Best course platforms in 2026
Platforms for hosting and selling online courses, and increasingly memberships, communities, coaching and digital downloads alongside them. The big differences are transaction fees on entry plans, built-in email, and how much you pay before the platform stops taking a cut.
The ranking
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kajabi Top pick | $179/mo | Established creators with revenue, for whom one tool replacing five is worth the price. | | Visit |
| 2 | Podia | $49/mo | Creators selling a mix of courses, downloads and coaching who want it all in one simple storefront. | | Visit |
| 3 | Thinkific | £46/mo | Creators who want courses and a community together without paying top-tier prices. | | Visit |
| 4 | Teachable | $39/mo | Course creators who want a proven, course-first platform and will outgrow Starter quickly. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards value for money and selling products. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
Best by use case
An overall ranking is a compromise. These reweight the same scores for a specific job, and the top pick is not always the same one.
Best platform for your first online course
Getting one course live quickly and cheaply, without learning five tools or giving away a big slice of each sale.
Joint top picks: Podia and ThinkificBest all-in-one course and creator platform
Courses, email, sales pages and community in one place, so nothing needs wiring together.
Top pick: KajabiBest course platform for communities and memberships
A place for students to talk to each other and to you — not just a video library.
Top pick: ThinkificBest course platform with no transaction fees
Keeping as much of each sale as possible once revenue is real.
Top pick: KajabiHead to head
Every tool in detail
1. Kajabi
The premium all-in-one creator platform: courses, community, email, funnels and website under one subscription.
Strengths
- +No revenue share — Kajabi takes nothing from your sales beyond payment-processing fees.
- +Unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels on every plan.
- +Courses, communities, email, funnels and a website under one subscription, with nothing to wire together.
Limitations
- −The most expensive entry point here — $179 a month, or $143 billed annually.
- −Basic caps you at five products and 2,500 contacts.
- −Extra contacts are sold in blocks of 25,000 for $125 a month.
2. Podia
A simple all-in-one storefront for courses, downloads, coaching, community and events, with email built in.
Strengths
- +One subscription covers courses, digital downloads, coaching, community, events and email marketing.
- +Shaker and Earthquaker charge no transaction fees.
- +Annual billing brings the Mover plan to $42 a month.
Limitations
- −Built-in email is capped low — 100 subscribers on Mover, and only 1,000 even on the top plan.
- −The entry Mover plan takes a 5% transaction fee.
- −Running an affiliate programme for your own products needs Shaker or above.
3. Thinkific
A course platform with unlimited courses and a built-in community on every plan, including the cheapest.
Strengths
- +Unlimited courses on every plan, including the entry Basic plan.
- +A private community with a feed and direct messages is included from Basic upwards.
- +Start adds live cohorts with unlimited Zoom sessions, memberships and payment plans.
Limitations
- −Basic limits digital downloads to five and has no certificates, memberships or payment plans.
- −Thinkific branding is only removed on the £186 Grow plan.
- −Phone and priority support are reserved for Grow.
4. Teachable
One of the best-known course platforms, with student mobile apps and global tax handling on every plan.
Strengths
- +Student apps for iOS and Android are included on every plan.
- +Handles US sales tax, VAT and GST on global sales for you.
- +Builder and above charge no transaction fees and include an affiliate programme for your own affiliates.
Limitations
- −The $39 Starter plan takes a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale.
- −Starter caps you at five products and one admin user.
- −Certificates and removing Teachable branding need the $189 Growth plan.
Common questions
What is the best course platform overall?
On our weighted scoring across every use case in this category, Kajabi ranks first with 84/100, ahead of Podia on 81. It leads mainly on low transaction fees and built-in email.
What is the cheapest course platform?
Teachable at $39/mo (monthly; $29/mo billed annually; 5 products, 7.5% transaction fee) has the lowest paid entry point. Prices in different currencies were compared at the European Central Bank reference rate. Cheapest is rarely best value — check what the next tier up costs and what the plan renews at, because that is where most people end up.
Sources & verification
- api.frankfurter.app — checked 24 September 2026European Central Bank reference rate, published via Frankfurter.
- kajabi.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- podia.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial instead.
- teachable.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed; a 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
- thinkific.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed; a free trial on every paid plan.