9 Best Online Course Platforms [Updated for 2025]

You’ve spent countless hours and energy creating your online course masterpiece. Now, it’s time to get to the most rewarding part: selling it! 

Do you know where/how you’ll sell the course?

You’ll need a platform to showcase and sell the course on, a user-friendly way for students to access the content, and a secure way to process payments - among a laundry list of other items. 

So, which platform should you choose? You could hop onto Google, ask in various Facebook Groups, or even ask ChatGPT, but you’ll get dozens of different recommendations that may leave you in analysis paralysis, delaying your course launch until who knows when.

Never fear! I’ve combed through a variety of platforms and features to make it as easy as possible for you to choose where to sell your online course. That includes the ones I use myself. So let’s get straight to it so you can go straight to selling!

Why Bother With An Online Course Platform?

Before you consider drip-feeding content manually, setting up something in Wistia or Notion, or just winging it, let me stop you right there and tell you why it’s the only sensible move. 

Yes, online course platforms cost money. And yes, that adds to the growing  cost of creating a course and cuts into your profits, but they are well worth the investment for the following reasons:

• Ease of use: Online course platforms offer slick interfaces and tools that simplify creating, organizing, and delivering your content. The last thing you need is to waste time fiddling with a million bits of tech and design elements. Focus on what matters: producing top-notch course materials.
• Multimedia support: These platforms cater to various multimedia formats like text, images, videos, and interactive elements, giving you the ability to offer some variety to your students. 
• Built-in payment processing: You want to get paid, right? With built-in payment gateways and multiple currency support, selling your courses worldwide is a piece of cake. Plus, these platforms have got your back when it comes to secure transactions. Many deal with the tax side of things for you, too.
• Marketing, automation, and more: Many platforms come equipped with marketing superpowers, such as affiliate programs, landing pages, and email marketing integrations. 
• Built-in community cohorts: Online course platforms often feature built-in tools that nurture communication between students and instructors, like discussion forums, chat rooms, and Q&A sessions. Foster a sense of camaraderie and elevate the overall learning experience.

By using an online course platform, you can streamline the course creation and delivery process, reach a broader audience, and provide a high-quality learning experience for your students. All of those are key to the success of your course and your ability to build passive income for your business.

Now comes the tricky part. There are a lot of course platforms out there, with more seemingly popping up every day. Which platform you choose should depend on the features you need.

What to Look for in An Online Course Platform

No two online course platforms are the same (as you’ll see in the next section). But there are several features to look for in the platform that you choose. 

Ultimately, it depends on your needs and the time you have to manage the platform. More complex platforms with lots of features will have a steeper learning curve, so bear that in mind when deciding which features are most critical for you.

Here are some of the top features to consider:

• Ease of use: The platform should be user-friendly, with an intuitive interface that makes it easy to create, organize, and manage your course content.
• Content hosting and multimedia support: The platform should support various multimedia formats (text, images, audio, video, etc.) and provide reliable hosting, allowing you to deliver an impressive course without worrying about technical issues.
• Customizability: Look for a platform that offers customization options, such as branding, course layout, and design elements, to create a course that fits right in with your brand.
• Assessment tools: The platform should provide tools for creating quizzes, tests, and assignments to assess student progress and performance.
• Student engagement features: Consider platforms with built-in features to facilitate interaction between students and instructors, such as discussion forums, chat rooms, and Q&A sessions.
• Access control and security: Ensure the platform offers tools for managing user access and maintaining the security and privacy of your course content and user data.
• Analytics and reporting: Look for platforms with detailed analytics and reporting features, allowing you to track student progress, course performance, and overall engagement.
• Integrations: Choose a platform that integrates with third-party tools and services, such as email marketing, CRM, webinar, or LMS software, to streamline your workflow and enhance the learning experience.
• Payment processing: The platform should offer built-in payment gateways and support multiple currencies, making it easy to sell your courses and giving potential buyers confidence during checkout.
• Marketing and promotional tools: Find a platform with marketing tools, such as affiliate programs, landing pages, upsell options, and email marketing integrations, to help you reach a wider audience and increase sales.
• Scalability: The platform should be able to handle growth in the number of students and courses without impacting performance or user experience.
• Customer support: Ensure the platform offers reliable, timely customer support to help you address any technical issues or questions that may arise.

