good online courses websites

Eight great sites that offer online classes

Use your time to improve your mind.

By Aliya Chaudhry

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If you’ve already streamed your favorite series for the third time, and you’ve hit a wall with your latest game, what should you do while you’re sheltering at home? Well, maybe pick up a new skill or hobby by taking a class.

There is a huge number of courses available online, from coding to history to languages, and a lot of different resources to choose from. Below, we’ve listed some of the major sites where you can find online classes, some you can attend in real time and others you can pop into at your leisure.

While many of these websites charge fees for memberships or specific classes, we’ve indicated which ones also offer free courses.

Code Academy

Code Academy offers courses on computer science, data science, and web development. You can sign up for the free plan , which gives you access to 25 courses, or you can opt for the Pro level for $19.99 a month, which comes with 65 courses as well as exercises, quizzes, and projects. Signing up for the Pro subscription also gets you access to Code Academy’s “paths,” class sequences that can help you prepare for a specific career or learn a specific skill.

Sample Courses: Introduction to HTML ; Make a Website ; Learn SQL

Coursera is one of the most well-known platforms for online classes, and its catalog is so extensive that you could even complete a degree on the site. It hosts courses from institutions and organizations, including Google, Stanford, and, more recently, MoMA in a broad range of subjects. You can join Coursera for free, and you can audit many of the classes for free , but you will have to pay if you want a course certificate, to submit assignments, or get grades. Some courses have a one-time fee , or you can pay a monthly subscription fee to access a related set of courses, called a “Specialization.” You can also pay a yearly subscription fee for Coursera Plus , which gives you access to and allows you to earn certificates for most of Coursera’s classes. ( Here’s a full list .)

Sample Courses: Yale’s The Science of Well-Being ; Stanford’s Machine Learning ; MoMA’s Seeing through Photographs

edX was founded by Harvard and MIT, and it partners with other universities, including Berkeley, Brown, and Cornell, to provide courses online. The site has a broad variety of classes, including subjects that range from data sciences to the arts and humanities. Most courses are available for free , but you will typically have to pay between $50 and $300 to be able to submit assignments for feedback and to receive a certificate.

Sample Courses: Berkeley’s The Science of Happiness ; NYU’s Basics of Computing and Programming ; Harvard’s Modern Masterpieces of World Literature

Harvard University

If you really want to take a Harvard course, the university lists its online courses on its website. (These listings link to edX, which is where you can take the class.) Harvard offers courses on a variety of subjects; the classes go from two to over 12 weeks. The site lets you easily filter the results to find free courses . The paid courses cost anywhere from $30 to over $3,000, and if you want a certificate to prove you’ve finished a free course, that will come with an additional fee. (The ones we looked at ranged from $49 to $169.)

Sample Courses: Introduction to Computer Science ; Religion, Conflict and Peace ; Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science

Kadenze offers courses on art and technology — everything from graphic design to preparing for a career in media to learning an instrument. While some of these courses are created by Kadenze, others come from institutions such as the Maryland Institute College of Art, Berklee College of Music, Stanford, and Columbia. You can sign up for the free subscription, which allows you to enroll in the courses , but you can’t submit assignments or receive college credit. To get access to additional course content, submit assignments, and receive grades, you can sign up for the Premium plan , which costs $20 a month. In order to earn credit for the course, you’ll have to pay $300 per credit on top of that monthly subscription fee.

Sample Courses: Gender, Race and Technology ; Careers in Media Technology ; Guitar for Beginners

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a nonprofit designed as a resource to support students from preschool through high school, and it offers all of its courses for free. It includes courses in math, science, and engineering, as well as in the arts and humanities. It does offer some courses that may be useful for people who are no longer students, such as career advice, entrepreneurship, personal finance, and MCAT and LSAT test prep.

Sample Courses: Navigate your career ; Algorithms ; Statistics and probability

Like Kadenze, Skillshare offers courses mainly in the arts, with classes in animation, music, photography, and creative writing, but also offers instruction in business, technology, and marketing. Its course catalog is intended to encourage creativity and help people build creative skills into careers. Skillshare has a number of courses available for free , but to access the full catalog of courses, you have to pay for a premium membership of either $19 a month or $99 a year.

Sample Courses: How to Make a Podcast ; Building Your Freelance Business ; Demystifying Graphic Design

Udemy has a collection of 100,000 courses available, most of which tend to be career-focused, with subjects such as finance and accounting, office productivity, programming, and marketing. However, Udemy also offers courses on subjects such as music, lifestyle, personal development, and health and fitness. While most of Udemy’s courses have a fee associated, you can filter your results to see the courses Udemy offers for free ; however, you won’t earn a certificate or be able to communicate with the instructor like you would in a paid course.

Sample Courses: Best Practices for Working Remotely ; Getting Started with Playing Guitar ; Free Digital Marketing Basics Course

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10 Best Learning Websites For Taking Online Courses (2024)

The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn more about our methodology and business model here .

We’ve researched dozens of online courses for the best educational learning platforms — these are our top 10 picks.

Many of us follow a pretty typical education trajectory: elementary school, middle school, high school. Some of us go on to college or university, and others go even further, earning higher degrees and making careers in academia. No matter how far your formal education journey takes you, learning doesn’t have to stop there. We can continue learning—whether for career advancement or simply for fun.

Why should you take online courses?

Online learning platforms offer lots of advantages for anyone looking to advance their career or learn something new. They are flexible and accessible in comparison to in person classes, as you’ll be able to access course materials anytime and anywhere you have access to a computer and an internet connection. Most online courses allow for self-paced learning, making it easier to commit and follow through with the workload as your personal schedule and priorities shift (here’s our tips on how to stay productive while learning remotely ). You can even access online courses from institutions anywhere across the globe, allowing you to learn from top experts without having to leave your home. 

You’ll find online courses are also more affordable than in-person lectures. By studying online, you’ll save tons of money that would typically be spent on commuting and accommodations. Online courses, by comparison, are also cheaper than traditional in-person classes, making it easier for you to advance your skills on your terms. 

That’s why we love these ten learning platforms that are leading the way in online education. These websites are free or low-cost and offer courses from a wide spectrum of topics like knife and cooking basics to graphic design and mobile development. For the tech lover, language learner, or aspiring artist, there’s something for everyone. 

Our criteria:

Our team has audited dozens of online courses and learning platforms courses, as well as scoured thousands of customer reviews for this round-up of our favorite educational websites. We update this list regularly with emerging favorites that meet our criteria below:

• AVAILABILITY OF EXPERT INSTRUCTORS | These online course websites offer a wide selection of courses taught by certified professionals who have authority in their industry.
• RANGE OF COURSES AND CERTIFICATIONS OFFERED | Each of these learning websites provide courses and certifications for various relevant and in-demand skills, topics, and professions.
• AFFORDABILITY | We’ve prioritized low-cost and free online learning platforms on this list.

No matter where you are in the world or your educational background, let’s keep learning together with these online training and certification programs.

(Psst, and for a subject close to our hearts, check out this list of our favorite online writing classes !)

Best Overall | Best For Casual Learners | Best Free Option

Best For  | Affordable classes for professional skills Features | Certifications available, courses taught by real-world experts, 210K+ courses available, 67M+ learners globally, available app Our Pick   | Ultimate Photoshop Training: From Beginner to Pro Pricing  | À la carte ($12–$200+) 

Udemy ’s focus is to make quality education more accessible—and they’ve made some serious progress. To date, it’s achieved over 900 million enrollments around the world with courses ranging from Instagram marketing to aromatherapy. Starting at just $12, you can access more than 210,000 online courses that work with your pace and your lifestyle—plus, it’s yours forever. There’s a reason why businesses like Adidas and Mercedes-Benz utilize Udemy for their teams. Available in many languages and accessible around the world, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking up Udemy’s trial offer—time to get to learning!

2. Coursera

Best For  | On-demand higher education degrees, university certificates, and credits Features | Certifications & degrees available, courses taught by experts from 275+ leading universities & companies, ability to earn recognized credentials, available app Our Pick   | Modern Art And Ideas Pricing  | Guided projects (starting at $10/per course); Specialized program (starting at $49/month); degrees (starting at $9K/per)

Coursera believes that everyone should be able to learn anywhere, anytime, and from the world’s top education providers. Since then, it’s reached over 129 million learners and partnered with more than 275 universities to bring all kinds of content to users. Whether you’re looking for a general course, a specific specialization, or a university-recognized degree, Coursera will be your one-stop-shop. You’ll find specializations in topics like data science or econometrics as well as degrees that can be taught over one to four years.

3. Masterclass

Best For  | On-demand classes from industry experts across fields Features | Courses taught by globally-recognized icons & experts, 200+ classes available, available app, available on Roku & Amazon Our Pick   | Sara Blakely Teaches Self-Made Entrepreneurship Pricing  | Starting at $120/year (Unlimited classes)

Masterclass brings revered and renowned heroes, icons, and experts to your screen for one-on-one classes in their areas of expertise. Whether you’re learning acting from Natalie Portman, scientific thinking from astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, or self-expression from famed queen of drag RuPaul, each practice and process is broken down into an average of 20 on-demand, cinematically produced video lessons and a downloadable workbook with optional assignments. With over 200 instructors offering high quality education and insight, the fields you can explore are endless.

Best For  | Self-paced college courses from top institutions Features | Certifications & degrees available, courses taught by experts & professors, partnered with universities, 4,400+ programs available, 81M+ learners, available app Our Pick   | IBM: Software Engineering Basics for Everyone Pricing  | Free–$25,000+ (Online Master’s Degrees)

What happens when two of the most prestigious higher education institutions come together for open learning? edX . Harvard and MIT collaborated to create the only MOOC (massive online open courses) provider and nonprofit around. Today, it works with more than 250 partners, including MIT, Columbia University, and Georgia Tech, to name a few. The online learning options run the gamut: you can choose one course or an online Master’s Degrees, with a range of professional certificates and “micro” Master’s programs.

5. Skillshare

Best For  | Accessible classes for personal and business development Features | Certifications available, courses taught by knowledgeable teachers, available app Our Pick   | Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Visual Design Pricing  | Free, Premium ($32/month or $168 annually)

Skillshare offers more than 34,000 classes to anyone, anywhere, based on design, business, tech, and more. It prides itself on providing more than just access to education; Skillshare considers itself an online learning community of more than 830K active members. At Skillshare, you can learn skills, network with others, and discover new opportunities, all in one place. There are classes available for free (check out “Going Freelance” or “Intro to SEO”), or if you upgrade to Premium you can unlock even more. Those funds enable them to pay teachers, and you’ll have access to classes offline and without ads. Not sure if you can afford them? Skillshare offers plenty of scholarships (and free or low-cost trials), too, so there is something for everyone.

6. LinkedIn Learning

Best For  | Professional development Features | Certifications available, courses taught by industry professionals, personalized course recommendations, available app Our Pick   | Project Management Foundations Pricing  | Starts at $20/month (Unlimited classes)

You’ve likely already heard of LinkedIn, and may even currently use it for networking and job-searching. But the employment-oriented service also offers online education. With LinkedIn Learning , you gain access to over 20,000 expert-led classes across business, technology, and creative. (Dozens are added every week and there’s no limit to how many you can watch.) The platform also provides personalized course recommendations based on your skills. With classes available in 13 languages, you can download exercise files so you can practice while you learn and will earn a certificate for each class you complete.

Best For  | Free online classes for endless learning Features | Certifications & diplomas available, courses taught by the world’s leading experts, 6M+ graduates across the globe, available app Our Pick   | Introduction to Spanish Pricing  | Free, paid certifications/diplomas available

No matter what your interest is, Alison likely has a course for you, including ones that offer certifications and diplomas. Completely free to use, payment only comes in with certified or diploma courses. Otherwise, you can learn to your heart’s content on topics like project management, web design, or amateur French and German. Not sure where to start? Check out the Career Guide for many career paths and associated class options. From architecture to manufacturing to human services, you can find knowledgeable instructors and high-quality content for every imaginable subject.

Best For  | Online classes for in-demand tech and programming skills Features | Certifications & nanodegrees available, courses taught by industry experts, 205K nanodegree certifications earned, available app Our Pick   |  Intro to Programming Pricing  | Starts at $249/month (Unlimited classes)

Students first—that’s the policy of Udacity , an online learning platform started by two Stanford instructors who knew that offering up quality education would revolutionize the future of learning. What began as an “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence” course soon became hundreds of classes that focus on in-demand skills like virtual reality, full-stack development, and even self-driving cars. Ideal if you’re looking for a job in the world of tech or programming, Udacity’s classes are free. You only have to pay if you want to pursue a “nanodegree” which takes you down a specific career path.

9. Khan Academy

Best For  | Nonprofit based learning courses for students pre-k to college Features | Classes taught by teachers and experts, available in 36 languages, available app Our Pick   | Official LSAT® Prep Pricing  | Free

Khan Academy is a non-for-profit learning resource with a mission to empower students’ education through their accessible online platform. Started by one man who simply wanted to tutor math to his cousin, the company has now grown into a huge team that’s committed to offering world class educational skills. Here, you’ll find foundational school courses ranging from 6th grade math and AP college physics to SAT test prep and financial literacy classes. Best of all, these courses are self-paced, offer both instructional videos and exercises, and are 100% free! Take your growth into your own hands and at your own pace.

10. Catapult

Best For  | Zoom classes and virtual workshops for writers Features | Courses taught by industry experts, online and in-class options available  Our Pick   | 6-Week Open-Genre Generative Seminar: From First Thought to First Draft Pricing  | À la carte ($15 for independent study—$6,000+ for year long course)

Writers and readers looking for a community love Catapult for the wide variety of online classes, workshops, independent studies, and seminars offered in all genres. Take a generative fiction class, dig into revision techniques for your novel, or learn how to write a query letter to agents from leading writing and publishing professionals on a day-job-friendly schedule. You can even join a class to read and study books with other writers! Our team has taken multiple classes and loved our experiences, especially the connections we have made with other writers around the world.

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Best online courses and online class sites of 2024

Learn new skills without leaving your house

Best for guided projects

Best for professional skills, best for celeb classes, best for online degrees, best affordable option, best for business, best for uk, best for nanodegrees, best for creatives, best for digital transformation.

• How we test

The best online courses and online class sites make it easier to learn new skills from home through distance learning online.

