12 Best Platforms for Selling Online Courses in 2025
You’ve poured your heart and soul into creating an amazing online course, and now comes the big question: where should you host and sell it? It feels like there are a million options out there, and picking the wrong one can be a real headache. Trust me, I’ve been there.
That’s why I put this guide together. We’re going to walk through the 12 best platforms for selling online courses right now. This isn’t just a list of features copied from their websites. I’m giving you the real scoop on what it’s like to use each platform, who they’re truly for, and what to watch out for.
Whether you’re a first-timer on a tight budget or a seasoned pro ready to build an entire learning empire, there’s a platform in this list that will fit just right. Let’s dive in and get you started.
1. Teachable
Teachable is a veteran in the online education space, and it has earned its reputation as one of the best platforms for selling online courses. It offers a comprehensive, all-in-one solution designed specifically for creators who want to build a serious online education business without needing a ton of technical skill. The platform excels at providing a smooth, professional experience for both you and your students.
From the start, you’ll find the course builder intuitive. You can easily upload videos, create quizzes, enforce lesson completion, and even issue certificates, which gives your courses a polished and structured feel. This robust course tooling is a major reason why creators stick with Teachable long-term.
What Makes Teachable Stand Out
Teachable’s strength lies in its powerful, built-in sales and marketing tools. Even on its mid-tier Builder plan, you get access to features that other platforms charge extra for.
This includes a native checkout system with order bumps, upsells, and coupons to maximize your revenue per sale. It also has its own affiliate marketing system and abandoned cart emails, helping you automate your sales process effectively.
Another key advantage is its new pricing structure, which significantly lowers transaction fees on its paid plans. This is a game-changer for creators at scale.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $59/month | 7.5% | 5 published products, Integrated checkout, Coupons, Drip content |
| Builder | $79/month | 0% | Unlimited products, Memberships, Live chat support, Affiliate marketing, Upsells |
| Pro | $159/month | 0% | Advanced reporting, Custom user roles, Public API access |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Creators who prioritize a polished student experience and need powerful, integrated marketing tools without the technical hassle. It’s an excellent choice if your primary focus is selling courses and you want a platform that can grow with you.
Limitations: The Starter plan’s 7.5% transaction fee is steep, making the Builder plan the most practical starting point for serious creators. Also, while you can customize your school’s branding, the overall design flexibility is more limited compared to platforms that integrate with WordPress.
Website: https://teachable.com
2. Thinkific
Thinkific is another powerhouse in the world of online education, positioning itself as one of the best platforms for selling online courses by giving creators immense flexibility. It supports a wide range of educational products beyond standard courses, including communities, cohort-based programs, and digital downloads. This makes it a great choice for creators who want to build a multifaceted learning business under one roof.
The platform is known for its user-friendly interface that simplifies the course creation process. You can easily drag and drop content, create quizzes, and set up live lessons without touching a line of code. Thinkific’s focus on providing a seamless experience for both creator and student is evident in its clean, professional design options.
What Makes Thinkific Stand Out
Thinkific’s primary advantage is its incredibly generous free plan and its native payment processor, Thinkific Payments. The free plan allows you to build out a full course and start selling, which is perfect for testing your idea. Thinkific Payments (part of its TCommerce suite) simplifies your checkout process, offers built-in tools like order bumps, and helps you avoid the extra transaction fees that other platforms charge for using third-party payment gateways.
It also excels in supporting different teaching models. Features for building communities and running cohort-based classes are built right in, giving you more ways to engage your students and create premium learning experiences.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | 0% | 1 course, 1 community, Thinkific Payments, Quizzes & surveys, 1 administrator |
| Basic | $36/month | 0% | Unlimited courses, Live lessons, Custom domain, Coupons & discounts |
| Pro | $74/month | 0% | Memberships & bundles, Advanced pricing options, Assignments, 2 administrators |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Entrepreneurs and educators who want a flexible, all-in-one platform that supports diverse product types like courses, communities, and cohorts. Its robust free plan makes it the perfect choice for creators who are just starting out and want to validate their course idea without an upfront investment.
