Best Online Course Platforms
Updated May 2023
Teachable
Teachable is the best overall online course platform for creating, selling and marketing online courses.
Thinkific
Thinkific is a beginner friendly choice, with easy to use features. Everythign you need to get you started.
LearnDash
LearDash is the top choice if you are looking for a WordPress solution for your online course.
Podia
Podia s the community go to for course platforms. If you are building a members area this is for you.
Kajabi
Kajabi is the best all-in-one platform. Not required if starting out but great choice to take it to the next level.
BEST ONLINE COURSE PLATFORMS – Updated May 2023
Online education is now an integral part of the public discourse and has been for a while. However, a decade or two ago, e-learning was unfairly downgraded in the sense that most people considered it a lesser counterpart of the traditional style of education.
But over the past few years, the practice of digital learning picked up a veritable pace, causing the industry to experience an explosive boom that is said to culminate as a $325 billion online course market by the year 2025.
These stats-while astonishing were derived during the pre-pandemic world, but looking at the world now, when people are forced to stay home, practice scial distancing and receive lessons online, it’s safe to say that the digital education sector will reach unimaginable heights of success in the future.
The demand for online courses was already on a pretty steady rise before the coronavirus broke out. But ever since the pandemic took over the world, the increase in people’s enrollment rate in virtual classes has been exceptional. Cooped up in homes, with no freedom from house arrest in sight, people had no choice other than to utilize online services to educate themselves in any way possible.
What Is The Best Online Course Platform?
Here are my top picks for the best online course platforms in 2023.
- Teachable – Best Overall Online Course Platform
- Thinkific – Most Popular for Beginners
- LearnDash – Best for WordPress
- Podia – Best For Hosting Communities
- Skool – Best Members Community
- Kajabi – Best All in one platform
- New Zenler – Best video features
- Ruzuku – Simple but powerful course management
- Mighty Networks – Best community-based platform
- Academy of Mine – Best for large organizations and enterprises
Resultantly, many trainers tapped into the online course marketplace and sold educational content in hopes of making substantial profits. And substantial profits are what they made!
Anyone with the slightest idea of how the business world works would know how beneficial investing in a growing market can be if done right.
Even if someone doesn’t have an inkling of the money-making realm, they can spot a gainful business opportunity if it’s clear as day. And that’s precisely how evident the possibility of success in the world of digital education.
If you have any kind of knowledge and think you can pass it on to others well, seize the opportunity and jump on the online training bandwagon.
With that said, course creators need to be careful about their choice when deciding on an online teaching platform because that will play a significant role in revenue generation.
You can’t just randomly pick a forum to sell your course on all these best online course platforms; you need to consider the pros and cons of the top contenders in the market and then select one for your brand.
Every online course platform offers a set of key features that work better for particular study fields than others, which means aside from the apparent and technical aspects of a digital learning forum, you need to weigh your content and how compatible it would be with your choice.
If doing all this seems too much work, then don’t worry because we have got you. In this extensive guide, we will dissect the most commonly chosen online course platforms in complete depth to help you make an informed decision for your future in the world of e-education.
1. Teachable
Featured specs:
Price: Basic- $39/month or $29/month when billed annually, Professional- $119/month or $99/month when billed annually, Business- $299/month or $249/month when billed annually.
Features:
- Marketing Freedom
- Clean and direct interface
- Course Builder
- Bulk uploads
- Learning tools, such as quizzes
- Analytical system
- Advanced marketing tools, such as 1-click upsells and a well-optimized checkout process
- Online payment via Apple and Google Pay
Benefits - what I like about Teachable
Teachable, formerly known as fedora, is another excellent course hosting platform with its own set of pros and cons just like your own affiliate program or affiliate management. As far as the benefits of using Teachable are concerned, they are many.
To begin with, it enables users to create a course, manage it, and market it, with full access to the student database. The forum’s admin panel is intelligently designed with self-explanatory key features that are clearly presented on the interface.
Teachable gives its users complete control over the order and organization of lessons; you can arrange the video content or whole content as sections and lectures to keep it easy to follow for the students.
An excellent feature in Teachable’s course builder is the option to bulk upload. Generally, other course hosting platforms only offer the option for single uploads, which can be tedious. But Teachable ensures its users are able to work as quickly as possible and enjoy a superior customer experience.
The forum also provides learning tools such as grades quizzes, and content drippings, allowing users to evaluate their course’s effectiveness. Aside from that, Teachable also features built-in powerful analytical tools for more accurate evaluation.
Since Teachable gives its user complete control over marketing through built-in marketing tools, it features some of the most advanced tools, such as a well-optimized checkout process, and 1-click upsells for the job.
You can develop a comprehensive strategy on Teachable for your products and build your brand. For payments, the portal uses Apple Pay and Google Pay or any related mobile app on native gateways.
Drawbacks – What I DISLIKE about Teachable
Unlike Udemy, Teachable enables users to market their video content as they please, which means you get to everything from course creation to site-building.
While having so much room for customization is undoubtedly useful, the tools provided for the job fall a little short, limiting the user’s ability to build an elaborate site.
Moreover, Teachable doesn’t support advanced quizzes and assignment features. It also doesn’t have an inbuilt support system for the community forum or community building.
One aspect of Teachable that drastically impacts the platform’s standard in the market is the placement of a transaction fee on free trials and basic plans.
The point of a free trial is that an interested user can test the waters without having to pay the price, and putting a fee on it defeats the purpose entirely.
Teachable also has limited pricing and payment options for recurring users.
In addition, it doesn’t offer a membership-based subscription site, which means you do not get all the key features in one place. To get those options, you will have to use another forum, which can be a huge hassle.
Extra Features
The part where Teachable shines is its unlimited video hosting capacity.
Aside from allowing users to create courses, it gives them uncapped video hosting potential. So, you get to upload as many fully encrypted clips as you wish, or the need of the course.
Buying Advice
If you have been in the digital coaching business for some time now and wish to grow your brand and consumer base, Teachable definitely offers some highly effective key features that are worth a try.
With the freedom to market content, users can brand their online teaching business; however, they want. For many experienced online trainers, having control over their content’s marketing is the ultimate goal.
