Best Online Course Platforms in 2026: 8 Compared
Eight online course platforms compared on what they cost, what they take from each sale, how they pay you and who each one suits best, with sources.
There's no single best course platform; there's a best fit for what you sell, who you sell to and how you want to be paid. A solo creator selling one course, a coach running a community and a training company selling to businesses need different things.
This roundup compares eight platforms on price, transaction fees, payouts and student apps, then explains which suits which kind of creator.
The short answer
The best online course platform depends on your business: Klasira for 0% fees and payouts to your own Stripe in a designed school; Teachable for student apps and tax handled; Thinkific for unlimited courses and commerce; Kajabi for the broadest all-in-one; Podia for simple selling with webinars; LearnWorlds for corporate training; Skool for communities; Payhip for a free start.
Key takeaways
- Compare the total cost: plan price plus transaction fees at your expected sales.
- Ask who holds the money: your own Stripe or PayPal (Klasira, Podia, LearnWorlds, Payhip) or the platform's payments.
- Tax handling differs: Teachable, Skool and Gumroad remit tax on their own payments; most others only calculate it.
- Student apps: Teachable, Kajabi and Skool include them; Thinkific and LearnWorlds sell branded apps as add-ons.
Disclosure: we make Klasira, one of the platforms on this list. Every other product's details come from its own public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end. We include each one's real strengths, and say who it suits better than us.
How we compared them
We chose eight widely used platforms that cover the main kinds of creator business and checked each one's pricing and help pages in October 2026. We include Klasira, which we make, and say where the others beat it.
At a glance
| Platform | Price | Transaction fee | How you're paid | Student app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klasira | See Klasira's pricing; 0% transaction fees | 0% | Your own Stripe account, on Stripe's schedule | No |
| Teachable | $39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 yearly) | 7.5% on Starter; 0% above | Teachable Payments, daily (about 2 business days after a sale) | Yes, iOS and Android |
| Thinkific | $109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 yearly) | 0% on Thinkific Payments; 0.5% to 2% on direct Stripe | Thinkific Payments daily (2 business days in the US), or your own Stripe | Branded app as a $199/month add-on |
| Kajabi | $179, $249 or $499 a month ($143, $199 or $399 yearly) | 0% on Kajabi Payments or PayPal; 0.5% to 2% on other processors | Kajabi Payments, monthly with a 7-business-day delay for new accounts | Yes; branded app on Pro |
| Podia | $49, $99 or $179 a month ($42, $84 or $150 yearly) | 5% on Mover; 0% above | Your own Stripe or PayPal (PayPal on Shaker and up) | No |
| LearnWorlds | $49, $99 or $299 a month ($44, $79 or $249 yearly) | $5 per paid enrollment on Starter; none above | Your own Stripe, PayPal or Shopify | Branded app as an add-on |
| Skool | $9 a month (Hobby) or $99 (Pro) | 10% + 30¢ on Hobby; 2.9% + 30¢ on Pro, 3.9% + 30¢ above $900 (processing included) | Weekly, through a Skool-managed Stripe Express account | Yes, iOS and Android |
| Payhip | Free, $29 or $99 a month | 5% on Free; 2% on Plus; 0% on Pro | Straight to your PayPal or Stripe after each sale | No student app found |
The platforms, one by one
1. Klasira
Best for: Creators who want a designed school, 0% transaction fees and every sale paid into their own Stripe account
Price: See Klasira's pricing; 0% transaction fees. Fee: 0%.
Klasira is a new course platform. You pick one of 15 designed school themes, build courses from video, text and file lessons, sell downloads, bundles, subscriptions and payment plans in your school's own currency, and get paid straight into your own Stripe account. Quizzes, assignments, certificates, drip schedules, a community, affiliates, order bumps and upsells are built in, and every student is a CRM contact for email automations.
Where it shines: 0% fees and direct payouts to your own Stripe; teaching and selling tools in one place; designed school themes.
Watch out for: New, with no mobile app, live classes, course importer or Zapier app yet, and you handle tax registration and filing yourself.
2. Teachable
Best for: Creators who want student apps and tax handled for them
Price: $39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 yearly). Fee: 7.5% on Starter; 0% above.
Teachable sells courses, coaching and downloads, with student apps on every plan and its own payment system that calculates, collects and remits sales tax and VAT. Certificates need the Growth plan, and affiliates and built-in email start on Builder.
Where it shines: Student apps, tax remitted on Teachable Payments, a large creator base, payment plans up to 36 months.
Watch out for: 7.5% fee on Starter; certificates only on Growth; product limits of 5, 10 or 50 by plan.
3. Thinkific
Best for: Established course businesses that want unlimited courses and deep commerce tools
Price: $109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 yearly). Fee: 0% on Thinkific Payments; 0.5% to 2% on direct Stripe.
Thinkific offers unlimited courses on every plan, quizzes, assignments, certificates, communities, Zoom sessions inside courses, and commerce tools such as order bumps, payment plans, bundles and gifting. Thinkific Payments remits US and Canadian sales tax. Plus adds SSO, SCORM and learning paths.
Where it shines: Unlimited courses, mature commerce, live sessions in courses, an enterprise tier.
Watch out for: Highest entry price here; a gateway fee if you connect your own Stripe; 0.7% extra on Thinkific Payments for subscriptions and payment plans.
4. Kajabi
Best for: Creators who want the most complete all-in-one and have the budget
Price: $179, $249 or $499 a month ($143, $199 or $399 yearly). Fee: 0% on Kajabi Payments or PayPal; 0.5% to 2% on other processors.
