What is the best platform to sell courses online? (creator’s pov)

Having trouble deciding which platform to sell courses online? Let me break it down for you.

As someone who has created her own online course, I have researched the best free online course builders and compared online course platforms to find the perfect one for my needs.

In this post, I will share the best platforms to create and sell online courses and provide an online course comparison guide to help you make an informed decision about which is the best platform to sell your courses online in 2025.

This post will help you find the best platform to sell courses online.

Online Course Platforms

During my research phase to find the best platform to sell courses online, I have shortlisted 4 platforms:

Kajabi
Teachable
ThriveCart
Clickfunnels

Before deciding on the best platform for selling online courses, I have consolidated areas that I find are of importance to me and that I will look into. There are 5 in total:

Pricing – Of course, this is at the top of my list. As a creator who has just started out, pricing is a vital part of my investments. I want to make sure that I am not spending unnecessarily on features that I do not need at this stage of my business.
Custom Domain – Having a custom domain available is super important to me because I want my branding to be consistent regardless of what platforms I use.
Payment Plans – Considering the pricing strategy that I have for my online course, I want to find one that would allow both one-time payments and payment plans.
Fees – Another area I am looking at is whether the course platform has additional fees like transaction fees, processing fees, or any other fees I need to be aware of. If there are no additional fees, that is the perfect situation. But if there are, I will have to weigh if it is worth going on. Because if the platform is going to take a lot of my profits, then I would not bother.
Other Useful Features – Last but not least, I would also consider the platform integrations they provide, analytics features, limits, and many more. These are not important right now, but they are in the long-term strategy where I start to analyze the stats and start my email marketing.

Online Course Platforms Comparison

	Kajabi	Teachable	ThriveCart	Clickfunnels
Pricing(per month)	Basic – $119 Growth – $159 Pro – $319	Free – $0 Basic – $39 Pro – $119 Pro+ – $199	Standard – $495 Pro – $690	Basic – $127 Pro – $157 Funnel Hacker – $208
Custom Domain	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Payment Plans	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fees	No additional fees	Processing Fees	No fees	4.9% Transaction fees
Other Useful Features	Integrations – Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, Mail Chimp, Convertkit, Clickfunnels Can track students’ progress Email Marketing Available Available on mobile	Integrations – Convertkit, Active Campaign, Mail Chimp, GA4, GTM, Hotjar, Calendly, Zoom Tracking pixels Can create lead magnets, subscriptions & bundles Coupons available	Integrations – Convertkit, Active Campaign, Mail Chimp, Slack, Stripe, Paypal, GTM, Zapier, Printful Can track student’s progress CAn create lead magnets and build funnels Coupons available	Integrations – Active Campaign, Convertkit, Hubspot, Mail Chimp, Slack Email marketing sequence available Segment your leads and build funnels Do not website builder, focus on funnel building

These are the details for all the factors I want to take into account. Let’s get into the thought process.

Factor 1: Pricing

When comparing online course selling platforms, pricing is crucial.

Teachable wins for the best upfront price. Its highest plan is right up there with Kajabi’s Growth plan and Clickfunnels’ Pro plan in terms of features—but way less intimidating for your wallet. Plus, Teachable has a free plan, so you can literally sign up, poke around, and try it out without spending a penny.

Now, if we are thinking long-term (and who isn’t?), ThriveCart is the clear winner. Let me break it down for you:

Kajabi: $119/month – by the 5th month, you will already have spent more than ThriveCart’s one-time fee.
Teachable: $39/month – takes a little longer, but by the 13th month, it is more expensive than ThriveCart.
Clickfunnels: $127/month – this one’s a sprint; it overtakes ThriveCart by month 4.
ThriveCart: One-and-done at $495.

So, if you are in it for the long haul (and let’s be real, we are building businesses to last), ThriveCart is the best value for your money.

Factor 2: Custom Domain

When it comes to branding consistency, all the course platforms offer default subdomains, like:

<name>.mykajabi.com
<name>.teachable.com
<name>.thrivecart.com
<name>.myclickfunnels.com

The good news? You can use a custom domain with any of them to keep your branding consistent. Just remember, you will need to register your custom domain separately.

Factor 3: Payment Plans

All platforms have a variety of payment plans, so this is good news for me. All of them provide one-time payments, payment plans, and subscription models.

I love the subscription models, especially considering long-term strategy and possibilities if I want to open monthly subscription plans to add more value to my students.

Factor 4: Fees

When it comes to fees, ThriveCart is the clear winner. Once you make the one-time investment, there are no additional charges to worry about.

Kajabi takes second place since it doesn’t charge extra fees beyond the subscription plan. However, that steep pricing likely reflects the absence of hidden costs.

With Teachable, there are some processing fees to consider.

That said, many of these don’t apply to me because I am not using PayPal or operating in the US.

ClickFunnels, on the other hand, charges a 4.9% transaction fee, which can add up quickly depending on your sales volume.

Factor 5: Other Features

When it comes to additional features, all the platforms are pretty similar, especially in terms of integrations. All of the platforms offer integrations with popular email marketing and analytics tools, which is essential for online learning platforms.

Kajabi stands out by allowing students to access courses on their mobile devices, which is a nice bonus.

ClickFunnels focuses more on funnel building rather than course features, and it doesn’t include a website builder, which might be a dealbreaker for some.

ThriveCart offers the best of both worlds—funnel building and advanced course features. You can even drip-feed course content based on payment plans or specific dates, which is a huge plus. Plus, the ability to create a single-step checkout page is a game-changer.

What I Chose

Here’s my course comparison rating chart, and after weighing everything, I went with ThriveCart Pro. Its price point is the most budget-friendly in the long run, especially since I plan to grow my business. ThriveCart offers great value with features like single-step checkout, course hosting, affiliate management, and even JV contracts—all for a one-time investment. Honestly, it feels like too good to be true!

Second place goes to Teachable. Its price is hard to beat, especially if you only have one course or digital product to sell. You won’t pay anything beyond the payment processor’s processing fees, which is great for those just starting out. However, it lacks some of the more advanced features that help with conversions and user experience. If you plan to expand with affiliates, you will need to upgrade to the Pro plan, which can get pricey. ThriveCart includes affiliate features in its one-time $690 investment, so it is a better deal in that sense.

Kajabi and Clickfunnels have a higher price tag, and their extensive features aren’t necessary for where I am right now. Plus, most of what I need—both short and long-term—is already included in the ThriveCart PRO version I am using.

This online course platforms comparison should give you a clear idea of which platform is best for your needs. For those just starting out with one course, Teachable is a great budget-friendly option. But if you plan to scale, ThriveCart provides better value with its one-time investment.

This post highlights my thought process of choosing platforms to sell courses online.

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The LILI Path

What is the best platform to sell courses online? (creator’s pov)

Online Course Platforms