But for beginners, that isn’t a smart choice because newbies need to first get the hang of course creation and engaging audiences before moving on to the marketing strategy.
If a novice tries to grapple with the marketing tools that Teachable features, they’ll most likely give up their dream to instruct students due to the complex structure.
If you are past the starting level in your journey as a virtual trainer, you should definitely consider using Teachable
Further reading: Teachable review.
4.7
Teachable
5 - 10 places
2. Thinkific
Featured specs:
Price: Basic-$39/month, Pro-$79/month, Premier-$399/month
Features:
- Self-explanatory interface
- On-site course templates
- White labeling
- Direct payment programs-Paypal and Stripe
- Direct signup on the user’s domain
- Clear content categorization
- No transaction fee
Benefits - what I like about Thinkific
Next on our list is Thinkific, and it has some pretty definite pluses worth discussing. To begin with, it features a direct and straightforward interface.
With the pre-embedded course templates, content creators can conveniently put their courses on the market.
Once you have a course ready for distribution, all you’ll need to do is add it to your panel on the portal and organize it without having to spend a lot of time on it.
Aside from the super straightforward course builder, Thinkific offers a high-performance site builder that creates stunning web pages.
Considering that it is a cloud-based learning management system, the visually engaging web designing provided by the portal certainly deserves acclamation.
Most cloud-based LMSs are simple, and thus do not offer appealing graphics for the user’s webpage. But Thinkific is different than most in this regard.
Despite being straightforward, it enables users to have an engaging online presence. Furthermore, the online course hosting platform allows a hundred percent transparent white labeling.
That means you’ll have a subdomain or main domain (if you get the premium plan) on Thinkific, but your trainees will not have to signup via the portal’s main page related to an online course. Simply put, learners will have a direct route to your course; hence enjoy a much superior and seamless customer experience.
The course categorization on Thinkific is as clear as day which is not available in LinkedIn learning. When you go on to publish content, the forum offers you different templates to choose from, where you will add your course.
For instance, your goal is to upload digital downloads at the moment, and then move on to the actual course.
On Thinkific, you’ll not have to search the entire portal to find the location to add just downloads; you can find it on the course dashboard showcased in plain view due to its proper web development.
The payment program for an online course that Thinkific offers is fast and direct due robust technical skills of its developers which most course creators ignore. It uses PayPal and Stripe for instant transactions, allowing users to pay online or receive payments in real-time.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Thinkific
Thinkific is pretty rewarding for the amount of money it charges in exchange for all the core features just like any good online business, but that comes with quite a few technical costs. For starters, the course design is uninspiring and not at all engaging.
Online courses tend to have a high attrition rate, which means content creators need to have an appealing yet seamless flow to their lessons to better their retention chances.
But with the very basic online course design that the digital learning platform (e.g. LinkedIn learning) provides, keeping students engrossed in the coursework can be challenging. Similarly, the signup pages can be pretty drab for some customers.
Aside from that, the quizzes generated on the portal are generic that don’t do much to assess a course’s performance.
Moreover, the option of adding upsell offers related to an online course is complicated some users might find deterring and ultimately give up on it altogether.
Extra Features
Although Thinkific being one of the best online course platforms, is easy to use from the get-go, it provides in-depth tutorials for every aspect of using the digital platform.
Whether you want to set up a classroom or just upload electronic course material in an online course, you can do it by simply following the videos available on Thinkific.
Buying Advice
A simple interface, multiple paid plans, and a free trial to get the taste of operations on the platform-these are just some core features of Thinkific that make it an option worth considering.
Although we have classified our previous picks as ideal or suitable for beginners, we believe Thinkific is probably the best in any online course, online school or online school website for those first-timers that are new to the internet world. It looks like they have unlimited courses due to high number of courses there.
Many old school teachers are often hesitant to try the modern teaching style, aka digital coaching, because they are uncertain about their tech skills, but with this online course platform, those individuals can also dip their toes into the emerging industry, thanks to the elaborate tutorials available on the forum.
Further reading: Thinkific review.
4.6
Thinkific
- Create, market & sell your own online courses.
- Custom courses for your own brand!
3. LearnDash
Featured specs:
Price: As Word press plugin for a single site is $199/y, the plugin for 10 websites is $399/y, and the plugin for unlimited sites is $799/y. Full course hosted on Learndash $29/y and $299/y.
- Ease of Use: The platform is designed to be user-friendly, and it is easy to navigate.
- Flexibility in terms of pacing and structure of the course
- Highly scalable in terms of creating courses for a small number of students or a large number of students.
- Robust course Creation Tools that make it easy to create high-quality courses.
- Easy-to-use course Management Tools (course calendar, a course grade book, and a course management system, and a wide range of reports that can be used to track student progress and performance.
- Student Engagement Tools (forums, chat rooms, and social media integration.
What I like & dislike about LearnDash
LearnDash is one of the most popular WordPress LMS plugins on the market. It’s a powerful, feature-rich tool that can help you create and sell online courses.
One of the main benefits that I like about using LearnDash as a wordpress lms plugin is its flexibility. Unlike other LMS plugins, LearnDash doesn’t force you to use a specific online course format or structure. You can decide how you want to organize and deliver your course content, and LearnDash will accommodate your needs. This flexibility makes LearnDash as a wordpress lms plugin an ideal solution for both experienced online course makers and those just getting started.
Another advantage of any online course in LearnDash as a wordpress lms plugin is its robust feature set. The plugin includes everything you need to create and sell courses, including the ability to accept payments, track learner progress, marketing and sales tools, and provide certificates of completion. And if you need more features, there are plenty of add-ons available to extend the functionality of the plugin.
LearnDash also comes with built-in integrations for popular WordPress course plugins like WooCommerce and Gravity Forms, which makes it easy to add advanced features to any online course without having to code them yourself.
Finally, LearnDash is backed by a team of developers or mobile app developers who are constantly working on new features and improvements related to any online course, service delivery, and in online course software or mobile app. This means that you can be confident to create and sell online courses that the plugin will continue to evolve and meet your needs as your business grows.
Overall, LearnDash is an impressive WordPress LMS plugin with a lot to offer.
Learndash also offers course hosting on their site. This starts at $29/y for a single site and goes up to $299/y for an unlimited number of sites.