1. Best for guided projects 2. Best for professional skills 3. Best for celeb classes 4. Best for online degrees 5. Best affordable option 6. Best for business 7. Best for UK 8. Best for nanodegrees 9. Best for creatives 10. Best for digital transformation 11. FAQs 12. How we test

Long gone are the days of having to attend a college to take a class. Now, with available learning platforms, through the use of video streaming, there are a wide variety of skills that can be learned from the comfort of your abode.

Websites abound that have online classes on demand. This can range from a single lecture on a specific topic, to a series of lectures to gain new knowledge in a field, to entire graduate level degrees offered by leading universities. You can even learn from professors on the other side of the planet via this method!

Course topics cover the spectrum. Some can be professionally oriented, designed to update skills for older workers, or those with a degree outside the area of study. Other courses are designed to supplement knowledge, offering additional study, such as advanced training for a certification exam. However, it is not all so serious, with coursework also available that borders on entertainment, with options for a cooking class, or film appreciation. In any case, in a competitive work environment, having some recent coursework can be an important CV builder, without having to do the rigors of a formal degree.

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The best online courses and online class sites of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Coursera

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Coursera is an online educator that also focuses on college level education, and has partnered with leading universities including Arizona State University and Duke University, and also has alliances with many Fortune 500 companies. This platform is notable as the emphasis is on university courses, along with over a thousand free content videos, and also certificate programs. This content can be taken to acquire a college degree, all fully online. 

The standout feature is the Guided Projects, which are done to allow the learner to put their newly acquired skills to use, under the watchful guidance of an instructor. Those looking to acquire some job ready skills, whether in the form of a certificate, a degree or an advanced degree, from a name brand university should take a look at this platform.

Read the full Coursera review .

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2. LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is an educational outgrowth of the highly popular, professional networking platform. As you might suspect, this platform is focused on development of professional skills, with a catalog that is expansive at over 16,000 offerings. The plan is simplified, with only a single tier, but it can be subscribed to either annually or monthly. We also like the interactive basis of this platform, which focuses on demonstration of the skills obtained, with online quizzes and exercise files available. 

The content is also quite professional, with the education conducted via expert instructors in their fields. Learners also praise the flexibility in learning, via the smartphone apps, an audio only option (perfect for jogging), and offline learning possibilities. Finally, the integration with LinkedIn is apparent, with the ability to put the certification achieved upon successful completion of the course onto the learner’s LinkedIn page.

Read the full LinkedIn Learning review .

3. MasterClass

While some platforms have courses by the thousands, MasterClass offers less, in numbers, with just over a hundred courses on offer. However, what it lacks in breadth of subject matter, it more than makes up for with its list of educators that easily qualify as Hollywood A-listers and the like. 

We take exception to the annual billing without a month to month option, but there is a choice of plans among three tiers. Also realize that learning cinematography from acclaimed director James Cameron has got to be an experience, but overall MasterClass offers more casual content, so don’t look for an online master’s degree here. 

Another standout feature is that the content is high quality, with each course having trailers that could be shown in a movie theater to help students decide if the course is worth pursuing. While there are fewer courses on offer, also realize that each one is a comprehensive look at the subject, being broken up into around 20 segments, each averaging about 10 minutes in length.

Read the full MasterClass review .

For those looking for an online learning platform to obtain a college degree- either undergraduate or graduate - edX is an excellent choice. Rather than having to look at online schools one at a time, edX makes it possible to access coursework among 160 universities, the likes of Berkeley, Harvard University and Boston University. Furthermore, this coursework is taught by university professors that teach over 3,000 courses. 

Courses are designed to result in obtaining a certificate, an online college degree, or even applied towards a degree at a university. This high level of quality education does not come at a bargain price, or an all you can eat monthly subscription, but rather these types of degrees can have a cost in the thousands, however keep in mind that they are less than attending the same school in residence, not to mention saving the costs of room and board at a dormitory. 

Read the full edX review .

Coming out of Ireland, Alison is an affordable approach to a learning platform. The notable standout is that everyone can afford it, with a free (ad supported) tier, and thousands of courses available for learners to take. We also appreciate the still affordable higher tiers, that eliminate the ads, with offerings of flexible monthly, annual and lifetimes tiers, with options to have a certificate of completion, or letter of attestation of the completed coursework at bargain basement prices. 

Some shortcomings need to be noted, such as the lack of degrees and the automated approach to support. Still, for those that just want some courses, and are on a limited budget, Alison is a solid starting point with a catalog sure to offer opportunity for its already 3.5 million learners.

Read the full Alison review .

Udemy is notable for its super large course catalog, a ridiculously large 155k courses focused on business content taught by over 56k instructors. This is driven in part by the over 7,000 enterprise customers. Users are sure to like the comments for the course that are integrated into the platform, the transparency in when the course was last updated, along with the high quality trailers to help assess if a course is right for your needs. 

We also noted the choice of tiers, and the longer 30-day money back guarantee period. Some downsides do encompass that some courses need to be purchased individually as opposed to a monthly subscription, the limited support options that are missing a direct phone number and an email address, and the bugs with the apps, especially with offline viewing. For those looking for the right business course, with support materials to support the learning, Udemy is worth a good look.

Read the full Udemy review .

7. FutureLearn

Leave it to the Brits to package some great educational opportunities from the UK into an online learning platform, through the internet available from anywhere, anytime. The course content offered by FutureLearn fits into ExpertTracks, which is a 10 to 12 week block of learning, and covers 3 to 4 courses leading to a certificate upon completion of study. The content focuses on beginner level content designed for job education. 

Some significant downsides include the lack of smartphone apps, average user reviews, and unclear pricing. The limited support options also hamper this service. New users should check out the free course availability as some courses can be started on a trial basis, and also keep in mind the 7-day trial period. Those not looking for an ExpertTrack should also look for the single courses that are available as well. 

Read the full FutureLearn review .

Udacity has a focus on providing education for business and technology with courses in areas such as Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and instructors that are industry experts. 

Learners like fully online nanodegrees that emphasize job related education, which are targeted at more developed than a certificate program, while falling short of a traditional college degree. Feedback is provided through a mentoring program, which is personalized to develop the student’s skills via direct critique of submitted projects. 

While the higher cost of this option may be a barrier (which gets paid on a monthly basis), and the support options could be better, it gets high marks in the user reviews of its smartphone apps. For those looking to develop computing skills via online education, Udacity is a worthy option.

Read the full Udacity review .

9. SkillShare

SkillShare has a large catalog of 35,000 plus online videos, divided into the categories of Create, Build and Thrive. It also has Workshops that offer a more in depth look into areas. It is easy to get started with this platform, as there are three tiers offered, and a week long free trial. However, we found the service to be more expensive than some others, with only an annual plan offered rather than offering it on a month by month basis. 

Also, another issue was that credit card info was a requirement for accessing the trial, and we found reports of the difficulties with cancellation of this service. Going through this service, issues aside, we found it an attractive option for those looking to learn new creative skills, with coursework offered in areas including illustration, photography and design.

Read the full SkillShare review .

10. Pluralsight

Coming out of Utah, Pluralsight provides technology based education, targeting skills for the digital transformation. It is a highly developed platform, with partnerships to educate those in industry, with such known tech names as Adobe and the Nasdaq counted among its 17,000 business users. 

While the emphasis appears to be on the enterprise market, there is the option for individual users as well. There is a choice of two plans for these individual users, we appreciate the option to pay monthly or annually, and on the upper tier there are over 7,000 courses. 

Support is also solid with many choices to get in touch to get help. There are some issues we encountered with creation of our account, but for those seeking out advanced technology education, that is up to the high standards of enterprise, Pluralsight is worth a look.

Read the full Pluralsight review .

We've also featured the best online learning platforms.

Online course and class sites FAQs

What is an online course website.

An online course website is an online platform for education. Each typically utilizes video lectures as the primary mode of learning, along with supplemental materials to reinforce the education, and demonstrate the learning. This can include course syllabi, graded projects, chat rooms for students, mobile apps for learning on the go, practice questions, and even formal exams. The education is often on a large variety of topics, but more in depth than what you would typically find on more casual websites, that are more for entertainment than formal education. These online courses are an excellent opportunity to acquire new skills, update knowledge, and branch into new areas.

Online Learning Platforms vs Learning Management Systems

An online learning platform has much in common with a learning management system (LMS), and the two terms are commonly confused, and even used interchangeably. However, there is a key difference.

A LMS is defined by Wikipedia as “A software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs.”

In contrast, there is no clear definition for what an online learning platform is, and also its alternate term, eLearning. The online learning platform is a more generic term that also encompasses a LMS, but alternately not every online learning platform has all the features of an LMS.

For example, there is plenty of educational content online, such as on YouTube and other websites, and this can be used for learning purposes. However, this does not meet all the requirements to be a LMS platform, as it lacks documentation, tracking, and reporting of the educational progress.

Online Learning Platform vs Online Course Websites

As stated above, there is no clear definition for what an online learning platform is, other than to say that there are plenty of websites for education. They can range from a more formal LMS that can provide tracking, documentation and reporting of the education that has been done, to less formal sites that can be as open as an online educational video. For example, sites such as Lifehacker, or wikiHow provide education, but it is not formal, or trackable in the sense that they would provide a certification.

Then there is the term “Online course website.” Again, this is a vague term that covers both extreme ends. While some would use it interchangeably with a LMS, the latter is the preferred term that once again can provide tracking of educational progress, and is more formal, able to provide documentation of education progress including certificates or degrees as applicable.

What is a MOOC?

A MOOC is a “Massive Open Online Course.” These are offered by edX, a leader in online education. The idea is that while a traditional classroom gets limited in how many students can attend, with a MOOC, as it gets offered through the internet, literally millions of folks can all take the class and benefit from the education. It is literally an economy of scale so that high quality education can be disseminated.

According to edX, the first MOOC offered was through MIT, and it is a course entitled “Circuits and Electronics.” As of 2019, over 50k learners have taken this course!

With such success, it is no surprise that there has been growth in this MOOC segment. There are now MOOC’s for business so that education can occur for corporate learners. Also, edX has offered college credits for select MOOC’s since 2015.

What sort of computer do I need to take online courses?

The good news is that just about any modern computer will be absolutely fine for this online education, and these platforms work through any web browser. Those looking to do this inexpensively can get the job done with a Chromebook , which tends to be quite affordable.

Most of the platforms offer apps for smartphones, on both the iOS and Android platforms. This is ideal for learning on the go, and also allows the education to proceed on a tablet device from either platform.

For a Windows laptop , ideally a larger screen with 1080p resolution (or higher), and a solid set of speakers would be ideal. However, don’t think you need to expend serious resources on this, as even an entry level laptop, with a Celeron processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a minimal internal hard drive will be more than adequate for the education. You can even use Windows 10 in S mode, although having the full version of Windows 10 is easier as then you can install other software, such as a word processing program to take notes.

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How do I build and sell a course?

With the popularity and growth of so many online learning websites, it has presented the opportunity for folks to not only take these courses, but also to be able to teach them as well. The first step is to figure out what you want to teach, which can range from a university type of course, to a casual single lecture. 

The potential educator should also take an honest assessment of their skill level, and what actually qualifies them to teach the course. A qualification that learners will appreciate is having a degree in the field, especially a graduate degree, such as the terminal degree in the field, such as a PhD. Having such a degree clearly shows the scholarship in the area, and would qualify you to teach at any college or university, along with an online platform. 

Not having a terminal degree can in some cases be substituted by a certification or license in select fields, such as a manicurist who wants to teach nail care. Additionally, with this democratization of content, there can be plenty of situations where experience in the area can also qualify the individual to be able to impart knowledge, such as working in the field successfully for a number of years, or even performing the task at home, such as a stay at home parent that wants to teach laundry skills.

Figuring out your qualification, and the type of course then will help to determine what platform it will be appropriate for. For example, unless you are a professor at Harvard, your content will not be appropriate for the online Harvard education site. However, there is no shortage of sites, so next you need to find a site, and certainly start with checking the sites above, realizing that some are better suited to more formal courses, and others are looking for more casual content. Once you identify the target site, get in touch, as most of them have links for those looking to be the next great educator.

Is YouTube a good online course website?

YouTube, and other online streaming site s are a valuable resource to learn new skills. There is no shortage of content available, to learn anything and everything, such as how to cook a new dish, how to repair your car, and a lesson in home improvement.

However, this type of content has its limitations. One is that it is taught by anyone, and there is a varying skill level, and in most cases it is not taught by skilled instructors, such as a university professor. In many cases the goal is as much to entertain as it is to instruct. This is fine for casual content, such as in our prior example of a cooking video, but not as well suited for more formal instruction.

Finally, while a LMS can provide proof of the education, YouTube does not offer this. In other words, there are no certificates, or degrees offered to provide an employer as a demonstration to the new knowledge obtained.

Are Harvard online courses really free and worth it?

Harvard University is a leading institution, and they do indeed have online educational offerings. They certainly have a full variety of coursework available, and it is a mix of paid and free content. As Harvard has consistently topped the list of endowed US universities, with a staggering $40+ billion of endowments, this is a chance for them to give something back.

Harvard has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and founded edX. While the free courses that Harvard offers are on a website for Harvard Online , realize that the course content is on edX.

There are plenty of high quality courses available through Harvard University, approximately 140 in a recent count. Some are quite specific, and not quite what would qualify as a standard university class, such as “Nonprofit Financial Stewardship Webinar: Introduction to Accounting and Financial Statements” that would target only a select group with interest in this area. Mixed in are courses that are not free, and have a cost, so be sure to double check when signing up, or you can filter to only look at the free courses.

A popular area of these online courses is the CS50 series, which covers computer science topics. This coursework is targeted to AP high school students in this area. It includes about 30 courses, such as the “CS50's Introduction to Game Development,” an intermediate course that covers “The development of 2D and 3D interactive video games.” The course is in English, and is designed to be completed over a 12 week period, for 6 to 9 hours weekly, although it is self-paced to accommodate other learning paces. While this course can be audited for free by anyone, a Verified Certificate is available for those that complete it for $199.

How we tested the best online course websites

There is no shortage of learning platforms out there to choose from. Thankfully for you, we have sorted through them to find the ones that will benefit users.

We look at a number of factors, and truth be told no one learning platform will be the best for everyone. Things to consider start with the pricing, and for that we look at the plans. Some platforms even have free courses offered. Others charge by the course, and some companies have a monthly subscription, there is truly a learning platform for every budget.

