online courses education platform

The 8 best platforms to create and sell online courses in 2024

Ever-changing social media and search algorithms make owning your channels more important than ever. Online courses are a great tool for building community and growing your list.

Today, anyone can share knowledge as quickly and easily as you can upload a video to YouTube. But to explore a topic in depth, build a community, earn an income, or grow your business by selling online courses? That takes a more robust setup to help you design course pages, build out a curriculum, and promote your course.

I've been updating this article for several years, and this year, after researching and testing more than 60 apps for creating and selling online courses, these are my picks for the best.

The 8 best online course platforms

What makes the best online course platform, how we evaluate and test apps.

For this piece, I only considered platforms for building and selling an online course, which means I didn't consider learning management systems (LMS). While the terms are often used interchangeably, LMS software is generally used either in a school setting or to help companies train their customers and employees. The platforms to create online courses covered below, on the other hand, are designed for businesses and individual creators to earn money (or build an audience) by selling their courses.

Online course creation platforms can be broadly divided into two categories:

Course marketplaces

Course creation software

Online course creation software, on the other hand, offers many more customization options. You can create branded landing pages, choose from multiple content formats when building your course, and get the necessary tools to market your course. These usually charge a fixed monthly fee, and some platforms also charge a transaction fee.

Unsurprisingly, there's no one-size-fits-all solution for creating a profitable course. Your ideal course creation platform is unique to your needs and goals. Are online courses your bread and butter? Then you need a platform that helps you reach the maximum number of students. Does teaching and engaging with students excite you? Then a course creator with interactive tools would work well. Are you creating a course to engage your existing audience? Then you'll want a tool with robust marketing features.

While every platform has its own unique selling point, I've judged the online course software below based on certain criteria:

Content formats supported, including video, audio, PDFs, and images

Editing features and customization options

Whether or not they're realistically affordable for small and medium businesses

Support for assessments: quizzes, exams, certifications, etc.

Marketing and payment features

With those criteria in mind, I narrowed it down to 24 apps worth testing, then spent several days exploring them and running through an in-depth testing process. Here's what it looked like:

Signing up for an account and completing any onboarding flows offered

Walking through the core workflow to create a new course, including browsing any course templates, building out the curriculum, and adding course content in varying formats

Testing out other core features like building quizzes and tests, designing course certificates, scheduling live sessions, and setting up drip schedules

Customizing the overall design, colors, fonts, logos, landing pages, and more—to the extent possible with each app

Finally, looking at payment and marketing features like email broadcasts, pricing structures, community building, and SEO

The eight course creation platforms below are the best I found.

The best online course platforms at a glance

Online course marketplaces

Best online course marketplace for launching your first course, .css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} udemy (web, android, ios).

Udemy pros:

Guided, proscriptive course creation flow

Built-in Udemy audience

Minimal editing/design needed

Udemy cons:

Steep revenue share structure

Requires video

Must apply and be accepted to offer paid courses

While the earliest massive open online courses (MOOCs) made learning accessible, Udemy took it a step further: it made teaching online possible. Today, the platform has well over 65 million students enrolled in its courses and an instructor base of over 75,000.

To create a paid course on Udemy, you first have to apply to become a premium instructor. Once approved, you'll see a series of easy-to-follow steps to help you create your first course. As you plan course content, keep in mind that all courses need at least 30 minutes of video and five lectures. You're also welcome to add quizzes, assignments, coding exercises, and discussion prompts.

If you're struggling to make your first few sales, Udemy's tailor-made marketing programs will offer support. Get your course featured in their email blasts, be a part of site-wide discounts, or opt for Udemy's affiliate marketing program. All of these programs are optional, and depending on the promotional channel you choose, Udemy takes a share of course sales.

Finally, Udemy's marketplace insights help you select the perfect course topic and see how it stacks up against other courses on the platform—which is important because of the size of the marketplace you're competing with. Similar to Google Analytics, this feature tells you how popular a topic is on Udemy, its search volume, and related keywords. You can also see the number of existing courses for a topic, top-earning courses in the category, monthly revenue earned, and best promotion channels (Udemy discovery, Udemy search, external sources, paid ads).

To put it simply, with Udemy, you're in good hands.

Udemy price : Free to publish free courses with under 2 hours of video; Udemy charges 3% revenue share on course sales made by instructor coupons and 63% revenue share on all other course sales. (Note: Revenue share does not include processing fees charged by PayPal or Payoneer, or mobile platform fees for mobile course sales.)

Best online course marketplace for teaching creative skills

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} skillshare (web, android, ios).

Skillshare pros:

Quick and easy course setup

Designed for creatives

Skillshare cons:

No support for assessments

Minimally customizable

If you're an entrepreneur, designer, writer, photographer, or blogger looking to teach your craft online, Skillshare is great for teaching creative skills. You'll find courses on all kinds of topics, both popular and niche: marketing, photography, cooking, hand painting, doodling, and even wall hanging.

The platform offers a membership plan for students that gives them access to all of its 35,000 premium courses. As for creators, it's a free online course platform if you just want to sign up and publish a course, but if you want to get paid, it must be a part of Skillshare's premium catalog.

Free or premium, Skillshare classes have three major moving parts: video lessons, a project, and community discussion. Each class includes 20-60 minutes of video, broken down into 2-5-minute lessons. The practical project then ensures hands-on experience. For instance, a social media class project might require students to promote their Instagram account, or a writing class might require students to draft a pitch. Finally, the community portion of a class allows students to post their work.

Instead of favoring final outcomes, Skillshare encourages students to share their progress, gather feedback, and tweak their work accordingly—which is perfect for the creative topics you'll be teaching.

Skillshare price : Free for creating a premium class. Skillshare pays instructors $10 for premium membership referrals and royalties for minutes watched in a premium class each month.

Online courses software

Best online courses platform for building an online school with advanced marketing, .css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} teachable (web, ios).

Teachable pros:

Tons of built-in marketing features

Custom-code course editor

Wide-ranging (beta) AI features

Teachable cons:

Only 3 design templates

Pricing structure is less scalable than some

Teachable helps savvy course creators grow and nurture an online audience. To begin with, the platform offers various options to customize the look and feel of your course. Build a website that reflects your brand, create sales pages for launching your course, and if you happen to know some code, use the Power Editor to tinker with it. If not, edit one of the three templates available. Teachable's course builder accepts files from Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, among other content formats.

While several of the apps I tested tout new AI features, Teachable's generative AI was the only one I found somewhat useful. The feature is still in beta, but it generated a course outline, lesson content, and section summaries that were good enough to serve as a solid starting point.

There's flexibility when pricing your course too. You can offer courses on their own or in bundles, and choose between a one-time fee, a payment plan, or a subscription. When you're ready to launch, create coupon codes to see a quick boost in course sales. To build a sales team for your course, use the platform's built-in affiliate marketing option: simply add affiliates, and they'll get a percentage of course sales. No third-party integration required.

Teachable's native email marketing tool lets you filter and message students when they enroll in a course, redeem a coupon, or complete a course. The platform also helps you collect student feedback and uncover insights about your course using Google Forms and surveys. If you'd like to keep in touch with students after they've completed your course, add them to your email list with Teachable's integrations. As they say, the money is in the list.

Enroll users in Teachable with new ClickFunnels purchases

Add new Teachable students to ActiveCampaign

Add or update subscribers in Mailchimp with new Teachable enrollments

Best online course creation software for selling digital products and memberships

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Podia pros:

Simple, clean course outline builder

Support for multiple kinds of digital products

Podia cons:

Email marketing requires additional cost

Podia transaction fees on top of payment processor fees

Podia lets you build an online store for your digital content. Create online courses, digital downloads, coaching sessions, and even membership sites, all as part of one digital storefront.

All Podia storefronts have a similar template, which is helpful if you find too many options overwhelming. Each store's landing page includes an overview, a "What's included" section, a content section, FAQs, and creator bios. And all courses, memberships, and digital downloads have a separate landing page.

Once you create an online course, you can publish it immediately or pre-launch it to collect emails. If you have additional resources to supplement your course—cheat sheets, eBooks, videos, audio, text, checklists—sell them as a digital download. You can also bundle and sell the two together.

Online content creators often try to nurture an online community on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. This can work, but you're often at the mercy of algorithmic changes and the rules of the platform you choose. Podia allows you to create your own private membership site, with different membership plans, perks, and content for members. Share updates with your community, notify them about new products, and watch your business grow.

Subscribe new Podia customers to Mailchimp lists

Create Google Sheet rows from new Podia sales

Create Flodesk subscribers from new Podia sales

Best online course creation software for customizable add-ons

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Thinkific pros:

Affordable pricing structure

Extensive support for assessments

Course templates

Thinkific cons:

Limited free plan

Putting together your first online course can be daunting. How many lessons should you include? Where should you add assignments and quizzes? What other file types should you include? Thinkific takes the guesswork out of course creation with its simple and ready-to-use templates.

There are two parts to creating a course on Thinkific: course material and landing page. To get started, choose from the following templates: pre-sell, mini-course, flagship course, membership resource library, and webinar replay. Unlike other course builders, where you start with a blank slate, Thinkific templates provide helpful cues and tips to build a valuable course. Apart from video lessons, the templates are pre-populated with sample quizzes, downloads, surveys, and instructor messages, at regular intervals throughout the course. Add or remove content as you see fit, or follow the template as is.

Thinkific's website builder is one of the easiest to use. Choose the pages you want to include, add your copy, pick a theme, and you're done.

Want to include testimonials on your website? Here's a neat trick to collect them on Thinkific: turn on student reviews for your course and add the ones you like directly to your landing page. Plus, Thinkific offers a number of add-ons and integrations that are super easy to get set up—they add features like AI chatbot quizzes, collaborative whiteboards, interactivity, gamification, and even test prep simulations.

Subscribe new Thinkific students to Mailchimp

Log new Thinkific orders to a Google Sheet

Add new full enrollments in thinkific to mailchimp as subscribers, best online course creation software for marketing a course on autopilot, .css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} kajabi (web, ios, android).

Kajabi pros:

Decent generative AI feature

Native email marketing

Kajabi cons:

Less customizable than some

Kajabi gives marketing superpowers to busy course creators. Its marketing blueprints, called funnels, help you create an entire marketing funnel—from landing page and opt-ins to emails and course checkout—with just a few clicks.

Here's an example: The freebie funnel consists of three touchpoints. The first is a landing page where you collect emails in exchange for a free downloadable, such as an eBook or cheat sheet. When a visitor enters their email, they're subscribed to your freebie email sequence, where you can thank them for signing up and upsell your course. If they choose to purchase, they're taken to a thank-you page. And that's it.

You can also choose what to do with the emails you collect. Add them to an email sequence, remind them about your special offer, or send them a thank-you note after they purchase. Kajabi has templates for all kinds of pages. Select a funnel, add your content, and your marketing machine is all set.

Templates can be handy, but if you want to create your own automations, Kajabi offers a number of if-then scenarios to choose from. When a student completes an assessment, fills a form, cancels a subscription, or has been inactive for a while, you can send them an email, register them for an event, or unsubscribe them from an email list. Given that email is at the core of all its features, Kajabi also has a native email provider that helps you track how many of your emails are opened.

Create Google Sheets rows for new Kajabi purchases

Grant access to Kajabi offers for new ThriveCart product purchases

Create Kajabi form submissions for invitee scheduled events in Calendly

Best online course creation software for building a paid community

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Mighty Networks pros:

Strong community-building focus

AI-generated course outlines

Modern, user-friendly interface

Mighty Networks cons:

High starting price

Not a ton of native marketing features

Mighty Networks helps you build a vibrant, active paid community around your online course. The app focuses broadly on community-building, which includes paid groups, events, and—you guessed it—online courses.

Users can sell individual courses, community membership, or bundle a combination of the two. Memberships can be priced as a one-time payment or subscription, and pricing is 100% custom. Each course can be priced separately or offered for free to paying members.

Every course comes with a built-in Activity Feed that works to foster engagement and conversation as members complete your course. Members can share all kinds of content, too—from quick text posts to images and links. As the instructor, you can set topics to drive the conversation and build live events (both online and IRL) into your courses. Add icebreaker questions to get the ball rolling, and create polls to engage your audience and gather feedback.

Uniquely, the app offers a small but mighty feature (pun intended) that enables instructors to change the verbiage used in their community. For example, your table of contents can alternatively be called syllabus, course material, or any custom label you choose. Instructors can be professor, TA, teacher, or another custom name.

Mighty Networks also now offers one of the most useful generative AI features (called "Mighty Co-Host"), which can generate an extensive course outline based on your provided topic. It worked really well for me in my testing.

Add/update Mailchimp subscribers for new member actions in Mighty Networks

Create or update ActiveCampaign contacts from new Mighty Network members

Create or update flodesk subscribers with new mighty networks member actions.

Mighty Networks price: Plans that include online courses start at $99/month for cohort courses and Zapier integration.

Best online course creator for managing your business

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Simplero pros:

All-in-one CRM, marketing automation, and online course platform

Native payments

Customizable settings

Simplero cons:

Not-so-scalable pricing structure

If you're looking for a capable, customizable online course builder, you can't go wrong with Simplero. Creating and outlining your course curriculum is super quick: click the Create a new course button, and a few screens later, you're ready to build out your curriculum and add your learning content.

But Simplero isn't just a course creation app—it's more like a CRM, marketing automation, and online course tool in one package. That's reflected in the robust automation and list management features included in the app. You can build, publish, and market courses, track sales and financials, and maintain your customer list all in one app.

Head over to Marketing > Done-For-You Campaigns , for example, to install the Course Launch Challenge, a 21-day automated sequence. All you need to do is customize the emails and choose when the automation flow should run. It's a perfect all-in-one solution for when your online course is your business.

Subscribe new leads from Facebook Lead Ads to Simplero lists

Subscribe customers to Simplero lists with new Leadpages submissions

Subscribe contacts to Simplero lists for new registrations in WebinarJam / EverWebinar

Which online course platform is best for you?

Whether you're passionate about teaching, want to grow your audience, or are just looking to earn an income from your courses, there's an online course creation platform to help you achieve your goals.

When picking a tool to launch your course, consider your budget, time constraints, current online following, and earning potential. If you're simply testing the waters, start with a course marketplace. Once you've validated your course topic and content, only then proceed to launch your own course website. Don't worry about migrating content from one platform to another. Most platforms support this, whether for free or for an added fee.

In the end, software for online courses should allow you to focus your efforts on the course content, not the process of getting it out to your audience.

Related reading:

This article was originally published in September 2018 by Farheen Gani. The most recent update was in December 2023.

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Kiera Abbamonte

Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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We compared 13 popular online learning platforms for all ages, budgets, and interests – our favorites include Coursera for certificate courses and MasterClass for creative arts classes

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• The rise of online learning is democratizing education by improving access to top-notch courses.
• We compared some of the platforms we cover the most to help you find the best ones for you.
• We looked at popular platforms like Coursera , edX , MasterClass , Skillshare , Duolingo , and more.

As online learning continues to grow in popularity, so do the options available to you. Whether you want to take a popular free Ivy League class for fun , pursue part of an online master's degree , boost your career with some additional certifications , or just learn a new language at your own pace , there are many options out there for you .

To help you decide which ones might work best with your schedule, budget, and goals, we compared 13 of the platforms we cover the most : edX , Coursera , FutureLearn , MasterClass , Skillshare , LinkedIn Learning , Udemy , Udacity , CreativeLive , Codecademy , Duolingo , Babbel , and Rosetta Stone .

The best online learning platforms for accredited university courses and degrees

• The best online learning platforms for career skills certifications

The best online learning platforms for creative skills and hobbies

• The best online learning platforms for learning a new language

Coursera , edX , and FutureLearn are three popular online learning platforms that offer courses, certificate programs, and even master's degrees from top universities as well as well-known companies and non-profit organizations.

All three have courses you can audit for free, as well as options to pay for a certificate of completion. They also have multi-course programs you can exchange for real college credits from select schools, or apply to their full master's programs.

The topics covered on each platform are incredibly diverse, covering everything from computer programming and finance to positive psychology and art history . They can be taken to advance your career or expand your knowledge in a subject for fun.

Keep reading below to learn the differences between edX , Coursera , and FutureLearn :

Cost: Individual courses are usually free to audit for a limited amount of time; certificates and longer programs vary in price.

Pros: You can most courses for free, including ones in longer programs (great for testing out a longer certificate program before committing to it); financial assistance is available

Cons: Some courses are archived, meaning you can still access them but can't earn a certificate; Charges one lump sum for courses instead of a subscription fee

You can browse all edX courses here .

Cost: Individual courses are usually free to audit; certificates and longer programs vary in price. You can also sign up for an annual Coursera Plus subscription ($399) and get access to 90% of Coursera's offerings.

Pros: Many programs charge a monthly fee, so the faster you finish, the more money you save; financial assistance available; offers some free certification courses

Cons: No financial assistance for Coursera MasterTracks; you can only audit one-off courses (you will have to pay for ones that are part of a Specialization)

You can browse all Coursera courses here.

FutureLearn

Cost: Individual courses are usually free to audit; certificates and longer programs vary in price. You can also subscribe to FutureLearn Unlimited for $189.99 annually to get unlimited access to courses.

Pros: UK-based, offers more international options; offers some free certification courses

Cons: Not as many course options as edX and Coursera; you can only audit one-off courses (you will have to pay for ones that are part of an ExpertTrack)

You can browse all FutureLearn courses here.

The best online learning platforms for career skill certifications

What all of them have in common

LinkedIn Learning , Codecademy , Udemy , and Udacity all offer online courses, programs, and bootcamps that can advance your career, including in in-demand subjects like omputer programming that boast high job satisfaction .

Unlike in-person or intensive bootcamp programs, these courses are self-paced and flexible, letting you practice and earn a certificate on your own time. They can be great for quickly picking up a new skill to boost your resume , testing out a potential job path before committing to a longer program, or gaining the qualifications you need to transition careers or move up in your role.

Keep reading below to learn the differences between LinkedIn Learning , Codecademy , Udemy , and Udacity :

LinkedIn Learning

Cost: A LinkedIn Learning subscription is $19.99/month (annually) or $29.99/month (month-to-month).

Pros: Short video classes broken down into digestible segments; certifications go right on your LinkedIn profile; LinkedIn occasionally makes popular career courses free for a limited time

Cons: Less interactive; no way to submit homework assignments or reinforce what you've learned

You can browse all LinkedIn Learning courses here.

Cost: Codecademy Pro is $39.99/month (month-to-month) and $19.99/month annually. Pro Student offers 35% off to eligible current students. (Note: Codecademy is currently offering 40% off Pro and Pro Student memberships through October 22 .

Pros: Some free beginner options ; a huge range of programming courses; Fun, hands-on projects

Cons: Less interactive than traditional coding bootcamps

You can browse all Codecademy courses here.

Cost: You can pay a one-time fee per course or subscribe to a Udemy Personal Plan for $29.99/month for unlimited access to all Udemy courses

Pros: Easy to use on mobile; offers a huge range of course offerings; popular bootcamps are updated frequently so you're working with the latest information; frequent sales on courses

Cons: Less interactive; harder to reinforce or test what you've learned; not all courses come with certificates

You can browse all Udemy courses here.

Cost: Nanodegrees can be paid for as you go, starting at $399/month or $1,017 total

Pros: Offers some free courses ; provides additional career resources and support to help you find a job after a Nanodegree

Cons: Nanodegrees can get pricey and involve a bigger time commitment if you want to finish faster to save money

You can browse all Udacity courses here.

While platforms like edX and Coursera are great for taking university-accredited courses for fun , MasterClass , Skillshare , and CreativeLive all offer subscriptions to unlimited online courses and are particularly great for growing creative skills like writing, photography, art, design, and acting — though they all offer courses in other subjects like personal development.

All three platforms offer courses from celebrities and experts at the top of their fields, from famous chefs and bestselling authors to well-known Stanford faculty members . They also offer courses in more niche creative subjects, from hand-lettering to bird photography .

While they don't offer the same direct feedback on your work as in-person instruction, they can be a fun way to unwind and learn a new skill at your own pace.

Keep reading below to learn the differences between MasterClass , Skillshare , and CreativeLive :

MasterClass

Cost: A MasterClass subscription is $180 annually (broken down to $15/month)

Pros: Beautiful and engaging video quality; celebrity instructors; offers a broad range of topics; digestible format; online forum provides a sense of community

Cons: No certifications; have to hold yourself more accountable to learn

You can browse all MasterClass courses here .

CreativeLive

Cost: You can pay a one-time fee per course or subscribe to a CreativeLive membership for $13/month.

Pros: Lots of in-depth bootcamps; great selection of in-depth courses to expand your skillsets

Cons: Less interactive; no direct feedback

You can browse all CreativeLive courses here.

Cost: A Skillshare Premium subscription is $32/month (month-to-month) or $15/month (annually)

Pros: Nice video quality; some celebrity and expert instructors; great for very niche topics

Cons: No certifications; mostly focused on art and design

You can browse all Skillshare courses here.

The best online learning platforms for learning new languages

Duolingo , Babbel , and Rosetta Stone are three language-learning platforms we cover a lot, and each has different strengths depending on which language you want to learn, your level of experience, and your time commitment. 

What they all have in common is flexibility — they can be great for brushing up on your high school Spanish or learning a few Japanese phrases before a trip .

Keep reading to learn more about the differences between Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone:

Cost: Free; Duolingo Plus is $6.99/month for features like ad-free experience and unlimited tries

Pros: Great for learning new vocabulary; Fun, gamified experience; Easy to use on mobile; Lots of language options (including Yiddish )

Cons: Not as much practice directly speaking with someone in conversation

You can browse all of Duolingo's language options here.

Cost: $13.95 for 1 month; $9.95/month (3 months); $8.45/month (6 months); $6.95/month (1 year)

Pros: Focused on teaching you realistic conversation topics, such as travel or career-focused phrases; Uses native speakers to demonstrate lessons; frequent sales offered

Cons: Some language programs are not as strong as others ; Not as many language options as other services

You can browse all of Babbel's language options here.

Rosetta Stone

Cost: $11.99/month (3 months); $7.99/month (1 year); $179 lifetime (unlimited languages)

Pros: Fully immersive, mimicking real-life experience; Huge selection of languages to choose from

Cons: More expensive, requires more of a time commitment 

You can browse all of Rosetta Stone's language options here.

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Create Your Course

The top 10 online learning platforms for 2024, share this article.

There are a lot of online learning platforms out there, so how do you choose? Start by exploring these top picks!

Online learning platforms are great for helping you set up or teach a course. Often, you can also leverage them to monetize your own content, too!  Creators everywhere are learning how to build an online learning platform so that they can generate new revenue streams. 

But, there are a lot of online learning platforms out there, so how do you choose? Start by exploring these top picks!

Skip ahead:

• The value of online learning platforms

How to choose the best online learning platform

• The difference between online learning platforms and learning management systems

LinkedIn Learning

Openlearning, masterclass, khan academy.

• Tips to monetize your courses

What value do online learning platforms bring?

In a paper titled Online Learning Platforms: Reconstructing Modern Higher Education , Zi-Yu Liu, Natalya Lomovtseva and Elena Korobeynikova argue that online learning platforms can change the way higher education works in the future. They said the greatest benefits to this type of tool includes, “ greater freedom of access, lower education prices, the possibility of dividing the content of the e-course into modules, flexibility of education, the ability to keep up with modern pace of life, and the ability to define criteria for assessing knowledge.”

In general, you should look at structure, course content, community and price when evaluating which online learning platform is best suited for you. This will apply regardless if you’re using it to learn or to monetize your content! 

Choosing the right online learning platform will generally mean balancing these four aspects in a way that works best for you.

Structure of the platform

Course structure is important because it leads to a better learning experience and more effective delivery of professional development programs . As an example , you can probably piece together knowledge on almost any topic through YouTube, but it would lack a structured and progressive environment. This would make it hard for students to learn independently. 

Available course content

Looking at the course content is key to whatever you’re planning to learn or teach . All online degree programs and course materials are somewhat unique in how they approach any given subject. Take web development or programming, for example. There are so many principles, languages and frameworks that you can learn that it can’t simply be covered by individual courses. Some specialization is necessary.

If you’re planning to deliver a course through an online learning platform, it will help to look for ones that offer similar topics already. You can also look for platforms that offer similar set-ups. Free or mini courses attract a much different audience than Bachelor’s degree programs! 

Community support

Community makes the learning process much more fun and effective. When you’re stuck and can ask your peers for help, it reinforces what you’ve just learned with another perspective. Plus, doing something with a cohort of students is much more motivating than going alone.

From the teaching perspective, you can leverage learning communities to empower brainstorming, independent problem-solving, and passion-building for the course topic.

Price is another key factor in selecting course materials that work for you. There are many free courses available but paid ones tend to be more engaging and of higher quality. Some courses offer free trials while others offer refunds if you don’t like it. Some courses give you lifetime unlimited access while others rely on a subscription model or only work for a limited time.

Whether you’re monetizing or purchasing a course, you need to consider the value that the course provides to the student. Is the topic of interest, and does it provide enough content to be worth the pricing model offered?

When you’re selling through an online learning tool, you’ll also want to consider if there are any added costs. Sometimes the cost is accrued per sale, and sometimes it is a monthly fee. 

What’s the difference between online learning platforms and learning management systems?

When you’re researching which online learning platform is right for you , it’s important to know how it differs from other similar solutions such as learning management systems (LMS) and online course websites .

An online learning platform is a user-facing environment where students can learn new skills. In comparison, a learning management system is a back-end solution that provides all the necessary tools to the online learning platform so it can function smoothly. This would provide features like uploading videos, creating quizzes, grading assignments and much more.

Online learning platforms are similar to online course websites. In practice, the difference is that the online learning platforms tend to offer more flexibility than course websites . Online course websites are used for course creation, whereas online learning platforms can encompass all kinds of learning experiences, from short videos to online degrees.

10 Best online learning platforms

Now that you know what online learning platforms offer, and have a general idea of what you’re planning to study or teach , you can see which one of these 10 top-notch learning platforms suits you best. 

Skip ahead here:

Start by looking into the most flexible online learning platform of all — Thinkific.

Thinkific is not a gallery of courses, rather it’s one of the best platforms to create learning products and organize a custom learning experience for your team. The flexibility of the platform makes it work great for educating students, training employees, and building product education programs, or anything else you can dream up!

Not sure where to start? Thinkific Academy will teach you how to build with an online learning platform, as well as how to price and market your courses effectively.

G2 Score: 4.7/5

Thinkific Pricing

Thinkific has a free plan that allows you to start building courses right away. Paid plans provide you with access to more engagement, tracking, and monetization features, and start at $149 per month.

For learners, Thinkific’s courses are all priced independently by the course creators using the platform. Take some time to research a topic that you love and you’ll likely find a bunch of free courses, too! 

Being one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, Coursera has millions of students and partners with over 200 top universities and companies to produce the best courses across a wide variety of subjects. The platform also offers specific course playlists to help you develop the necessary skills for the job of your dreams! 

There are individual courses, certificate courses, and university-level courses available. Some are free and others are paid. You can buy each course separately or enroll in a Coursera Plus plan, which gives you access to all courses for a yearly subscription fee. Note that enrolling in a free Coursera program won’t provide you with a certificate at the completion point.

G2 Score: 4.5/5

Coursera Pricing

Lots of courses are available for free. Paid courses start at $9.99, with certificate-level courses beginning at $39, and university courses at $2,000. You can also choose to pay $59 a month or a $399 annual fee to unlock all the courses on Coursera. However, the monthly or yearly subscriptions do not include university degrees or MasterTrack certificates. 

• Coursera Alternatives

Started as Lynda.com back in 1995, LinkedIn Learning features over 17,000 courses on topics across business, technology and creativity. Experts in their respective fields use LinkedIn Learning as a platform to share their knowledge to others who want to step into the industry.

LinkedIn Learning is great at teaching you how to do complex things, simply . It does this by breaking big, technical topics down into bitesize components. For example , you can learn the ins and outs of Adobe apps like Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator as well as rendering in Blender, SketchUp and Maya, and much more.

You can buy courses individually or get a recurring subscription. Any certificates can be automatically displayed on your LinkedIn profile. 

G2 Score: 4.4/5 

LinkedIn Learning Pricing

Individual courses vary between $20 and $50. LinkedIn Learning costs $39.99 for a monthly subscription, and $239.88 for an annual plan ( which is a 50% savings! ) These plans also give you access to LinkedIn Premium, with advanced networking and career-building tools. 

Bulk pricing is also available for companies or educational institutions who want to offer the platform to their organization.

Anyone who’s into creative arts or acquiring new creative skills would appreciate Skillshare. While it is less formal than many other online learning platforms, Skillshare focuses on practical skills rather than degrees or certificates.

Courses on Skillshare are often led by creatives who are well known in their field. The courses rarely go beyond two hours in length and are broken down further into 3 to 5 minute episodes so they’re easier to digest . This makes learning on Skillshare accessible even for people who don’t have a lot of free time at once.

There are some free introductory courses but to get access to the full catalog, you need to purchase a subscription.

G2 Score: 3.4/5

SkillShare Pricing

The pricing seems to depend on the country where you reside. However, on average, you can expect to pay $168 per year, or $14 per month . 

Related: Skillshare vs Thinkific – A detailed comparison

If you’re looking for a more formal learning environment, edX is one of the best options available online. This platform partners with top universities, from Harvard to MIT to Berkeley, to offer real university courses online. This is especially great for learners in remote locations or anyone who doesn’t want to commute to an in-person class for their degree. 

Most courses tend to skew into the STEM fields, such as data analysis, engineering, or math. But there are plenty of others too (out of 4,000+ total courses on the platform ). You can take the majority of classes for free if you don’t need the certificate. 

edX Pricing

Free classes do not offer certificates. Courses that come with certificates cost between $50 and $300. Full degree programs combine multiple courses and are usually $1,000 or higher . 

OpenLearning, an Australian platform, partners with leading institutions and offers more than 4,000 courses on a variety of subjects. What sets OpenLearning apart is an engaging and supportive community of more than 3 million learners. Students interact with each other constantly through comments, submissions and publicly tracking their progress.

You can find short individual courses on the platform as well as OpenCreds, which you can use to get actual credits in Australia’s universities. They call these microcredentials and they fit into specific frameworks for bigger programs you might want to take in the future. 