This includes:
- Access to all features and integrations to create and sell online courses
- Course hosting on a secure, proper transaction fees mechanism, reliable, and scalable platform
- One-click backups
Drawbacks - what I dislike about LearnDash
While Learndash has many great features, there are also some drawbacks that I have found.
One of the biggest disadvantages is that it can be difficult to keep track of progress. For example, if a learner completes a lesson but does not mark it as complete in Learndash, it can be hard to know which lessons have been completed and which ones still need to be worked on.
Additionally, Learndash does not always provide the most accurate information about a learner’s progress. For instance, if a learner completes a quiz but gets a low score, Learndash may still show that quiz as incomplete. This can be frustrating for learners who are trying to track their own progress.
Finally, Learndash can be an expensive course platform. While the cost varies depending on the features you want, it is generally more expensive than other learning management systems.
Extra Features
In addition to the features already mentioned, LearnDash also offers a few extra features that can be beneficial for certain users.
For example, if you have a large course (e.g. unlimited courses) with many different sections, you can use the course outline feature to help your students navigate through the material. This can be especially helpful if your course is ever updated or changed, as it will allow you to quickly update the outline without having to go through and change each individual lesson.
Additionally, LearnDash as the best online course option and robust online course marketplace also offers support for certificates, proper transaction fees mechanism and badges, which can be a great way to encourage and motivate your students.
With these extra features related to any online course, LearnDash provides even more flexibility as a course platform through its course website to sell online courses and options for creating an engaging and effective learning experience which is not present in most online course platforms.
LearnDash includes support for forums in its online course software for any online course, standalone courses, gamification, completion certificates, and more.
Buying Advice
Learndash is one of the most popular online learning management systems for any online course on the market just like affiliate program. Just a few clicks on your course will do wonders. It is used by both small businesses, any online business, and large companies alike.
Learndash is known for its ease of use and its ability to create beautiful, engaging courses which courses individually exhibit. However, before you decide to purchase learndash, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
First, learndash is a subscription-based service, which means you will need to or students pay a monthly fee for any online course to use it.
Third, learndash does not offer a free trial as many courses offer, so you will need to decide if it is the right platform for you before you commit to it.
Keeping these things in mind, learndash can be an excellent choice for those looking for an easy-to-use and powerful learning management system
Further reading: LearnDash review.
4.6
LearnDash
Looking for a learning management system for WordPress?
Look no further.
4. Podia
Featured specs:
Price: Mover package- $39/month, Shaker package-$79/month
Features:
- Three-way avenues of earning and learning center and multiple digital products
- Affordable plans in a course platform, effective student management
- Custom domain, Best course materials, Opportunity to create video based courses, A source of powerful online courses, Proper online course website
- Built-in email marketing tools, proper membership resource library, best online training platforms
- Highly responsive customer service, Proper website builder, robust marketing features
- Online payment through PayPal or Stripe- Best online course business
- Bundle offers with unlimited courses to teach online courses
- No transaction fee,
- Customer relationship management tools
Benefits - what I like about Podia
Podia is the best online course platform for hosting communities and right online course platform for youngers who start selling online courses. It could have easily been the top choice if it is your first online course.
Nevertheless, podia are certainly the second-best online class platform across the board, and rightly so.
Podia, being the best online course marketplace, offers a wide range of features and, more importantly, gives the user opportunities to make money on three fronts simultaneously which makes it one of the best online course platforms. Many users are roped into the world of podia because of its three money-making modules.
Not many online course portals offer users multiple avenues for making money; most only allow course creation and hosting.
But on podia, you get to create content, customize it, sell it, run an online shop to market digital downloads, can have almost unlimited paid courses, and have a membership site to stock everything in one place.
When working with other online course platforms, users are forced to use additional forums if they want to do more than just sell a class in a course platform.
In comparison to those digital training mediums, podia offer a lot more and that, too, via an incredibly simple interface, offers smooth online course builder, users who do not have a background in information technology can navigate the platform seamlessly.
If this multi-product marketing wasn’t enough of an incentive, the online courses platform provides a bundle feature to its users that enables them to group more than one product to attract a much more significant number of trainees at a time.
Moreover, the option of upselling lets users incentivize learners by adding additional products to the deal.
In sum, podia not only provides three avenues for profit-making but also gives users opportunities to make even bigger profits on top of that by using bundle deals and upsell programs.
Like the portal’s interface, its payment system is also unbelievably easy to navigate of this online course marketplace. You can pay the charges and receive your earnings conveniently using PayPal or Stripe.
These two online payment service forums are integrated into podia so that users aren’t redirected to another site when making a transaction.
Last of all, if users face difficulty at any point when using Podia, a 24/7 available response team will guide them away from the stumbling block.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Podia
As we mentioned earlier, Podia has a few drawbacks that bring its value down, making it the second-best platform for online courses.
Firstly, though the forum offers more than one way of making money, it doesn’t have a comprehensive set of features that facilitate superior customization. Secondly, for the lack of customization tools, the money Podia charges can be quite steep.
And lastly, if you are looking for a far-reaching email marketing system embedded into your online training forum just like an affiliate program, then podia is not the right choice for you.
The platform’s emailing system isn’t too extensive and only accesses a handful of users; therefore, it is not too useful for someone looking to grow their consumer base
Extra Features
Aside from the multi-dimensional money-making opportunities, what sets podia apart from many other online course platforms is the quiz-adding feature. Users get to add quizzes to their online content, thereby having the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of their class.
By knowing their course’s efficacy or the lack thereof, a user can tweak the content accordingly to make it more engaging and effective for the trainees
Buying advice
For non-technical people, who do not have the expertise to tackle the complicated interfaces of any online course or digital products but wish to run an online class, Podia is inarguably the best choice.
Its unbelievably easy-to-use software system makes creating and marketing content a piece of cake for anyone.
All the platform’s features are displayed on the main dashboard accompanied by super easy-to-follow instructions so that novices aren’t deterred by the elaborate labyrinth of features that many digital learning forums showcase.
If you are starting out your journey as an online coach, podia will serve you best
Further reading: Podia review.