Limitations: While Thinkific Payments has 0% transaction fees, if you opt to use Stripe or PayPal instead, you will incur an additional platform fee on top of the standard gateway fees. Marketing and sales tools like a built-in affiliate program are reserved for the higher-tier Pro plan.
Website: https://thinkific.com
3. Kajabi
Kajabi positions itself not just as a course platform, but as a complete, all-in-one solution for running your entire online knowledge business. It’s designed for serious creators who want to consolidate their website, marketing funnels, email campaigns, and online courses under a single roof. This integrated approach is its defining feature, eliminating the need to patch together multiple different software tools.
The platform empowers you to build a full marketing ecosystem around your products. You can create landing pages, run email marketing sequences, host webinars, and manage a blog all from one dashboard. Kajabi’s “Pipelines” feature is especially powerful, offering pre-built marketing funnels that guide potential customers from discovery to purchase.
What Makes Kajabi Stand Out
Kajabi’s main advantage is its powerful marketing and automation engine. You can create complex “if-then” automation rules based on user behavior, such as enrolling a student in a follow-up course after they complete a quiz or tagging a user who clicks a specific link in an email. This level of built-in marketing sophistication is rare among the best platforms for selling online courses.
Another huge benefit is that Kajabi charges zero platform transaction fees on all its plans. While you still pay standard Stripe or PayPal processing fees, the platform doesn’t take an additional cut of your sales, which is a significant plus for high-volume creators.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $119/month | 0% | 3 products, 3 funnels, Unlimited landing pages, Built-in email marketing |
| Growth | $159/month | 0% | 15 products, 15 funnels, Affiliate program, Advanced automations, 24/7 support |
| Pro | $319/month | 0% | 100 products, 100 funnels, Code editor access, 3 websites |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Established entrepreneurs and businesses who want a powerful, all-in-one system to manage their entire online presence, from marketing to course delivery. If you hate dealing with integrations and want a seamless, unified platform, Kajabi is a top contender.
Limitations: The premium price point makes it a significant investment, especially for those just starting out. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, so you have to be ready to commit financially. Its singular focus means it may feel too rigid if you prefer a more modular, best-in-breed software stack.
Website: https://kajabi.com
4. Podia
Podia is an all-in-one platform designed with simplicity and the solopreneur in mind. It stands out by bundling everything a creator needs to launch an online business into one clean interface. Instead of just focusing on courses, Podia allows you to sell digital downloads, memberships, webinars, and coaching sessions all from a single storefront, making it a true digital headquarters for your brand.
The platform is incredibly user-friendly. You can build a simple website, manage your email list, and process payments without ever leaving the dashboard. Podia’s philosophy is to remove technical barriers so creators can focus on what they do best, creating valuable content for their audience.
What Makes Podia Stand Out
Podia’s biggest advantage is its all-in-one nature at an affordable price point. Unlike many competitors that charge extra for email marketing or community features, Podia includes these tools in its core offering. The ability to bundle different product types, like a course with a digital download, is seamless.
This integrated approach means you don’t have to stitch together multiple services, which saves both time and money. It’s a very practical choice for creators who want to get their business off the ground quickly without getting overwhelmed.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | 8% | 1 digital download, 1 coaching product, Draft courses, Community |
| Starter | $33/month | 8% | Unlimited courses & downloads, Custom domain, Live chat support |
| Mover | $75/month | 5% | Unlimited webinars, Third-party code, Quizzes, Certificates |
| Shaker | $166/month | 0% | Memberships, Affiliate marketing, Embedded checkout, Priority support |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Solopreneurs and creators who are just starting out and want a simple, affordable platform to sell multiple types of digital products without technical headaches. It’s perfect if you need an integrated website, email, and sales system in one place.
