We built and launched test courses on every major platform — evaluating the student experience, creator tools, marketing features, and revenue potential — so you can pick the right home for your online course.
The e-learning industry is projected to reach $400 billion by 2027, and individual course creators are capturing a growing share of that market. Whether you're a subject-matter expert monetizing your knowledge, a business offering employee training, or a creator building a membership community, the platform you choose directly impacts your revenue, student experience, and growth potential.
The platform landscape has divided into two distinct models: self-hosted platforms (Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, Podia) where you own the relationship with your students, and marketplaces (Udemy, Skillshare) where the platform provides the audience but takes a larger cut. Each model suits different creators at different stages.
This comparison targets course creators — from first-time instructors to established educators — who need to choose a primary platform. We evaluated each option across course building tools, student experience, marketing features, payment processing, and the all-important question of revenue share. We also tested the student-facing experience to ensure the platforms we recommend actually deliver good learning outcomes.
Read on for our detailed analysis, pricing comparisons, and honest recommendations based on your specific situation.
Teachable offers the best balance of course creation tools, marketing features, and pricing for most independent creators. Kajabi is worth its premium price if you want website, courses, email marketing, and community all in one platform. For beginners testing the waters, Thinkific's free plan lets you launch without financial risk.
Ranked by our weighted scoring methodology.
Teachable strikes the ideal balance between simplicity and power. Its course builder is intuitive, payment processing is built in, and the marketing tools cover everything from sales pages to affiliates.
Teachable has been the default recommendation for course creators since 2015, and for good reason. The drag-and-drop course builder handles video, text, quizzes, and downloads without friction. The native payment processor (BackOffice) handles tax compliance for US and international sales — a huge headache Teachable solves that competitors don't. The sales page builder is good enough to skip a separate website for most creators. The coaching product adds 1-on-1 and group coaching alongside courses. On the downside, the free plan now takes a $1 + 10% transaction fee, the course player design is functional but not modern, and email marketing is basic compared to dedicated tools.
Kajabi replaces 4-5 separate tools by bundling courses, website, email marketing, community, and analytics into one platform. It's expensive but eliminates integration headaches entirely.
Kajabi's pitch is simple: stop paying for a website builder, course platform, email tool, and community platform separately. Everything is built in and designed to work together. The email marketing rivals dedicated tools like ConvertKit, the website builder produces professional results, and the course/membership builder is excellent. The community feature (added in 2024) competes with Circle and Skool. Kajabi creators report higher revenue per subscriber because the integrated funnel tools convert better than stitched-together alternatives. The downside is cost — $149/month minimum with no free plan. For creators earning less than $2,000/month, the overhead is hard to justify.
Thinkific's free plan includes one course with unlimited students and zero transaction fees — the most generous free tier for course creators. Paid plans scale with advanced features.
Thinkific is the best platform for first-time course creators who want to test the waters without financial risk. The free plan lets you publish one course to unlimited students with no transaction fees and no Thinkific branding — something Teachable's free plan doesn't match. The course builder supports video, quizzes, assignments, downloads, and multimedia lessons. Paid plans add multiple courses, memberships, bundles, certificates, and the Thinkific App Store for extended functionality. The community and email features are newer and less mature than Kajabi's, and the sales page builder is functional but basic. For creators focused primarily on course delivery rather than marketing, Thinkific is excellent.
Podia is the simplest platform for selling digital products of all kinds — courses, downloads, webinars, and coaching. The interface is clutter-free and the pricing is transparent.
Podia targets creators who want to sell multiple types of digital products without learning a complex platform. The storefront design is clean and modern, checkout is frictionless, and you can sell courses, digital downloads, webinars, coaching sessions, and community access all from one dashboard. The course builder is simpler than Teachable or Thinkific — it handles the basics well but lacks advanced features like quizzes, certificates, or completion tracking. The email marketing tool is included on paid plans and covers basics like broadcasts and automations. Podia is ideal for creators selling a mix of products who value simplicity over depth.