As a bonus, OpenLearning leverages AI technology to continually provide new information and better flow of the online learning experience! 

G2 Score: 4.6/5

OpenLearning Pricing

Lots of courses on the OpenLearning platform are free. Although the ones to get university credentials usually cost anywhere between $150 and $500. It costs between $900 and $3,450 per year to create courses on OpenLearning. 

With more than 213,000 courses, 60,000 instructors, and 62 million students , Udemy is the largest online learning platform out there, covering every niche you can think of.

There’s no unifying theme on Udemy — you can really learn anything, from graphic design to personal development. Most classes also use multimedia technologies, mixing video, images, text, quizzes, etc. 

Udemy Pricing

Each course on Udemy is sold separately, from as little as $10 and up to $200. Udemy subscriptions are not available to all students. Hence, you may have to shell out on individual courses if you are looking for premium learning. Note that only a selection of 10,500 courses from the full catalog are provided to subscribers on the Personal Plan. 

• Udemy vs Thinkific – A detailed comparison
• Top alternatives to Udemy

Web development or programming are hot topics to learn about! And the best online learning platform to do that is Treehouse.

Treehouse specializes in teaching people how to code in an interactive environment. While all courses can be taken individually, most are grouped into tracks to give you well-rounded knowledge of topics like frontend development, cybersecurity, or mobile app development.

Besides videos, Treehouse courses also contain a working text editor you’ll use to complete quizzes and test projects.

G2 Score: 4.3/5

Treehouse Pricing

Treehouse charges $25 per month for regular memberships, or $250 for the annual plan (which essentially gives you two free months ). If you want a certificate, however, there are even more structured Techdegree programs starting at $49 per month.

MasterClass is a platform that lets anyone learn from the world’s best practitioners, be it Gordon Ramsey for cooking, or Martin Scorsese for film directing.

There are over 180 courses currently available. All beautifully shot, produced and broken down into 15 to 20 bite-sized lessons. The advice is often practical and there are workbooks with extra information available. However, the platform works best for those who want to expose themselves to an overview of lots of different crafts. Or, for those who want to learn from their favourite celebrities! 

For content creators, unfortunately, you won’t be able to create and launch a course with MasterClass unless you are pre-approved by them. 

MasterClass Pricing

Billed annually, MasterClass costs $10 per month on an Individual plan, $20 for Duo ( which allows access on 2 devices) and $23 for Family ( up to 6 devices).

Another one of the top online learning platforms is Khan Academy. Started by Sal Khan as a way to help his cousins study math, today, Khan Academy features over 10,000 video lessons on various topics. 

Most of the platform revolves around foundational topics that you would learn in school such as sciences, math, accounting, physics, and economics. It’s a great resource center for parents that want to help their child access an informative, engaging, and affordable version of online tutoring. 

Over 999 million lessons have been delivered on the platform, helping people of all ages and levels of study with their homework ! There are streaks and other gamification features built-in to motivate students to learn more, and there are clear progressions for most tracks, sometimes enough for years of study. 

Khan Academy Pricing

Absolutely free! Khan Academy is a non-profit.

How to monetize your own content on online learning platforms

There are so many online learning platforms and so much to learn on almost any subject imaginable. The best thing is that once you acquire enough knowledge, you can start monetizing it as well through your own courses in your own unique way. All you need is the platform to do it!  

For example, Ellie Diop, owner of Ellie Talks Money , launched her course based on personal financial challenges she’s experienced. When looking for some way to generate a new revenue stream, she said her first thoughts were to, “[write] down all the things I knew how to do, all my experience. What I learned working a nine-to-five, and everything I knew about business finance. I looked at how I could give those skills directly to the marketplace, as a coach. ” This led her to eventually create 6 courses, which have generated over 3,000 students and over $1,000,000 in revenue within her first year! 

As you build your course, a few tips to keep in mind are:

• Reflect on the skills you currently have
• Consider what other people want to learn
• Figure out the best structure for your course
• Determine how to price your course
• Consider how you’ll market your course
• Get feedback from your students about what they like or don’t like
• Continually optimize and refresh your content over time 

Start building an online learning platform with Thinkific

Thinkific is an intuitive and easy-to-use course-creation solution that enables you to build and sell courses of any complexity. No coding skills required — just use a professionally designed template and customize it to your liking using a drag-and-drop editor. As a result, you can create a course in an hour and monetize it for years to come.

Sign up for free here!

This blog was originally published in January 2023, it has since been updated in February 2024 to include top learning platforms for 2024.

Colin is a Content Marketer at Thinkific, writing about everything from online entrepreneurship & course creation to digital marketing strategy.

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7 of the best online learning platforms to advance your career (or side hustle)

LinkedIn Learning

Khan Academy

MasterClass

Table of contents.

When we spend so much of our time online, we’re bound to learn something while clicking and scrolling. Discover something new with Mashable’s series I learned it on the internet .

In the past few years, technological advancements and high demand for accessible, low-cost education have led to ridiculous growth in the online learning sector. (For some perspective, experts predicted in 2018 that the e-learning industry would hit $325 billion by 2025 — that's triple its revenue from ten years prior.) So, while the coronavirus pandemic didn't launch the online learning boom, it sure didn't hurt its case.

Yet even after several semesters of mandatory distance learning , an important question lingers: Can an online education truly replace in-person learning?

It's not a universal panacea, but for many of us, absolutely — especially if you want to kickstart a career, move up in your current field, make the switch to a completely different industry, or pursue a new hobby.

What are the pros and cons of online learning?

According to BestColleges' 2020 Online Education Trends report , just over half of students who pursue an online education instead of in-person learning do so for the sheer convenience factor: When you can learn from anywhere at your own pace, you've got more flexibility to study around other commitments (be it a job or family responsibilities) and play catchup on evenings and weekends.

Online learning programs, even whole-ass degrees, also tend to be significantly cheaper than their in-person counterparts. ( Student loans ? In this economy? ) More on that in a moment.

Of course, online learning presents its own challenges. Zoom fatigue is very real, as many of us have learned. There are also distractions aplenty — good luck trying to slog through a boring assignment on the same device that could otherwise connect you to social media or run The Sims. It doesn't help that most programs offer very little oversight from an instructor to keep you on task, either.

Overall, though, the benefits of online learning seem to outweigh any issues it poses: A whopping 94% of the students surveyed for that aforementioned trends report said online learning has (or will have) a positive return on investment, with 95% of them recommending online education to other prospective learners.

What kinds of online classes are out there?

Along with traditional online courses and degrees, which are restricted to students at certain universities and typically require an admissions process with prerequisites, you'll also run into "massive open online courses," or MOOCs, their more affordable and widely available cousins.

MOOCs are virtual classes that are available to anyone with an internet connection; popular online courses can enroll thousands of students at any given time, hence the "massive" part. They're often free, focus on a single topic, and usually feature pre-recorded, self-paced video lectures, though "synchronous" versions with real-time lessons by course creators are also a thing.

For the purpose of this piece, we'll be focusing primarily on MOOCs and MOOC providers (or third-party online learning platforms).

What does it mean if a class or school is "accredited"?

"Accredited" programs have been officially recognized and approved by some sort of institution after meeting a set of standards. Accreditation is basically the mark of a great reputation.

For what it's worth, the vast majority of MOOCs and MOOC providers are not accredited (though the rare platform like Coursera will work with leading universities and companies to offer some accredited coursework). That doesn't mean you should avoid them completely: Taking a MOOC online course can help you figure out whether you're actually interested in a given subject or industry before you pursue it full-time (and spend a good amount of money doing so). Besides, any sort of professional development you do in your free time is a sign to employers that you're a real go-getter.

Can I earn certificates online?

Most online learning platforms only dole out certificates of completion once you're done with a class — sometimes for a fee, and sometimes in the in the form of an achievement "badge"/icon that can be displayed on social sites (which is an easy way to to showcase your achievements to prospective employers).

Those that do offer professional certificates in select subject areas are fewer and far between. If you want to go that route, look for platforms like Coursera that officially partner with colleges and business.

How much does it cost to take a MOOC?

Some good news: Tons of MOOCs are completely, totally free, though you'll probably have to make an account on their hosting platforms to enroll.

Depending on the site, paid classes are usually either sold à la carte for anywhere from $20 to $200 apiece (see: Udemy ) or as a part of an all-access subscription for a couple hundred bucks a year (hi, MasterClass ). Note that most MOOC providers offer a mix of free and paid classes.

Relatedly, keep an eye out for platforms that offer enterprise plans for businesses and teams — you might be able to get your employer to pay for your continuing education.

Who teaches MOOCs?

It's not ubiquitous, but many MOOCs are created and taught by industry experts, not trained teachers or professors who have put in years at a university. Instructor vetting also varies from platform to platform: Some require a thorough application with essays and video demonstrations of their teaching style, while others let just about anyone publish a class (barring explicit, offensive, or dangerous topic restrictions).

This means coursework quality and production value can vary greatly from class to class even on the same site, which one of the biggest drawbacks to this type of learning.

All things considered, what are the best online learning platforms?

Now that you're an expert on all things MOOC, keep reading to check out our top picks.

Looking for the scoop on the best online learning platforms for kids, specifically? Click here.

What else do I need to know about choosing an online learning platform?

Above all, a good MOOC provider will put its student reviews front and center so you know exactly what you're getting into in terms of teacher quality/teaching style, time commitment, and course difficulty level.

It's also nice to be able to fall back on a platform's free trial or money-back guarantee, in case your schedule changes, you wind up straight-up hating a subject, or you don't mesh well with an instructor's teaching style.

I'm interested in a very specific topic. How can I find online classes on it?

This one's easy: Just head to Class Central , a search engine and reviews site for more than 15,000 free online classes.

Udemy is an extremely popular online platform with hundreds of free video classes and tens of thousands of paid ones starting at just $19.99. (Pro tip: They can get even cheaper if you catch one of its regular sales.) Each class is sold à la carte, so you'll only pay for the skills you really want to learn.

You've got plenty to choose from, too. Subject-wise, Udemy's course "marketplace" covers the broadest range of personal and professional development topics we've seen — everything from finance, Python, and digital marketing to soapmaking and watercolor landscape paintings. Plus, they're all self-paced and include lifetime access, in case you ever need a refresher; once you buy a class, the course material is yours to learn from and revisit anytime.

Here are the three most popular classes on Udemy as of Jan. 2021:

Complete Python Bootcamp: From Zero to Hero in Python — $139.99

Machine Learning A-Z: Hands-On Python & R In Data Science — $94.99

The Web Developer Bootcamp 2020 — $124.99

• Lifetime access to all course materials
• Learn at your own pace
• Student ratings are readily accessible on every course's landing page
• Certificates of completion available for paid classes
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Offline viewing on the Udemy mobile app available for iOS and Android)
• Frequent sales
• Lots of free classes
• Huge range of topics
• Instructors are experts in their respective fields, but most aren't actual teachers/professors
• Accredited: No
• Price: Select classes are free; paid courses range from $19.99 to $199.99
• Free trial: No
• Number of courses available: 130,000+
• Subject areas: Design, development, marketing, IT and software, personal development, business, photography, and music
• Team/enterprise plans available: Yes (Udemy for Business)

Best For Career Development

Your résumé may claim that you're proficient in Excel, but are you really? Enter: LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda.com). 

Members get access to its library of instructional videos and receive personalized class recommendations based on their LinkedIn profiles, though you're free to go off-script if you're considering a different career path — dozens of new courses covering in-demand creative, business, and tech skills are added every week. For a deeper dive into specific topics or career tracks, you can also pursue " learning paths " that curate several related classes.

Note that LinkedIn Learning comes free with a LinkedIn Premium subscription, which get you further professional benefits like InMail messaging, application insights, interview prep, and improved search features.

Here are the three most popular LinkedIn Learning courses of 2020: 

Time Management: Working from Home — free

Strategic Thinking — $34.99

Remote Work Foundations — free

• 1-month free trial
• Free with LinkedIn Premium
• Most classes offer "badges" that can be showcased on your LinkedIn profile
• 50+ new classes released every week
• Offline viewing through the LinkedIn Learning mobile app (available for iOS and Android)
• Classes are available in 7 languages
• Classes are taught by "real-world practitioners" and professionals, not professors
• Not as useful if you aren't active on LinkedIn
• You'll lose access to paid course content if you cancel your subscription
• Very corporate vibe
• Price: $29.99/month or $239.88/year; free with LinkedIn Premium
• Free trial: Yes
• Number of courses available: 16,000+
• Subject areas: Project Management Institute (PMI), programming languages, illustration, drawing, leadership skills, spreadsheets, NASBA Continuing Professional Education (CPE), data analysis, design thinking, personal effectiveness, data science careers, creativity, job searching, big data, and web design business
• Team/enterprise plans available: Yes

Best For Creatives

If you've been biding your time in quarantine by watching crafting tutorials on TikTok and YouTube, consider signing up for Skillshare . The recently revamped educational platform covers mostly artsy-fartsy and DIY topics, with a sprinkling of business and personal development lessons added to the mix for all you entrepreneurial spirits out there (in case you want to turn a side hustle into your main gig). More than 2,000 of its offerings are free, but a $20/month Skillshare Premium membership gets you unlimited access to all 29,000-plus of them.

Most courses are bite-sized at about 30 to 40 minutes; each one features pre-recorded video lessons capped off by a project that allows you to get some real-world experience with your new skills. Skillshare won't give you a professional or completion certificate for completing them, unfortunately, but you can always pad your portfolio with those projects.

Here are the three most popular classes on Skillshare as of Jan. 2021:

Fundamentals of DSLR Photography

Digital Illustration: Learn to Use Procreate

iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos On Your iPhone

• 7-day free trial for new members
• Thousands of free classes
• Big course library
• Offline viewing available to Premium members via the Skillshare mobile app (for iOS and Android)
• Students can share work and offer feedback among themselves
• You'll lose access to class videos and any downloadable learning content if you cancel your Premium membership
• No certificates offered (professional or completion)
• Course creators are "working professionals, experts, and subject matter enthusiasts," not professors
• Price: Select courses are free; upgrade to Skillshare Premium for $19.99/month or $99.99/year
• Number of courses available: 29,000+
• Subject areas: Animation, design, illustration, lifestyle, photo/film, business, technology, and writing
• Team/enterprise plans available: Yes (Skillshare for Teams)

Best For College Classes

Founded by a pair of Stanford University professors, Coursera is the rare MOOC provider that's partnered with top universities and companies to offer a solid mix of accredited and non-accredited online learning.

Its website is structured in a way that makes it tough to compare all of its different online course programs and pricing without creating an account, so we reached out to its press team for a detailed breakdown. Here's the scoop:

Individual Courses are comprised of video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and discussion forums. Some are self-paced, while others have set enrollment periods; either way, they last about four to six weeks each.

Guided Projects are brief assignments that offer real-world experience with different tools and skills. They can be finished in two hours or less, and all necessary learning materials (like software and data) are provided via cloud desktops.

A Specialization is a curated set of courses and projects that'll turn you into an expert on a specific topic. They tend to be more involved, and most take three to six months to complete.

Coursera's Professional Certificates are three- to nine-month training programs run by leading universities and companies (think IBM and Google). They're designed to prep you for a job in a new field and/or industry certification exams.

A MasterTrack is an online module of an accredited university Master's degree program with live instruction and hands-on projects. Upon completion, you'll earn a certificate and credit that can be applied toward the full degree. 

Online Bachelor's and Master's Degree programs on Coursera take one to four years to finish and are typically far cheaper than their in-person counterparts. 

• Offers accredited classes
• Financial aid and scholarships available
• 7-day trial to enroll in a Specialization for free
• Instructors are extremely qualified (either professors from leading universities or experts from top companies)
• 14-day money-back guarantee for Coursera Plus
• Partnered with top universities
• MasterTrack Certificate programs include live instruction
• Most classes have flexible deadlines
• Student ratings for each course are readily accessible
• College students can enroll in unlimited Guided Projects and one course/year with a free Coursera for Campus Student plan (sign up with school email)
• Audit paid courses for free
• Offline viewing
• Mobile app available for iOS and Android
• Convoluted pricing
• Certificates of completion aren't free
• Many courses have specific enrollment periods
• Accredited: Coursera itself is not accredited, but some of its classes are
• Price: Free to $99 per course; $9.99 per Guided Project; $39 to $99/month per Specialization; $39 to $99/month per Professional Certificate; approx. $2,000 $6,000 per MasterTrack Certificate; approx. $9,000 - $45,000 per degree; $399/year for Coursera Plus
• Number of courses available: 4,600 courses plus 1,000 Guided Projects, 500+ Specializations, 45 certificates, and 25 degrees
• Subject areas: Arts and humanities, business, computer science, data science, IT, health, math and logic, personal development, physical science and engineering, social sciences, language learning
• Team/enterprise plans available: Yes (Coursera for Business)

Best For Tech Skills

Learning on Treehouse is done across thousands of hours of on-demand video classes covering all things coding and web design/development (including game and mobile dev), which are geared toward n00b and advanced programmers alike. (You can test out of subjects you already know, which is really nice if you've already mastered the basics — you don't have to waste time rehashing stuff.)

Treehouse offers two different membership tiers: Thirty bucks a month gets you unlimited access to its community forum along with a collection of individual courses and "tracks," which are mini-programs comprised of several classes on a particular skillset. For a more intense learning experience that dives deep into a specific topic, you can instead opt to pursue a self-paced, project-based, bootcamp-style "Techdegree" for $200 a month. (Students in these programs get exclusive access to Treehouse's Slack community, where they can build a network of professional contacts; unlock live chat support; have the option of participating in weekly office hours; receive guided learning paths; and earn certificates upon graduation.) At the time of writing, Treehouse offered Techdegrees in Front End Web Development, Full Stack JavaScript, PHP Development, Python Design, and UX Design.

Not sure where to begin your online education with Treehouse? Click here to take its placement quiz.

• 7-day free trial
• Techdegree graduates earn a certificate
• Advanced students can test out of subjects they already know
• In-house teachers (all instructors are full-time staffers)
• Offline viewing available
• Lots of projects for practical, hands-on experience and portfolio material
• No certificates of completion for individual courses and tracks
• Minimal support/resources available if you're not pursing a Techdegree
• No mobile app
• Price: $29.99/month for access to Treehouse's library of courses and tracks; $199/month per Techdegree
• Number of courses available: 285 individual classes, 93 practice exercises, 196 workshops, 41 tracks, and 5 Techdegrees
• Subject areas: 21st-century skills, Android, APIs, business, C#, computer science, CSS, data analysis, databases, design, development tools, digital literacy, EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), Go, HTML, Java, JavaScript, learning resources, machine learning, PHP, Python, quality assurance, Ruby, and security
• Team/enterprise plans available: Yes (Treehouse for Teams)

Best For A Totally Free Education

Khan Academy offers free online courses, learning resources, and test prep on STEM and history topics for toddlers through young adults. The former are comprised of highly accessible readings, video lectures, and interactive quizzes; some are taught by founder Sal Khan, while others are led by the organization's in-house team of former teachers and industry experts. You can track your progress across its "Mastery System," where points are dolled out for mastering different skills, and earn badges for acing different challenges. 

For these ~unprecedented times~, check out Khan Academy's distance learning guides and free Zoom fatigue tool if the grind of remote learning is wearing on you.

• Distance learning resources
• Free tool to combat Zoom fatigue
• Educational content available anytime, anywhere
• Earn badges for completing challenges
• Test and college prep
• Lots of former teachers on staff
• Recommends lessons based on your performance on previous tests
• Customizable accessibility settings for those with low vision or colorblindness, students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and learners who are sensitive to animations
• Lessons offered in 46 languages
• Two mobile apps for iOS and Android (Khan Academy and Khan Academy Kids for children ages 2-7)
• Download any videos for offline learning
• Minimal human interaction
• Strictly academic topics
• No language-learning classes
• No certificates (professional or completion)
• Price: Free
• Free trial: N/A
• Number of courses available: Not specified, but there are 70,000 practice problems available in addition to videos, articles, and quizzes
• Subject areas: Math, science, computing, test prep, arts and humanities, economics, reading and language arts, and life skills
• Team/enterprise plans available: N/A

Best For Stans

More edutainment than anything, MasterClass gives you an up close and personal look at the skills and talents your faves are known for — a peek into their genius, if you will.

One of the platform's biggest draws is the super high production value on its pre-recorded video lectures and demos — the lighting is great, the audio is crystal-clear, and the course structure is easy to follow. Each one's divided into about twenty 10-minute lessons and includes in-depth workbooks and notes. 

The other appeal of MasterClass is, of course, its ever-updating lineup of A-list instructors. Who better to teach cooking than Gordon Ramsay, or TV writing than Shonda Rhimes? (As of Jan. 2021, its most recent additions include Issa Rae's class on how to make it big in Hollywood and an art/creativity course led by Jeff Koons.)

• Unlimited courses for one annual fee
• Stellar video quality/production value
• New classes added all the time
• Wide range of subjects
• Suitable for all skill levels
• PDF workbooks included with every class
• Select number of video courses can be downloaded for offline viewing on the iOS app
• TV app available
• A fun gift!
• No offline viewing on the Android app
• You'll lose access to all content if you end your subscription
• Smaller range of topics compared to other online learning platforms
• Zero student/teacher interaction
• Price: $15/month billed annually
• Number of courses available: 100+
• Subject areas: Sports and gaming, arts and entertainment, music, writing, food, design and style, science and tech, business, home and lifestyle, community and government, and wellness
• Team/enterprise plans available: No

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons .

Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal . She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch , and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.

In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at  @haleyhenschel  or reach her via email at  [email protected] .

Best online learning platform of 2024

Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)

Best open source

Best for projects, best for pricing, best for integrations, best for google, best for entrepreneurs, best for streamlining, best for tools, best for social media, best for enterprises, best for training, how we test.

The best online learning platforms make it simple and easy to manage online courses for education and training.

1. Best open source 2. Best for projects 3. Best for pricing 4. Best for integrations 5. Best for Google 6. Best for entrepreneurs 7. Best for streamlining 8. Best for tools 9. Best for social media 10. Best for enterprises 11. Best for training 12. FAQs 13. How we test

Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) have become increasingly common, especially due to sweeping changes that became necessary due to the pandemic. 

While face-to-face learning has a place, increasingly learning and courses are being conducted through digital channels. This can be both cheaper and easier to manage for businesses, and for educators it means the ability to reach people from a distance. 

In a remote situation is where online learning platforms really come to the fore, as platforms for education make the most of modern technology. That’s not to say traditional means of education are about to be extinct, but academic institutions and businesses have identified that we can achieve plenty more through tech, such as smartphones and other internet-connected devices which can facilitate learning from any location.

Online learning also has its advantages for people who might not easily be able to access face-to-face learning. This can be especially relevant in remote areas, but also for people with disabilities whose mobility issues might prevent attending college or similar.

When comparing the different online learning platforms, we looked at what operating systems they were available on (Android and iOS), the app interface, integration with third-party software, and the overall quality. We also assessed the pricing plans and what kind of users each learning platform would be best suited for, among other things.  

Below we list what we think are the best online learning platforms currently available.

We've also featured the best online class sites .

Reader offer: 7 day free trial on Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is a premier platform for crafting educational content, integrating various media sources such as images, screen captures, and PowerPoint presentations.  Try it for yourself.

Preferred partner ( What does this mean? )  

The best online learning platforms of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Moodle LMS

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

While commercial software has its place, sometimes it is truly impressive what an open source project can achieve, such as in the case of Moodle LMS. This open source learning platform can be downloaded and used for free. While direct support is lacking (although an organization can engage one of 80 Certified Service Providers to remedy that deficit), there is still plenty here, including documentation such as guides on how to use this platform. 

Learners and teachers are sure to like the expansive feature set, such as interaction with multiple choice questions in the content, an integrated text editor , and support for 3rd party cloud storage providers, such as DropBox to submit assignments. It is also multi-language capable, and supports open standards such as SCORM. 

We also like that teachers can make comments on assignments, and the integrated all-in-one calendar . With so many features, it may be open source, but it hardly will feel like it, which explains why it has over 200 million users.

Read our full Moodle LMS review.

• ^ Back to the top

2. Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is a professional platform for creating learning content. This can be incorporated from a variety of sources, including images that this software can edit, screen captures that can be done automatically, and by importing PowerPoint presentations. 

We are impressed with the support for VR projects, and users are sure to like the choice of acquisition options along with its use of templates to streamline project production, and provide consistency. Users do have issues with the stability of the app, the limited options for direct support and the cancellation fee for the monthly plan will undoubtedly irk some out there. 

Quibbles aside, Adobe Captivate is a mature piece of software that has endured with good reason, and is well worth a closer look via the 30-day trial that is longer than most of its competitors.

Read our full Adobe Captivate review.

3. Acorn LMS

For those that are looking for some upfront pricing, Acorn LMS- unlike some of its competition- answers that need. Rather than keeping potential users in the dark, Acorn LMS is upfront offering both a tier without content and another with content The company also offers a flat fee for the first 100 users and an additional student fee for each user thereafter. 

Beyond that, this platform has a number of strengths that impress us, such as the ability to make individualized student pathways via LinkedIn Learning content, the white label approach to foster customization of the site for consistent branding at an organization, and support for multiple tendencies allowing an administrator to easily manage multiple acorn LMS accounts via a single set of sign on credentials. 

While nothing is perfect, and we should point out the lack of an Android app in the Google Play Store, the dearth of user reviews, and that there are no advanced support options such as a forum or a FAQ, overall it is an attractive package worth the 60-day free trial.

Read our full Acorn LMS review .

4. Canvas LMS

The Canvas LMS is used by top institutions worldwide, and it can boast it has over 6 million users with an over 90% satisfaction rate. Users are sure to be impressed that it integrates well with popular apps that students use, such as those from Adobe, Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams . 

We also like the robust community forum, with thorough answers for common user issues, and the multiple communication options covering the spectrum from messaging (individually and as a group), to audio, and video. Some areas we would like to see improved would be support for gamification, and some transparency in the pricing. Teachers will also be pleased to see the support for automated grading via integration with SpeedGrader.  While the opaque pricing is frustrating, we appreciate both the free 30 day trial, and also the lowest ‘Teacher Tier’ plan that is free long term for both teachers and students to allow for education of all.

Read our full Canvas LMS review .

5. Google Classroom

Google Classroom offers a cloud based learning environment to enable remote education for learners from pre-K through the university level. We appreciate that it pulls together a number of Google tools, such as Google Meet , Google Drive and Google Docs all in one place to enable learning. 

Teachers can put in assignments as all types of documents, including .doc and .pdfs, students get the notification, complete the assignment and submit it. Teachers then grade the assignment, keep a virtual gradebook and can give classroom style lectures via the Google Meet function. 

Google offers this via several tiers of features, but we can appreciate that the free tier is plenty powerful for budget conscious school districts. The platform is also cross platform to allow learners to function with it with whatever their device of choice is, including laptops, Chromebooks , and both smartphone platforms- although the Android one garners complaints from the users.

Read our full Google Classroom review .

6. Thinkific LMS

Thinkific is an online platform that has enjoyed meteoritic success as a relative newcomer to this space. It has useful functions, such as the ability for educators to build a website , and templates are provided to facilitate this for newcomers. 

We also like that this platform can be used to issue certificates of completion. It is used worldwide, and can accept payments from learners signing up for courses from over 100 countries. 

Some omissions, such as the lack of a direct phone number or email for support, and no smartphone apps for either Android or iOS show the immaturity of the platform. We also wanted to see more user reviews than what we found online. However, with a choice of tiers starting with a free one, and a track record that has already earned its experts over $650 million dollars, it is seriously hard to dispute.

Read our full Thinkific LMS review .

7. 360Learning

360Learning meets the challenge head on of streamlining the task of project creation. Users are sure to benefit from the integrated tools such as the video editing software , the included templates that are branded as ‘Cheat Sheets,’ and the option to include ten different types of questions to test learners. 

We also appreciate the free 30-day trial without credit card info, and the choice of tiered plans. However, we were less impressed that there are few options for direct contact, with some features reserved for the top plan (like support for course attachments), and that the Android app has a significantly lower rating than the iOS version. We also like the ‘Collaborative Authoring’ approach that lets even inexperienced users create a course in minutes, rather than months.

Read our full 360Learning review . 

8. Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Learn is a learning platform that is used for learners of all levels from pre-K to university and beyond such as in government and industry. It has some shortcomings such as the opaque pricing, the limited direct support options and the multiple bugs that users report in the apps, especially the Android version. 

Balance that against the integrated tools that some competing solutions charge for, such as a plagiarism checker to check student assignments against. Also factor in the accessibility tool to be ADA compliant, and the other items to foster communication between students and professors, and the tracker to keep students on track with submitting their assignments. Additionally, the 30-day trial is longer than most others, and the iOS app is highly rated, so organizations that need a full fledged solution will see quickly why this learning platform enjoys its popularity.

Read our full Blackboard Learn review.

9. Absorb LMS

The Absorb LMS is a learning platform that focuses on business. It is also especially adept at social aspects, as it can easily integrate with corporate social media accounts. 

We also like the social focus that continues on to allow learners to create social accounts on the platform. This then allows them to virtually interact with the other learners, and also display the awards and certificates that they accumulate for completed content. We also appreciate that certificates can be custom created, to be either downloaded or printed. However, some aspects frustrated us, such as the learning community that is not running yet, the opaque and ultimately high pricing, and the buggy smartphone apps on both the iOS and Android platforms that have users commenting they would be better off accessing content on a computer.

Read our full Absorb LMS review .

Targeting the enterprise market, Docebo takes an AI approach to a learning platform with an impressive list of Fortune 500 companies that use its service. Incorporated under the Docebo Suite are multiple products to create content, deliver it, and also to measure the metrics of its impact. This style of product is well suited to onboarding, and retaining new employees. 

There are some issues with the lack of support options as we would have liked to have seen some more direct choices, such as a direct phone number or a chat option. Also of concern is the completely opaque pricing as we could not even figure out the available tiers or options without direct company contact. However, users are sure to make good use of the robust interactions fostered by this service via the ‘Docebo Community,’ although this gets negated by the clunky, and low rated smartphone apps on both the Android and iOS platforms.

Read our full Docebo review .

11. iSpring Learn

iSpring Learn is one of the most popular learning management systems (LMS) and is mostly used by corporations to train their employees. It makes it easy to prepare and deliver educational content for corporate trainees. You can start with the content you already have, e.g., upload your PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, audio tracks, and video tutorials to the platform. This platform doesn’t impose limits on the size or number of files you can host.

