Top 7 Course Platforms in 2024
Jan 11, 2024
Your course search is over! Are you wondering what are the top course platforms in 2024? Today, I'm breaking down the 7 best course softwares that you should be deciding between this year! These different course platforms range greatly in price and features, and so I'll share all the ins and outs, so you can make the PERFECT decision for your business!
How I'm comparing the top 7 course platforms:
- Price
- Features
- Ease of course creation
- Top benefits
- Biggest downfalls
- Who it’s best for
- My overall score & why
At the end i'll share what course platforms DIDN'T make the list, that I think are a bit overrated!
*Please note, the links in this post are affiliate links. I receive a small commission when you use them. This helps support my free content at no extra cost to you!
Be sure to download my quick-graph guide of the platforms as well.
Download full graph here!
Quick Links to Free Trials
Kajabi 30-Day Trial - Best overall
Teachable Free Plan - Best free plan
Uscreen 14-Day Trial - Best for video memberships
Heights 30-Day Trial - Best AI platform
Learn Worlds 30-Day Trial - Best for white-labeled courses
Stan Store - Best for social sellers
Podia - Great lower cost course platform for beginners
1. Stan Store
The 1st top course platform of the year may surprise you…because it’s one not often talked about and that’s Stan or Stan Store.
According to Stan’s webiste “Stan is a platform that lets you create a link·in·bio for your courses, digital products, and bookings. You can host them all in one place, without coding or paying for other apps, and enjoy 0% transaction fees and 10min average time to create store.”
Pricing:
A Stan store costs $29 a month or $99/month depending on what plan you choose.
Trial:
14-Day FREE Trial (must add credit card)
I have links to all the trials in the description and if you click on the blog post you can also access my graph comparison of all the sofwares as well, though I recommend watching to see the BTS of the actual platforms so you can see what you like.
Features:
- Link in bio store where people can buy
- Calendar + Bookings invite
- Course builder
- Audience analytics
- Email list builder (not an email software though)
- Email marketing (on pro plan)
- Community feature
- Coaching Calls
- AI - Ask Stanley
Example:
- Here’s an example of what an awesome Stan Store can look like - https://stan.store/ugcang
Pros:
- Really nice layout
- Great price for a lot of features
- Easy to create courses
- Looks great on social media!
Biggest Downfalls:
- No website builder (32/month)
- Email marketing only on pro plan
- Payment plan options only on pro plan
- No blog, no podcast
- Courses aren’t super customizable
Who it’s best for?
- Social Creators/Sellers
- People who deep into social media - doing most of sales on instagram and tiktok
- People who have a simple, straightforward course and don’t mind being on a platform with some limitations
- People who want to sell printables in their link-in-bio
- People who don’t mind having separate accounts for website, email, course, podcast, etc.
Overall Score + Why:
- 8/10 - Great pricing, super easy course creation, looks polished, and has most everything a basic course creator would need. It’s a super cost-effective option for social creators who are wanting to create simple courses and sell digital downloads. However, the platform is not very customizable and will force you to also pay for a separate website builder.
2. Kajabi
Pricing:
$119/$149
$159/199* (I’m on the growth plan, but started on the basic plan)
Trial:
Exclusive 60-Day FREE Trial (Available to my audience in January)
Exclusive 30-Day FREE Trial (Available anytime 2024
Features:
- Course
- Coaching
- Community
- Memberships
- Email marketing (pro plan up to 25k contacts)
- Digital downloads
- AI tool - Ama
- App
- Funnels
- Upsell/Downsell
- Website
- Podcast
- Blog
Example:
- What it looks like - https://hey-danie-jay.mykajabi.com/MCA , https://hey-danie-jay.mykajabi.com/ytcheatsheet
- https://hey-danie-jay.mykajabi.com/offers/RZLvLF4X
Pros:
- Everything you need to start and scale your business - grows with you - WAY more features than almost any other course platform out there (w/o glitches like newer softwares)
- Super easy to use and create
- Their AI software makes it crazy easy to create courses, landing pages, and email copy!
- Extremely helpful community
Biggest Downfalls:
- Cost
Who it’s best for?
- Serious course creators who want a software that can grow with them and to keep their business simple on one platform
Overall Score + Why:
- 9.5/10 - It’s everything you need to scale your business and more. It has so many features, crazy useful AI tools. It scales with you. It even has a podcast section! ⅕ point off for the higher price…but it’s worth it! As someone who started on Teachable and then spent 3 months moving my course from Teachable to Kajabi, I can say that Kajabi is one of the most robust (while still super user friendly) course softwares. Other course platforms I’ll mention may offer similar features, but the user friendliness of Kajabi is still unmatched!
