Top Platforms for Selling Online Courses from Your Blog

Choosing the right platform to sell your online course can make or break your success. The wrong platform costs you money in fees, frustrates students with poor UX, and wastes hours managing technical issues. The right platform handles payments, hosting, and delivery seamlessly while you focus on creating great content.

After launching 8 courses across 4 different platforms (generating $120,000+ in course sales), I’ve experienced firsthand which platforms excel for bloggers. In this guide, you’ll learn the top platforms, their pros and cons, pricing breakdowns, and exactly which platform fits your specific situation.

What to Look for in a Course Platform

Before comparing platforms, understand what matters for blogger success.

Essential Features

Course Hosting and Delivery:

• Video hosting (unlimited or generous limits)
• File storage for PDFs, worksheets
• Drip content (release lessons on schedule)
• Multiple course formats (video, text, audio, quizzes)
• Mobile-friendly player

Payment Processing:

• Multiple payment options (credit card, PayPal)
• One-time and subscription pricing
• Payment plans (split payments)
• Coupons and discounts
• Multiple currencies

Student Management:

• Student dashboard
• Progress tracking
• Completion certificates
• Email notifications
• Discussion forums or comments

Marketing Tools:

• Sales page builder
• Email integrations
• Affiliate program management
• Upsells and bundles
• Analytics and reporting

Technical Requirements:

• Custom domain support
• Integration with your blog/website
• Email service integrations (ConvertKit, Mailchimp)
• Zapier connections
• Embedding on your site vs. separate platform

Top Course Platforms Compared

1. Teachable (Best for Beginners)

Overview: All-in-one course platform designed specifically for course creators. Easy to use, powerful features, great for beginners to advanced.

Pricing:

• Basic: $39/month + 5% transaction fee
• Pro: $119/month (no transaction fee)
• Pro+: $199/month (advanced features)
• Free plan: Available with 10% transaction fee + $1 per sale

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop course builder
• Unlimited students and courses (all plans)
• Unlimited video hosting
• Custom domain support
• Built-in payment processing
• Coupon codes and drip content
• Basic quizzes
• Student management
• Integration with email services
• Certificates of completion

Pros: ✅ Extremely user-friendly ✅ Beautiful, professional course pages ✅ Excellent student experience ✅ Strong payment and tax handling ✅ Good customer support ✅ Affiliate program included (Pro plan) ✅ Can embed on your blog

Cons: ❌ Transaction fees on lower plans ❌ Limited customization vs. self-hosted ❌ Fewer marketing automation features vs. Kajabi ❌ Quiz functionality is basic

Best For:

• Bloggers creating their first course
• Anyone wanting simplicity without technical hassles
• Creators who want to focus on content, not tech
• Mid-sized operations ($5K-$50K/month)

Expected Costs:

• Starting out: Free plan ($0) or Basic ($39/month)
• When earning $1K+/month: Pro plan ($119/month) to eliminate transaction fees

2. Thinkific (Best Feature-to-Price Ratio)

Overview: Powerful course platform with generous free plan and excellent features at every price point.

Pricing:

• Free: $0 (with transaction fees)
• Basic: $49/month
• Pro: $99/month
• Premier: $499/month

Key Features:

• Unlimited courses (all plans, even free)
• Unlimited students
• Drip content and prerequisites
• Quizzes and surveys
• Custom domain
• Coupons and promotions
• Memberships and bundles
• Student certificates
• Assignments and discussions
• Private and hidden courses

Pros: ✅ Excellent free plan (great for testing) ✅ More features than Teachable at similar prices ✅ Strong course customization ✅ Advanced quiz and assessment options ✅ Memberships included ✅ Can fully embed on your site ✅ Zapier integration

Cons: ❌ Slightly steeper learning curve than Teachable ❌ Less polished interface ❌ Marketing automation is basic ❌ Transaction fees on free and Basic plans

Best For:

• Bloggers testing course idea (start free)
• Tech-comfortable creators wanting more control
• Creators planning memberships alongside courses
• Budget-conscious bloggers

Expected Costs:

• Testing phase: Free plan ($0)
• Launching: Basic ($49/month)
• Growing: Pro ($99/month)

3. Kajabi (Best All-in-One for Serious Creators)

Overview: Premium all-in-one platform combining courses, marketing, email, and website. Most expensive but most comprehensive.

