Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them, University Webinars may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We have affiliate relationships with Thinkific and Teachable only; the other platforms are included because they are good fits for some readers.
If you teach, train, or facilitate, an online course is one of the most practical ways to reach more learners and turn a proven workshop into something people can take anytime. The hard part is choosing where to build it. This guide compares the best online course platforms for educators and trainers: what each one does well, who it suits, what it costs, and the questions to ask before you commit.
This is a guide for people who want to create and sell or deliver courses. If you are looking for courses to take, see the short list of learning sites near the end.
Pricing checked October 2026. Course platforms change prices often, so confirm on each vendor’s pricing page before you buy.
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Best for | Starting price (billed annually) | Transaction fee on entry plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific | Trainers who want structured courses plus community | About $40/month | None with Thinkific Payments | 30 days |
| Teachable | Educators selling courses, coaching, and downloads | About $29/month | 7.5% on Starter; 0% from Builder up | Yes |
| LearnWorlds | Interactive video, SCORM, and corporate training | About $24/month | $5 per paid enrollment on Starter | Yes |
| Kajabi | An all-in-one business with email and funnels | About $143/month | None with Kajabi Payments | Yes |
| Podia | Simple courses, downloads, and community in one place | About $42/month | 5% on Mover | 14 days |
| LearnDash | Trainers who already run a WordPress site | About $259/year (plugin) | None | 48-hour trial |
Card processing fees, typically 2.9% plus 30 cents per sale, apply on top of every platform’s plan.
What Educators and Trainers Need From a Course Platform
Most “best platform” lists are written for influencers and marketers. Educators and trainers usually care about a different set of features:
- Learning design tools. Quizzes, assignments, certificates, drip scheduling, and prerequisites, so a course works as a learning experience rather than a video library.
- Live and cohort delivery. The ability to add live sessions, office hours, or a cohort schedule alongside recorded lessons.
- Community. A place for discussion and peer learning, ideally inside the same platform.
- Selling to organizations. Group or seat-based purchasing, bulk enrollment, and progress reports for clients who buy training for teams.
- Brand control. Your own domain and, on some plans, removing the platform’s branding.
- Total cost. Monthly fee, transaction fees, and the plan you actually need for certificates or multiple admins.
1. Thinkific
Thinkific is a course platform built around structured courses, with communities, live events, and an app for learners. It is a strong choice for trainers and educators who want a clean learning experience and room to grow into memberships and community.
- Strengths: Unlimited courses on every plan, a well-organized course builder, quizzes, communities with live events, and Zoom sessions inside courses from the Start plan.
- Watch for: Completion certificates and assignments start on the Start plan, not Basic. Removing Thinkific branding requires Grow.
- Pricing: Basic about $40/month, Start about $82/month, and Grow about $164/month when billed annually, with higher monthly-billing prices. A 30-day free trial is available.
- Best for: Workshop leaders and L&D professionals turning programs into structured courses with certificates.
For short video walkthroughs of the course building process, see our Thinkific tutorial on outlining a course.
2. Teachable
Teachable is one of the most widely used course platforms, and it also supports coaching, digital downloads, and memberships. It is easy to start with and handles global payments and sales tax.
- Strengths: Fast setup, student mobile apps, built-in checkout with upsells, an affiliate program from the Builder plan, and 0% platform transaction fees on Builder and above when you use Teachable Payments.
- Watch for: The Starter plan charges 7.5% per sale and limits you to five products. Course certificates and branding removal start on the Growth plan.
- Pricing: Starter about $29/month, Builder about $69/month, and Growth about $139/month when billed annually.
- Best for: Educators who want to sell courses and coaching from one simple storefront.
The online programs at Innovation Courses, which offer facilitator and workshop design training, run on Teachable.
3. LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds focuses on the learning experience itself. Its interactive video lets you add questions, notes, and pauses directly into lessons, and higher plans support SCORM packages and full white labeling.
- Strengths: Interactive video, a wide range of assessment types, SCORM support, learning paths, and client groups on higher plans, which suits corporate training providers.
- Watch for: The Starter plan charges $5 per paid enrollment and does not include interactive video or SCORM. Most trainers will need Pro Trainer or above.
- Pricing: Starter about $24/month, Pro Trainer about $79/month, and Learning Center about $249/month when billed annually. Nonprofit discounts are available on Pro Trainer and above.
- Best for: Training companies and L&D teams who need interactive, trackable courses for clients or employees.
