LearnDash × Affiliate program
Run an affiliate program on LearnDash
Pay partners a commission on the LearnDash course sales they refer, tracked by referral link and calculated the moment a student enrolls. Siren reads the LearnDash purchase event on the same WordPress site, whether you sell through LearnDash checkout or WooCommerce. Here is how it works, and the recipe to install it.
Free to start on the WordPress plugin. Installs from a recipe in one click.
Can you run an affiliate program on LearnDash?
Yes. Install the Course Affiliate Program recipe on a WordPress site running LearnDash. Siren listens to the LearnDash transaction event directly, so it works whether you sell through LearnDash checkout or WooCommerce, and pays a percentage commission on every referred enrollment. There is no external service, and it starts free on Lite.
“Robust, flexible, and built by someone who understands real-world affiliate program complexity.” Julian Foster · Digital Strategist
How affiliate program runs on LearnDash
The same recipe everywhere. Here is the path a referral takes through LearnDash.
A partner refers
They share a tracking link to your course catalog.
A student enrolls
The purchase completes natively on your LearnDash site, through LearnDash checkout or WooCommerce, with no redirect and no middleman.
Siren attributes it
Last-touch by referral link. The referring affiliate is credited the moment the LearnDash transaction event fires.
Commission is paid
As store credit, or real money via Stripe Connect on Plus.
What is specific to LearnDash
The LearnDash details that change how this program runs.
Events
Fires on the LearnDash purchase
Siren reads the LearnDash transaction event natively on the same site, so a referred enrollment is attributed instantly whether checkout runs through LearnDash or WooCommerce.
Tracking
Link or manual credit
Give an affiliate a tracking link to your catalog, and every matching course purchase is attributed automatically. You can also credit a referral by hand when needed.
Completions
Optionally reward on finish
Beyond the sale, LearnDash fires course and lesson completion events, so you can layer completion bonuses onto the same partner program if you choose.
What you can reward, and what counts
The reward options and the LearnDash events that trigger them for this program.
Ways to reward
- Flat or percentage commission
- Per-course rates for high-ticket certifications versus intro courses
- Recurring on renewals (WooCommerce-routed sales)
- Stacks with instructor royalties on the same sale
What counts on LearnDash
- Course purchase (LearnDash or WooCommerce)
- Course completion
- Lesson completion
- Refund reversal (WooCommerce-routed sales)
Real ways teams run it
High-ticket
Different rates by course
Pay a higher commission on a flagship certification than on a low-priced intro course, so payouts match the margin on each offer.
Influencers
Track by referral link
Give an educator or influencer their own tracking link, and every enrollment that comes through it is credited to them automatically.
Stacking
Affiliate and instructor both earn
When a referred student buys, the affiliate earns their commission and the instructor who built the course earns their royalty, because each program rewards a different person independently.
Course Affiliate Program
A percentage commission on every referred LearnDash course enrollment, with automatic attribution.
The exact configuration. Install it on your LearnDash site in one click.
What you need
To run this on LearnDash
- A WordPress site with LearnDash active.
- Selling through WooCommerce too? Siren tracks both checkouts on the same site.
- The free Lite tier runs the Course Affiliate Program out of the box.
- Renewal commissions apply to WooCommerce-routed sales. Plus for automatic real-money payouts via Stripe Connect.
Affiliate program on LearnDash questions answered
Is the affiliate program free on LearnDash?
Yes. The Course Affiliate Program recipe runs on Siren Lite, which is free. It tracks referred LearnDash enrollments and pays a percentage commission out of the box. Upgrade later for instructor royalties, automatic real-money payouts, and team features.
Does Siren track affiliate sales through LearnDash's own checkout, or only WooCommerce?
Both. Siren listens to the LearnDash transaction event directly on the same WordPress site, so a referred enrollment is attributed whether the student paid through LearnDash's built-in checkout or through WooCommerce. There are no API keys or middleware to configure.
Can I pay different commission rates for different courses?
Yes. You can set per-course commission rules, so a high-ticket certification can carry a higher rate than a low-priced introductory course. This lets affiliate payouts track the real margin on each offer instead of forcing one flat rate across your catalog.
How are affiliates attributed on LearnDash?
By tracking link, which is last-touch and cookie-based. If a student clicks links from two affiliates before enrolling, the most recent referral wins. You can also credit a referral manually when needed.
Can an affiliate program and an instructor royalty program run on the same course sale?
Yes. Siren evaluates each program independently against the same LearnDash transaction. When a referred student enrolls, the affiliate earns their commission and the instructor who created the course earns their royalty, because the two programs reward different people and never compete.
What happens when a referred student gets a refund?
You control commission approval timing. Commissions start pending and can be held until your refund window closes. LearnDash does not expose a refund event to Siren, so refunds on native LearnDash sales are handled through that manual review window before you mark a commission payable. If the same courses are sold through WooCommerce, refunds on those orders are reversed automatically.
Other programs on LearnDash
Same platform, different reward shape. Each has its own page and recipe.