Content is another factor. Some platforms focus on a specific area, such as computer programming, while others have more expansive catalogs that rival what any major college would offer.

Another issue is the quality of the coursework. Some are more crowd sourced, allowing a democratization of education. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have platforms that partner with top rated professors at name brand universities to teach the content.

Finally, there are the extras offered, such as the available smartphone apps. Also, there are the available certifications, and degrees that can be completed for looking for a more formal education.

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Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.

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30 Best Online Learning Platforms for 2024

Table of Contents

Some of the best online learning platforms include LearnWorlds, Coursera, Skillshare, Udemy, Docebo, Edx, Moodle, Teachable, and Thinkific.

Those are leading a fast-growing elearning industry . An unbreakable piece of evidence is the increasing number of people becoming interested in online learning for both learning and teaching purposes–either to learn a new skill or to teach online .

Luckily there are many online learning and course platforms that offer the opportunity to learn or create, and sell online courses .

For online instructors, trainers, and aspiring edupreneurs this is great news. But the struggle of choosing the best online learning platform out of the many options out there is real.

To help make this process easier, we came up with a list of the top online learning platforms analyzed by type and category that you can use to offer high-quality learning experiences.

And, to make it easier for you to choose the right platform for your needs, we broke them down into distinct categories.

Table of contents

Our choice of the top course platform: learnworlds, best online learning platforms, best online course platforms, best traditional learning management systems (lmss), best wordpress lms plugins, best authoring tools, your professional looking academy in a few clicks.

Before we go on, it’s important to distinguish the difference between the two terms ‘online learning platforms’ and ‘online course platforms,’ which often gets blurred.

What is an Online Learning Platform?

An online learning platform is an information system that provides a safe learning environment where students can take online courses.

Such online learning platforms are often called ‘online course marketplaces’ because they give learners the opportunity to search for and pay for online courses directly.

While some of these course marketplaces are used to feature online courses, the majority are more educational-based and strictly offer university-level education.

What is an Online Course Platform in Relation to a Learning Management System?

An online course platform is a type of learning management system (LMS) that online instructors can use to create, host, deliver and sell online courses.

An LMS is the higher category usually used by enterprises for employee training , customer education , and onboarding or by academic institutions to support teaching. However, the whole category can sometimes include course platforms or even WordPress plugins being used by SMEs to create and sell online courses.

Unlike online learning platforms, online course platforms are cloud-hosted software that allows instructors to create online classes or individual lessons by uploading educational material that they have created using text, images, video, PDF files, and audio.

In essence, individuals or SMEs can use a course platform to create their own course marketplace instead of offering their courses in a popular courses marketplace like Udemy, Edx, MagnetBrains , or Skillshare. This way, they can keep all the revenue and user data that they otherwise would have no control over.

Online Learning Platforms VS Online Course Platforms

An online learning platform emphasizes and presents the learner’s perspective whereas an online course platform takes the perspective of the online instructor/ teacher.

The two titles are often used interchangeably, and the real differences come from the person using the definition and the context of the conversation. From a student’s perspective, a learning platform is a place to find educational content , search and buy courses or whole educational programs. Whereas, from an educator’s perspective, it is the place to deliver knowledge .

Online learning platforms are often used to identify marketplaces for courses or education, like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning–formerly known as Lynda, while course platforms usually refer to the software used to create a learning environment, such as LearnWorlds, Thinkific, Kajabi, or Teachable .

Using an online learning platform takes off a lot of the hard work of building an audience, marketing, and sales, but you may not have control over pricing, user data, and branding.

With an online course platform, you have greater flexibility and freedom in managing your learning resources and course materials. Also, you get to have a say in the design and look of the entire website that hosts your online courses and in regards to the course itself – how it is being presented and promoted.

Which platform you are going to choose essentially comes down to your business’s needs.

If you choose to go with a standalone course platform, you will need to look into more specific requirements that are found in a learning management system. This is because there are many types of LMSs, and each one specializes in a certain category or serves a specific purpose better than others.

For entrepreneurs, course creators, training organizations, and SMEs, a course platform offers an all-in-one solution that fits your requirements .

LearnWorlds comes with a powerful set of eCommerce features , course authoring , user analytics , and website-building capabilities right out of the box. And it’s the platform our team has been developing and nurturing for the past 9 years, with thousands of customers in 80+ countries around the world trusting it to deliver online learning!

Whether you are looking for an internal training solution or simply to create , market , and sell your online courses or train your employees and customers , we offer the best possible solution you need at an affordable price.

Start your 30-day free trial with LearnWorlds today!

📝 Disclaimer : Positions below are arbitrary and do not indicate any preference. Numbering is used to show the number of platforms and further differentiate one from the other. We do think that every platform comes with its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the use case they are intended for.

As we go over each learning platform, we look into its advantages and disadvantages to help you decide whether it fits your needs or not.

As we mentioned before, learning platforms are more suitable for learners looking for a subject to study . They have a massive library of courses and learning paths.

Some of them accept individual instructors to teach with varied conditions to approve the content. If you don’t want to launch a course under your own website, this is the second-best way to do it. Each has its own requirements for instructors to upload their course materials and how they monetize the content.

We have, however included pros, cons, and information for both students and instructors looking into these platforms.

Platform #1: LinkedIn Learning (formerly known as Lynda)

LinkedIn Learning which was formerly Lynda.com is an educational platform that offers professional courses in business, digital marketing, web development, and more creative fields like design amongst other subjects, in the video lesson format.

The platform comes as a premium service for LinkedIn users and offers over 16,000 courses in 11 languages and focuses on helping individuals invest in their professional development. LinkedIn Learning also partners with top companies to provide its learners with the most in-demand professional certificates.

• Highly recognizable and valued for skills training
• Comes with a one-month free trial
• Provides personalized course recommendations for users
• Offers certification upon course completion
• Allows you to assess your progress using quizzes
• Has offline learning access to learn on the go
• Grants you access to other premium career features
• The quality of the courses it offers is ambiguous and you need to conduct some research into them before enrolling
• Joining as an instructor may be challenging

Who is it for?

• Learners: It is mostly suited for professionals and businesses looking to train their employees.
• Instructors: Apart from individual learners, business teams, universities, and government organizations can use the platform for educational and training purposes.

As a course creator, you can also apply to become a LinkedIn Learning instructor here .

LinkedIn Learning comes with two subscription plans for learners:

• Monthly: 1-month free trial, then $39,99/month
• Annually: 1-month free trial, then $19,99 /month

*Pricing information retrieved from LinkedIn Learning on October 26, 2023.

Platform #2: Udemy

Udemy is one of the most popular online course marketplaces on the web, featuring more than 213,000 online video courses. This educational platform has over 60 million students, 65 thousand instructors, and subject matter experts creating online courses.

Udemy makes course creation possible for everyone with the possibility of acquiring new skills. In doing so, it offers a range of online learning materials including PDF documents, PowerPoint, text, and video content, among many others.

Instructors can join Udemy and start teaching online, but it takes a huge piece of the pie from the revenue and has control over pricing and discounting the course.

• No setup cost (for instructors)
• Geared towards self-paced learning and video courses
• No need for highly technical knowledge
• A Udemy app available for iOS and Android

Cons (for instructors):

• Limited interaction with students
• High competition between instructors
• No personal branding option
• Minimal control over prices
• No data ownership or control over branding – it keeps emails and user data and does not share this information with instructors
• Visibility depends on your own marketing, the platform only promotes courses that are already popular
• Students: Udemy has a course for almost every discipline, but potential students always need to read the reviews before buying one. Quality is not consistent.
• Instructors: It’s great for teachers, instructors, educators, and freelancers who are just starting out.

Pricing / Revenue (for instructors):

To start charging students a fee for courses on Udemy, you will need to become a premium instructor. In such a case, the following conditions apply:

• No starting fee but very high commissions on sales of up to 75%.
• 37% when students come through their paid user acquisition channel.
• 97% on course sales when you sell through your own links. Udemy keeps a 3% administration fee.

*Pricing adjusted on a global price tier matrix developed by Udemy.

*Pricing information retrieved from Udemy Support on October 26, 2023.

Platform #3: Coursera

Coursera is an online education platform with over 100 million users that is dedicated to offering high-quality online training courses worldwide. While partnering with top universities and businesses, it provides students the opportunity to receive certifications from renowned institutions upon joining their paid courses.

Coursera offers individual courses, specializations, certifications, and degree programs (for bachelor’s and master’s degrees) that support on-demand video lectures, homework exercises, peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums.

With Coursera Plus, students can get unlimited access to 90 percent of the learning programs in the Coursera catalog via a yearly or monthly subscription option.

• Offers a variety of learning options and activities
• Awards students with different types of accreditation (through degrees and certificates)
• Provides high-quality educational tools and instructor interactions
• Courses are free if you are not looking for a certification
• Limited to educators in partner institutions
• Less flexible course creation options compared to other platforms
• Does not offer instructor feedback, only peer reviewed assignments as a feedback mechanism
• Students: Anyone who wants to learn from prestigious institutions, whether they are looking for a one-off course, certification, or an online degree.
• Instructors: It is aimed at professors who are based at a HE partner institution or business .

Coursera offers free courses, subscriptions, and one-off payments depending on the course or program.

Platform #4: Skillshare

Skillshare is another popular course marketplace that has more than 13 million users and up to 35,000 lessons in various creative fields. Course lessons last from 20 to 60 minutes and are made from a series of small videos, class projects, and a student community that encourages interaction through discussion forums.

Classes on Skillshare are taught by industry leaders, everyday creatives, and professionals and are divided into 4 categories:

Creative arts : from graphic design to fine art, cooking, and music production. Technology : including data science, web design, and e-commerce. Business : finance, accounting, and project management. Lifestyle : teaching, languages, gaming, and wellness.

• Offers easily digestible and bite-sized learning
• Comes with a supportive discussion forum where students exchange feedback
• Provides the ability to take many courses for the same price
• Class content limited to only four categories
• Course material can be low quality
• Skillshare reviews from users are low across multiple review platforms
• No certificate of completion or any other formal recognition
• Students: It is suitable for students interested in the creative arts, technology, business, and lifestyle classes.
• Instructors: It’s great for instructors who are in the creative fields and want to make a side income. Instructors can make money through Skillshare’s royalty system and referral program .

Students: After a 7-day free trial, the pricing is $32 per month or $168 per year for access to all the courses (different regions may have different pricing).

Instructors: Free to join, but it comes with specific class quality guidelines and teaching policies you need to follow.

Skillshare pays instructors based on minutes watched from their course by students, teacher engagement, and premium referrals.

*Pricing information retrieved from Business Insider on October 26, 2023.

Platform #5: edX & Open edX

EdX.org (course marketplace) and Open-edX are two sides of the same coin. EdX is the learning platform where students find online courses from various universities, and Open-edX is an open-source content management system.

Both were created by a team of scientists from Harvard University and MIT with the goal of providing online university-level education across the globe.

EdX.org offers over 4,000 online courses from 250 prestigious businesses and universities offering higher education in many disciplines. These mainly specialize in the sciences–engineering, computer science, data science, math, humanities, business, and management.

• Free and open-source. (for instructors)
• Provides in-depth knowledge and added value (for students)
• Comes with a mobile app on iOS and Android
• Interactive online classes – allowing students to chip in
• Discussion forums seem to be outdated and difficult to navigate
• Requires technical knowledge or hiring a developer/web designer to implement (for instructors)
• Comes with the additional costs of a self-hosted server and its maintenance (for instructors)

Students (EdX): it has a very diverse library of courses suitable for most ages looking to learn a subject or new skills.

Instructors (Open-edX): It’s great for businesses who can afford a team or outsource the development and maintenance of the platform on their own servers.

Pricing for Instructors:

Free to join, but there may be additional costs of procuring a server and system support and getting expert help from Open-edX’s service providers or freelancers whose pricing varies according to your project’s requirements and budget.

For more information on Open-edX course creation expenses, check out this guide .

Platform #6: Udacity

Udacity is a learning platform that teaches learners the skills and knowledge they need, preparing them for a successful career in the technology industry.

Its training programs are known as ‘nanodegrees’ and are being offered as part of the platform’s collaboration with major tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Udacity’s mission is to transform talent at scale.

Udacity boasts a community of more than 17 million learners and 700 instructors.

• Has a simple and intuitive user interface
• Offers top-notch course content quality
• Provides additional career services (for students)
• Comes with more than 200 free courses
• Awards certificates (not accredited)
• Supports live tutoring (for instructors)
• Not much variety of course topics
• Course material is mainly in the English language
• No mobile app available
• It is a pricey option compared to other platforms

Students : It is ideal for individuals interested in updating their existing knowledge in the technology field, enterprises , and governmental organizations.

Instructors : It mainly targets industry leaders and professionals from Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies, who have shown leadership and expertise in the tech fields.

For students : Udacity offers both free and paid courses, and prices may vary depending on the course/program itself (depending on its subject and duration). Udacity’s subscription costs $249 for a monthly plan or $2,390 with an annual payment.

For Instructors : Instructors are contracted and get paid differently depending on the contract terms. With Udacity, there are different types of instructor work, including:

• Instructor – developing a full course
• Advisor – offering advice on an Udacity school or nanodegrees
• Course proposals – proposing a new course
• Other course support – building projects, lessons, assessments, etc.

An instructor gets selected to teach on Udacity after showing a demonstrated record of professional experience and expertise in a digital subject area related to Udacity schools and after passing the instructor evaluation process.

*Pricing information retrieved from Udacity on October 26, 2023.

Online course platforms are the backbone of the eLearning economy, used by entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes to create their own educational academies, marketplaces, and training grounds.

If you are looking to start an online academy of your own, have full control over branding, pricing, and user data, then an online course platform is what you are looking for.

Platform #1: LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is our very own cloud-based LMS platform that comes as an all-in-one eLearning management solution offering the ability to build your online academy while creating, marketing, and selling unique, interactive, and learning experiences .

Our platform brings everything you need in one place, making the process of creating online courses easy, quick, and affordable.

LearnWorlds is designed by experts in eLearning as a modern LMS platform and includes build-in authoring tools and ecommerce capabilities. LearnWorlds also comes with a state-of-the-art mobile app , community, marketing, and educational features.

