The field of e-learning has exploded over the last few years; research shows that the online learning market will climb up to $457.8 Billion by 2026.
Several options are available with different features and price points to suit every need and budget.
The online course industry is booming. And as an online entrepreneur, where should you sell your course?
It’s a daunting task to create an online course. You have to make all the content, design graphics, and write exercise texts.
For making your work easier and get the course ready in no time, you can use online course platforms.
However, one of the most critical business decisions you’ll ever make is choosing the right platform for your needs.
That choice will impact how easy it is to collect payments, how quickly students receive their certificates, etc.
I will review online learning and course platforms, covering general information, payment integration, and pre-built course templates.
You can then decide which of them is best suited to business needs.
Let’s dive in!
Is Online Learning Platform Different From Online Course platform?
There are many differences between online learning platforms and online course platforms.
The most significant difference between them is the target audience they serve. You can think of this as selling to consumers vs. selling to businesses.
Online learning platforms are designed for students who want to take courses at their own pace and on their own schedule. In contrast, online course platforms are for instructors who want to deliver live lectures or workshops from their computer screens.
In addition, online course platforms provide a simple way to create and host your classes without investing in designing your website. All you need to do is integrate with payment gateways such as Stripe or Paypal and focus on marketing your course.
On the other hand, online learning platforms are for internal training purposes in organizations. They provide tools for tracking learner progress and engagement with the courses.
They also include features that allow instructors to create assignments, tests, and quizzes, which help assess the learning outcomes. Most of them also have an option for adding social elements like forums and chat rooms.
7 Best Leading Online Course Platforms To Use
If you’re looking for a platform that will allow you to quickly build your online learning empire without having any coding knowledge or technical skills whatsoever, Thinkific is definitely worth considering.
It offers various features to help you build an engaging course and set up a successful business.
You can customize your course pages, add text and images, embed videos from YouTube or Vimeo, create quizzes and surveys, manage user accounts, track student’s progress through each lesson, etc.
In addition, you can build attractive course landing pages and promote your courses through integrated marketing tools such as email marketing, coupons, and affiliate management.
These features make it an ideal platform to create a passive income stream by selling courses or using them as lead generators.
Simply create your course in three easy steps
Step 1 – Pick a template that matches your brand
Step 2 – Use the drag and drop editor to create course content
Step 3 – Then preview to check it’s exactly how you want it and hit publish.
Features And Benefits
- Drag-and-drop course builder to easily upload and organize the content of your course.
- Add quizzes, engagement surveys, certificates, and other features to help enhance the learning experience for your students.
- The platform is easy to use and intuitive.
- Integrates with other apps to create custom coupons, promotional bundles, and emails.
- Make payment collection easy.
- Access to knowledge base article and creator community etc
- Excellent marketing tools
- Easy to use, feature-rich, and has excellent customer support.
- Free for first-time creators
Plan and Pricing
- Free plan: unlimited courses and students (no quizzes or certificates).
- Basic : $39/month
- Pro : $79/month
- Premier : $399/month
2. Teachable
With over 100,000 creators, Teachable is one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use platforms. In addition, there are a lot of customizable features that allow you to create your online course quickly without coding.
You can also create a sales page for your course, including in-depth analytics that tracks student progress from landing page to payment page.
In addition, you can use it to host paid webinars and create membership sites. The platform is easy to use and doesn’t require any coding knowledge or technical skills to operate.
Features/Benefits
- Access to the free custom domain name and high-converting sales pages
- Multiple memberships, quizzes, and drip content options
- Build a community with student discussions
- Offer coupons and gift cards
- Affiliate marketing features to boost sales
- Email marketing tool to keep in touch with students after enrollment.
- Payment in over 100 currencies
- Detailed analytics and reports
- Track your sales and students’ performance
- Integrate Teachable with other online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
Plans and Pricing
- Free: $0 and $1+ 10% per transaction
- Basic: $29/month + 5% per transaction fee
- Professional: $79/month + 0% transaction fee
- Business: $299/month + 0% transaction fee
3. Kajabi
Kajabi is a prevalent learning management system (LMS) with over 300,000 courses designed to help you build and sell online courses.