One of the best things about this platform is its interactivity. You can use it to put together engaging educational content complete with illustrations, quotes, videos, etc. For example, you can divide your long articles into chapters so that users can explore the material step-by-step. If you wish, you can restrict navigation such that the user can not proceed to the next material without completing the initial one. You can also add self-test questions throughout the content to help users understand and retain information as they proceed through the course. 

This platform has a customizable design, so you can design your courses with the colors and fonts that are part of your corporate brand. There’s also direct integration with iSpring Suite , a tool that works within PowerPoint and lets you quickly develop quizzes, interactions, and simulations.

iSpring Learn doesn’t just let you build courses. It also gives you analytics to track how trainees are interacting with your courses and their progress. This platform is ideal for companies looking for a solution to deliver corporate training to their employees.

Read our full iSpring Learn review .

If you're interested in studying more online, we've also featured the best courses in:

• HTML , 
• Word , 
• Javascript .

What is an online learning platform?

It is simply a platform that is designed to offer students or trainees everything they need for their education in one place. It allows them to access course materials and interact with other students. It also makes it easy for tutors to monitor student progress.

Online learning platforms are mostly used by schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. However, it is also used by other types of customers, such as corporations that want to deliver training materials to their staff. You can use such platforms to create lectures, assignments, quizzes, etc., and issue certificates to people that complete the course.

Which online learning platforms are best for you?

The first thing to consider when you want to choose an online learning platform is your technical competency. If you have not used an LMS system before, it's better to start with a basic platform before migrating to a complex one such as Moodle. This gives you more chances to understand the platform you are using and maximize its features. Advanced LMS systems offer more features but are of no use if you can find it difficult to use them. A more basic tool will get you acquainted with the intricacies of a learning management system before switching to a complex one.

The size of your trainees or students also matters. If you’re tutoring just a few dozen people, it’s better to choose a basic platform that is easier to manage. On the other hand, if you have hundreds to thousands of students, a more advanced platform such as Moodle is better. 

Online learning platforms vs Learning Management Systems

There are three main categories of online learning platforms; open-source, free, and paid. Open-source refers to platforms where the source code is freely available for modification. Thus, anyone with sufficient programming skills can tweak the software to get just exactly what they want out of it. Moodle is currently the most popular open-source learning platform and is used by many colleges, schools, and companies. 

An open-source learning system is free to use and can be customized extensively. For example, you can use your organization's logo and its unique colors to make the platform feel familiar to users. Open-source systems are also very scalable, so you can start small and expand the platform as you add more students.    

There is a large community of developers behind popular open-source learning platforms like Moodle, and they are constantly building features that you can take advantage of. The drawback of using open-source software is that they are more complex to handle compared to regular free or paid software. You may need a dedicated technical staff to help you. 

The second main category is the free online learning platform. They come at no cost, but the source code behind them is not freely available and customizable like with open-source software. You can use these free platforms to host your educational content and deliver them to the intended users without paying. However, there may be some costs associated with hosting your content on an internal server or for additional features. The drawback of free platforms is that they don’t offer as much features as paid and open-source ones.

The third category is the paid online learning platform, which refers to most on this list. Here, you will need to pay upfront to host your educational content and distribute them to your students or trainees. Expect to pay a fixed fee for each user either monthly or annually, and it can add up to a considerable amount if you have a lot of students. The paid platforms are usually easy to use and navigate because customers expect user-friendliness for a platform they’re paying for. You can also access on-demand support if you run into any issues, unlike with free and open-source software. 

With a paid platform, you don’t need to spend money running your own server and setting up and managing the software. The provider does that for you, while you just pay and access it whenever you want. It is an ideal type to choose, but the disadvantage is that it can be expensive. 

Online learning platform vs online course websites

There are plenty of ways to receive education online these days. This can include anything from casual content, such as an educational YouTube Video, to more structured online education such as a series of videos, and in some cases supplemental content in the form of text or a downloadable PDF. While there are many websites to educate and impart content, they are not all online learning platforms.

An online learning platform goes beyond what an online course website offers, with additional content to support the education. While it will incorporate the elements of an online course website, it will include additional tools, which will all be combined into a single platform. These tools can be communication methods such as live video or messaging, the opportunity to have assignments, and a record of certificates of completed courses. Overall, an online learning platform provides content that will be more in depth, and organized in a more formal environment to promote greater learning.

Open source vs free vs paid online learning platforms

Learning platforms can be divided into three different categories based on the pricing model.

The first is free, which has the benefit of no cost. There are both services that offer this at no cost, or ones that have a free tier, with reduced features, that then hope to upsell the service to a paid tier, and use the free offering as a gateway to getting a paying customer. A downside of these free offerings is that the support tends to be minimal to nonexistent, such as only via an online community board.

Open source is another nice option for a learning management system. In this model the software is distributed for no cost. This can allow an organization to then run this off of its own server. However, there are still costs to doing this, and then this must be supported internally. Another downside is that then the software may not be as updated as frequently, exposing it to security vulnerabilities.

The final option is a paid offering. While this does have an upfront cost, and in most cases for each additional learner, it does have plenty of advantages. This includes that the provider can host the software as a cloud service, requiring no in house personnel to provide support. Also, there may be options for phone support, and also more features.

Is Zoom an online learning platform?

Made popular by the pandemic with remote meetings becoming commonplace, Zoom is a video communications platform. Other popular choices in this category are GoToMeeting , and Google Meet . Zoom and other video communication apps are used for online audio and video meetings for business, casual and educational use. Each also supports additional content to support the virtual meeting, such as sharing screens, or chat within the app.

However, Zoom is not specifically an online learning platform. While it can certainly be used to support education, it has no way to give assignments, grade them, or do quizzes for example. As an online learning platform it falls pretty short, with plenty of better options out there. Also, many of the better online learning platforms offer video chatting within the platform so Zoom as a standalone is not needed as the functionality is already incorporated in.

What are the pros and cons of an online learning platform?

There are plenty of pros for an online platform. This includes the instant availability of the education, and that learners are not limited by geography and can attend class anywhere- even from the comfort of home. The learning is also self-paced, as it can accommodate a variety of learning styles and learner needs as it is more flexible. There is also the benefit that learners don’t need to commute to the school reducing the cost and burden of education, which can also be a time saving benefit as well.

While there are certainly benefits, there are some downsides as well. Some students may prefer face to face learning with a teacher directly in front of them, that an online learning platform lacks. Also with no physical school to attend, there is less of a structured learning environment, which some learners may do better with. Furthermore, there is less or even no camaraderie between learners than at a physical school, which can all be part of the total educational experience, and is a missing component with an online learning platform.

What are the essential features of an online learning platform?

When choosing an online learning platform for your organization, be sure the choice is a good one. Here are some essential features to look for:

• Scalability: Nobody wants to outgrow their platform too soon, and have to transition to another one. Therefore, look for scalability that can grow as you need it to.
• Mobile presence: Today’s learners want to be able to learn when on the move. Therefore, look for an online learning platform that has well rated apps for both the iOS and Android platforms, that are highly rated.
• Tools for authoring: A flexible platform allows for content creation that is easy to use. This can include tools for text editing, and also video capture and editing from within the platform to streamline production.
• Easy to use interface: Nobody likes to use a clunky interface, so look for an easy one to use, that is well presented, and won’t distract or overwhelm users.
• Robust support: When the inevitable issues of a platform come up, users are going to need some help. Look for a platform that offers a variety of support choices, including options for direct support such as a direct email and phone number.

Read how to host your own learning management software with Moodle LMS .

There are plenty of choices in the online learning management software area, so there is sure to be one well suited for each organization.

A major differentiator is price. Some LMS’ are available for free, or have a low cost entry tier. Others offer more features, but at a higher price point. Pricing models are also different with some providers charging only by each student, while others having the price based on the plan, and then a lower additional cost for each additional learner. 

Another feature to look for are the mobile apps. Especially younger learners value these apps so that a learner can engage in education from anywhere, at any time. Be sure that the apps are available for both of the mobile platforms- Android and iOS . Also, check the ratings of the apps in their respective stores, as just because an app is available it may not be a great one with some low rated, glitchy ones out there.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .  

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Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing, technology, and marketing titles. He has been interviewed multiple times for the BBC and been a speaker at international conferences. His specialty on techradar is Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, covering everything from office suites to IT service tools. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, published as Brian G Turner.

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Top 11 Online Learning Platforms for Individuals & Businesses

Table of Contents

Online learning platforms democratize education by offering access to elearning courses for everyone, anywhere, and at their own pace.

This is great news for educators selling online courses , trainers, and coaches, as it allows them to expand their in-person offerings and reach billions of people.

On the other hand, learners from all walks of life can learn a skill, access professional development programs, get certified, or even learn as a hobby.

We have reviewed dozens of platforms over the years. Here is a short list of the best online learning platforms for each case.

Your professional looking Academy in a few clicks

What is an Online Learning Platform?

An online learning platform is an information system with a learning environment where learners can access educational content. Modern learning platforms support a variety of interactive learning and offer tools for educators to promote their courses.

Course Marketplaces

Most learning platforms are often called ‘online course marketplaces’ because they give learners the opportunity to search for and pay for online courses directly.

While some of these course marketplaces are used to feature online courses, the majority are more educational-based and strictly offer university-level education.

Why is it Different than LMS?

A typical Learning Management System (LMS) is used for corporate training, serving the requirements of a company’s compliance, certification, user management, and, often, cybersecurity.

While online learning platforms are more flexible systems suitable for a wider audience of learners.

How to Choose an Online Learning Platform

Choosing the right platform to use for online education is a very important decision. As a learner, it will define the education you are getting, and for businesses, it’s a big decision that will stick with you for at least 2-3 years.

Consider your options, and make a checklist (or RFP) of requirements before you start looking.

For Learners (Buying a Course)

Purchasing educational products is very different from physical goods. Learning is a deeply personal process, and you need to consider what will work best for you or your goals.

Instructors: It’s important to choose an instructor you feel comfortable with and trust. Consider whether they are subject matter experts, have the credentials to teach, and if there are examples of their teachings (e.g., an intro video).

Content: Check the level of the content and whether it covers your requirements. Review the course material and course subjects before signing up for a plan.

Certification: Review the compliance for professional certificates and find out whether they are given by credible educational institutions, organizations, or individuals.

Trust: When choosing a learning platform, you need to trust its process, support, refund policy, and delivery of the material. A well-established platform is more likely to offer high-quality content than a lesser-known platform.

Pricing: Consider whether the price works for you. Is it a one-off payment, subscription, pay-as-you-go? And think about the value you will get for the price you pay. Sometimes, it’s worth paying a bit more for higher-quality education.

For Educators & Instructors (Selling a Course)

When you are selling an online course , your considerations are different. You are the instructor selling the course and looking for a learning platform to host and deliver it.

Features: You are looking for the learning tools to deliver the course but also for marketing and sales features. Also, consider whether the platform is suitable for the type of course you have or want to build. Different platforms specialize in different courses, e.g., Video, Certification, Structured/Unstructured, etc.

Support: It’s important to have good technical support. Some marketplaces may barely respond to your questions, while other platforms might be challenging to use. Support can help you solve all your issues and make your life easier.

Reliability: You want to offer a high standard of quality to your students, and using a reliable platform to deliver your course is essential for that.

Pricing: Consider the pricing tiers or other associated costs. You want to ensure your business is profitable as you grow, and want to avoid any platforms that cost too much or take a steep cut of your profits as you grow.

#1 LearnWorlds: Our Top Choice for Creating & Selling Online Courses

LearnWorlds is a modern LMS with built-in course authoring , e-commerce , community , and user management features .

It offers a true all-in-one elearning solution for companies, being the best online course platform for offering great e-learning experiences .

With LearnWorlds, you can create your own academy, launch a mobile app , and own the user data.

Pros & Cons

• Easy to use
• Full-feature: Course authoring, website builder, e-commerce, and user management
• White-label website & mobile app
• Supports SCORM and HTML5 files
• AI Assistant to build courses with artificial intelligence
• Exceptional customer support
• No marketplace for courses
• Does not support TinCan and xAPI
• Limited gamification options

Who is it for?

Instructors: It’s ideal for professional trainers, e-learning companies, and SMEs for training employees or educating their customers .

Learners: Learners in LearnWorlds schools enjoy great user experience, a community of peers, and control over their accounts. While it’s not always visible if you are learning under a LearnWorlds school, we recommend preferring instructors using LearnWorlds for their courses.

It offers a 30-day free trial and then 4 subscription pricing plans:

• Starter plan: $29/month
• Pro trainer plan: $99/month
• Learning Center: $299/month
• High Volume and custom corporate pricing are available

*Pricing information retrieved from LearnWorlds in April 2024.

LearnWorlds is a standalone course platform for any size of business looking to create a professionally looking academy and sell online courses. Try LearnWorlds with a 30-day trial today.

💁 Find out more about LearnWorlds’ alternatives .

💡 Looking to boost your productivity? Then our free webinar LearnWorlds AI-Powered Tools: Do More With Quality-Focused Output is the right one for you! Watch the webinar and learn how LearnWorlds’ AI tools can streamline and facilitate your knowledge business.

#2 Udemy: The Best Course Marketplace

Udemy is one of the most popular online course marketplaces on the web, featuring more than 210,000 online video courses. This educational platform has over 60 million students, 65 thousand instructors, and subject matter experts creating online courses.

Udemy makes course creation possible for everyone with the possibility of acquiring new skills. In doing so, it offers a range of online learning materials including PDF documents, PowerPoint, text, and video content, among many others.

Instructors can join Udemy and start teaching online , but Udemy takes a huge piece of the revenue and has control over pricing and discounting the course.

• No setup cost (for instructors)
• Geared towards self-paced learning and video courses
• No need for highly technical knowledge
• A Udemy app available for iOS and Android
• Limited interaction with students
• High competition between instructors
• No personal branding option
• No data ownership or control over branding – it keeps emails and user data and does not share this information with instructors
• Visibility depends on your own marketing – the platform only promotes courses that are already popular

Learners: Udemy has a course for almost every discipline, but potential students should always read the reviews before buying one. The quality is not consistent.

Instructors: It’s great for teachers, instructors, educators, and freelancers who are just starting out.

Pricing/Revenue Share (for instructors):

To start charging students a fee for courses on Udemy, you will need to become a premium instructor. In such a case, the following conditions apply:

• No starting fee, but very high commissions on sales of up to 75%.
• 37% when students come through their paid user acquisition channel.
• 97% on course sales when you sell through your own links. Udemy keeps a 3% administration fee.

*Pricing adjusted on a global price tier matrix developed by Udemy.

*Pricing information retrieved from Udemy Support in April 2024.

Learner Pricing: Most Udemy courses end up selling between $10-$20 with very few exceptions where instructors have set a higher price.

#3 Coursera: The Academic Learning Platform

Coursera is an online learning platform with over 100 million users dedicated to offering high-quality online training courses worldwide. Partnering with top universities and businesses, it offers students the opportunity to receive certifications from renowned institutions upon enrolling in its paid courses.

Coursera offers individual courses, specializations, certifications, and degree programs (for bachelor’s and master’s degrees) that support on-demand video lectures, homework exercises, peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums.

With Coursera Plus, students can get unlimited access to 90 percent of the learning programs in the Coursera catalog via a yearly or monthly subscription option.

• Offers a variety of learning options and activities
• Offers certifications from accredited institutions
• Provides high-quality educational tools
• Courses are free if you are not looking for a certification
• Limited to educators in partner institutions
• Less flexible course creation options compared to other platforms
• Does not offer instructor feedback, only peer-reviewed assignments as a feedback mechanism

Learners: Anyone who wants to learn from prestigious institutions, whether they are looking for a one-off course, certification, or an online degree.

Instructors: It is aimed at professors who are based at a HE partner institution or business .

Coursera offers free courses, subscriptions, and one-off payments depending on the course or program.

#4 Thinkific: An All-in-one Learning Platform for SMEs

Thinkific is a standalone course platform that helps you build and sell online courses. It provides everything you need to create your online education business, including an easy-to-use interface for building courses and rich multimedia to add right to your course content.

Thinkific is a popular option for course creators launching their business, but support is lacking.

• Has a freemium plan
• Full-featured platform
• Integrates with popular software
• Lots of (paid) experts can help you build your website/courses
• Includes mobile app & community features
• Limited website templates & design options
• Basic learning features
• Does not support SCORM, TinCan, or AICC
• Bad support

Learners: Thinkific academies usually offer decent video courses with a certification, but usually top-tier educators choose more professional platforms to deliver their training.

Instructors: Thinkific is ideal for solopreneurs, small/medium businesses – SMEs, and coaches who want to generate more income.

Free to join with limited functionality. It offers a 30-day free trial on the Pro plan. Higher tiers exist with hidden functionality.

Subscription plans include:

• Free plan: $0
• Basic: $49/month
• Start: $99/month
• Grow: $199/month
• Thinkific Plus: custom pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from Thinkific in April 2024.

View a list of Thinkific Alternatives

Compare Thinkific to LearnWorlds.

Compare Thinkific Pricing to Teachable & LearnWorlds.

#5 edX: The Marketplace & Open Source LMSt

EdX.org (course marketplace) and Open-edX are two sides of the same coin. EdX is the learning platform where students find online courses from various universities, and Open-edX is an open-source content management system.

Both were created by a team of scientists from Harvard University and MIT with the goal of providing online university-level education across the globe.

EdX.org offers over 4,000 online courses from 250 prestigious businesses and universities offering higher education in many disciplines. These mainly specialize in the sciences–engineering, computer science, data science, math, humanities, business, and management.

• Free and open-source (for instructors)
• Provides in-depth knowledge and added value (for students)
• Comes with a mobile app on iOS and Android
• Interactive online classes – allowing students to chip in
• Discussion forums seem to be outdated and difficult to navigate
• Requires technical knowledge or hiring a developer/web designer to implement (for instructors)
• Comes with the additional costs of a self-hosted server and its maintenance (for instructors)

Students (EdX): it has a very diverse library of courses suitable for most ages looking to learn a subject or new skills.

Instructors (Open-edX): It’s great for businesses who can afford a team or outsource the development and maintenance of the platform on their own servers.

Pricing for Instructors:

It’s free to join, but there may be additional costs for procuring a server and system support and getting expert help from Open-edX’s service providers or freelancers, whose pricing varies according to your project’s requirements and budget.

For more information on Open-edX course creation expenses, check out this guide .

#6 Teachable: All-in-one Course Platform for Coaches

Teachable is an online teaching platform that serves the everyday instructor, helping them transform their knowledge into a business. Teachable provides an easy and simple solution for uploading your learning content, customizing your online school, and communicating effectively with your students.

Teachable embodies simplicity. It’s easy to use and ideal for beginner course creators wanting to sell video courses, tutorials, or coaching. It also comes with the digital marketing tools you need to promote your courses .

• Has a free plan for your first course
• Simple and easy-to-use learning platform
• Good eCommerce features for selling courses
• Limited learning/teaching and assessment capabilities
• Does not support advanced learning features
• No social or community-building features
• Not very responsive customer support
• Limited white-labeling options

Instructors: It’s a great option for new course creators, solopreneurs, and coaches due to the free plan.

Learners: Teachable courses are more often video lessons with some quizzes. Teachable schools are great when they specialize in video tutorials, but you will not find many great certification courses there.

Teachable has the following pricing options:

• Free plan: $0/month (limited functionality and $1 + 10% per transaction)
• Basic plan: $59/month (plus a 5% transaction fee)
• Pro plan: $159/month
• Pro+ plan: $249/month
• Business plan: $665/month

*Pricing information retrieved from Teachable in April 2024.

Compare Teachable with LearnWorlds

Check out more Teachable Alternatives

Are you looking for a SCORM-compliant LMS ?

#7 Kajabi: Best Course Platform with Marketing Feature

Kajabi is an all-in-one online platform that offers the tools to sell digital products , including online courses, coaching programs, and podcasts . Kajabi specializes in building high-converting sales pages, landing pages, and webinar pages for your online business and launching your advertising campaigns.

• Best-in-class marketing features
• Many automations for course creation (AI) and funnels
• Supports many digital products: courses, memberships, podcasts, etc
• No free plan
• No advanced learning features
• Can be difficult to set up
• Many limitations, and ends up being quite expensive quickly

Instructors: It is for non-techy online course creators, digital entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, creators, and individual instructors selling video courses and other digital products.

Learners: Kajabi is great at selling and less in the learning experience, you should expect simple video lessons, PDFs, quizzes, live sessions, and a community/membership where students can socialize.

Offers a 14-day trial with a credit card. Then it goes to a monthly payment of the subscription plan, which includes:

• Basic plan: $149/month
• Growth plan: $199/month
• Pro plan: $399/month

*Pricing information retrieved from Kajabi in April 2024.

Compare Kajabi with LearnWorlds

Check out other Kajabi Alternatives

#8 Docebo: Best Traditional LMS for Entreprises

Docebo comes with a top cloud-based LMS solution that meets most of every organization’s training needs and requirements.

The platform is learner-centric and offers L&D capabilities using learning-specific Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to personalize the learning experience.

• Supports SCORM, AICC, and Tin Can API
• Has engaging gamification capabilities
• Provides analytics on the effectiveness of learning programs
• Supports more than 40 languages
• Very expensive, only suitable for enterprises
• Lacking reporting feature
• Limited customization capabilities

Docebo is targeted at corporate and enterprise users training their employees and partners. It is prohibitively expensive for most course creators or small businesses.

Docebo’s pricing is based on active users and has a steep lower cost of $25,000.

• Engage plan: Starts at $25,000/year
• Elevate plan: Starts at $40,000/year
• Enterprise plan: You need to book a demo for a custom price.

*Pricing information retrieved from Docebo in April 2024.

Best Docebo Alternatives

#9: Litmos: Easiest-to-Use Traditional LMS

Litmos (formerly known as SAP Litmos) is a popular platform that offers a variety of eLearning solutions for businesses, including corporate, customer, partner, services, support training, and compliance training.

One of its biggest strengths is the ability to create customized learning paths for the needs and styles of every company and its employees.

• Intuitive course authoring
• Supports SCORM, AICC, xAPI/Tin Can API
• Great reporting & dashboards
• Includes a content library with 2,000+ ready-made training courses
• Has limited customization options
• Expensive option for most businesses
• Its assessment and feedback delivery process are slower than usual
• Lacks a dedicated payment gateway connection

It’s suitable for businesses of all types and sizes, focusing mostly on corporate training .

Pricing for Litmos LMS is not publicly available on the site, but it is based on the number of active users. Various online sources mention a price range between $2 and $5 per user per month .

Access to the LMS, specific courses, and add-on features comes with a quote-based plan after making a pricing request to Litmos directly.

#10 Moodle: The Most Popular Open-Source LMS

Unlike the majority of LMSs, Moodle is a free, open-source learning management platform . You can also buy hosted versions of Moodle with technical support from many resellers.

Moodle is the usual LMS for higher education and is being used by many businesses as well. It requires a great deal of effort for setup, but may be the most customizable solution for elearning out there.

A large community of developers is still supporting it, and you can find or develop almost any feature you might require.

• Open Source (free to use)
• Most customizable solution
• Compatible with SCORM, AICC, IMS LTI, and xAPI/Tin Can API
• A big community of users, developers, and businesses offering services and support
• Doesn’t offer support, but you can pay for it
• Very old user interface
• You need an expert or a team of experts to use it

Instructors: Moodle is best suited for colleges, universities, public administration, and specialized businesses with the expert knowledge to use it.

Learners: While not the most user-friendly solution, it is relatively easy to use and could offer many functionalities for users including a community, forum, etc.

Moodle is open-source Moodle which is free to use but requires your own server to host.

The other is MoodleCloud or other providers, which offer a cloud-based solution and usually come with tech support.

For off-the-shelf hosting:

• Starter: $120/year (50 users, 250MB)
• Mini: $200/year (100 users, 500MB)
• Small: $380/year (200 users, 1GB)
• Medium: $870/year (500 users, 2.5GB)
• Large: $1,650/year (1,000 users, 5GB)

For premium hosting: Customized pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from MoodleCloud in April 2024.

#11 LearnDash: Best WordPress Plugin for Learning

LearnDash is the most popular premium WordPress LMS plugin in the market. With it, you can design, promote, and sell online courses. Some of the best features it offers are its speed and its drag-and-drop course builder, which make the process of course creation both easy and enjoyable.

LearnDash has the flexibility of WordPress , allowing it to be very customizable. You can add many more functionalities that are not natively built-in. The downside is that adding too many plugins may be detrimental and break the website, requiring a developer to do the setup or keep maintaining the site and offering support.

• Cheaper than cloud-based LMS
• Very flexible and customizable
• Many add-ons that add functionality
• Has an ecosystem of themes & developers building new functionalities
• No free trial, but you can cancel within 15 days (if you don’t like the product)
• The membership plugin costs extra
• Every extension also comes at an additional cost
• Self-hosting on your own server comes with additional hosting & developer costs
• E-commerce features require a third-party plugin like WooCommerce

Instructors: LearnDash is suited for individuals and smaller companies, as it’s a low-cost LMS based on WordPress. It does not support most requirements for bigger, more complex organizations.

Learners: LearnDash’s interface is pretty easy to use and straightforward for learners. You will probably not realize when a course you bought is hosted on LearnDash.

There are two ways to use LearnDash – either getting the plugin or launching a fully hosted course website.

LearnDash plugin’s pricing is based on the number of site licenses:

• 1 site license: $199/year
• 10 site licenses: $399/year
• Unlimited: $799/year

LearnDash Cloud (full-site) starts at $25 per month.

MemberDash (the membership plugin) starts at $199/year as a standalone plugin (does not require LearnDash).

*Pricing information retrieved from LearnDash in April 2024.

Compare LearnWorlds vs LearnDash

Compare LearnWorlds vs WooCommerce

Choosing an Online Course Platform

There are many options available when it comes to offering online learning, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some platforms are more suitable for individual learners, while others are more business-friendly.

Depending on your budget, type of course, and compliance requirements (for bigger companies), you may choose a different platform that fits your needs.

Our favorite option is hands-down LearnWorlds .

It’s the easiest all-in-one course platform offering a high-end learning experience to your learners, whether you are an individual creator or a business.

Want to try out LearnWorlds? You can get a 30-day free trial today and schedule your demo!

Kyriaki Raouna

Kyriaki is a Content Creator for the LearnWorlds team writing about marketing and e-learning, helping course creators on their journey to create, market, and sell their online courses. Equipped with a degree in Career Guidance, she has a strong background in education management and career success. In her free time, she gets crafty and musical.

Nick Malekos

Nick Malekos is a Senior Digital Marketer in LearnWorlds. He is a results based and well-rounded Digital Marketer with years of experience in the education industry, writer and digital literacy trainer.

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7 Best Online Learning Platforms of 2024 (Ranked & Reviewed)

Do you fancy having students learn from your expertise through an online course while monetizing your knowledge?

Online course platforms are so popular that the eLearning industry has experienced a 900% growth since 2000.

In this article, I’ll rank and review the best online learning platforms based on their features, pricing, certifications, topics, student interaction, and more .

Let’s get to the list.

What Are The Best Online Learning Platforms?

Here are the best online learning platforms to consider.

Best For Its Range Of Available Courses.

Udemy offers a broad selection of courses, ranging from programming and data science to design, illustration, and personal development.

No matter what you want to learn, Udemy has a course.

Udemy offers more than 185,000 online video courses taught by expert instructors.

You can learn at your own pace and on your own time, and new courses are constantly being added to the Udemy platform.

With various instructors comes various course styles, so you can find a teaching style that works best for you.

Also, if you are an expert in a particular field, you can create your course and earn money by teaching others on Udemy.

What’s negative about Udemy is that they constantly offer courses at a discount, so the net amount you make on your class might not be as attractive.

Apart from that, it’s a great platform for students.

Key Features:

• Lifetime access to courses ensures that you can revisit the material as often as you need to
• Learn at your own pace with flexible schedules
• Get a certificate of completion to showcase your achievement
• Ask questions to instructors and get feedback that helps you learn better

User Experience:

Finding courses is relatively easy, and the platform is designed to make learning easy and fun.

No matter which topic you want to learn about, Udemy has a course for it.

The cost varies depending on the course you choose.

The good thing about Udemy is that they offer various discounts throughout the year.

What I Like/Dislike About Udemy

• The range of available topics is as vast as it gets.
• Both web and mobile applications are available for enrolling in Udemy Business courses.
• Several courses could be further enhanced through better / fresher quality.

Product Updates:

• Udemy for Apple TV allows students to take their learning experience to various other devices.

2. Skillshare.

Best for creative courses..

Skillshare is an online learning platform with a focus on creativity and design.

If you want to learn how to be more creative or improve your design skills, Skillshare is a great option.

With a mobile app, online courses, and offline events, Skillshare makes it easy to learn new skills and connect with other creatives no matter where you are.

With courses with projects assigned to them and a community of like-minded creatives to connect with, Skillshare is an excellent platform for those who want to improve their creative skills in various areas.

• Get a meaningful membership that helps you lead a more creative life.
• Online learning designed for real life gives you the flexibility and support you need to achieve your goals.
• Learn from anywhere with a mobile app that makes your courses more accessible.

The product recommendations are usually on point and show you some great options you may not have considered otherwise.

There are various plans to consider.

Skillshare for Teams allows you to get together and access the right content for groups of people.

Corporate gift cards also show employees that you value their development.

Finally, there are also some free courses to consider.

What I Like/Dislike About Skillshare

• Compared to other platforms, Skillshare’s courses are more demonstrative.
• The site will benefit graphic designers, painters, and lifestyle artists more than different types of careers.
• Some courses might not have more details about a topic or study area.

Best For Institutional Education.

EdX is the top online learning platform for the world’s educational institutions, offering high-quality courses in various subjects.

Exploring top courses that can get you closer to your career goals from the comfort of your home is a great advantage that this platform can offer.

As part of its core mission, EdX aims to enable transformation as part of the learning process.

Based on cutting-edge cognitive science research, EdX is designed to help individuals learn more effectively and achieve their goals.

• Experience world-class courses from the best instructors
• From computer science to business & management, engineering, and much more, you can find suitable courses on EdX.

