The unfortunate events of the last year have forced most people into isolation. This has been detrimental to so many people’s health and wellbeing, but the newfound free time has also given many the opportunity to learn something new.
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Online Course Platforms give experts a place to share their knowledge with the world. Every platform is a little bit different, but the central theme of them all remains the same.
Distance learning is an opportunity for businesses and gurus alike to sell their courses to just about anyone around the world, which brings us all together in a way.
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Today I’m going to be giving you a quick snapshot of 20 of the best online course platforms where you can create, sell, or take online courses.
1.Thinkific
Thinkific is an all-in-one platform that lets you create and sell your courses online. This is a great option for entrepreneurs looking to get started in online education because they offer one course for free.
Pros
- Create a free account to give it a try
- Easy to create a course website
- Community forum
Cons
- Limited course templates
- Limited file size uploads for images and videos
- No course marketplace to market your course
Available Pricing Plans
Thinkific offers four different membership tiers, each with various perks and features. Pricing plans are as follows:
- Free
- $49/month
- $99/month
- $499/month
2.LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is a great option for a variety of course creators. They offer features such as a course builder, certificates, quizzes, progress tracking, and more.
Pros
- Create an infinite number of courses
- Excellent branding and theme editor
- 30-day free trial
Cons
- Cheaper packages don’t give 24/7 customer support
- No way to verify who takes your quizzes
Available Pricing Plans
LearnWorlds offers three plans with the following prices:
- $29/month
- $99/month
- $299/month
3.Teachable
Teachable is a straightforward platform with a clean, user-friendly interface. This platform is geared towards new course creators looking to break into this marketplace.
Pros
- Offers a free trial to get started
- Ability to offer student plans
- Features a built-in email marketing tool
Cons
- No course marketplace
- Not as many course customization options as competitors
- 5% transaction fee unless you have a Professional plan
Available Pricing Plans
Teachable offers three different plans, all billed monthly:
- $29/month
- $99/month
- $249/month
4.Teachery
Teachery is an online course platform that allows you to create and sell courses without the hassle of knowing WordPress or web coding. That being said, this is a great option for anyone looking to get started.
Pros
- Seemingly endless number of course and page templates
- Free plan available
- Simple and easy to use -no coding needed
Cons
- Limited customer support
Pricing
Teachery memberships cost $49/month or $479/year.
5.Kajabi
Kajabi is a software used for the creation, marketing, and sale of online courses. While it’s more expensive than some of its competitors, this is a great option for anyone who likes to keep all of their work in one place.
Pros
- User-friendly with lots of tools
- Allows creators to market their products
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- More expensive than some competitors
- Limited ability to customize quizzes in courses
- Not able to create course certificates
Available Pricing Plans*
Kajabi offers three different plans. Members receive 20% off any plan if billed annually:
- $149/month
- $199/month
- $399/month
6.Podia
Podia is another near all-in-one online course platform that allows you to create, market, and sell your online courses.
Pros
- Affordable plans
- 24/7 customer support via live chat
- Built-in email marketing tool
Cons
- Limited course customization options
- Course marketing limited to email (no sales funnels)
- No course marketplace
Available Pricing Plans
Podia offers three different plans, each with progressively more extensive features:
- $39/month
- $79/month
- $179/month
7.LearnDash
LearnDash is a WordPress LMS plugin that essentially turns your WordPress site into an online learning platform.
Pros
- User-friendly course builder (if you’re familiar with WordPress)
- Flexible quiz builder
- Affordable
Cons
- Limited payment options for your customers
- WordPress learning curve
Available Pricing Plans
LearnDash has three plans:
- $199/year
- $229/year
- $369/year
All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
8.Ruzuku
Ruzuku is an online learning platform that allows users to create and sell their course content. This platform is easy to use and great for beginners with limited tech experience.
Pros
- Flexibility for pricing your courses
- Easy to use
- Responsive email support team
Cons
- Limited course customization options and templates
- Customer support is only available via email
Available Pricing Plans*
Ruzuku offers three pricing tiers. All plans are billed annually.
- $74.75/month
- $83.08/month
- $125/month
9.Academy of Mine
This is a great platform for businesses that created distance learning content for their employees.
Pros
- 24/7 tech support
- Course exam customization
- Ability to create courses in multiple languages
Cons
- Not easy to use
- Limited tutorials on how to get started
Pricing
Pricing plans start at $899/month.