• Very easy to set up and create course content
• Does not require any technical skills to use
• Comes with built-in course authoring capabilities
• Offers a state-of-the-art no-code Website Builder
• Offers a fully customizable, coding-free Mobile App Builder for iOS and Android
• Has built-in reporting, e-commerce, marketing, and affiliate features
• Comes with a built-in online community and discussion boards
• Supports SCORM and HTML5 files , including Graded SCORMs
• AI Assistant to build courses with artificial intelligence
• Offers responsive 24/7 customer support
• No pre-built sales funnels
• Limited gamification options (badges only)
• Does not support TinCan

LearnWorlds comes with the most powerful website builder for elearning sites, with website, page, and zone templates. The platform is a 100% white-label platform with fully customizable branding. It enables you to manage who sees which zones/pages and control the navigation experience of the users.

Watch the video below for a quick preview and try it out yourself from here .

It’s ideal for entrepreneurs, individual instructors, educators, small/medium businesses, professional trainers, and companies that want to train their employees or educate their customers .

It offers a 30-day free trial and then 4 subscription pricing plans:

• Starter plan: $29/month (plus $5 per course sale)
• Pro trainer plan: $99/month
• Learning center: $299/month
• High Volume and custom corporate pricing are available

*Pricing Information retrieved from LearnWorlds on October 26, 2023.

💁 Find out more about LearnWorlds’ alternatives .

Platform #2: Thinkific

Thinkific is a standalone course platform that helps you build and sell online courses. Thinkific provides everything you need to create your online education business, including an easy-to-use interface to build online courses and rich multimedia to add right into your course content.

• Includes a landing page builder
• Offers built-in sales and marketing tools
• Has various integrations with popular software
• It helps you build your online learning community
• Is a cloud-hosted platform you can connect your domain with
• Has a white-label option
• Has 24/7 support
• Offers limited control over website design
• Can be difficult to build complex courses
• Does not support SCORM, TinCan, or AICC
• Doesn’t include social features
• Focuses more on sales features rather than learning

It’s ideal for solopreneurs, small/medium businesses – SMEs, and coaches who want to generate more income.

Free to join with limited functionality. It offers a 30-day free trial on the Pro plan.

Subscription plans include:

• Free Plan – $0
• Basic – $49/month
• Start – $99/month
• Grow – $199/month
• Thinkific Plus – Customized pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from Thinkific October 26, 2023.

💁 Compare Thinkific to LearnWorlds.

💁 Compare Thinkific Pricing to Teachable & LearnWorlds.

Platform #3: Teachable

Teachable is an online teaching platform that serves the everyday instructor, helping them transform their knowledge into a business. Teachable provides an easy and simple solution for uploading your learning content, customizing your online school, and communicating effectively with your students.

• Simple and easy-to-use course authoring with quiz capabilities
• Has a landing page editor and blogging capabilities
• Comes with built-in eCommerce features
• Includes built-in affiliate, marketing, and sales tools
• Comes with a built-in email marketing tool
• Offers an app that is common to all schools (only Apple – App Store)
• Offers email support and a knowledge base
• Limited learning/teaching and assessment capabilities
• Does not support SCORM or TinCan
• Offers limited customization options on landing pages and branding
• No social or community building features
• Not very responsive customer support
• Limited white-labeling options (e.g. sign-ins and emails cannot be white-labeled)

It’s a great option for new course creators, solopreneurs, coaches, and creative professionals.

Teachable has the following pricing options:

• Free plan: $0/month (limited functionality and $1 + 10% per transaction)
• Basic plan: $59/month (plus 5% transaction fee)
• Pro plan: $159/month
• Pro+ plan: $249/month
• Business plan: Customized pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from Teachable on October 26, 2023.

💁 Compare Teachable with LearnWorlds

💁 Are you looking for a SCORM-compliant LMS ?

Platform #4: Kajabi

Kajabi is an all-in-one online platform that offers the tools to sell digital products , including online courses, coaching programs, and podcasts . Kajabi specializes in building high-converting sales pages, landing pages, and webinar pages for your online business and launching your advertising campaigns.

• Comes with built-in email and marketing tools
• Offers various integrations with popular software
• Provides sales pipelines/funnels building capabilities
• Features an online community
• Offers a collection of beautiful themes
• Allows the creation of landing pages
• Can be difficult to set up
• Has the most expensive pricing options
• Offers limited control and customization over website design
• Doesn’t offer as many course creation or learning features
• Focuses more on small digital product sales

It is for non-techy online course creators, digital entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, creators, and individual instructors selling simple format courses and downloadables.

Offers a 14-day trial with a credit card. Then it goes to a monthly payment of the subscription plan, which includes:

• Basic Plan: $149/month
• Growth Plan: $199/month
• Pro Plan: $399/month

*Pricing Information retrieved from Kajabi on October 26, 2023.

💁 Compare Kajabi with LearnWorlds

Platform #5: Podia

Podia is an online learning platform that makes creating and selling online courses, memberships, and other digital products an easy task. Podia offers a rich resources library and free tools for entrepreneurs who want to build their online store, school, community, or website.

• Very easy and simple to use
• Has sales page customization options
• Comes with a website builder
• Offers email and affiliate marketing options within the platform
• Allows you to have your own membership subscription
• Doesn’t offer a community area on the platform
• Lacks learning tools like grading, assessment/assignments, and certificates
• Very limited in its capabilities – suiting smaller video-based learning, coaching, and downloadables only
• No white-label option

It’s great for content creators and artists who want to monetize their content and knowledge with simple learning activities and gated videos.

Subscription pricing plans include:

• Mover: $39/month
• Shaker: $89/month

Pricing information retrieved from Podia on October 26, 2023.

💁 Compare Podia with LearnWorlds

💁 Find out more Podia Alternatives

Platform #6: WizIQ

WizIQ is a cloud-based education platform for real-time or self-paced training that allows educators to use their own custom-branded domains. It delivers live and on-demand webinars, and it’s a very popular tool amongst online course creators who prefer live training, coaching , or a classroom-like environment.

• Offers elearning reporting and analytics
• Provides the opportunity to teach in a virtual classroom
• Has a mobile app (mLearning) that is available on Apple and Android
• Comes with course authoring with test and assessment capabilities
• Has eCommerce features and multiple integrations
• Offers a white label option
• Has no gamification options
• Its customer support representatives are difficult to reach after setup (based on online reviews)

It’s ideal for enterprise employees, individual teachers, trainers, colleges, universities, tutoring, and Test-Prep companies.

It offers a free 14-day trial and its pricing starts from $18 /month (when billed annually). Then the price varies depending on rooms and attendees, and the number of registered users for their:

• Live Classroom (Professional & Enterprise, or Pay-Per-Use plans), and
• LMS (Elite and Infinite Plans)

For more information, contact WizIQ directly.

*Pricing information retrieved from WizIQ on October 26, 2023.

Platform #7: Academy of Mine

Academy Of Mine is an all-in-one platform that empowers you to create and sell your courses in professional training, continuing education, certifications, and B2B training. With this platform, you can customize existing features or build new features via API. On top of that, you can craft interactive content with PPT, PDF, video, and many more.

• Supports SCORM content
• Offers reporting on learners’ progress
• Provides branding and white-label options
• Integrates with popular tools and uses API
• Comes with a flexible website builder
• Very responsive support team
• Needs a lot of work to customize the site
• Only offers a few video guides to help you learn how to work with the platform
• Very high price to get started or scale a project/business

It’s ideal for academics, large enterprises , public administrations, and small/medium businesses interested in offering training and certifications.

Academy Of Mine comes with a free trial but has no free version. These are the pricing plans it offers:

• Professional: $999/month
• Enterprise: custom pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from Academy Of Mine on October 26, 2023.

💁 P.S.: We also have a dedicated article on the top online course platforms .

A Learning Management System is a software application that is used to plan, manage, and deliver eLearning content. It is used widely in the eLearning industry and acts as a distribution vehicle for course content or training resources for different learning and development programs.

These are the best learning management systems in the market:

Platform #1: Docebo

Docebo comes with a top cloud-based LMS solution that ticks off the majority of every organization’s training needs and requirements. The platform is learner-centric and comes with L&D capabilities using learning-specific Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms that help to personalize the learning experience. Docebo is trusted by notable companies, including Bloomberg and Sharp.

• Compatible with SCORM 1.2 and 2004 editions, AICC, and Tin Can API
• Has engaging gamification and social learning capabilities
• Provides analytics on the effectiveness of learning programs
• Offers instructor-led training (ILT) features
• Supports more than 40 languages
• Allows third-party integrations with 400+ tools
• Allows offering certificates and selling online courses (eCommerce)
• Doesn’t offer customizable or advanced reporting capabilities
• Has limited functionality on certain objects of the LMS that require richer API
• Doesn’t come with enough features on its standard package that would better suit small and medium-sized businesses

It’s aimed for use by human resource professionals, HR departments, or enterprises.

Pricing is based on the number of active users. Docebo’s subscription plans include:

• Growth: suitable for organizations that have up to 300 users.
• Enterprise: suitable for organizations that have over 300 users and are looking for a more advanced elearning solution.

The business doesn’t provide detailed pricing information. To find out about prices, you need to contact Docebo directly.

*Pricing information retrieved from Docebo & FinancesOnline on October 26, 2023.

💁‍♀️ Best Docebo Alternatives

Platform #2: LearnUpon

LearnUpon is another great cloud-based option intended for educational purposes, corporate training, customer education, and partner training. This platform is well-known for its functionalities, user-friendly interface, and multilingual support it offers. Its ability to segment different teams and create unique learning paths is one of the advantages it offers, helping you support learning across every audience.

• Features great gamification options
• Comes with eCommerce functionality
• Compatible with SCORM and xAPI/Tin Can API
• Offers third-party integrations with key business tools
• Offers the ability to support multiple audiences in one system using multiple portals
• Supports blended learning methods – ILT, webinars, PowerPoint presentations, etc.
• Has high-pricing plans
• There is no option for HTML5 courses

It’s ideal for educational institutions and businesses of all types and sizes.

It offers a free trial and demo. Pricing is not publicly available and is based on the number of active users available on each plan. There are 3 subscription plans:

• Essential: for 150 to 300 users
• Premium: for 300 to 1000 users
• Enterprise: for 1000+ users

To get detailed information on pricing, contact LearnUpon directly.

*Pricing information retrieved from LearnUpon on October 26, 2023.

Platform #3: Litmos

Litmos (formerly known as SAP Litmos) is a popular platform that offers a variety of eLearning solutions for businesses, including corporate, customer, partner, services, support training, and compliance training. Amongst its bigger strengths is the ability to create customized learning paths for the needs and the style of every company and its employees.

• Has an intuitive course builder and built-in authoring
• Compatible with SCORM, AICC, xAPI/Tin Can API
• Offers built-in reporting, dashboards, and social communication functionality
• Comes with eCommerce and third-party integrations
• Allows the creation of customized learning paths
• Provides ILT, video assessments, and virtual classroom capabilities
• Has a content library with 2,000+ ready-made training video-based courses
• Has limited customization options
• Its interface isn’t as appealing as others
• It might be an expensive option depending on your business requirements
• Its assessment and feedback delivery process are slower than usual
• Lacks a dedicated payment gateway connection

It’s great for businesses of all types and sizes, focusing mostly on corporate training.

It offers a 14-day free trial. Pricing is not publicly available on the site, but it is based on the number of active users after contacting their sales team. Various online sources mention a price range between $2-$5 per user depending on the plan and number of users.

Access to the LMS, specific courses, and add-on features comes with a quote-based plan, after making a pricing request to Litmos directly.

*Pricing information retrieved from Litmos on October 26, 2023.

Platform #4: iSpring Learn

As another great LMS option, iSpring Learn can be integrated with the corporate training program of any business. Due to the large variety of pricing plans and standalone tools it offers, an organization can choose what fits with their learning needs and budget the most.

iSpring is the cheapest option for smaller businesses but is not as feature-rich as the other LMS in this category.

• Has unlimited file storage
• Features an intuitive learner interface
• Comes with a course template library
• Presents rich gamification features
• Provides analytical and real-time reporting
• Compatible with SCORM, AICC, and xAPI/Tin Can API
• Offers an integrated authoring tool with blended learning capabilities
• Allows mobile and offline access for a more convenient learning experience
• Uses an automated course management tool that makes administrative tasks easier
• Doesn’t offer multilingual support
• No direct learner-to-learner messaging inside discussion forums
• Has limited design customization, branding, and API options
• Has limited eCommerce capabilities and integration options

It’s suitable for organizations of all types and sizes.

It offers a 30-day free trial and a live demo. Pricing is based on the number of active users and starts at $2,99 per user/month for organizations with 50 users or fewer.

• It comes with three subscription plans – Basic, Advanced, and Pro for each set number of users (50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 users). For more details on pricing information, check the platform’s pricing here .

*Pricing information retrieved from iSpring Learn on October 26, 2023.

Platform #5: Blackboard

Blackboard is an LMS solution that offers an adaptable learning environment suitable for both academic and business development purposes. As a learning platform, it provides a range of social and blended learning features that can make any type of training engaging throughout its course.

• Comes with a mobile app for learners and instructors (iOS and Android)
• Compatible with SCORM, AICC, IMS LTI, and xAPI/Tin Can API
• Features reporting, tracking program outcomes & accreditation standards
• Offers the ability to categorize users by different metrics (e.g. skills and department)
• Integrates with social media channels and video conferencing tools
• Limited reporting capabilities
• Limited gamification options
• Doesn’t have any security-enhancing features

It fits well with the requirements of educational institutes, public administrations, educators, trainers, instructional designers, as well as SMEs and enterprises.

It offers a 30-day trial on selected products. To learn about pricing options and get your custom plan, you need to contact Blackboard directly and arrange for a demo with an expert.

*Pricing information retrieved from Anthology on October 26, 2023.

Platform #6: Moodle

Unlike the majority of LMSs, Moodle is a free, open-source learning management platform. Moodle was designed by a group of developers and offers a range of drag-and-drop tools and useful resources that can help the everyday user. The platform is translated into over 95 languages and powers learning environments worldwide.

• Has a desktop and mobile app (iOS and Android)
• Offers a variety of customization options and integrations to plugins and add-ons
• Gives you access to a community of developers, users, and certified partners that share best practices on the use of the platform
• Doesn’t offer an email or 24/7 support
• Primitive and not as user-friendly interface
• Comes with limited gamification options
• Can be expensive if you are hosting the solution but don’t have an in-house IT team
• Its setup can be tricky and time-consuming without the help of a certified Moodle partner
• Its consultation services may come with an additional fee

It’s suitable for educators, freelancers, businesses, and public administrations.

