TLDR: Our top pick for the best online course platform is Thinkific. It is an all-in-one platform to create, market & sell online courses and memberships. Share what you know & earn a living online with Thinkific. You can test-drive Thinkific’s core feature set for free. Paid plans start from $49/month.
Do you want to turn your knowledge into an income-generating asset?
Wait no more. Easily build an online course based on your expertise & start earning a living today.
There are several online course platforms & online learning marketplaces that you can utilize to create & sell online courses.
In this guide, we have compared, ranked & reviewed the 12 best online learning platforms available for online course creators.
Best Online Course Platforms (Compared, Ranked & Reviewed)
| Ranking | Online Course Platform | Use Case (Best For) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Thinkific | Best Overall Online Course Platform (With Lifetime Free Plan) |
| #2 | Teachable | Best Online Course Platform For Beginners |
| #3 | LearnWorlds | Best Online Course Platform For Interactive Learning Experience |
| #4 | Kajabi | Best High-end Course Platform For Professionals |
| #5 | Kartra | Easy-to-use & All-in-one Online Course Platform |
| #6 | Podia | Best Online Course Software For Selling Digital Products |
| #7 | LearnDash | Best WordPress LMS Plugin For Course Creators |
| #8 | LifterLMS | WordPress Course Creation Software For Professionals |
| #9 | Academy Of Mine | Custom Built Enterprise Online Training Software |
| #10 | Udemy | Largest Online Learning Platform & Website |
| #11 | LinkedIn Learning | Online Learning Platform Creative, Technology & Business Skills |
| #12 | Skillshare | Online Course Platform For Teaching Creative Skills |
Types Of Online Course Platforms
There are various types of online learning platforms to create & sell online courses as listed below,
- Standalone online course platform – Great for entrepreneurs & small business owners
- All-in-one course platform for website & marketing – Run your course site & website together
- WordPress LMS plugin – Best for WordPress course creators
- Enterprise LMS course platform – For small & medium enterprise needs
- Online learning platforms – Existing marketplace with large user base to sell your courses
In Depth Review Of 12 Best Online Course Platforms
Best Standalone Online Course Platform
#1 Thinkific – Best Overall Online Course Platform (With A Lifetime Free Plan) | Pricing Starts From – $0/Month Or $49/Month + No Transaction Fees
Thinkific is an all-in-one software platform that enables entrepreneurs to create, market, sell, and deliver their online courses.
Thinkific Free Trial
Thinkific offers a lifetime free plan for all the course creators without charging any transaction fees. The free plan provides access to all the core features. No credit card is required for the free plan.
Thinkific Features
- Drag & drop course builder platform
- Engage students with rich multimedia course content
- 100% free video hosting with Thinkific
- Support for multiple instructors
- Host the course on your own custom domain
- Increase sales with coupons & promotional features
- Accept payment in 100+ currencies
- Easily integrate with other major marketing platforms
- Built in security & SSL with 99.9% guaranteed uptime & 24/7 monitoring
Thinkific Pricing
Thinkific offers four pricing plans as follows,
- Free: $0/month
- Basic: $49/month or $39/month (paid annually)
- Pro: $99/month or $79/month (paid annually)
- Premier: $499/month or $399/month (paid annually)
Thinkific Pros
- Only online course platform to provide a generous free plan without charging any transaction fees
- Fast & reliable phone & email support
- Support for setting up the course of your custom domain
- Customize the online course & learning experience for your students as per your needs
- Create multiple course & charge either one time fees or recurring subscription fees from the students
Verdict – Who is Thinkific best suited for?
We highly recommend Thinkific to everyone who is planning to create an online course due to its simplicity. It offers a free plan that you can use to host your course with the core features. Try Thinkific, if you want to accomplish your course creation and student success goals faster.
#2 Teachable – Best Online Course Platform For Beginners | Pricing Starts From $39/Month
Teachable is an online course platform for creating & selling online courses and coaching services.
It is a powerful yet simple online course platform to help transform your skills & experience into a thriving knowledge business.
Teachable Free Trial
Teachable offers a 14-day free trial of their professional plan. No credit card is required for the free trial.
Teachable Features
- Run one-on-one sessions to talk to your students live
- Engage students with quizzes & course completion certificates
- Setup affiliates & coupon codes for your online course
- Supports conversion pixel for enhanced tracking
- Setup live chat on your course website & increase conversions
Teachable Pricing
Teachable offers three pricing plans as follows,
- Basic: $39/month or $29/month (paid annually)
- Pro: $119/month or $99/month (paid annually)
- Business: $249/month or $299/month (paid annually)
Teachable Pros
- All-in-one platform for hosting the course, creating sales page & payment gateway integration
- Unlimited courses & students on all paid plans
- Little to no technical skills required
Verdict – Who is Teachable best suited for?