Seeing course progress and where you stand compared to peers is a great way to stay motivated while learning on EdX.

In this regard, there is also a timeline and leaderboard information that is very helpful.

It depends on the course you decide to go for.

What I Like/Dislike About EdX

• EdX is a fantastic resource for serial learners that want to upskill or change their career paths.
• Users have the option to personalize or modify anything in the projects.
• The authoring components of EDX may be complex for those just starting.
• edX launches its first courses with Meta immersive learning so you can take your learning experience virtually.

4. LinkedIn Learning.

Best for business professionals..

While many turn to LinkedIn for its professional networking capabilities, LinkedIn Learning is an excellent resource for those who want to improve their skills and learn new ones.

Linkedin Learning offers personalized courses based on your role, industry, and skills.

With the social networking platform identifying areas you may need to improve on, LinkedIn Learning is a great way to get tailored content to help you reach your goals.

You can also search for the top skills you want to learn and start with a course covering that topic.

• Relevant recommendations make it easy to find the courses you need
• The intuitive admin tools make it easy to manage your learning
• You can save your progress so you can pick up where you left off
• Custom and pre-built learning paths help you organize your learning journey.

The level of detail when it comes to specific recommendations is beneficial.

Sometimes, you don’t even think of a skill that might be helpful in your current role, but the platform brings it to your attention.

You get a free month with this online learning platform.

After that, you can buy the specific courses you’re interested in.

What I Like/Dislike About LinkedIn Learning

• There are a variety of training options to select from.
• Instructors are generally great at what they do, teaching effectively and making the subject easy to understand.
• The LinkedIn team sends you regular updates, which might be too much for some users.
• More new content and features are added to make learning more engaging and enjoyable.

5. Mindvalley.

Best for self-development courses..

Mindvalley is an online learning platform that offers courses on various topics such as personal growth, health and fitness, lifestyle, business and entrepreneurship, spirituality, and more.

With a focus on personal development, Mindvalley offers programs designed to help you reach your full potential.

With complete access to all the courses, Mindvalley makes it easy to find the content you need and start learning.

There are also daily live classes from top instructors, which makes it easy to get started with Mindvalley, no matter where you are in your journey.

Finally, with their private social network, you’ll also meet like-minded people worldwide who can support you on your journey.

• Level up your life with Mindvalley, getting better in various aspects.
• Be part of a community that cares about you, your goals, and your journey.
• Get results that last a lifetime with programs designed to help you reach your full potential.
• Their events will help you connect with like-minded people and top instructors.

You can resume any course at any time with automatically saved progress.

New courses are also released weekly, keeping the platform fresh and up-to-date.

There are two plans available:

• Monthly Membership: $99/month
• Yearly Membership (Save 58%): Charged annually at $41.60/month

What I Like/Dislike About Mindvalley

• The tool offers brief, easy-to-understand video lessons, perfect for short attention spans.
• The community is very encouraging, and connecting with like-minded people is easy.
• The price is higher than other platforms, but you get access to the right content.
• The provided self-assessment shows you where you need to grow and what kind of Mindvalley courses will help you achieve success.

6. DataCamp.

Best for data science..

DataCamp is an online learning platform offering data science, programming, and analytics courses.

With a focus on helping users learn the skills they need to get a job in the tech industry, DataCamp has a variety of courses that cover topics such as Python, R, SQL, and more.

DataCamp also offers certification programs that help you stand out when applying for jobs.

With regularly updated content, DataCamp is an excellent resource for those who want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the tech industry.

With professional courses in various areas ranging from non-coding essentials to data science, this online learning platform is perfect for those who want to learn everything they need about data.

Various learning paths designed by experts are available so that you can learn at your own pace and according to your needs.

• Build data skills online using the latest tools and technologies.
• Skill up at scale with DataCamp’s enterprise solutions.
• The hands-on learning experience with interactive exercises and short videos.
• Practice and apply your skills with the code you’re learning directly from your browser.

There are four pricing plans on offer:

• Basic : Free
• Premium (1 person): $12.42 per user /month billed annually
• Teams (2+ people): $12.42 per user /month billed annually
• Enterprise : Contact sales for pricing

7. MasterClass .

Best for expert education..

MasterClass offers courses taught by experts that have significantly impacted their field.

Access video lessons, behind-the-scenes footage, and more from some of the world’s best athletes, chefs, writers, and business leaders.

With courses that cover a wide range of topics, MasterClass is perfect for those who want to learn new skills or improve their existing ones.

With new classes added monthly, MasterClass is constantly expanding its offerings, so you can find a course that’s perfect for you.

From arts and entertainment to business, music, and food, MasterClass has something for everyone.

• MasterClass classes are about 2-5 hours on average, so you can finish a class quickly.
• Individual lessons usually take 2-5 minutes, making each content piece easily digestible.
• Classes come with a workbook that contains all the needed materials to follow along with the course.
• With interactive assignments, you can test your newly learned skills.
• Be a part of a supportive community and get access to exclusive events.

Here are the plans that Masterclass offers:

• Individual: $15/mo billed annually
• Duo: $20/mo billed annually
• Family: $23/mo billed annually

Other online learning platforms not mentioned in this article include Coursera, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS), Lynda, Udacity, and more.

What Are Online Learning Platforms?

An online learning platform is a website or software application that helps users learn new skills or knowledge.

These resources can offer various content, including courses, articles, videos, and more.

With online course platforms, users can learn at their own pace and on their own time.

These platforms also offer a convenient and flexible way to learn new skills since you don’t need to commute to a physical location.

Learning Management System Vs. Online Education Course Platform

While there are many ways of referring to platforms that deliver lessons online, knowing the difference between an online education platform and a learning management system (LMS) is critical when determining the best option for your needs.

The main difference between learning management systems and an online course platform is that the former is designed for managing courses.

In contrast, an online course platform is designed to create and deliver lessons without much thought about the backend.

The use cases of an LMS and an online course platform can overlap, but the former is generally geared toward formal learning experiences.

In contrast, the latter is geared towards more informal and flexible learning experiences.

The learning curve with using an LMS is generally longer than an online course platform since managing courses is more complex than just delivering lessons.

Also, the time to market is generally longer with an LMS since you must account for the learning curve and the time required to populate the system with your course content.

Pricing is another crucial difference, with an LMS generally being more expensive since it requires more maintenance to ensure it’s running smoothly.

An online course platform usually comes with a monthly subscription fee, but it will be lower than an LMS since there is no need to account for the same degree of overhead when managing courses.

Features Of A Great Online Learning Platform

From self-paced learning to e-learning platforms allowing real-time interaction between the instructor and the learner, the right system provides a space for education.

With these eLearning platforms becoming more popular, there are several features to look out for when choosing the right system.

Some of these features include the following.

Unlimited Access To Course Materials

One key functionality that an online learning platform should have is unlimited access to course materials.

For beginners in a subject matter, accessing course materials as often as necessary is vital to ensuring that they understand the concepts being taught.

This feature is also essential for those that want to review a particular subject matter before taking an exam or sitting for professional certification.

A Variety Of Media Formats Are Available

Regarding the courses offered on an online learning platform, various media must be used to cater to different learners’ needs.

Some students prefer video content, while others prefer reading articles or listening to audio.

The best online learning platforms will offer a variety of content types to cater to the needs of all learners.

Professional Certificates From An Accredited Institution

Traditionally, sitting for an online degree from MIT, Harvard, the University of Berkeley, or any other top-ranked institution was a great way to further your career.

However, not everyone has the time or the resources to attend these institutions.

Whether it’s higher education, a Bachelor’s, a Master’s degree, or even just a certification, an online learning platform that offers professional certificates from accredited institutions is a great way to further your career without having to attend these institutions physically.

A Course Library That Reflects Current Trends

The spectrum of topics needed for professional development is constantly changing.

Nowadays, having an idea of what’s happening in various areas, including humanities, cybersecurity, web development, and anything in between, can be helpful.

With the pandemic significantly affecting the work landscape, having a range of topics offered through online learning platforms is key.

All the courses should reflect the latest trends to ensure that those taking them are up to date with the relevant knowledge and skills.

Self-Paced Training

Individual courses should always focus on quality, and the right online learning platform will allow you to self-pace through a course.

Whether you’re a fast or slow learner, controlling the course’s pace is a great way to ensure you get the most out of it.

Self-Testing Methods

From tutorials and quizzes that follow video content to learning materials that come with tests at the end of each chapter, the best online learning platforms will always provide a way to test your knowledge.

As a result, you learn and retain the material correctly and can apply this knowledge when needed.

Ability To Go Through A Free Trial Before Paying

While you can get an idea of the learning environment you can expect from the homepage of a platform, the testimonials and reviews on offer, and various case studies, there is nothing like trying a platform out for yourself.

Having at least a seven-day trial to experience the platform and the course material is ideal when deciding whether an online system fits you.

Various Pricing Plans

Whether a monthly subscription or a one-time fee for a course, the best online learning platforms might offer different pricing plans.

Your chosen platform should have a dedicated app for those who prefer to use their iOS or Android mobile devices to learn.

A Community

Forums can help get students together to discuss the course material, ask questions, and support each other.

From future entrepreneurs to potential social media graduates, few online learning platforms won’t have an active and engaged community regarding the subject matter.

How to Find Students for Your Online Learning Platform

For online learning platforms, finding the right students is critical to success.

With the right target audience, you can reach a potential student base interested in your content and willing to pay for quality instruction.

Let’s look at some of the best ways to find students for an online learning platform.

Digital Advertising

Digital marketing allows you to target audiences interested in your product or service specifically.

This targeted approach will help you hone in on those with an existing need or interest and increase engagement with your online learning platform.

You can use digital advertising such as Google Ads or social media advertisements to narrow your focus and get in front of potential customers who are already interested in what you are offering.

Content Creation

Creating courses and content is another excellent way to attract customers.

Whether crafting blog posts, making tutorials, or filming videos, engaging content is essential to engage potential students.

Content creation helps build trust between you and your customer base and brings awareness of your products/services.

When it comes time for a potential student to make a purchase decision, they’ll remember the quality content they interacted with throughout their research—which will lead them back to you!

Social Media Engagement

Social media engagement is one of the best ways to reach out directly and interact with potential customers.

It helps build relationships that could eventually turn into sales down the road.

Interacting with current and prospective followers through social media engagement shows that you care about their needs and questions.

Nowadays, online learning platforms are a dime a dozen.

However, the ones that reflect the needs of current and future students, and provide specific features that enable learning, will still be around for years to come.

With a global desire for both flexible and affordable education, a learning platform that can offer this will always be in demand.

To recap, the best online learning platforms right now are:

• Udemy : Best For Its Range Of Available Courses
• Skillshare : Best For Creative Courses
• EdX : Best For Institutional Education

Have you taken a course on any platform on the above list?

If so, what was your experience like?

Let me know in the comments below!

Further reading on AdamEnfroy.com: Taking online classes has its pros and cons.

Understanding these advantages and disadvantages can help you be a more successful online student, as you can tailor your learning experience to fit your needs.

Check out these review articles dealing with some of the top online course platforms available right now:

• Thinkific vs. Podia
• Thinkific vs. Kajabi
• Thinkific vs. Teachable

Finally, you can check out my full Skool review if you want a simple yet powerful platform for your online community.

Editorial Process:

Our reviews are made by a team of experts before being written and come from real-world experience. Read our editorial process here .

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to us at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. These are products we’ve personally used and stand behind. This site is not intended to provide financial advice. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy .

Adam Enfroy

Meet Adam Enfroy

Hey, I’m Adam. I launched this blog in 2019 and turned it into a $1M/year business within 2 years. I then launched my YouTube channel in 2021 and turned it into a $4M/year business. Today, I help over 6,000 students build profitable blogs and YouTube channels.

Check out my YouTube channel .

We test and review software products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we earn a commission. Read our editorial process and disclosures .

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15 Best Online Course Platforms Right Now (2024)

By Jeff Cobb .  Last Updated on August 13, 2024

Are you ready to share your knowledge and expertise with the world? If you’re searching for the perfect online platform to build and sell thriving online courses, your journey ends here. We’ve meticulously compared and tested dozens of options, crafting a tailor-made guide to pinpoint the ideal platform for every type of entrepreneur.

Best Overall

Best balance of rich features and ease-of-use for creating, marketing, and selling online courses.

• LearnWorlds

Very close runner up to Thinkific – and a better choice if you create SCORM-compliant online courses.

Best For B2B

The best choice for capitalizing on the huge potential for selling your courses to businesses.

Best For WP

Powerful course authoring tools and delivery capabilities right inside of the popular WordPress CMS.

Best All-In-One

Everything you need to build your website, manage your customers, and sell digital products.

How We Evaluate and Test Online Course Platforms

Reviews of online learning platforms on the Learning Revolution site are overseen by the site’s founder, Jeff Cobb, an e-learning industry expert with more than 20 years of experience working with online course platforms. All evaluations are conducted by a team of analysts who have extensive experience using, testing, and writing about these types of platforms. We dedicate numerous hours to researching each platform, ensuring each aligns with the needs of online course sellers, and vetting specific areas like core features, usability, pricing, and customer satisfaction. Our reviews are unbiased, and while we will participate in affiliate programs, if available, we do not accept payment for placement in our articles or links to external websites.

• Find the Perfect Online Course Platform

The platforms covered on this page are specifically for creating and selling online courses. Why is this important to know? Simply because most course software available is  not   designed to  sell online courses . It’s made to deliver internal corporate training or to support academic programs. Here, you’ll find software that can help you, an expert, create courses to monetize your experience.

Before diving into the course platform reviews, it’s best to have a deep understanding of your business objectives and the type of learning experience you aim to provide . Even within the realm of dedicated course platforms, variations abound . Choosing the wrong one can lead to technical headaches and hinder your online business. Take the time to understand your specific needs and find the platform that best fits your goals, budget, and desired level of control.

Unlock the secrets to choosing the best online course platform – for free! Download Learning Revolution’s comprehensive online platform selection guide which breaks down each option, reveals expert insights, and walks you through a stress-free selection process. Use it along with the information you’ll find on this page.

Reviews have been broken down into several categories based on business objectives and goals.

• Online Course Platform Categories

Disclosure: We are supported by our readers, like you. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. You can read our full disclosure here .

All of the online learning platforms listed here are strong choices, but one stands out as the best all-around option: Thinkific.

Thinkific shines with its abundance of features, yet remains remarkably user-friendly. You can sense it was crafted by learning experts. Jump in and instantly create a free course! They prioritize transparency, clearly outlining how their plans compare, and most importantly, our readers rave about it.

You can get one month free by clicking the button below, or keep reading for an in-depth review of Thinkific.

• Best Standalone Online Course Platforms

These online teaching platforms are geared toward small business owners and entrepreneurs. Included in course creation software and a turnkey way to create a branded site for selling those courses.

While the feature sets are relatively similar, they can be very different in their “look and feel” as well as in how focused they are on helping course entrepreneurs succeed. The top online course creation options provide good resources, educational content, and strong support.

Be sure to check out the free trial options, where available, so that you have a chance to try the platform before you buy.

1. Thinkific (Top Pick)

Jeff’s Take:

I love Thinkific and recommend it to most of my customers. It’s easy to use and gives you all the right features to get your course in front of your audience.

If you’re worried about content management, website development, platform performance, and other technical aspects of course creation, Thinkific has you covered.

It offers an excellent learning experience to your students and integrates with a wide range of marketing and business tools including Stripe and PayPal for payments.

It is my number one choice for anyone who wants to focus on growing and scaling their eLearning business without worrying about the technicalities.

Thinkific provides a full-featured software solution to help you create, deliver, market, and sell online courses . It is among the most popular online course platforms because of its robust features, beginner-friendly pricing, and excellent user experience.

Using Thinkific, you can create and host world-class online courses without any technical design or coding knowledge. Its drag-and-drop website builder provides you with fully customizable and responsive website themes to create eye-catching websites and landing pages for your online course. Thinkific offers a high-quality online learning experience to your course participants and gives you various tools like surveys, quizzes, assignments, and certificates to evaluate and reward them.

Here are some of the features that make Thinkific stand out:

• The Thinkific App Store : The app store allows you to easily integrate a wide range of other platforms to help you create more impactful learning experiences and market your courses much more effectively.
• Thinkific Communities : This feature allows you to build online learning communities, creating a familiar space for students to connect and share under your own brand.
• Thinkific does not charge transaction fees on any of its plans, paid or free. (You still don’t quite get to sell online courses for free because your payment processor – e.g., PayPal or Stripe – will always charge you a transaction fee.)
• Thinkific Digital Downloads : This latest feature allows you to monetize various forms of digital content such as e-books, workbooks, templates, checklists, software tools, audio files, video tutorials, and more. 
• Thinkific’s Partnership with Spotify : Thinkific users can now sell educational courses directly on Spotify (currently in the UK only) , opening major doors for creators to tap into a new channel for distributing and monetizing educational content.

A big vote of confidence for Thinkific is bestselling author Dorie Clark – who has been a guest on the Learning Revolution podcast and is generally a brilliant and business-savvy person – has used it for her online courses.

Thinkific Pricing

Thinkific offers a wide range of plans, from Free to Pro.

The Basic paid plan gets you the essential tools necessary to successfully launch your online learning business and starts at $49 per month ($36 if paid annually). It’s worth checking out.

To go deeper, here’s our full Thinkific review .

Thinkific Highlights

Course Creation : Module-based drip courses, live sessions, and membership sites.

Course Material : Videos, text lessons, PDFs, attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builde r: Yes, user-friendly drag & drop website & landing page builder.

Online Community : Yes.

Mobile App: Yes.

Student Engagement Features : Classroom environment, mandatory video viewing, comments section with every lesson.

Teacher Features : Quizzes, multiple-choice questions, achievement certificates, surveys/polls.

Email Marketing : Integrates with other email marketing tools but doesn’t offer native email features.

Digital Downloads:   Offer digital products as bonus materials, supplementary resources, or standalone products that seamlessly integrate with your online courses.

Learning Curve : Low.

Best For: Beginner and intermediate course sellers looking for robust course creation features.

Paid Plans: Start From $49/month.

Free Plan : Yes.

Free Trial : Yes, 30-day free trial with paid plans.

2. LearnWorlds (Runner Up)

LearnWorlds is a very close second for the average online course creator. The learning curve is higher, but it pays off with more sophisticated e-learning features – like the ability to support SCORM . 

Despite being a much newer online course platform than many others on this list, LearnWorlds already has a strong claim for being the world’s best all-in-one course platform. The company puts a lot of emphasis on its tools for building sales pages for courses. Its site builder is among the best in the online course industry, with robust website and landing page building features and a highly engaging drag-and-drop interface.

And, with a newly designed user interface , they have blended sleek aesthetics with powerful functionality to make it even easier to grow and scale your online business.

On the course creation side of things, LearnWorlds gives you complete control over your content visibility and how your students can engage with it. For example, you can enable mandatory video viewing to ensure your students don’t skip lessons. Similarly, you can lock lessons and allow drip courses that follow a fixed schedule or bind access to the completion of previous lessons.

Unlike many companies here, LearnWorlds also offers services for uploading and converting your content, developing courses, and customizing your LearnWorlds school.

Plus, their latest innovation, t he AI Assistant , uses cutting-edge generative AI technology to help you enhance course content creation and student engagement. Their AI assistant is also useful for creating marketing and sales material for your marketing emails and landing page copy.

Here are a couple of examples to give you an idea of the platform’s quality.

Tim Stevenson started the School Of Calisthenics using LearnWorlds and grew it to over 40,000 users in one year! It contains multiple courses, embedded videos, HD images, and all the other elements you expect to see on a professional website.

LearnWorlds Highlights

Course Creation: Module-based drip courses, live sessions, membership, subscriptions, and bundles.

Course Material: Videos, audio, embedded lessons, text lessons, PDFs, and attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: Yes, an advanced feature-rich online school builder to create your course website and landing pages.

Online Community: Yes.

Student Engagement Features: Classroom environment, automatic video transcripts, in-video actions and CTAs, mandatory video viewing, and comments section with every lesson.

Teacher Features: Multiple types of quizzes, tests, and assessments, along with graded assignments, surveys, and branded course completion certificates.

Marketing Features: Affiliate management, coupons, promotions, custom domains, and email marketing integration.

Learning Curve: Low.

Best For: Beginner and intermediate course sellers looking for an easy-to-use course creation platform with an advanced website builder.

Paid Plans Start From: $29/month.

Free Plan: No.

Free Trial: Yes, 30-day free trial with paid plans.

LearnWorlds Pricing

You can try LearnWorlds free for 30 days (no credit card required), then pricing starts at $29 per month ($24, if billed annually). The company charges $5 per sale on its starter plan, but no additional fees on its other plans.

Use the code  LEARNREV2046  when checking out at LearnWorlds and get  20% off the first 6 months of a Pro Trainer plan or higher !

To learn more, read our full LearnWorlds Review .

3. Teachable

Teachable was one of the first online course platforms to launch in this category and remains one of the most popular for good reason. It enables you to offer online courses “on your website and control your branding, student data, and pricing all from one place.”

Teachable offers one of the cleanest, most straightforward administrative out of any online course platform. It comes with robust website and course-building features to help you set up professional courses without any technical and coding skills.

The website builder’s back end consists entirely of drag & drop elements using which you can fully customize your site’s look & feel. It also offers advanced options such as adding tracking scripts to your page or directly editing the HTML code.

The course creation and management software features are among the best in the online course industry. You can create lessons and lectures using different content types that most other course platforms don’t offer. For example, you can add code examples to a lesson for your students.

Similarly, you can add upsells to individual lessons to generate additional sales from your content.

With any paid plan on Teachable, you can also now start and grow a coaching business or community, either as standalone offerings or as a complements to your other digital offerings. Learn more about Teachable’s coaching features and Teachable communities .

Teachable even offers a dedicated marketplace named Discover, where you can publicly sell your online courses to thousands of students. 

You can find numerous examples of Teachable courses and membership programs in all kinds of niches on Discover.

So why didn’t Teachable rank higher in our reviews? Despite its solid course creation and student management features, Teachable lacks marketing and sales capabilities which is why it isn’t truly an all-in-one course platform. But if you are looking to get pretty straightforward, on-demand courses up and running quickly, it’s a great option.

Teachable Highlights

Course Creation: Module-based drip courses, live sessions, and membership sites.

Course Material: Videos, text lessons, PDFs, and attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: Yes, user-friendly and fully customizable drag-and-drop website, and landing page builder.

Student Engagement Features: Classroom environment.

Teacher Features: Graded quizzes, multiple-choice questions, achievement certificates, and student analytics.

Marketing Features: A/B testing, coupons, and custom domains (no native email marketing features).

Best For: Beginner and Intermediate course sellers looking for a customizable website builder and A-class student experience.

Paid Plans Start From: $39/month (billed annually) or $59/month (billed monthly).

Free Plan: Yes.

Free Trial: Yes, preview advanced plan features free for 14 days,  no credit card required.

Teachable Pricing

Teachable pricing offers a 33% discount when paying annually vs. monthly for each of its plans. With the lowest-level paid plan, you still pay a 5% transaction fee on all sales. Transaction fees disappear once you jump up to the next level. All plans include unlimited courses and student.

Read the full Teachable Review for more information.

4. Teachery

Teachery claims to be “the only online course platform that helps you craft the content inside your online course” but the reality is that most course platforms accomplish this. 

Teachery course creation interface is exceptionally user-friendly. Basically, Teachery provides you with two rock-solid course templates – a “minimal” template and a sidebar template – and guides you through every step of the process for getting your content into the template and getting set up to sell effectively. You can add new pages to your site or change the structure of a page using content blocks that allow you to add images, audio, video, HTML code, and other content types to your site. Its website and landing page builder allows you to fully customize the themes according to your brand identity.

You can use Teachery to sell digital downloads and video courses. You can also configure drip courses and decide how your audience accesses your content. For example, you can offer full course access, unlock lessons on a fixed timeline, or only grant access to a new lesson when a student completes its prerequisites.

Overall, Teachery is not as feature-rich as some of the other options in this article. But that may be precisely what many course creators need to stop dreaming about having a course and simply get started.

Teachery Highlights

Course Creation: Unlimited Module-based drip courses, memberships, and bundles.

Course Material: Videos, audio, text lessons, PDFs, and attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: Yes, it offers a website and landing page builder with customizable templates.

Online Community: No.

Student Engagement Features: Classroom environment, and comments with every lesson.

Teacher Features: None.

Marketing Features: Offer email notifications for advanced email marketing, only integrates with Mailchimp and ConvertKit. Offers coupons and affiliate program management.

Best For: Creators looking for an affordable platform with basic course selling features.

Paid Plans Start From: $49/month.

Free Trial: Yes, a 14-day free trial.

Teachery Pricing

There’s a 14-day free trial (no credit card required), and then the paid plan is either $49 per month or $470 per year. (Complete Teachery review here.)

• Best All-In-One Courseware Platforms

Kajabi describes itself as “the one system you need to market, sell, and deliver your knowledge online.”

As it happens, selling online courses is a big part of the equation. Along with courses, you’re able to sell memberships, training portals, file downloads, and pretty much any other digital product you can come up with. This may be overkill for many people who just want to sell an online course – and who are already set with a website and marketing tools.

Then again, if you don’t have those things or simply want to get everything under one roof, Kajabi may be just the ticket.

Think of it as a complete marketing and sales generation platform for online courses. You can use it to create websites and landing pages for your online course and generate sales by setting up optimized marketing funnels for various business goals. It allows you to create Pipelines (sales funnels) that cover everything from traffic generation and conversion to lead generations and course sales. Its email marketing features allow you to create automated email campaigns based on triggers and conditions.

Kajabi has done a lot to add new features – like a full-fledged e-mail marketing system and the ability to support scheduling coaching sessions .

Kajabi Highlights

Course Creation: Mini-courses, drip courses, digital downloads, memberships, and coaching programs.

Course Material: Videos, audio, text lessons, podcasts, PDFs, and attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: High-quality drag-and-drop course website and landing builder.

Student Engagement Features: Learning tracks, transcripts, and CTAs.

Teacher Features: Student progress reports, quizzes, certificates, surveys, analytics.

Marketing Features: Native email marketing, marketing automation, sales funnels , tagging, and affiliate management.

Learning Curve: Medium.

Best For: Advanced course sellers looking for complete email marketing and automation features along with course selling capabilities.

Paid Plans Start From: $69/month.

Free Trial: Yes, 14-day trial.

Kajabi Pricing

With Kajabi’s Kickstarter Plan – best for anyone starting out – you can try Kajabi free for 14 days and then pay only $69 a month ($55 if paid annually). Other plans include the Basic , Growth, and Pro Plans which offer a range of options to meet your needs as you grow.

For a more in-depth look at Kajabi, read our full Kajabi Review .

Podia started out as “WithCoach,” a platform aimed primarily at coaches. More recently, the company has repositioned itself as a full-featured but easy-to-use course platform for selling courses, memberships, and digital downloads all in one place – and it has been gaining a lot of momentum. Some of its key selling points are:

●  no transaction fees (other than whatever you pay to your payment processor – i.e., Paypal or Stripe)

●  no limits on courses or users

●  a strong focus on supporting affiliate marketing of your products

And, Podia still has solid features for coaches . For example, you can easily schedule paid coaching sessions from within the system through pre-established integrations with Calendly, Acuity, and other popular scheduling tools.

Podia’s user-friendliness immediately stands out when you start using it for building your online course. It walks you through the whole process of creating and selling online courses, webinars, digital downloads, and product bundles.

Its course creator supports video, audio, text, PDF, and embedded content. Plus, it offers a student experience comparable with Teachable and Thinkific.

Native email marketing features and its built-in bl ogging feature also make Podia an attractive choice at this price point. It is probably the cheapest all-in-one course platform with unlimited email subscribers in all subscription plans. However, every plan has a separate email-sending limit.

Overall, Podia is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a robust course builder with impressive marketing features on a limited budget.

Podia Highlights

Course Creation: Digital downloads, drip courses, live training, webinars, memberships, and coaching programs.

Website/Landing Page Builder: Limited-feature page builder for website and landing pages.

Student Engagement Features: Clean classroom interface, and comments/questions on every lesson.

Teacher Features: Quizzes, assignments, and student reports.

Marketing Features: Native email marketing , blogging capabilities , unlimited subscribers, marketing funnels, triggered sequences, forms, and A/B testing.

Best For: New and mid-tier course sellers looking for reasonable course selling features along with native email marketing capabilities.

Paid Plans Start From: $9/month.

Free Trial: Yes, 14-day trial with every paid plan.

Podia Pricing

With its starter plan starting at $9 per month, Podia seems to be rapidly gaining momentum. (Complete Podia review here.)

Kartra is an amazingly robust online course platform designed to help marketers create, sell, and scale their online course business. The platform gives you everything you need to build a professional-looking, feature-rich website without having to hire a designer or knowing how to code.

It provides you with a long list of templates for various types of websites and landing pages such as squeeze pages, sales pages, thank you pages, and long-form sales pages.

The thing that sets Kartra apart from other course platforms is that all its components are fully integrated and work towards driving sales for your business.

These integrated capabilities include an email platform, memberships, sales funnels, video hosting, management, tracking, lead capture, a help desk platform for your customers, and a calendar capability for booking and managing customer appointments. This means that you can track your audience activity at all stages of the sales funnel and fully personalize your marketing message based on user behavior.

From a course standpoint, Kartra will work best if your focus is on video content. This is because it does not have the level of course creation, student management, or assessment capabilities that the more course-focused platforms covered here have.

But if video is your thing, and you want a ton of marketing muscle, Kartra is hard to beat.

It offers in-video CTAs, sign-up forms, and user tagging features that make your videos highly engaging and help you drive more conversions. You can choose from various pre-designed CTAs like opt-in, banners, buttons, social unlock, etc.

In short, you can think of Kartra as a robust sales and lead generation platform with sufficient course creation capabilities.

Kartra Highlights

Course Creation: Digital downloads, drip courses, webinars, memberships, coaching programs.

Course Material: Videos, audio, text lessons, podcasts, PDFs, attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: World-class drag & drop website and landing page creator with dozens of professionally designed templates.

Online Community: Yes

Student Engagement Features: Learning tracks, transcripts, in-video CTAs.

Teacher Features: Quizzes, surveys, student reports, analytics.

