8 Best Online Course Platforms in 2025

The Online Course Revolution Continues

The world of online education has exploded in recent years, with more people than ever turning to digital learning. During the first pandemic year alone, some people I know earned more than $100K from a single course. Even amidst economic uncertainty, online education thrived as people invested in developing new skills from home.

As we move through 2025, course platforms continue updating their features and pricing structures, making it crucial to stay informed about the best options for your teaching business.

This post focuses on real experiences with these platforms, highlighting support quality and the hidden drawbacks you’ll only discover after using them.

“The best online course platform isn’t always the most expensive or feature-rich, but the one that aligns with your current business stage and growth goals.”

Standalone Course Platforms for Beginners

These platforms focus primarily on hosting and delivering your course content without integrated email marketing. They’re typically more suitable for beginners or those who already have separate email systems in place.

Thinkific

Thinkific stands out as one of the most budget-friendly options for course creators, especially those just starting out. After years of personally using it, it’s easy to see why many creators choose this platform.

Key Features:

• Customizable course websites and sales pages
• Option to release courses all at once or drip content
• Free Wistia video hosting included (significant value)
• No transaction fees on any plan

Pricing Structure:

• Forever Free Plan: One course with unlimited students
• Basic Plan: $49/month with additional features
• No hidden costs or percentage fees on any sales

The support team at Thinkific truly shines compared to competitors. Their responses are meaningful and solution-oriented, even helping with issues related to integrated third-party apps.

Perfect for: Beginners who want to test the waters without committing to monthly fees. You can stay on the free plan indefinitely until you’re ready to scale up.

Teachable

Teachable offers similar features to Thinkific but with a notably different payment structure that impacts your bottom line.

Key Features:

• Course website and sales page creation
• Content dripping capabilities
• Video hosting included

Pricing Breakdown:

• “Free” Plan: $1 + 10% commission per sale
• Basic Plan ($39/month): Still includes 5% transaction fee
• Professional Plan ($159/month): Required for no transaction fees and affiliate program

If you do the math, the hidden costs add up quickly. A course creator selling just a few courses per month might end up paying significantly more on Teachable’s free or basic plans than they would on Thinkific’s equivalent offerings.

Worth noting: The affiliate program feature is only available on the Professional plan ($159/month), while Thinkific includes this on their Basic plan.

LearnDash

For those already running WordPress websites or blogs, LearnDash offers a different approach as a plugin rather than a standalone platform.

Key Features:

• Direct integration with WordPress
• One-time annual fee instead of monthly charges
• No transaction fees on course sales

Pricing Options:

• WordPress Plugin: $199/year
• LearnDash Cloud: $29/month (includes WordPress hosting)

Considerations: LearnDash requires a little technical knowledge for setup and maintenance, but not much. Still, if you’re not used to WordPress, you might need to budget more time for the initial configuration, or you may choose to hire someone for the setup which is another cost factor.

All-in-One Platform Solutions

These comprehensive platforms include email marketing tools and other features that might otherwise require separate services.

Kartra

Kartra represents the all-in-one approach to course creation and marketing, eliminating the need for multiple tools.

Comprehensive Features:

• Course hosting and membership sites
• Email marketing automation
• Sales page and funnel building
• Webinar hosting (on higher plans)
• Affiliate management system

Pricing: Starts at $99/month with annual billing

The real advantage of Kartra lies in its contact counting system. Subscribers who don’t receive emails in a particular month aren’t counted toward your contact limit, allowing you to stay on lower-tier plans longer without upgrading.

No transaction fees on any plan makes Kartra appealing for high-volume sellers who would otherwise lose significant revenue to per-sale commissions.

Systeme.io

As a newer player in the market, Systeme.io offers surprisingly generous features at more affordable price points than competitors.

Standout Features:

• Forever free plan with custom domain support
• Built-in affiliate program even on free plan
• Sales funnel creation
• Email marketing tools
• Evergreen webinar hosting (on $47+ plans)

Pricing Structure:

• Free Plan: Up to 2,000 contacts, one course, unlimited students
• Startup: $27/month
• Webinar: $47/month with evergreen webinar capability
• Enterprise: $97/month with unlimited everything

The Enterprise plan at $97/month offers unlimited contacts, a shocking value compared to other platforms where unlimited plans cost several times more.

