearnWorlds mobile app costs $149 a month on top of a Pro Trainer plan, plus store fees. What it adds up to, what the app can't do, and when building your own app makes sense.

By Salaheddine Elfatimi, Full Stack Developer in Marrakech. Published 24 September 2026. Updated 24 September 2026.
Canonical: https://salaheddine-elfatimi.com/blog/learnworlds-mobile-app-cost

## Key takeaways

- The LearnWorlds mobile app is an add-on from $149 a month, only on Pro Trainer and higher, plus Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 fee.
- On Pro Trainer billed yearly, the app takes the first year from $948 to $2,860, before the one-time publishing package.
- LearnWorlds lists web features missing from the app, including installments, coupon codes and sign-up approvals.
- In-app sales cost 15% on Google Play and up to 30% on the App Store, against about 3% through Stripe on your website.

The LearnWorlds mobile app is an add-on from $149 a month, on top of a Pro Trainer plan or higher, plus Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 developer fees. For a school on Pro Trainer billed yearly, that takes the first year from $948 to $2,860. Here's what you get, what the app can't do, and when your own app makes more sense.

![The three costs behind the LearnWorlds mobile app: your plan, the app add-on and the store accounts.](https://salaheddine-elfatimi.com/uploads/2026/09/learnworlds-app-cover-01c22dbe.webp)

## How much does the LearnWorlds mobile app cost?

Four things add up, and they're listed in different places, so here they are together:

| Cost | Price | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LearnWorlds plan (Pro Trainer or higher) | Pro Trainer $99/month, or $79/month billed yearly. Learning Center $299, or $249 yearly. | LearnWorlds pricing page |
| Mobile App Builder add-on | From $149/month | LearnWorlds mobile app page |
| Publishing & onboarding package | One-time fee, amount not listed in the FAQ | LearnWorlds help center |
| Apple Developer Program | $99/year | Apple, via LearnWorlds' help center |
| Google Play developer account | $25 once | Google, via LearnWorlds' help center |

The Starter plan can't have the app at all: [LearnWorlds' mobile app FAQ](https://support.learnworlds.com/support/solutions/articles/12000079754-mobile-apps-faqs) says the Mobile App Builder is only for schools on Pro Trainer and higher. The prices come from the [pricing page](https://www.learnworlds.com/pricing/) and the [mobile app page](https://www.learnworlds.com/product/features/mobile-app/), as of September 2026.

![First-year cost of a LearnWorlds school on Pro Trainer, with and without the mobile app.](https://salaheddine-elfatimi.com/uploads/2026/09/learnworlds-app-year-cost-ad172cf9.webp)

Over a year, with the app at its listed monthly price and the developer accounts included:

| Plan and billing | Web school only | With the mobile app | With app + store accounts |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Trainer, billed yearly | $948 | $2,736 | $2,860 |
| Pro Trainer, billed monthly | $1,188 | $2,976 | $3,100 |
| Learning Center, billed yearly | $2,988 | $4,776 | $4,900 |

On the cheapest plan that allows it, the LearnWorlds mobile app roughly triples the yearly bill. The one-time publishing package comes on top, and in the second year Apple's $99 comes back.

## What you get with the LearnWorlds mobile app

To be fair to it, the add-on does a lot of work for you:

- **Your own branded apps** for iOS and Android, published in your own Apple and Google developer accounts.
- **Content from your web school**, synced automatically. You don't rebuild courses for the app.
- **Unlimited push notifications**, offline access, biometric login, and in-app purchases for one-time sales and subscriptions.
- **Right-to-left languages**, if RTL is on in your web school. That matters for Arabic.
- **Publishing handled for you.** LearnWorlds builds the app, submits it and talks to Apple and Google. [Its guide](https://support.learnworlds.com/support/solutions/articles/12000108295-before-purchasing-a-learnworlds-mobile-app) puts store review at about 1–3 days for Google Play and 3–7 days for the App Store.

One thing to start early: to publish, you need an organizational D-U-N-S number, which LearnWorlds warns can take up to 30 days to get.

## What the LearnWorlds mobile app can't do

LearnWorlds lists web features that aren't available in the apps. If your school depends on any of these, check them before you pay:

| Area | Website features missing from the app |
| --- | --- |
| Sign-up and access | Custom sign-up fields, sign-up approvals, qualification forms, restricting access with manual approval, reCAPTCHA, locking non-paying users |
| Selling | Installments, coupon codes, bundle offers, tiered subscriptions |
| Learning | Highlights and notes in ebooks, badges, Best Resources, learner pages, Daily News |
| Other | NPS surveys, the Weglot translation integration, your school's currency and date format |

Installments and coupon codes stand out. If your students pay in installments or use promo codes on your website today, they won't find either in the app.

