Top 10 Online Course Platforms for 2024
Package your expertise, build a community, and create a new revenue stream with the best platforms for selling online courses and digital products.
The demand for online learning has never been higher. If you're an expert in your field, there's never been a better time to monetize your knowledge. Online course platforms provide all the tools you need: video hosting, payment processing, student management, and marketing features. We've evaluated the leaders to find the best all-in-one solutions for aspiring and established creators.
1. Teachable
Teachable is one of the most popular and user-friendly platforms, designed specifically for creators who want to get started quickly. It offers a clean, intuitive interface for building courses, managing students, and handling payments, making it a favorite among beginners.
Pros
- Very easy to use and set up
- Generous free plan to start
- Built-in payment processing
Cons
- Transaction fees on lower-tier plans
- Limited site customization options
2. Thinkific
Thinkific is a powerful and flexible platform that empowers creators to build a full-fledged online school. It offers more advanced customization options than Teachable and prides itself on providing robust tools for building a learning community alongside your courses.
Pros
- No transaction fees on any plan
- Advanced customization and site building
- Strong community and assignment features
Cons
- Free plan is more limited
- Can have a steeper learning curve
3. Kajabi
Kajabi is the premium, all-in-one platform for serious entrepreneurs. It aims to replace your entire marketing stack by bundling a course platform with a website builder, email marketing, sales funnels, a CRM, and analytics. It's a powerful but expensive solution.
Pros
- Truly all-in-one platform
- Powerful marketing and automation tools
- Excellent for building sales funnels
Cons
- Very expensive, no free plan
- Overkill for those just starting out
4. Podia
Podia positions itself as the most creator-friendly platform, focusing on simplicity and ease of use. It allows you to sell online courses, digital downloads, webinars, and community memberships all from one dashboard, with a clean and simple interface.
Pros
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Sell multiple types of digital products
- Great customer support
Cons
- Fewer advanced marketing features
- Course creation tools are more basic
5. LearnDash
LearnDash is different: it's a WordPress plugin. This makes it the most powerful and flexible option for those who already have a WordPress site or want complete control. It offers sophisticated course-building features, quizzes, forums, and certificates.
Pros
- Total control and customization on WordPress
- One-time purchase (no monthly fees)
- Extensible with thousands of plugins
Cons
- Requires you to manage your own hosting
- Steep technical learning curve
6. Udemy
Udemy is a course marketplace, not a platform you own. You upload your course to their site, and they handle all the marketing and sales in exchange for a significant revenue share. It's a great option for reaching a huge, built-in audience without any marketing effort.
Pros
- Access to a massive existing audience
- No upfront cost or marketing required
- Free to get started
Cons
- Very high revenue share
- You don't own the student relationship
- Heavy discounting devalues courses
7. Skillshare
Skillshare is a marketplace focused on shorter, project-based courses for creatives. Instructors are paid based on the number of minutes their videos are watched by premium members each month, rather than direct course sales. It's ideal for artists, designers, and creative professionals.
Pros
- Great for creative topics
- Engaged, high-quality community
- Passive income potential
Cons
- Payouts can be low and unpredictable
- Not suitable for all topics
8. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks is a community platform first, and a course platform second. It's designed for creators who want to build a vibrant, paid community and then sell courses, events, and content as an integrated part of that experience. The focus is on interaction and engagement.
Pros
- Best-in-class community features
- Live streaming and event capabilities
- Your own branded mobile app on higher plans
Cons
- Course features are less robust than specialists
- Can get expensive quickly
9. Systeme.io
Systeme.io is an aggressive Kajabi competitor that aims to be an all-in-one platform at a much lower price point. It offers funnels, email marketing, websites, affiliate program management, and online courses, with an incredibly generous free plan to get started.
Pros
- Extremely generous free plan
- Great value for the number of features
- All-in-one marketing functionality
Cons
- User interface is less polished
- Features are not as deep as specialists
10. SamCart
SamCart is a checkout platform first and a course platform second. It's designed for direct-response marketers who want to maximize sales conversions with features like one-click upsells, order bumps, and A/B tested checkout pages. Its new course feature makes it a complete solution.
Pros
- Optimized for sales conversions
- Powerful checkout features (upsells, bumps)
- Simple integrated course builder
Cons
- Student management tools are basic
- More expensive than simpler platforms