It has many advanced features to create your online course, coaching program, membership sites, host podcasts, send the newsletter, etc.
Features and Benefits
- Email marketing tools and unlimited landing pages are available on all plans
- Create professional-looking websites with ready to use templates
- Integrates well with Stripe and PayPal for easy payment
- In-built CRM to monitor your course
- 14-day free trial
Plans And Pricing
- Basic – $119/month billed annually
- Growth – $159/month billed annually
- Pro- $319/month billed annually
4. Podia
Podia is an all-in-one and easy-to-use platform that lets you create content, host, sell, and deliver it on your website.
You can create videos, quizzes, ebooks, PDFs, cheat sheets, checklists, audiobooks.
Podia is all about simplicity and convenience, especially if you’re just getting started creating content or launching an online business.
Features/Benefits
- Host live webinars
- Get everything you need to set up your online course
- Sell digital items like ebooks, videos, checklists, and more.
- Access to email marketing to receive feedback from your courses
- Free migration from any platform
- 24/7 live chat support
- 14-day free trial
Plans and Pricing
- Mover – $33/month
- Shaker – $75/month
- Earthquaker – $166/month
5. Ruzuku
Ruzuku is an easy-to-use online learning platform that allows you to create courses for any subject or topic.
It’s easy to set up, customize, and monetize. In addition, it does not require any technical experience or coding skills.
You can also sell your courses directly through your website with Ruzuku’s embedded shopping cart and payment gateway integration.
Features/Benefits
- No transaction fee
- Upload your content in videos, PDFs, texts, etc., formats.
- Track your course performance
- Discount coupons are available
- Integrates well with PayPal and Stripe for easy payment
- 24/7 support through phone, email, Skype, and training courses.
- 14-day free trial
Plans and Pricing
- Brostrapper – $74.75/month billed annually
- Up-and-Comer – 83.08/month billed annually
- University – $125/month billed annually
6. LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is a professional online learning platform for interactive e-learning on various topics such as business, lifestyle, health and fitness, language, music, and more.
You can customize every aspect of your course to make it engaging for students. It includes adding multimedia elements such as audio, video or images, text content, and quizzes.
If you want to build your website with all of these features, LearnWorlds is one of the best choices available today.
In addition, over 7000 businesses have trained their employees on the platform, including companies like Apple and IBM.
Features/Benefits
- Excellent support
- Interactive videos, ebooks, quizzes, surveys, certificates, SCORMS to engage with students.
- Drag and drop editor to create high-converting landing pages
- Affiliate marketing tools to boost sales
- Create membership sites
- 30-day free trial
Plans And Pricing
- Starter – $24/month billed annually + $5 fee per course sale
- Pro trainer – $79/month billed annually (no transaction fee)
- Learning center – $249/month (no transaction fee)
- High volume & Corporate – Custom price
7. Learndash
Learndash is the best WordPress LMS plugin for creating and selling online courses in minutes.
The platform is used by over 120 thousand websites, including the University of Florida and Yale University Press.
Learndash comes with 100+ professionally designed templates for everything from writing classes to fitness training to coding workshops. In addition, there’s a built-in page builder for customizing your landing pages without coding, so you don’t have to be a designer.
Their drag-and-drop course builder makes it easy to upload videos, slideshows, and other content for interactive lessons.
Features/Benefit
- Offers many payment options
- Access to students’ performance and feedback
Plan and Pricing
- Basic – $159
- Plus package – $189
- Pro package – $329
8 Best Leading Online Learning Platform To Use
With over 40 million students, Udemy is one of the most popular online learning platforms. It offers more than 100,000 courses and over 65,000 instructors.
Originally founded as a platform for teachers to share their skills with others, it has become a place for anyone to learn anything they want.
With Udemy, you can set your own pricing, build lessons on any topic imaginable, and host courses on their website or yours.