3. Teachable
Pricing:
Free plan for 1 course
$39/$59
$119/$159
Trial:
No free trial, but there’s a free plan with no time limit!
Features:
- Course
- Coaching
- Digial downloads
- Membership
- Email Marketing (limited)
Example:
Pros:
- Can start on a fully free plan ($1+10% fee every transation) - so no pressure in building course fast
- Easy to use & creates very well laid-out courses
Biggest Downfalls:
- Doesn’t grow with you well - Limited email marketing
Who it’s best for?
- Newer course creators who are on a tight budget and know they ONLY want to build out a course - they don’t need to create more intricate funnels or they prefer to have their course and email marketing separate.
Overall Score + Why:
- 8/10 -Teachable is extremely easy to use. It’s great if you want something to start with that has a lower cost and is user friendly. However, if you’re wanting to scale your business and create more advanced email marketing (like upselling and downsellsing) and want included AI features, then you may outgrow it the platform like I did.
4. Podia
Pricing
$33/39 month
$59/89 month*
Trial:
Features:
- Course
- Community
- Coaching
- Website
- Landing Pages
- Downloads
- Email Marketing (for an added fee)
- Webinars
- Upsells
Example:
Pros:
- Podia is an awesome, lower-cost option for course creators. It has just about everything a course creator would need to scale their business–especially on their “Shaker” plan.
Biggest Downfalls:
- My account was locked when I first created it. They are very strict on security and I had to upload my ID for verification which i didn’t love.
- A 10-5% transation fee for every plan but their “Shaker” plan is a big con. Most course platforms will offer a 0% transation fee on any of their paid plans. (This DOESN’T include the 2.9% + 30¢ fee through the payment processor, stripe or paypal, that you’ll also be charged)
- Email marketing is only free up if you have less than 100 email subscribers - for example 5k email subs would be an extra $47/month! Eesh. I HATE when you have to pay more money for more subscribers. Give me one fee - Flodesk is like this.
Who it’s best for?
- Course creators who are on a tight budget and want a platform they can slowly grow with. Podia’s free plan and then cheap starter plan ($9/month) is a great value if you know that it’s going to take you awhile to build out your course, and you don’t want to pay a lot of money upfront for building it.
Overall Score + Why:
- 7/10 - I think that Podia has alot of great features and allows for super easy course creation. However, their lack of email marketing being included and lack of AI and extra features made me deducted 3 points. The lower cost and free plan though are awesome for beginners who need some time to scale!
5. Heights
Pricing:
$39/49 month
$99/119 month*
Trial:
30-Day FREE Trial (no credit card required)
Features:
- Course
- Challenges*
- Community
- Digital products
- Gamification*
- AI Coach (pro plan - can send weekly tasks)
- Email marketing (pro plan up to 10k contacts)
- Sales Pages
- Order bumps
- Blog
- Website Builder
Example:
Pros:
- It’s an AI-powered course platform, and so it has an AI Chat (and AI coach on pro plan) to help you build your course every step of the way! People love how responsive the Heights team is with feedback. Heights can scale with you (with its many features) and seems to be a more up and coming course software!
- 0% transaction fee on all plans!
Biggest Downfalls:
- Clunky websites - not super customizable (web pages, landing page, checkout pages) - If you’re not good at branding, you may create a very cheap looking course
- Newer platform so still some hiccups here and there
- People find the interface to be a bit complex/overwhelming
Who it’s best for?
- Serious course creators who love AI and gamification and don’t mind using a newer platform that may experience some hiccups.
Overall Score + Why:
- 8/10 - I think Heights is one of the only course platforms that pushes AI (assistant + coach) as their main selling feature! If you’re willing to grow with the software, then I think it’s a great value! Some people find the software a bit overwhelming at first and not quite as user friendly as other more established platforms, but if you want all the bells and whistles and don’t mind a learning curve, then it could be a great fit for you! I think the price is great for all you get. (Also if you care about gamification and running challenges, then this is a perfect fit for you!)
6. Uscreen
Launch Your Branded Mobile & TV Apps, No Coding Needed!
Pricing:
$149/199/ Month Growth Plan
499/500/ Month Pro Pla
Trial:
Features:
- Netflix-style video catalog
- Shopable videos
- Live streaming
- Your own mobile app (on Pro plan)
- Tv Streaming apps (on custom plan)
Example:
Pros:
- Uscreen is the only course platform that TRULY focuses on video content. If you have clients who want to learn from your videos, then this is one of the best options!