4.6
Podia
- Build your website
- Sell your course
- Grow your community and brand
5. Skool
Featured specs:
Price: 14 days free trial, one pricing model $99/month everything included.
Features:
- A user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and find the courses you’re looking for.
- Auto affiliate – up to 40% commission
Offers a variety of courses and programs that are designed to meet the needs of learners of all levels. - Email broadcasts, email marketing, creation platforms, proper course builder, robust marketing features
- Gamification in a course platform
- Chat, create draft courses, proper learning curve notifications, easy online course creation proper transaction fees mechanism, and profiles
- Skool provides proper course curriculum even for a mini course and a supportive community building for learners, where they can interact with other students and get help from instructors when needed.
- Skool is constantly innovating and adding new features to its platform to improve the learning experience for its existing audience
Benefits - what I like about Skool
Skool, being the best online course option, has many benefits that appeal to me as a course creator. First of all, Skool among all online course platforms is the most user-friendly, has smooth course creation process, and the easiest to navigate just like your own private membership site.
The interface is simple and straightforward, and I love that I can easily customize the look and feel of my courses. And anyone would want to create create unlimited courses here.
Additionally, Skool as a course platform provides a great variety of features and tools that allow me to create truly interactive and engaging courses. For example, I can easily add video, audio, and other multimedia content to my courses, and I can also create quizzes, polls, and surveys to help my students learn more effectively.
Moreover, Skool as a course platform has a single plan i.e. $99/month which is affordable, looking at the features it is offering.
The gamification feature of Skool is also a great way to keep my students engaged in their own courses and motivated. With this feature, they can earn badges and points as they progress through their courses, which makes learning more fun and enjoyable.
Skool also has proper transaction fees mechanism and offers a 14-days trial which is great as a course platform for someone who wants to try the platform.
Overall, Skool has numerous advantages that make it an appealing option for me as a course creator
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Skool
Skool as an online course creator has some disadvantages that should be considered before signing up for the service.
One negative point is that Skool courses tend to be more expensive than other online course options. The fixed plan of $99 per month might not suit a course creator selling a small one course.
Additionally, Skool as a course platform offers a limited selection of courses, so it may not be the best option for learners who are looking for a specific type of course.
Skool’s customer service has been criticized by some users, so it is important to consider whether or not Skool is the right fit before enrolling in a course
What’s new?
Skool is always expanding and updating its features to provide the best possible experience for coaching services, course makers and students. Some of the new features available on the platform include:
- Improved search functionality, making it easier to find the right courses for your needs;
- A new “My Courses” page where you can easily access and manage all of the courses you’ve created;
- Improved course creation tools, including a new drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to add new content;
- A new and improved “Statistics” page where you can track your courses’ performance and see how your students are doing
These are just some of the new features available on Skool. With constant updates and improvements.
Buying Advice
If you’re looking for buying advice, there are a few things you should know about the Skool platform before selling courses.
First, it’s one of the most straightforward, simple, robust course site, proper transaction fees mechanism, and easy-to-use other platforms out there. It’s used by many individuals as well as organizations worldwide.
However, there are also a few drawbacks to using Skool. First, it can be expensive.
Second, it doesn’t have as many features as some of the other platforms out there.
Finally, some people find its interface to be confusing and difficult to use
Overall, though, Skool is a great platform for course creation and definitely worth considering if you’re looking for the best option.
4.0
Skool
Build and Sell Online Courses! Use your skills and knowledge to create a profitable course today. Powerful yet simple platform
6. Kajabi
Featured specs:
Price: Basic Plan – $149/month ($119/mo paid annually), Growth Plan – $199/month ($159/mo paid annually), Pro Plan – $399/month ($319/mo paid annually)
Features:
- A comprehensive set of features- all in one online platform
- Edge of emailing, student engagement
- Encrypted video hosting, flexible payment options
- Proper learning management system, online school, proper transaction fees mechanism
- A straightforward electronic payment protocol
- Regular software, proper checkout pages, good course builder, easy online course creation and feature updates
- Best all-in-one platform
- Website Builder in a course platform for all online course marketplaces
- Easy, multilevel membership system.
- Secure domain, create coupons facility, fully encrypted
- No transaction fee on unlimited courses
Benefits - what I like about Kajabi
Kajabi as a course platform is undoubtedly the best online training platform, course builder, as well as the best online course option on the internet. Its unbelievably easy to use, yet a comprehensive set of features make it the top choice of many online trainers and of any online course business.
The forum has generated $1 billion in sales for over 20,000 content creators worldwide. If that’s not a testament to Kajabi’s brilliance, nothing else can ever be.
On Kajabi, a course host not only gets to sell their content but also market it as they please. Moreover, if someone wishes to grow their consumer base, they can do that as well on the same platform. Simply put, users get to create, sell, market their course just like an affiliate program, and build their class size in one place.
Not just that, the electronic system also sends out customized automated emails to subscribers and potential clients separately, which means people already a member will receive a specific message, and those on the portal’s mailing list will receive a different message copy.
This feature allows Kajabi users to streamline their marketing content, cohort-based courses, host online courses, and target students differently to increase course sales, thereby improving their chances of getting more people enrolled in a particular course and making it best all in one platform.
Another aspect that makes Kajabi immensely user-friendly is its straightforward payment program. The online course portal comes with fully integrated PayPal and Stripe services, enabling users to conveniently pay and receive earnings without getting redirected to another domain.
Considering the endless benefits related to selling courses (e.g. cohort-based courses) that the forum offers, anyone can make out that Kajabi is one of the most prominent players in the course websites family and all-in-one online platform.
But it wouldn’t be a front runner in the world of electronic training if not for the incredibly talented IT team that works valiantly to keep the site updated, offering users up-to-the-minute features for improved customer experience.
Furthermore, the website builder featured on Kajabi provides online teachers to create a custom URL or use a theme for their webpage to build their brand and all-in-one online courses.
Plus, the multi-tier membership program gives trainers the freedom to choose the level that suits their needs and doesn’t strain the bank.
All these magnificent features, along with complete freedom of content customization and branding at varied rates, rightfully make Kajabi all in one platform and the creme of the crop of all the online course platforms.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Kajabi
Although Kajabi doesn’t have any flaws per se that would render the platform disadvantageous in any sense, its pricing is considered a little unreasonable by some users, despite the different levels of membership.
