Are you an online course creator looking for the best platforms to host and sell your courses? With the rise of online learning, countless options are available, each with its features and benefits.
In fact, according to a recent survey, the online learning industry is expected to reach $543.5 billion by 2030.
But with so many options, choosing the right platform for your needs can be overwhelming. That’s where I come in.
In this article, I explore the top online course platforms available based on our in-house extensive research and analysis. I’ve got you covered whether you’re just starting out or looking to switch to a new platform.
If you’re looking for a user-friendly, all-in-one platform to create and sell online courses, Thinkific is my top pick. This platform stands out for its versatility, ease of use, and range of features.
Thinkific is an excellent platform for course creators who want a versatile, user-friendly, affordable solution for creating and selling online courses.
Its range of features, customization options, and integrations make it a top choice for beginners and experienced course creators.
My Favorite Features of Thinkific
Course Customization: You can create custom pages, add your logo, and choose from various themes and templates.
Course Builder: It allows you to create engaging and interactive courses easily. You can add videos, quizzes, surveys, and other interactive content for your students.
Payment Options: Thinkific supports a range of payment options, including one-time payments, subscriptions, and payment plans. You can also set up coupons and discounts to incentivize students to enroll in your courses.
Student Management: Thinkific tracks your student’s progress. You can also create custom certificates and badges to reward your students for their achievements.
Marketing Tools: To attract new students, you can create landing pages, email campaigns, and social media ads.
Affiliate Program: Thinkific allows you to partner with other course creators and influencers to promote your courses and earn commissions on sales.
Analytics: Thinkific provides detailed analytics and reporting to help you track your course performance and make data-driven decisions.
Integrations: Thinkific integrates with various third-party tools, including email marketing platforms, payment gateways, and CRMs.
Support: Thinkific provides excellent customer support with various resources and tools to help you get the most out of the platform.
Thinkific Pricing
Basic Plan at $49/month: This lets you gain access to core features and essential tools you need to launch your online learning business successfully.
Start Plan at $99/month: This helps you unlock additional features designed to help drive student engagement and create a fantastic student experience.
Grow Plan at $199/month: This lets you grow your online business with advanced tools to help you sell more and expand into multiple learning products.
Expand Plan at $499/month: This gives you access to the tools needed to expand your business.
Plus Plan: This custom plan gives you access to unlimited features.
Thinkific Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of using Thinkific:
Pros:
User-friendly and intuitive interface
Range of features and functionality
Customizable course website and branding
Excellent customer support
Affordable pricing plans
Robust analytics and reporting
Integrates with a range of third-party tools
Cons:
Limited design customization options
Limited advanced features
2. Teachable
Teachable is one of the most popular online course platforms that empowers creators to build and sell courses, digital downloads, memberships, and coaching services.
It is an all-in-one solution that simplifies the course creation process, making it accessible for instructors of all skill levels.
Teachable is an excellent platform for course creators seeking an all-in-one solution for creating, marketing, and selling their courses. It is easy to use, customizable, and provides outstanding customer support.
In this section, I will share my favorite features of Teachable, its pricing plans, pros and cons, and my verdict on the platform.
My Favorite Features of Teachable
Customizable course website: You can choose from various templates or create your own design.
Course creation tools: With Teachable, you can easily create and upload your course content, including videos, audio, and PDFs. You can also create quizzes, surveys, and assignments to engage your students.
Marketing and sales tools: Teachable has built-in marketing and sales tools, such as email marketing, affiliate marketing, and coupon codes. You can also integrate with third-party tools like Zapier and ConvertKit.
Payment processing: Teachable handles all payment processing. You can choose from multiple payment gateways, including PayPal and Stripe.
Student management: Teachable allows you to manage your students’ progress, track their performance, and communicate with them via email or discussion forums.
Mobile app: Teachable has a mobile app that allows you to manage your courses and students.
Integrations: Teachable integrates with various third-party tools, including Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and Intercom.
Security and reliability: Teachable is a secure and reliable platform that protects data with SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, and daily backups.
Customer support: Teachable provides excellent customer support via email, live chat, and a knowledge base.
Free Plan: This plan lets you try out Teachable and start earning before you pay. It has a $1 +10% fee on transactions.
Basic Plan at $59/month: This plan provides the foundational tools and support you need to build your business. It has a 5% transaction fee.
Pro Plan at $159/month: This gives you advanced tools and more support to help you scale your business. It has a 0% transaction fee.
Pro Plus Plan at $249/month: This advanced plan gives you more products and custom user roles for fast-growing businesses. It has a 0% transaction fee.
Teachable Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of using Teachable:
Pros:
Easy to use
An all-in-one solution
Highly customizable
Several payment options
It has a mobile app
Integrates with various third-party tools.
Excellent customer support
Cons:
Limited design options
Limited advanced course features
Teachable charges transaction fees on its Basic plan, which can add up if you have a high sales volume.
