Online course platforms compared
The best online course platforms
in 2026, compared.
11 online course platforms and course hosting options, side by side: what they cost, what they take from your sales, and how much of the work they do for you. Every price comes from the platform’s own pricing page, checked 24 Sept 2026.
The short answer
What is the best online course platform?
If you only read one part of this page, read this.
- Most course platforms charge you every month, whether you sell anything or not, and most still leave the recording to you.
- Knola is one payment (from $97). It drafts your course, turns lessons into slides and narrated video lessons, makes ebooks, and writes the sales page and checkout. Already made your course? Upload it and host it yourself: the AI is optional. Pay once and your course stays online.
- Choose a community platform such as Skool or Circle if members mainly pay for the community. Choose an all-in-one such as Kajabi if you want email marketing in the same monthly plan. Choose Knola if you want to build and sell a course without a monthly bill.
Our picks: the best course platform for each job
We make Knola, so it is first. Every other platform is here because it is genuinely the best at something.
- 1
Knola· Best overall
$97 once · One payment
- Pay once. AI drafts the course, makes slides and narrated video lessons, ebooks, and the sales page and checkout.
- No community or email marketing yet; Solo includes 1 course.
- 2Knola vs Kajabi
Kajabi· Best for courses, email and community in one plan
$179/mo · Monthly
- Email marketing, a community and AI writing in one plan.
- From $179 a month, and your course goes offline if you stop paying.
- 3Knola vs Skool
Skool· Best for paid communities with courses on the side
$9/mo + 10% · Monthly
- Strong community, gamification and live calls.
- Basic course tools: no sales pages or funnels, and upsells only inside the group, and 10% of sales on Hobby.
- 4Knola vs Thinkific
Thinkific· Best for team training, group sales and communities
$54/mo · Monthly
- Group sales, B2B training and a large app store.
- Monthly plans that rose about 10% in August 2026; AI writes outlines, not lessons.
- 5Knola vs Teachable
Teachable· Best for courses with native student mobile apps
$39/mo · Monthly
- Native iOS and Android student apps, and sales tax handled for you.
- Starter takes 7.5% of every sale on top of the monthly fee.
- 6Knola vs LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds· Best for training companies needing SCORM
$29/mo + $5 a sale · Monthly
- SCORM, interactive video and AI for outlines, lessons and ebooks.
- Starter charges $5 for every sale; certificates and funnels need Pro Trainer.
- 7Knola vs Podia
Podia· Best for simple all-in-one: email, community, store
$49/mo + 5% · Monthly
- Courses, downloads, email and community in one simple tool.
- Mover takes 5% of every sale and caps you at 50 products.
- 8Knola vs Stan Store
Stan Store· Best for selling simple products from social media
$29/mo · Monthly
- A link-in-bio store built for selling from social media.
- A light course builder: no quizzes or certificates.
- 9Knola vs Circle
Circle· Best for paid communities with courses inside
$89/mo (billed yearly) · Monthly or yearly subscription
- Deep community spaces, events and live streams.
- Priced for communities, with a 2% fee on Professional.
- 10Knola vs ThriveCart
ThriveCart· Best for advanced checkout, affiliates and sales tax
$47/mo · Monthly, or $495 lifetime
- An advanced checkout, affiliate centre and sales tax handling.
- A checkout tool first; course AI is mostly marked coming soon.
- 11Knola vs Moodle
Moodle· Best for schools and training teams with IT support
$170/yr (MoodleCloud) · Free software you host, or yearly hosting
- Free, open-source and highly customisable, with SCORM.
- Free to download, not free to run: hosting, updates and plugins are on you.
How we compared them
Five questions that decide what a course platform really costs you, in money and in time. Every competitor fact comes from its own pricing, product or help pages, checked 24 Sept 2026.
What it costs over two years
Monthly plans add up. We compare the real total, not the first month.
What it takes from your sales
Transaction fees and per-sale charges, on top of the plan price.
How much of the work it does
Does AI only suggest an outline, or build the lessons, slides and videos?
How well it sells
Sales pages, funnels, checkout, order bumps, upsells and coupons.
How well it teaches
Video hosting, quizzes, certificates, drip and student progress.
The AI is optional
Already made your course? Just host it on Knola.
The AI is there when you want it, never required. Bring the course you built, arrange it your way and sell it, for the same one-time fee.
- Upload your own videos, PDFs and files
- Write and arrange every lesson yourself in the editor
- Add quizzes, certificates and drip release
- Sell it with a checkout, order bumps and upsells
- Pay once and your course stays online.
Online course platforms compared, side by side
Filter by what you need. Tap a platform to see the full comparison.