Dashboard Analytics: Systeme.io provides sophisticated statistics showing sales reports, value per email contact, and value per customer right on your dashboard.

Podia

Podia aims to provide an all-in-one solution for digital product creators, extending beyond just courses.

Key Capabilities:

• Course pre-selling functionality
• Digital download sales
• Coaching and consultation offerings
• Membership site creation
• Drip course delivery

Pricing Reality:

• Free Plan: Includes 10% commission on each sale
• Mover: $39/month (still includes transaction fees)
• Shaker: $89/month (required for affiliate features and no transaction fees)

While Podia markets itself as an all-in-one tool, it’s important to note that you’ll need their highest plan to access truly comprehensive features without additional fees.

Specialized Platforms

Thrivecart Learn+

Thrivecart began as a checkout page solution known for its flexible customization options but has expanded to include Learn+, their course platform.

Key Considerations:

• More flexible checkout pages with customer reviews and block editor
• Minimalist course design that focuses on content
• Video hosting requires separate solution (like Bunny.net at ~$10/month)
• Potential lifetime deal opportunity (one-time payment instead of subscription)

For established course creators, the lifetime offer presents significant value compared to ongoing monthly fees on other platforms. That would be the only reason to consider Thrivecart, otherwise, choose something else.

LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds caters to businesses and larger course providers needing advanced educational features.

Advanced Capabilities:

• Interactive quizzes and assessments
• Gamification elements
• Interactive video features
• Student note-taking and content highlighting

Pricing: Starts at $24/month (paid annually) with a $5 fee per course sale on the Starter plan.

Best suited for: Corporate training, educational institutions, and course creators needing sophisticated interactive elements.

Content Creation Tools for Course Success

Beyond the platforms themselves, course creators need efficient ways to produce high-quality content. AI tools now help streamline this process.

Essential Content Creation Features:

• Automatic subtitle generation in multiple languages
• Text-to-speech conversion for audio content
• Video editing capabilities for professional lessons
• Voice cloning for consistent narration

These tools can dramatically reduce the time needed to create and edit course materials, allowing you to focus on delivering value rather than technical production.

Platform Comparison at a Glance

Platform	Starting Price	Fees	Email Marketing	Affiliate Program	Best For
Thinkific	Free	None	No	Yes (Basic+)	Beginners
Teachable	Free*	Yes (1-10%)	No	Pro plan only	Video courses
LearnDash	$199/year	None	No	Yes	WordPress users
Kartra	$99/month	None	Yes	Yes	All-in-one needs
Systeme.io	Free	None	Yes	Yes (all plans)	Budget-conscious
Podia	Free*	Yes (10%)	Limited	Shaker plan	Digital products
Thrivecart	Lifetime offer	None	No	Yes	Established sellers
Learn Worlds	$24/month	$5/sale	No	Yes	Advanced features

*Free plans with transaction fees

Making Your Decision

Choosing between these platforms ultimately comes down to your business style and needs:

For the DIY Customizer: If you enjoy tailoring every aspect of your business and don’t mind managing multiple tools, consider a standalone course platform like Thinkific or Thrivecart combined with separate email marketing, webinar, and landing page solutions.

For the Simplicity Seeker: If managing multiple platforms sounds like a headache, an all-in-one solution like Kartra or Systeme.io might be perfect, despite potentially higher monthly fees.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. What’s my technical comfort level?
2. How important is customization vs. convenience?
3. What’s my budget now, and how might it change as I grow?
4. Do I already have email marketing or other tools I want to keep using?
5. How many courses do I plan to create in the next year?

“Sometimes the multi-tool approach, even with the work of integrating them, provides more flexibility as your business evolves. Other times, the simplicity of an all-in-one solution is worth the potential limitations.”

Conclusion

The online course platform landscape continues evolving in 2025, with options ranging from free beginner-friendly tools to sophisticated all-in-one business solutions. Your specific needs, budget, and growth plans should guide your decision.

Whether you choose a standalone platform like Thinkific or LearnDash combined with other specialized tools, or prefer the simplicity of all-in-one systems like Kartra or Systeme.io, the most important factor is finding a platform that lets you focus on creating valuable content rather than wrestling with technical issues.

Remember that as your course business grows, your platform needs may change. Many successful course creators have switched platforms multiple times as they’ve scaled, so don’t feel pressured to find the “perfect forever solution” right away.