In addition, some people could also complain about the difference in services offered at the different tier levels.
But that’s not, in any way, malpractice on the platform’s part because every business in the world provides varying quality, proper transaction fees mechanism, and number of services based on the charges received.
Extra Features
One of the most common concerns raised with online course hosting channels is the dependency on other video sites for making visual content for a course.
But that’s not an issue with Kajabi because it uses a customized portal, thanks to its collaboration with Software Company, Wistia. Wistia is known for creating and sharing videos for businesses that are circulated only among members.
That means the multimedia shared with the tools provided by Wistia remains among only those who are given access to the material. Anyone who isn’t part of the inner circle cannot get to the graphic files uploaded on Kajabi.
Buying Advice
Advance, rife with online tools for content creation and distribution, unbelievably secure and simple, Kajabi is certainly a digital teaching platform that’s worth trying.
If you are a beginner, you need to get all the help you can get, which is exactly what Kajabi will provide you; therefore, consider investing your money in Kajabi related to selling courses
More reading: Kajabi review.
4.0
Kajabi
Kajabi is an all one solution to getting started!
7. New Zenler
Featured specs:
Price: Two packages: $67/month and $197/month. There is a sale on annual plans you can grab now. Both plans offer zero transaction fees.
Features:
- Interactive Courses for online community with seamless PowerPoint Conversion
- Drag and Drop Quiz creator
- Powerful Automations – Depending on what actions your site’s users take, you can set up emails and sequences accordingly.
- Marketing Funnels -Create successful marketing campaigns quickly to increase course sales and easily with our pre-made, email marketing, high-converting email funnels.
- Membership Sites, robust course builder, proper transaction fees mechanism, and Proper learning management system
- Community- With Community, you can create a social network-style discussion board right on your course or membership site. This way, your users can connect and discuss with each other without having to leave your site.
- Drip Scheduling has a clearly defined learning path
- Custom Domains- and relevant all-in-one online features
Benefits - what I like about New Zenler
Zenler offers everything you need to create, market, and sell courses online just like affiliate program or your own membership site, without having to hire expensive designers or developers which is not present in all online course platforms. Plus, our community forums are a great resource for finding answers and connecting with other the best online course marketplaces.
Create courses through smooth online course builder, track students’ progress, and add interactive videos, audio files, PDFs, PPTs, quizzes surveys and downloads–all easily. You can even create live videos (coming soon). Plus: Create bundles & membership sites / Visualize your course funnel for improved conversions.
Set your prices however you want- one time courses, zero transaction fees, subscription paid plans, free trials, payment/installment plans, tiered pricing for different access levels to courses/bundles, one-click upsells… the list goes on.
Email automation has never been easier! With New Zenler’s built-in email sequence feature, you can send emails to your students based on triggers like enrollment, course completion, lesson completion, and more. Plus, the platform got pre-loaded high-converting email blueprints that are sure to nurture your students and keep them engaged.
There are many benefits to using New Zenler as a course creator for online community. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it is extremely user-friendly and easy to use. This means that you can create courses quickly and easily, without spending hours wrestling with complex software.
Additionally, New Zenler as a course platform provides a number of helpful features, such as the ability to track student progress, smooth coaching programs, smooth mobile app builder and performance. This is extremely useful for ensuring that students are actually learning the material, and for identifying areas where they may need additional help.
Finally, New Zenler courses look great and are all in one online course which make it eminent among all the best online course platforms. This means that your students are more likely to actually enjoy taking the course and to stick with it until they reach the end.
Overall, there are many reasons why New Zenler as a course platform is an excellent choice for anyone looking to create online courses which put it into the list of best online learning platforms and all in one solution.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about New Zenler
One of the main drawbacks is the high cost of using the platform. In order to list a course on New Zenler, creators must pay a listing. This can make it very expensive to sell courses on the platform, especially if they are not popular.
Additionally, New Zenler takes a hands-off approach to course creation, which means that creators are responsible for all aspects of their courses, including marketing, email marketing and customer support. This can be very daunting for new or inexperienced course makers.
Another disadvantage of New Zenler is that it doesn’t have any existing website themes. This means that creators must build their own websites from scratch in order to sell their courses. This can be very time-consuming.
Email marketing tools are limited. You can use the existing email automation and email marketing tool but it’s not as intuitive or customizable as other software on the market.
Finally, the New Zenler platform among all online teaching platforms is still in its early stages of development, which means that it is subject to change and may not be as reliable as other platforms.
Additionally, New Zenler is a fairly new company, which means that there is still some room for improvement in terms of features and functionality. However, the team is actively working on adding new features and making improvements.
Overall, while New Zenler has some potential advantages for course creators, there are also some significant drawbacks that should be considered before using the platform
What’s New
New Zenler has introduced live classes, live lessons, proper data science, live webinars, interactive elements, live interactive webinars & live stream for selling courses. If you’re looking to create an immersive experience for your students or customers, New Zenler provides the perfect platform.
With up to 500 video participants and 49 on-screen videos, as well as features like built-in chat, screen sharing, security, whiteboards, and more, you can be sure that your audience will be engaged from start to finish.
Buying Advice
Are you thinking of buying New Zenler for course creation? Here are some things to keep in mind that will help you make the best decision for your needs.
First, consider what kinds of courses you want to create. If you just need a few simple courses with basic functionality, then New Zenler may be a good fit. However, if you need more advanced features, such as robust marketing or digital marketing tools, drip scheduling, extensive track student progress, and alike you may want to look at other options.
Second, think about how much time and effort you’re willing to put into creating your courses. New Zenler is a fairly easy platform to use, but it will still take some time and effort to create quality courses.
Finally, consider your budget. New Zenler is a fairly affordable option, but there are cheaper solutions out there. Weigh all of these factors carefully before making your decision.
8. Ruzuku
Featured specs:
Price: Free $0, unlimited course creation and option of enrolling 5 students, $99/month – unlimited students, $199/month, custom domain + multiple instructors account. Annual subscriptions have discounts.
