Best online course platforms

Best online course platforms: the short answer

For people who sell courses, the best online course platform is LearnWorlds Pro Trainer when the courses need quizzes, certificates and SCORM (a standard for packaged e-learning content that works across learning platforms), Kajabi Basic when one plan must hold a website and 2,500 contacts, and LearnDash when the site already runs on WordPress.

LearnWorlds Starter is $29 a month and Pro Trainer is $99 a month, both billed monthly, as read on October 4, 2026; Starter adds $5 per paid enrollment, which is one learner's enrollment in a course. Seven rivals sit beside it below: Thinkific, Teachable, Kajabi, Podia, LearnDash, TalentLMS and Skool. This page is for the seller's side; it does not cover where to take a course.

Eight platforms, what each is best for and what it costs

Prices are billed monthly, except LearnDash, a yearly license, and TalentLMS, which is priced on yearly billing. Thinkific's plan prices are on its own pricing page.

Fees on sales differ: LearnWorlds Starter takes $5 per paid enrollment, Teachable Starter 7.5%, Podia Mover 5% and Skool Hobby 10% plus 30 cents a transaction, while Kajabi quotes Kajabi Payments processing at 2.9% plus $0.30 on Basic. On annual billing the entry plans are $24 (LearnWorlds Starter), $29 (Teachable Starter), $143 (Kajabi Basic) and $42 (Podia Mover) a month, each billed annually.

The eight platforms one by one

• LearnWorlds sells courses from a school on your own domain. Quizzes are on every plan, so Starter covers them; Pro Trainer adds the question bank, SCORM and certificates, per the plan comparison, and LearnWorlds's own help articles differ on Starter for both (see LearnWorlds SCORM and LearnWorlds certificates). Starter caps active learners, those who access the school in a month, at 1,000; Pro Trainer allows 2,000 and drops the enrollment fee. Learning Center, $299 a month, billed monthly, is for branded academies and training teams. The LearnWorlds review covers every plan.
• Thinkific sells Basic, Start and Grow plans and a Plus plan sold through sales. Basic, Start and Grow each list 10,000 current students. Certificates, bundles and memberships start on Start, which also lists live cohorts and coaching and unlimited Zoom sessions, and SCORM is on Plus only. There is no free plan, only a 30-day free trial. Its plan prices are on its own pricing page, so none appears here.
• Teachable Starter is $39 a month, billed monthly, with a 7.5% transaction fee and 5 products. Builder is $89 with a 0% fee and 10 products, and Growth is $189 with 50 products. There is no free plan; Teachable offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Kajabi Basic is $179 a month, billed monthly, or $143 a month, billed annually, with 5 products, 2,500 contacts, 1 website and 1 community. Growth is $249 billed monthly. Every Kajabi plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Podia Mover is $49 a month, billed monthly, with a 5% transaction fee, 50 products, 25 community spaces and 100 email subscribers. Shaker is $99 with no transaction fees, 150 products and 500 email subscribers. Podia offers a 14-day free trial, no card needed, rather than a free plan.
• LearnDash is a WordPress plugin, so WordPress and hosting are yours to run. Essentials is $259 a year, Pro is $399 and Elite is $599, each a yearly license with unlimited courses and learners and no per-student fees. Its page names managed hosting for WordPress but gives no price for it.
• TalentLMS prices by how many users log in each month. On yearly billing, Core is $119 a month ($1,428 a year) for 1 to 40 users, Grow is $229 for 1 to 70 users, and Pro is $449 for 1 to 100 users. A free plan covers up to 5 users and 10 courses. Every user who logs in counts toward the band, so the price rises with the number of buyers who log in.
• Skool sells a paid community with the courses inside it, in a section called the Classroom. Hobby is $9 a month with 10% plus 30 cents a transaction; Pro is $99 a month with 2.9% plus 30 cents. Both list unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls, and Skool's free trial lasts 14 days.

Which platform to pick for your kind of course business

• Quizzes, certificates and SCORM in a branded school: LearnWorlds Pro Trainer, $99 a month, billed monthly, with 2,000 active learners and 5 admins. LearnWorlds alternatives sets it beside the rivals one at a time.
• A website and 2,500 contacts in one plan: Kajabi Basic, $179 a month, billed monthly.
• A WordPress site: LearnDash Essentials, $259 a year.
• Staff training priced by headcount: TalentLMS Core, $119 a month, billed yearly, for 1 to 40 users.
• Email and community in a low plan: Podia Mover, $49 a month, billed monthly.
• A paid community with lighter courses: Skool Hobby, $9 a month, billed monthly.
• A large student count without a quote: Thinkific Basic, Start or Grow, each listing 10,000 current students.
• Five products and a 30-day guarantee: Teachable Starter, $39 a month, billed monthly.

A first-time seller can start with best online course platform for creators, and a tight budget has its own page in cheapest online course platform.

Of the eight, LearnWorlds can be checked first on a 30-day free trial that needs no credit card.