You can either earn money through Udemy by promoting other people’s courses or creating your course and selling it through their marketplace.
Features/Benefits
- It’s easy to use and navigate, and you can get started right away.
- The course catalog is vast. More than 130,000 courses to choose from, which means Udemy has something for everyone.
- The support system provides students with all the help they need to succeed.
- Get prompt feedback on your course
- Track your course performance
Plan And Pricing
- Free plan
- Paid – $12.99 to $199.99
- Business – $360
- Personal plan – Custom pricing
2. Coursera
A massive open online course (MOOC) platform that offers access to classes from top universities and companies worldwide.
There are over 5,000 professional certificates and 87+ million users
Many of the courses are free, but students can get either a graded certificate or full course credit from their school of choice for a fee.
Feature/Benefits
- Learn high demanding skills
- The certificate is well-recognized globally.
- Access to over 2,000 free courses in multiple languages
Plan And Pricing
- Free plan – no certificate
- Main – $29 – 99/month
- Specialization – $39 – 79/month
- Degree programs – $15 – $2,000
3. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a great social learning platform for professionals and business owners to acquire new skills.
There are over 16,000 expert courses with certificates after completion on digital marketing, web content writing, creative writing, copywriting, SEO, project management, and more.
Features/Benefits
- Completion certificate to display on your LinkedIn profile
- Courses are available in 7 languages
- Well-recognized certificates
Plans and Pricing
- Monthly plan – One-month free trial then $39.99/month
- Annual plan – One-month free trial then $26.99/month
4. Skillshare
With more than 5million students worldwide, Skillshare provides access to thousands of high-quality video lessons on everything from photography, business, graphic design, marketing, data science to creative writing.
If you have a particular skill to share with people, Skillshare is a great platform to use.
Features/Benefits
- Free access to 7 days of premium course for new members
- Encourages students to share their course progress and get feedback.
- Vast categories of course to choose
- High-quality courses
- Get access to over 35,000 premium courses with a student plan.
Plans and Pricing
- Starter plan – $159 (2 – 19 team)
- Enterprise – Custom price (20+ team)
- Revive – Custom price (51+ team)
5. Edx.org
Edx is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that offers high-quality courses taught by world-class universities and organizations.
In addition, Edx offers over 3,500 online courses in text and video format for students worldwide.
Good enough, it’s available on Android and iOS.
Features/Benefits
- Access to practice with quizzes, open response assessment, virtual environment, and more.
- Learn new knowledge and skills.
- Access to high-quality education
- Advance learning and teaching via research
Pricing
The price ranges from $50 to $1,700 depending on the certificate you wish to acquire.
6. Shaw Academy
If you want an online learning platform with great offers for entrepreneurs and professionals, Shaw academy is a good option.
There are vast courses from social media marketing, web development, graphic design, digital marketing, photography, coding, etc.
Features/Benefits
- Easy to follow the training course
- Vast categories of classes to choose
- Earn a certified diploma qualification
- Live chat support
- Globally accredited certificates
Pricing
Free for the first month and then $69.99/month
7. Academy of Mine
Academy of mine is an outstanding platform for professional training and certification. You can create courses in text, audio, video, PDF, SCORM, and quizzes format.
Features/Benefits
- Integrates with LMS for an interactive session with students
- Access analytics and reporting of student progress, grades, and activities.
- Create high-quality educational content in videos, audio, PDFs, SCORM, etc.
- Award custom certificates to students
- Schedule and record live sessions with your students
Plan And Pricing
- Essentials – $599/month
- Professional – $899/month
- Enterprise – Custom pricing
8. WizIQ
WizIQ is an education platform for live interactive training and coaching classes. In addition, it provides virtual classrooms and LMS software.
Features/Benefits
- Track performance of courses and students
- Interactive live training features
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS are available.
- 14-day free trial
- Cloud-based course builder with unlimited course creation
- Upload interactive e-learning courses in any format
- Track your teaching performance
Plans and Pricing
- Professional – custom pricing
- Enterprise – custom pricing
- Cost-per-use – custom pricing
Is Creating An Online Course Worth It?