Udemy gives you instant access to 70M+ learners without marketing. The trade-off is significant — Udemy controls pricing, takes a large revenue share, and you don't own your student list.
Udemy is fundamentally different from every other platform on this list. It's a marketplace, not a tool — you publish your course and Udemy's 70M+ student base discovers it through search and recommendations. For new creators with no audience, this is invaluable. Udemy handles all marketing, payment processing, and hosting. The catch is brutal economics: Udemy frequently discounts courses to $9.99-$14.99 regardless of your list price, and takes 63% of organic sales revenue. You keep 97% only on sales from your own promotional links. You also don't get student email addresses for external marketing. Udemy works best as a top-of-funnel lead generation channel alongside a self-hosted platform.
Skillshare pays creators based on minutes watched rather than per-sale, making it a passive income play for popular creative instructors. The platform is heavily weighted toward design, illustration, and creative skills.
Skillshare operates on a subscription model — students pay $13.99/month for unlimited access to all courses, and creators are paid based on minutes watched. This makes Skillshare a volume game: you earn more by producing multiple shorter classes that keep students watching, rather than one comprehensive course. The platform skews heavily toward creative skills — graphic design, illustration, photography, writing, and video production. If your topic fits, Skillshare's discovery engine can generate meaningful passive income. Top creators earn $3,000-$10,000/month. The limitations are significant for non-creative topics: the audience expects creative content, the payment model undervalues long courses, and you have minimal control over your content's presentation or student relationships.
Side-by-side breakdown of capabilities and pricing.
| Tool | Score | Email Marketing | Community | 0% Trans. Fees | Memberships | Custom Domain | Free Plan | Free Trial | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | 4.6 | Basic | ✘ | Pro plan | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | $39/mo | Visit ↗ |
| Kajabi | 4.7 | Built-in (Best) | ✔ | All plans | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | $149/mo | Visit ↗ |
| Thinkific | 4.5 | Via integration | Basic | Basic plan | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | $36/mo | Visit ↗ |
| Podia | 4.3 | Included | ✔ | Paid plans | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | $9/mo | Visit ↗ |
| Udemy | 4.1 | ✘ | ✘ | N/A | ✘ | ✘ | N/A | N/A | $0 | Visit ↗ |
| Skillshare | 3.8 | ✘ | Built-in | N/A | ✘ | ✘ | N/A | N/A | $0 | Visit ↗ |
Key factors to consider before committing to a platform.
Self-hosted platforms (Teachable, Kajabi) give you control and higher margins but require you to bring the audience. Marketplaces (Udemy, Skillshare) provide eyeballs but take a bigger cut. Know which model fits your stage.
If Kajabi costs $149/month, you need to sell 15 courses at $10 just to cover platform costs. Thinkific's free plan or Podia's $9/month starter have much lower break-even thresholds for new creators.
The single most valuable asset for a course creator is your email list. Marketplaces like Udemy don't share student emails. If long-term business building matters, choose a self-hosted platform.
Enroll as a student in courses on each platform. The learning experience — video player quality, mobile experience, progress tracking — directly impacts completion rates and reviews.
Many successful creators publish a lite version on Udemy for discovery and sell the premium version on Teachable or Kajabi. Use marketplaces as lead generation, not your primary revenue source.
Community features, coaching tools, and membership capabilities are increasingly important. A platform that only does courses may require expensive add-ons (Circle, ConvertKit) that a platform like Kajabi includes.
Transparent, data-driven methodology.
Every tool on Tool Auditor is evaluated through a rigorous multi-factor analysis. We combine hands-on testing with aggregated user data, pricing analysis, and feature audits to produce scores that reflect real-world value — not marketing claims.
Our scoring weights: Features (35%), Ease of Use (25%), Value for Money (25%), and Support & Documentation (15%). Scores are recalculated quarterly as tools ship updates and pricing changes.