Moodle comes in two variations. The first one is the original open-source Moodle which is free to use and runs most self-hosted eLearning websites. The other one is MoodleCloud, which offers a cloud-based solution, and its pricing is based on the number of users and file storage.

For off-the-shelf hosting:

• Starter : €120/year (50 users, 250MB)
• Mini : €200/year (100 users, 500MB)
• Small : €370/year (200 users, 1GB)
• Medium : €860/year (500 users, 2.5GB)
• Large : €1,630/year (1,000 users, 5GB)

For premium hosting: Customized pricing

*Pricing information retrieved from MoodleCloud on October 26, 2023.

Platform #6: Talent LMS

TalentLMS is another popular and cloud-based LMS option and already serves 70,000+ teams worldwide. It offers online course creators and businesses the opportunity to build training programs and share them with remote teams.

The platform comes with a range of options from building to organizing and delivering course content, as well as customizing website design and scaling your business.

• Offers a clean and user-friendly interface
• Easy to create courses in different categories
• Comes with a mobile app (for iOS and Android)
• Supports SCORM, CMI5 & xAPI content
• Comes with TalentLibrary – a collection of ready-made courses
• Provides an assessment building engine (with different testing options)
• Offers gamification and e-commerce options
• Has reporting, integrations, mass actions, and account branching capabilities
• Not as responsive customer support service
• Has limited course setup and content variety options
• Offers limited functionality inside discussion forums

It is for businesses and organizations of all sizes – from SMEs to enterprises that want to train their customers, employees, and partners.

Subscription plans include standard plans and active plans.

Standard plans (on the yearly plan) include:

• Starter : $89/month
• Basic : $189/month
• Plus : $369/month
• Premium : $569/month

Active plans (on the yearly plan) include:

• Starter Active : $179/month
• Basic Active : $339/month
• Plus Active : $489/month
• Premium Active : $649/month

Pricing changes on each plan when TalentLibrary is added to the package. See additional prices on TalentLMS .

*Pricing information retrieved from TalentLMS on October 26, 2023.

If you are using a WordPress-powered website, and you want to start creating and selling courses, a WordPress LMS plugin is what you need.

With an add-on tool like a plugin, you get to increase the functionality of your site and allow yourself more control over the administration and management aspects of your online course business.

WordPress LMS plugins are usually the cheapest option for hosting a cloud LMS , but offer much less functionality and come with high maintenance costs. They usually require some experience with WordPress or a developer to customize to your exact specifications.

They are ideal if you want to combine them with other plugins to offer a unique experience and add features to your membership site, however, there is a dangerous downside to using them. Combining many WordPress plugins without a dev team to support them may come with many bugs and incompatibilities.

The following LMS plugins are recommended if you have the team and time to implement and effectively maintain them:

Plugin #1: LearnDash

LearnDash is the most popular premium WordPress LMS plugin in the market. With it, you can design, promote, and sell online courses. Currently, it is being used by Fortune 500 companies and prestigious universities. Out of the best features it offers, its speed and its drag-and-drop course builder make the process of course creation both easy and enjoyable.

LearnDash Themes : There are many themes you can choose when using Learndash. WP Mayor has collected the 12 best themes that will elevate the quality of your online courses and your school’s. Astra, Social Learner, eLumine, and Unidash are some of the most notable ones.

• Offers membership, subscription, and one-time pricing options
• Features test and management tools, e.g., grade books and student metrics.
• Works with any WordPress theme and multi-sites
• Supports many types of media, including video, audio, images, Adobe Captivate files, and Google Docs
• Compatible with PayPal and Stripe payment gateways
• Provides the ability to market courses through monetization tools (shopping cart, memberships, subscriptions, course bundles, and course licenses)
• Provides automated email notifications and detailed reporting
• Integrates with popular tools (like Zapier, Slack, & ConvertKit)
• Offers drip-feed content, flexible prerequisites, badges, and certificates
• Allows you to install extra extensions and premium add-ons (such as the frontend course creation add-on) for advanced functionality
• No free trial, but you can cancel within 15 days (if you don’t like the product)
• Doesn’t have any video conferencing tools
• Has to be integrated with a third-party plugin like WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads to offer comprehensive payment options

It can be used by individuals, authors, companies, universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide to help them create and sell their courses.

There are two ways to use LearnDash – either getting the plugin or launching a fully-hosted course website.

LearnDash plugin’s pricing is based on the number of site licenses:

• 1 site license: $199/year
• 10 site licenses: $399/year
• Unlimited: $799/year

LearnDash Cloud (full-site) comes in a monthly and yearly subscriptions in 3 plans:

• Starter: $29/month
• Yearly: $299/year

Information retrieved from LearnDash on October 26, 2023.

💁 Compare LearnWorlds vs LearnDash

💁 Compare LearnWorlds vs WooCommerce

Plugin #2: LifterLMS

LifterLMS is the leading free open-source WordPress LMS solution. It comes with content management tools that can help you offer individual courses, training-based membership websites, and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). LifterLMS allows you to build an LMS that can be enriched with add-ons and meet the unique needs of individuals, small groups, and niche markets.

LifterLMS Themes : There is a large variety of themes you can choose from with LifterLMS. Find them on the platform’s website and pick the one that works the best with your subject, industry, or business (e.g. consultancy, entrepreneurial, and more).

• Comes with a 30-day demo for $1
• Has an automated mailing system and video lesson support
• Offers course completion certificates and achievement badges
• Supports flexible payment options (bundles, coupons, upsells, and more)
• Comes with built-in membership features, quizzes, and gradebooks
• Has a drag-and-drop builder that makes it easy to set up and create courses
• Integrates with key marketing tools, including MailChimp, WooCommerce, and WPForms
• It can get expensive if you need multiple add-ons (e.g. payment gateways)
• Not SCORM-compliant

It is suited for businesses, teachers, and WordPress users – developers, designers, and IT professionals who build LMS websites and training portals. It is also fit for do-it-yourself innovators who are interested in creating online courses, coaching or training-based membership websites, and hosted LMS platform switchers.

LifterLMS has three subscription packages.

• Earth Bundle : $199/year
• Universe Bundle : $360/year
• Infinity Bundle : $1200/year

*Information retrieved from LifterLMS on October 26, 2023.

Plugin #3: LearnPress

LearnPress is another popular choice amongst WordPress LMS plugins. It offers a free version which means that all the essential features are free, and you can get add-ons at a cost depending on how advanced you want your school website to be. It is rather easy to use, and it has a friendly interface.

LearnPress Themes : You will most likely need to pay around $50 (one-time) to get a theme. Choose your theme from the LearnPress theme collection wisely because the add-ons you get can only be used for the specific theme you choose.

• Has a free plan and mobile app (iOS & Android)
• Offers theme demos that allow you to preview your website design
• Frequently updated to address bugs and improve security
• It is a great option for beginners
• Allows integration with BuddyPress and BBPress forums
• Its free add-ons include Wishlist, course reviews, and prerequisite courses
• Has an in-built automatic email system that allows you to send quiz results to participants
• Supports a collection of payment gateways such as PayPal, 2Checkout, Authorize.net, and Stripe
• Has management tools for tracking students, grades, and course content
• Might be expensive to get all the features and add-ons at once
• Its best available plan only offers up to 3 site licenses
• Needs premium add-ons to offer the drip-feed and certificates capability
• Doesn’t come with a setup wizard like most WordPress plugins
• Lacks a variety of communication tools

It is best suited to individuals who already have or want to build an eLearning website or online school, entrepreneurs, web development agencies, and educational institutions.

• LearnPress Free : $0
• LearnPress Theme Bundle : starting $49 – $69 (one-time payment – 1 site license)
• LearnPress Pro Bundle : $249.99 with access to all add-ons (one-time payment – 3 site licenses)

*Information retrieved from ThimPress on October 26, 2023.

Plugin #4: MemberPress

With MemberPress as the ‘all-in-one’ membership plugin, you can create powerful WordPress membership sites . MemberPress offers a solution that allows you to protect your course by offering gated content that you can share with specific members or a closed community.

While it is not really a learning management system, many entrepreneurs use MemberPress alone or in a combination with other plugins to offer online courses.

LearnPress Themes : If you are struggling to choose a theme for your membership site, MemberPress has prepared a dedicated list of membership themes that they recommend for use.

• Restricts and manages access to your learning materials and courses
• Hosts unlimited members and memberships
• Has automatic upgrade and downgrade prorations
• Provides full subscription and transaction management
• Offers content access drip, access expiration, and premium community forums
• Includes comprehensive reporting, custom registration, account fields, and built-in integrations
• Doesn’t have a free trial or free version
• Doesn’t offer certificates
• Doesn’t have a drag-and-drop builder
• Might be more complicated or need a longer time for setup
• Doesn’t offer live online learning or webinars; only documentation
• Works best for online courses when combined with a WordPress LMS plugin like LearnDash

It is ideal for creators, podcasters, hobbyists, entrepreneurs of any industry (fitness, beauty, arts, etc.), tutors, teachers, writers, coaches, nutritionists, consultants, designers, religious organizations, communities, and online stores.

MemberPress has three subscription packages:

• Basic : $179.50 per year
• Plus : $299.50 per year
• Pro : $399.50 per year

*Information retrieved from MemberPress on October 26, 2023.

Plugin #5: WPLMS

WPLMS is one of the best social learning management systems for WordPress on the market. This tool makes it easy to create and sell online courses, work with other instructors within a community and earn commissions. Some of the notable features it offers are activity tracking, course directories, course management, and a front-end course creator.

WPLMS Themes : Its biggest asset is the collection of education-specific WordPress themes it comes with that makes it easy to adjust to your school site requirements. You can get an idea of what it offers through WPLMS’s theme demos .

• Has a mobile app (for iOS and Android)
• Is one of the most affordable and feature-rich WordPress LMSs
• Extends and integrates with third-party services and popular WordPress plugins including WooCommerce for monetization and BBPress for discussion forums
• Supports video conferencing through integration and gamification of courses
• Offers microlearning, gamification, certificates, and badges
• Supports activity tracking, student management, question banks, and custom reports
• Provides the ability to offer course bundles, membership and corporate plans
• It doesn’t come with a free version or a free trial
• Its course creation interface is lacking in some areas
• It doesn’t come with a full drag-and-drop interface
• Lacks some customization options compared to other LMSs

It is suitable for training centers, businesses interested in offering corporate training, course tutors, colleges, schools or academies, universities, and MOOC platforms.

WPLMS has two types of licenses:

• Regular license: $75 (one-time payment)
• Extended license: $3,000 (one-time payment)

*Information retrieved from Themeforest on October 26, 2023.

On top of online learning platforms, standalone course platforms, and WordPress Plugins, there is also the option to use individual software to create different types of learning content. These are called authoring tools .

You can use an authoring tool to design and redesign the content and arrange it into an interactive format that makes sense and serves a learning purpose. The usual format these tools come in is SCORM, HTML5, xAPI, or TIN CAN files, and the results of an authoring tool can be exported and uploaded for hosting in an LMS that can support these formats.

Below are some of the best options to choose from:

Tool #1: Articulate Storyline 360

Articulate Storyline 360 is a popular course authoring tool amongst many demanding course creators and instructional designers. Many individuals and businesses are choosing it as their favorite tool because it has award-winning course creator assets, features, and useful resources and does what it promises to do.

• Has a comprehensive set of features and course-authoring apps
• Allows you to create courses manually from existing templates
• Offers live and on-demand online training (live webinar by experts)
• Has a variety of quizzes and course templates
• Allows you to add various interactions with the content
• Comes with a large library of templates, course assets, photos, videos, icons, and illustrations
• Features a review app to help you gather feedback from stakeholders easily
• Has a downloadable program only
• Has one price tier and feature set only
• It is an expensive solution compared to others
• It relies heavily on the PowerPoint experience
• Difficult to use and might need a technical expert to help you out

It is more suitable for newer designers because of its ease of use. Also, it is an ideal choice for freelancers, academics, and businesses of any size or industry.

Articulate 360 has different pricing for companies, freelancers, and academic professionals:

• For companies : $1,399/yearly (per user)
• For freelancers : personal plan – $1,099/yearly (one user) and teams plan – $1,399/yearly (per user)
• For academic : personal plan – $549/yearly (one user) and teams plan – $699/yearly (per user)

*Information retrieved from Articulate on October 26, 2023.

Tool #2: Elucidat

Elucidat comes with a beautiful user-friendly interface, modern and easy navigation, which makes it one of the easiest-to-use course creation tools on this list. While it doesn’t offer the flexibility to create your own course template, its 25,000 different ones are enough to compensate for that. As an authoring tool, Elucidat is designed for enterprises and L&D teams.

• Offers enhanced collaboration options (for L&D teams)
• Provides data protection (GDPR, data encryption)
• Comes with user permissions and access controls
• Features localization workflows
• Supports HTML5, video SCROM (1.2, 2004), xAPI (TinCan) on all browsers
• Comes with a rich course template library
• Has a range of support resources
• It lacks integrations
• You need to contact sales to get a pricing quote

It is ideal for large enterprises, academics, and non-profit organizations .

Elucidat offers a 14-day free trial and has four pricing options: Basic, Team, Enterprise, and Scale. For all plans, you need to contact Elucidat and request a price for each, depending on your requirements and the number of users.

*Information retrieved from Elucidat on October 26, 2023.

Tool #3: Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is a popular choice for an authoring tool, and it’s one of the top premium ones in the market. Depending on what you need it for, you can use it to create immersive learning scenarios and high-quality online courses. Adobe Captivate promises to help you create stunning courses in minutes, and as one of the top rated and most recognized brands, it regularly updates its tool.

• Has a clean and easy-to-navigate user interface
• Allows you to create interactive training courses or videos
• Includes a green screen feature where you can insert your background
• Offers the possibility to create storyboards and offer VR immersive learning Supports smart video recording helping you create studio-quality HD videos
• Frequently updated with new services and features
• Available on MAC and Windows
• Supports a variety of mobile forms
• Has a PowerPoint integration
• Offers overlay and ready-to-go slides
• Can be difficult to use or overwhelming for new users
• Not an intuitive and user-friendly interface
• Expensive to purchase compared to other tools

It is aimed for use by freelancers, small/medium companies, large enterprises, and non-profit organizations.

Adobe Captivate offers a free trial and its price starts at $33.99/month.