If you already have a career or some other exceptional talent, why not share it with others?
There are many reasons why teaching online courses is such a profitable business.
- First, it’s a great way to make extra money.
- You can be your own boss and work from home.
- Moreover, there is no shortage of people in need of online courses on various topics.
- In addition, it helps you to build your brand around your expertise. Not only will other people be able to learn from you, but they’ll also associate your name with the topic that they learned.
- People are willing to pay high prices for valuable information to help them achieve their goals quicker. Hence, if you are an expert in any field or have a unique hobby, you can earn money by teaching others online.
However, there are vital points to consider before creating your online course.
Choose Your Niche Carefully
If you’re passionate about your topic, you will likely find success as an instructor.
However, it is essential to determine what field you want to specialize in before getting started.
You want to choose your niche carefully since it will ultimately be the foundation for your business.
Do it in your spare time.
One of the best things about being an online coach is deciding when you want to work on your side business.
You can set your own working hours and tailor them around everything else in your life.
In addition, you can work anywhere from an hour per day or less on your business and still bring in some extra cash every month selling online courses.
Create A product that sells well
Your online course is a digital product, meaning you only have to create it once and sell it repeatedly.
It means more money for you because you don’t have to deliver on every sale. Instead, you simply create the content once and then sell it repeatedly.
However, you need to create a quality course that solves your customer’s problems and delivers real results. Then, you’ll be able to sell the same to multiple people.
How To Choose The Best Online Learning Platform
There are many different types of online learning platforms. Some focus on offering a single course, while others provide access to various classes.
However, most online learning platforms offer similar features and benefits, including:
Accessibility
Many online course platforms allow users to access course materials from any location with an internet connection. It means students can learn from the comfort of their homes or work.
Course variety
In addition to offering various courses, many online learning platforms also offer classes in multiple formats, such as text, video, and audio-based.
Therefore, you can choose a format that works best for you depending on their preferences while accessing the course material.
Cost savings
Online learning platforms often cost less than traditional courses because they don’t require as many overhead expenses.
For example, you won’t have to worry about travel expenses or paying tuition fees, which helps keep costs low.
How To Choose The Best Platform To Create And Sell Your Online Course
Choosing the best online course platform can be challenging. To make this choice, you’ll have to consider the features of each tool concerning what you’re trying to accomplish with your training program.
Here are some points to keep in mind
Ease of use
It’s not a good idea to choose an online course platform if it is difficult to use. It would be better if it were intuitive and easy for anyone to use without any prior knowledge.
There are some questions you want to get answers to before making up your mind about which platform to choose.
- Is it easy to upload courses and track your progress?
- Can you quickly find the right tools to use?
- Is the content easy to access, whether on desktop or mobile?
- How easy is it to manage the platform and assign courses?
2. Flexibility
Another criterion to consider is how flexible the platform is. You can choose one that allows more customization options depending on how you plan to use it.
Are there customizable templates available? Find out if you can customize the look and feel of the platform to match your company’s brand and image.
Also, if you’re creating tutorials that must follow a specific sequence, users can navigate freely through different content sections. You need to know if the platform has all you need.
3. Affordability
Many free tools are available for creating online courses, but some may not offer all the features you need.
So, you want to choose an affordable platform that provides all you need to create a great online learning experience for your students.
4. Content Creation
You want to know if you can easily create your classes, or does the platform provide pre-made content you can use?
Does it offer multimedia like video, audio, or interactive elements?
Answering these questions will help you make a better choice.
It doesn’t mean that all online learning platforms are the same. Or that all online course platforms are all-inclusive; each has its own strengths that you should consider before choosing one over the other.
Conclusion
Whether you are just starting or a professional, these online learning platforms provide an excellent opportunity to build your skills and grow your career.
However, there are many options. The one you choose depends on the course you wish to create or the skill to acquire.
So, what’s your favorite online learning and course platform? Let’s know in the comment.
And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comment below.
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