## Why do in-app sales cost more?

When a student buys inside the app, Apple or Google processes the payment and takes a commission. LearnWorlds' FAQ lists [Google at 15%](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/112622) on the first $1 million a year and Apple at up to 30%. [Apple's Small Business Program](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program/) brings Apple down to 15% for developers under $1 million a year, but you have to apply.

![What a school keeps from a $100 course sale on its website, on Google Play and on the App Store.](https://salaheddine-elfatimi.com/uploads/2026/09/learnworlds-app-keep-18c2c251.webp)

On your website, the same $100 sale through Stripe costs 2.9% + $0.30, so you keep $96.80. LearnWorlds also notes that if you sell courses in the app, Apple will normally require its in-app purchases. One option is to keep selling on your website and use the app for learning.

## What happens if you stop paying?

The app is yours, published in your developer accounts, but it runs on LearnWorlds. The FAQ explains what happens when the add-on stops: if a payment fails, LearnWorlds disables the mobile app feature. If you cancel, the app works until the end of the period you paid for. If you downgrade below Pro Trainer, the app is disabled too. You rent the LearnWorlds mobile app for as long as you keep both subscriptions.

## Your own app instead: what that looks like

The other route is an app built on your own platform. [Polypro Academy](https://polypro-academy.com/en) is a language-learning platform I built: a website in English, French and Arabic, plus iOS and Android apps made with Expo and React Native. The web and the apps share one backend, so a lesson, a learner and their progress are the same everywhere. Learners can subscribe on the web or through the App Store and Google Play.

![Polypro Academy, a language-learning platform with its own website and mobile apps.](https://salaheddine-elfatimi.com/uploads/2026/09/polypro-home-4eb9f761.webp)

Building your own app changes the costs rather than removing them:

- **You pay to build it**, and later to update it when Apple and Google change their rules.
- **You handle store reviews**, or pay someone to. The developer accounts cost the same $99 and $25.
- **No monthly add-on**, and no plan level you must stay on to keep the app running.
- **Your features, your rules.** The app does what your platform does, within Apple's and Google's policies.

![E-learning platforms I built: CCL, CCL E-Learning, Schoolaris, UpSkills and Polypro.](https://salaheddine-elfatimi.com/uploads/2026/09/platforms-built-logos-242f186c.webp)

Besides Polypro, I built and run [CCL](https://ccl.ma), [CCL E-Learning](https://elearning.ccl.ma), [Schoolaris](https://www.schoolaris.com/fr) and [UpSkills](https://www.upskills-uk.com), each on its own code and data.

## LearnWorlds mobile app or your own app?

| Your situation | Better fit |
| --- | --- |
| You already run your school on LearnWorlds and want an app quickly | LearnWorlds mobile app |
| Your courses are self-paced and your sales happen on the website | LearnWorlds mobile app |
| You need installments, coupons or sign-up approvals in the app | Your own app |
| You want the app to keep working whatever plan you're on | Your own app |
| You're already paying for a custom platform | Your own app |

If you're weighing the LearnWorlds mobile app against an app of your own, [tell me what your students need on their phones](/#contact). You can also read [why CCL left LearnWorlds](/blog/learnworlds-alternative-custom-elearning-platform), see [what an e-learning platform costs](/blog/e-learning-platform-cost), or look at [the platforms I've built](/#projects).

## FAQ

### How much does the LearnWorlds mobile app cost?

The Mobile App Builder is an add-on from $149 a month, on top of a Pro Trainer plan ($79–$99 a month) or higher. You also need an Apple Developer account ($99 a year) and a Google Play account ($25 once), and there's a one-time publishing and onboarding fee.

### Can I get the LearnWorlds app on the Starter plan?

No. LearnWorlds says the Mobile App Builder is only for schools on Pro Trainer and higher plans. If you downgrade below Pro Trainer, the app is disabled.

### Do Apple and Google take a cut of in-app course sales?

Yes. Google charges 15% on the first $1 million a year and Apple up to 30%, or 15% in its Small Business Program. Sales on your website through Stripe cost 2.9% + $0.30.

### Is it better to build my own learning app?

It depends on how you sell. If you're on LearnWorlds and want an app quickly, its add-on is simpler. If you need features the app lacks, like installments or coupons, or want the app independent of a plan, your own app is the better fit.