The short answer
Stripe is the flexible default; PayPal and Shopify solve narrower needs.
LearnWorlds supports Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify as built-in payment gateways. Choose Stripe when subscriptions or eligible local payment methods matter, PayPal when your business account is already a dependable settlement route, and Shopify when course sales must share a commerce stack with physical products.
Gateway comparison
What each LearnWorlds payment gateway is built to do
| Gateway | Best use | Recurring sales | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Cards, wallets, local methods, subscriptions | Built-in subscriptions and installments | Your Stripe account must support the business and country |
| PayPal | One-time sales through a PayPal Business account | Installment buttons are a separate workflow | Guest checkout and currencies vary by PayPal account |
| Shopify | Courses sold alongside a Shopify catalog | One-time LearnWorlds product sales | Shopify disables the other built-in gateways |
Gateway availability does not guarantee processor approval or a working bank-withdrawal route. Confirm those separately before paying annually for the course platform.
Stripe
Use Stripe for subscriptions and the broadest checkout menu
LearnWorlds documents Stripe as its built-in route for subscription sales. Subscription and installment products require Pro Trainer or a higher LearnWorlds plan. Once recurring customers exist, LearnWorlds warns against replacing the connected Stripe account or changing the school currency, because existing payments remain tied to the original setup.
Eligible Stripe accounts can also show Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Afterpay or Clearpay, iDEAL, Bancontact, Przelewy24, and Boleto. That list describes possible checkout methods, not universal availability: the processor, merchant country, buyer country, currency, and school settings still control what appears.
PayPal
PayPal works only when the business account and withdrawal route work
The native setup requires a PayPal Business account, Client ID, and Secret. LearnWorlds recommends checking multi-currency acceptance, enabling PayPal Account Optional where available, disabling sandbox mode before launch, and completing a real test purchase.
A learner may be able to pay by card without creating a PayPal account, but PayPal notes and LearnWorlds documentation both make this country-dependent. Treat guest checkout as something to test, not a promise. PayPal installment buttons are also different from the platform's Stripe-powered recurring plans and can require manual enrollment or extra automation.
Shopify
Shopify is an exclusive gateway for one-time product sales
Connecting Shopify lets LearnWorlds products appear in a Shopify catalog and routes buyers through Shopify checkout. It is useful when courses sit beside physical products, but product synchronization is manual after catalog changes and Shopify's own coupons replace the school's built-in coupon codes.
The tradeoff is exclusivity. LearnWorlds requires the other built-in gateways to be disabled when Shopify is active, and LearnWorlds subscriptions still require Stripe. That makes Shopify a deliberate commerce architecture choice rather than an extra checkout button.
External gateways
An external checkout can work, but it gives up native automation
LearnWorlds permits external payment links and HTML payment buttons. A completed payment can lead to manual enrollment, or automation through Zapier and, on eligible higher plans, the API. This can open a route to another processor, but it is operationally different from a built-in gateway.
| Capability | Built-in gateway | External payment button |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | Automatic after successful payment | Manual or separately automated |
| School coupons | Supported according to the gateway setup | Not available in the external workflow |
| Built-in affiliate system | Can attribute eligible native purchases | Not available for the external payment |
| Invoices and billing details | Handled through the integrated flow | Not generated by LearnWorlds |
Decision checklist
Test the complete money path before choosing
| Question | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Does the processor accept your legal business setup? | Whether the gateway can be activated and kept compliant |
| Can funds reach your own supported bank or wallet? | Whether sales become usable income |
| Do you sell subscriptions? | Whether Stripe and Pro Trainer or higher are required |
| Do you need a Shopify product catalog? | Whether gateway exclusivity is worth accepting |
| Have you tested purchase, enrollment, refund, and payout? | Whether the entire flow works outside a demo |
Frequently asked
LearnWorlds payment questions
Which gateways are built into LearnWorlds?
Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify. Stripe can expose additional eligible wallets and regional methods through the connected Stripe account.
Can I use PayPal without Stripe?
Yes for compatible PayPal sales. You need a PayPal Business account and must still qualify under PayPal's country, currency, verification, and withdrawal rules.
Which gateway handles subscriptions?
LearnWorlds documents Stripe as the built-in subscription route. Subscription and installment products require Pro Trainer or a higher plan.
Can another gateway be connected with a payment button?
Yes, but external checkout can require manual or custom automated enrollment and does not retain every native commerce feature.
Official sources
Confirm the current setup before launch
Gateway behavior was checked against LearnWorlds' official help documentation on August 1, 2026.
LearnWorlds links are currently direct and non-affiliate.