Hello guys, if you are a course creator or educators and looking for a perfect place to create and host your course then you have come to the right place. The online course industry is exploding. In 2017, it was worth $170 billion. By 2026, it’s projected to reach $350+ billion. For good reason — courses are the ultimate scalable business model. You create once, sell infinitely.
But here’s the challenge: Which platform should you use to build and sell your courses?
I’ve spent the last 48 months testing and comparing 20+ course platforms including the very best ones like Teachable, Thinkific, LearnWorlds, Payhip, Udemy, Kajabi, and Podia.
I’ve built actual courses on each, analyzing features, pricing, ease of use, and real creator success rates.
After extensive testing, I’ve identified 6 exceptional platforms that will let you build, launch, and scale your online course business in 2026. Each serves different goals and creator types.
Here are my top 6 online course platforms for 2026.
Why These Online Course Platforms Stand Out?
Before diving in, understand what separates great platforms from mediocre ones:
Creator-Friendly Pricing — Low revenue share or flat fees that don’t penalize success
Course Creation Ease — Intuitive builders that don’t require technical skills
Student Experience — Professional platform that delivers great learning outcomes
Marketing Tools — Built-in email, sales pages, and promotional features
Control & Ownership — Own your student relationships and data
Support Quality — Responsive help when you need it
Scalability — Grows with you without limitations
The platforms below all meet these criteria. So what are we waiting for, let’s start.
6 Best Online Course Platforms for Creators to Build and Sell Online Courses in 2026
Without any further ado, here are the best online course platforms for creators to create, host, and sell their online courses and classes in 2026.
1. Thinkific
Type: SaaS Platform | Revenue Share: 0% (until $5K/month) | Monthly Fee: Free-$299 | Students: 32,000+ course creators
Thinkific is the market leader for hosted course platforms. With 32,000+ creators (including influencers and experts), the platform speaks for itself.
What You Get:
- Multiple content types (videos, quizzes, PDFs, surveys, text)
- Course completion certificates
- Learning paths with prerequisites and lesson locking
- Unlimited student enrollment
- Built-in email marketing
- Zero transaction fees on free plan
- No revenue share until $5K/month revenue
Why It’s Essential: Thinkific excels at course delivery and student engagement. The free plan alone is powerful — create unlimited courses with unlimited students and keep 100% of revenue. When you’re ready to scale, the Grow plan ($149/mo) unlocks premium features.
Best For:
- Beginners testing course ideas (free plan)
- Serious creators building sustainable businesses
- Those wanting zero revenue share
Pricing: Free to $299/month View Thinkific Pricing
Here is the link to — Get Started Free with Thinkific
2. Teachable
Type: SaaS Platform | Revenue Share: 5% (on basic plans) | Monthly Fee: $39-$299 | Free Trial: 14 days
Teachable is the platform that prioritizes creator success. They provide extensive training, webinars, and resources on building profitable courses.
What You Get:
- Professional course player with excellent UX
- Video hosting and delivery
- Quizzes and course drip content
- Course completion certificates
- Powerful sales tools (coupons, upsells, checkout optimization)
- EU VAT handling (important for international sales)
- Affiliate marketing built-in
- 1-click upsells
Why It’s Essential: Teachable’s biggest strength is sales and marketing optimization. Their checkout process is highly optimized, and they handle complex tax requirements like EU VAT — something creators deal with but many platforms ignore.
Best For:
- Creators serious about marketing and sales
- International instructors (VAT handling)
- Those wanting powerful promotional features
Pricing: $39-$299/month (no free plan, but 14-day trial)
Here is the link to — try Teachable Free for 14 Days
3. Podia
Type: SaaS Platform | Revenue Share: 0% | Monthly Fee: Free-$239 | Free Trial: 14 days (no credit card needed)
Podia (formerly Coach) is the all-in-one platform for creators wanting simplicity. It combines courses, memberships, digital products, and email — everything in one place.
What You Get:
- Course creation with multimedia support
- Membership site functionality
- Digital product sales (ebooks, PDFs, templates)
- Email marketing included
- Beautiful course player
- Affiliate marketing
- 14-day free trial (no credit card required)
- Free plan available
Why It’s Essential: Podia eliminates the need for multiple tools. You can sell courses, create memberships, and email your list — all without switching platforms. The no-credit-card free trial makes testing risk-free.
Best For:
- Creators wanting all-in-one simplicity
- Those selling multiple product types
- Beginners wanting to test before paying
Pricing: Free to $239/month
Here is the link to — Start Free with Podia
4. Payhip
Type: Marketplace + Platform | Revenue Share: 5% (free plan) | Monthly Fee: None | Students: 130,000+ creators
Payhip is one of the the simplest platform with the lowest barrier to entry. Over 130,000 creators sell courses, eBooks, and digital products here.
What You Get:
- Simple course creation
- Digital product sales (courses, ebooks, downloads)
- Membership creation
- Coaching sales
- Free account with 5% transaction fee
- Pro plan to reduce fees and add features
- Easy integrations
Why It’s Essential: Payhip’s strength is simplicity and low cost. You can start completely free with just a 5% transaction fee. No monthly charges, no setup complexity. Perfect for bootstrapped creators.
