In 2026, course creators are moving away from “Sticker Price” and toward Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). A $99 plugin that wastes 5 hours of your week in technical support is more expensive than a $500 solution that “just works.”
The Four Contenders
To scale a Moodle academy, you typically look at four major players. Two are “Bridges” (linking WP to Moodle), and two are “Direct” (linking Stripe/Paypal to Moodle).
| Solution | Architecture | Initial Setup | The “Sync Tax” |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwiser Bridge | WP/Woo Bridge | Complex (2 Sites) | High (Frequent sync logs) |
| MooWoodle | WP/Woo Bridge | Moderate | Moderate |
| Enrolmart | Direct Path | Simple | Zero (Direct API) |
| Enrollait | Direct Blueprint | Instant | Zero (Webhook-driven) |
- Edwiser Bridge & MooWoodle: The “Franken-stack” Costs
These legacy solutions are built on the idea that you must have WordPress to sell. While they offer deep WooCommerce integration, they carry hidden TCO burdens:
Hosting Costs: You must pay for high-performance hosting for TWO platforms (WordPress + Moodle).
Maintenance Hours: When WordPress updates its database schema, you must test the Bridge. Estimated time: 4 hours/month.
Licensing: You often need “Pro” versions of the bridge ($99+) AND WooCommerce extensions ($79+).
2. Enrolmart: The Marketplace Middleman
Enrolmart simplifies things by acting as a marketplace wrapper. It removes the need for WordPress, which is a massive leap forward in TCO. However, users often find customization limited if they want to build a unique brand experience outside of the Enrolmart ecosystem.
3. Enrollait: The Direct Blueprint
Enrollait is designed for the 2026 “Direct Path” architecture. Instead of being a marketplace or a bridge, it is the engine that connects your Stripe account directly to your Moodle database.
Why the TCO is lower: By removing the CMS layer (WordPress), you eliminate 100% of the sync errors and reduce your hosting requirements by 50%.
The 3-Year Math (Projected)
Assuming an academy with 1,000 students and 10 courses:
| Cost Category | Bridge (Edwiser/Moo) | Direct (Enrollait) |
|---|---|---|
| Software Licenses | $600 ($200/yr) | $1,050 ($350/yr) |
| Hosting (Extra WP site) | $900 ($25/mo) | $0 |
| Admin Labor (Fixing Syncs) | $3,600 ($100/mo) | $0 |
| TOTAL 3-YEAR TCO | $5,100 | $1,050 |
Conclusion: Which should you choose?
If you are already deeply invested in a complex WooCommerce ecosystem and have a dedicated developer, Edwiser Bridge is a functional legacy choice.
However, if you want to scale without more staff, the direct path is the only logical choice for 2026. Enrollait offers the lowest TCO by automating the entire lifecycle from payment to enrollment without the “WordPress Tax.”
FAQ
What is the "Sync Tax" in Moodle commerce?
It is the cost of labor required to fix enrollment errors between WordPress and Moodle. In 2026, we estimate this costs the average academy $1,200/year in staff time.
Do any of these solutions support Apple Pay?
Enrollait and Enrolmart support it natively via Stripe. Edwiser and MooWoodle require additional WooCommerce payment gateway configuration.