If you want the best value, start with Systeme.io — it's the only platform here with a genuinely free plan that includes courses, email, and funnels, and it charges 0% transaction fees. For a more powerful all-in-one business, Kajabi is the strongest (and priciest) option, while Thinkific offers the cleanest pure course-building experience with no platform fees.
Below we compare every platform on entry price, transaction fees, and who each one actually suits — then you can drag the calculator to your student count to see what you'd really pay as you grow.
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Best overall fit for a typical courses buyer. Here's why — and when something else wins.
Genuinely free all-in-one — funnels, email, and courses in a single tool.
Why it fits: If you want the best value, start with Systeme.
| Tool | Score | From | Free | Txn fee | Best for | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 0% | Bootstrappers and beginners on a budget | Visit Systeme.io (affiliate link, opens in a new tab) | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | N/A — no built-in selling or payments | K-12 and higher-ed teachers | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | Up to 63% rev share on Udemy-driven sales; 3% on your own coupon sales | Beginners wanting reach without building an audience | Visit | |
| | $22 | — | 0% | WordPress users wanting full LMS control | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 5% (Free); 2% (Plus); 0% (Pro) | Creators selling downloads or simple courses | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | ~20% of subscription revenue shared across teachers by watch time | Creative and design instructors | Visit | |
| | $39 | — | 0% | Solo creators wanting an all-in-one tool | Visit | |
| | $59 | — | 0% | Coaches wanting one consolidated tool | Visit | |
| | $17 | — | 4.9% (Launch); 0% on Growth+ | WordPress users wanting full control | Visit | |
| | $9 | — | 10% + $0.30 (Hobby); ~2.9% processing only (Pro) | Coaches selling paid communities | Visit Skool (affiliate link, opens in a new tab) | |
| | $24 | — | $5 per sale (Starter only); 0% on Pro Trainer and up | Creators wanting a polished branded school | Visit | |
| | $71 | — | 0% platform fee | Established creators and coaches | Visit | |
| | $22 | — | 0% | Creators selling downloads and simple courses | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | None — open-source; you pay only hosting/plugins | Schools, universities and training organizations | Visit | |
| | $36 | — | 0% | Serious course creators | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 10% per paid student (instructors keep 90%) | Experts running high-ticket live cohorts | Visit | |
| | $42 | — | 5% (Mover); 0% on Shaker and up | Solo creators and teams of one | Visit | |
| | $49 | — | 10% (Starter); 5% higher tiers | Creators building paid video memberships | Visit | |
| | $57 | — | 0% | Solo creators wanting marketing built in | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 10% + $0.50 per direct sale (plus processing) | Indie creators selling ebooks, templates, and lightweight courses | Visit | |
| | $29 | — | 7.5% (Starter); 0% on Builder and up | New course creators wanting low monthly cost | Visit |
Score is our composite of independent user ratings, value, and feature breadth — how we score. Prices are entry-tier estimates; verify current pricing on each site.
Cost changes as your active students grow — drag to your size to compare.
Set your size and monthly sales — we fold each platform's transaction fees into the true monthly cost, cheapest first.
Free classroom-management tool for teachers — not built to sell courses.
Massive course marketplace with a huge built-in audience but large revenue cuts.
Turn any WordPress site into a full LMS with quizzes, drip content and certificates.
Sell courses, downloads and memberships free — pay only a small fee per sale.
Subscription marketplace for creative classes; teachers paid from a watch-time pool.
AI-powered course platform with built-in community, email and 0% fees.
All-in-one for courses, email, memberships and payments with no platform fees.
Top WordPress LMS and membership plugin with courses, quizzes and paywalls.
Dead-simple paid communities with courses, live calls, and gamification.
Build a branded school with interactive video and a powerful selling LMS.
All-in-one platform to build, market, and sell courses, coaching, and communities.
Launch a storefront for digital products, courses and subscriptions in minutes.
Free open-source LMS you self-host; dominant in education, no built-in selling.
Polished course and community builder with zero platform transaction fees.
Platform for live, cohort-based courses by experts; 10% fee, no monthly cost.
Simple all-in-one for solo creators: courses, downloads, email, and community.
All-in-one video membership platform with a branded site and OTT/TV apps.
All-in-one course, funnel, email and community platform with no transaction fees.
Sell digital products and courses with no monthly fee — pay per sale.
Beginner-friendly platform to create and sell online courses, with built-in payments.
We email when pricing changes or a better option appears. One useful email, no spam.
Systeme.io's free plan lets you host one course and collect payments at 0% platform fees — the cheapest real option. Gumroad also has no monthly fee but takes 10% + $0.50 per sale, which costs more once you're selling regularly.
Kajabi is the most powerful all-in-one but the most expensive. Thinkific gives the best pure course experience with 0% fees. Teachable is the cheapest to start but charges a 7.5% fee on its Starter plan. See our Kajabi vs Thinkific and Teachable vs Kajabi breakdowns.
Some do. Thinkific, Kajabi, and Systeme.io charge 0% platform fees (you still pay Stripe/PayPal processing). Teachable's Starter plan takes 7.5%, Podia's Mover plan 5%, and Gumroad 10% + $0.50 per sale. The fee often matters more than the monthly price.