Selecting the most appropriate online course platform is crucial to expanding the number of courses you sell. When building an online course website and receiving payments, uploading videos, and communicating with students and teachers, the best online course platforms can help you out.

As a result of the acceleration of online learning due to social distancing, online course platforms are experiencing remarkable development. According to projections, the e-learning and online course business will be valued at $325 billion by 2025. What are you waiting for? Are you ready to enter this market and start making money selling online courses? You’re looking for the most effective online course platform available.
It comes down to this: you must select a platform that gives your students a personalized, professional learning experience that is so amazing that they are unaware that they are engaging with a platform.

Those of you who are unfamiliar with course platforms should know that they are browser-based solutions that can aid you in the following ways:

• Make a website for an online course you teach (or integrate your system with an existing site).
• Create sales landing pages for your items to increase their sales.
• Calculate the cost of your course and arrange for payment collection (either one-time or in installments).
• Canvas is a learning management system that allows you to upload your videos, assign assignments and quizzes, create interactive content, and communicate with your students all in one place.
• It is necessary to build membership communities.
• Organize live webinars regularly.

Best Online Course Platforms of May 2022

1. Thinkific

Thinkific is a fully integrated software solution to aid you in the production, delivery, promotion, and sale of online courses and courses-on-demand, among other things. Lastly, my friend Dorie Clark, a bestselling author with numerous books to her credit, a regular guest on the Learning Revolution podcast, and a highly bright and business-savvy lady, has strongly endorsed this platform. As a result of Dorie Clark’s use of this platform for her online classes, the platform has received a significant amount of positive feedback. However, Thinkific does not charge transaction costs on any of its plans, whether paid or free, unlike Teachable, which charges transaction fees on its free plan. Because your payment processor does not permit it, you are not currently able to provide online courses for free.)

Aside from that, I’d like to point out that the Thinkific app store is a massive advantage in distinguishing this online course platform from the vast majority of its competitors. With the app store, you will be able to swiftly and efficiently connect to a wide range of different platforms that will assist you in generating more appealing learning experiences and promoting your courses more effectively than you could otherwise. Thinkific’s Spaces feature, which enables the design of innovative cohort-based approaches, is also featured.

The pricing for Thinkific is as follows: When you upgrade to the Basic paid plan, you will gain access to an increased variety of features. The Basic paid plan starts at $49 per month (or $39 per month if you pay annually). It is worth your time to check into.

Features:

• You can create interactive material such as a movie, quizzes, surveys, downloaded lessons, and other forms of multimedia.
• It enables you to display your themes intended to be used to sell educational services.
• You have the option of specifying when the course will expire.
• Thinkific’s drag-and-drop capability allows you to arrange web-based content more effectively.
• CSS and HTML are fully supported on this platform and can be accessed entirely.
• Platforms such as Google Adverb (an advertising platform), Facebook, and others are among those that are supported.

2. LearnWorlds

Even while Thinkific is my preferred general-purpose platform, LearnWorlds is a very close second – and I use it for a lot of specific products and general-purpose platforms. As a result, although the learning curve is more complex, the effort is rewarded with more advanced e-learning features – such as the capacity to handle SCORM – resulting from the action (the only platform in this category that does.)

This appears to be the case, as LearnWorlds is gaining significant traction. The company bills itself as a “premium” solution that encourages high levels of involvement, including social learning capabilities to supplement traditional course content. It allows for white labeling of course content.
The organization also emphasizes its tools for creating sales web pages for courses, which are visually appealing to the eye. You can even try them out without signing up by using the simulator that LearnWorlds provides for free. Because of the full website builder capabilities that LearnWorlds will debut in 2020, it is moving closer to being an “all-in-one” system than other systems in this category.

LearnWorlds, in contrast to many of the other companies on our list, also provides services for uploading and converting your content, creating courses, and customizing your LearnWorlds school experience. Overall, it’s a perfect option that is deserving of the “premium” label.

How Much Does LearnWorlds Cost? You can try LearnWorlds for free for 30 days (no credit card required), after which the cost is $29 per month ($24 per month if invoiced annually). The company charges $5 per sale for its initial plan, but there are no further fees for its subsequent programs.