Marketing Features: Advanced email marketing, condition-based automation, sales funnels, opt-in forms, landing pages, affiliate management, and marketplace.

Learning Curve: High

Best For: Professional and experienced digital product sellers looking for advanced email marketing, automation, and lead management features.

Paid Plans Start From: $119/month ($99 if you pay annually)

Free Trial: Yes

Kartra Pricing

Plans start at $119 per month. ( Complete Kartra review here .)

4. New Zenler

New Zenler describes itself as “the first-ever online course platform built around sales & marketing”. That seems like a bit of a stretch, but it is definitely positioned as an alternative to Kajabi at a significantly lower price point.

In other words, you can create courses with it but also run just about every other aspect of your online business – from your website to email campaigns and sales funnels to online communities.

With New Zenler’s sales funnels, you can create unique paths for various marketing and sales goals. For example, a funnel for a lead magnet would be significantly different from a paid video course.

Its course creation features allow you to create top-quality online courses with audio, video, text, and other content formats. And to top it off, New Zenler has one of the most robust and user-friendly website builders in the online course industry.

This is why despite being a new entrant, New Zenler is competing hard with Kajabi and Kartra for being one of the best course hosting platforms.

New Zenler Highlights

Course Creation: Digital downloads, drip courses, live training, webinars, memberships, and coaching programs

Website/Landing Page Builder: High-quality page builder for creating your course website and landing pages.

Student Engagement Features: Learning tracks, comments/questions on every lesson.

Teacher Features: Quizzes, surveys, certificates, student reports, and analytics.

Marketing Features: Native email marketing, marketing funnels, triggered sequences, forms, and A/B testing.

Best For: Experienced course creators looking to scale their businesses by running automated email marketing campaigns.

Paid Plans Start From: $647/year.

Free Trial: Yes, you can use the platform for free but need to upgrade to start selling.

New Zenler Pricing

New Zenler offers Pro and Premium plans priced at $67/month and $197/month, respectively. Both plans offer similar features, but the Premium plan comes with higher limits designed for customers running established and growing eLearning businesses.

Read the full Zenler Review .

• Selling Courses Online with WordPress

If you are wondering how to create an online course with WordPress – and, of course, sell it – there are plenty of WordPress plug-ins and themes available to help you out. These can be a particularly good option if you want to sell online courses from your own website, though keep in mind that you will need more technical skills if you go this route.

1. LearnDash

LearnDash is pretty much the gold standard for serious WordPress learning management system (LMS) plug-ins, and the release of version 3.0 made it even better. It is a very feature-rich platform that was clearly developed by people serious about e-learning (and the founder, Justin Ferriman, had a long background in e-learning).

The best thing about LearnDash is that you don’t need to go outside your WordPress editor or dashboard to use it! You can create new courses, manage students, upload lessons, and collect payments while staying within your WordPress dashboard.

Another hugely impressive thing about LearnDash is the student assessment and management features. It offers more quiz types than any other LMS and provides you with detailed student performance reports based on which you can take various administrative actions.

Do you need to be an advanced WordPress user to configure LearnDash? Not really.

Its backend is quite user-friendly, and all the necessary options and features are clearly listed. However, you do need to be familiar with the WordPress backend to use it.

In short, if you’re a WordPress user looking to sell online courses on your site, LearnDash is definitely one of the top contenders you should consider.

Here are some of its core features comparable with any standalone LMS tool.

● Eight different types of quizzes

● Supports videos, audio, text, PDFs, and file attachments

● Drip courses, mandatory content, linear and open progression

● Student badges, leaderboards, completion certificates

● Graded assignments and evaluations

● Automated email notifications on course milestones

● Additional payment gateways via Woocommerce integration

● Full, recurring, and subscription payments

● Fully customizable course themes and templates

● Works with any WordPress theme

● Group course access for organizations and teams

● Integrates with dozens of business and marketing applications

LearnDash Highlights

Course Creation: High-quality video courses, drip content, digital downloads, bundles, and memberships.

Course Material: Videos, audio, text lessons, PDFs, presentations, and attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: Feature-rich drag & drop page builder with many themes and advanced capabilities.

Student Engagement Features: Leaderboards, badges, points, discussion forums, and comments/questions on every lesson.

Teacher Features: Quizzes, certificates, surveys, graded assignments, individual and group tasks, and student reports.

Marketing Features: A/B testing, landing pages, forms, email notifications, bulk access, and integration with tons of marketing tools.

Best For: Mid-advanced course sellers looking for an easy-to-use WordPress learning management system.

Paid Plans Start From: $199/year.

Free Trial: No, but offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

LearnDash Pricing

LearnDash pricing starts at $199 annually for the plugin version and tops out at $799 for unlimited sites. Both come with a 15-day refund. 

LearnDash has also introduced a cloud version – LearnDash Cloud – that provides a fully-hosted course website similar to the standalone platforms above but built entirely on WordPress. You get all the upsides of using WordPress without having to install and maintain the software. Pricing starts at $29 per month or $299 if paid annually.

Check out our in-depth LearnDash Review .

We recommend using LearnDash in combination with BuddyBoss to build a powerful online course and membership/community solution. Full BuddyBoss review here .

2. AccessAlly

If you want to combine the ability to sell online courses with the ability to manage a full-featured membership site – a powerful combination for edupreneurs – then AccessAlly is arguably the best choice there is.

The platform leverages the full capabilities and flexibility of WordPress while also adding great membership features and a learning management system (LMS) plug-in that includes notable features like the ability for students to submit homework assignments and get private feedback.

You get all of this without having to be a WordPress whiz. It’s plug-and-play, but there is also a comprehensive “done for you” option if you want to get up and running with a course and membership site quickly.

Marc Wayshak’s membership site is an excellent example of what’s possible with AccessAlly.

Powered by AccessAlly, Marc’s Sales Insights Lab is a full-fledged membership program with a professional website and all the necessary backend management tools.

You can’t tell from the outside if it’s built with WordPress or a dedicated course platform like Kajabi or Thinkific.

At the backend, AccessAlly gives you comprehensive student management and engagement features such as private notes, audio bookmarks, completion certificates, quizzes, surveys, progress tracking, objective checklists,  leaderboards, graded assignments, and much more.

Its course builder isn’t as robust as some of the other tools in this list but offers sufficient features to help you create full-access and drip courses consisting of multiple modules and lessons.

On the marketing side, it integrates with all the popular email marketing tools and also offers imp[ressive affiliate management capabilities to help you market your courses.

AccessAlly is an excellent tool in a very competitive WordPress LMS industry.

AccessAlly Highlights

Course Creation: Online multimedia courses, instant and drip content access, digital products, and memberships.

Course Material: Videos, audio, text lessons, PDFs, presentations attachments.

Website/Landing Page Builder: No, but it comes with a standard course theme.

Online Community: No

Student Engagement Features: Gamification & points, lesson comments.

Teacher Features: Graded assignments, reports, progress tracking, quizzes & certificates, and team accounts.

Marketing Features: Integrates with popular email marketing and automation tools,  coupons, discounts, and affiliate management.

Learning Curve: Low

Best For: WordPress users looking to add a feature-rich eLearning/membership platform to their sites.

Paid Plans Start From: $99/month

Free Trial: No, but offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.

AccessAlly Pricing

The Essentials plan is $99 per month / $82 with a yearly subscription. If you are serious about a membership model, this is definitely one to check out. Read our Complete AccessAlly Review here .

3. LifterLMS

LifterLMS is among the most popular WordPress LMS plugins with thousands of active users worldwide. It is very similar to LearnDash in its features and options.

This is a power-packed plugin that turns your WordPress website into a fully functional learning management system and allows you to sell online courses and membership programs easily.

You can use it to create attractive course pages and design courses with multiple modules and lessons. It supports all the popular content types such as video, audio, PDF, and embedded media.

On the management side, LifterLMS gives you detailed student management options like reporting, analytics, quizzes, assessments, leaderboards, etc.

To get an idea of the scale of sites eLearning programs you can create with LifterLMS, just head over to WP101 , one of the biggest WordPress learning resources on the internet. WP101’s membership program is powered by LifterLMS and has served over 3 million students worldwide. The site sells individual courses, and an all-access membership program with new content added regularly.

Since LifterLMS is based in WordPress, you can use it with any popular WordPress theme and  plugins or tools you want.It also offers integration with popular email marketing and lead generation tools, making it easier to market and grow your business.

Overall, if you’re looking for a reliable WordPress LMS, LifterLMS should definitely be on your list.

LifterLMS Highlights

Course Creation: Online courses, memberships, bundles, and various other digital products.

Course Material:  Video, audio, text, PDF, and several other content formats.

Website/Landing Page Builder: Yes, it offers an intuitive multi-tier drag and drop course builder.

Student Engagement Features: Course modules and lesson outline, and student comments.

Teacher Features: Multiple dynamic quiz types, assignments, reports, completion certificates, and badges.

Marketing Features: Email notifications, abandoned cart emails, automatic follow-ups, integration with email marketing tools, and affiliate management features.

Best For: WordPress users looking to build a full-scale online course website with marketing and sales features.

Free Trial: It’s free to use, but you need to choose a plan when selling products.

LifterLMS Pricing

LifterLMS has the solid selling point of being free for the base version : you can search for and install it using the usual plug-in screen in WordPress.

This means you can quickly try out the system within your WordPress site before deciding whether it is right for you.

You pay only if you decide to use any of the various add-ons available for the system. These range from e-commerce to various marketing tools and integrations.

The Earth Bundle is $199/year and gives you the entire suite of payment add-ons. Or you can purchase a Universal Bundle for $360 that includes all of the standard add-ons. (You can also try out the premium Infinity Bundle (usually $1,200/year for a month for $1 .)

Read our LearnDash vs LifterLMS comparison .

One last note for this section: if you are going to go the WordPress route, be sure to check out 11 Best Web Hosting Services for Creators and Experts .

• Best Marketplace Online Teaching Platforms

These are online course platforms that, in addition to providing ways to author/assemble courses, also provide an existing marketplace in which to sell courses online.

The downside is that these sites tend to turn courses into commodities and drive prices way down. That’s great if you are a learner looking for a course, but not so great if you want to create online courses that generate a reasonable level of income.

Still, they are popular and they do have their place.

The folks at Udemy say, “Our goal is to disrupt and democratize education by enabling anyone to learn from the world’s experts.” 

The Udemy platform gives subject matter experts a simple, straightforward way to assemble content like PowerPoint slides, PDF documents, and YouTube videos into a coherent course experience. Unlike Skillshare, Udemy courses aren’t limited to creative skills only and cover a much wider range of topics. However, creative and technical skills are still the most popular categories on its platform. You can publish courses in the Udemy marketplace and use various tools to promote your masterpieces.

Since Udemy is a marketplace, its course pages follow the same design template. Similarly, its courses are structured the same way – multiple modules containing bite-sized lessons, assessments, exercises, and study material.

Here’s an example of a Udemy course page.

Udemy is free to get started for instructors – the company makes its money by keeping 50% if it sells your course. If you make the sale, you keep 97% (Udemy takes a 3% transaction fee).

Keep in mind that you are currently required to price your courses in $5 increments between $20 and $200 on Udemy ( source ) – which can be quite restrictive.

Even so, ThinkTraffic reports that some instructors have been having quite a bit of success.

That’s probably because Udemy gets millions of monthly visitors to its platform and regularly runs promotions to attract students. However, remember that most Udemy courses aren’t full-scale programs. Instead, think of them as short courses with a limited scope.

When you consider these factors, the course pricing limitations make sense.

In short, if you’re looking to start a course business without worrying about anything but content creation, Udemy is the ideal place to start.

Udemy Highlights

Course Creation: On-demand video courses.

Course Material:  Video, text, PowerPoint slides, PDF, and attachments

Website/Landing Page Builder: No, all course pages have the same design. But you can customize the look and feel with your logo and images.

Teacher Features: Surveys, certificates, quizzes, and reports.

Marketing Features: Promoted to relevant customers through email and ads.

Learning Curve: Beginner-friendly.

Best For: Beginner course sellers looking to gain quick exposure without fully investing in a website or course platform.

2. OpenSesame

OpenSesame is different from the other tools discussed in this article so far. It is a library of thousands of high-quality online courses delivered by professionals with real-world experience and credentials.

As an instructor, you can create courses for OpenSesame that corporate clients, training firms, educational institutes, and other entities can use in their programs

On the other hand, if you’re building an independent course on your own LMS, you can integrate it with OpenSesame to add any lessons, courses, videos, or content from their library, making your offer more valuable.

The advantage of using OpenSesame is that it gives you access to some of the world’s most significant enterprise eLearning programs. If your course content aligns with an organization’s needs, it can include it in its internal or public educational programs, giving you exposure and adding credibility to your profile.

OpenSesame Highlights

Course Creation: On-demand online courses and educational programs.

Course Material:  Video, text, PDF, and several other content formats

Website/Landing Page Builder: No, it follows a standard course page design.

Student Engagement Features: Course modules and lesson outline, student comments

Teacher Features: Surveys, certificates, quizzes, reports.

Best For: Experienced professionals looking to sell courses to corporate clients or manage extensive team training sessions.

OpenSesame Pricing

The company takes 40% of any sales you make through its platform.

3. Skillshare

Skillshare is one of the world’s most popular eLearning platforms where anyone can register to access its library of thousands of online courses.

You can sign up as a Skillshare Teacher, create and upload your video courses, and earn from course sales.

Skillshare specializes in courses for creators. Some of its most popular courses are illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and more. But you can also create courses on other topics like marketing, consumer behavior, psychology, etc.

Skillshare provides instructors with tools to create courses composed of video lessons and a “class project.”  Classes are normally 10-25 minutes long, broken down into short videos, and they are all pre-recorded and self-paced.

It doesn’t offer a course builder like dedicated course platforms. Instead, all the course pages follow the same design template. Similarly, every course consists of multiple modules, lessons, and practical exercises.

Here’s an example of what a Skillshare course page looks like.

Once you have enrolled more than 25 learners in a class, you become eligible for participation in Skillshare’s Partner Program. You can earn money through the royalty pool managed by the company – usually $1-2 per enrollment, according to the company.

Unlike Udemy, Skillshare sells subscriptions to all of its content rather than individual courses.

Once you are a partner, you’ll also get compensated for new Premium Members ($10 per) you bring to Skillshare through your Teacher Referral link. The Skillshare site reports that “Top teachers make up to $40,000 a year.”

Skillshare gets millions of website visitors every month who search the platform for different courses. So if you create courses on popular topics and optimize them using the right keywords, you have a pretty strong chance of attracting students regularly.

Skillshare also recommends relevant courses via Facebook ads and emails to its users based on their interests. But you all need to promote your courses individually to drive traffic and generate sales.

In short, if you’re a creative professional looking to sell courses without building your own course platform, Skillshare is an ideal option for you.

Skillshare Highlights

Course Material:  Video, text, PDF, and attachments.

Best For: Professionals looking to reach a sizable audience without worrying about building a course website or investing in marketing.

• Best Small Business and B2B Course Platforms

Most of the best online training platforms listed on this page are geared towards solopreneurs or small, start-up businesses. While they can work for larger businesses, we’ve found over time that more established training and education companies may want to jump up to a different level if they:

• Sell business-to-business and may need to set up separate portals for each customer.
• Need to award continuing education credit learners.
• Already have an extensive catalog of courses built out in SCORM or TinCan-based authoring tools like iSpring , isEazy , Articulate, Captivate, or Lectora.
• Plan to build out a catalog of courses and don’t want to be “trapped” by using proprietary LMS tools.
• Need to manage online and classroom-based courses in the same system.
• Need complex assessment capabilities. (creating questions and answer pools, randomizing questions, ability to analyze the performance of individual questions – i.e., item analysis)

Because many course sellers do have these needs, we decided to create a separate “ learning management system for small business ” page. You can check that out for a range of options, but we note here that our top pick in this category is:

1. TalentLMS

TalentLMS emerged rapidly as one of the more visible brands in the “new breed” LMS market. The company offers a very full-featured system, including a very high level of brandability and a wide range of pre-developed integrations via Zapier. You can sell your courses individually or via subscription via PayPal or Stripe.  

Perhaps best of all, TalentLMS offers a free option that gives you the ability to kick the tires . After that, the lowest price standard option starts at $89 per month ($69/mo with annual payment up front).

Read our in-depth TalentLMS Review .

Also, if you happen to represent a trade or professional association , be sure to check out the LMS reviews on ReviewMyLMS .

• How To Choose The Best Software For Course Creation

If you haven’t already, definitely  grab the free selection guide  for online course platforms . It costs nothing, and it will help you make the right choice faster and smarter.

You may also want to check out the individual reviews of top course platforms that have been published here on Learning Revolution.  This also includes comparisons of online course platforms like Teachable vs Thinkific and New Zenler vs Kajabi and Kajabi vs. Thinkific.

As you are considering your options, be sure that you are crystal clear about your learning and business objectives and what type of online course business you are . It really does matter when selecting an online course platform.

• Next Steps Once You Have a Course Platform

As you probably realize – having a course platform doesn’t do you a lot of good if you don’t know how to create an online course  – just follow the link to get my guidance on how to design an online course.

And then, of course, there is the whole issue of how to launch your online course successfully and continue to market it over time .

Be sure to check out the free Learning Revolutionary’s Toolbox. It’s chock full of tools and tips to help entrepreneurs with all aspects of creating and growing a successful online course business.

Other Ways to Monetize Your Expertise

Finally, keep in mind that while online courses are very popular right now, they are only one of many ways to help people learn and, in doing that, to monetize your expertise .

We believe you should aim to create a Value Ramp – a portfolio of offerings designed to address the needs of different audience segments at different price points. Here are just a few of the articles you’ll find here on Learning Revolution about different ways to generate income through your expertise-based business :

• The Complete Guide to Building a Successful Membership Site
• The Virtual Conference Business Model
• The Top 7 Ways to Monetize a Podcast
• How to Monetize Your Email Newsletters
• How to Make Money Blogging
• A Guide to Expert-Curated Affiliate Marketing
• Frequently Asked Questions

Here are questions frequently asked about online course platforms.

What is the best online course platform?

There is no single best online course platform for everyone. The best platform for you depends on your specific business needs and goals.

To find the best platform for your business, you should first:

• Identify the type of online course business you are .  Are you selling courses on a specific topic? Are you targeting a specific audience?
• Get clear about your critical business objectives.  What do you want to achieve with your online courses? Do you want to generate leads, increase sales, or build a community?
• Define the types of learning outcomes you aim to help your students achieve.  What should your students be able to do after completing your courses?

Once you have a good understanding of your business needs and goals, you can start to identify the platform features that are most important to you. This will help you narrow down your choices and find the best platform for your business.

The spreadsheet included with the free platform selection guide can help you go through a clear process to make your choice.

How do I create an online course?

Check out Learning Revolution’s comprehensive guide, “ How To Create An Online Course ” for a step-by-step process on how to successfully create an online course.

Jeff Cobb, Founder of Learning Revolution

Jeff Cobb is an expert in online education and the business of adult lifelong learning. Over the past 20+ years he has built a thriving career based on that expertise – as an entrepreneur, a consultant, an author, and a speaker. Learning Revolution is a place where Jeff curates tips, insights, and resources to help you build a thriving expertise-based business. Learn more about Jeff Cobb here.

244 thoughts on “15 Best Online Course Platforms Right Now (2024)”

Great list! I’m kind of surprised that you didn’t add CourseFunnels! It’s one of the most budget-friendly software I’ve come across. And also provides lots of free sales-boosting plugins. It is so easy to use. One of a kind, you should have it in here!

Hi. Would you add LinkedIn Learning to this list now? Why or why not? Thanks for the info! Nebosh IGC

It is mentioned in my round-up of alternatives to Udemy: https://www.learningrevolution.net/alternative-to-udemy/ . I only mention the ones that I consider the top choices in each category in this post.

Have you looked at Xperiencify for building courses? It’s not an all-in-one platform (yet), but it sure has way more features for a gamified, experiential learning experience for the customer. I am building my course on it, and love the responsiveness of the tech team on their Facebook group. Very responsive to input and suggestions as they continue to add new features left and right. Highly recommend it!

Yes, I like it. We’ve covered in in our post on Teachable alternatives, and I expect we will add it to this page at some point soon. – Jeff

Hello Maureen, I have taken the free plan at Thinkific. Very recently published my course – Nov 2021. wingsofcreativity-rozario.thinkific.com I am all set to market my course. The support I received from Thinkific team is fantastic. Surely will take the paid plan once I start seeing small results.

-Patric Rozario

Hey Jeff! This is a great list, thank you!

I would love to introduce you to our Teachfloor platform (teachfloor.com/). It’s an LMS for cohort-based courses in order to create, manage and monetize an online live academy effortlessly.

Thanks Jeff for this list but what’s up with Skillshare? I just can’t seem to get my courses approved there. They always reply back saying I am putting promotional content inside them even though all I’m mentioning is my line of work. Anyone else having the same issue?

Thanks for sharing that, Kush. I haven’t heard of anyone else having problems, but if anyone reading this has, please comment and share.

Thanks Jeff for the article. Very useful it is. I am new to online teaching. The experience I have learned is just awesome at Thinkific. The other platform one should try is graphy.com This is largely for the Indian Subcontinent market – which is mega huge.

Thanks for this detailed and well-written review of popular LMS platforms. I have used LearnDash before but now I have switched to another great one, which I will like to recommend in addition to your list – Tutor LMS by Themeum.

GrassBlade xAPI Companion integrates with LearnDash as well as LifterLMS, LearnPress, and WP Courseware too. It is really an awesome plugin that you do some awesome things on WordPress. I’m a longtime user and support is super helpful.

It allows you to track add xAPI, cmi5, SCORM content support as well as Video Tracking support too.

Late to the party but telligent.com is great for an online community

Have you checked out Udutu? (udutu.com) I have been on and off their site over the years and I like their workflow and they have lots of free storage and use. You can even build your training on their platform and export it all for free (SCORM and other options); they hope to have your business by helping you so much you will use them as the LMS hosting platform.

We’ve had Udutu listed on the Course Creation Tools page for a long time. The focus on this page is platform for selling courses and I think Udutu is a little weak in that are – i.e., it lacks goor catalog/e-commerce/promotion feature.

Hi, You can also try prodicallearning.com platform if you want to create and sell courses with your branded name at very affordable price. Thanks

Hey! Just thought I would leave a note about my experience… I’m creating my first online course and decided to try the first 2 you recommended: Thinkific and Learnworlds and I have to say Learnworlds dashboard is horrible! Thinkific is much more intuitive and attractive. Just thought I would throw that in and save someone else the time. Great article btw

Thanks, Corrine – I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

Good Article covering all essential platforms. love this article.

I’m wondering why you didn’t cover YesCourse in this article.

A reasonable question. I think I did have then in there years ago, but can’t remember now why I removed them. I think it was because, when I polled readers, no one seemed to be using them or have much to say about them. Will review and possibly re-list.

I love reading your article and I hope that I will read some more about this stuff, it’s really informative and very entertaining. Recently I tried expertlearn.com and I had a good results.

Thanks for sharing this list with us, I have introduced a platform where you can create your own online Learning Management System where you can create and sell online courses and many more that help you to manage your online Learning or eLearning

Selling online courses as I understand it could be about how a professional training business like say the guys who bring you GTD (VitalSmarts) required a “customer” training LMS to scale the business of learning. They use the Thought Industries platform, which is similar to others like Skilljar, LearnUpon or Docebo? I’m sure each has their areas of expertise, benefits, etc. But curious if there is value in expanding on this post with a quick write up about how platforms like Thought Industries help sell online courses as well? Thank you for your consideration. Best, Alex

Hi Alex – I covered this long ago in https://www.learningrevolution.net/learning-management-system-for-small-business/ , which is linked to in this post. Thought Industries is covered there.

You didn’t mention learnpress that is the only wordpress plug in that allow to create a marketplace like udemy for free…

I cover Udemy alternatives at https://www.learningrevolution.net/alternative-to-udemy/ . To say that LearnPress is one is more than a bit of a stretch.

Hi Bruno, very interesting, I am busy setting up a LearnPress site and would like for small local colleges/clients to create their own branded section with pre-loaded courses that they can choose from or load their own to sell, similar to Thinkific with a bonus of pre-loaded courses. I have a multivendor site where clients can create their own e-commerce shop and would like to have the same for e-learning. Is this really possible with learnPress and if yes do you know of any documentation/guides on how to set it up?

I would really appreciate your input

I have a WIX site, how would I find information on building a course on a site I already have? …with full control and selling through the WIX site.

I don’t have a great answer for you on that one. You can sell some video content on Wix, but it really just isn’t made for creating courses. You’d be better off using one of the platforms here and linking out to it.

Do you have or will you have a review of Thrive Apprentice? (thrivethemes.com/apprentice/)

I’m a fan of Thrive, in general, but have not yet managed to review Apprentice. I expect to be able to publish a review by end of this year or January 2020 at latest.

Hi, Jeff! Thank U for this great selection. I’m looking for a platform that supports online courses, memberships, and at least 2 languages (English + French). Can U help?

Try LearnWorlds

Thanks for this valuable content.

I’m looking for a platform that performs all-in (as Udemy) , and supports courses in other languages than English.

I’ve designed a course in Arabic and it’s up to recording now. I need a guidance for a better choice, As Selling and Marketing isn’t my preferred area.

I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for this one – at least not in the Udemy model. Your best bet would be to contact each of the companies I list at https://www.learningrevolution.net/alternative-to-udemy/ to see if they support Arabic.

Hi Jeff, thanks for the article. 2 questions for you. Where does Kartra fit in here? I’m social media based craft business looking for a landing spot to direct customers to video tutorials for purchase. I cannot tell what is right for me. I would only be selling 1 large/master course that i would like to have broken down into several chapters. Possibly some subsequent courses as advanced learning to the original mastercourse. I just want them protected and not shared. I like the idea of a login, or a landing page to collect the email but not entirely necessary. I could do the payment processing and send customers a link or have the platform collect the payment- not really particular just a bit lost. Really small business, small budget.

Hi, Ali – Kartra will enable you to sell digital products, and assuming you are using mainly just video, that can include online courses. So, it may work just fine for your needs. It is not really really a full-featured course platform, though. Kartra itself doesn’t list “online course platform” as one of the platforms and services it replaces. Again, that may not matter if you don’t really care about things like tracking course progress, incorporating quizzes and test, awarding credit and certificates, etc.

This list is not comprehensive and needs to be updated. Vonza is the best all-in-one platform in 2019. I have used several others and didnt like it. With Vonza you can Easily Create A Profitable Online Business. Vonza is an all-in-one platform to create and sell online courses, products, build funnels, design a beautiful website without needing 20 different apps and spending thousands of dollars. Try it out at vonza.com

Thanks, Uyi – It’s not meant to be comprehensive (it’s purposely selective based on my experience and expertise, both of which are extensive) and I update it regularly. Will take a closer look at Vonza. – Jeff

Thanks so much for putting this incredible guide together! Have you also heard of Virtually (vrtlly.me/build)?

It’s the only online courses platform that I’m familiar with that takes place live and requires minimal effort to put together. All the video editing and PDF creation is done on your behalf.

Thanks, Bill – I was not aware of that one, so thanks for alerting me. Seems like there is a new platform every day at this point!

Hi. Would you add LinkedIn Learning to this list now? Why or why not? Thanks for the info!

Hi Denise – I do mention it (well, Lynda.com – basically the same thing) here https://www.learningrevolution.net/alternative-to-udemy/ – which is where I list more marketplace options. Even there, though, it is only a mention because getting accepted to do a LinkedIn/Lynda course is a good bit more difficult than participating in most of the other marketplace platforms.

I just wanted to say thank you!!!

I teach for a large, well known (ahem, orange) online company. Many of my most advanced students (who will run out of content soon) need other options. I do not need to market and attract large numbers of students as I teach 70-90 classes weekly; I simply want to supplement and further their skills (I have three classes to offer that parents and students both ask about regularly) as they progress out of the current curricula. As they are all in China, could you possibly narrow down which of these options will work there? If by chance I can grow my own business, that would be fine, but it is not currently my short-term goal. The option to expand is certainly one I want to keep available as a possible long-term goal. TIA. 🙂

Christie – “which of these options will work there” depends on what you are looking for. Do you mean that all the content will need to be in Mandarin?

Hi Jeff, Thanks for this article. Have you ever stumbled upon a platform that combines physical and digital sales? We have a course made up of digital videos and a physical book. (For reasons I won’t go into here, the book cannot be digitized and needs to remain physical.) Currently, we provide it only through our wordpress site, which requires us to manually fulfill each order through KDP (the same POD provider used by Amazon) and then grant member-only access to the videos, streamed via Vimeo. Currently low-volume sales, but I’d still love to find a solution that packages both for me.

Chris – There are higher end platforms that would do this. On the lower end, though, WooCommerce would be able to handle this. Since you are using WordPress already, you may want to consider using a WordPress LMS plugin like LearnDash in combination with WooCommerce.

If others reading here use or offer another solution that would help Chris, please comment.

– Jeff

I’ve looked through this list twice and it is absolutely brilliant. It is up-to-date and listed according to its type. I’d love to see you include Plantoost, it is worth a look!

Thanks, Carl – I’ll have a look.

Nice, Article and list. In 2019 USA based startup, Simpliv – simpliv.com is best online teaching and learning platform. It will provide all courses over the world. Compare to other platforms Simpliv is the best at any kind like courses quality, customer support, mainly Price and other areas as well.

Thanks for commenting. I’ll have a look.

Starflow’s plattform is great! 🙂

How does TalentLMS.com measure up to these systems? What is the difference? I work for a mid-size company that wants to start a certification program. We already have a web presence and a marketing group.

TalentLMS is a good platform. It’s just in a different class than these – will give you more capabilities in a number of areas like tracking, reporting, SCORM compliance, multi-tenancy. I cover it and similar platforms here: https://www.learningrevolution.net/learning-management-system-for-small-business/ . These platforms are probably a better fit for your needs.

Hey Jeff, thanks for the great article.

If I want to run everything in one ( to simplify things) and less integration. Say creating a course and then having to integrate it into my website to sell or have students use.

I assume the all in one platform would be most useful? If so, Which all in one platform would you suggest? Where one can have a website, charge memberships , email and etc ?

My courses are generally youth education based- in 3 different categories. I’ve done some research(will do more) but curious to know what you would do if you were in that position.