Kajabi covers courses, coaching with built-in live video, communities, newsletters and podcasts, with unlimited marketing emails, funnels and landing pages on every plan and an AI assistant called Cofounder. Affiliates and cohort courses start on Growth.
Where it shines: The broadest toolkit, live video coaching, a student app, unlimited marketing email.
Watch out for: Expensive; 5 products and 2,500 contacts on Basic; monthly payouts for new Kajabi Payments accounts.
5. Podia
Best for: Creators who sell courses, downloads, coaching and webinars from one simple site
Price: $49, $99 or $179 a month ($42, $84 or $150 yearly). Fee: 5% on Mover; 0% above.
Podia is an approachable all-in-one: courses, downloads, coaching, webinars and live events, a community, email marketing, and a website with a blog. Payments go to your own Stripe or PayPal, and Podia offers free migration help.
Where it shines: Simple to use, events and webinars, a website and blog, free migration help.
Watch out for: 5% fee on Mover; affiliates and upsells only from Shaker; 100, 500 or 1,000 email subscribers included by plan, more as a paid add-on; no app.
6. LearnWorlds
Best for: Training businesses that need SCORM, interactive video or white-labelling
Price: $49, $99 or $299 a month ($44, $79 or $249 yearly). Fee: $5 per paid enrollment on Starter; none above.
LearnWorlds combines a creator course platform with corporate learning features: interactive video, SCORM and HTML5 packages, learning paths, assessments, a community and, on higher plans, white-labelling, SSO and LTI. Certificates, subscriptions, payment plans and affiliates start on Pro Trainer.
Where it shines: Corporate learning depth, interactive video, a 30-day trial, 24/7 support from Pro Trainer.
Watch out for: $5 per sale on Starter; key selling tools need Pro Trainer; more complex than creators may need.
7. Skool
Best for: Community-led businesses built on discussion, live calls and gamification
Price: $9 a month (Hobby) or $99 (Pro). Fee: 10% + 30¢ on Hobby; 2.9% + 30¢ on Pro, 3.9% + 30¢ above $900 (processing included).
Skool is a community first: a feed, a classroom for courses, a calendar with video calls and livestreams, and points, levels and leaderboards. It's the merchant of record, so it handles sales tax and VAT, and its directory can send you members. We found no quizzes, certificates, coupons or payment plans in its help center.
Where it shines: Engagement through gamification, live calls, apps, discovery, no tax admin.
Watch out for: Thin course tools; 10% fee on Hobby; no website builder found; members pay in US dollars.
8. Payhip
Best for: Low-cost selling of downloads and courses, paying as you grow
Price: Free, $29 or $99 a month. Fee: 5% on Free; 2% on Plus; 0% on Pro.
Payhip gives every plan the same features and unlimited products; you choose between a higher transaction fee and a monthly price: 5% on the free plan, 2% on Plus and 0% on Pro. Payhip says it collects, reports and remits EU and UK VAT on digital sales for you.
Where it shines: A real free plan, all features on every plan, instant payouts to PayPal or Stripe.
Watch out for: Simpler course and site tools than course-first platforms.
Which course platform suits which creator?
| If you are | Look at |
|---|---|
| A solo creator selling courses and downloads | Klasira, Podia, Teachable |
| An established course business | Thinkific, Kajabi |
| A coach with live sessions | Kajabi, Podia, Thinkific |
| A community builder | Skool |
| A training company selling to businesses | LearnWorlds, Thinkific Plus |
| Just starting, with no budget | Payhip (free plan), Gumroad |
How to choose
- Write down what you'll sell in year one: courses, downloads, coaching, community, memberships.
- Work out the yearly cost at your expected sales, fees included.
- Decide whether you want payments in your own account and who handles tax.
- Build one real lesson on your top two choices during their trials before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best platform to sell online courses?
It depends on your business. Creators who want 0% fees and their own Stripe can look at Klasira or Podia; established businesses at Thinkific or Kajabi; communities at Skool; corporate training at LearnWorlds.
Which course platform is cheapest?
Payhip has a free plan with a 5% fee, Skool's Hobby plan is $9 a month with a 10% fee, and LearnWorlds Starter is $44 a month billed yearly plus $5 per sale. Cheapest depends on your sales.
Which course platforms have a mobile app?
Teachable, Kajabi and Skool include student apps. Thinkific and LearnWorlds sell branded apps as add-ons. Klasira, Podia and Payhip don't have one.
Do I need my own website to sell courses?
No. Every platform here hosts your course pages, and most include a site or storefront. A custom domain is available on most paid plans.
Try Klasira with your own course
If a designed school with 0% fees sounds right, try Klasira with one course. Pick a theme, add one course and connect Stripe, then judge it on your own material. Start your school or see pricing.
Related: transaction fees compared, the best Teachable alternatives, the best Kajabi alternatives, Kajabi vs Teachable, all course platform comparisons, course platform pricing.
Sources
Details about other companies in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products, prices and rules change, so confirm with each source before you decide.
More on course platform comparisons
Kajabi vs Teachable (2026): Which Should You Choose?
Teachable vs Thinkific (2026): Which Course Platform Wins?
Klasira vs Kajabi: Pricing, Payouts and Features (2026)
Klasira vs Thinkific: Pricing, Fees and Features (2026)
Klasira vs LearnWorlds: Pricing and Features (2026)