Features:

• You can modify the logo, style, and theme to make them more compatible with your company’s branding.
• It allows you to construct a course on a website optimized for mobile devices.
• This site assists in several different languages.
• Customize your notifications to match your individual needs.
• It is possible to utilize CSS and JavaScript to edit course pages while creating new ones.
• Learnworlds provides a course catalog ready to be used out of the box.
• You can have your website up and running in a shorter amount of time.
• It gives you the ability to build an unlimited number of courses.
• Students can benefit from free classes if they enroll in them.

3. Teachable

Founded in 2003, Teachable was one of the first online course platforms to launch in this field, and it remains one of the most popular to this day. Creating this website was motivated by dissatisfaction with Udemy (described below) – especially with how Udemy controls information about and access to students – which led to the construction. To meet this need, the Teachable team has created a platform that allows you to offer online courses “on your website while preserving complete control over your branding, student data, and pricing all in one place.”

Teachable has one of the most straightforward and elegant administration interfaces of any platform on this website, and this is especially true from a user perspective. The ability to get on-demand courses up and running quickly is an excellent option if you’re looking for something relatively straightforward.

Teachable’s most basic bundle starts at $39 per month (or $29 per month if paid annually), the most affordable option. On all sales, regardless of whether you are utilizing the most basic pricing plan possible, a 5 percent transaction fee is charged. Once you have reached the following level, transaction fees are no longer relevant to your transactions. All packages allow for an unlimited number of courses and students to be created and maintained.

Features:

• It assists you in creating fascinating multimedia lectures that include video, text, PDF (ebook), and audio files, among other things.
• The content from your Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox can be imported into the program.
• This learning management system (LMS) site allows page editors to design quickly, adapt, and launch a new course.
• You can create quiz questions.
• Allows you to offer certificates to students after they have completed a specific course.
• You may use teachable in conjunction with Google Forms to gather feedback from your students.
• Teachable takes payments in a variety of currencies totaling over 130.

4. Teacher

It is claimed that Teachery is “the only online course platform that assists you in creating the material for your online course.” Most course platforms, it appears to me, do this. However, I will give Teachery credit for making their course development interface particularly user-friendly in my experience. Especially for those just getting started, I’m not sure there is a more basic course authoring platform than Blackboard Learn.

Essentially, Teachery offers you two rock-solid course templates – a “minimal” template and a sidebar template – and takes you through getting your content into the framework and setting up your course to sell efficiently on the internet. However, while it may not have as extensive a feature set as some of the other options on this list, it may be just what many course developers are looking for to stop daydreaming about creating a course and get started making one.

The cost of a teacher’s services is as follows: Free trial (no credit card required) is available for 14 days, after which the paid plan costs either $49 per month or $470 per year, depending on your preference.

Features:

• Sell an unlimited number of courses to an unlimited number of students.
• You may make your course’s appearance and feel more personal.
• Create courses that contain a variety of content.
• Drip Courses Allow You to Schedule Lessons.
• Landing pages are a great way to capture leads and customers.
• Set up an integration with your email service provider (ESP).

5. Uscreen

However, while almost all of the platforms discussed on this page allow you to upload video and create video-based courses, the majority of them do not support accurate app-based delivery of those online courses on mobile devices, and none, except Uscreen, support delivery into “over the top” (OTT) channels such as Apple TV, Roku, and FireTV.

You can use Uscreen to upload, organize, brand, publish, and monetize your films. It is a perfect alternative for those who do not want OTT distribution and do not want to use a third-party platform. However, if you choose to pursue that, it is very effective. Once you’ve uploaded and set up your videos, you may build your own branded over-the-top (OTT) applications without coding knowledge. Uscreen also allows for high-definition live streaming and offers a variety of tools – such as discussion forums, avatars and profiles, and commenting – to assist you in creating a community around your videos.

Uscreen Pricing (in US Dollars): After a two-week free trial, Uscreen’s monthly subscription fee is $149 ($99 if paid in advance annually). On the company’s website, you can’t obtain the entire range of functions until you upgrade to a higher-level plan, and the company doesn’t disclose its pricing for OTT distribution (Apple TV, Roku, and so on). It is not inexpensive, but if you have that kind of audience, it is, in my opinion, well worth it.