Limitations: The Mover plan’s 5% transaction fee can add up, and you need the top-tier Shaker plan for key features like affiliate marketing and 0% fees. It also lacks the advanced marketing automation and funnel-building capabilities found in more robust platforms like Kajabi.
Website: https://podia.com
5. LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is a powerhouse platform that goes beyond basic course creation, positioning itself as a comprehensive learning management system (LMS). It’s built for serious educators and training companies who need deep, interactive learning features to create engaging and effective educational experiences. This platform is focused on building a robust online academy, not just uploading simple videos.
The platform’s strength is its focus on student engagement. You can create interactive videos with synchronized transcripts, quizzes, and pop-ups right inside the video player. This, combined with advanced assessments and SCORM support, makes it one of the best platforms for selling online courses if you’re targeting corporate clients or delivering accredited training.
What Makes LearnWorlds Stand Out
LearnWorlds truly shines with its advanced course authoring and student assessment tools. The interactive video editor is a game-changer, allowing you to create a dynamic learning environment that keeps students focused. You can also build a full-fledged social network for your school, fostering a community that encourages peer-to-peer learning and discussion.
For those with a business focus, the white-label and API options on higher plans provide unmatched customization and integration possibilities. You can even launch your own branded mobile app, which is a massive value-add for creating a premium, accessible learning experience for your students on the go.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $24/month | $5 per sale | Unlimited paid courses, Basic integrations, 1-on-1 sessions, 4 payment gateways |
| Pro Trainer | $79/month | 0% | Unlimited courses & landing pages, Subscriptions & memberships, SCORM/HTML5, Affiliates |
| Learning Center | $249/month | 0% | Interactive video, Advanced reporting, White-label options, API & SSO |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Corporate trainers, professional educators, and creators who need powerful, SCORM-compliant learning tools and deep student analytics. It’s ideal for building a fully-featured online school or training academy.
Limitations: The marketing and sales funnel features are not as robust as dedicated all-in-one platforms like Kajabi. Also, the mobile app is a paid add-on, and the $5 per-course transaction fee on the Starter plan can add up quickly.
Website: https://www.learnworlds.com
6. Udemy (Marketplace + Udemy Business)
Unlike the all-in-one platforms we’ve covered, Udemy operates on a completely different model. It’s a massive online learning marketplace, which means you aren’t building your own school but rather listing your course alongside thousands of others. This approach trades customization and pricing control for unparalleled access to a global audience of millions actively looking for courses.
For instructors who want maximum discoverability without managing hosting, marketing funnels, or a website, Udemy is one of the best platforms for selling online courses. The platform handles the heavy lifting of attracting traffic and processing payments, allowing you to focus purely on creating high-quality content.
What Makes Udemy Stand Out
Udemy’s primary advantage is its built-in audience and marketing engine. The platform constantly runs promotions and sales events, giving your courses visibility you would struggle to achieve on your own. You also have the opportunity to get your course included in Udemy Business, a subscription service for corporate teams, which provides another revenue stream.
The revenue share model is straightforward. You get a higher percentage of the sale when a student purchases through your instructor coupon or referral link. This incentivizes you to do your own marketing while still benefiting from Udemy’s organic traffic.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor | Free to publish | Revenue share model | Unlimited course publishing, Global marketplace distribution, Instructor coupons, Access to Udemy Business program |
The Bottom Line
Best For: New instructors who want to test course ideas without financial risk or established experts who want to leverage a massive existing audience for lead generation and brand awareness.
Limitations: You have very little control over pricing, as Udemy heavily discounts courses site-wide. The revenue share from organic sales can be low, and declining payouts from the subscription pool have become a concern for many instructors. If you want full control over your brand and pricing, check out these Udemy alternatives.
Website: https://udemy.com
7. Skillshare (for teachers)
Skillshare offers a completely different model compared to other platforms on this list. Instead of selling individual courses directly to students, you publish your classes on a membership-based platform. This means you earn revenue based on the number of minutes your classes are watched by Skillshare’s subscribers, making it more of a content marketplace than a direct-sales platform.