Best For:
- First-time creators on minimal budgets
- Those wanting simplicity above all else
- Sellers of multiple digital products
Pricing: Free (5% fee) or Pro plan for higher volume
Here is the link to — Join Payhip Free
5. LearnWorlds
Type: SaaS Platform | Revenue Share: 0% | Monthly Fee: $99-$499 | Focus: Premium experience
LearnWorlds is for creators wanting the most feature-rich, professional platform. It’s used by enterprises and premium course creators.
What You Get:
- Advanced course design and delivery
- Extensive customization options
- Built-in community features
- Gamification (badges, points, leaderboards)
- Advanced analytics and reporting
- Assessments and certifications
- White-label options
- Interactive content tools
- AI-powered recommendations
Why It’s Essential: LearnWorlds provides the most professional student experience. If you’re building premium courses or an enterprise platform, the investment pays off through superior course completion rates and student satisfaction.
Best For:
- Premium course creators
- Enterprise clients
- Those wanting maximum customization
- High-ticket course businesses
Pricing: $99-$499/month
Here is the link to — Explore LearnWorlds
6. Udemy
Type: Marketplace | Revenue Share: 25–50% (Udemy takes cut) | Monthly Fee: None | Students: 100M+
Udemy is the world’s largest course marketplace. You don’t need existing audience or marketing skills — Udemy’s 100M+ students provide built-in traffic.
What You Get:
- Access to 100M+ students
- Course hosting and delivery
- Video streaming
- Quizzes and assessments
- Student communication tools
- Zero upfront costs
- Global payment processing
Why It’s Essential: If you want to test course ideas with zero risk or need passive income, Udemy is unbeatable. The built-in audience means you can earn without marketing skills.
Best For:
- Testing course ideas (zero risk)
- Beginners with no audience
- Passive income seekers
- Those uncomfortable with marketing
Drawback: 25–50% revenue share means high platform costs
Pricing: Free to create, earn per sale (after Udemy’s cut)
Here is the link to — Create Your Udemy Course
Quick Comparison
Here is a quick comparison of all these different online course creation and hosting platforms so that you can choose the most suitable one for your need based upon features and pricing:
My Recommendation: The 3-Phase Strategy for 2026
Phase 1: Validate (Month 1) Start on Udemy
- Zero risk, built-in traffic
- Test course idea with 100M+ potential students
- Gather feedback and reviews
- Minimal time investment
Phase 2: Scale (Month 2–3) Move to Thinkific
- Own your student relationships
- Keep 100% of revenue
- Build your email list
- Maintain professional platform
Phase 3: Optimize (Month 4+) Invest in marketing
- Email marketing to your list
- Content marketing (blog, YouTube, social)
- Partnerships and affiliates
- Strategic growth
Why this approach works:
- Minimal risk — Test on Udemy free
- Fast validation — Get real feedback quickly
- Build assets — Create audience on your platform
- Sustainable growth — Own your business, not dependent on algorithm
Real Numbers: What You Can Earn
Udemy Average: $200-$5,000/month (depends on course popularity)
- Millions of students = potential reach
- High revenue share = limited profitability
- Good for passive income
Thinkific/Teachable Average: $0-$100,000+/month
- No built-in traffic = requires marketing
- Low/no revenue share = higher profitability
- Better for sustainable businesses
Key Truth: A mediocre course on Thinkific with your marketing beats an excellent course on Udemy without marketing.
Best Online Course Platform Recommendations by Goal
Here is a quick recommendation of which online course platform your should choose based upon yoru goals:
“I want to test my course idea with zero risk” → Udemy — Free to create, no investment
“I want to build a real, sustainable course business” → Thinkific — Creator-friendly, zero revenue share until $5K
“I want the easiest, cheapest platform” → Payhip — Free forever, 5% fee, no monthly charges
“I want simplicity + multiple product types” → Podia — All-in-one, free plan, no credit card needed
“I want the most powerful marketing features” → Teachable — Best sales tools, VAT handling, upsells
“I want the most professional platform” → LearnWorlds — Premium, customizable, enterprise-ready
The Bottom Line
For 2026, here’s what matters:
- Start where your audience is — Udemy has built-in traffic
- Own your students — Move to your own platform quickly
- Keep your revenue — Avoid high revenue shares
- Build long-term — Platform choice matters for sustainability
- Invest in marketing — Your platform is just the tool; marketing is the skill
My personal choice? Start on Udemy (zero risk), then move to Thinkific when you have validation (creator-friendly pricing, zero revenue share until $5K, built-in tools you need).
The creators winning in 2026 aren’t the ones staying on Udemy. They’re the ones who started on Udemy, built an audience, then moved to platforms they own.
Other Tech and Programming Articles you may like
- Teachable, Thinkific, or Udemy? Which is the Best Online Course Platform for Instructors?
- Top 10 Online Course Platforms to Create and Sell Courses, Memberships in 2026
- Is thinkifc free plan enough for creators?
- Thinkific Review — Is it worth it for course creators?
- Why Every Programmer or Blogger should teach online
- 5 Resources to Create best selling Online Courses
- Learn How to Create Online Courses in 10 minutes
- 10 Reasons to Create Online Courses as a Side hustle
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best Online Course Platforms then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions about creating and selling online courses then please drop a note.
P.S. — Online course creation is one of the best side hustles available. It scales infinitely, requires minimal ongoing work after launch, and provides genuine passive income. But platform choice determines your long-term success. If you want to choose one platform for long term, I suggest go for Thinkific, you will thank me later.
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