Pricing:

• Basic: $149/month (3 products, 1,000 members)
• Growth: $199/month (15 products, 10,000 members)
• Pro: $399/month (100 products, 25,000 members)

Key Features:

• Course hosting + website builder + email marketing
• Advanced marketing automations
• Pipeline (funnel) builder
• Built-in email marketing (no ConvertKit needed)
• Landing page builder
• Assessments and quizzes
• Mobile app (white-labeled on higher plans)
• Affiliate program management
• Advanced analytics
• 24/7 support

Pros: ✅ All-in-one (replaces 5+ tools) ✅ Best marketing automation ✅ Professional, polished platform ✅ Excellent analytics and reporting ✅ Community features built-in ✅ White-label mobile app (Pro plan) ✅ No transaction fees

Cons: ❌ Expensive ($149-$399/month) ❌ Overkill for beginners ❌ Steeper learning curve ❌ Product/member limits on lower tiers

Best For:

• Established bloggers ready to go all-in
• Creators earning $10K+/month already
• Anyone wanting to consolidate tools
• Serious businesses (not hobbyists)

When It Makes Sense: If you’re paying for: hosting ($20) + email service ($50) + course platform ($100) + landing pages ($50) + automations ($50) = $270/month total

Kajabi at $149/month consolidates everything and saves money.

4. Podia (Best for Digital Products Beyond Courses)

Overview: Simple platform for courses, memberships, downloads (ebooks, templates), and coaching. Jack-of-all-trades for digital products.

Pricing:

• Mover: $39/month
• Shaker: $89/month (includes affiliates, coupons, coaching)

Key Features:

• Unlimited courses, downloads, and members
• Email marketing built-in (2,500 contacts on Shaker)
• Webinars included
• Coaching/calendly-style booking
• Memberships and communities
• No transaction fees
• Messaging and comments
• Quizzes and surveys
• Embeddable checkout

Pros: ✅ Sell courses + ebooks + memberships in one place ✅ No transaction fees (even on $39 plan) ✅ Built-in email marketing ✅ Webinar hosting included ✅ Very affordable ✅ Simple, clean interface ✅ Coaching feature (unique)

Cons: ❌ Less polished than Teachable/Kajabi ❌ Fewer customization options ❌ Marketing automation is basic ❌ Limited integrations

Best For:

• Bloggers selling multiple digital products
• Creators wanting memberships + courses
• Budget-conscious bloggers ($39/month)
• Anyone who values simplicity

Learn more about creating membership sites with platforms like Podia.

5. LearnDash (WordPress Plugin - Best for Full Control)

Overview: Self-hosted WordPress plugin. You host everything, maximum control, one-time cost.

Pricing:

• Basic: $199/year (1 site)
• Plus Pack: $229/year (10 sites)
• Pro: $369/year (25 sites)

Additional Costs:

• WordPress hosting: $20-$100/month
• Payment processing: Stripe/PayPal fees (2.9% + $0.30)
• Email service: $20-$50/month

Key Features:

• Unlimited courses and students
• Drip content and prerequisites
• Quizzes and assignments
• Badges and certificates
• Groups and subscriptions
• Integration with WooCommerce
• Bbpress forum integration
• Advanced reporting
• Complete customization

Pros: ✅ One-time annual fee (vs. monthly) ✅ Total control and ownership ✅ Unlimited everything ✅ Integrates seamlessly with WordPress blog ✅ No transaction fees ✅ Maximum customization ✅ Can build unique features

Cons: ❌ Requires WordPress knowledge ❌ You manage hosting, security, backups ❌ Needs additional plugins for full features ❌ More technical setup ❌ Support is limited

Best For:

• Tech-savvy bloggers with WordPress sites
• Anyone wanting full ownership
• Creators with developer access
• High-volume operations (lower long-term cost)

When It Makes Sense: If you’re already on WordPress and comfortable with plugins, LearnDash can be more cost-effective long-term:

Year 1: $199 + $500 hosting/tools = $699 vs. Teachable Pro: $119 × 12 = $1,428

6. Udemy (Marketplace - Best for Maximum Exposure)

Overview: Not a hosting platform—it’s a marketplace where you list courses. Udemy handles everything but takes large commission.

Pricing:

• Free to list
• Commission: 37-63% of sale price (depending on how customer found course)

Key Features:

• Massive student marketplace (50+ million students)
• Udemy handles marketing, hosting, payment
• Mobile apps
• Certificate of completion
• Q&A and reviews
• Promotional tools

Pros: ✅ Huge existing audience ✅ No upfront costs ✅ Udemy promotes your course ✅ Easy to start ✅ Additional passive income stream

Cons: ❌ High commission (37-63%) ❌ Udemy controls pricing (frequent deep discounts) ❌ No access to student emails ❌ Can’t build your own brand ❌ Revenue per sale is low ($5-$15 typically)

Best For:

• Supplementing your blog’s course
• Reaching new audiences
• Testing course ideas before self-hosting
• Passive income without marketing effort

Strategy: Create “lite” version on Udemy, upsell to comprehensive course on your blog.

How to Choose Your Platform

Use this decision framework to pick the right platform for your situation.