Hi, Arthur – Yes, all in one would be best for this. My top pick in this area is Kajabi, but I’d also suggest taking a close look at Podia.

Do any of these offer a screen sharing option for one-on-one or group training?

Don – None of these are Webinar/virtual meeting platforms, which is what you would need to do what you describe. The exception is Ruzuku , which does have those abilities built in. The rest integrate with common platforms like Zoom and GoToWebinar.

I’ve gone around and around 1st deciding on 3rd party .. then build my own with wp/ LMS and back AGAIN. I really prefer a 3rd party all-in-one solution.. as I am just starting out and it’s just “me” The biggest challenge that I have found is the SEO I am not sure how that works without an independent wp site or how it works with a website you build inside a 3rd party. it seems to be the big elephant in the room that no one wants to talks about. Thanks, Alix

Alix – Once you go outside of a true Web site CMS like WordPress, you are bound to loose a certain amount of control over SEO. WordPress, in particular, is just really strong at that. So, you can either stay with WordPress for your main Web site and link out to a separate course platform. Most of the big ones are going top allow you to style your course site to closely reflect the branding of your main Web site, and some – like Thinkific – have some good widget tools that makes it easier to drop code into your Web site for linking out (not rocket science, but still handy).

Another option is a platform like Academy of Mine, which is built on WordPress and, as a result, retains most of its strong SEO capabilities.

Finally, platforms like LearnDash and LifterLMS enable you to plug the LMS capabilities right into WordPress. There are trade-offs on all of these, of course. It most depends on the degree of control you want (first option has the least, third option the most – Academy of Mine is a nice middle position).

Thanks, Tracy – I’ll check it out.

Just to put cost in some context, when I designed and built one of the very first eLearning platforms for Sun Microsystems in 1996 to train my sales force, I had to hire 23 web page creators and instructional designers to build my site. Sixty hours of on-line training cost me $1.34 million dollars. Of course, at that time, no alternatives existed and Saba, Blackboard and Moodle all came by to see SunTAN (Sun Training Access Network) to see my learner-centric model. I used Java to create custom pages on the fly depending on the audience (salespeople want just the basics and sales engineers wanted everything possible). But within 2 years I was able to show the CEO a >125% ROI (increased sales and getting them trained faster than in the classroom) and I never had any problem keeping my content updated from that point on when execs understood eLearning’s importance. Of course we didn’t call it eLearning then, Cisco’s John Chambers coined that word a year later. Today I am using LearnDash to create a site for my 4000-person active senior community and the cost will be more like $15,000.

Thanks for commenting, Jerry. I have followed a similar path. It is amazing how much things have changed!

Is there a program listed in which you can assign minimum time that the student needs to remain in the course? I provide training that requires the student to complete a minimum amount of hours so I needed training in which the student cannot move to the next section until a certain amount of time has passed.

Thanks for providing resources, Jeff! I just wanted to provide an additional source for people who, once they find the right source for them, can get some tips on actually making the course. I just found it while googling, same way I found this one 🙂 freelancermap.com/freelancer-tips/12434-create-course-sell-freelance-knowledge Not gonna lie, I had no idea there was so much money in course creation! This is something I’m definitely looking at working on in the future when I can finally have time for personal projects.

Thanks for providing that resource, Maycee.

Is an LMS like “Adobe Captivate Prime” designed and meant to sell online courses? If the answer is “no” (which it seems so), why such LMS is not designed to sell online courses?

Bibhash – The main distinction between Prime and the types of systems listed here is that Prime does not have built in capabilities for e-commerce and marketing. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it for selling courses, it just isn’t really set up to do that out of the box. You would need to integrate it with an external e-commerce system at a minimum.

Hi Jeff, Very interesting article! I still have a question bugging me though: in your research were you also able to identify if there is any platform that allows to sell courses where the instructor is different than the account owner? I would like to set up a little business where I instruct the Instructors, shoot the course, direct and produce the videoclips, follow any marketing activity around the course. Then, I would get right to use and eploitat the results from them, sharing revenue with them. In this model, I would need to be the Owner-Administrator of the accounts on the platform. I’ve checked Teachable and there seems to be some limit in doing so, in how they define the “instructors”. Any indication from you ? Thanks in advance. Marco.

Marco – At least based on the way you explain it here, Teachable (or Thinkific) should be able to handle that. Can you provide more detail on how it is falling short?

Jeff, thank you for the summary! One question: which platforms do you recommend that allow students to upload completed assignments (content such as docs, scans, photos,…) so they are accessible for review to me as well as accessible to the student? Thank you

Florian – For that type of interaction, you are probably going to best off going with an academically oriented platform like Moodle – to which you could add one of the e-commerce plug-ins I cover in the post.

Hey Jeff. Amazing post, and pretty useful list for online course creators. Also appreciate the time and effort you put into making people’s lives easier and answering everyone’s comments around here.

Passing by, I wanted to drop here another platform that fits the all-in-one category. It’s kyvio.com and it’s the perfect match for people with a low budget and high expectations. I would highly appreciate it if you could review and maybe add it to your list.

Several of these tout the ‘marketing’ background of the founder of the website. But then the platform requires YOU (the teacher) to do the marketing of your course. It seems what they are ‘marketing’ is the platform, which is absolutely worthless to me: I’m a teacher, not a salesman. I don’t have a “web presence”; I don’t have a ‘following’; I have content knowledge and an ability to teach. It would seem that the best venue for someone like me would be one that relieved me of the responsibility and need to do something I can’t do (market/sell).

Liam – These are technology platforms, plain and simple. If you want something that is going to help (at least some) with marketing, then go with Udemy or a similar platform. Even on those platforms, though, you are going to have to put some effort into marketing if you expect to make any real money. Basically, you have two choices: hire or contract with someone to do marketing for you or learn to do it yourself. If you aren’t willing to do one or the other, then you either need to go to work for someone who is, or just accept that being in the course business is not for you.

One of the most exciting developments in the tech world is the number of people who are learning to write code. Simpliv allows students to select their goal/learning objective and then recommends the proper course for that student. Simpliv works because it makes coding accessible to any interested student, provides practical recommendations for students who want to learn how to code but doesn’t understand how these new skills might apply to their current job.

Thanks for commenting, Ben. I’ve also added Simpliv to my post on alternatives to Udemy at https://www.learningrevolution.net/alternative-to-udemy/

Thank you very much Jeff.

Although only in Spanish classonlive.com is a good all in one option platform for e-leanirng.

I too like many of you am overwhelmed. I have course almost ready to go with supplemental materials (pdf worksheets, audio, short video) has anyone tried Course Craft? I am finding Thinkific a bit complex when trying to choose a theme.I have a website but am not sure how to implement it with the platform. I’m also considering DailyOm since it is of a spiritual/self-help nature. Any help is greatly appreciated.

thank you for sharing such a wonderful information on online courses. IgmGuru is also an online training platforms that offers various courses. You may check their website at igmguru.com

Hi, Jeff, informative review! What do you think about bitdegree.org? They came with the revolutionary idea, where online education is going to be based on blockchain technology – interactive-gamified courses experience, sponsored courses – token utilized to reward students by achievement tracking. BitDegree have cut a fine figure in the ICO, where attracted lots of token holders attention. For a limited time they are offering free lessons, and there’s a demand for teachers who can present a proper content.

I haven’t checked this out yet, Mike, but thanks for mentioning it. I think block chain could have a very natural role to play in certification/credentialing paths – a possibility no one in that industry seems to have tuned into yet.

I also started with Teachable and eventually got into the dilemma of picking between Thinkific vs Teachable. – There are so many options available – am I the only one getting overwhelmed? Still there must be a reason why Thinkific vs Teachable keyword is being searched on Google 800 TIMES every month. – These two are heavyweights and I would say in 90% of cases these options will be far better than all the small solutions.

The thing is there is NO BEST online course platform – everything depends on your specific case! And that’s why a lot of people I see in comments have questions.

But please just pick between Thinkific or Teachable and in most cases you’ll be better off in Long Term. Long term solution is what matters.

I have been involved in online course market for years, I would love to help others get unstuck, as I remember how confusing it was when i started.

Just ask, and if curious check out the website by clicking on my name (all site has been dedicated to helping you pick the best Online Course Platform).

Hope that helps!

Dainis – Thanks for commenting. I agree – mostly. Aspiring course entrepreneurs tend to put WAY too much emphasis on the technology. In most cases, simply getting on with it and going with a major, established platform like Teachable or Thinkific is the right move. Still, there can be reasons for going with other options. I get e-mails from people every day asking for advice on platforms, and I am struck by the number of times that they have specific needs for which Teachable or Thinkific are really not the right fit. It pays, I think, to take just a bit of time to think it through, apply a reasonable process, and arrive at a choice you feel confident about (which is the point of my free platform selection guide ).

Yeah, true..I also come by cases – where people just have one specific unique need, which you could never imagine..Like translating course platform to Latvian language…

It’s super specific, though still surprised that you found a LOT of cases where these two options are not a good fit.

Can you make one common example, Jeff – please?

A LOT may be over stating it, but an easy example is just around issuing and managing continuing education credit – i.e., if you want to associated a certain amount of credit with a course and then award that amount of credit upon successful completion of the course. Neither of these platforms handle that.

Hi Jeff: Great article. Do you offer consultation? I’d like to share our course requirements and would like your recommendation of the best product. Thanks so much.

Hi Jeff and everyone! I am developing learning materials directed to patient education (ie drugs side effects, appropriate use etc). So, I expect a high heterogeneity of learning materials and many learners who will likely pick very different course choices. Course bundles would apply, such as “diabetes learning bundle” or “breast cancer learning bundle” etc, but also with a huge variety. The question is: in your opinion, would any of the platforms or plugins be better than others for such purpose? Thanks a lot!

Hi Alice. Have you considered LMScheckout? I usually don’t use these forums to self-promote, but I came across this post, and I noticed that we provide the same service you are asking for to several organizations that are marketing to similar types audiences with varying learning interests. We have an anesthesiologist selling certification for nurses though LMscheckout and many other organizations who want to create customer specific training to a wide variety of users. We use a similar concept to course bundling and have a means to promote recommended and related course through your custom e-commerce site. If you are interested, we are running a series of webinars to introduce our e-commerce solutions for selling and marketing courses online.

Hi, Jacqueline and Jeff,

Thanks for sharing your comment about LearnWorlds and similar tools. We were planning to use a full-blown LMS (quite costly) to deliver courses for professional development. Per your suggestion, I checked out LearnWorlds and was quite impressed. Do you have any updates on how it’s going? Have you used the drip marketing? –Kathie-Jo

How do I find your site?

Great… Looking for fitness/gym video online course platform with socialising. Looking into Uscreen and Muvi… but I might be wrong. Any thoughts/directions on this please? Thanks

Hey Jose, You may consider SubscribeStar.com as a standalone platform for your subscription-based (or donation based) courses business. We have transparent pricing, flexible business flow, customizable page layout and friendly staff. Please, drop me a line and I will help you with anything in regard to your online course platform.

Hi thanks for the very useful post. The big issue we are having is to reduce password sharing. None of the LMS’s seem to address this adequately. Are you aware of any that have in built 2FA or forced social login with Facebook. It may not stop it completely but would definitely reduce the amount of password sharing and loss of revenue. Thanks Ivar

Ivar – I haven’t come across any that do this, but if anyone else here has, please chime in.

This is an amazing resource. We’ve actually been researching all the different platforms ourselves since we create online courses for clients. Great starting point although we did locate some other ones. LearnUpon and lightspeed for example. One is more an enterprise model and the other used by some celebrities. For now we’ve stuck with teachable but time will tell. wecreateonlinecourses.com

Thanks or sharing your experience, Jacqueline. I am sure other readers here will find it helpful. I will note, though, that in my experience whether the learning is “recreational” or not has a lot more to do with the instructional quality of the content and how the platform is used than the platform itself (or the topic). And, the amount of support that individual course producers get, even from the same platform company, can vary pretty widely. Just additional points for readers here to keep in mind.

Jody, our agency just completed a client project that used a similar plugin:

flyplugins.com/wp-courseware/

I wasn’t the lead on that project, but the developer who was evaluated several of the WordPress LMS options and it came down to LearnDash and WP Courseware. I believe the pricing model may be similar though. You may want to contact them.

Hi, Jeff. I just wanted to say thanks for this post. I want to create my first online program with videos and power point presentations and PDF files. I’m doing my research now and found your post. It is by far the most helpful one I have read! Thank you so much!

So glad you found it helpful, Tina!

Hi Jeff, Good comprehensive list, and hats off for your effort.

I want to create a technical course ( having mostly PPTs and screen-cast videos). I thought of creating the same in Udemy because they will market the courses.

Do other sites do market sellers content? Or Is it seller to market by themselves?

Thanks siva

Hi Jeff, Your Learning Revolution is so informative. Thank you. I’m wanting to create a website for Enrolled Agents to earn their annual CPE credits. The material is going to be a self-study course using a downloaded written course to their computer. After they have studied the material, they go back to my website and take a test, it they pass with 70% I submit the credits to the IRS and then I send the student a certificate of completion that they can download and keep in their file. The students need 72 credits every 3 years so the site needs to keep their information so when they come back and open their profile the completed courses with be there. I will also need for the site to accept credit card payments and be able for the student to go online and take a test and receive an instant percentage grade so they will know if they need to take the test again something like “congratulations, you passed’! There will not be any videos or webinars and anything live just a list of all the courses available, a cart for them to pay and a student profile for the course to be downloaded to their computer. (they can study off-line that way) What do I need to buy to get this started? I’m so excited about doing this and your site it so informative I’m so glad to have met you. Please let me know when you get a chance, Thank you again, Take care, Linda.

Hi Linda – What you describe will require a more sophisticated solution than anything covered in this post. I will e-mail you to discuss.

Hi Jeff Thank you for a comprehensive post. There is so much choice out there, the more you read the more confusing things become. I am hoping you can simplfy and point me in the right direction. I am setting up an education website, where I will primarily sell recorded webinars. I have a wordpress site and purchased webinar ignition (WI) under the assumption that I could record webinars and offer them through WI. I have just found out that this isn’t the case. So now I am looking for software that I can integrate into my website and allow me to sell recorded webinars multiple times to different people. I hope this information makes send! Could you tell me the top 3 platforms you would recommend. Thank you.

Lisa – A recorded Webinar is just a video and pretty much all of the platforms listed here will enable you to set up a video as a course and selling as many times as you want to whoever you want. Just to help you narrow the choices, I would recommend starting with Teachable or Thinkific (both listed above)

Can you recommend a reputable company that creates scorm compliant elearning videos for LMS platforms?

Ugh! Still confused as ever…I’m not sure if I need a website, a platform, or both. I’m very leery of the “simple drag/drop features”, etc. as they always seem to be anything but easy unless you’re tech savvy. I have books to sell, as well. I also teach LIVE seminars. I’m basically needing to offer online classes to companies so they can have their employees watch them, and I simply charge the employer either a flat fee or a per-employee fee. They also will want some type of monthly or weekly “tip” that can be sent as a video, email or possibly text. Any other suggestions you might have? Thank you!

Bob – It sounds like you probably do need a platform (and I always recommend having a Web site in addition to whatever platform you use) You might be better off with one of the companies I cover at the following link (LearningCart, in particular, could be a good choice, based on the little bit I know about your situation – https://www.learningrevolution.net/learning-management-system-for-small-business/

The fees quoted for LearnDash are not a once-only fee – they are for a one-year subscription. Renewable price = half the original price.

Barbara – Thanks for noting that. Note, also, that you don’t actually lose use of the software if you don’t review – you just don’t get upgrades and support. In any event, I’ve updated the entry to reflect this.

I work with a non-profit arts and crafts group. We want to create courses for our members. We have multiple instructors who will create the content, but our group will actually present the courses. All of these platforms seem to be focused on a direct relationship between course and instructor. I need something that will allow (for lack of a better term) a middle-man to manage the process. All the classes are pre-build, on-demand. Some might have a weekly live broadcast. All courses are 4-6 lessons, and are presented over the course of a month.

Bob – I would nee to know a bit more about the content and process you have in mind – i.e., when you say “create,” would the instructors be providing finished course pages, or just documents/slides that you would convert into course pages. Does there need to be any sort of approval/review process?

I have read all of the posts but continue to have questions regarding my desire to create training modules, with testing and online completion for businesses. I want to sell customized courses to businesses, perferbaly small businesses. My idea is to find their training needs and create the module based on their business. What type of platform, and what LMS should I purchase that allows me to create the course and then allow my client to purchase and/or use it for their access. I am assuming it will need to be cloud based. I am a retired technology and business instructor and looking to fulfill my creative outlet and make some extra money if possible. I have used educational platforms but not the current offerings that are overwhelming me when trying to make this decision. I want to be sure I am not overlooking valuable information. Any suggestions? Thanks and great posts and information!

Marjory – I can’t really answer this without more information. Any of the platforms here could, in theory, do what you describe. It will depend on how you need the purchase and access to happen. Will the clients always come to your site, for example, or do some need to be able to run the courses on their own platforms? Do you want to provide clients with their own, branded entrance into purchasing your courses? How much control do you want to provide clients for enrolling and managing their own learners? If you need to jump up to any of the more sophisticated scenarios suggested here, consider the platforms listed in this post: https://www.learningrevolution.net/learning-management-system-for-small-business/

See https://www.learningrevolution.net/help-creating-online-courses/

Hi nice job with this comprehensive write-up, I tried still cannot really figure the difference between LMS and authoring tools. Is authoring tool a part of an LMS ? I actually thought authoring tools are just platforms used to link texts, pictures, videos and audios to form a flow in a presentation… so not so sure how that was independently used for elearning in the past

Thanks very much F.Mike

Mike – Good question. This has become a somewhat confusing area as more and more LMSes have added/improved their authoring capabilities. In the “old days” an LMS was mostly just a database that handled enrolling learners into courses, presenting a “menu” to enable them to launch/access the courses, and tracking their progress through the course based on communication between the course and the LMS. Eventually, though, LMSes started including tools to do just what you describe – i.e., link texts, pictures, video, etc together into a flow. The main issue with this is that every LMS does it a bit different, So, if you build your courses in the LMS, you will almost certainly have to re-build them when you move to a new LMS. Authoring tools are LMS-independent. You build your course in the authoring tool and then can import it into any LMS. There are standards that have been developed to support this – SCORM being the main one historically. For some additional info on all of this see:

https://www.learningrevolution.net/move-my-online-course/ https://www.learningrevolution.net/does-scorm-matter-selling-online-courses/

I also discuss authoring tools more at: https://www.learningrevolution.net/tools/create-an-online-course/

Am I able to use any one of these platforms to: Sell courses AND individual lessons?

IE. 50 videos… 50$ for entire course. 1$ Per video lesson.

Hi Jeff, I was looking for some useful Online Courses online and suddenly found your post. You have shared very useful information about the online course platforms which will surely make the process of choosing easier for everyone.

Each platform is described in detail and I also appreciate that you’ve encouraged everyone to share their online platforms at your blog post. This way, people looking for online training can get an excellent and wide selection of the latest platforms that provide online courses. Also, big thanks for keeping this useful list updated.

Here, I want to share a platform which provides useful business, computer, safety, banking, management, leadership and several other useful courses.

The link for the website is knowledgecity.com

Hope you check it out!

This is a wonder post and has truly crystallized everything for me. I will be creating some video based courses and just need a “no frills” platform that enables me to enter this territory without breaking the bank. I was originally thinking of setting up everything through WordPress but am now gravitating towards Thinkific. My question is this… Let’s say I start with Thinkific but a year from now ultimately decide to shift over to another platform like WordPress / Learndash or Kajabi. What are the potential risks and repercussions of doing this? Is it not that big of a deal or is it not advisable? My thoughts are this. As long as you can export the customer list from the old system (with their passwords) and then import it into the new system you are fine. But I am not sure if most systems support this. Any input is appreciated.

Lindsey – I actually just published a post related to your question: https://www.learningrevolution.net/move-my-online-course/

Really, it comes down to the nature of your content and how much you rely on the tools contained within any specific platform to create your courses. If you rely on those tools heavily, then you will have to redo quite a bit when you go to a new platform. Maybe not a big deal if you don’t have a lot of courses and the courses you have aren’t all that large. But it could be a big deal if that is not the case.

As far as dat goes, with most platforms you will be able to export the names and e-mail addresses of your customers, but there is a very good chance you would not be able to simply export passwords and import them into your new system. This would require a more complex level of migration (unless you have the tech skills) will probably require some help. That said, it is often possible to import the names and e-mails and then have people reset their passwords to simply establish a new password in the new system.

Re: All-in-one platforms (eg Rainmaker, Academy Mine…)

After taking a subscription of any type of these platforms – what will happen to the website, domain and contents upon cancellation? Are they easily transferable?

E.g. because I’ve learnt to make my own website and features and can do so without paying expensive subscription fees? Or I find cheaper prices else where?

Ally – The domain remains in your control always. You would just point it to your new site. Content is a bigger question. The ones that are WordPress-based would technically have an export functionality for all of the content and you should be able to get a copy of the database – all of which would you allow to set most if it back up in another WordPress installation. But there is definitely a lot of devil in the details – so, be sure to ask about this up front and make sure you feel confident you will be able to get your content out in a usable form. (Keep in mind that, when you build courses in a proprietary delivery platform, as opposed to in a separate authoring tool, you are almost always going to have to do some re-constructing when you switch to a new site.)

Very glad to have found this post! I am an Apple consultant and instructor for legal professionals and I teach tech courses for which the students/viewers receive CLE credits for completing. My courses are pre-recorded videos, 1 – 4 hours in length and ready to upload. I have been scouring around trying to find a good platform that can do a few things I need:

1: Collect payment at registration 2: Provide on-demand viewing 24/7 3: Confirm the course was completed prior to delivering a closing email or certificate with accreditation number 4: Integrate with my existing website (optional but desired)

Does anyone know of anything that might be a good fit? I have sold on Udemy before for consumer level, non-credentialed courses and I have been tinkering with Thinkific which I like very much, but they do no limit the ability for the viewer to simply skip to the end of the video as pretend they completed it. Otherwise, Thinkific might be ideal but without that sort of control over content consumption, it’s a deal breaker for me.

Did you get a response to your post. Your situation is very similar to mine and I would be interested in the answer.

I think they have added that feature this year, if I remember correctly.

I wanted to set up all our courses with Academy Mine a couple of years ago. We have one large 12 part course and 15 smaller (4 part) courses and over 200 students. I paid someone else to set it all up and learn how to use it as I just didnt have the time myself. It took 6 months of paying this person a wage of $500 per week (around 2 grand a month) and around $200 a month for the platform. Six months and over $13,000 spent setting it up , on the day we launched the whole platform crashed as it turned out out courses and resources were just too big. Now I use online classrooms I create myself using web pages and downloadable PDF content. Students email their course work submissions to me. It works and costs nothing but I often wish for a more streamlined way to complete assessments.

Hi, looking for advice on which site to list a Personal Development course – we sell the course via our website and its all set up and ready to go so we don’t need Course Creation tools like quite a few of the sites seem to want you to use. So we are looking for new places to sell our ready made course online to gain a wider audience and sales. Any recommendations and wise words for us?

Many thanks in advance!

Kay – I don’t know of any place where you can simply list a course that is for sale, and I’m not sure how effective that would actually be. It sounds like what you really need are good ways to drive traffic to a sales page for your course on your Web site. The best way, by far, is through your own e-mail list. To the extent that you don’t have that, or in addition to that, consider the suggestions at https://www.learningrevolution.net/best-way-to-market-online-courses/ as well as https://www.learningrevolution.net/build-an-audience-for-selling-courses/

Thanks for chiming in with the update info – Udemy changes often enough that it can be hard to keep up. The post has been updated to reflect this info.

I am brand new to this. I did not even know there were such platforms. I have looked at some of the reviews here, but no idea which to try. There are a lot of them. The one that jumped out at me is called Teachable. mainly because of their pricing structure. Since I am just starting out, I have no idea how many classes I might sell, so I cant afford to pay a monthly and they just take a percentage of my sells. What I am looking for though are suggestions and recommendations. I dont want to invest lots of time and money into developing classes on Teachable, if its not a good platform.

Phillip – Hopefully some other will chime in hear with their comments. Teachable is certainly a solid platform, and I have had a number of readers give it good reviews – though some have also commented that the level of service/support could be better. In any event, I don’t think there is any doubt that they are in it for the long haul. What it really comes down to is whether they have everything you feel you really need to support both your learning and business model. If it appears they do, I’d say go for it.

Thanks for this great list, and keeping it updated as well. Would you say there are any platforms better suited than others for offering courses about professional skills development?

Not really – it depends on the nature of the material, the learning objectives, and the audience. In theory, any of the platforms listed here could support professional skills development.

I’ve been using withcoach.com for several months now and really loving it. I tried other platforms first, but theirs is easier to use.

I am checking out withcoach as well. It is the brainchild of a couple of Canadians, and all other features being equal (or better), I’d like to keep my support with my fellow Canucks.

How about Alison, anybody had an experience with this company? I see they offer free courses but make some profit from the certificates

Hi, thanks, this is very helpful! One question: Here in Holland people use IDEAL instead of Paypal to make payments online. Do you have any suggestions on high quality e-learningsoftware that has IDEAL payments integrated?

Abey – I don’t know of any offhand – just not something I really track. Hopefully someone else here will have some input, though.

I’m just going to throw my two cents in here after seeing so much negative stuff about Udemy. While I understand the criticism related to such aspects of the platform as controlling user data and communications with students as well as some difficulties with the review process, I have had an excellent experience with them. The bottom line is, Udemy courses sell. For those of us who don’t like to do a lot of marketing or aren’t very good at it, Udemy has a huge user base and very effective marketing.

I have tried other platforms with mixed success, but once you get their system down, which I think isn’t too complicated, you can create a good course and get it approved pretty quickly. They just have some specific requirements for your video files that they use to manage quality and standardize the service bit. I think that’s reasonable. At any rate, I just wanted to say that I have 19 courses on Udemy, with one more in the works right now, and I make more money on there per course than any other platform that I have tried BY FAR.

Oh, and also I have recently discovered two newer marketplaces similar to Udemy that market the courses for you and do a profit share: CyberU, and On-Ed. I am in the process of testing them, I will return to the thread to let you know my experience.

Thanks for chiming in, Greg. Definitely good to have diverse perspectives on this!

Recently I tried emagister.co.uk and I had a good results.

Completely agree – I’ve heard many stories about people using Moodle and then finding that they either don’t have the time/expertise to configure things themselves, or don’t have the budget to engage a consulting firm to do it for them. Out of the box solutions are much better for small businesses as they can get started easily themselves at a relatively low pricepoint.

Your blog was really helpful 🙂 Online Learning is much easy and it saves a lot of time, well you can study as well as do other things Thanks for sharing 🙂

I used Teachble to build my first school where I presently have ten courses available with ten more yet to upload. However, while I do like the way that their software makes my school look, it was pretty steep learning curve to figure out how to use it to create a school and courses since their website is not at all intuitive. In addition, I found numerous small annoyances with their software which made the process more cumbersome.

But, the main problem with Teachable is that their advertising leads you to believe that all you have to do is build the school and students will flock to sign up! However, nothing could possibly be further from the truth!!! Fortunately, I have over twenty-five years of retail experience and thus, I knew that going in.

However, while they do provide some learning resources with their blog and their free webinars, they do not have single resource that provides you with a complete step-by-step process for marketing your courses. Also, they fail to make it clear that marketing an online course is very different from marketing a standard web site. Thus, I had to spend numerous hours on YouTube watching instructional videos to discover that, unlike a standard web site where you build, and then publish, the site and then vie with competitors for top ranking on Google and Bing, you instead have to build a permission based e-mail list to market to. But, they also fail to provide you with the resources to accomplish that task and thus, you have to turn to other service providers such as Mail Chimp and Timer Monkey to launch an e-mail marketing campaign. Plus, while they do have some resources on building an e-mail list, it is woefully inadequate and far less than clear.

In addition, on the few occasions I have contacted their customer service for clarification, I have gotten a couple of good answers from one technician and half-assed answers from others. For instance, I read an article on their blog about how to implement an evergreen e-mail sequence but, it was poorly written and left out quite a bit of pertinent information. But, when I contacted their customer service to ask for clarification, they had no idea what I was talking about and repeatedly gave me half-assed answers to my questions! Thus, I had to turn to a video on YouTube to learn how to implement an evergreen e-mail marketing sequence.

But, what has really set me off is that when I first signed up with them, they sent me e-mails on a regular basis but, suddenly stopped doing so. Then, the other day, I got a pop up window at the bottom of my screen informing me that their Teachable Summit was starting right then! So, I followed the link and signed up for their summit. But, not only did not receive notice of the impending summit via e-mail, I did not receive a confirmation e-mail that I had signed up for the summit! Thus, I contacted their customer service again to ask why I received neither notice of the summit nor a confirmation e-mail and that is when the run around started! First, I was told to check both of my e-mail addresses and my Spam folder. But, after my reply to that message, I was then told that their e-mails had bounced back to me too many times and that I had been removed from their e-mail list! Thus, they told me to add their e-mail address to my safe sender’s list and they would send me a confirmation e-mail. But, that was complete bull because, when I checked my safe sender’s list, their e-mail address was listed on both e-mail accounts! So, I sent them a reply stating that their e-mail address as well as their domain name was on my safe sender’s list and that I did not appreciate being lied to!!!

However, I find all of this very suspicious since their e-mails to me suddenly stopped after I received a survey from them where I left poor feedback for them because their advertising is misleading, they only provide half of the solution for marketing an online course, and very little of the information needed to do so. But, after informing the customer service agent of this, I have not had reply from them of any sort whatsoever! Thus, I am now searching for a new home for my online outdoor academy!

Bill Bernhardt,

I’m honestly not sure what you expect from Teachable. I’m not a customer of theirs, as I built my courses with Thinkific. However, they’re a courses site. they don’t do mailing lists, nor as far as I know is there a courses provider who does also do mailing lists. They are two totally different products.

Also, you can’t expect their customer support to give support for something written in one of their blog posts. They support their product, and that’s it.

I recommend going with ConvertKit for your mailing list provider, incidentally. But, I hope you can have some more reasonable expectations of your service providers.

