Project Tech Stack Comparison for Radha’s Online School

Overview

Radha runs an educational platform for primary-level learners with over 600 students and 10 teachers. She seeks to migrate from Wix and build a robust, scalable platform with on-demand lessons, student submissions, automated feedback, teacher dashboards, gamification, and marketing automation. Three viable solutions are evaluated below.

 Option 1: Moodle (Self-Hosted)

Pros:

• Enterprise-level learning platform built for formal schools
• Deep student/teacher role logic, grading, feedback workflows
• Resubmissions, auto-progress tracking, PDF reports, forums all native

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for non-technical users
• Requires system administration & ongoing technical maintenance
• UI not ideal for younger children without custom theming

Cost Estimate:

• Initial Setup: $10,000–$15,000
• Hosting & Maintenance: $100–$150/month
• Total 1st Year: $10,100–$15,150

Best For:

• Formal schools with IT resources and internal tech staff

 Option 2: WordPress + LearnDash + H5P + Mautic

Pros:

• Fully modular and scalable
• Interactive lessons, quizzes, games (via H5P)
• Student submissions + resubmissions with feedback
• PDF creation (via plugin)
• Forums and messaging (via BuddyBoss or similar)
• E-commerce for crafts and subscriptions (WooCommerce)
• Marketing automation (Mautic: email, SMS, segmentation)
• Easier for teachers and admins to manage

Cons:

• Requires smart architecture to match Moodle’s native features
• PDF workflow, report generation and resubmission history need plugin logic or light custom dev

Cost Estimate:

• Initial Setup: $5,000–$8,000
• Hosting + SMTP + Tools: $30–$70/month
• Total 1st Year: $5,700–$9,300

Best For:

• Creative primary education with a growth mindset, limited admin team, and high focus on user experience

Option 3: WordPress + LearnDash + GoHighLevel (GHL)

Pros:

• Powerful marketing automation out-of-the-box (SMS, email, funnels, push, pipeline)
• Drag-and-drop CRM for managing leads, payments, communication
• Membership portal for login-based content
• Easy subscription control + limited user portals

Cons:

• Learner submission logic, resubmissions, and academic reporting are not native
• Requires additional setup to connect WP > GHL
• Higher ongoing SaaS cost

Cost Estimate:

• Initial Setup: $5,000–$7,000
• Hosting + SMTP + Tools: $30–$70/month GHL Platform: $97–$297/month
• Total 1st Year: $6,694–$11,634

Best For:

• Schools looking to aggressively scale with strong marketing funnels and recurring revenue models

 Summary Table

Recommendation

WordPress + LearnDash + Mautic is the most balanced and scalable option for Radha:

• Covers all her functional needs with a child-friendly UX
• Lowers dependency on technical staff
• Modular enough to evolve
• Empowers her to scale marketing without high SaaS costs

If Radha’s budget grows significantly and she builds a larger team, Moodle or WP+GHL can be considered for Phase 2 or 3 depending on her growth path.

Radha’s Learning Platform Roadmap

Stack: Moodle (Self-Hosted)
Target Budget: £1000/month ($1,250/month)
Total Duration (Initial Build): 5–6 months

✅ PHASE 1 – Discovery, Setup & Branding (Month 1)

🔧 Technical

• Set up VPS hosting and install Moodle
• Apply Edwiser RemUI theme for better UI
• Configure core roles: learners, parents, teachers, admins

🎯 Functional

• Define course structure (Units > Lessons > Assignments)
• Brand application and UI simplification for younger learners
• Set base navigation + footer links

📦 Deliverables

• Working school instance of Moodle with basic branding
• Custom login page, color system, logo, and nav
• Phase 2 specs ready

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
💳 Theme License: Edwiser RemUI – $199/year

✅ PHASE 2 – Core Learning Features (Month 2–3)

🔧 Technical

• Add initial courses (videos, quizzes, SCORM if needed)
• Enable assignment submission with photo/file uploads
• Resubmission workflow + feedback (native)

🎯 Functional

• Set up quiz logic + gamification badges
• Configure grading system and completion tracking
• Add messaging system + dashboard views

📦 Deliverables

• 3+ complete units live
• Assignment and quiz flow tested
• Teacher access to feedback and marking

💰 Budget Est: £2,000 (split over 2 months)
💳 Plugin License: Edwiser Assignment + Quiz plugin (~$99/year)