The platform is heavily focused on creative, professional, and lifestyle topics, attracting a built-in audience eager to learn new skills. This makes it an excellent option for teachers who want to reach a large, engaged student base without building a sales funnel from scratch. You simply create high-quality, project-based classes and let Skillshare’s ecosystem do the rest.
What Makes Skillshare Stand Out
The biggest advantage of Skillshare is its built-in audience. You don’t have to worry about marketing, hosting, or payment processing. Your primary job is to create compelling classes that resonate with the existing member base. This low barrier to entry is perfect for new instructors or those who excel at teaching but prefer not to handle the business side of things.
Skillshare’s revenue model, based on a royalty pool, rewards engagement. The more minutes members watch your classes, the larger your share of the revenue pool. Top teachers can also earn bonuses, creating a clear incentive to produce high-quality, binge-worthy content.
Pricing and Key Features
Skillshare is free for teachers to use. You earn money through a royalty system, not by setting your own prices.
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher | Free | N/A (Royalty-based) | Royalty payments from subscriber pool, Bonuses for top teachers, Built-in audience, Class creation tools |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Creative professionals and educators who want to earn passive income without the hassle of marketing and sales. It’s ideal for short, project-based classes in fields like design, illustration, photography, and productivity.
Limitations: Your income is highly variable and directly tied to watch time, which can be unpredictable. You have no control over pricing, limited access to student data, and must create content that aligns with Skillshare’s existing categories and audience expectations.
Website: https://www.skillshare.com/teach
8. Gumroad
Gumroad takes a refreshingly simple approach to digital commerce, making it one of the easiest platforms for selling online courses if you prioritize speed and simplicity over complex learning management features. It’s a powerful e-commerce tool for creators who want to sell digital products, including video tutorials, PDFs, and memberships, with minimal fuss, rather than a dedicated course platform.
The platform is built for speed. You can create a product page, upload your course files, and start selling in just a few minutes. This straightforward process is perfect for creators who are just starting out or for those who want to validate a course idea without investing in a monthly subscription.
What Makes Gumroad Stand Out
Gumroad’s biggest differentiator is its “pay-what-you-want” pricing model and the complete absence of monthly fees. You only pay when you make a sale, which removes a huge barrier to entry for new creators. This makes it an incredibly low-risk option. The platform also features a “Discover” marketplace, which can drive organic traffic and sales to your products from the existing Gumroad audience.
While it lacks advanced Learning Management System (LMS) features like graded quizzes or completion certificates, its simplicity is its core strength. It’s an ideal choice for selling one-off video lessons or resource bundles. For a deeper dive into how it stacks up against more traditional options, you can learn more about Gumroad vs. Teachable.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | 10% (plus processing) | Unlimited products, Host video and files, Customer emails, Workflows (drip content), Simple analytics |
The Bottom Line
Best For: New creators, artists, and entrepreneurs who want the fastest, lowest-risk way to start selling digital products and simple courses. It’s also great for validating a course idea before committing to a more expensive platform.
Limitations: The 10% transaction fee is one of the highest in the industry. The platform also lacks the robust course-building tools, student management features, and customization options found in dedicated LMS platforms, making it unsuitable for creating complex, structured learning experiences.
Website: https://gumroad.com
9. Mighty Networks (Courses + Community)
Mighty Networks takes a different approach to online education by putting community at the very center of the experience. It’s designed for creators who believe that learning is a social activity, not just a solo journey. This platform masterfully blends courses with a vibrant, branded community, allowing you to host everything from livestreams and events to member-led groups all under one roof.
The core idea is to create a powerful network effect where your community enhances the value of your courses, and your courses give the community a shared purpose. It’s a complete digital ecosystem for your brand, not just an isolated learning management system.
What Makes Mighty Networks Stand Out
The standout feature is its seamless integration of courses and community, all available on a stellar native mobile app for both iOS and Android. This allows your members to learn and interact on the go, which significantly boosts engagement. You are building a destination, not just selling a course.