6. Kajabi

Kajabi touts itself as “the only system you’ll ever need to market, sell, and distribute your expertise online,” according to the company. As it happens, selling online courses is a significant component of the business model. Additionally, you may offer memberships, training portals, file downloads, and any other digital product using the platform.

Many people who wish to sell an online course – and who already have a website and marketing tools – may find this to be an unnecessary burden and overkill. However, if you don’t have access to those resources or like to have everything in one place, Kajabi may be the ideal solution for you. Kajabi has made significant improvements in the last year or two, including the addition of a full-fledged email marketing system and the ability to allow scheduling coaching sessions with clients.

In 2019, the company significantly improved the capabilities of its web page builder, making it more potent than ever for the creation of websites and online training courses. In addition, Kajabi launched Kajabi Email in early 2020, which includes a robust visual editor that allows users to produce gorgeous, high-converting emails in minutes. Every subscription has access to a web page builder and e-mail capabilities as standard.

Kajabi Pricing: You can test Kajabi for free for the first 30 days. Once a premium plan is activated, Kajabi pricing begins at $149 per month ($119 per year if paid in advance).

Features:

• It allows you to create a website without writing any code.
• This LMS site assists 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Kajabi makes it simple to create and manage custom domains and subdomains.
• to establish a static website, you can create as many pages as you want.
• It provides you with the ability to post video content.
• Images and movies can be added to the working area by dragging and dropping them.

7. Podia

Podia was initially known as “WithCoach,” and it was a platform that was primarily targeted at coaches. The recent repositioning of the company has resulted in it becoming a full-featured yet simple-to-use online course platform for the sale of courses, memberships, and digital downloads all in one location, and it is gaining significant traction. And, for coaches, Podia still offers several valuable tools. For example, with pre-established interfaces with Calendly, Acuity, and other popular scheduling applications, you can arrange paid coaching sessions from within the system without leaving the system.

Podia Pricing Information: With its “Mover” plan, which starts at $39 per month (saving 17 percent if you sign up for an annual program), Podia appears to be gaining ground quickly. The Shaker plan costs $89 per month, while the Earthquaker plan costs $166. All options include a 14-day risk-free trial period.

Features:

• You can construct online courses that include audio files, links, PDF files, videos, and photos, among other things.
• It enables you to combine similar courses.
• You can personalize the pages of your website.
• Podia allows you to see live previews.
• Courses can be accessed from various devices, including tablets, smartphones, and desktop computers.
• You can permit or deny content access to a specific user.
• It makes it easier for you to manage your students.
• You have complete control over the elements of your website.

8. LearnDash

As far as serious WordPress learning management system (LMS) plugins go, LearnDash is the gold standard, and the recent release of version 3.0 has only enhanced its already excellent performance. In terms of features, it is a highly robust platform designed by people passionate about e-learning (and the founder, Justin Ferriman, does have a lengthy background in e-learning).

Once you’ve purchased a license, LearnDash provides a variety of free integrations and add-ons, including WooCommerce, bbPress, Stripe, and Zapier, among many other services and applications. Additionally, several premium add-ons are available, including a connection to the GrassBlade LRS (for those of you e-learning geeks out there), which appear to be pretty beneficial.
Overall, this is high-quality e-learning at a very inexpensive cost. The LearnDash software (I recommend utilizing it in conjunction with BuddyBoss to provide excellent membership/community capabilities) is free from the LearnDash website.

LearnDash pricing starts at $159 for the basic version and goes up to $329 for the Pro edition, all of which are eligible for a 15-day money-back guarantee. Please keep in mind that these are one-time costs, with no monthly fees and that they offer an incredible amount of value for what you receive. An annual renewal charge is half the initial license fee that must be paid to continue receiving updates and support.

Features:

• It has eight different sorts of questions and unique messages, and other features.
• Courses can be arranged according to the order they are offered.
• If you want to use this site in conjunction with the LearnDash quiz (Quiz question creating a website).
• Users can be given hints in the text, video, and images.
• It enables you to give prizes to anyone who completes the quiz satisfactorily.
• Users can look over previous queries and answers on this website.
• Learndash makes it simple to distribute quiz results to users, group leaders, and administrators.