*Information retrieved from Adobe on October 26, 2023.

Tool #4: Lectora

Lectora – powered by ELB Learning, checks off the majority of the feature points that come with any course authoring tool. Packed up with a responsive design, automated versioning, interactivity, branching, quizzing features, and course template options, this tool will prove itself handy for creating eLearning content.

• Comes with a built-in asset library (icons, eLearning templates, stock images, audio, video, PowerPoint templates)
• Supports SCORM, xAPI, HTML5, AICC, and cmi5
• Integrates well with every LMS platform
• Easy to use and easy to understand
• Comes with a wide range of editing features
• Offers knowledge tests, quizzes, built-in navigations, and interactions
• Has some new features that can be quirky with different browsers
• Offers limited options in interactions
• Comes with limited abilities in advanced animations

It is ideal for freelancers, small/medium companies, large enterprises, and non-profit organizations.

Lectora has three pricing plans:

• Silver Suite : $999/year (for individual use)
• Gold Suite : $1,399/yearly (for teams, per author pricing)
• Platinum : $1,999/year (for teams, per author pricing)

*Information retrieved from ELB Learning on October 26, 2023.

Tool #5: EasyGenerator

Just like its name suggests, EasyGenerator is an authoring tool that is super easy to use. It has rich interface options, and it is great for use by individuals who are just starting out and have no previous experience in creating online courses. This tool aims to simplify the course creation process to make it accessible to everyone.

• Offers the ability to do PowerPoint imports
• Provides course auto-translation with one click (from/to 75 languages)
• Has a drag-and-drop functionality
• Supports SCORM (1.2, 2004) and xAPI
• Allows you to access learner insights (performance & engagement)
• Comes with a stock-image library
• It is compatible with most LMS platforms out there
• Its drag-and-drop feature doesn’t always work on mobiles
• It can be difficult to use in the beginning

It is ideal for individuals who have no eLearning background. It is up for use by freelancers, small/medium companies, large enterprises, and non-profit organizations.

Easy Generator has three pricing plans:

• Pro : $108/month (1 author, 10 courses, 100 learners)
• Team : $541/month (5 authors, unlimited courses, unlimited learners)
• Enterprise : you need to contact EasyGenerator for custom pricing (unlimited authors, unlimited courses, and unlimited learners)

*Information retrieved from EasyGenerator on October 26, 2023.

Choosing an Online Learning Platform

As you can see, there are many options available when it comes to offering online learning, and each one carries its own strengths and weaknesses. While you may find it time-consuming to go through every small bit of detail that describes each platform and tool, conducting some research on those you are most interested in is highly recommended before finalizing your decision.

Don’t forget, most platforms allow you to have a test drive before you buy their products, so make sure you give it a try and see how it works with other edtech tools!

In the end, the best option for you is to choose the one that best accommodates your needs and works well with your budget.

Want to try out LearnWorlds? It is our very own all-in-one online course platform and what we believe to be the best for creating, selling, and delivering online courses. Get your 30-day free trial today!

Further reading you might find interesting:

• How to Teach Online
• The 7 Best Kajabi Alternatives Reviewed
• The 10 Best eLearning Authoring Tools: Review & Comparison
• Customer Education: The What, Why & How Behind It [Guide]
• 6 Top Thinkific Alternatives Reviewed
• The 5 Best Teachable Alternatives Reviewed
• The 9 Best Mighty Networks Alternatives Reviewed
• Best Online Coaching Platforms

Kyriaki Raouna

Kyriaki is a Content Creator for the LearnWorlds team writing about marketing and e-learning, helping course creators on their journey to create, market, and sell their online courses. Equipped with a degree in Career Guidance, she has a strong background in education management and career success. In her free time, she gets crafty and musical.

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Back in the day, if you wanted to learn something new, you'd go to school for it. Today, educational institutions offer their full programs and individual courses online. Experts in almost every field create programs and courses online to share their knowledge with a worldwide audience.

Both educational institutions and individual experts who want to offer their courses online need somewhere to host it and get it out to people who want to learn. This is why there are many platforms dedicated to offering online courses. Some focus on tighter niches like green technology . Others include courses in a variety of fields.

Whatever you're interested in learning, you can find a course about it from the educational course sites listed below. From beginner levels to intermediate and advanced, there's something for everybody.

Diversity of content; some inexpensive

Top-notch faculty and institutions

The "anyone can be an instructor" approach means lesser-known instructors will be hit-or-miss

Udemy is the online education site that tops this list for being a popular and valuable resource. You can search over 190,000 courses on different topics. Download the Udemy app to take your learning mobile for quick lessons and study sessions when you're on the go.

Some Udemy courses are free, and others start as low as $15. If you're an expert looking to create and launch a course of your own, you can become an instructor with Udemy and take advantage of their massive user base to attract students.

Excellent courses taught by national leaders

Reasonable price points

Academic rigor is reasonably strong

Topics are heavily focused on programming and science

If you're looking to take courses from over 275 of the country's top universities and organizations, then Coursera is for you. Coursera has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and others to offer universal access to the world's best education.

You'll find over 5,400 paid and unpaid courses on Coursera related to computer science, business, social sciences, and more. Coursera also has a mobile app available so you can learn at your pace on-the-go.

LinkedIn Learning

Ala carte model for one monthly subscription cost

Focus on professional development

Hit-or-miss content based on the skill and expertise of the course designer

LinkedIn Learning is a popular educational hub for professionals looking to learn new business, creativity, and technology skills. With over 20,600 expert-led courses, categories include animation, audio and music, business, design, development, marketing, photography, video, and more.

When you sign up with LinkedIn Learning, you get a 30-day free trial. You're then charged either $20 a month for an annual membership or $40 for a month-to-month membership. If you want to deactivate your membership and come back later, LinkedIn Learning has a reactivate feature that restores your account information, including your course history and progress.

Open Culture

 Open Culture

Great clearinghouse of free educational materials

No cost to browse the large library of offerings

Open Culture isn't an educational provider. It's only a curator of other people's content

If you're on a budget and looking for quality education content, check out Open Culture's library of 1,700 courses with over 45,000 hours of audio and video lectures that are free. You'll have to spend a bit of time scrolling through the single page containing 1,700 course links with courses organized by category in alphabetical order.

Many of the courses available on Open Culture are from leading institutions from around the world, including Yale, Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Berkley, and others.  Audiobooks , ebooks, and certificate courses are also available.

Open-source philosophy

Well-curated and well-delivered content by industry experts

Credential programs available

Content tends to be dominated by programming and the sciences

Similarly to Coursera, edX offers access to higher education from over 160 of the world's leading educational institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Berkley, the University System of Maryland, the University of Queensland, and others. Founded and governed by colleges and universities, edX is the only open-source and nonprofit MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) leader.

Find courses in computer science, language, psychology, engineering, biology, marketing, or any other field that interests you. Use it for high school level education or to earn credits for university. You'll receive an official credential from the institution to verify your achievement.

Great content for creative professionals

A subscription-only model with no trial period

Envato's Tuts+ is for those who work and play in creative technology. In addition to its vast library of how-to tutorials, courses are available in design, illustration, code, web design, photography, video, business, music, and audio.

Tuts+ has almost 30,000 tutorials and over 1,300 video courses, with new courses added every week. There isn't a free trial, but the membership is affordable at $16.50 a month.

Focus on technology skills that are in demand by businesses

A well-designed platform that offers credentials and transcripts

The catalog is deep, but not broad

Heavy focus on tech topics

Udacity is dedicated to bringing higher education to the world in the most accessible, affordable, and effective ways possible. Udacity offers online courses and credentials that teach students the skills that are currently in demand by industry employers. They claim to offer their education at a fraction of the cost of traditional schooling.

This is an excellent platform to look into if you plan on working in technology. With courses and credentials in Android, iOS, data science, and software engineering, you can get access to the most up to date education in these innovative areas that are relevant to today's tech companies and startups.

No-cost education

Clean, easy-to-use interface

Wide variety of subjects

Some courses are too niche

Not many well-known providers of content

With 25 million students from across the world, ALISON is an online learning resource that offers free, high-quality courses, education services, and community support. Their resources are designed for anyone looking for a new job, promotion, college placement, or business venture.

Choose from a variety of subjects to pick from thousands of free courses designed to provide you with certificate and diploma level education. You'll also be required to take assessments and score at least 80 percent to pass, so you'll have the skills to move forward.

An eclectic collection of lessons on a variety of subjects

Free content

Some content is so terse (like five-minute video courses) that its value is questionable

OpenLearn is designed to give users free access to educational materials. It was launched in the late 1990s to offer online learning in a broadcast collaboration with the BBC. Today, OpenLearn offers topical and interactive content in a variety of content formats, including courses.

You can filter the free courses by activity, format (audio or video), subject, and more options. All courses are listed with the level (introductory, intermediate, and more) and the time length to give you an idea of what to expect.

FutureLearn

 FutureLearn

Emphasis on group learning and peer engagement

A broad cross-section of content

Can't jump into a course whenever you want, many have start and end dates

Like OpenLearn, FutureLearn is part of The Open University. It is another alternative on this list that offers course programs from leading educational institutions and organization partners. Courses are delivered a step at a time and can be learned at your pace while accessed from a desktop or mobile device.

One benefit of FutureLearn is its commitment to social learning, giving its students the opportunity to engage in discussions with others throughout the course. FutureLearn also offers full programs, which contain several courses for more extensive learning.

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The 8 best platforms to create and sell online courses in 2024

Ever-changing social media and search algorithms make owning your channels more important than ever. Online courses are a great tool for building community and growing your list.

Today, anyone can share knowledge as quickly and easily as you can upload a video to YouTube. But to explore a topic in depth, build a community, earn an income, or grow your business by selling online courses? That takes a more robust setup to help you design course pages, build out a curriculum, and promote your course.

I've been updating this article for several years, and this year, after researching and testing more than 60 apps for creating and selling online courses, these are my picks for the best.

The 8 best online course platforms

Skillshare for teaching creative skills

Teachable for creating an online school with advanced marketing

Podia for selling digital products and memberships

Thinkific for customizable add-ons

Kajabi for marketing a course on autopilot

Mighty Networks for building a paid community

Simplero for managing your business

What makes the best online course platform?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog .

For this piece, I only considered platforms for building and selling an online course, which means I didn't consider learning management systems (LMS). While the terms are often used interchangeably, LMS software is generally used either in a school setting or to help companies train their customers and employees. The platforms to create online courses covered below, on the other hand, are designed for businesses and individual creators to earn money (or build an audience) by selling their courses.

Online course creation platforms can be broadly divided into two categories:

Course marketplaces

Course creation software

In a marketplace , your course is a part of a catalog, and you have the option to customize your course landing page but not much else aside from the course content. Most marketplaces let you publish a course for free but take a share of course sales. The major advantage: course marketplaces provide you with an existing student base, so if you don't have much of an online presence yet, you might want to dabble with these first.

Online course creation software, on the other hand, offers many more customization options. You can create branded landing pages, choose from multiple content formats when building your course, and get the necessary tools to market your course. These usually charge a fixed monthly fee, and some platforms also charge a transaction fee.

Unsurprisingly, there's no one-size-fits-all solution for creating a profitable course. Your ideal course creation platform is unique to your needs and goals. Are online courses your bread and butter? Then you need a platform that helps you reach the maximum number of students. Does teaching and engaging with students excite you? Then a course creator with interactive tools would work well. Are you creating a course to engage your existing audience? Then you'll want a tool with robust marketing features.

While every platform has its own unique selling point, I've judged the online course software below based on certain criteria:

Content formats supported, including video, audio, PDFs, and images

Editing features and customization options

Whether or not they're realistically affordable for small and medium businesses

Support for assessments: quizzes, exams, certifications, etc.

Marketing and payment features

With those criteria in mind, I narrowed it down to 24 apps worth testing, then spent several days exploring them and running through an in-depth testing process. Here's what it looked like:

Signing up for an account and completing any onboarding flows offered

Walking through the core workflow to create a new course, including browsing any course templates, building out the curriculum, and adding course content in varying formats

Testing out other core features like building quizzes and tests, designing course certificates, scheduling live sessions, and setting up drip schedules

Customizing the overall design, colors, fonts, logos, landing pages, and more—to the extent possible with each app

Finally, looking at payment and marketing features like email broadcasts, pricing structures, community building, and SEO

The eight course creation platforms below are the best I found.

The best online course platforms at a glance

Online course marketplaces, best online course marketplace for launching your first course, udemy (web, android, ios).

Udemy pros:

Guided, proscriptive course creation flow

Built-in Udemy audience

Minimal editing/design needed

Udemy cons:

Steep revenue share structure

Requires video

Must apply and be accepted to offer paid courses

While the earliest massive open online courses (MOOCs) made learning accessible, Udemy took it a step further: it made teaching online possible. Today, the platform has well over 65 million students enrolled in its courses and an instructor base of over 75,000.

To create a paid course on Udemy, you first have to apply to become a premium instructor. Once approved, you'll see a series of easy-to-follow steps to help you create your first course. As you plan course content, keep in mind that all courses need at least 30 minutes of video and five lectures. You're also welcome to add quizzes, assignments, coding exercises, and discussion prompts.

Why launch your first course on Udemy? Because the platform offers loads of support for creating and marketing a course. For example, if you're not sure if your video lessons are up to snuff, you can submit a sample for review and get feedback on video and audio, along with suggestions for equipment. And for tutorials on planning a course, filming your first video, and related topics, Udemy offers the Teaching Center with tips and tricks.

If you're struggling to make your first few sales, Udemy's tailor-made marketing programs will offer support. Get your course featured in their email blasts, be a part of site-wide discounts, or opt for Udemy's affiliate marketing program. All of these programs are optional, and depending on the promotional channel you choose, Udemy takes a share of course sales.

Finally, Udemy's marketplace insights help you select the perfect course topic and see how it stacks up against other courses on the platform—which is important because of the size of the marketplace you're competing with. Similar to Google Analytics, this feature tells you how popular a topic is on Udemy, its search volume, and related keywords. You can also see the number of existing courses for a topic, top-earning courses in the category, monthly revenue earned, and best promotion channels (Udemy discovery, Udemy search, external sources, paid ads).

To put it simply, with Udemy, you're in good hands.

Udemy price : Free to publish free courses with under 2 hours of video; Udemy charges 3% revenue share on course sales made by instructor coupons and 63% revenue share on all other course sales. (Note: Revenue share does not include processing fees charged by PayPal or Payoneer, or mobile platform fees for mobile course sales.)