Mighty Networks also includes native livestreaming and event management, eliminating the need for third-party tools like Zoom or Facebook Groups. Its AI-powered “Mighty Co-Host” tools help you generate course outlines and marketing copy, which is a huge timesaver for busy creators.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community | $41/month | 3% | Native livestreaming, iOS/Android apps, Events, Paid memberships |
| Business | $119/month | 2% | Spaces, Analytics, Member data, Workflow automations |
| Pro | Contact for pricing | 1% | Custom mobile apps, Branded app notifications, Single Sign-On (SSO) |
Note: Online courses are available as an add-on to the Business Plan or included in custom Pro plans.
The Bottom Line
Best For: Creators, coaches, and brands who want to build a highly engaged, membership-driven community where courses are a key component but not the only focus. If you value interaction and a superior mobile experience, this is a top contender.
Limitations: The course creation tools are simpler compared to dedicated LMS platforms like Teachable or Thinkific. You won’t find advanced features like SCORM compliance. To access course features, you need at least the Business plan, making the entry cost higher than some competitors.
Website: https://mightynetworks.com
10. LearnDash (WordPress LMS)
For creators who want total control over their online school, LearnDash is a top-tier choice. Unlike all-in-one hosted platforms, LearnDash is a WordPress plugin, meaning it turns your existing WordPress site into a full-featured Learning Management System (LMS). This approach gives you complete ownership of your content, data, and branding, allowing for unparalleled customization.
The platform is renowned for its robust and flexible course-building capabilities. You get a drag-and-drop course builder, advanced quizzing, assignments, certificates, and content dripping. It’s a powerful engine trusted by major universities and professional training organizations, which speaks to its reliability and depth.
What Makes LearnDash Stand Out
LearnDash’s key advantage is its extensibility. Since it operates within the WordPress ecosystem, you can connect it to thousands of other plugins and themes. This allows you to build a completely custom student experience and integrate tools for marketing, e-commerce (like WooCommerce), and community building (like BuddyBoss) seamlessly.
While this requires more technical setup than a hosted solution, the payoff is a system that is uniquely yours. You’re not locked into a specific platform’s feature set or design limitations, making it one of the best platforms for selling online courses if you have a long-term vision.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plugin | $199/year | 0% | Use on 1 site, Unlimited courses & users, Advanced quizzing, Drip-feed content |
| Plugin | $399/year | 0% | Use on 10 sites, ProPanel advanced reporting, Everything from the basic plan |
| Cloud | $29/month | 0% | Fully hosted LearnDash site, Includes premium themes and plugins |
The Bottom Line
Best For: WordPress users, entrepreneurs, and educational institutions that demand full control, data ownership, and endless customization options for their online courses. It’s ideal if you want to build a unique brand and integrate your courses tightly with your existing website.
Limitations: The biggest hurdle is the self-hosting responsibility. You’ll need to manage your own WordPress hosting, security, and updates. While the LearnDash Cloud option simplifies this, the core plugin requires a level of technical comfort.
Website: https://learndash.com
11. Systeme.io
Systeme.io has carved out a unique space for itself as a complete all-in-one marketing machine, not just a course platform. It’s designed for entrepreneurs who need to build sales funnels, manage email marketing, host a blog, and sell online courses without juggling five different subscriptions. The platform’s main appeal is its incredible value, offering a surprisingly robust free plan and paid tiers that are significantly more affordable than most competitors.
For course creators on a budget, Systeme.io provides an accessible entry point. You can build out an entire customer journey, from a lead magnet on a landing page to an email sequence that sells your course, all within a single dashboard. It integrates all the essential tools, making it one of the best platforms for selling online courses if you want to get started quickly and without a hefty investment.