Features:
- Create free courses
- Courses on demand and courses with drip content
- Live (scheduled calendar-based) courses with automatic email notifications
- Integrate with Mailchimp, email marketing
- Host and display PDFs, Word, PPT, and other files
- with multiple forms of support such as Phone, Skype, Email, Facebook Group, Knowledge Base, sales and marketing tools, Training Courses and Tutorials
- Simple, powerful course management
Benefits - what I like about Ruzuku
There are many benefits to using New Ruzuku as a course creator. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it is very user-friendly and easy to use which make is prominent in online course platforms. Even if you have no previous experience in creating online courses, you will be able to use New Ruzuku with ease.
You can start with zero fees, it is one of the best parts and even enrolls up to 5 students. This thing let you kickstart the project. You can buy their paid subscription as soon as you start getting students.
Another great benefit of New Ruzuku is that it offers a wide range of features and tools which allow you to create professional-looking courses just like at your own website. You can also easily customize your courses to suit your specific needs and requirements which are essential for selling online courses.
Additionally, New Ruzuku is the one online course platform that provides excellent customer support, so you can be sure that help is always on hand if you need it. Overall, there are many advantages to using New Ruzuku as your course creation platform, making it an ideal choice for anyone who wants to create online courses.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Ruzuku
There are limited customization options available on Ruzuku. Teleconferences and webinars can only accommodate a small number of students, and email is the only reliable customer support channel.
The design of the course is complex and takes up most time. Creating the teacher-facing side can be tedious, but once created, it’s easy for students to navigate the virtual classroom.
Limited Integrations: Only Google Calendar, MailChimp, and Zapier.
Some certifications and quiz options on Ruzuku are paid add-ons, which is a downside.
What’s New
Ruzuku’s recent updates include the Course Health Feature, which monitors a student’s progress and engagement in the form of completion rates and comments.
This data is available for assessment on both a course-wide or lesson-by-lesson basis which gives it significant position among all other online learning platforms.
Another great feature is that you can host a teleconference with slides and group chat, as well as automatic recording.
Buying Advice
If you’re considering buying the Ruzuku course creation platform, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, Ruzuku is a comprehensive platform that offers a wide range of features and tools for creating courses. However, it is among one of the more expensive options on the market. So if you’re on a tight budget, Ruzuku may not be the best choice for you.
Second, Ruzuku is designed for experienced online educators who are comfortable using complex tools and features. If you’re new to online teaching, you may find Ruzuku to be overwhelming.
Finally, keep in mind that Ruzuku offers a free trial period, so you can try out the platform before making a commitment. Ultimately, whether or not Ruzuku is right for you depends on your needs and budget
More reading: Ruzuku review.
9. Mighty Networks
Featured specs:
Price: Beginners $33/month, Business plan $99/month, Mighty pro plan Contact Mighty Networks. With an annual plan, you will save two months of fees.
Features:
- Sell bundles or individual courses & memberships
- Compelling landing pages
- Activity Feed, Proper learning management system
- Member directory of this online course platform
- Easy creation of articles, polls & quizzes, events, groups, etc.
- Event post publishing
- Popular payment integrations, sales pages
- Many options of built in marketing tools for digital marketing integrations
Benefits - what I like about Mighty Networks
There are many benefits of using Mighty Networks as a course creator which enlist it as one of the best online course platforms. First, Networks is the one online course platform that allows you to create courses that are interactive and engaging just like your own website. Students can participate in discussions, post comments, and receive feedback from their peers.
Additionally, This platform makes it easy to keep track of your student’s progress and grades.
You can also easily add content to your courses, such as interactive videos, articles, and quizzes.
Finally, Mighty Networks offers a variety of tools to help you promote and sell your courses on online learning platforms. You can use the platform to create an impressive landing page, drive traffic through social media, and accept payments from students.
With Mighty Networks, you can create your own online community that’s accessible on all major other platforms including the web, iOS, and Android
- Download member data like emails with ease
- Create engaging Articles, Posts, Polls, and Events to get members interested
Moreover, you can create and manage three types of courses on the Mighty Network platform: content-only, private community, paid community or live course. For the latter, you’ll get 24/7 access to course content and community Zoom sessions.
Another option that I like is you can choose to Charge for access to your main Mighty Network or make it free and charge for the online courses, groups, or combinations of online courses or groups of a one-time payment or an annual subscription.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Mighty Networks
There are a few drawbacks of Mighty Networks as a course creator.
Mighty Networks lacks native support for regular video and live video. This can be a bit of a hindrance, as it can be difficult to embed videos from other platforms into Mighty Networks. However, the platform does offer a number of integrations with other tools that can help you overcome this issue.
While this platform does have a lot of great features, it lacks some of the more advanced features that other course builders offer. This includes things like quizzes and certificates, which can be important for gauging student success and incentivizing students to complete courses.
Mighty Networks offers a variety of tools to help you promote and sell your courses. However, one area where it falls short is in design options for building landing pages. You’re limited to a few templates, which may not be customizable enough for your needs. Additionally, there’s no drag-and-drop editor, so creating a custom landing page can be difficult.
Mighty Networks does not support PayPal, a popular online payment processing service among all online learning platforms. This can be a drawback for those looking to use the platform to sell courses. While this platform does have a variety of other payment processing options, this is one area where it falls short compared to other course builders or native course builder.
Doesn’t have SSO integration with other course platforms. Solution: Mighty Networks also doesn’t have SSO integration with other course platforms, so transferring all your students over to your new Mighty Network can be difficult.
What’s New
The platform has recently undergone a major update, adding a number of new features (e.g free plan) that will be of interest to course creators. One of the most significant new additions is the ability to create membership levels within a Mighty Network. Therefore, selling online courses becomes easy here. This means that course creators can now offer tiered pricing models, with different levels of access and content available at each level.
Finally, the platform’s new landing pages feature makes it easy to promote and sell courses directly from Mighty Networks. With these new features, this platform is cementing its position as one of the best platforms for online courses.
Mighty Courses makes it easy for teams to arrange and store courses, create sales pages, media files, and custom topics- making it simpler to locate and use information.
Buying Advice
Mighty Networks offers a number of great features, including the ability to create membership levels and integrate with Zapier. Additionally, the platform’s new course landing pages feature makes it easy to promote and sell courses directly from Mighty Networks.