✅ PHASE 3 – Subscription, Shop & Resubmission Logic (Month 4)

🔧 Technical

• Install Edwiser Bridge + WooCommerce
• Add Edwiser Shop plugin for selling crafts/workbooks
• Connect payment methods (Stripe/PayPal)

🎯 Functional

• Setup monthly/termly/yearly subscription products
• Link access to unit content based on purchase
• Enable teacher flag for resubmitted work

📦 Deliverables

• Shop section live
• Subscription model functioning
• Resubmission alerts active

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
💳 Plugins: Edwiser Shop + Bridge – $108/year

✅ PHASE 4 – Communication + Tracking + Reporting (Month 5)

🔧 Technical

• Configure forums and group discussions
• Setup progress tracking reports and dashboards
• Add SMTP and bounce handling for email delivery

🎯 Functional

• Teacher > learner messaging enabled
• Progress reports (auto-generated + exportable)
• Report cards / holistic view enabled for teachers

📦 Deliverables

• Forums + messages ready
• Progress reports working
• Parent-view access optional

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
💳 SMTP Service: ~$15/month (Mailgun/Postmark)

✅ PHASE 5 – Help Area, Testing & Final Polish (Month 6)

🔧 Technical

• Add tutorials for learners and parents
• Simplify mobile navigation + theme accessibility
• Prepare server monitoring or backup scripts

🎯 Functional

• Add help video section
• Test all roles: student, teacher, admin, parent
• Launch plan finalised

📦 Deliverables

• Soft launch ready platform
• Teacher & admin training delivered
• Final report to guide Phase 2+

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
🪜 Optional Future Add-ons

• Moodle Mobile PWA
• SCORM/XAPI analytics
• Learning record store (LRS)
• Full multi-language support

📦 TOTAL ESTIMATED LICENSE COSTS (Year 1): ~$300–$500

🧠 Admin technical skill Level Required: Moderate to High (due to system maintenance, plugin integration, and UI complexity)

Stack: WordPress + LearnDash + GoHighLevel (GHL)
Target Budget: £1000/month ($1,250/month)
Total Duration (Initial Build): 5–6 months

✅ PHASE 1 – WP Setup & GHL Sync (Month 1)

🔧 Technical

• Install WordPress with Bricks Builder
• Set up custom front-end site (pages, branding, nav)
• Set up GHL workspace, contacts, tags, and web tracking

🎯 Functional

• Integrate forms and lead magnets with GHL
• Build visual sitemap
• Create account structure: learners, parents, leads

📦 Deliverables

• Branded landing site connected to GHL
• Basic automation funnel (opt-in > lead nurturing)
• Next phase roadmap approved

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
💳 Licenses:

• Bricks – $99/year
• GHL – $97–$297/month

✅ PHASE 2 – Course Access & Lessons (Month 2–3)

🔧 Technical

• Install LearnDash + initial unit structure
• Configure GHL tracking for lesson milestones
• Optional: Embed lessons into GHL portal

🎯 Functional

• Basic interactive quizzes (H5P optional)
• Student upload logic using LearnDash assignments
• Parent notification emails (GHL)

📦 Deliverables

• 3–5 units ready to go
• Email automation connected
• Parent/teacher tags functional

💰 Budget Est: £2,000 total
💳 LearnDash Pro: $329/year

✅ PHASE 3 – Subscription & Sales Logic (Month 4)

🔧 Technical

• Create offer structure in GHL (monthly, termly, yearly)
• Setup Stripe in GHL for checkout
• Add upsell workflows for crafts + workbooks

🎯 Functional

• Automate onboarding via GHL
• Assign access tags based on purchase
• Send invoice/confirmation

📦 Deliverables

• GHL product flow live
• Subscription tiers launched
• Tag-based access logic working

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
💳 Included in GHL

✅ PHASE 4 – Engagement + Reminders (Month 5)

🔧 Technical

• Setup SMS/email campaigns (GHL native)
• Automate progress reminders
• Trigger “needs feedback” alerts

🎯 Functional

• Tag-based follow-up based on lesson activity
• Survey/feedback forms for parents
• Push notifications if enabled

📦 Deliverables

• Automation flows live
• Reminders & re-engagement sequences
• Admin dashboard with overview

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
💳 SMS cost separate: ~$0.007–$0.02/msg

✅ PHASE 5 – Help Desk + Progress (Month 6)