- Your own app!
- Amazing support
Biggest Downfalls:
- Really high pricing. If you want your own app, it’s going to be $500/month or $6k/year. You REALLY need an invested audience for this to be a good fit for you.
Who it’s best for?
- I think Uscreen is the top option for established fitness coaches. It’s no wonder that some of the biggest fitness teachers host their video membershps on Uscreen. Jump Rope Dudes, Yoga with Adriene, Bodyfit by Amy.
- I also think Uscreen is a great option for those who are wanting to sell art or tech tutorials.
Overall Score + Why:
- 8/10 - I think Uscreen will allow you to build out a super polished, high-value looking video membership. It can scale with you business and allow you to make more money from your video content. I think it’s a really big price tag though, and so i deducted two points.
7. Learn Worlds
Pricing:
$24/29 +$5 every course sale
$79/99 month
$249/299 month
Trial:
Features:
- Course - white labled
- Coaching
- AI assistant
- Website
- Landing Pages
- eBook pages builder
- Downloads
- Email Marketing
- Webinars
- Funnels
- Mobile App
Example:
https://schoolofcalisthenics.com/
Pros:
- Learn Worlds is one of (if not the) MOST robust course platforms on this list. Learn worlds allows you to created an unlimited number of courses, use their AI to create amazing marketing content (and even E-books) and is fully white-labeled. White-labeled means that your course won’t have any of Learn Worlds branding on it. Customers will login to what looks like solely YOUR website and course, unlike Kajabi or Teachable, where students log in via their websites.
- Learn Worlds also allows you to create your own white labeled app on their “Pro Trainer” plan
Biggest Downfalls:
- Learn Worlds most popular plan is $249/month…which is way too high for many new course creators. However, the “Pro Trainer” plan for $79/month is definitely enough features for most course creators.
- There’s so much offered with Learn Worlds, that it may be a bit overwhelming to new course creators.
Who it’s best for?
- Serious course creators who want the ability to create an unlimited amount of courses, love AI, and want their course to be white-labeled.
Overall Score + Why:
- 9/10 - I think think the “Pro Trainer” plan is an awesome option for serious course creators who want a robust platform and a white-labeled course that is fully customizable to be their own! If you’re good with a slight learning curve, then this could be the perfect platform for you!
What didn’t make the Cut?
Mighty Networks
Pricing
$33/39 month
$99/119 month*
Trial:
14-Day FREE Trial (no credit card)
Features:
- Community
- Course
- Memberships
- Website (business plan)
- White Labeled App (business plan)
Example:
- https://www.losister.com/ - https://www.losister.com/collections/19018
- https://community.ted.com/landing?from=https%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.ted.com%2F
Pros:
- One of the best platforms if you’re main focus is community - Might Networks’ main focus is on community and connection–a platform where your audience can connect, complete challenges, chat, and hop on live calls
Biggest Downfalls:
- Limited website customization/templates
- Limited course customization/templates (really much better for community)
- Limited features for the price point - no email marketing, etc.
Who it’s best for?
- Course creators who are mainly looking to build a strong paid community/membership.
Overall Score + Why:
- 7/10 - I think that Mighty Networks is a powerful platform for those who want to build a vibrant paid community with their audience. However, for the price, Might Networks lacks the many features of competing course platforms. Kajabi’s community feature has made massive leaps in the last 6-months and is comparable to Mighty Networks, while offering many more features for a comparable price.
Thinkific
Pricing
$36/49 month
$74/99 month*
Features:
- Course
- Community
- Website
- Branded App (add on $199/month)
Pros:
- Super easy to create courses, there is a free plan for 1 course and 1 community
Biggest Downfalls:
- Can’t easily sell digital downloads - work-around - have to create a course
- No email marketing
Who it’s best for?
- Newer course creators who really love the look of Thinkific courses.
Overall Score + Why:
- 5/10 - I think that Thinkific is overhyped. If you’re wanting a cheaper option than Kajabi, I’d go with Teachable over Thinkific. I think for the price, Thinkific doesn’t offer enough.
Quick Links to Free Trials
Kajabi 30-Day Trial - Best overall
Teachable Free Plan - Best free plan
Uscreen 14-Day Trial - Best for video memberships
Heights 30-Day Trial - Best AI platform
Learn Worlds 30-Day Trial - Best for white-labeled courses
Stan Store - Best for social sellers
Podia - Great lower cost course platform for beginners
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