4. Kajabi
Kajabi combines courses, community, website, email marketing, and sales funnels in one system. You pay more, but you may be able to drop several other tools.
- Strengths: Built-in email marketing, landing pages, funnels, and community. Strong for creators who run their entire business from one place.
- Watch for: The entry plan is the most expensive on this list and is limited to five products and 2,500 contacts.
- Pricing: Basic about $143/month, Growth about $199/month, and Pro about $399/month when billed annually.
- Best for: Established educators with an audience who want one system for marketing and delivery.
5. Podia
Podia keeps things simple. Every plan includes courses, digital downloads, coaching, community, a website, and email, with a straightforward interface.
- Strengths: Easy to use, many product types on every plan, a website and blog included, and migration help.
- Watch for: Fewer learning design features than Thinkific or LearnWorlds, a 5% transaction fee on Mover, and email subscriber limits on lower plans.
- Pricing: Mover about $42/month, Shaker about $84/month, and Earthquaker about $150/month on yearly billing. A 14-day trial is available.
- Best for: Solo educators selling a small number of courses and resources without technical setup.
6. LearnDash (for WordPress Sites)
LearnDash is a learning management plugin for WordPress. If you already run a WordPress site, it turns that site into a course platform you fully control.
- Strengths: Full ownership, no platform transaction fees, deep customization, quizzes, certificates, drip content, and group management.
- Watch for: You handle hosting, updates, security, and plugin compatibility. Plan for more setup time or developer help.
- Pricing: Annual licenses from about $259/year (Essentials) to about $599/year (Elite, which adds group management and seat selling), plus your hosting and any add-ons.
- Best for: Trainers with an existing WordPress site and some technical support.
What About Institutional LMS and Course Marketplaces?
Institutional learning management systems such as Canvas, Moodle, and Blackboard are built for schools and universities. If you teach within an institution, your course will usually live there. They are less suited to selling courses independently.
Course marketplaces such as Udemy and Skillshare bring their own audience, but they control pricing, keep a large share of revenue, and limit your relationship with learners. Many trainers use a marketplace to test a topic, then build on their own platform for their main offer.
How to Choose: Recommendations by Situation
| If you are… | Start with |
|---|---|
| A trainer turning a workshop into a course with certificates | Thinkific (Start) or Teachable (Growth) |
| Testing your first course on a small budget | Teachable Starter or Thinkific Basic, then upgrade when sales justify it |
| Selling training to companies who need tracking | LearnWorlds or Thinkific |
| Running a business with email, funnels, and courses together | Kajabi |
| A solo educator who wants the simplest setup | Podia |
| Already on WordPress with technical help | LearnDash |
Questions to Ask Before You Commit
- Which plan includes the features you need, such as certificates, assignments, and multiple admins?
- What will you pay per sale in platform and payment fees?
- Can you export your students and content if you leave?
- Does it support live sessions or cohorts, or will you need a separate webinar platform?
- Can organizations buy seats for their teams?
- How good is support when something breaks before a launch?
Use the free trial to build one real module, not just to click around. You will learn more from building one lesson than from any comparison chart.
Looking to Take an Online Course Instead?
If you came here looking for courses to take, these are widely used learning sites:
- Coursera and edX: university and industry courses, many free to audit, with paid certificates and degrees
- LinkedIn Learning: business, technology, and creative skills by subscription
- Khan Academy: free courses in math, science, and more
- MIT OpenCourseWare and Open Yale Courses: free university course materials
- Udemy and Skillshare: large marketplaces of practical courses
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best online course platform for teachers and trainers?
For most trainers turning live sessions into courses, Thinkific and Teachable are the most balanced choices. LearnWorlds is stronger for interactive and corporate training, and Kajabi suits those who want marketing tools built in.
Is there a free online course platform?
Most course platforms offer free trials rather than permanent free plans. Platform plans change often, so check each vendor’s current pricing.
Thinkific or Teachable: which is better?
They are close. Thinkific is often stronger for structured learning and community, while Teachable is simple for selling courses, coaching, and downloads together. See our full Thinkific vs. Teachable comparison.
Do I need a course platform if I already have Zoom?
Zoom handles live sessions, but a course platform adds enrollment, payments, recorded lessons, quizzes, progress tracking, and certificates. Many trainers use both.
Related guides: how to outline an online course, how to price an online course, cohort vs. self-paced courses, and how to turn a webinar into an online course.