Teachable is highly suited for bloggers & online entrepreneurs who want to create & sell online courses to their audience. It is trusted by more than 100,000 creators who have made over $500 million in course sales.
#3 LearnWorlds – Best Online Course Platform For Premium & Interactive Learning | Pricing Starts From $29/Month
LearnWorlds is an online course platform for creating learning products that provoke creative & challenging learning experiences.
LearnWorlds Free Trial
LearnWorlds offers a 30-day free trial for all the course creators. No credit card is required for the free trial.
LearnWorlds Features
- Add questions, images, links & other interactions to your videos
- Generate automated video transcripts
- Design, develop & award your own custom digital certificates
- Build your own community of learners
- Online school site builder with multiple templates & widgets
LearnWorlds Pricing
LearnWorlds offers four pricing plans as follows,
- Starter: $29/month or $24/month (paid annually)
- Pro Trainer: $99/month or $79/month (paid annually)
- Learning Center: $299/month or $249/month (paid annually)
- High Volume & Corporate: Contact sales or book a demo
Verdict – Who is LearnWorlds best suited for?
If you are a course creator looking for a modern course platform to provide highly interactive learning experiences for your students, then make sure to try LearnWorlds.
Best All-in-one Course Platform For Website & Marketing
#4 Kajabi – Best High-End Course Platform For Professionals | Pricing Starts From $149/Month
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform to build, market, and sell your online course, membership site, or coaching program.
Kajabi Free Trial
Kajabi offers a 14-day free trial to test-drive all the core features.
Kajabi Features
- Integrated subscriptions, courses & digital products
- Website builder included in all the plans
- Hassle-free integrations with payment gateway
- User forecasting, reporting & smart analytics
- Create highly customizable emails with visual email editor
- Completely customizable landing pages
- Give full access to your customers with mobile app
- In-built CRM & marketing automation features
Kajabi Pricing
Kajabi offers three pricing plans as follows,
- Basic: $149/month or $119/month (paid annually)
- Growth: $199/month or $159/month (paid annually)
- Pro: $399/month or $319/month (paid annually)
Verdict – Who is Kajabi best suited for?
If you are looking for a single platform that can enable you to run your entire knowledge business without needing any other tool or plugin, then make sure to check out Kajabi.
#5 Kartra – Easy-To-Use & All-In-One Online Course Platform | Pricing Starts From $99/Month
Kartra is a simple course platform to create, market & launch an online course without hiring a team of copywriters, web developers, or designers.
Kartra Free Trial
Kartra provides a 14-day trial for $1 on all its paid plans.
Kartra Features
- Recruit, manage & track affiliates to help promote your product
- Create lead capture forms with powerful tagging & automation rules
- Register & organize one-on-one sessions with your customers
- Develop your course with a simple drag & drop course portal builder
- Help desk & chat support to help answer customer requests
- Create SMS & email marketing campaigns to engage with your customers
Kartra Pricing
Kartra offers four pricing plans,
- Starter: $99/month or $79/month (paid annually) – up to 2,500 leads & 1 custom domain
- Silver: $199/month or $149/month (paid annually) – up to 12,500 leads & 3 custom domain
- Gold: $299/month or $229/month (paid annually) – up to 25,000 leads & 5 custom domains
- Platinum: $499/month or $379/month (paid annually) – up to 50,000 leads & 10 custom domains
Verdict – Who is Kartra best suited for?
With Kartra’s ease of use and pre-built marketing assets & sales funnels, you can launch your entire online course business in just a few hours.
#6 Podia – Best Online Course Software For Selling Webinars & Digital Downloads | Pricing Starts From $39/Month
Podia is an all-in-one digital storefront. It is an easy way to sell online courses, memberships & downloads without needing any technical skills.
Podia Free Trial
Podia offers a 14-day free trial with access to all the features so you can evaluate the platform.
Podia Features
- Free migration to move your content & customers from other platform
- Free hosting & support for custom domain
- Customize the look & feel of your website with flexible layout & live previews
- Unlimited bandwidth, courses & customers
- Support for pre-launch & pre-sell courses
- Engage with students via quizzes & comments
- Send email newsletter & drip email campaigns
Podia Pricing
Podia offers two pricing plans,
- Movers: $39/month or $32.50/month (paid annually)
- Shakers: $79/month or $66/month (paid annually)
Verdict – Who is Podia best suited for?
Podia makes building, selling, and managing your online course easy by putting everything you need in one place. No third-party tools or plugins are required.
Best WordPress LMS Plugins For Creating & Selling Online Courses
#7 LearnDash – Best Word Press LMS Plugin For Course Creators | Pricing Starts From $199/Year
LearnDash is the most trusted WordPress LMS plugin, created by learning industry professionals with Fortune 500 experience.
LearnDash Free Trial
Currently, LearnDash doesn’t offer free trials. But, you can purchase & evaluate the product for 30 days & ask for a refund if needed.
