Surrinder

5 Best Online Course Platforms In 2023

The demand for online courses grows as more and more people look for convenient alternatives to further their learning. More and more online course platforms keep cropping, each with unique competitive features that simplify monetising your knowledge and experience. With an expected $325 billion revenue by 2025, the online education sector will likely attract more businesses offering online courses; the global market for online education is projected to increase to a whopping $1 trillion by 2027.

Although new online learning platforms are continuously being introduced, and although online learning has become a fundamental element of contemporary education, choosing the ideal online course platform is crucial for developing high-quality courses.

Let us delve deep into understanding an online course platform and the best online options to narrow your options by selecting these top online course platforms for starting your online business.

What Are Online Course Platforms?

Online course platforms are web-based programs that provide users with the means to create, launch, promote, and monetize their online courses. These platforms are often offered as subscription services. They often include a variety of resources to facilitate the creation and dissemination of information to audiences all over the globe.

Online course platforms are a type of LMS (Learning Management System) that allows learners to access course content anytime, anywhere through internet-connected devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Using these platforms, you may provide your students with a more interactive learning environment by hosting videos, course materials, and quizzes.

Most online courses let students work at their speed, culminating in optional exercises and tests. Good online courses make up for the absence of personal interaction by providing a comprehensive educational experience via various media formats. However, not all teachers use this method; how they deliver their classes depends on a case basis.

You’ll likely encounter a few different options in your hunt for the ideal platform on which to host your online course, including:

Online course platforms, a subset of the broader category of Learning Management Systems (LMS), provide students with convenient, anytime access to course content from any internet-connected computer or mobile device.
You can create excellent online courses on specific sites, but you’ll have to market them yourself. Platforms like Kajabi, Thinkific, and Teachable are just a few examples.
Others (like Learnworld, LearnDash, etc.) are better suited to developing in-house training for businesses and educational curricula.
To a greater extent, other platforms function more like marketplaces, allowing you to both build and sell courses from inside the same interface. The online education platforms EdX, Coursera, Skillshare, and Udemy, come to mind.

Best Online Course Platforms In 2023

Several factors must be considered while deciding on the most suitable online course platform, such as the kind of platform, your budget, and the features that are accessible. Then, before you fully commit, ask for a free trial or a demo of the platform to make sure it meets your needs.

We have created a list of the best online course platforms, along with information about their features and cost, to assist you in making a well-informed choice.

Thinkific

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Thinkific is a top choice among online course platforms because it provides users with everything they need to design, promote, deliver, and monetize online courses. And they brag that over a hundred million people have already used the site to complete courses.

Thinkific has a drag-and-drop interface that lets you use it to create online courses from scratch or import ones made elsewhere. Thinkific is one of the finest online learning platform management systems because it allows you to include various material types—quizzes, videos, text, polls, etc.—into your lessons to increase student engagement.

Key Features

Customizable in-course player
Your very own domain, loaded with online-study-specific features
Video hosting by Wistia allows for up to 4K video quality and the option to add subtitles
Facilitate the use of digital downloads
In-depth statistical reports
Dripping content and “limited-time-only” courses
Multiple methods of payment are available
SEO tools for optimizating landing pages and product pages
Software for advertising
Certificates of achievement and individualized course completion pages

Limitations

For first-time course authors, the platform may have a steep learning curve, yet, it is one of the top online course platforms.

Pricing

Thinkific has three different pricing tiers for those who want to monetize their course content.

Basic plan: $39 per month

Drip your material, use connectors and applications, send direct emails to your students, and get live help.

Pro: $79 per month

In addition to the functionality offered by the basic plan, you will now be able to add site administrators and course writers, use interactive tools, and host live courses.

Premier: $399 per month

Benefit from the Pro plan’s features and those of the Onboarding and Unlimited Growth add-ons and additional administrators and course writers.

You may also check out a free plan with certain restrictions if you want to offer courses and include things like quizzes and surveys.

LearnWorlds

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LearnWorlds is the most underestimated e-learning platform while being among the most feature-rich and cost-effective of its kind. LearnWorlds is unparalleled in the areas of advanced white-labelling options and interactive e-learning. You may create any course outline you can imagine, complete with various quizzes, tests, assignments, examinations, and even interactive elements like slideshows, ebooks, and videos.

Key features

Build a website in minutes to advertise and sell your training programs.
You can create various tests students must pass to earn their course certificates.
Offers all interactive components in all your course videos, making them more accessible.
Cross-sell and upsell memberships, courses, and packages to increase revenues.
Robust in-built community features for enhanced student engagement

Limitations

Though simple to use, it’s not quite as intuitive as competing platforms.
There are no sophisticated forms of gamification.
The email broadcasting and drip functions are very lacking.
There is no free version.

Pricing

With Learnworlds, you can choose from three different premium packages that each provide varying levels of features and support.