Read on for my list of platforms to choose from.

How I Chose These As My Favorite Course Platforms

Why trust my opinion? 

For one, I’m sharing my objective take, having worked with hundreds of coaches and consultants to launch thousands of online courses. This isn’t some roundup from a software company trying to sell you on them being the best. 

I considered feedback from my customers alongside my own experience to evaluate each platform based on:

• Price
• Flexibility/Scalability
• Ease of use
• Customer experience
• Coach/Consultant experience

Rest assured, you really can’t go wrong, so keep reading for my nine favorite course platforms!

9 Best Platforms to Create and Sell Your Course Online

It can seem like there are countless course-creation and course-selling platforms on the market. It’s enough to make your head spin!

If you’re stumped on where to sell your course, here are nine solid recommendations for you to choose from. Depending on your needs and budget, one platform may be better than the other, so it will be up to you.

My favorite online course platforms are:

• Udemy
• LearnWorlds
• Teachable
• Thinkific
• Kajabi
• New Zenler
• Podia
• LearnDash
• LinkedIn Learning

Keep reading for an in-depth review of each one!

Udemy

Udemy is a well-known and popular course platform. In fact, it’s estimated that Udemy boasts over 200,000 courses on its platform, so you’ll be in good company.

Some of the highlights of Udemy include:

• Course creation tools
• Analytics
• Marketing tools 
• Start for free, and revenue share once your course starts selling

Pricing

LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is another popular course creation and delivery platform with a twist: they’ve gone all-in on everyone’s favorite topic, AI.

In addition to a suite of tools for course creation, editing, sales, and delivery, LearnWorlds includes powerful AI features like their AI assistant, which can help you plan, create, and edit your courses.

Some notable highlights include:

• Full suite of course creation and delivery tools

• AI assistant to help plan and create course content

• White label app to host your business

Pricing

LearnWorlds starts at $24/month (for the yearly plan) with an additional $5 per course enrollment. Higher tiers don’t include that fee. They offer a free trial for their self-service tiers and scale all the way up to custom corporate plans that you need to speak with them about in order to purchase.

Teachable

Teachable is a popular platform for new course creators thanks to its user-friendly interface and course authoring tools. In fact, it’s the first platform I used for my own courses, and I still highly recommend it for newbies who don’t want to be overwhelmed by the tech. Teachable gives you a great deal out of the box to create branded pages as well as marketing and sales tools to launch your course. They even have options for selling coaching and downloads.

Some notable highlights include:

• Custom branding

• Various pricing options for your courses

• Integrations with popular marketing tools

• Free plans are available to get started

Pricing

You can create a free Teachable account to get started, their paid plans start at $39 per month (if you pay annually), plus a 5% transaction fee on all course sales.

Thinkific

Like Teachable, Thinkific is an online course creation platform that includes templates and page builders. You can create courses, presell courses, and build your funnel all in one platform. 

Some notable highlights include:

• Samples and templates to get started

• Integrations with popular marketing tools

• Starts free for one course

Pricing

You can create a free Thinkific account to get started, and their plans start at $36 per month (if you pay annually), and there is no transaction fee.

Kajabi

For those looking for a powerful course marketing and automation platform, Kajabi may be the right fit for you. Kajabi provides course-creating tools, but they also excel at their marketing and automation tools to help you market and sell your course.

Some highlights include:

• Email marketing tools

• Templates to get started

• Automation tools

Pricing

Kajabi is pricier than the other options; it currently starts at $119 per month (if you pay annually), and does not charge a transaction fee on course sales.

New Zenler

New Zenler is one of our favorite platforms due to its comprehensive suite of tools for the price you pay and ease of use. It provides course-creating tools, landing page builders, and more to build and brand a course that will wow your students. As I write this, they still say they’re in beta, but it’s been that way for several years, since they’re always adding new features. There’s nothing ‘beta’ about it!

Some highlights include:

• Easy-to-use course creation tools

• Quiz and survey builders

• Marketing funnels

• Marketing automation tools

• Livestream and webinar options built in

• Community building tools

Pricing

New Zenler has a free plan, and then it currently starts at $67 per month (if you pay monthly) and does not charge a transaction fee.