If you’re looking for a platform that offers a lot of flexibility and customization options, then Mighty Networks may not be the best fit. Additionally, if you’re looking for advanced features like proper course content quizzes and certificates, then this platform may not be the best option. However, if you’re looking for a platform that is easy to use and offers a wide range of features, then this is a great choice.
Moreover, also consider how large your courses are. If you have a lot of content or members, then the Mighty Network plan provides extra storage and bandwidth that could come in handy.
Finally, consider your budget. The Mighty Network business plan is more expensive than the Beginners plan, so it’s important to weigh the cost against the benefits before making a decision
More reading: Mighty Networks Review.
10. Academy Of Mine
Featured specs:
Price: Essentials $599/month, Professional $999/month, Enterprise – Contact Academy of Min to get a quotation. Every package comes with the option of a free trial.
Features:
- Scale to any number of users
- Create a unique eLearning brand on this great online course platform by incorporating your logo, preferred colors, and other personalization options.
- Variety of content options Text for course builder, PDF, Free Plan, Video, SCORM, HTML and Various Content
- Advanced Reporting, course content, sales pages
- Live Webinars on this online course platform
- SCORM 2004 and SCORM 1.2 compliant
- This online course platform offers Integrated eCommerce, free plan, drip courses, best landing pages, robust course builder mechanism, email marketing, Proper transaction fees mechanism
- Detailed Audit Logs of Activity better than all other online learning platforms.
- Group onboarding makes it simple to bring on entire organizations (internal or external) by allowing representatives from those groups to manage the students.
- Integrate with Stripe, Authorize.net, or Braintree by PayPal to have a custom payment gateway set up for your business.
- Dedicated Server & Hosting
The target market for this platform is small to mid-size businesses that offer professional development, internal training, continuing education, or certification programs. The industries served include health care, finance, sales legal human resources safety training employee/customer Training B2B.b v
Benefits - what I like about Academy Of Mine
The Academy of Mine platform being the best online course option provides a number of benefits for clients operating on a large scale such as academies, colleges, or even universities. Selling online courses becomes easy here. The enterprise clients can execute a complete onboarding of their current employees to this platform and expect to receive the highest quality training, proper transaction fees mechanism, and support when using the Academy of Mine platform.
Academy of Mine easily allows your business to expand as your customer base expands (i-e on google analytics) which makes it eminent among all the best online course platforms. The charing is per Active User, with a limit that can be adjusted if necessary. An Active User is anyone who logs in and takes a course within 365 days.
The Academy of Mine is the one online course platform that certainly comes among the best online course choices as it not only provides education material in various module formats, but they also present it all in an immersive view. Plus, each module has its own specific capabilities.
Another benefit of this platform is interactive modules like quizzes, free plan, assignments, and discussions let you evaluate and test your students’ knowledge. You can ask them to answer questions in different formats, submit assignments according to your specifications, and take part in discussions with the instructor and their peers. You can also optionally add evaluations/surveys in a course to collect feedback.
The best monitoring and analytics tools evaluate course progress and online learning at different levels, from high-level overviews of all students across all courses to more granular details on how a specific student progressed in one particular course. These tools also provide visual reports that can be exported, covering eCommerce trends as well as data on SCORM content integration (if applicable).
In addition, you can create pages on your LMS that are visible to people who aren’t logged in. This way, you can market your platform and its content to future students or organizations.
Set up Single Sign-On (SSO) with other applications. Google SSO, OAuth 2.0 and SAML 2.0 protocols are supported.
Drawbacks - what I dislike about Academy Of Mine
The Academy of Mine is a comprehensive but complex platform for online learning, which may be overkill for businesses with simpler training needs.
Some users have reported that the Academy of Mine customer support is not as responsive as they would like especially for free plan.
After using it was found that the platform was difficult to learn, however, they were transparent from the start about that issue. In addition, they helped me see how it would be worth my while to spend more time learning upfront so that I wouldn’t have issues later on.
Academy of Mind is a bit more expensive than other platforms, but you do get what you pay for in terms of features and functionality.
One of the strange drawbacks of Academy of Mine is its Inability to upload multiple files without using a zip file. Another issue is of third-party integrations within the course or drip courses. The Academy of Mine version of this problem states that it could create a less cohesive experience for learners. If too much content from different sources is integrated into a course.
In addition, Third-party integration can also add cost and complexity to the development and maintenance of a course. Therefore, when considering too many Third-party integrations, the platform might not be a good fit.
What’s New
The Academy of Mine team recently announces some new features for course creators (e.g. free plan) and online learning.
The new editor makes it easier than ever to add and format content as per google analytics, while the new engagement tools help course creators encourage student participation. In addition, the new grade book provides an overview of student progress, and the new analytics tool gives you insights into how your courses are being used.
With these new features, it’s easier than ever to create high-quality online courses that engage students.
Buying Advice
I won’t recommend it to individual course creators. However, any business which wants to improve its online presence should buy an Academy of Mine subscription. As the world increasingly moves online, it is essential for businesses to have a strong presence on the internet.
Academy of Mine subscription or its free plan will give businesses the provision to create their own custom courses and share them with their employees. With its comprehensive suite of features, Academy of Mine is the perfect solution for businesses that want to improve their online presence.
More reading: Academy Of Mine Review.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Course Platforms
What is an online course platform?
An online course platform is a software application that enables educators to create, manage and deliver online courses. These platforms provide a variety of tools and features that can help educators create engaging and effective online courses. They are great ways to sell online courses Additionally, many platforms offer built-in support for multimedia content, as well as tools for assessing student success.
What are the benefits of using an online course platform?
To sell online courses, there are a number of benefits to using an online course platform, including:
- Access to a large customer base, effective sales pages.
- Ease of use: Many platforms are easy to use for online learning as well as free plan, with a simple interface that makes it easy to create and manage courses or drip courses.
- Multimedia support: Most platforms support multimedia content, including videos, images and audio files. This can help make courses more engaging and effective.
- Assessment tools: Many platforms include assessment tools that can help educators track student success and identify areas of improvement even in its free plan.