You may also like this e-Learning platform which allows you to create your own e-shop – marketplace and there sell your courses for FREE and with no extra effort! This e-shop function can be switched on by one click in the platform settings. You only need to select the courses you want to display. Personalizing your e-shop by using your company’s logo and colors, so that the visitors would recognize the e-shop as yours, is a question of only a minute. so lets try and get more profit!

Yes this is great content but now we have many more other option.there is lot of other platform provider who provide same features with whitelable solution. You can create and manage your own UDEMY, Lynda etc.

With same platform you can conduct live classes and can provide recorded one.

You guys should try edugyaan.com

EduGyaan is another company who provide better platform at low cos.

Hello Jeff..thanks for this information. My needs seem to be a little different, and I hope you can be able to guide me. I work for a non-profit organization and we offer elearning courses for business owners at no charge. Our approach is to develop the content, have someone produce it as an ecourse — and we own it. I don’t understand the monthly fees that all of the platforms you mentioned seem to have. Wondering if you have suggestions of elearning developers that produce the courses without any ties into monthly fees and revenue sharing. Thank you!

There is an another very good online teaching platform called Learnyst Teach Online.They help you build your own branded school. You can visit and can signup to it from here learnyst.com

Anyone use Wedemic?

Check out 247digitalclassrooms.com. Their online learning platforms are affordable, simple to use, and cater to educators, tutors, coaches, and people looking to start a virtual school.

Hi everyone! Just find out Thinkific using stripe , for 0 payment term but sadly stripe doesn’t recognise Malaysia. So sad ????

Great post Jeff. Thanks a lot!

Hi Jeff, great job you did on this post (it’s been going on for quite a while now ). Did you ever tried MATRIX LMS? What’s your thought on it? It looks very user friendly (feels like a social media platform) and it has a lot of great features.

In a bit of a quandary w/ LMS. We are a small religious order with a newly formed seminary wherein we would like to offer an eLearning option. Most of the sources described above are either web-based/ clud based platforms. We would like something more like an authoring tool platform, like Moodle, to create our courses and track everything from our own website.

We tried Moodle and were OK w/ it except that there were security issues. We wound up being hacked and our webhost didn’t much appreciate that!

Is there something along the Moodle line that you could recommend that might meet our needs?

Much appreciated.

You might give Educadium a shot – it is Moodle-based, but much friendlier to use, and they deal with the security.

Hi Jeff – thanks for this great blog and the lists of online course platforms! I’m just curious as to why you don’t include SkillShare in your lists of platforms.

What do you think is the best platform to import an existing powerpoint presentation and convert it to an online course?

EZ LCMS is not free, but it looks like a serious answer to this question.

I must admit, most of these websites are too expensive or offer little features for small start-ups. I was thinking about going with Udemy because they’ll help promote the course if you split the profits, but then I got greedy and thought about using wordpress to start my own, but it would be a pain in the butt to have to constantly update all those plugins. So I’m leaning towards Udemy and ValueAddon. I hate that I have to pay a monthly fee for VAO, but i like their platform set-up. I may try both and see which one performs best. Most likely it’ll be Udemy because they’ll do the marketing. We shall see though.

Hi Jeff, great job you did on this post (it’s been going on for quite a while now ). Did you ever tried MATRIX LMS? What’s your thought on that platform? looks very user friendly (feels like a social media portal) and has a lot of great features.

Give your customers on demand access to courses and leverage your core brand in minutes, not months.Create unlimited courses consisting of ‘Sections’, ‘Lectures’, ‘Assignments’, ‘Exams’ and ‘Certificates’ where contents of any format can be very easily inserted by you. createonlineacademy.com/features/

I created a course on Udemy last . It was easy and they provide support. BUT I just learned they changed thier pricing structure, which suddenly knocks my course out. This is putting me in a terrible position. Be warned!!

Yes, how you promote/what kind of support you get is a significant factor. At a site like Udemy, you at least know there are many people showing up looking for courses. (Of course, there is still no guarantee your course will get a lot of visibility.) To be honest, if you can be effective promoting yourself on Udemy, then you can probably be successful promoting through your own site – and even if you have a course on Udemy, you will almost certainly still want to have your own site to support promoting the Udemy course (and – very important – collecting e-mail addresses).

Hey Jeff, great post! Have you checked out Thinkific? Curious to hear what you think of their platform.

Haven’t checked it out yet, but will be sure to. Thanks for mentioning it.

Hello Jeff Great article. Do you have any knowledge of platforms specifically targeting creators and consumers of learning courses for children, k-8? My company produces engaging, video animation educational/earning programs for kids (and their parents) covering core foundational subjects such as language arts, science, history, etc. They are available on our own company site as well as Udemy, Gumroad, Teacherspayteachers, but for the most part these sites are not specific to children.

I just saw your comment and I thought you might be interested in Gumroad. It is similar to Udemy, but they take a smaller slice.

Hi people! I’m an ex high school teacher & have run a biz as a Dread Loctician & Trainer for over 10 years. I have 3 online courses teaching people how to make & maintain dreads naturally & how to run small home based biz as Locticians. I use gumroad. They have a few glitches, but all in all, I’m very happy with it. I sell them via my ems & website though, I haven’t yet began using their tools to sell via them as a course market place.

TalentLMS is yet another missing item on this great list talentlms.com

you should checkout e-sky.ca, its easy to host, you can sell directly on their site and their sales folks can offer your content to businesses (whenever applicable of course) and there is always the possibility to do a revenue sharing model without upfront cost for hosting. 1-855-MYESKY-1

I would not recommend Udemy. Their support is horrible. No one answers emails or support tickets. Can’t get approved for the Facebook group. They may be making a ton of money, but won’t last long if their support doesn’t improve. I’m looking for another website that has good support.

Perhaps Eventase.com ahould actually say somewhere what their pricing structure is?

I just started some courses on Udemy and love the platform. I think the most prevalent instructors probably make a ton, funny that Udemy sells for $10 every other week (I thought I was special). I’d be interested to see how others work. I think I have a technology that we just created that could be really helpful for course creators if you’d like to chat more I’d love to meet virtually. It’s patent pending and has never been done, we are backed by the CEO of LifeLock and just presented to the CMO of Facebook but looking to get it into the hands of course creators that do video. Let me know if you’d like to connect.

I’d like to create a site that offers hundreds of my courses for free – and monetize the site through advertising, referrals, etc. Any ideas on the best platform for this type of model?

The article glazes over a lot of hard facts about some of the platforms. All I can say is let the buyer beware. Many of these sites have hidden charges they don’t spring on you until you go do do something, anything.

For instance, you are led to believe that using your on domain name is a feature but once when you go to use it, you are going to be charged $99.00 and be sold an SSL cert that has a reoccurring monthly fee of $25.00.

You need to ask about hidden charges and fees and understand what it is your doing. Some of these platforms have no information on how to opt out or cancel once you sign up. Some of these sites have no point of contact and telephone number and emails that are truly bogus. emails addresses like [email protected]

With one of these well known platforms, I had to do a whois to find the real owner of the company and email him directly to cancel my account.

Do not sign up for any reoccurring payment using your credit card. You will find that your bank cannot stop the payment and the provider will not allow you to remove your credit car or cancel.

If you sign up either use PayPal or offer to pay month to month.

I see a lot of slick advertising with pictures of the supporting staff shown as all being young, very diverse, affluent, and attractive and they only have a first name. I would suspect that a lot if not all the claims of endorsements on most of these sites are bogus.

Watch yourselves!

Cliff – Thanks for your comments. And, I agree – do your homework and buyer beware. This was never meant to be a comprehensive buyer’s guide – merely a brief overview of some of the major available options. And, as I state clearly at the beginning, I do not endorse any of these products. This is starting point for doing the work that will – I hope – land you on the platform that is right for your needs. But the “doing the work” part is critical.

They all, except for UDEMY, want money up front to host your courses. UDEMY does not and they have a great platform and process. But as I have noticed of late, they seem into be getting to big for their proverbial britches and are turning some off now because they aren’t as friendly as they once were and they are doing some strange stuff

WizIQ has come a long way during last few months. We all know about its much loved Virtual Classroom. Now, it’s spreading wings in a direction. It recently launched Online Academy Builder – A DIY platform that allows users to create their own online teaching website in a few minutes. A lot of other improvements have also been made. You can find more details on the website – wiziq.com

Regards, Amanjot

Hi Jeff Great list thanks. Do you know of any particular LMS that offers interactive video with one or many students in the same way that Adobe Connect does? The standard webinar format is OK but most seem to only have a text chat option for the students which can be limiting in terms of teaching.

Thanks Phil

I have one question, being a real novice. I want to use a platform for on-line learning that not just allows for pre-taped videos, slide shows with audio, and other “static” mediums. I want a platform that allows for live teaching where I can either see the individuals (as I teach self-care/body work), hear the individuals and their questions (but they see me), and/or get their chats (latter being less desirable – other two being more as they create a real live classroom feeling). Which on this list does provide that live video teaching/ “conferencing” option. Or alternatively – do people mix and match platforms.

Thanks, Nikki the Novice (even so dinosaur that I’m just now updating my own site to mobille)

If I’m planning to have 100 of teachers or more tutor several hundreds of students, which platform should I choose? I saw e-lecta offers such classrooms where several teachers can have their own virtual room for teaching. Anybody else? I also want to be able to sell webinars and other courses on the same platform. Any suggestion?

Hi All, To sell courses online you can use Moodle as the LMS wherein you can create any number of courses and add course content related to them. Moodle has a robust system which can be used by site owners to manage and maintain courses.

To sell them online you can use WordPress as the CMS wherein due to its simple and easy to use interface will help you to create a great user-interface for buyers on your site.

We have come up with a plugin which integrates both Moodle and WordPress which helps in sync of courses created in Moodle with WordPress. Edwiser has its own payment gateway which can be used by you to sell course individually, but if you wish to sell courses as products you could get the WooCommerce Integration extension which would help you in selling courses as products, sell one or bundle more than one course into product, set subscription for the product along with many WooCommerce features.

To get more information regarding this click on this link edwiser.org.

Regards. Rajiv

Hi Jeff. First off, excellent guide! My question really pertains to pricing model. Are you aware if most of the successful sites go with the standard monthly membership fees or do they go with a one-time purchase to get lifetime access? It is an odd conundrum and one I have been thinking about while I am putting together my content. Thanks in advance for your response!

Since the discussion is related to creating and selling courses online. With the experience we have in this field, I recommend Moodle to be the best place to create courses online, you may find Moodle to be tedious but trust me once you start using it you will find it to be very handy. But when the plan comes to sell courses in Moodle, yes it is not easy so I would recommend use WordPress as front-end to create a dedicated site to sell your courses online. Looking into these requirements we came up with Edwiser Bridge which integrates Moodle with WordPress, syncs courses created in Moodle to WordPress, along with the WooCommerce extension site owner can sell courses as products, even bundle more than one course as products.

Looking forward to your view regarding Edwiser.

Thanks for posting this list! I googled and thought I’d have to search on my own, and your list was first in line. (recently updated, too!) You saved me countless hours of work finding and investigating these options. We’d like to offer some of our safety classes online. As a small business, your first paragraph resonated with me. I can’t afford to license an LMS, authoring tools, and do the development to connect them to our website. I need an affordable SAAS solution. You rock!

Great list! Thanks for including SkyPrep!

Hi Jeff. Thank you for this information. I was building a driver safety course on Udemy, but since I am basically a writer not a videographer, could not meet their requirements. Is there a place you would recommend for someone wanting to open a course solely based on writings? Thanks, John

Hi, I was wondering if you had any information on yescourse.com. I keep getting advertisements from them, but haven’t seen anything reviewing them (except from them) online. Thanks in advance.

The focus here is on platforms that make it easy to sell courses. As far as I can tell, ScormLMS isn’t really focused on that, but let me know if I am missing something.

Have you checked out Jasper / Refined Data? Their platform is built on Moodle and integrates with Adobe Connect, and is used by many respected companies and universities, as well as Kaplan test prep etc.

refineddata.com

I’m curious which platforms you most highly recommend for their use of open-source code and value? Thank you for this post!

Melanie – Refined Data has a nice solution, and I have included them in selection processes I have run before, but I think of them as more appropriate for larger organizations – rather than the individual subject matter entrepreneurs and small firms that are the main audience here. Am I off the mark in thinking that?

This is a great list! Yet new powerful solutions appear every day.

For a fresh approach I suggest you have a look at learnworlds.com, a white-label platform for creating your own online school and full-fledged professional training community (disclosure: I am a co-founder there)

With LearnWorlds you have everything you need to easily create rich online courses (that combine videos, texts/images, formal and informal assignments and tests, certificates etc.). On top of that you get the opportunity to convert your videos into interactive experiences (with titles, bookmarks, definitions that you can add on the fly, without the need for expensive post-production) and your texts into interactive ebooks (with personalized notes, highlights etc.)

More importantly, you get a set of tools that will help you create a vibrant learning community for your learners, like: – Personal profiles for your clients to present their skills and experiences – Social networking and People Search for your clients to be connected and form teams – Daily newspaper for your clients to be informed about the topic from the best relevant sources, – Gamification, with custom badges, for your clients to be motivated (e.g. an “Android Guru” badge)

Of course LearnWorlds is fully white-label so it can blend with your existing site/blog

hope that helps:)

Panos – Thanks for commenting. Looks like a nice solution. I will get it added in above.

Once your Training company has sold its best content thanks to one of those great platform, you have to manage it ! Training Orchestra provides an “ERP for Training Companies” to manage the back end (orders, invoice, schedule, profitability…). Our training management software for training companies bring the experience of more than 250 clients, and just received the Brandon All Gold award.

training-orchestra.com

I think Udemy is the best since they are providing a powerfull course creation tool for free and also their review process in term of quality is better that other websites. and the best advantage that the registration is free of fees!!!

Hi, i’m part of a startup LMS company called Aktiv Mind LMS. Our platform allows businesses to create courses and tests in order to train their employees. Our platform runs on all devices such as PCs/Macs, as well as tablets and mobile phones. We are offering a free 1 month subscription for new subscribers. Thank you

Hi Jeff, Hi All, thank you Jeff for the listing of the platforms! Is it possible to upload and try to sell the course on different and several sites? Ad absurdum: is it possible to upload them to ALL learning sites / platforms?

Thank you and bye Steven

This is a great list. There is a company called uscreen.tv they also have an easy to use platform which enables you to sell courses online and setup a video subscription website, I know a few companies that use them.

Don’t forget the popular flextraining complete learning framework. It lets you author complete courses – from simple to complex – and use e-commerce to gain revenue for them.

i agree i had a terrible experience with UDEMY, wish i searched other places first!!!

Thanks for that input, Gwen. Udemy does seem to get pretty mixed reviews at best.

Jeff, What if I want to sell over 20 online LIVE courses as part of a growing K-12 online academy? Mainly, I want a clear means of offering and selling the courses and registering new students.

Is Canvas Catalog a decent option?

Christopher – Depends on you budget and how confident you are in enrollments/growth. The pricing I have seen on the Catalog option for Canvas is quite hefty – though, I have to say it is very nice. Keep in mind that many less expensive options will offer the registration and e-commerce options you need while also offering options for plugging into common Webinar tools like GoToWebinar. Alternatively, consider an option like WizIQ, which is really geared toward supporting the sales and delivery of live online courses.

Thanks for this comprehensive article. I already built my Elearning program and website with wishlist plugin, and all my videos are hosted on Vimeo. I would like to know about platforms to market my training program. are there platforms that let me list my program for a marketing fee? Thanks!

Neri – It’s a good question. If I am understanding your need and set-up correctly, I don’t know of specific site to recommend. Depending on the field/industry you are targeting, though, there may be publications, associations, etc, that would provide the opportunity for listings. If I find other options, I’ll let you know.

I didn’t end up getting the chance to work with Learning Cart due to issues with our client, but overall, the people at Learning Cart were awesome to work with. Learning Cart not only offers the ability to create and sell online courses, but you can also create a fully functioning shopping cart for selling items other than courses!

To add another to the list: Thinkific.com is definitely another option!

– Create and sell courses on your own site, under your own brand – Content importer allows easy import of videos & pdfs in bulk – Create courses out of multiple file types (video, PDFs, MP3s, Text, Quizzes, Surveys, and tonnes of outside sites like typeform forms, Articulate, Storyline… the list goes on!) – Full e-commerce, student tracking, and so on – Robust integrations with tools like Segment.io, Mailchimp and Mixpanel – $0/month to start, 10% transaction fee or less. Only pay when you start selling.

I could go on and on, but it’s worth checking out! Disclaimer: I work with Thinkific 🙂

Thanks for the great article. I have a question for you or anyone here. My company is preparing a number of training programs for 2015. In reviewing all the platforms available, what do you think about putting a single course on multiple platforms. Can that be done? My thinking is some of these platforms have built in (huge) audiences who are accustomed to purchasing online courses, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have access to as many potential students as possible by being on multiple platforms. Any thoughts.

Best, Jimmy

It is my question exactly. Could one run the same course on multiple platforms? Have you had an answer yet?

Great article, thank you.

Do you think it’s better to sell courses on your own website or to sell them on another. For example, Tony Robbins has his website, but then he sells his courses on Business-Mastery. Brendon Burchard has a website but then sells his courses on HighPerformanceAcademy.

Just wondered what your thoughts were.

James – It really depends on what your overall business goals are and how that impacts how you manage your brand and segmenting of your market. The main thing, from my perspective, is that you want to be be selling from a site that you own (Brendon, for example, owns HighPerformanceAcademy.com) rather than relying entirely totally on a third-party market place like Udemy – at least if you are really serious about being in the education/training business. I, for example, decide a while back that I wanted to develop business brands that were distinct from my personal brand. I have a range of reasons for wanting to do that, but one key one is that I would like to have the potential (whether I ever take advantage of it or not) of selling off those brands/businesses. Not having them tied too tightly to my personal brand makes that possible. Hope that helps.

While looking for some other providers I came across this one. apnacourse.com/tutoring They have decent enough platform, have gone through their own MOOCs hosted on platform. Some points about them i liked, – course can be completely private, with my own audience. (download restricted) – no revenue sharing (pay as you go model, charged per consumption hour at the month end) Has anybody tried it and have anything to share about pros and cons of it?

How about MATRIX LMS? I thin they definitely should be included in the list, they have e-commerce integration with Stripe, Paypal and Authorize.net, not to mention that the platform looks amazing

Hi Jeff, just wanted to say many thanks for mentioning Course Merchant on the list.

We would love to show you a demo some time if you had a spare hour or so, be great to get your detailed thoughts.

Once again, many thanks for the mention.

All the best and I look forward to hearing from you.

Out of the gate your first resource is simply a version of WPLMS theme found on theme forest. There is not even a business behind the associated link to academy of mine. I find that really odd. Their demo video talks about the unique platform and marketing presence, yet they have no product, or classes. I just find that strange.

We sent a note to you in May about adding Click 4 Course to this list, but we’re not sure if you got it. Would you be able to at it? Based on services you’ve listed, it would be a great addition to this list. We hope to hear back from you, and also see our service on your list!

Jacob Bradley Support Team click4course.com

Hi Jeff, I know you are planning to update this list soon. When you do please add Skilljar to the list – (www.skilljar.com). Thanks! Keegan

Thanks for the post, Jeff! The info on Udemy is not current, late last year the pricing structure changed. Right now, instructors get 50%. And depending on other factors, you might only get 25%.

Thanks for the update, John. The downside of this kind of post is the need to keep up with changes like that!

Great resources Jeff. It will make it easy for Selling online courses in various platform.

If you are looking to sell videos from your website take a look at HostStreamSell.com, they even have wordpress plugins for easy integration.

Good list Jeff, its missing us though, Firmwater LMS has been built specifically for training companies to sell, deliver, track and report their online training courses. Here is a link to our patnership with Shopify – firmwater.com/lms/features/sell-courses-online.php – let me know what you think, I hope to see us added to the list.

Just running down this list as well as the comments, I’d be interested to know why FirmWater.com feels entitled to charge so much more than their competitors. If you’re offering unique features that others dont, perhaps you should highlight that on your website so that it justifies the exponential price increase.

Hello, Jeff – great list, thanks for the detailed insights. A question for you: do you know which of these companies and systems will provide sales and distribution of my existing courses in my existing LMS? It appears that most (all?) required the content to be converted to or loaded into their LMS/CMS.

Bob – Apologies for the delay in responding. I was not notified of the comment for some reason. As far as I know, none of these support pulling content from another LMS. That has always been somewhat tricky territory – hopefully something that will be addressed as emerging standards (Tin Can) gets more broadly adopted and implemented.

Jeff — I am the Publisher at Siminars. I’d love to get your feedback on our platform. Please check out siminars.com and email me if you have any ideas or questions. Thanks and have a great year ahead!

Jeff —

Thank you for including OpenSesame on your list. If you or any of your readers have questions or would like to know more, please let me know!

Can anyone help in suggesting ways in which we can sell our courses with discount websites, such as amazon.local and places like that? I have been suggested to use affiliate marketers, but am unsure really of what this means?

Thanks, Jeff for the great list! I know this will be a valuable resource for many folks.

Thanks for the excellent info. I feel that nowadays it isn’t difficult to build your own training website using Paypal as the payment gateway. What do you think could be the disadvantages of going your own way?

Dinesh –

Just using Paypal as a payment gateway and one of any number of approaches to managing access to content (like, for example, a membership plugin) can work just fine. The platforms listed here all manage access rights as an integrated part of the software and have done a good bit to streamline the e-commerce process. Many of them also streamline authoring of educational content and make it easier to integrate content, assessments, and social interaction (e.g., discussion boards) into a single educational experience. It all depends on what learning models you plan to use and how adept you feel at taking a more DIY approach.

BrainCert Makes E-Learning And Passive Earning Painless. BrainCert allows instructors to create courses and upload tests easily and quickly. Once that’s done, the platform integrates with PayPal and Stripe, allowing you to profit from the information you’ve provided. BrainCert is generous with that, too, giving you 90% of the sales revenue from whatever you sell. – braincert.com

Late to the party but AT the party is DojoLearning! DojoLearning.com 🙂

Don’t forget DigitalChalk from Asheville, NC as well! digitalchalk.com 🙂

Thanks, Lindsey – I’ll be sure to add it. Had a very nice visit to Asheville recently.

Thanks for commenting, Carol – If you have a chance, drop back by at some point, please drop back by and let folks know how your experiences went with Udemy and Pathwright.

Udemy have given me nothing but grief over the last 3 months. Nit-picking re my courses and I have degrees in 2 different subject areas! Udemy has severely wasted my time – around 400 hours worth.

Hello Jane, I have a course available on Udemy that needs to be updated. Udemy is great for those who want to offer free courses that have high video and audio quality. Udemy knows what interest their customers. Most of their customers are other Udemy instructors.

They are redoing their pricing and have finally stopped providing free previews of courses. Mine and some other instructors courses were copied and sold to rip-off companies that repackage portions of your video and charge $5.00 or less for your content. I found that Russian and Indian customers were most interested in my course and every day a Russian person would visit my course and copy it. Several of the Indian customers just contacted me to set up the course for their students.

I am offering my course for free now. I will leave a smaller modified version of the course free and add a series of small courses for a fee. There are several Udemy Instructors who are making over a million dollars per year using Udemy. A few of the ones who are making less money offer paid courses to explain how they have been successful, which of course attracts a large number of Udemy Instructor students.

Currently, this is one of the only platforms that I have used. You need to have knowledge about the course(s) that you want to sell and you need to know how to sell your courses online. In my opinion, is does not matter which platform you use or can afford if you do not know how to sell your courses online then you will waste your time/money.

I have to agree with this post. I also tried Udemy, I have advanced degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering and got hung up with what they called audio quality for over 3 months. I just gave up and continued to sell through my own site.

What amazed me is that I am using a professional recording setup and have been delivering courses for over 7 years with excellent comments from my students.

I would like to grow my audience but will find another way.

Comments are closed.

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Canvas LMS solutions for school and beyond.

Canvas LMS is built to make teaching and learning easier for everyone, from the littlest learners to college faculty to business leaders. Learn more about how Canvas works with your institution.

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Request a demo, frequently asked questions about canvas, is there a free version of canvas lms to try out.

Yes, Canvas LMS offers Free-for-Teacher , providing basic functionality to students and teachers to explore courses and learn basic Canvas LMS features. Educators can deliver courses, create content, and personalize learning with Mastery Paths, Outcomes, and standards-based gradebooks. Users can also utilize Canvas mobile app suite and integrate external applications to its free Canvas LMS version.

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Stanford employees’ free access to online courses on Coursera helps them to develop new skills 

Mark Quaccia works in payroll at Stanford’s Redwood City campus. Ginny Smith leads an internal process improvement team as an administrator at Stanford Law School. Cassidy Ide oversees participant recruitment for pain studies at the Stanford School of Medicine, where A. Solomon Henry designs data systems. 

While these Stanford employees work in disparate locations, including remotely, and for different units, they have all taken multiple online courses on the Coursera for Stanford learning platform through Cardinal at Work — a benefit that has helped them develop knowledge and skills that they can apply in their professional environments. They are enthusiastic adopters of a platform that many staff, students, and faculty are trying out. Since the program was launched in December 2022, more than 3,000 Stanford “learners” have spent over 10,000 hours on Coursera courses, watching videos, reading course material, and taking assessments. One thousand eight hundred of those hours were in the last three months.

“A big part of our purpose is to help create the conditions where people can thrive at work,” said Elizabeth Zacharias , vice president of University Human Resources. “One way we do that is by building and fostering an environment where continuous learning, growth, and connections are possible. The wide participation in Coursera for Stanford reflects the culture we have at Stanford and the genuine desire for development within our community.” 

More than 4,000 non-degree offerings — a subset of Coursera’s commercial catalog of courses — are free to Stanford employees, students, and recent alumni through a SUnet login to Coursera for Stanford . The courses are created by university faculty from institutions around the globe, as well as by experts at several large technology companies.

Courses on programming, statistics, data analytics, and machine learning have some of the highest enrollments on Coursera for Stanford, followed by courses related to business and management. But there are many other topic areas, including Chinese (Peking University), human physiology (Duke University), the moral foundations of politics (Yale University), and international women’s health and human rights (Stanford).

For Matthew Rascoff , vice provost for digital education, making sure that Stanford staff had free access to a wide set of Coursera offerings unfolded almost as a matter of course, given his office’s focus. He came to Stanford from Duke University, where a similar program for staff received a strong positive response. So he and his team at Stanford Digital Education partnered with University Human Resources to implement the program at Stanford.

“Stanford employees choose to work here because it is a learning institution and want to be part of what makes it distinctive,” he said. “Coursera for Stanford helps everyone benefit from the knowledge that is created here and affords opportunities for them to improve their skills and advance their careers.”

*     *     *     

Mark Quaccia worked in construction as a sheet metal journeyman for seven years before earning an online degree from Southern New Hampshire University. After initial contract work for Stanford as a data management assistant, he now works as a payroll associate at the Redwood City campus.

“I was exploring all the benefits that Stanford offers, and I saw Coursera,” he explained. “And I really wanted to beef up my Excel skills.” Macquarie University’s courses on Excel matched what he was looking for; he liked their hands-on quality, pacing, and examples. He had tried courses through other platforms that were just videos, but he didn’t feel he retained information as well that way. With Coursera, he appreciated the exercises and assessments. 

The investment in learning Excel in greater depth has already helped Quaccia transition to a role with more responsibility. It mattered that the courses were free. “Otherwise I would have had to pay or subscribe for those Coursera courses myself, and I probably wouldn’t have done that,” he said. “It’s amazing that it’s offered, and I’m very grateful that it’s there.”

*     *     *    

Ginny Smith is a fan of the Career Success Specialization on Coursera, a set of 10 courses from UC Irvine that include overviews of project and time management, effective communication, finance, problem-solving, and negotiating. A senior administrative associate and process improvement specialist at Stanford Law School, Smith leads an internal team that strives to streamline all kinds of administrative tasks, from reimbursement to ordering lunches for large groups.

Smith holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University; she studied criminology and psychology as an undergraduate at Auburn University. She likes to break down silos and make people’s jobs easier. She brought the Coursera course “Work Smarter, not Harder” to the attention of colleagues; now her department plans to work through its modules together during a training in the spring.

For Smith, the flexibility of deadlines in the online coursework is key. It allows her to turn away during busy periods and return when she is able. “It fits you, rather than you having to fit it,” says Smith. “I also like the fact that you get the certificate at the end. For me and my manager, I do like that it shows I took the time and completed a course. With regular Coursera, you have to pay for that feature. The fact that Stanford has opened this up for us so that we can earn those certificates without having to pay for them is a big benefit.”

*     *     *

Cassidy Ide had taken Coursera courses before they started working at the Stanford School of Medicine in 2023. They earned a Google UX (user experience) certificate to complement the academic skills they honed while completing their doctorate in anthropology at the University of Edinburgh.

Ide’s work, overseeing participant recruitment for studies on chronic pain, involves synthesizing scientific information and communicating with a wide range of clients and colleagues. They create visual and written content for reports, flyers, and emails. Encouraged by their manager, they have used Coursera for Stanford to expand their knowledge of graphic design, programming, project management, and data analytics.

“My department [of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine] is super supportive of continuing education, which I love,” they said. And for them, the online courses meet a particular need. Ide has an auditory processing disorder, and if they mishear information as it’s presented, that can disorient them for the rest of a class. “Having pre-recorded content is perfect for me,” they said. “I can pause; I can go back. I always use subtitles.”

For twenty-two years, A. Solomon Henry has designed data systems for the Stanford School of Medicine, initially for the cardiovascular group, and then, for the past sixteen years, for oncology. Henry holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Thiagarajar College of Engineering and a master’s in computer science from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. At the School of Medicine, he works with teams of biostatisticians and clinicians to collect and organize data from multiple sources, including external databases, so that it can be searched, studied, and interpreted.

A specific problem led Henry to turn to Coursera: the need to begin the migration of data from on-premises to cloud. Taken aback by the cost quoted by a vendor, he enrolled in Google Cloud courses on Coursera to learn how to approach the issue, effectively bringing the expertise in-house. While that experience predated the launch of Coursera for Stanford, it primed him to be eager to take the courses available through the program — and led to him earning the AI in Healthcare specialization, comprised of five courses from Stanford faculty. 