Starter – $29/month

Everything necessary to launch an e-learning enterprise is included in this plan (unlimited courses, built-in community, coupons). A drawback is that it deducts $5 from each course sale and only supports four different payment gateways.

Pro Trainer – $99/month

This premium plan includes subscriptions, memberships, course certifications, and Zoom live courses.

Learning Center – $249/month

The plan is the most popular and has 20 custom & advanced user roles, bulk user actions, interactive video, zoom & Webex multiple accounts, full white-label options, auto-transcripts & subtitles for your videos, and many more.

By subscribing annually, you may save up to 20% off the monthly plans.

Teachable

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Teachable is an online course-only platform for hosting learning content for online instructors, making it an ideal choice for those teaching a single course.

Artists, YouTubers, bakers, potters, photographers, and marketers are some of the many who have found success on Teachable.

Although Teachable is the most excellent online course platform for independent producers and beginners, it is also utilized by industry giants like Shopify, The New York Times, Intuit, and many more.

Key Features

Practical and straightforward sales funnel that only requires one click to activate
Features for making and selling courses are straightforward to use
You may forego using services like PayPal and Stripe in favor of Teachable’s built-in payment processing solutions
Publish your courses in resolutions as high as 4K
Make a customizable website with a lot of options
Send out promo codes and discounts to everyone that joins up
Keep tabs on student development and provide certificates of achievement upon course completion
Allow users to access downloading videos and music
You may charge a one-time fee, set up a membership plan, or offer your material in a package.

Limitations

Lack of membership diversity that could be improved
You can’t make your site seem precise as you want it to use this platform
Some multilingual support exists; however, it is inadequate for artists that want extensive linguistic flexibility.

Pricing

Teachable offers three different pricing plans to its customers.

Basic – $39/month

You will get access to a community forum, fast payments, two administrators, and promotional resources.

Pro – $119/month

You may add three additional administrators, remove Teachable’s logo from your site, and sell digital badges. The 5% tax on exchanges will also go.

Business – $299/month

The Business plan is the top tier and allows for up to 20 administrators and the ability to import an existing student database.

Podia

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Podia has maintained not only a frequently updated platform but also a steady stream of brand-new, highly desirable features. Podia was initially developed for coaches, but it has shifted its focus to become a robust online course platform.

With Podia, you may offer online video courses, digital downloads and subscriptions. Podia is well-liked among creators because of its user-friendliness and the fact that it pays out earnings immediately, has no transaction costs, and provides an endless supply of everything.

Key Features

Podia is constantly adding new tools to its site editor that improve its usability without sacrificing flexibility. Key features include:

Give customers the option to join at various levels
Stream in high definition using a fully adjustable video player
Your material may be released gradually or all at once
You may either charge a membership fee or sell individual courses
Build your website with the help of a template
Give learners badges of achievement after they’re done.

Limitations

In exchange for its convenience, though, users give up some control
The inability to create courses with open-ended questions
Essential capabilities for landing pages and sales funnels

Pricing

Podia provides its services at three distinct price points:

Mover – $33.00 monthly

Provides unlimited user base, storage, and classes, a custom domain name, and marketing through email.

Shaker – $75 monthly

You have the control to shake things up by including new types of memberships, certifications, affiliates, and email subscribers.

Earthquaker – $166 monthly

Earthquaker is the top plan, and it comes with perks like a dedicated account manager and constant creative support.

Kajabi

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Kajabi is the go-to platform if you want to streamline and automate – a comprehensive online course platform can help you launch a website and create sophisticated advertising strategies. Regarding creating and promoting online courses, Kajabi is among the most powerful platforms available because of its variety of tools.

Key Features

Sophisticated methods of sequencing and automating emails, landing pages, opt-in forms, and checkout pages, all of which are seamlessly integrated
Adjust your website’s look and feel simple to represent your brand effectively.
Make use of the integrated forum to interact with your students.

Limitations

There’s a little learning curve associated with mastering all of the available options.
Videos that can’t be interacted with in any way. Videos, for instance, can’t have call-to-action buttons added.

Pricing

Each of Kajabi’s premium subscription options comes with a free 14-day trial:

Basic plan – $149 per month

Growth – $199 per month

Pro – $399 per month

The cost of Kajabi tends to be higher than that of similar solutions, but entrepreneurs with established online businesses may find the functionality and integrations well worth the cost.

The Final Thought

Choosing a platform to deliver online courses shouldn’t be stressful; there is a platform for everyone who has a passion for teaching, expanding their audience, or generating revenue from their courses. The first step in selecting the best online course platform is figuring out what features you need – the second component is understanding each platform’s features and how well they fit your needs.

When choosing a platform to launch your course, you need to understand the time constraints, your budget, people who are already following you online and your earning potential. Beginning with a course marketplace is an excellent way to make money online at home if done correctly. Don’t rush into launching your course website until you’ve had time to confirm your course’s subject and content. This is where social media listening comes in; it helps analyse online conversations and social media trends to understand your organisation better and make better marketing decisions for your online course platform.