- Seamless integration: Most platforms integrate smoothly with a variety of other applications and tools, making it easy to share content and collaborate with other educators.
What are the drawbacks of using an online course platform?
One of the biggest problems with online courses is that they can be quite isolating. Unlike in a traditional classroom setting, where students can interact with each other and their instructors on a regular basis, online learners often feel disconnected from their peers and teachers. This can make it difficult to stay motivated and engaged with the material.
Additionally, online courses often require a high level of self-discipline and motivation. Without a set class schedule or regular interaction with instructors and classmates, it can be easy to procrastinate or lose focus on the task at hand.
Finally, another drawback of online courses is that they tend not to offer the same level of feedback and support as a traditional course. If you run into trouble understanding a concept or completing an assignment, you may not have anyone to turn to for help. For these reasons, it is important to carefully consider whether an online course is right for you before enrolling.
What Should You Look For in an Online Course Platform?
While offering abundant options to a user, the diverse array of digital training platforms makes the very process of making a choice rather complicated. When people have numerous alternatives, they can get baffled, trying to choose one that will best serve their needs.
Thus, naturally, when looking to create an online course platform, users, especially ones just starting in the industry, can go cross-eyed without even coming to a decision.
Considering the struggle people face when searching for a forum to sell online courses, we decided to simplify the process.
There are four types of online course platforms, each one better suited for a particular job. Figuring out the kind of hosting service that will work best for your needs is the job half-done.
Based on the category, choosing a platform banner becomes a piece of cake. You can easily do so by going over online reviews, considering price plans, and the quality of customer experience.
The four types of online course platforms are:
Standalone Platforms
Standalone electronic learning platforms are specifically designed for small businesses or entrepreneurs looking for a comprehensive forum to host online classes.
They provide users with everything related to digital training. From course creation and customization to site-building and a digital download store, standalone platforms have every device necessary for a successful online coaching business.
WordPress Plug-In Online Platforms
A WordPress plugin online platform offers tools that can create a course and sell it on an already existing WordPress website just like affiliate program management. It is certainly a great pathway to sell online courses.
Such digital portals are ideal for experienced online trainers as they don’t need to worry about creating a market for their brand because the chances will be that they already have one.
WordPress plugin platforms are inexpensive and often have a one-off fee for a lifetime of use. But, as mentioned earlier, using those requires substantial technical expertise that typically comes from years of practice.
Marketplace Online Course Platforms
Marketplace online course platforms feature all the tools needed to create and sell a course on the virtual landscape without having to develop a market beforehand.
Beginners who do not have a consumer base benefit the most from such forums as they get to distribute content online to an already established market. But working to impress an existing consumer base means compromising on profits.
Since such portals shelf courses of numerous creators, there is no guarantee that the consumer will select yours. Hence, the profitability is often unpredictable with marketplace online course platforms
All-In-One Platforms
All in all, platforms are like standalone platforms but with some additional tools. In standalone online training systems, you get to create and sell a course and build a site, but you don’t have the functionality to market your products.
Marketing is essential to have a successful online training school.
Although some platforms do the job for you, doing it yourself is much better and gives you full control over the strategy. If you want to be responsible for your online teaching business from top to bottom, an all-in-all platform will be perfect for you.
Once you are clear about the features you need, you can pick a category. And after that choosing, a brand will be pretty straightforward. Read the reviews and analyze which portal is most likely to serve you best, and then go for it.
One piece of advice we’d like to share is that always start with a forum that offers free trials. Using a free plan will help you get the lay of the land a bit so that you can decide whether you want to continue on the same platform or switch to another one.
Your Budgeting And Pricing Concern
One of the main concerns people have after putting up their course on a digital platform is setting a price.
Charging a reasonable yet profitable amount for your content can be tricky as you need to make up the cost and leave room for profit. When setting a price for a course, the first thing you need to see is how much of your profit will be taken by the hosting platform.
For instance, if you are using Udemy, you’ll have to share 50% of your revenue with them. Hence, you must set a price that gives you enough margin to share. Next, examine the transformational value of your content. How impactful do you think your course will be?
If you believe it will make a substantial difference between a student’s knowledge before and after enrollment, then you shouldn’t be afraid to charge.
Lastly, if at some point, you feel you are not getting enough leaners, you can adjust the price accordingly and see if it works. Remember, you are the boss here, so you get to decide how much your product will cost.
Outside Third-Party Integration
A well-designed online course platform must have the following four integrations for a seamless and superior customer experience.
- Video conferencing tools for essential visual assistance during lessons or to create an online course.
- Single sign-on for authentication and authorization.
- Javascript powers the modern web; therefore, for a platform to stay well connected with all web services, it must have JavaScript.
- API and Plugins to control the forum programmatically and seamlessly integrate third-party codes and applications to the platform.
- Having provisions for third-party integrations is vital for an eLearning site to offer an elaborate set of features to users
Having provisions for third-party integrations is vital for an eLearning site to offer an elaborate set of features to users.
Customer Support
A responsive customer service team is the backbone of a successful business. An online course platform that doesn’t have an active customer care team is not the right choice for an electronic education program.
You should always choose a forum with an efficient customer care program so that you can easily get any unexpected glitches resolved.
Some of the best online course platforms in terms of their customer support system are thinkific and podia.
Conclusion
And there you have it, folks, our exhaustive guide on online coaching platforms that will help you choose the best option for your teaching program.
Everything Your Need To Know About These Course Creation Platforms
Are you ready to become a course creator and share your knowledge with the World yet? To really dig deep into each platform, check out all of our posts for these top online course platforms:
- Kajabi
- Learn Dash
- Podia
- Skool
- Teachable
- Thinkific
Each platform offers unique features and pricing plans to help you create and sell your course and im here to help you narrow that decision down.
My Opinion - Top Course Platforms
If you’re looking to start creating or selling online courses, you may be wondering which platform to use.
After extensive research and testing, and feedback from expert course creators we determined the top four online course platforms for different needs.
- Teachable: Best overall online course platform
- Thinkific: Most popular for beginners, with intuitive course creation tools and a free plan option
- LearnDash: Best for WordPress, with seamless integration and advanced course customization options
- Podia: Best for hosting communities, with a user-friendly community feature and advanced customization options