LearnDash Features
- Works with every modern WordPress theme & page builder plugin
- Maximize your course revenue through recurring payments
- If you have multiple courses, you can sell multiple courses as a single bundle
- Automatically trigger emails based on student activity
- Award certificates based on quiz performance, completing a course
- Add course specific discussion forums.
LearnDash Pricing
LearnDash offers three pricing plans,
- Basic: $199/year – for 1 course site
- Plus Package: $229/year – for up to 10 course sites
- Pro Package: $369/year – for up to 25 course sites
Verdict – Who is LearnDash best suited for?
LearnDash is suited for anyone who needs to turn a WordPress site into a learning management system. It can be used by WordPress developers who have clients requesting an LMS, organizations with a focus on training, and educational institutions.
#8 LifterLMS – WordPress Course Creation Software For Professionals | Pricing Starts From $99/Year
LifterLMS is an easy money-saving way to create your online training platform and community. It is a powerful online course, membership site, LMS option.
LifterLMS Free Trial
LifterLMS offers a 30-day trial for just $1. It gives access to all the features to help you evaluate the product.
LifterLMS Features
- Create multimedia lessons with video, audio, text & image based lessons
- Intuitive multi-tier drag & drop course builder
- Offer certification on completion of a course
- Interactive quizzes with time limits
- Collect testimonials & feedback at the end of your course
LifterLMS Pricing
LifterLMS offers three pricing plans,
- Individual add-ons: Starting at $99/year – use on one active site
- Universe bundle: $299/year – use on up to 5 active sites
- Infinity bundle: $999/year – use on unlimited sites
Verdict – Who is LifterLMS best suited for?
LifterLMS is the #1 choice of WordPress pros who build beautiful high-value online courses & membership sites.
Best Enterprise LMS Course Platforms
#9 Academy Of Mine – Custom Built Enterprise Online Training Software | Pricing Starts From $9997/Year
Academy of Mine is an all-in-one solution to set up your white-labeled platform to create, sell, and manage online courses.
Academy of Mine Free Trial
Academy of Mine offers a free demo to help you understand all the features & benefits of the platform.
Academy of Mine Features
- Create self paced online courses
- Set up live courses and webinars that allow you to give classes to students
- Create beautiful sales pages for your courses
- Corporate & group on-boarding to sell course in bulk
- Fully white label platform to build your own brand
Academy of Mine Pricing
The pricing for Academy of Mine starts at $9997 per year which includes 15 hours of onboarding help.
Verdict – Who is Academy of Mine best suited for?
Academy of Mine is the top-rated LMS for Professional Development, Continuing Ed, Certifications, and B2B training.
Best Online Learning Platforms & Marketplaces For Selling Online Courses
#10 Udemy – Largest Online Learning Platform & Website
Udemy is the best online learning platform and teaching marketplace with over 130,000 courses and 35 million students.
Udemy Features & Benefits
- Free & reliable support for instructors
- No need to create a separate website for your online course
Udemy Earnings
Udemy is a free-to-use platform. It charges 3% revenue share for all the course sales through instructor coupons, 75% share for paid marketing campaigns by Udemy & 50% for students who came to your course by organic search.
Verdict – Who is Udemy best suited for?
Udemy is the best choice if you want to utilize a big existing base of active users on its marketplace to sell your online course.
#11 LinkedIn Learning – Online Learning Platform Creative, Technology & Business Skills
LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that enables users to learn business, creative, and technology skills to achieve personal and professional goals.
LinkedIn Learning Features & Benefits
- Help people reach professional & personal goals
- Benefit from massive visibility on the platform
- Learn valuable skill applicable to your professional life
Verdict – Who is Linkedin Learning best suited for?
LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site. Due to this, LinkedIn learning gets the benefit of the huge existing audience base of professionals. So if you are creating a course relevant to professionals who want to grow in their careers, then this is the right platform for you.
#12 Skillshare – Online Course Platform For Teaching Creative Skills
Skillshare is an online learning platform with classes taught by the world’s best practitioners. Access personalized, on-demand learning in design, photography, and more.
Skillshare Features & Benefits
- Choose your class topic and project and outline your video lessons
- Bring your ideas to life using the tools and equipment
- Upload your video lessons and click “publish”
- Tell friends, family, and followers to check out your class
Skillshare Earnings
Skillshare compensates teachers for every minute watched by Premium students in their classes and for every student they bring to Skillshare through their referral link.
- Premium Referral: Get $10 for every student that you bring to Skillshare
- Royalties: Earn revenue based on the number of minutes watched in your class every month
Verdict – Who is Skillshare best suited for?
Skillshare teachers are everyday creators, entrepreneurs, working professionals & subject matter experts. You don’t need to have experience teaching or be well known to publish your first class and grow a following.