10.WizIQ
WizIQ is a cloud-based learning management solution for higher ed institutions and businesses. This online course platform allows users to customize courses and prepare testing material.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Ability to customize your platform
- Video chat with blackboard
- Ability to record lessons
Cons
- Flash player makes some interactive tools unreliable
- Customer service is hit or miss
Pricing
Contact WizIQ for pricing.
11.Udemy
Udemy is one of the largest online learning platforms, offering over 130,000 different courses. This platform allows instructors to create their own courses and sell them through Udemy.
Pros
- Easily adaptable course structure
- Udemy marketplace
- SEO rankings
Cons
- No access to students’ email
- Udemy takes a commission on sales
- Not as customizable as their competitors
Pricing
Udemy allows you to create and host unlimited courses for free.
12.Shaw Academy
Like many others on this list, Shaw Academy is an online course marketplace where anyone can sign up and receive instructional materials in various fields of study.
Pros
- Easy for students to sign up
- Online course marketplace
Cons
- Difficult to cancel a membership
Pricing
Shaw Academy memberships cost $69.99/month.
13.Skillshare
Skillshare allows teachers to create courses for free and get paid royalties (based on the number of minutes their courses were viewed per month).
Pros
- Free to create courses
- Course marketplace
- Ability to offer courses for free
Cons
- Instructors are not vetted
- Video quality varies from course to course
Pricing
Creating courses is free on Skillshare.
14.LinkedIn Learning
This is an online learning platform that requires every course instructor to submit an application. So, you get to learn from certified experts.
Pros
- Free trial
- Courses offered in multiple languages
- Online course marketplace
Cons
- Overwhelmingly large library of courses
- Some courses might seem less personal
Pricing
LinkedIn Learning costs $29.99/month with a 33% discount when billed annually.
15.Treehouse
Treehouse is an online learning platform devoted specifically to technology-based courses like web design, web development, mobile development, and game development.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Free trial
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- Inconsistent course quality
- Free trial requires a credit card
Available Plans
Membership costs $25/month or $199/month for a tech degree plan.
16.Coursera
Like LinkedIn Learning, Treehouse, and others, Coursera might not be best for someone looking to break into online teaching. However, this is a great option for students looking for online certification in many different fields.
Pros
- Accredited university degrees
- Free courses
- High-quality courses
Cons
- Pricing might be confusing
- Not all courses are for complete beginners
Pricing
Coursera pricing varies from course to course.
17.Kartra
Kartra is a marketing tool that allows instructors to customize their marketing via sales funnels and email lists.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Customizable marketing
- Analytics
Cons
- Bit of a learning curve
- May not be worth the money
Pricing
Available plans include:
- $99/month
- $199/month
- $299/month
- $499/month
18.PinLearn
PinLearn is an online learning company devoted solely to education in technology.
Pros
- Open-source and transparent
- Fully customizable
Cons
- No marketing or sales funnels
Pricing
PinLearn costs $399/year, but a one-time payment of $999 can get you a lifetime membership.
19.Zippy Courses
Zippy Courses is marketed as an all-in-one tool for creating and selling your online courses.
Pros
- Easy to use the platform
- Allows email marketing
Cons
- No free trial
- Difficult to customize courses
Pricing
Zippy Courses offers a plan for $199 and an upgraded plan for $299.
20.BitDegree
BitDegree is another online course platform that provides instructional material specifically for digital computing skills. This may not be the best option for instructors looking to sell their courses, but it is a good option for students looking to expand their digital skillset.
Pros
- Live courses available
- Good customer service
- Lifetime access to reference material
- Industry-recognized certification
Cons
- Certifications are not accredited
Pricing
BitDegree pricing varies from course to course.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to sell a course or a student looking to expand your skill set, your options for online learning are seemingly endless.
If you know exactly what you’d like to get out of your online learning or teaching experience, then a little bit of research will set you up for a successful run in this marketplace.
Author Bio
Caitlin Sinclair is the property manager at Prose West Cypress. With five years of property management experience and many more in customer service, she has a passion for her community and looks forward to making Prose West Cypress the place to call home.
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I am a passionate blogger and developer sharing business tips. I Help others solve programming problems on various online forums.
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