🔧 Technical

• Create Help/FAQ portal in WordPress
• Add optional student progress dashboard (Zapier or WP logic)
• Admin training on GHL automation

🎯 Functional

• Add feedback flow (manual or Zapier loop)
• Enable reports via GHL custom fields
• Setup internal user roles for teachers

📦 Deliverables

• Final site ready
• Teacher workflow set
• Parent and student hand-off documents

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250
🪜 Optional Future Add-ons

• Community via GHL chat
• Integrate Zoom or Calendly
• Full native GHL mobile app portal
• Upsell builder for new terms or programs

📦 TOTAL ESTIMATED LICENSE COSTS (Year 1): ~$450 + GHL subscription ($1,164–$3,564/year)

🧠 Admin technical skill Level Required: Low for marketing / Medium for education features

Stack: WordPress + LearnDash + H5P + WooCommerce + Mautic
Target Budget: £1000/month ($1,250/month)
Total Duration (Initial Build): 5–6 months

✅ PHASE 1 – Discovery, Setup & Branding (Month 1)

🔧 Technical

• Install WordPress on quality hosting (VPS or managed)
• Set up Bricks Builder for flexibility
• Set up global theme (colors, fonts, child-friendly design)

🎯 Functional

• Structure pages: Home, About, Units Overview, Contact, Tutorials
• Create branded marketing content layout
• Prepare multilingual or accessibility-ready base (if needed)

📦 Deliverables

• Visual identity applied site-wide
• Clear sitemap and feature map
• Phase 2 development plan signed off

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250

✅ PHASE 2 – Core Learning Features (Month 2–3)

🔧 Technical

• Install and configure LearnDash
• Add H5P plugin for interactive videos/games
• Set up assignment upload, quizzes, and completion tracking

🎯 Functional

• Create sample lessons with:
  • Pre-recorded video
  • Embedded quizzes (H5P)
  • Upload section for student work
• Setup:
  • Units > Lessons > Assignments
  • Free trial unit area

📦 Deliverables

• 3–5 fully working units
• Assignment submission system ready
• Teacher account access to see/test

💰 Budget Est: £2,000 total (split across 2 months)

✅ PHASE 3 – Subscription, Shop & Resubmission Logic (Month 4)

🔧 Technical

• Install WooCommerce
• Create monthly/termly/yearly subscriptions via Woo Subscriptions
• Add shop area for:
  • Monthly craft boxes
  • Themed workbooks

🎯 Functional

• Setup tagging for unit access via subscriptions
• Resubmission logic:
  • Student edits marked assignment
  • Teacher sees version history and feedback
• Optional: Gamification (GamiPress)

📦 Deliverables

• Craft store live
• Subscriptions functioning
• Resubmission + teacher feedback in place

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250

✅ PHASE 4 – Communication + Tracking + Marketing (Month 5)

🔧 Technical

• Install and configure Mautic on separate VPS
• Integrate tracking with WP & WooCommerce
• Add segments for: students, teachers, parents, leads

🎯 Functional

• Automate emails:
  • Onboarding (free → paid)
  • New unit alerts
  • Monthly themes & box reminders
• Setup push notification plugin (OneSignal or Mautic browser push)

📦 Deliverables

• Email flows live (free to paid, reminders)
• Lead magnets + opt-in on public site
• Marketing automation dashboard live

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250

✅ PHASE 5 – Parent Area, Reporting & Tutorials (Month 6)

🔧 Technical

• Create dashboard for:
  • Parents (see child progress)
  • Teachers (track students)
• Use GravityPDF or Formidable for:
  • Auto progress reports
  • Editable feedback sheets
• Setup private messaging (e.g., BuddyBoss or support plugin)

🎯 Functional

• Add support/tutorial section:
  • How to upload
  • How to edit/resubmit
  • How to track progress

📦 Deliverables

• Fully functioning platform with:
  • Learning
  • Feedback/resubmissions
  • Communication
  • Marketing
  • Sales

💰 Budget Est: £1,000 / $1,250

🪜 Optional Future Add-ons (Phase 6+)

• Mobile PWA wrapper
• Full parent/teacher report builder
• SMS reminders (Mautic or Twilio)
• Student avatars, badges
• AI grading assistance

📦 TOTAL ESTIMATED LICENSE COSTS (Year 1): ~$300–$500

🧠 Admin technical skill Level Required: Low to Medium

💸 Plugin & Theme Pricing Comparison

📦 Total Plugin + Theme Cost (First Year)