Asked what he would say to other Stanford staff about Coursera for Stanford, Henry had an immediate response. “If you have a passion for being a learner, this gives you a playground, an open door,” he said. “Roll up your sleeves and get in.”

To see the range of opportunities available to staff — including apprenticeship and leadership programs, synchronous online courses, and the communities of practice directory, as well as free online learning programs, visit the Professional Development page on Cardinal at Work .

Jenny Robinson is a digital community and social media specialist at Stanford Digital Education.

Follow Stanford Digital Education : Sign up for Stanford Digital Education's quarterly newsletter, New Lines , to learn about innovations in digital learning at Stanford. Subscribe to New Lines , and connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram .

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Udemy Review 2024

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Published: Aug 22, 2024, 7:25pm

Important Disclosure: The content provided does not consider your particular circumstances and does not constitute personal advice. Some of the products promoted are from our affiliate partners from whom we receive compensation. Read More

If you require any personal advice, please seek such advice from an independently qualified financial advisor. While we aim to feature some of the best products available, this does not include all available products from across the market. Although the information provided is believed to be accurate at the date of publication, you should always check with the product provider to ensure that information provided is the most up to date. Read Less

• vast range of courses across a broad range of topics
• course prices are affordable (£50 to £80) and frequent sales can reduce costs further
• accessible language and caption options
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• range and choice of courses can feel overwhelming
• self-paced courses may not suit all learners
• instructors may not update course material in line with the latest technology or practices
• onus is on the earner to vet course for potential quality

Table of Contents

What is udemy, udemy key features, who’s the ideal udemy student, udemy’s platform, udemy bootcamp offerings, what is udemy’s student outcome, udemy career services, udemy overview.

Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor

For students looking to launch new careers or advance in their current roles, bootcamps offer an accelerated, cost-effective alternative to traditional higher education. However, the bootcamp market is largely unregulated and saturated with options, often making it difficult to tell which providers are worth their salt.

Forbes Advisor Education reports on and reviews popular bootcamp providers to help readers make the most informed choices for their futures. Our bootcamp review process includes ->

We provide screenshots from our trial, analyze competitor comparisons and answer as many questions as possible to give you the most thorough, transparent bootcamp reviews you’ll find on the internet.

• Meeting with company representatives to ask questions and walk through their platform
• Gaining firsthand access to the provider’s learning management system
• Trialing a bootcamp from a student’s perspective
• Gathering data on all bootcamps offered by the provider
• Assessing reviews and testimonies from bootcamp graduates
• Evaluating student outcomes data
• Conducting additional research as needed to vet provider claims

Udemy is a global self-learning marketplace, which offers more than 220,000 online video courses in 74 languages. It has a staggering 70 million learners and 970 million total course enrolments. Udemy offers courses for individuals as well as plans specifically for businesses.

The Complete Python Bootcamp

Start from the basics and go all the way to creating your own applications and games

22 hours on-demand video, 19 coding exercises & certificate of completion

Via Udemy's Website

Learn Online with Udemy

Choose from over 220,000 online video courses with new additions published every month.

• Udemy courses can be taken at your own pace, using pre-recorded video lectures
• instructors may or may not update their course materials as their fields change
• anyone can submit a course to offer on Udemy for free
• a dedicated quality assurance team evaluates Udemy courses to ensure they are valuable.

Need a quick overview of a subject area or a topic refresh? Some Udemy online classes run for just 30 minutes. In contrast, if you are searching for a more in-depth course where you can gain useful knowledge to master a new skill, then Udemy offers bootcamp-style courses, which typically feature hours of lectures and dozens of assignments to complete.

With all courses, video tutorial content is accessible online, so you can progress at your own pace at times that fit into your lifestyle and commitments. Once you’ve paid, you’ll have lifetime access to the course, although instructors may or may not update the content as their respective industries evolve.

Many courses include downloadable resources, assignments and projects to complete.

Engaged instructors might allow you to contact them via email or another platform. Otherwise, you can ask for help through the course’s Q&A section.

How do courses get added on Udemy?

Udemy’s scale is vast with more than 34 million unique visitors each month globally. Instead of creating its own bootcamps, Udemy relies on external submissions. It receives around 5,000 each month.

Anyone can submit a course for free. Udemy allows potential instructors to use its Marketplace Insights tool, which can show information about trending topics, student demand, estimated payments and current levels of competition.

This agile production method means Udemy can often react quicker to the market than other learning platforms. For example, it has quickly responded to the growth in demand for courses linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI). This allows learners to navigate developing situations with more information.

Quality assurance

After each course is submitted, it is reviewed by Udemy’s quality assurance team. These professionals ensure the content is valuable, of a high quality and unproblematic, such as not relating to violence, weapons, illegal activities and discrimination, for example.

After this point Udemy can best be described as a meritocracy: The market decides what courses are promoted. Users are encouraged to rate the courses and post reviews. Popular, high-rated courses are then typically given higher prominence on the website and app, for example, and recommended to other users.

Udemy’s quality assurance team checks for trends and notifies those instructors where a course has received repeated negative reviews. After a certain number of warnings, the instructor’s content is removed from the platform.

On one hand, Udemy boasts one of the largest varieties of well-reviewed courses across hundreds of topics. But if you’re exploring a subject area for the first time this can make it challenging to sift through lots of similar courses in search of the right content for your needs. There is more information and tips on choosing the right course below.

Who teaches Udemy courses?

Udemy works with more than 75,000 instructors. The company breaks these individuals into two groups. Those who get the most engagement receive additional insights into their courses, including when students interact with the content or where they drop off. Instructors can use this data to improve the course.

Instructors come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have a background in education but have since transitioned to industry jobs; and vice versa. Many teach full time with Udemy, and some use Udemy in conjunction with their in-person teaching work, for example.

Anyone can enrol in a Udemy course; there are no applications required or admissions criteria. Udemy offers nearly 500 free classes, which are typically one to two hours. But even the paid options are relatively cheap, starting from around £11.99.

As a global platform, Udemy offers around 14,000 local language courses. Rather than being dubbed from English, these classes are fully taught in another language. Udemy also offers closed captions and language filtering options.

Udemy offers an accessible, approachable way to learn new skills, but depending on your goals and learning style, this method might not work for you. Here are some scenarios where a Udemy course could work well:

• browsing or exploring something new.  With short, low-cost courses, you can quickly get a feel for an unfamiliar topic or career path
• diving into a specific subject.  Udemy offers a quick way to upskill, especially if you want to tackle a specific task at work, like managing company data with Excel
• earning a certification.  Udemy’s certification search feature can help you find relevant courses, track your progress and even schedule your test. Udemy lists more than 150 credentials and is working on an endorsement scheme with certifying organisations
• learning independently.  If you enjoy working on your own and can stay focused, remembering to schedule in study time, the right course could unlock new career opportunities.

Udemy plans and pricing

You can access any Udemy video or course at any time on a pay-as-you-go basis (as mentioned above most courses start from around £11.99). As well as online video you’ll usually also have access to downloadable resources and articles. Plus, once you’ve paid for the content you’ll have lifetime access.

But if you’re looking to access more than one or two courses or you want more structure to your learning you could opt for the Personal Plan, which for £16 per month gives you access to 11,000 courses. This individual subscription also offers more personalised guidance with course recommendations and accountability to help you achieve your goals. You can pay the subscription monthly or annually and can cancel at any time.

In addition, Udemy offers two plan levels for businesses:

• Team plan : access to online courses and bootcamps for up to 20 team members from £23 per month, paid annually (£276).
• Enterprise plan : designed for larger businesses with 20 or more staff. Customisable content and a dedicated customer success team, among other add-on features. Pricing is bespoke so you’ll need to contact Udemy’s sales team for a quote.

Users say Udemy’s website is easy to navigate, if a bit overwhelming at first glance in terms of the options and choices available.

Courses are grouped into 13 broad categories, including IT and software, business and accounting, office productivity, marketing and health and fitness, for example. Once you click on a category there are further groupings to help you narrow down your search.

The prices of courses are clearly shown as well as a detailed inventory of what’s included in the package, such as the video content and teaching hours and other downloadable resources, plus whether there is a test and certification on successful completion of the course.

Read the user reviews for the courses you’re interested in, to see if they are highly rated and if the content is what you’re after.

Since Udemy has thousands of courses available, we’ve highlighted a couple of popular bootcamp-style courses here to give an example of what they offer for the money.

These courses feature comprehensive, beginner-level curriculums, high user ratings and extensive video content.

100 days of code: the complete Python pro bootcamp

• total upfront cost:  £79.99 (on sale for £12.99)
• time commitment:  52 hours of on-demand video lectures
• key competencies:  Python programming including Selenium, Beautiful Soup, Request, Flask, Pandas, NumPy, Scikit Learn, Plotly, and Matplotlib
• prerequisites:  N/A
• locations:  Online

The course blurb states you will master the Python programming language by building 100 unique projects over 100 days. This course has a high 4.7 out of 5 rating from more than 317,000 reviews. As of August 2024, more than 1.3 million students had enrolled. Throughout the course, learners will have 23 coding exercises to complete. There are 148 downloadable resources to support learners and you get a certificate on completion.

The data science course: complete data science bootcamp 2024

• time commitment:  31 hours of on-demand video lectures
• key competencies:  Python, NumPy, pandas, Tableau, machine learning, deep learning, matplotlib, TensorFlow

This course features 31 hours of video content and 137 coding exercises. The curriculum starts with a foundational overview of the data science field, then dives into probability, statistics, Python, mathematics and machine learning. Finally, data science bootcamp learners cement their learning through a multipart case study. It was last updated in March 2024.

Recently, Udemy has shifted its focus towards offering certifications, which can make learners more competitive in the job market. But as learners might use parts of multiple courses to learn the skills they need, Udemy doesn’t report course completion statistics.

The platform points students toward courses that help them earn specific credentials and allows them to upload any badges they earn. Students working toward a credential tend to engage with Udemy more than those using the platform for general learning, an internal study showed. For example, in the 150 days prior to uploading a badge, Udemy found that credential-focused learners spent triple the amount of time using the platform.

Udemy does not offer any specific career services, though job seekers could certainly enrol in a course on building a competitive CV or refining their LinkedIn profile, for example.

The courses do not incorporate any internship or mentorship opportunities, so it’s up to each learner to network and find their own support system.

However, courses might include access to a Facebook group or similar community, which could help learners meet their peers and potentially find job opportunities.

With such a low cost for most of Udemy’s courses, as long as you do your due diligence while researching your course and ensure its the right fit for you then your time won’t usually be wasted. Also, each course is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Personal Plan also allows for even more freedom, giving you the chance to try out multiple classes to find one you like.

Overall Experience

Udemy has a quick and smooth sign up and purchasing experience. There are also extra accountability features, which can come in handy, such as study reminders. You can clearly see what you’re signing up for before you purchase, since each course page details its curriculum, video lengths, assignments and reviews. It takes seconds to sign in and access courses through a mobile phone app, adding extra flexibility to how and when you learn.

Service and support

Since Udemy is an entirely asynchronous learning platform, designed so you can access the online content on demand at a time that suits you, it isn’t usually easy to communicate with other learners. Udemy does enable students and instructors to communicate via direct message and the Q&A forum, but for real-time interaction, some courses might feature an external community on Slack or Discord.

Otherwise, learners are mostly on their own. Depending on the instructor’s course load, they may not be able to offer feedback or individual support to every student. Instead, Udemy learners should be resourceful in looking for a mentor or learning group in their area if this is likely to help their development.

It is important to bear in mind that with Udemy it is up to the student to stay motivated and find a learning community. You won’t be part of a cohort unless you are participating through your workplace via one of the business plans, for example

What sets Udemy apart from the competition?

Udemy is unique in its scale, with an intriguing mix of courses to appeal to a broad range of users. However, it can feel overwhelming to sift through so many options in search of one that meets your exact needs.

Here’s some tips on how to narrow down your search and find the right course:

• review the course enrolments and ratings. Well-rated courses with high enrolments indicate credibility
• research the instructor. Look at their qualifications and past projects on LinkedIn or their personal website. Understand whether they’ll be directly involved in your course
• sort through the reviews. Try to find reviews from people who have completed the course, or at least a significant part of it, and can offer a meaningful insight. Typically a user can give a review after just 1% completion of a course
• check when the content was last updated. You can find this on the course info page, and some reviews might mention outdated content
• identify the exact skills you need. For example, look at job postings to find specific coding languages or libraries you’ll need to know. Tech is always changing, so a well-rated course still might incorporate out-of-date information. If you’re prepping for an exam, make sure the course uses the most recent content outlines.

Udemy Frequently Asked Questions

Are udemy courses of a high standard.

Many Udemy courses are highly-rated and come from respected professionals in their field.

Many instructors teach full-time with Udemy and use data to improve and update their courses.

Is Udemy a trusted platform?

Yes, Udemy is a reputable platform. The marketplace features a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you’re dissatisfied with a course, you can request a refund.

Also, Udemy enforces a quality review process and removes instructors who receive repeated negative feedback.

Is a Udemy certificate worth it?

Udemy certificates can demonstrate that you’ve gained a specific skill, and this could help you land a new role or promotion.

However, the best proof is your work; many courses include assignments or projects that you can show future employers.

What are the disadvantages of Udemy?

Udemy courses are entirely self-paced and asynchronous (you watch the video content in your own time and at a time convenient to you).

It might mean that to finish a course, you’ll have to be disciplined and self-motivated.

Also, not all courses are updated frequently, so they may have outdated information.

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5 Best eLearning Platforms to Drive Corporate Training in 2024

content creator

Helen Colman See full bio →

Are you looking for an eLearning platform that will help you streamline your employee training? There are many solutions that are worth exploring, but we’ll go with the five most popular platforms in this post:

• iSpring Learn LMS
• Adobe Captivate Prime 
• SAP Litmos 

We’ll analyze their main features, consider their pros and cons, and compare their pricing to help you make a more informed choice. But before taking a detailed look at each software, let’s see what an eLearning platform is and how it works.

What Is an eLearning Platform?

In general, an eLearning platform is considered to be an educational software and an information system that schools, universities, and corporations use to teach or train their learners, and store learning materials in one place. However, there’s no agreement of what specific features it should definitely have.

Some consider it to be more like a content management system (CMS), some see it as a learning management system ( LMS ), others regard an eLearning platform as a computer-supported collaborative learning system (CSCLS), and still, others see it as a virtual community of students, tutors, and professors using knowledge management (KM) strategies. 

In this article, we’ll consider an eLearning platform to be an LMS and will define it as a software for managing online training. An LMS automates the most boring and tedious parts of training such as collecting assignments, grading tests, processing statistics, and generating reports. Plus, regarding corporate training, it lets you educate your employees without leaving the office, managing all the processes right from your work computer. As for employees, they can learn anytime, anywhere online, even through their smartphones.

How to Choose an eLearning Platform

With over 800 learning management systems competing in the learning marketplace, it is a big challenge to choose one solution, especially if it is your first eLearning platform. The first thing you need to do when selecting a platform is to address your needs. Here are three important points to consider when making a choice:

Academic vs. corporate

Both categories of eLearning platforms allow you to automate some training and education processes and provide access to learning materials online.  Though university and corporate LMSs do have some significant differences and a different focus. At the very least, they have distinct organizational structures, scheduling units, and tracking and assessment systems. Besides, corporate LMSs are more flexible and allow for easier and more frequent content updates.

Industry and use cases

There may be some special requirements for an LMS, depending on your business industry. For example, if you’re a healthcare organization, you might need an LMS that can be integrated with a hospital management system and ACCME web services.

When choosing an eLearning platform, you also need to know if it can cover all of your use cases. For instance, can it help you automate employee onboarding or does it fit for channel partner training? For example, when training business partners, you might want to create groups of external learners who will have access to specific learning materials but will be limited in terms of viewing other content and using other LMS capabilities. 

Well, that’s quite a broad field of research. It can be a useful hack to make a list of LMS requirements and then find out if one or another vendor provides the features you need. Also, it’s a good idea to read customer reviews on any given LMS. To help you narrow the field, we prepared a list of common learning management system requirements , so you can check them out. 

Now, let’s take a detailed look at 5 top-performing elearning platforms on the market in 2023.

Best eLearning Platforms

1. iSpring Learn LMS

iSpring Learn is a cloud-based LMS that is easy-to-use but full of great functions that allow you to create and deliver training programs fast and track learner progress effectively. It is designed to cover all training needs and processes, from new hire onboarding to building complex step-by-step programs for ongoing training. iSpring Learn supports not only bare eLearning through online courses, but also live lessons via Zoom web conferencing. iSpring Learn is perfect for dispersed teams as it is available in 22 languages.

Unlike many other eLearning platforms, iSpring Learn comes with great authoring capabilities. It has a built-in tool for creating simple courses right in a browser and an integrated full-featured authoring toolkit, iSpring Suite . The latter allows you to build engaging and interactive quality courses with audio and video, dialogue simulations, quizzes, and video tutorials. The seamless integration with iSpring Learn ensures that all your learning contents will work perfectly after uploading it to the LMS.

Other great advantages of iSpring Learn include a robust reporting engine, perfect user experience, and native mobile apps for iOS and Android that allow users to learn on the go and fit learning into their daily life..

• Learning tracks for building step-by-step training programs and automating the learning process
• A built-in authoring tool that lets you develop adaptive digital learning content right in a browser
• Integration with the powerful course authoring iSpring Suite toolkit that is included for free
• An advanced reporting system with a visual dashboard and flexible customization
• A native mobile app that supports offline learning and saves all the progress in real time
• Integration with Zoom for online classes and instructor-led training
• Simple modern interface
• The system can issue certificates upon training completion
• Great technical support
• No xAPI, PENS, or LTI support
• Limited social learning features

Best suited for

iSpring Learn LMS works well for small to medium-sized businesses that need to both quickly create and deliver eLearning courses and implement the blended learning model on a single platform.

iSpring offers two types of subscription – Start and Business – with Business providing more advanced features. The price depends on the subscription you choose and the number of learners that enter the platform during a given month. For example, the plan for 100 learners/month (Start subscription) costs $2.87 per learner.

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2. TalentLMS

TalentLMS is an intuitive cost-effective LMS that has all the basic options expected from an LMS and also features e-commerce and Zapier integration. 

It has basic content authoring options – for example, it lets you create plain courses from various content types, including PPT presentations, videos, and SCORM packages. You can also build quizzes and surveys and make them a part of your course. Since the system has robust e-commerce capabilities and the built-in store, you can not only assign your courses to employees but also sell them right from the platform.

TalentLMS is also good for social learning – there are discussion boards that can help your learners and trainers stay in touch. It also provides great integration capabilities – the platform can connect up to 2,000 different web services and apps via Zapier, Zoom, Bamboo HR, and LinkedIn Certifications.

• Built-in tools for creating simple courses, quizzes, and surveys right in a browser
• An ability to switch between different user roles quickly
• Instructor-led training can be provided via integration with webinar services
• Different branches can have individual URL and custom design
• Branches with custom URL and different design can be created inside the main account
• Scheduled customized reports
• Robust e-commerce capabilities
• Integrations with Zapier and some other web services
• Intuitive but outdated interface 
• Reports can’t provide real analytical feedback on your learners’ progress
• Some useful features like Custom Reports are only available in the expensive subscription plan

TalentLMS fits companies that are looking for a cost-effective LMS for training employees, partners, or customers. It is also a good choice for those who are planning to earn money by selling online courses.

The pricing depends on how many active learners use the LMS each month. The initial tier begins from $69/user/month for up to 40 users. There’s also a free plan limited to 5 users and 10 courses.

Docebo is a learning management system that offers a wide range of opportunities for both formal and informal learning.

The LMS allows you to upload different content types including SCORM and xAPI courses and has a simple built-in content editor that allows you to create HTML pages from text and media. All the content uploaded is analyzed by the system’s AI and tagged with keywords. It helps learners find the materials they need much more quickly. This option can be especially helpful when surfing the Marketplace, a part of the platform where users can buy ready-made courses on various topics created by professional course developers. The system also allows you to create quizzes, though it may be quite challenging because of a clunky user interface.

Besides discovering and sharing curated content, Docebo enables learners to record demos, lectures, webinars, and calls directly in the system and share them with peers and ask questions to the experts and receive answers. However, all these options are available for an additional fee. 

• Advanced content management with AI technology
• A built-in quiz editor with 8 question types and a screen recorder
• Great support for social learning with an ability to create and share learner-generated content
• An ability to localize the user portal to 40+ different languages
• A rich library of ready-to-go courses
• A great number of branding options; it’s possible even to create a mobile learning app with custom design
• 30+ available integrations with CRM, HRIS, HCM, Content Authoring, Video Conferencing tools, and more
• A cumbersome and unintuitive interface that is complex for novice LMS users to use
• Requires much customization for a good learning experience 
• Many modules (e.g., “Coach & Share”) and features are only accessible in higher-priced purchase plans

Docebo is a great LMS for those who want to engage their employees in social learning. However, since its interface is pretty complicated and requires customization, it won’t be a perfect fit for those who don’t have any prior experience with LMSs or want to launch eLearning in a short time.

There’s no price listed by the vendor. So, if you need to get details, you need to request a custom quote from their sales team.

4. Adobe Captivate Prime 

Adobe Captivate Prime is a cloud-based learning platform that stands out with its advanced social learning capabilities, skill management, and extensive training data reporting.

Unlike many other competitors, this LMS allows admins to create and manage external groups – for training business partners, for example. However, Adobe Captivate Prime doesn’t provide any authoring features, so you will need to pay for an additional authoring tool for online course production. Still, the LMS has a library of off-the-shelf courses that can be purchased separately. If you work in a multilingual environment, the platform will be a great help as it enables you to make multiple versions of courses in different languages.

The LMS is quite interesting in terms of social learning capabilities. It allows learners to record videos and audios and share them with their colleagues, provides course-specific discussion boards where users can post their questions, and uses a system of skills that can be created by admins and acquired by learners if they complete courses.

• A robust reporting engine with graphics and scheduled reports
• Extensive social learning features for user-generated content
• A system of skills that boosts learner engagement
• A course catalog that offers a great number of courses on various topics
• Allows managing not only internal learners but also external users, which is helpful for training channel partners
• An ability to create multiple versions of the content in different languages
• Integrations with third-party services, including Zoom, Salesforce, BlueJeans, ADFS, and LinkedIn Learning
• No built-in authoring tools
• Courses available in the content library can be too expensive
• Quite limited branding functionality and a lack of security features

Adobe Captivate Prime is a good solution for large companies that need to train channel partners and provide multilingual eLearning. 

The price depends on the maximum number of learners that can sign in with the LMS each month and starts at $4/month per learner. However, to get an exact price, you’ll need to contact Adobe.

5. SAP Litmos 

SAP Litmos is an eLearning platform for business that combines an LMS with a robust course library and has a decent set of content authoring features. You can create quizzes and surveys, assemble simple text pages with information, embed content from any site, and add ready-made courses. The platform also enables learners to record and upload their own videos that can be assessed through an AI engine based on keywords and rate of speech, as well as by coaches or managers.

Then there’s Litmos Heros, which is a course catalog offering a collection of video-based courses on different topics, including personal development, customer service, and IT skills. However, the entire library is accessible only with the more expensive pricing plan.

There’s also a lot to unravel about the integrations in Litmos. It is integrated with several webinar platforms, services like Zendesk or BambooHR, and with almost all other web apps via API. 

• Simple UX-driven design 
• A built-in quiz editor and a tool for authoring simple courses
• A built-in capability to create video assessments
• Off-the-shelf content with Litmos Heroes course library subscription
• A lot of integrations that allow for expanding the functionality of the eLearning platform 
• There’s an easy-to-use mobile app that provides access to the same options as the browser version
• An ability to create multiple Brands inside the portal that feature unique learner portal design
• An e-commerce option that allows you to run your own course catalog on the Web
• Very limited customization capabilities for user roles
• The course library is separate from the LMS and is not available with a cheaper pricing plan 
• Some additional options like Automation Bundle that helps you manage course enrollments need to be purchased separately

SAP Litmos is particularly suited for organizations looking to integrate their training with CRMs and HR systems and combine off-the-shelf courses with their custom eLearning.

Also read:  The 11 Best HR Tools for Streamlining Your Workflow in 2023

No prices are listed on the website. So, if you have any questions about pricing, you’ll need to request a quote from the vendor. 

FAQ on eLearning Platforms

In case you’re still wondering why online learning platforms are worthy of your attention, feel free to check out the following answers. 

Why do we need eLearning platforms?

Whether it’s an LMS, CMS, or even a CSCLS ( it sounds confusing, we know), an eLearning platform provides autonomy and extended control over training in your organization. These software solutions streamline in-house training processes and enable you to build your own system of knowledge management that’s adjusted to your needs. 

What are 5 advantages of online learning?

The opportunities that online learning provides in both training and education are unlimited. Next, we’ll name only a few advantages of eLearning for businesses:

• Flexibility . Learners can take courses online, anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
• Cost-effectiveness . Companies save time and money on training facilitation, travel, accommodations, etc. 
• Progress monitoring . Automated tracking and reporting of learner results don’t allow the chance of missing bottlenecks in training. 
• Scalability . Companies can streamline training across multiple teams, departments, and branches no matter where they’re located.
• Self-paced learning . In contrast to traditional classroom training, learners don’t get distracted from their work tasks or feel obligated to participate in seminars. eLearning fits great into the busiest schedule.

Looking for the best eLearning platform?

This post took an in-depth look at five eLearning platforms that are a perfect fit for corporate training. All of the solutions may seem very similar at first sight, but each one comes with its own unique capabilities. 

Are you in search for a straightforward and user-friendly platform that will let you launch training in one day and provides great functionality for eLearning content authoring?  Get an iSpring Learn LMS free trial . No credit card or corporate email is required. Start today!

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Report: Teaching Online Students to Self-Regulate Learning

New research suggests that short skill-building activities can motivate self-regulated learning among learners taking courses remotely.

By  Ashley Mowreader

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Online learners may need help learning self-regulated learning skills. Here are two online interventions that can support them.

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The availability of online courses has jumped since the COVID-19 pandemic forced remote instruction. In fall 2022, 30 percent of undergraduate students were enrolled in distance education classes exclusively and 60 percent were in at least one distance education course, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics .

A recently published study from the Postsecondary Teaching and Technology Collaborative evaluates the effectiveness of two strategies to improve online community college students’ skills. Researchers found that exposure to reflection exercises and informational videos had a positive relationship with students’ engagement on the learning management system for planning and assessment.

The background: In online education, students’ ability to self-regulate their learning is critical because they’re often expected to work independently and exert control over their own learning journey, compared to face-to-face instruction, according to the report. Prior research has also pointed to a positive relationship between self-regulated learning and students’ outcomes in an online environment.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) skills include time management, metacognition and effort regulation. Interventions that promote these skills include online training modules, prompts, self-assessment and peer support opportunities.

The study, authored by researchers from Columbia University and SRI International, seeks to understand how learners from historically marginalized populations at broad-access postsecondary institutions respond to interventions, as they had yet to be studied.

The study: Researchers analyzed two strategies (videos and prompts) implemented across two semesters (fall 2022 and spring 2023) at a community college in northeastern U.S. categorized as a minority-serving institution. Three instructors participated in the experiment, each teaching multiple sections of one or more fully online STEM classes.

The first intervention, a three-part video series, consisted of short clips designed by educational researchers and instructors to introduce students to SRL in general and one specific skill to attempt. Each video addresses one SRL mindset or practice, some strategies to develop the skill, and an activity for the student to consider their own practices.

The prompts, or short-answer questions, asked learners to plan for the upcoming week, monitor their progress or reflect on their understanding of course concepts.

Instructors received materials and a suggested timeline for administrating the strategies, as well as encouragement to make adaptations according to their course content.

To evaluate the impact of the intervention, researchers examined students’ online behavior on the learning management system. The full sample included 231,462 actions (clickstream data from the LMS) performed by 141 students across 10 sections within four courses.

The results: Student data revealed a positive relationship between the videos/prompts and students’ SRL behavior, meaning viewing and engaging with the interventions pointed to improved learning skills. Students who engaged with both strategies had a strong correlation to engaging with course information. Those who worked with the prompts were more likely to participate in strategic planning and evaluation, and those who engaged with the video were also likely to improve strategic planning, as well as effort regulation.

Among student sub-groups, first-generation students had stronger improvements after being exposed to the prompts, compared to their continuing-generation peers, as did women compared to men (though less prominently).

Supporting Online Learner Success

For practitioners looking for best practices in distance education, some other areas to consider include:

• Accessibility for students with disabilities in course content and university websites.
• Peer connections for belonging and retention.
• Wraparound mental health care services that support online learner demographics.
• Financial aid tied to student learning behaviors.
• Universal design principles that center online education first.
• Motivational support for asynchronous learning.

So what? The preliminary study finds students exposed to learning skills and strategies were more likely to demonstrate skill-building behavior, aligning with existing literature and pointing to future evaluation of how students need assistance with preparing for the future as they navigate course tasks.

Additionally, students from historically marginalized backgrounds were more likely to respond well to the skill-building, suggesting that this could be one way to support equitable learning.

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In the future, researchers will expand their analysis to include additional data sources, institutions and iterations of the study.

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Course Description

Musc 305 - introduction to music industry studies.

Class Session: Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - Monday, December 16, 2024

Credit: 1 semester hour of credit

Instructor: Jeremy Polley

Term: Fall 2024

An overview of the music industry. Students will explore a variety of music industry career paths in areas such as arts management, music products and merchandizing, public relations, music production and recording, publishing, online music distribution, and live music event organization.FS: 12/01/2021.

Information is accurate as of August 24, 2024 (Subject to change)

Special Fee Notification

Students may be required to be proctored during online test completion. If students are unable to attend test proctoring sessions in person at the Distributed Learning office, additional fees may apply for online test proctoring if the course requires online testing.

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Boosting numbers and retaining engagement on your platform: Lessons from Regent’s University London's recent success

Are you overwhelmed with alumni administration, struggling with low engagement rates, and longing to focus on more impactful initiatives? Regent’s University London faced similar challenges—until Olivia Davis, Senior Manager of Alumni Community,  and her team implemented a transformative process that significantly enhanced alumni engagement. Learn how they achieved record platform sign-ups, boosted returning user numbers to an all-time high, and how you can replicate their success

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