9. AccessAlly

The AccessAlly platform is, in our opinion, the most excellent option for edupreneurs who want to sell online courses while also managing a fully-featured membership site – a potent combination for those in the education industry.

The platform makes extensive use of WordPress’s full capabilities and flexibility while also including excellent membership features and a learning management system (LMS) plug-in, which provides for notable features such as the ability for students to submit homework assignments and receive private feedback from their instructors and peers. All of this is available to you without needing to be a WordPress genius. If you want to get a course and membership site up and running quickly, a complete “done for you” option includes everything you need to get started.

AccessAlly’s pricing structure is as follows: The Essentials plan costs $99 per month or $82 per month if purchased annually. The Pro plan costs $129 per month or $108 per month if you subscribe for a year in advance, saving $258. There is a 60-day money-back guarantee on all programs, so there is no danger in purchasing one. If you are serious about implementing a membership model, this is a site that you should consider.

Features:

• It supports multiple types of questions.
• You can effortlessly collect and analyze survey responses.
• TalentLMS helps you to share a file with other people.
• You can design your certification
• This company allows you to integrate with up to 200 services through Zapier.
• It provides reports to make better decisions.
• Offers printable infographics (collection of information and graphics) to users.
• You can create course certification with ease.

10. Skillshare

Skillshare gives educators all the resources they need to develop courses that include video lessons and a “class project,” according to the company. (These two elements are present in all classes.) Classes are typically 10-25 minutes in length and are broken down into short films. They are entirely pre-recorded and may be completed at your leisure. Following the enrollment of more than 25 learners in a class, you are entitled to participate in the company’s Partner Program, which allows you to earn money through a royalty pool controlled by Skillshare. According to the firm, royalty payments are typical $1-2 for each enrollment in a class. (Rather than selling individual courses, Skillshare sells subscriptions to all of its content instead of Udemy, which is covered below.) Once you’ve become a partnership, you’ll also get rewarded for any new Premium Members ($10 per member) that you refer to Skillshare through your Teacher Referral link. It is said on the Skillshare website that “top teachers earn up to $40,000 per year.”

Features:

• It assists you in locating lessons that are geared for real-world situations.
• The classes are taught by real-life creators who are also students.
• Any device can be used to learn from.
• Skillshare assists you in achieving your business expansion goals.

11. Udemy

“Our objective is to disrupt and democratize education by making it possible for anybody to learn from the world’s experts,” the folks at Udemy state on their website. To my knowledge, they’ve been doing a very decent job at it up until this point. With the Udemy platform, subject matter experts can easily integrate information such as PowerPoint presentations, PDF documents, and YouTube videos into a cohesive course experience that is easy to follow and understand. You can then upload your masterpieces to the Udemy marketplace and use several promotional techniques to get the word out about them. Udemy is entirely free for teachers; the firm makes money by keeping 50% of the proceeds from the sale of your course. You pocket 97 per cent of the profit (Udemy takes a 3% transaction fee). Remember that you are now obligated to price your courses on Udemy in $5 increments between $20 and $200 (source) – which is, in my opinion, a bit too restricted. Despite this, ThinkTraffic claims that some instructors have experienced considerable success in their endeavours.

Features:

• It is possible to plan your courses using Microsoft Excel or Google Docs on this website.
• You have the option of creating courses in multiple languages.
• It contains an instructor dashboard, which assists you in staying on track while learning.
• Udemy provides you with the ability to capture video for a specific course.
• Once you have uploaded your video to Udemy, it will be reviewed by a Academy staff member.

Conclusion

When comparing the top online course platforms, remember to conduct thorough research: consider the student experience, marketing features, and cost, among other things.
The finest online course platforms make it simple to post your content, deliver training to your students, and generate course revenue. These platforms provide course development tools and capabilities for online teaching and learning. You are the most critical aspect.

The success of your course and your capacity to sell courses online is determined by the quality of your content and your ability to market yourself effectively online. A platform is nothing more than that: a platform.

Yes, it’s a branded, engaging, interactive piece of media that incorporates your thoughts and experience. However, it still needs a strategy, market research, development, and, most crucially, marketing to be successful in the long run.