Best online course marketplace for teaching creative skills

Skillshare (web, android, ios).

Skillshare pros:

Quick and easy course setup

Designed for creatives

Skillshare cons:

No support for assessments

Minimally customizable

If you're an entrepreneur, designer, writer, photographer, or blogger looking to teach your craft online, Skillshare is great for teaching creative skills. You'll find courses on all kinds of topics, both popular and niche: marketing, photography, cooking, hand painting, doodling, and even wall hanging.

The platform offers a membership plan for students that gives them access to all of its 35,000 premium courses. As for creators, it's a free online course platform if you just want to sign up and publish a course, but if you want to get paid, it must be a part of Skillshare's premium catalog.

Free or premium, Skillshare classes have three major moving parts: video lessons, a project, and community discussion. Each class includes 20-60 minutes of video, broken down into 2-5-minute lessons. The practical project then ensures hands-on experience. For instance, a social media class project might require students to promote their Instagram account, or a writing class might require students to draft a pitch. Finally, the community portion of a class allows students to post their work.

Instead of favoring final outcomes, Skillshare encourages students to share their progress, gather feedback, and tweak their work accordingly—which is perfect for the creative topics you'll be teaching.

Skillshare price : Free for creating a premium class. Skillshare pays instructors $10 for premium membership referrals and royalties for minutes watched in a premium class each month.

Online courses software

Best online courses platform for building an online school with advanced marketing, teachable (web, ios).

Teachable pros:

Tons of built-in marketing features

Custom-code course editor

Wide-ranging (beta) AI features

Teachable cons:

Only 3 design templates

Pricing structure is less scalable than some

Teachable helps savvy course creators grow and nurture an online audience. To begin with, the platform offers various options to customize the look and feel of your course. Build a website that reflects your brand, create sales pages for launching your course, and if you happen to know some code, use the Power Editor to tinker with it. If not, edit one of the three templates available. Teachable's course builder accepts files from Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, among other content formats.

While several of the apps I tested tout new AI features, Teachable's generative AI was the only one I found somewhat useful. The feature is still in beta, but it generated a course outline, lesson content, and section summaries that were good enough to serve as a solid starting point.

There's flexibility when pricing your course too. You can offer courses on their own or in bundles, and choose between a one-time fee, a payment plan, or a subscription. When you're ready to launch, create coupon codes to see a quick boost in course sales. To build a sales team for your course, use the platform's built-in affiliate marketing option: simply add affiliates, and they'll get a percentage of course sales. No third-party integration required.

Teachable's native email marketing tool lets you filter and message students when they enroll in a course, redeem a coupon, or complete a course. The platform also helps you collect student feedback and uncover insights about your course using Google Forms and surveys. If you'd like to keep in touch with students after they've completed your course, add them to your email list with Teachable's integrations. As they say, the money is in the list.

You can do more with Teachable when you connect it to your favorite apps through Zapier's automated workflows. Automatically add your students to your marketing campaign, track them in a Google Sheet, and more. Discover more ways to automate Teachable with Zapier , or try one of these pre-made workflows to get you started.

Enroll users in Teachable with new ClickFunnels purchases

Add new Teachable students to ActiveCampaign

Add or update subscribers in Mailchimp with new Teachable enrollments

Teachable price : The Free plan includes 1 published course or product and 10 students, with transaction fees of $1 + 10% per transaction; paid plans start at $39/month for the Basic plan , which includes 5 products and unlimited students, plus a custom domain, email marketing, coupon codes, drip course content, and a 5% transaction fee.

If you're looking for a Teachable alternative, LearnWorlds is another good option with a user-friendly course-building interface and nearly 50 visual themes to choose from.

Best online course creation software for selling digital products and memberships

Podia (web).

Podia pros:

Simple, clean course outline builder

Support for multiple kinds of digital products

Podia cons:

Email marketing requires additional cost

Podia transaction fees on top of payment processor fees

Podia lets you build an online store for your digital content. Create online courses, digital downloads, coaching sessions, and even membership sites, all as part of one digital storefront.

All Podia storefronts have a similar template, which is helpful if you find too many options overwhelming. Each store's landing page includes an overview, a "What's included" section, a content section, FAQs, and creator bios. And all courses, memberships, and digital downloads have a separate landing page.

Once you create an online course, you can publish it immediately or pre-launch it to collect emails. If you have additional resources to supplement your course—cheat sheets, eBooks, videos, audio, text, checklists—sell them as a digital download. You can also bundle and sell the two together.

Online content creators often try to nurture an online community on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. This can work, but you're often at the mercy of algorithmic changes and the rules of the platform you choose. Podia allows you to create your own private membership site, with different membership plans, perks, and content for members. Share updates with your community, notify them about new products, and watch your business grow.

Connect Podia to the other apps you use most through Zapier's automated workflows. Automatically add your students to your marketing campaign, enroll new purchasers in your course, and more. Here are some ideas, but you can connect Podia to thousands of other apps with Zapier.

Subscribe new Podia customers to Mailchimp lists

Create Google Sheet rows from new Podia sales

Create Flodesk subscribers from new Podia sales

Podia price : Free to build your draft course; from $33/month for the Mover plan to sell your course, with unlimited courses and members and a 5% transaction fee.

Best online course creation software for customizable add-ons

Thinkific (web).

Thinkific pros:

Affordable pricing structure

Extensive support for assessments

Course templates

Thinkific cons:

Limited free plan

Putting together your first online course can be daunting. How many lessons should you include? Where should you add assignments and quizzes? What other file types should you include? Thinkific takes the guesswork out of course creation with its simple and ready-to-use templates.

There are two parts to creating a course on Thinkific: course material and landing page. To get started, choose from the following templates: pre-sell, mini-course, flagship course, membership resource library, and webinar replay. Unlike other course builders, where you start with a blank slate, Thinkific templates provide helpful cues and tips to build a valuable course. Apart from video lessons, the templates are pre-populated with sample quizzes, downloads, surveys, and instructor messages, at regular intervals throughout the course. Add or remove content as you see fit, or follow the template as is.

Thinkific's website builder is one of the easiest to use. Choose the pages you want to include, add your copy, pick a theme, and you're done.

Want to include testimonials on your website? Here's a neat trick to collect them on Thinkific: turn on student reviews for your course and add the ones you like directly to your landing page. Plus, Thinkific offers a number of add-ons and integrations that are super easy to get set up—they add features like AI chatbot quizzes, collaborative whiteboards, interactivity, gamification, and even test prep simulations.

And by connecting Thinkific with Zapier , you can do things like automatically add your students to your marketing campaign or get an SMS message when a course is purchased. Here are some examples.

Subscribe new Thinkific students to Mailchimp

Log new Thinkific orders to a Google Sheet

Add new full enrollments in thinkific to mailchimp as subscribers.

Thinkific price : Free for 1 course and unlimited students, full eCommerce, and no transaction fees; from $36/month for the Basic plan , which offers most features, including unlimited courses and students, zero transaction fees, a custom domain, and drip content.

Best online course creation software for marketing a course on autopilot

Kajabi (web, ios, android).

Kajabi pros:

Decent generative AI feature

Native email marketing

Kajabi cons:

Less customizable than some

Kajabi gives marketing superpowers to busy course creators. Its marketing blueprints, called funnels, help you create an entire marketing funnel—from landing page and opt-ins to emails and course checkout—with just a few clicks.

Here's an example: The freebie funnel consists of three touchpoints. The first is a landing page where you collect emails in exchange for a free downloadable, such as an eBook or cheat sheet. When a visitor enters their email, they're subscribed to your freebie email sequence, where you can thank them for signing up and upsell your course. If they choose to purchase, they're taken to a thank-you page. And that's it.

You can also choose what to do with the emails you collect. Add them to an email sequence, remind them about your special offer, or send them a thank-you note after they purchase. Kajabi has templates for all kinds of pages. Select a funnel, add your content, and your marketing machine is all set.

Templates can be handy, but if you want to create your own automations, Kajabi offers a number of if-then scenarios to choose from. When a student completes an assessment, fills a form, cancels a subscription, or has been inactive for a while, you can send them an email, register them for an event, or unsubscribe them from an email list. Given that email is at the core of all its features, Kajabi also has a native email provider that helps you track how many of your emails are opened.

You can do more with Kajabi when you connect it to your favorite apps through Zapier's automated workflows . Automatically get email notifications for new purchases, give new purchasers access to your product, and more. Start with one of the pre-made workflows below, or learn more about how to automate Kajabi .

Create Google Sheets rows for new Kajabi purchases

Grant access to Kajabi offers for new ThriveCart product purchases

Create Kajabi form submissions for invitee scheduled events in Calendly

Kajabi price : From $119/month for the Basic plan for one site, 3 products, 3 funnels, 1,000 active customers, and unlimited marketing emails and landing pages.

Deciding between Kajabi and another platform? Read our comparisons: Kajabi vs. Teachable and Kajabi vs. Thinkific .

Best online course creation software for building a paid community

Mighty networks (web, android, ios).

Mighty Networks pros:

Strong community-building focus

AI-generated course outlines

Modern, user-friendly interface

Mighty Networks cons:

High starting price

Not a ton of native marketing features

Mighty Networks helps you build a vibrant, active paid community around your online course. The app focuses broadly on community-building, which includes paid groups, events, and—you guessed it—online courses.

Users can sell individual courses, community membership, or bundle a combination of the two. Memberships can be priced as a one-time payment or subscription, and pricing is 100% custom. Each course can be priced separately or offered for free to paying members.

Every course comes with a built-in Activity Feed that works to foster engagement and conversation as members complete your course. Members can share all kinds of content, too—from quick text posts to images and links. As the instructor, you can set topics to drive the conversation and build live events (both online and IRL) into your courses. Add icebreaker questions to get the ball rolling, and create polls to engage your audience and gather feedback.

Uniquely, the app offers a small but mighty feature (pun intended) that enables instructors to change the verbiage used in their community. For example, your table of contents can alternatively be called syllabus, course material, or any custom label you choose. Instructors can be professor, TA, teacher, or another custom name.

Mighty Networks also now offers one of the most useful generative AI features (called "Mighty Co-Host"), which can generate an extensive course outline based on your provided topic. It worked really well for me in my testing.

You can do more with Mighty Networks when you connect your favorite apps using the Zapier integration. Bring conversations across channels, automate new member invitations, sync events to your calendar, and more with these (and other) pre-made workflows.

Add/update Mailchimp subscribers for new member actions in Mighty Networks

Create or update ActiveCampaign contacts from new Mighty Network members

Create or update flodesk subscribers with new mighty networks member actions.

Mighty Networks price: Plans that include online courses start at $99/month for cohort courses and Zapier integration.

Best online course creator for managing your business

Simplero (web, ios, android).

Simplero pros:

All-in-one CRM, marketing automation, and online course platform

Native payments

Customizable settings

Simplero cons:

Not-so-scalable pricing structure

If you're looking for a capable, customizable online course builder, you can't go wrong with Simplero. Creating and outlining your course curriculum is super quick: click the Create a new course button, and a few screens later, you're ready to build out your curriculum and add your learning content.

But Simplero isn't just a course creation app—it's more like a CRM, marketing automation, and online course tool in one package. That's reflected in the robust automation and list management features included in the app. You can build, publish, and market courses, track sales and financials, and maintain your customer list all in one app.

Head over to Marketing > Done-For-You Campaigns , for example, to install the Course Launch Challenge, a 21-day automated sequence. All you need to do is customize the emails and choose when the automation flow should run. It's a perfect all-in-one solution for when your online course is your business.

And with Simplero's Zapier integrations , you can do even more with the platform, like adding new students to your email list automatically or creating new Simplero subscribers from form submissions.

Subscribe new leads from Facebook Lead Ads to Simplero lists

Subscribe customers to Simplero lists with new Leadpages submissions

Subscribe contacts to Simplero lists for new registrations in WebinarJam / EverWebinar

Simplero pricing: The Starter plan starts at $59/month and includes 1 product, 1 course, and unlimited landing pages; upgrade to the Scale plan at $149/month for 1,000 contacts, unlimited courses and products, affiliate marketing features, automations, and more.

Which online course platform is best for you?

Whether you're passionate about teaching, want to grow your audience, or are just looking to earn an income from your courses, there's an online course creation platform to help you achieve your goals.

When picking a tool to launch your course, consider your budget, time constraints, current online following, and earning potential. If you're simply testing the waters, start with a course marketplace. Once you've validated your course topic and content, only then proceed to launch your own course website. Don't worry about migrating content from one platform to another. Most platforms support this, whether for free or for an added fee.

In the end, software for online courses should allow you to focus your efforts on the course content, not the process of getting it out to your audience.

Related reading:

How to use social proof to promote your online course

5 types of drip email campaigns to help you sell your online courses

How to create a course for your business in one day

ClickFunnels vs. Kajabi: Which is right for you?

This article was originally published in September 2018 by Farheen Gani. The most recent update was in December 2023.

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Kiera Abbamonte

Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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The 18 most popular online professional certification programs on Coursera, led by companies like Google and Facebook

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

• Coursera offers online certification programs from top employers such as Google and Facebook .
• You can become job-ready for desirable, entry-level roles in a matter of months.
• Here are the most popular certificates on Coursera, from project management to data analytics .

One of the most enduring appeals of taking an online class is the simple, affordable gateway it can provide to a new, better-paying, and stabler career. An additional perk of finishing an online course or program is gaining a professional certificate : A recognition you can add to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV to show future employers your proficiency and initiative.

Unlike master's degrees or bootcamps, online professional certificates are usually shorter-term, more flexible, and a fraction of the cost of traditional continuing education. Entry-level certificates also don't usually require prior knowledge or degrees to sign up for.

Coursera , one of the most popular online platforms, offers a number of professional certificate programs through top employers such as IBM , Meta (f.k.a. Facebook ), Google , and Amazon Web Services , often taught by experts at those companies. 

Most Coursera programs are self-paced and cost from $39-$49 per month, so the faster you finish, the more you save. (If your goal career requires you to take multiple programs, or you plan on really taking your time to complete the coursework, you may also want to consider a Coursera Plus subscription if it saves you money .)

Below, you'll find the 18 most popular entry-level certificate programs on Coursera . Class objectives range from getting job-ready for data science roles to successfully passing the Intuit Certified Bookkeeping Professional exam . Some programs even give students who've completed the programs access to an exclusive careers network that connects them with dozens of employers . 