3. Mighty Networks
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If you’re looking for an all-in-one platform that combines content, courses, community, and commerce, then Mighty Networks is worth considering.
Mighty Networks is an excellent platform for course creators who want to build a community around their content and monetize their expertise. It offers a range of features that are easy to use and can help you create engaging and impactful courses.
My Favorite Features of Mighty Networks
Customizable Spaces: You can create multiple Spaces for different topics, audiences, or programs and customize each Space with its branding, features, and access settings.
Course Builder: You can create courses with multimedia lessons, quizzes, assignments, and certificates and organize them into modules or tracks.
Community Features: You can enable discussions, polls, events, and member profiles to foster engagement and collaboration among your audience.
Mobile App: You can provide a native app experience for your members with push notifications, offline access, and personalized content.
Monetization Options: You can charge for your courses, subscriptions, or products and offer free trials, coupons, or bundles.
Analytics Dashboard: You can track your metrics, such as revenue, engagement, retention, and feedback, and use them to improve your strategy.
Integrations: You can connect your Mighty Network with other tools, such as email marketing, payment gateways, or CRM systems.
Support Resources: For help and inspiration, you can access a knowledge base, video tutorials, live chat, and community forums.
Branding Opportunities: You can showcase your brand, values, and mission through your content, design, and messaging.
Mighty Networks Pricing
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The Courses Plan at $119/month: This plan gives you everything you need to run a community and host and sell courses.
The Business Plan at $219/month: This Business plan gives you access to everything in the Courses Plan with more white-labeling and customization.
The Path-to-Pro Plan: This plan includes everything in the Business Plan, plus additional branding, a dedicated team, and start-up services. It is only billed annually.
The Mighty Pro Plan: This plan gives you access to all features on your branded mobile apps with a dedicated Community Strategist.
Mighty Networks Pros and Cons
Here are some pros and cons of using Mighty Networks:
Pros:
All-in-one platform for content, courses, community, and commerce.
Customizable Spaces for different topics, audiences, or programs.
Mobile app for native experience and engagement.
Monetization options for courses, subscriptions, or products.
Analytics dashboard for tracking metrics and improving strategy.
Integrations with other tools for seamless workflow.
Support resources for getting help and inspiration.
Cons:
There are limited customization options for course layout and structure.
The mobile app has limited branding options.
Limited automation options for marketing and sales.
Kartra
If you’re looking for an all-in-one platform to create and market your online courses, Kartra is worth considering.
Kartra is a powerful all-in-one sales funnel platform that offers course creators a wide range of features. While it may not be the perfect platform for everyone, it’s worth considering if you’re looking for an affordable and user-friendly solution that combines course creation, marketing, and sales into one platform.
From my experience, this is the best tool for building your online course sales funnels.
With its powerful marketing automation features, drag-and-drop builder, and excellent customer support, Kartra is one of the best online course platforms.
My Favorite Features of Kartra
Kartra Pages: With Kartra Pages, you can easily create beautiful landing pages, sales pages, and checkout pages optimized for conversion.
Kartra Funnels: Kartra Funnels allows you to create multi-step sales funnels that guide your prospects through a buying journey, increasing the likelihood of a sale.
Kartra Mail: Kartra Mail is a powerful email marketing tool that allows you to create and send emails to your subscribers, manage your email list, and track your email marketing campaigns.
Kartra Memberships: With Kartra Memberships, you can create and manage membership sites, online courses, and other gated content.
Kartra Videos: Kartra Videos is a video hosting platform that allows you to upload, host, and stream your videos without additional software or tools.
Kartra Helpdesks: Kartra Helpdesks is a customer support platform that allows you to manage your customer support tickets and provide excellent customer service.
Kartra Calendars: Kartra Calendars is a scheduling tool for appointments, consultations, and meetings with clients and prospects.
Kartra Affiliate Management: With Kartra Affiliate Management, you can create and manage your affiliate program, allowing others to promote your courses and earn commissions.
Kartra Analytics: Kartra Analytics provides detailed insights into your marketing campaigns, allowing you to track your conversions, revenue, and other vital metrics.
Kartra Pricing
Starter Plan at $119/month: This lets you access the core features, including Kartra AI, to launch your online business quickly and sell your expertise.
Growth Plan at 229/month: It lets you unlock additional features, including Webinars, designed to connect with your audience and accelerate your growth.
Professional Plan at $549/month: This provides powerful tools for advanced marketing, including Funnel Analytics.
Kartra Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of using Kartra:
Pros:
All-in-one platform for course creation, marketing, and sales
User-friendly interface and drag-and-drop builder
Powerful marketing automation features
Great customer support
Affordable pricing compared to other all-in-one platforms
Integrates with other popular tools and platforms
Offers a 30-day free trial
Cons:
Limited options for course gamification
Limited video editing capabilities
No built-in course marketplace
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