Decision Tree

Question 1: Are you WordPress-savvy?

• Yes: Consider LearnDash (saves money long-term)
• No: Continue to Question 2

Question 2: Is this your first course?

• Yes: Start with Teachable or Thinkific free plan (low risk)
• No: Continue to Question 3

Question 3: What’s your monthly revenue goal?

• $0-$2K/month: Thinkific Free or Podia ($39)
• $2K-$10K/month: Teachable Pro ($119) or Thinkific Pro ($99)
• $10K+/month: Kajabi ($149+) for all-in-one

Question 4: Do you sell other digital products?

• Yes (ebooks, templates, memberships): Podia
• No (just courses): Teachable or Thinkific

Question 5: How important is marketing automation?

• Very important: Kajabi
• Not crucial: Teachable, Thinkific, or Podia

My Recommendations by Situation

Brand New Course Creator: → Thinkific Free Plan Test your idea with zero cost, upgrade when you’re earning.

Blogger Launching First Course: → Teachable Basic ($39/month) Easiest setup, professional platform, affordable starting point.

Serious About Courses (Main Income): → Teachable Pro ($119) or Kajabi Basic ($149) Teachable if you want simplicity, Kajabi if you want all-in-one power.

Multiple Digital Products: → Podia ($39 or $89) Sell courses + ebooks + memberships in one place.

WordPress Expert: → LearnDash ($199/year) Full control, lowest long-term cost, integrates with your blog perfectly.

Testing Course Ideas: → Udemy (Free) List a simple version, gauge demand, then create premium version on your own platform.

Platform Migration Strategy

Start cheap, upgrade as you grow. Most bloggers follow this path:

Phase 1: Testing (Months 1-3) Platform: Thinkific Free or Udemy Goal: Validate course idea with minimal investment Revenue: $0-$500/month

Phase 2: Launching (Months 4-9) Platform: Teachable Basic ($39) or Thinkific Basic ($49) Goal: Professional platform, build student base Revenue: $500-$3,000/month

Phase 3: Scaling (Months 10-18) Platform: Teachable Pro ($119) or Kajabi ($149) Goal: Eliminate transaction fees, add automations Revenue: $3,000-$10,000/month

Phase 4: Optimizing (18+ months) Platform: Kajabi ($199-$399) or LearnDash + custom setup Goal: Maximize profit, consolidate tools Revenue: $10,000+/month

Migration Tip: Most platforms allow easy student migration. Moving courses takes time but isn’t technically difficult.

Setting Up Your First Course Platform

Once you’ve chosen, follow this setup roadmap.

Week 1: Platform Setup

• Sign up for chosen platform
• Connect custom domain
• Set up payment processing (Stripe/PayPal)
• Configure tax settings
• Create basic branding (logo, colors)

Week 2: Course Structure

• Create course outline
• Upload first module (or placeholder content)
• Set up drip schedule (if using)
• Create welcome email
• Add course completion certificate

Week 3: Sales Infrastructure

• Design sales page
• Write course description
• Set pricing and any payment plans
• Create coupon codes for launch
• Set up email integrations

Week 4: Polish and Launch

• Upload all course content
• Test student experience (enroll yourself)
• Write launch email sequence
• Prepare social media posts
• Soft launch to email list

Learn more about turning blog expertise into courses.

Managing Multiple Courses

As you grow, platform features matter more.

Essential Features for Multiple Courses:

• Bundles (sell multiple courses together)
• Course prerequisites (Course 2 unlocks after Course 1)
• Different pricing per course
• Upsells (suggest next course after completion)
• Student pathway tracking
• Unified student dashboard

Platforms with Best Multi-Course Management:

1. Kajabi (advanced automations and upsells)
2. Thinkific (bundling and prerequisites)
3. Teachable (course bundles and upsells)

Conclusion: Start Simple, Scale Smart

The best platform is the one you’ll actually use. Don’t get paralyzed by options—start with a beginner-friendly platform and upgrade as you grow.

Quick Decision Guide:

• Starting out? → Thinkific Free or Teachable Basic
• First paid course? → Teachable Pro or Thinkific Pro
• Multiple products? → Podia
• Serious business? → Kajabi
• WordPress expert? → LearnDash

Key Takeaways:

• Start with low-cost or free option to test course idea
• Upgrade to paid plans when earning $1,000+/month
• Consider Kajabi when course revenue is your primary income
• Factor in transaction fees when comparing costs
• Prioritize ease of use over advanced features initially

Your next step: Sign up for Thinkific’s free plan or Teachable’s free trial this week. Create your course outline, upload a sample lesson, and test the platform. You’ll know within a week if it fits your needs.

For more course creation guidance, explore our guides on turning blog expertise into courses, marketing digital products, and creating ebooks.