Podia

Podia is a great platform for new course creators due to its ease of use and simple e-commerce functionality. Podia provides tools to create courses, set up membership sites, and sell your courses as you grow your business.

Some notable highlights include:

• Support for digital downloads

• Bundling options for courses

• Private membership tools

Pricing

You can create an account for free, and paid accounts start at $33 per month (if you pay annually) with no transaction fees.

Learndash

Learndash is a popular platform for those with WordPress websites. As a content management system (CMS), WordPress allows a ton of flexibility and customizability, which is where LeardDash excels. Learndash turns your WordPress website into a learning management and course-selling tool that is integrated with the rest of your website.

Some notable highlights include:

• Easy-to-use course creation and selling tools
• Multimedia support
• Integrates with your WordPress website

Pricing

LearnDash starts at $199 per year for one website. They also have a cloud-hosted software option, which starts at $24 per month (if you pay annually).

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is a bit different from the other platforms listed in that you can’t just sign up and publish a course; you need to be accepted onto the platform. There’s a bit of exclusivity here that may help set your course(s) apart, but it does create a higher barrier to entry. If you’re newer to your industry or have not created a course before, I recommend self-publishing. 

If you are an industry expert, though, and want to benefit from LinkedIn’s brand, then this can be a great option to distribute your course to a larger audience.

Some notable highlights include:

• Built into LinkedIn’s learning dashboard, which means automatic promotion and reach for your audience
• Your course will be an official certification/badge on LinkedIn profiles
• Analytics and learning paths are included as well

Pricing

LinkedIn Learning is free – in fact, LinkedIn shares the revenue from your course! That said, you do need to apply, be accepted, and pitch your course before you go live.

Now That You Have a Platform, Here’s How to Sell Your Course in 5 Simple Steps

Now that you've chosen your trusty course platform, it's time to get to the fun part: selling!

Successfully launching a course can take some time to get right. While I’d love to share a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing and selling a course, the truth is that the exact steps you follow will depend on your audience, the material for the course, and your own expertise and brand. 

That said, there are five steps you need to follow no matter what:

1. Know your audience: Every successful launch starts with a solid understanding of your target market. Your target customer should inform every aspect of your course creation and sales efforts.

2. Publish on a platform: Upload your course onto the chosen platform (perhaps one of our fantastic nine above?) and make sure it's polished and ready for potential students.

3. Create an enticing sales page: Next up, you need to build a sales funnel. Your sales page should captivate potential customers with engaging, informative, and persuasive content that showcases the value of your course.

4. Develop a sales strategy: Craft a well-rounded sales strategy that combines outreach and an enticing sales sequence to attract and retain students.

5. Promote, promote, promote: Spread the word about your course far and wide! Develop a promotion strategy that builds your audience and funnels enthusiastic learners to your course.

Selling a course may seem daunting, but with the right platform and a solid plan, you'll find yourself on the path to success in no time.

Best Ways to Promote Your Online Course

To sell your course (and make a profit), you need to promote it. 

Promoting a course is a broad subject. I covered my  20 favorite course promotion tactics in depth, but here are a few quick hits to get you started.

• Network at local seminars and meetups to get in front of your target audience

• Join an online group (Facebook, Slack, or Discord)

• Write guest blog posts to build your website’s authority and reach

• Leverage social media and grow your following

• Build an email list, and email them regularly, so you are always top of mind

• Showcase testimonials from past customers to provide social proof

• Broaden your reach with ads (either on Google or social media)

Pick the ones that sound easiest to you for a great head start. Then check out the rest of the tips in our blog post for more advice as you build your course launch plan. 

Don’t Launch Your Course Without My Free Online Course Launch Checklist!

Choosing a platform for your online course is just one piece of the puzzle. Once you have that settled, you need to launch it!

A successful launch doesn’t happen by accident. It takes work, thought, and planning to make sure everything goes just so (and results in you getting paid for the effort). For instance, you need to:

• Create a sales page

• Presell the course

• Write a launch sequence

• Promote the course and drive traffic to it

But if all this is making you break into a cold sweat, take a deep breath. I’ve got you covered. Click the button below to download my free course launch checklist. It’ll teach you how to do all the above and more to ensure your launch is a smashing success!