Where to Sell Online Courses in 2024

This guide explains the best platforms to sell courses for creators who want to turn their knowledge into income. The platform you choose matters more than the course content itself because the wrong one can kill your sales before anyone sees your material.

Most people assume all course platforms are basically the same and that success comes down to marketing effort alone. This is wrong because platforms differ drastically in how they handle payments, student experience, and your ability to build an audience you actually own. Some platforms keep your students locked in their ecosystem while others let you build a real email list and customer base.

Why the best platforms to sell courses depend on what you already have

Your current situation should drive your platform choice. Someone with 50,000 email subscribers needs different tools than someone starting from zero. Someone who already runs a membership site has different needs than someone selling their first course.

Platforms fall into three types. Marketplaces like Udemy bring built-in traffic but take huge cuts and own the customer relationship. Hosted platforms like Teachable give you more control but require you to bring all the traffic. Self-hosted options like WordPress plugins offer maximum control but demand technical skills.

The traffic question matters most. Marketplaces can get you initial sales without an audience. Hosted and self-hosted platforms require you to drive every single visitor. This changes everything about your strategy and timeline for making money.

Teachable gives you control without technical headaches

Teachable works for most course creators because it balances power and simplicity. You get a customizable course site without touching code. You own your student email list. You control pricing and can run sales whenever you want.

The platform charges a monthly fee plus a small transaction fee on the basic plan. Higher tiers remove transaction fees and add features like advanced reports and bulk student enrollment. You can accept payment in multiple currencies and the checkout process actually works smoothly.

The downsides are real though. You cannot deeply customize the student experience without upgrading to expensive plans. The built-in email tools are basic. The course player looks clean but generic. You will probably need outside tools for serious email marketing.

Thinkific offers more customization at similar prices

Thinkific competes directly with Teachable but gives you more design control. You can customize almost every page without coding. The free plan actually lets you create and sell courses, though it takes transaction fees.

The course builder feels more flexible than Teachable. You can create different course structures, add communities, and build complex learning paths. The student experience looks more unique to your brand.

Thinkific works best when you want your courses to feel like a distinct brand experience. The learning curve is steeper than Teachable. Setup takes longer. But the final product feels more like yours and less like a template.

Kajabi bundles everything but costs significantly more

Kajabi starts at $149 monthly because it includes email marketing, landing pages, and automation tools. This matters when you compare total costs. Most creators using Teachable also pay for ConvertKit or similar services.

The platform excels at automation. You can build complex funnels, send targeted emails based on course progress, and create entire customer journeys. Everything lives in one system. The analytics show which emails drive sales and which lessons cause dropoff.

The price still hurts though. New creators often cannot justify $149 monthly before making sales. The interface tries to do so much that it feels overwhelming at first. You need time to learn the system before you see the benefits.

Udemy trades control for immediate marketplace traffic

Udemy brings millions of potential students browsing courses right now. You can make your first sales within days of publishing. This sounds perfect until you see the tradeoffs.

Udemy owns your students. You cannot email them. You cannot see their contact information. You cannot bring them into your broader business. The platform also discounts courses aggressively, often selling your content for $12 when you wanted $200.

Udemy works as a testing ground or supplementary income. Publish a course there to validate demand while building your owned platform elsewhere. Some creators make thousands monthly on Udemy despite the low prices because the volume compensates. Just never rely on it as your only presence.

Podia simplifies pricing and combines courses with memberships

Podia charges one flat monthly rate with no transaction fees ever. This makes financial planning simpler. You know exactly what you pay regardless of sales volume.

The platform handles courses, digital downloads, and memberships in one place. You can bundle these together or sell them separately. The interface stays cleaner than Kajabi while offering similar bundling options.

Podia lacks the advanced marketing automation that Kajabi offers. The email tools work fine for basic sequences but not for complex segmentation. The course player is simple, which some students prefer and others find basic.

