Best Online Course Platforms
Platforms for hosting, selling, and delivering paid courses — compared on transaction fees, marketing tooling, and what happens to your audience if you leave.
4 tools reviewed · Updated July 2026
Ranked tools
ThinkificFree planCourse hosting with no transaction fees
4.6editor scoreNo user reviews yetFrom $36/mo
TeachableFree planSell courses and coaching without the setup
4.3editor scoreNo user reviews yetFrom $39/mo
Buyer’s guide
The fee question comes first
Transaction fees are the single biggest long-term cost difference in this category, and they are easy to miss. A platform charging 5% on a course business doing $100k a year costs $5,000 annually on top of the subscription. Free and entry plans almost always carry the highest percentage.
The four questions that decide it
- What are the total fees? Add the platform's transaction cut to payment processing. Compare that against the subscription saved by staying on a cheaper tier.
- Do you need built-in marketing? Some platforms bundle email, funnels, and a website. If you already pay for those, you are buying them twice.
- How is the student experience? Course player quality, mobile apps, drip scheduling, and completion tracking vary widely and directly affect refunds.
- Can you export your students? Some platforms make leaving genuinely difficult. Check the export before you commit an audience.
Matching the platform to the stage
A first course needs low fixed cost and a fast path to launch. An established business needs lower percentage fees, better automation, and room for memberships and cohorts. These are rarely the same product.