Showing 11 of 11 platforms
| Platform | Starts at | How you pay | No monthly fee | AI builds the course | Narrated video | Sales pages + funnels | Community | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KnolaBuilding and selling a course without a monthly bill | $97 once | One payment0% with your own checkout | ||||||
| KajabiCourses, email and community in one plan | $179/mo | Monthly0% on Kajabi Payments | vs Kajabi | |||||
| SkoolPaid communities with courses on the side | $9/mo + 10% | Monthly10% on Hobby, 2.9% on Pro (incl. card fees) | vs Skool | |||||
| Stan StoreSelling simple products from social media | $29/mo | Monthly0% (card and payout fees apply) | vs Stan Store | |||||
| ThinkificTeam training, group sales and communities | $54/mo | Monthly0% on Thinkific Payments | vs Thinkific | |||||
| TeachableCourses with native student mobile apps | $39/mo | Monthly7.5% on Starter, 0% above | vs Teachable | |||||
| ThriveCartAdvanced checkout, affiliates and sales tax | $47/mo | Monthly, or $495 lifetime0.35–0.5% tax fee on new accounts | vs ThriveCart | |||||
| MoodleSchools and training teams with IT support | $170/yr (MoodleCloud) | Free software you host, or yearly hosting0% (payment gateway fees only) | vs Moodle | |||||
| CirclePaid communities with courses inside | $89/mo (billed yearly) | Monthly or yearly subscription2% on Professional | vs Circle | |||||
| PodiaSimple all-in-one: email, community, store | $49/mo + 5% | Monthly5% on Mover, 0% above | vs Podia | |||||
| LearnWorldsTraining companies needing SCORM | $29/mo + $5 a sale | Monthly$5 per sale on Starter, 0% above | vs LearnWorlds |
Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, billed monthly where the platform publishes a monthly price, from each platform’s own pricing page, checked 24 Sept 2026. Card processing fees apply on every platform and are not included.
How to choose an online course platform
Answer these four questions and the right course hosting platform picks itself.
- 1
Do you want to pay every month?
Most course platforms bill monthly for as long as your course is online. If you would rather pay once, Knola and a few lifetime options are the shortlist.
- 2
Do you already have your course recorded?
If not, pick a platform that does the work: Knola drafts the lessons and narrates them into video lessons, so you never have to record anything.
- 3
Is a community what people pay for?
If members mainly pay for discussion and live calls, a community platform such as Skool or Circle fits better than a course platform.
- 4
Do you need email marketing in the same tool today?
Kajabi and Podia include it. Knola’s email marketing is in its final stages of testing, so for now keep your current email tool alongside it.
Compare Knola with each platform
Why Knola, against all of them- Knola vs KajabiKajabi: courses, email and community in one plan. $179/mo, monthly.The Kajabi alternative
- Knola vs SkoolSkool: paid communities with courses on the side. $9/mo + 10%, monthly.The Skool alternative
- Knola vs Stan StoreStan Store: selling simple products from social media. $29/mo, monthly.The Stan Store alternative
- Knola vs ThinkificThinkific: team training, group sales and communities. $54/mo, monthly.The Thinkific alternative
- Knola vs TeachableTeachable: courses with native student mobile apps. $39/mo, monthly.The Teachable alternative
- Knola vs ThriveCartThriveCart: advanced checkout, affiliates and sales tax. $47/mo, monthly, or $495 lifetime.The ThriveCart alternative
- Knola vs MoodleMoodle: schools and training teams with it support. $170/yr (MoodleCloud), free software you host, or yearly hosting.The Moodle alternative
- Knola vs CircleCircle: paid communities with courses inside. $89/mo (billed yearly), monthly or yearly subscription.The Circle alternative
- Knola vs PodiaPodia: simple all-in-one: email, community, store. $49/mo + 5%, monthly.The Podia alternative
- Knola vs LearnWorldsLearnWorlds: training companies needing scorm. $29/mo + $5 a sale, monthly.The LearnWorlds alternative
Questions about choosing a course platform
What is the best online course platform?
It depends on what you want the platform to do. If you want to build and sell a course without a monthly bill, and have AI do the lessons, slides and video, Knola is our pick (from $97, one payment). If you want email and community in one monthly plan, Kajabi. For a paid community, Skool.
What is the best course hosting platform?
A good course hosting platform hosts your video, delivers lessons, quizzes and certificates, and takes payments without extra tools. Knola does all of that on a one-time licence. If you need SCORM for company training, look at LearnWorlds or Moodle.
What is the best platform to sell online courses?
Look for a real checkout with order bumps, upsells, coupons and payment plans, plus a sales page. Knola, Kajabi, Thinkific and Teachable all sell courses well; Knola is the one you pay for once, and the one that writes the sales page from your course.
What is the cheapest course platform?
It depends on how long you keep it. Paid entry plans on the platforms we compared run from $9 a month (plus 10% of every sale) to $179 a month, and the bill keeps coming whether you sell anything or not. Knola is a one-time payment of $97 for Solo or $197 for Studio, so within a year it usually costs less than a monthly plan.
Is there a course platform with no monthly fee?
Yes. Knola is a one-time licence: pay once and your course stays online, with no monthly fee to keep it there. A few others sell one-time or lifetime options too; we compare them on our no-monthly-fee page.
Which course platform uses AI to build the whole course?
Several platforms have AI for outlines and lesson text. Knola drafts the whole course from your notes, turns each lesson into slides with a speaker script, and narrates them into video lessons in an AI voice or your own. You bring the knowledge; Knola builds everything around it.
Do I have to use Knola’s AI?
No. The AI is there when you want it, never required. If you have already made your course, upload your videos, PDFs and files, write and arrange the lessons yourself, add quizzes and certificates, and sell it with Knola’s checkout. It is the same one-time licence: pay once and your course stays online.
Which course platform is best for beginners?
Pick the one that does the most of the work you find hardest. If recording videos and writing sales pages is what stops you, Knola does both for you. If you mainly want a community, a platform like Skool or Circle fits better.
Our promise
Pay once and your course stays online.
No monthly fee to keep it there. That is the whole deal.
- One paymentSolo $97 or Studio $197. No monthly bill, whether you sell or not.
- Your course stays onlineWe don’t take courses down from people who paid for a licence.
- Your work is never locked inExport your content as PDF, HTML or Markdown at any time.
- 30-day money-back guaranteeIf Knola is not for you, tell us within 30 days and we refund every penny.