Best platform to sell online courses in 2026
For Course creators choosing where to host and sell — from first-course validators to established creators and community-led coaches
Last updated
The best platform to sell online courses in 2026 is Kajabi (7.6/10) for the most polished all-in-one experience, Systeme.io (8.6/10) for the best value (sell courses on a free plan), Teachable (6.5/10) for the easiest first launch, Thinkific (6.2/10) to keep 100% of revenue with 0% transaction fees, and Skool (6.7/10) for community-driven course businesses. The right pick depends on your revenue stage and whether your product is the course or the community.
There is no single best course platform — there's a best one for your stage and your model. A creator validating a first idea has different needs from one doing $10K/month, and a coach whose product is really a community needs something different from a creator selling self-paced video courses. The 2026 landscape splits into three camps: polished all-in-ones (Kajabi), value all-in-ones that also host courses (Systeme.io), focused course-only platforms (Teachable, Thinkific), and the community-first newcomer (Skool). This guide maps each to the creator it actually fits, with the honest trade-offs — including why the course-only platforms carry lower Trustpilot scores that say more about billing than about course quality.
Kajabi
Best overall — the most polished way to sell and deliver courses
Kajabi (7.6/10) is the quality benchmark for selling courses: the best student experience in the category, the only native branded mobile app, integrated communities, and a bundle that includes email, funnels and checkout so you can run the whole launch in one tool. At $179+/mo it's the most expensive option, and its 3.5/5 Trustpilot reflects price complaints rather than product issues. For an established creator making $3K+/month where student experience drives retention and renewals, Kajabi is worth the premium and the default recommendation.
Systeme.io
Best value — sell courses (and run funnels and email) on a free plan
Systeme.io (8.6/10, Trustpilot 4.8/5) is the best-value way to sell courses, and the only pick here with a genuinely usable free plan: one course, 2,000 contacts, a funnel and unlimited emails at zero cost, no time limit. Paid plans start at $27/mo. The course delivery is functional rather than Kajabi-polished and there's no mobile app, but for a creator validating an idea or operating under $5K/month, Systeme.io sells courses end-to-end — funnel, email, checkout, delivery — for a fraction of the price.
Teachable
Easiest first launch — get a course selling fast
Teachable (6.5/10) is the lowest-friction way to launch a first course. The builder is clean, the learning curve is gentle, it handles coaching products and digital downloads beyond video courses, and a free plan lets you validate before paying ($39/mo to remove transaction fees). Marketing tooling is light, so most creators pair a cheap email tool. Its 3.1/5 Trustpilot is polarized and driven by support/billing complaints, not course quality. For a first-time creator who wants to get selling this week, it's the simplest path.
Thinkific
Best for keeping 100% of revenue — 0% transaction fees
Thinkific (6.2/10) charges 0% transaction fees on every plan, including free, so a creator doing real volume keeps 100% of revenue minus only processor fees. It's a mature course platform with strong commerce flexibility — memberships, bundles, live lessons and an app store. Email is light (pair a tool), and its 2.3/5 Trustpilot reflects payment-handling complaints rather than course quality. For a high-volume seller optimizing margin, Thinkific's fee structure often beats a cheaper-feeling plan elsewhere that takes a cut.
Skool
Best when the community is the product
Skool (6.7/10) is the pick when what you're really selling is a community with courses attached, not a standalone course. Flat $99/mo for unlimited members, the best gamification in the category (levels, points, leaderboards) and the simplest UX anywhere. The course tooling is basic and there's no email, funnels or real checkout — you drive the sale elsewhere and use Skool as the engaged home for members. For cohort and membership-led coaches, nothing keeps people participating like Skool.
How we selected these tools
- ·Mapped to creator stage (validating, scaling, established) and model (self-paced, membership, community).
- ·Transaction fees and 12-month total cost at realistic sales volume, not just headline pricing.
- ·Student experience (course player, mobile app, community) weighted for retention-driven businesses.
- ·Trustpilot data with Bayesian smoothing, with billing-vs-product complaints separated explicitly.
- ·Whether the platform sells end-to-end or needs a paired email/funnel tool flagged for each pick.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best platform to sell online courses in 2026?
Kajabi for the most polished all-in-one experience if you're established ($3K+/month), Systeme.io for the best value (you can sell on a free plan), Teachable for the easiest first launch, Thinkific to keep 100% of revenue with 0% fees, and Skool if your product is really a community. There's no single winner — the best platform depends on your revenue stage and whether the course or the community is the core of your offer.
What's the cheapest way to start selling courses?
Systeme.io's free plan — it sells a course end-to-end (funnel, email, checkout, delivery) for one course and 2,000 contacts at zero cost, with no time limit. Thinkific and Teachable also have free plans, but Thinkific's free tier is feature-limited and Teachable's charges transaction fees. For validating an idea before spending anything, Systeme.io's free all-in-one is the most capable starting point.
Which course platform has the best student experience?
Kajabi, clearly — the most polished course player, the only native branded student mobile app in this group, and integrated communities. For a creator whose renewals and word-of-mouth depend on students actually completing the material, that experience drives real lifetime value. Systeme.io, Teachable and Thinkific all deliver clean but more basic experiences with no mobile app; Skool leads on community engagement rather than course delivery.
Do Teachable and Thinkific's low Trustpilot scores mean they're bad?
No. Teachable (3.1/5) and Thinkific (2.3/5) are dragged down by payment, payout and billing complaints, not by the course-building product, which is well regarded on both. Course-only platforms as a category attract billing complaints. They're capable course hosts — just read recent reviews on the billing experience before committing, and weigh that against Thinkific's 0% fees and Teachable's launch simplicity.
Should I use a course platform or an all-in-one like Systeme.io?
Use a focused course platform (Teachable, Thinkific) if course delivery is your priority and you'll run email and funnels elsewhere. Use an all-in-one (Systeme.io, Kajabi) if you want funnels, email, checkout and delivery in one tool. For most solo creators, an all-in-one reduces stack complexity; for high-volume sellers who want 0% fees and best-in-class course features, a course-only platform plus a cheap email tool can win on cost.
Best platform to sell a course built around a community?
Skool — it's built for community-led businesses, with the best gamification and the simplest member experience at a flat $99/mo. The course tooling is basic, so it suits coaches whose value is the community and cohort rather than a polished self-paced course. Many community-led creators run Skool for engagement and a separate tool for the sale, since Skool has no funnels or checkout depth of its own.
Compare these tools head-to-head
Kajabi vs Teachable in 2026: the polished all-in-one bundle vs a cheaper, simpler course-only platform. Student experience, marketing tooling, pricing, Trustpilot and the verdict by use case.
Kajabi vs Thinkific in 2026: the premium all-in-one with the best student experience vs a 0%-transaction-fee course platform at a fraction of the price. Features, fees, Trustpilot, verdict by use case.
Skool vs Kajabi in 2026: a flat $99/mo community platform with the best engagement vs a polished all-in-one for courses, email and funnels. Different products — here's which one (or both) you need.
Teachable vs Thinkific in 2026: the easiest course launch vs the platform that takes 0% of your revenue. Fees, commerce flexibility, Trustpilot sentiment and the verdict by use case.