The 18 most popular entry-level Coursera professional certificates right now:

Google data analytics.

Enroll here

Learn how to tackle the day-to-day responsibilities of a junior or associate data analyst by gaining key skills like data cleaning, data analysis, and data visualization using tools like Tableau and programming languages like R and SQL.

Google Project Management

For those looking into entry-level project management roles, this program explains the basics of Agile project management, focusing on Scrum events, artifacts, and roles. Students also learn strategic communication skills through real-world scenarios.

Google UX Design

This program covers a broad overview of the design process before going into the fundamentals of UX design and having students complete a UX portfolio of three projects: A mobile app, a functioning website, and a cross-platform experience.

Google IT Support

Learn the skills necessary to apply to entry-level IT jobs, from completing IT support tasks like computer assembly, wireless networking, program installation, troubleshooting, debugging, and customer service.

IBM Data Science

Develop career-relevant skills in data science and machine learning. Note: You don't need prior knowledge of computer science or programming languages.

Facebook Marketing Analytics

This early career program teaches students marketing analytics skills to take them from beginner to job-ready.

Google IT Automation with Python

To advance your IT career, learn skills in Python, Git, and automation, including managing IT resources in the cloud, writing Python scripts, and troubleshooting IT problems.

IBM Data Analyst

Build the skills needed for entry-level data analyst roles through the course of eight classes. You'll gain practical experience with data manipulation and analytical techniques and use data analysis tools including Excel, SQL, Python, Jupyter Notebooks, and Cognos Analytics.

Facebook Social Media Marketing

This five-course professional certificate program is designed to make social media marketing beginners equipped for entry-level roles. You'll create and analyze an effective advertising campaign for your target audience, make a creative brief, establish and manage a social media presence, and use Facebook Ads Manager to perfect your ads.

IBM Cybersecurity Analyst

Over eight courses, students gain the technical skills to be job-ready for a cybersecurity analyst role. You'll gain skills for incident responses and forensics using real-world cybersecurity case studies and build knowledge in data protection, endpoint protection, and SIEM, as well as systems and network fundamentals.  

Intuit Bookkeeping

Gain the skills you need to launch a bookkeeping career — whether it's in public accounting, private industry, government, or a non-profit organization — and ace the Intuit Certified Bookkeeping Professional exam.

SAS Programmer

This course prepares you for the SAS Base Programmer certification, including learning the fundamentals of the SAS programming language, accessing and preparing different types of data (SAS, Excel, Text), and applying SAS programming principles in practical examples.

Salesforce Sales Operations

Learn the foundational Salesforce skills needed to launch a sales operations career, including building reports, charts, and dashboards in Salesforce; using Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning to manage accounts, and explaining how CRM works in appropriate contexts.

Salesforce Sales Development Representative

This five-course program helps students build job-ready skills for entry-level Sales Development Representative (SDR) positions.

IBM Full Stack Cloud Developer

This program will teach you how to master Cloud Native and Full Stack Development through hands-on projects utilizing HTML, JavaScript, Node.js, Python, Django, Containers, Microservices, and more.

IBM Data Analytics with Excel and R

Master the data analysis and visualization tools needed to transform data into information and insights with Excel and R.

IBM Data Engineering

This six-course program is designed to build the skills and portfolio you need for a career as an AI or ML engineer.

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Stanford to again offer its groundbreaking online code in place course.

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More than 30,000 students worldwide have signed up for prior versions of Stanford University's free, ... [+] online Code In Place course. Now it's being offered once again.

Stanford University will once again offer its free, online Code In Place class, beginning April 22nd. It’s the fourth time around for the popular introduction-to-coding course, first introduced in 2020.

Registration for the course, which across its first three versions enrolled more than 30,000 students worldwide, will remain open through April 12.

Code in Place offers the basic content contained in the first half of Stanford’s CS106A, which teaches the fundamentals of computer programming using the Python language. With an enrollment of about 1,6000 students each year, CS106A has long been one of Stanford’s most popular courses.

Developed by a Stanford University team that included computer science faculty members Chris Piech and Mehran Sahami, and their colleagues Julie Zelenski, Ali Malik, Brahm Capoor, and Juliette Woodrow, the six-week course teaches Python fundamentals, including control flow, loops and conditionals, console programs with variables, graphics, lists and dictionaries.

Piech, an assistant professor of computer science, and Sahami, the Tencent Chair of Stanford’s computer science department, developed the initial version of the course with their colleagues in only two weeks, just after the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic. When the pandemic caused in-person teaching to be temporarily suspended, they redesigned CS 106A for a broad online audience.

Although it’s an online class available to thousands of students at a time, Code in Place is not a massive open-access online course (MOOC). The course developers were well aware of two of the main drawbacks of MOOCs — low rates of feedback on student work and high drop-out rates — so they designed their course to overcome those problems.

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The main solution they came up with was to offer weekly interactive learning sessions to small sections of 10 students apiece. By maintaining a low student-to-instructor ratio, the course allows students plenty of opportunities for interaction and human connection, features usually missing in most MOOCs.

In addition to the interactive learning sections, which are taught by volunteer teachers, the course features weekly lecture videos by Stanford faculty and four assignments along with a final project. Although the course is not offered for college credit, students who complete it are awarded a certificate of completion.

Where do these volunteer section leaders come from? They’re drawn from the ranks of retired teachers, industry programmers, college students studying computer science, and former Code in Place students. They receive training for their instructional duties from Stanford faculty, assisted by numerous teaching assistants and a couple of graduate students. To date, approximately 3,000 volunteers have served as section leaders.

“We’ve discovered that almost as many people want to teach computer science as want to learn,” Piech said in a previous university description of the course . “It’s inspiring how many are willing to devote countless hours volunteering for Code in Place.”

Another distinctive feature of the course is that it was intentionally designed for computer novices with no previous programming knowledge. In fact, a FAQ webpage describes the course requirements this way: “...you need to be able to turn on a computer. Or, honestly you probably only need to be able to recognize if a computer is on. It is helpful if you already know some basic arithmetic, eg, what is multiplication?”

Each version of the class has featured new enhancements. For example, in the third iteration of the course, instructors were able to “push a button” to make themselves available for just-in-time “office hours,” offering one-on-one, online tutoring for students who needed the extra help.

That kind of personal attention matters — enabling students to spend just 15 minutes with a TA led to a 10% improvement in course completion, according to a recent evaluation.

In addition, more AI tools for grading and providing feedback to students have been added to the course. For example, a tool called TalkAbout helps students discuss their work with one another. As a result of these improvements, Piech expects that about 60-70% of students will successfully complete the course this time.

Code in Place has led to other pedagogical discoveries as well, including the dispelling of some myths about computer coding — like you can be "too old" to learn to code. A recent course evaluation of 9,000 participants found that older students did better on average than younger ones. Every year of age (up to 65) increased the predicted amount of coursework the students completed. The oldest student to finish the class was 84 years young.

The success of Code in Place leads to an obvious question. Where should it go from here? Translating the course into more languages is one option, as is extending the model to other Stanford courses.

But Piech told me he hopes this is just the start of a broader project to give many more people the chance to teach. “I dream of a future of education where informal online teaching becomes a common capstone of learning a new skill, perhaps replacing exams. Teaching is more fun than an exam, it helps your community and, given how good AI is at doing your introductory work, high quality teaching may be a more trustworthy measure of ability,” he said.

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Maps and video show site of Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore

By Paula Cohen , Kerry Breen

Updated on: March 27, 2024 / 6:14 PM EDT / CBS News

A major search and rescue operation has now transitioned to a recovery mission at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after it was struck by a cargo ship and collapsed early Tuesday , sending vehicles and people plunging into the water below. The U.S. Coast Guard said the ship had reported losing propulsion and control as it was leaving Baltimore harbor, before the collision occurred at around 1:30 a.m. ET. 

Two survivors were pulled from the water soon after the collapse, officials said — one unhurt and one with serious injuries, who was treated at a hospital and later released, CBS Baltimore reported . 

Six were missing and presumed dead. Officials said the bodies of two victims were recovered Wednesday.

Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said all six were construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge at the time.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency, with city, state and federal teams converging at the scene. 

Map of the Key Bridge in Baltimore

The Key Bridge crosses the Patapsco River, a key waterway that along with the Port of Baltimore serves as a hub for East Coast shipping. CBS News Baltimore reports that the four-lane, 1.6-mile span was used by some 31,000 people a day.

The Maryland Transportation Authority  said  all lanes were closed in both directions on I-695, which crosses the Key Bridge. The agency said traffic was being detoured to I-95 and I-895. 

The portion of the bridge that collapsed was on a stretch connecting Hawkins Point, on the south side of the waterway, and Dundalk, on the north. 

Video of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore

Video captured the moment the heavily loaded container ship struck a bridge support, sending sections of the overpass tumbling into the river below.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by CBS News (@cbsnews)

Officials said in a news conference that the ship had reported losing power and a mayday had been issued before the collision, which allowed officials to stop traffic onto the bridge. Officials did not clarify how many vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse. 

Moore said he "can confirm that the crew notified authorities of a power issue," and he said that the decision to stop traffic onto the bridge "saved lives last night." 

Earlier Tuesday morning, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the collapse "an unthinkable tragedy."

"We have to first and foremost pray for all of those who are impacted, those families, pray for our first responders and thank them," he said. "We have to be thinking about the families and people impacted. We have to try to find them safe."

What was the ship's route?

The Singapore-flagged Dali, operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, was chartered by and carrying cargo for Maersk. It had left the Port of Baltimore, just north and west of the bridge, before turning to head south and east along the Patapsco River. 

The ship had been in the port for two days, according to ship tracking website  VesselFinder , and was expected to spend nearly a month at sea before it reached Colombo, Sri Lanka.

CBS News analyzed the path of every cargo ship taking this route over the past month and found Dali had veered more than 100 yards off the usual route when it struck the bridge support.

Timeline of the disaster

Click the arrow below to see an interactive timeline of how the collision occurred.

Before-and-after photos of the Francis Scott Key Bridge 

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge opened to traffic on March 23, 1977, and was a crucial thoroughfare for the region, carrying some 11.3 million vehicles per year. 

The photos below show how it looked following the collapse Tuesday morning, and how it looked intact just a few days earlier.

A witness who lives near the bridge  told CBS Baltimore  the collapse felt like an earthquake and sounded like "a big bash of thunder."

"The whole house vibrated, like my house was falling down," he said. "I've been in this neighborhood 57 years, I remembered when they built this bridge. Can't believe it's gone."

Another resident reflected on being on the bridge just yesterday. "To see the bridge gone knowing I was on that bridge not even 10 hours ago — it's devastating."

• Francis Scott Key Bridge
• Bridge Collapse
• Patapsco River

Paula Cohen is the senior managing editor of CBSNews.com, where she oversees coverage of breaking news and stories on a wide range of topics from across the U.S. and around the world.

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Maps of the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

By Jonathan Corum

On April 8, the moon will slip between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow across a swath of North America: a total solar eclipse.

By cosmic coincidence, the moon and the sun appear roughly the same size in the sky. When the moon blocks the glare of the sun, the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, will be briefly visible.

Below are several maps of the eclipse’s path as well as images of what you might experience during the event.

Where Can I See the Total Eclipse?

The eclipse will begin at sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, then cut through Mexico and cross the United States from Texas to Maine. Most of North America will see a partial eclipse, but viewers within the deepest shadow — a band sliding from Mazatlán, Mexico, to the Newfoundland coast near Gander, Canada — will experience a total solar eclipse.

Percentage of

the sun obscured

during the eclipse

Indianapolis

Little Rock

San Antonio

Viewers inside the path of the total eclipse may notice a drop in temperature , a lull or shift in the wind , the appearance of bright planets in the sky, and the quieting of birds and other wildlife.

Many cities lie inside the path of the total eclipse, as shown below, the width of which varies from 108 miles to 122 miles.

20% partial eclipse

NEWFOUNDLAND

SASKATCHEWAN

Fredericton

Minneapolis

San Francisco

90% partial eclipse

Los Angeles

Mexico City

EL SALVADOR

Explore our interactive cloud outlook for eclipse viewing times and average cloud data at your location.

What Will I See?

A composite image of the 2017 solar eclipse over Madras, Ore.

Aubrey Gemignani/NASA

If the sky is clear, viewers in the path of the total eclipse should see a “diamond ring” effect a few seconds before and after the total eclipse, as the edge of the sun slips in and out of view.

The “diamond ring” effect during the 2017 solar eclipse.

Rami Daud/NASA, Alcyon Technical Services

The sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is normally hidden by the sun’s glare. These tendrils and sheets of gas, heated to a million degrees Fahrenheit or more, are in constant motion and shaped by the sun’s swirling magnetic field.

The sun’s corona during the 2017 solar eclipse.

The sun is relatively active this year and is nearing the expected peak of its 11-year solar cycle . Researchers at Predictive Science are using data about the sun’s magnetic field to predict and model a dramatic corona for the April eclipse.

A prediction of how the sun’s corona might appear during the April 8 total eclipse.

Predictive Science

What Colors Should I Wear?

As the sky darkens, light-sensitive cells in human eyes become more sensitive to blue and green hues than to reds and oranges. This shift in color perception is known as the Purkinje effect , after a 19th-century Czech scientist, and is typically seen at twilight.

Watching the 2017 total eclipse at Southern Illinois University.

Andrea Morales for The New York Times

To take advantage of the Purkinje effect, wear green clothes or a contrasting combination of greens and reds. Blue-green colors (shorter wavelengths) will appear brighter, while red colors (longer wavelengths) will appear to recede into the darkness.

What If I Miss It?

The next two total solar eclipses in the United States won’t occur until 2044 and 2045 . But eclipse chasers might catch one in 2026 in Greenland, Iceland and Spain; 2027 along the coast of Northern Africa; 2028 in Australia and New Zealand; or 2030 across Southern Africa and Australia.

A Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

These are answers to common questions about the April 8 eclipse, and we’re offering you a place to pose more of them.

By Katrina Miller

What’s the Cloud Outlook for Eclipse Day? See if History Is on Your Side.

April 8 could be your best opportunity to see a total solar eclipse for decades. But if clouds fill the sky, your shot at seeing the spectacle could be lost.

By Josh Katz, K.K. Rebecca Lai and William B. Davis

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