What Makes Systeme.io Stand Out
The biggest differentiator for Systeme.io is its pricing and the sheer amount of functionality packed into its free plan. You can launch a course, build a sales funnel, and collect up to 2,000 email contacts without paying a single dollar. It’s a genuine all-in-one solution that eliminates the need for separate funnel builders and email marketing services, which can save creators hundreds of dollars a month.
While it may not have the most advanced course-specific features, its seamless integration of marketing automation and sales tools makes it incredibly powerful for launching and scaling a digital product business.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | 0% | 1 Course, 2,000 contacts, 3 Sales funnels, 1 Blog, Email campaigns |
| Startup | $27/month | 0% | 5 Courses, 5,000 contacts, 10 Sales funnels, 1-click upsells, Order bumps |
| Unlimited | $97/month | 0% | Unlimited everything, Free migration, 1-on-1 kickstart coaching session |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Budget-conscious creators and entrepreneurs who need an all-in-one marketing and sales platform first, with course hosting as a key component. It’s perfect if you want to build entire sales funnels without the high cost and complexity of other tools.
Limitations: The course creation and student management features are more basic compared to dedicated LMS platforms like Teachable or Thinkific. Its design templates and customization options are also more limited, which may not suit creators focused on a highly branded learning experience.
Website: https://systeme.io
12. Squarespace (Courses via Digital Products add-on)
Squarespace is famous for its beautiful, design-forward websites, and now it brings that same aesthetic to online education. Instead of being a dedicated course platform, Squarespace offers courses through its “Digital Products” add-on. This makes it an ideal choice for creators, artists, and entrepreneurs who already have a Squarespace site and want to add courses without migrating to a new platform.
The integration is seamless. You can sell courses, memberships, and other digital content directly from the website you’ve already built, maintaining your brand’s unique look and feel. The user experience is clean and straightforward, perfect for delivering simple, elegant course content.
What Makes Squarespace Stand Out
The biggest advantage is the all-in-one simplicity. If you value design and already love the Squarespace ecosystem for your website, blog, or e-commerce store, adding courses is incredibly easy. You don’t have to worry about third-party integrations or plugins. Everything from video hosting to payments is handled within Squarespace Commerce.
It’s also a great way to build a membership business alongside your courses. For a deeper dive, you can learn more about how to launch a membership site using Squarespace. The checkout experience is top-notch, leveraging Squarespace’s proven commerce engine.
Pricing and Key Features
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $9/month | 7% | Unlimited courses & students, Video hosting, Drip content, Quizzes |
| Core | $34/month | 3% | Subscriptions, Members-only pages, Community features, Course bundles |
| Pro | $119/month | 0% | Includes all Core features with no transaction fees |
The Bottom Line
Best For: Existing Squarespace users and design-conscious creators who want to add a simple, elegant course or membership component directly to their website without technical fuss.
Limitations: The course player and learning tools are quite basic compared to dedicated LMS platforms like Teachable or Thinkific. To eliminate transaction fees, you need to upgrade to the pricey Pro plan, making the entry-level options less cost-effective for high-volume sales.
