Cheapest online course platform

Cheapest online course platform: the short answer

The cheapest online course platform of the seven priced here is Skool Hobby, $9 a month, billed monthly, with a fee of 10% plus 30 cents on each sale. LearnWorlds Starter is $29 a month, billed monthly, or $24 a month, billed annually, plus $5 per paid enrollment, as read on October 4, 2026.

LearnDash Essentials lists no per-student fees, but it is a $259 yearly license for a WordPress plugin, and WordPress hosting is separate. Among these cheap online course platforms, the fee on each sale can change which one costs least, so it sits beside every price.

What online course platforms cost a month: seven entry plans

Six of the seven are shown on monthly billing and, where the vendor lists one, an annual rate per month. LearnDash is sold as a yearly license only, so it sits last. LearnWorlds pricing lists all three LearnWorlds plans on both bases.

The LearnWorlds enrollment fee does not include payment processing, which Stripe or PayPal charge separately.

Why the lowest price is not always the lowest bill

Skool Hobby takes 10% plus 30 cents of each sale, Teachable Starter 7.5%, Podia Mover 5% and Mighty Networks Launch 2%, while LearnWorlds Starter takes a flat $5 on each paid enrollment. A flat fee is a larger share of a cheap course and a smaller share of an expensive one; a percentage is the same share of both.

Kajabi's row shows its own payment processing, 2.9% plus $0.30, which is a different kind of charge from the platform fees above. LearnWorlds enrollment fees explains the flat fee.

Moving up one plan changes the fee on most of these:

• Teachable Builder is $89 a month, billed monthly, with a 0% transaction fee.
• Podia Shaker is $99 a month, billed monthly, with no transaction fees.
• Skool Pro is $99 a month and charges 2.9% plus 30 cents in place of 10% plus 30 cents.
• Mighty Networks Scale is $215 a month, billed monthly, with a 1% fee.
• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer is $99 a month, billed monthly, with no enrollment fees; the vendor points a school there when it passes 1,000 learners or wants to drop them.

Which cheap plan fits which seller

• Skool Hobby for a small paid group: $9 a month, with unlimited members and courses.
• LearnDash Essentials for a site owner who already runs WordPress and wants no per-student fees: $259 a year, with hosting managed and paid for separately. Pro is $399 a year and Elite $599, and every license carries unlimited courses and learners.
• LearnWorlds Starter for a hosted course school with a flat $5 fee on each paid enrollment: $24 a month, billed annually.
• Mighty Networks Launch for a seller who wants the lowest percentage fee in the table, 2%, and accepts $95 a month, billed monthly.

The catch with Starter is the flat $5 added to every paid enrollment, and it cannot offer free courses. LearnWorlds costs nothing for the first 30 days: its free trial needs no credit card. The best free course creation platform page lists the free plans and trials, and the best online course platform page compares the wider field.