WordPress with LearnDash maximizes control for technical users

LearnDash turns WordPress into a full course platform. You host everything yourself. You control every pixel. You can integrate any tool you want. This appeals to people who already run WordPress sites.

The setup requires technical knowledge. You need hosting, security, backups, and updates. You will troubleshoot plugin conflicts. You might need to hire a developer. The time investment is substantial.

This option makes sense when you need specific features no hosted platform offers. Maybe you want to integrate with unusual payment systems. Maybe you need course access tied to physical product purchases. Maybe you require custom reporting for corporate clients.

Choosing among the best platforms to sell courses comes down to three questions

First, do you have an audience already? Existing audiences should choose platforms that let you control the student relationship. New creators might benefit from marketplace exposure initially.

Second, what is your technical comfort level? Non-technical creators should stick with hosted platforms. Technical users can consider self-hosted options but should honestly assess whether the customization justifies the time cost.

Third, what is your budget? Calculate total costs including email marketing, landing page tools, and payment processing. Sometimes expensive all-in-one platforms actually cost less than cheap course platforms plus all the other tools you need.

Most creators should start with Teachable or Thinkific

These platforms hit the sweet spot for most situations. They cost enough to offer real features but not so much that you need sales immediately. They give you student email addresses. They handle payments reliably across countries.

Both platforms let you start small and grow. You can launch with a basic plan and upgrade as revenue increases. You can test different course topics without rebuilding your entire infrastructure.

The best platforms to sell courses are the ones you actually launch on rather than endlessly researching. Teachable and Thinkific both work well enough that platform choice will never be why your course fails. Your content quality and marketing effort matter far more than picking the theoretically perfect platform.

When to choose the more expensive or complex options

Pick Kajabi when you plan to build a substantial online business with multiple courses, memberships, and complex funnels. The high monthly cost makes sense when it replaces three or four other subscriptions.

Pick WordPress and LearnDash when you need custom integrations that hosted platforms cannot provide. Corporate training scenarios, unusual business models, or specific compliance requirements might demand this level of control.

Pick Udemy as a supplement, never as your foundation. Use it to reach new audiences while your main courses live on a platform where you own the customer relationship.

The platform decision you can reverse later

Switching platforms is annoying but possible. Your video files move easily. Your course outline transfers. Your sales pages need rewriting anyway as you learn what converts.

The student emails you collected come with you to any new platform. This is why owning the email list matters so much. You can tell your audience about the move and most will follow.

Starting is more important than choosing perfectly. Every month you spend researching the best platforms to sell courses is a month you are not making money or learning what your audience actually wants. Pick a reasonable option and launch.

Sign up for Teachable’s free trial today, upload your first lesson by this weekend, and send the preview to ten people who might actually pay for the full course.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you switch course platforms after launching?

Yes, switching platforms is possible but time-consuming. You can export videos and student data from most platforms. Your biggest asset is your email list, which moves easily. Plan for a week of technical work to migrate everything properly.

Do course platforms take a percentage of sales?

Most hosted platforms charge either monthly fees plus transaction fees, or higher monthly fees with no transaction fees. Teachable charges both on basic plans. Podia charges only monthly fees. Udemy takes 50% to 75% of each sale depending on how students found your course.

Which platform is best for selling courses without an existing audience?

Udemy provides the most immediate traffic from people already browsing courses. However, build your owned platform simultaneously on Teachable or Thinkific. Use Udemy for quick validation and initial sales while growing your independent audience through content marketing and partnerships.

Can you sell courses on multiple platforms at the same time?

Yes, many creators sell the same course on several platforms. Price it higher on your owned platform to account for marketplace discounts. Udemy specifically requires this pricing structure. Just ensure you can manage student support across multiple locations without getting overwhelmed.

Do you need a business license to sell online courses?

Requirements vary by location and income level. Most places require business registration once you earn a certain amount annually. Consult a local accountant about your specific situation. Course platforms report your earnings to tax authorities in most countries.