Website: https://squarespace.com
Top 12 Online Course Selling Platforms Comparison
| Platform | Core Features | User Experience | Value Proposition | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | Native checkout, quizzes, certificates, affiliate tools | Mature course tooling, strong reporting | 0% transaction fee on higher plans | Creators selling courses & memberships |
| Thinkific | Unlimited courses, communities, cohorts, native payments | Cohort support, good analytics | Simplified selling, avoids gateway fees | Educators and communities |
| Kajabi | Courses, marketing funnels, email automation | Strong marketing stack | No platform transaction fees | Knowledge businesses |
| Podia | Courses, downloads, memberships, email marketing | Easy to launch, simple UX | All-in-one for solopreneurs | Solopreneurs & creators |
| LearnWorlds | Interactive video, SCORM support, advanced reporting | Deep LMS features, powerful analytics | No fees on Pro Trainer+ plans | Academies, corporate training |
| Udemy (Marketplace + Business) | Massive marketplace, coupons, B2B subscriptions | Huge audience, marketing reach | No hosting costs, large discoverability | Instructors seeking max exposure |
| Skillshare (for teachers) | Subscription revenue pool, teacher bonuses | Built-in learner base | No hosting costs | Creatives, lifestyle teachers |
| Gumroad | Courses, memberships, direct email, marketplace option | Simple storefront, direct payouts | No subscription fees | Digital creators selling products |
| Mighty Networks | Courses, community, livestreams, mobile apps | Strong community integration | Engagement-focused platform | Creators building communities |
| LearnDash (WordPress LMS) | Drag-drop builder, quizzes, memberships, add-ons | Full data/site ownership | Highly extensible, cost-effective yearly | Creators needing control |
| Systeme.io | Funnels, email marketing, courses, no transaction fees | Fast combined setup | Affordable all-in-one platform | Budget-conscious users |
| Squarespace (Digital Products) | Courses, bundles, subscriptions, coupons | Design-forward, seamless site integration | Good design and UX | Creators using Squarespace sites |
What’s the Next Step on Your Course Creator Journey?
Whew, that was a lot to take in. We’ve explored a dozen of the best platforms for selling online courses, from all-in-one powerhouses to simple, beginner-friendly tools. If your head is spinning a little, that’s completely normal.
The most important takeaway is this: there is no single “best” platform for every single person. The right choice for your business depends entirely on your specific goals, your technical comfort level, and your budget.
Recapping the Core Choices
Let’s quickly recap the main pathways you can take. Think of these as different creator archetypes. See which one resonates with you the most right now.
The All-in-One Empire Builder: If you’re building a complete brand with courses, a membership, coaching, and marketing funnels, platforms like Kajabi and LearnWorlds are designed for you. They offer a powerful, integrated experience but come with a steeper learning curve and a higher price tag.
The Focused Course Creator: For those who want a platform that does one thing exceptionally well, creating and selling beautiful online courses, Teachable and Thinkific are industry leaders. They provide a fantastic student experience and all the core tools you need without overwhelming you with extra features.
The Budget-Conscious Starter: Just dipping your toes into the world of online courses? You don’t need to break the bank. Tools like Podia, Systeme.io, and Gumroad offer incredibly affordable, and sometimes free, ways to get your first course out the door. They prioritize simplicity and efficiency.
The Community-First Leader: If your course is just one part of a larger community strategy, Mighty Networks is built from the ground up to put community engagement at the center of the learning experience.
The WordPress Maverick: For creators who want ultimate control, flexibility, and ownership, using a WordPress plugin like LearnDash is the answer. It requires more technical setup, but you can build a truly custom learning platform that is 100% yours.
Your Actionable Plan: Escaping Analysis Paralysis
The biggest mistake I see new course creators make is getting stuck right here, endlessly comparing features and never actually making a choice. This is what we call “analysis paralysis,” and it can kill your momentum before you even begin.
So, here is my advice. Don’t let the search for the perfect platform stop you from making progress.
Your next step is simple: pick two. Just two. Based on the descriptions and your gut feeling, choose the two platforms that seem like the best fit for you right now. Not for the business you hope to have in five years, but for the one you are building today.
Then, sign up for their free trials or demos. Don’t just click around the dashboard. Actually use them.
- Upload a test video. It can just be a short clip from your phone.
- Create one sample lesson and a quiz. See how the course builder feels. Is it intuitive? Frustrating?
- Look at the student-facing side. Pretend you are a student and see what the experience is like.
- Check out their help documentation. Is it easy to find answers to your questions?
Spending a couple of hours inside a platform will tell you more than a dozen comparison articles ever could. You’ll quickly discover which one “clicks” for you.
Ultimately, the tool you choose is just a vehicle. The real magic is in your knowledge, your passion, and the transformation you provide for your students. The right platform simply gets out of your way and lets you shine.
You’ve got this, and we’re here to help you every step of the way on your journey. Now go on and get started
