15 Best Platforms to Sell Online Courses in 2025

Establishing a digital home to sell classes online through a reputable online course platform is crucial for those who want to have success in this industry. Course marketplaces offer convenience and exposure. In contrast, using a white-label software to publish and sell courses from your own website can provide unparalleled control over your brand, content, and revenue streams. If you are in search of the best platforms to sell online courses, we have curated a list of 15 top solutions to do so. Check them out! 

I. Course Marketplace vs. Online Course Publishing Software

Platforms for online courses fall into two main categories: course marketplaces and online course publishing software. Let’s explore their similarities and differences.

A. Course Marketplaces: key platforms to sell online courses indirectly

Course Marketplaces host many instructors and courses in one shared catalog. They’re great for beginners because they already have a large audience, but they offer limited control over branding, marketing, and student relationships. Although publishing is often free, marketplaces usually keep a big share of the revenue, which can limit your growth potential. 

B. Publishing Software: best platforms for selling online courses directly

Publishing Software, on the other hand, lets you host and sell courses directly through your own website or app. You keep full control of your leads, branding, and marketing. These platforms are usually subscription-based (SaaS) and integrate with other tools, helping you build a customized and scalable online course business.

II. The 15 Best Platforms to Sell Online Courses

See below our list of the 15 best platforms for selling courses online:

1. Timely: (software) All-in-one solution to promote and sell online courses on your website.
2. Udemy: (marketplace) An online course marketplace with a wide reach.
3. Skillshare: (marketplace) A community-based platform for creatives.
4. LearnWorlds: (software) Focuses on interactive and engaging course content.
5. Podia: (software) A versatile platform for selling courses, programs and memberships.
6. Mighty Networks: (software) A course and community online platform. 
7. Learndash: (software) A WordPress plugin for creating and selling courses online.
8. LinkedIn Learning: (marketplace) Professional development top-quality courses.
9. Domestika: (marketplace) Creative and artistic skills online course platform.
10. PluralSight: (marketplace) IT and software development learning hub.
11. Teachable: (software) User-friendly interface and customization options.
12. Thinkific: (software) Offers tools to create, market, and sell online courses.
13. Kajabi: (software) A broad online course platform for creation and marketing.
14. Fiverr: (marketplace) Online course platform catering towards diverse segments.
15. Arlo: (software) Course management and event registration software.

The best course-selling platform for you depends on your course type, budget, and marketing goals. Before choosing, compare each platform’s features, pricing, and user feedback to find the right fit for your needs. Exploring their details will help you choose the platform that best supports your online course success.

1. Timely

Timely LMS for training is an all-in-one platform that helps training providers manage, promote, and deliver courses more efficiently. It includes a customizable course calendar, making it easy to publish and schedule classes while keeping students organized.

The platform automates promotion through email and social media, streamlining marketing efforts. It also offers online registration forms, payment processing, and invoicing to simplify administration. Providers can manage discounts, coupons, and waitlists, and the system automatically sends confirmations and reminders to reduce no-shows. Attendance tracking ensures accurate records.

Overall, Timely helps training providers save time, improve organization, and offer a better experience for both learners and administrators. Flexible pricing plans and optional add-ons allow providers to choose the features that best fit their needs.

2. Udemy Course Marketplace

Udemy is one of the most popular platforms for selling online courses, with over 62 million students and 75,000 instructors. Becoming an instructor is simple—after approval, you can create a course with at least 30 minutes of video and five lectures.

Udemy supports instructors with video feedback, equipment advice, and resources in its Teaching Center. It also offers marketing tools like email promotions and site-wide campaigns that work on a revenue-sharing model. Instructors can use Udemy’s marketplace insights to pick strong course topics and analyze competition, much like Google Analytics. 

3. Skillshare

Skillshare is a great platform for creatives, including entrepreneurs, designers, writers, photographers, and bloggers, to share their skills online. It offers thousands of courses across topics like marketing, photography, cooking, and art.

Students pay for a membership that gives access to over 35,000 premium courses. Instructors can join for free, but earnings come from courses included in Skillshare’s premium catalog.

Each course includes 20–60 minutes of video lessons, hands-on projects, and community discussions. Skillshare emphasizes collaboration and feedback, allowing students to share progress and improve their creative work along the way.

4. LearnWorlds Course Selling Platform

LearnWorlds is a flexible online course platform available on the web, Android, and iOS, making it easy for educators and students to access learning anywhere. It lets instructors create a variety of courses and even build a custom-branded app for their school or programs.

The platform includes powerful editing tools that help educators design engaging, interactive lessons. Discussion forums and student profiles encourage collaboration, networking, and community building among learners.

LearnWorlds also supports course marketing through coupons and discounts, allowing instructors to run promotions and attract more students while enhancing the overall learning experience.

5. Podia

Podia is an all-in-one platform for selling online courses, digital downloads, memberships, and coaching. Its easy-to-use storefront design provides clear landing pages with course details, FAQs, and creator bios.

Creators can launch courses immediately or pre-launch to collect emails. Podia also supports selling extra materials like eBooks, videos, and cheat sheets, which can be bundled together.

With Podia, you can build your own private membership site, customize plans and perks, and engage your community directly. This eliminates the need for third-party platforms and helping your online business grow steadily.

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6. Mighty Networks Community Platform

Mighty Networks is designed to help educators build interactive learning communities by combining courses, memberships, groups, and events in one platform. It offers flexible pricing options, allowing you to sell courses individually, as bundles, or as part of a membership. Each course includes an Activity Feed where members can post, comment, and engage throughout their learning journey.

Instructors can host live sessions, lead discussions, and use tools like polls and icebreaker questions to boost participation. The platform also allows you to customize terms such as “instructor” or “table of contents” to better reflect your brand. Overall, Mighty Networks helps educators create vibrant, branded communities that keep learners connected and engaged.

7. Learndash

LearnDash is a popular choice for course creators, trusted by prestigious universities and Fortune 500 companies. Also, it provides an easy-to-use course builder and an integrated eCommerce platform for selling classes online. Furthermore, LearnDash supports multimedia content and offers expert consulting assistance, making it a versatile solution for creating and managing online courses.

Furthermore, LearnDash is a platform for online courses that embraces the multimedia-rich nature of modern education. It offers comprehensive multimedia support, allowing you to incorporate a wide range of content formats, from videos and audio to interactive quizzes and assignments.

8. LinkedIn Learning 

For those deeply committed to creating business courses, LinkedIn stands as an unrivaled platform, boasting a vast audience that comprises nearly all professionals within your specific niche.

LinkedIn recognized the need to facilitate their users in acquiring essential training and credentials, leading to the inception of a dedicated online course platform. Previously known as Lynda.com, this tool underwent a transformation following its acquisition by LinkedIn, now bearing the name LinkedIn Learning.

9. Domestika 

Domestika is a fast-growing online community and marketplace for creative professionals. It offers courses in areas like design, writing, and illustration, making it one of the best platforms to sell online courses for creatives.

Originally based in Spain with primarily Spanish-language courses, Domestika is now expanding by translating its content into English—creating new opportunities for instructors who teach in English. The platform is beginner-friendly and non-exclusive, allowing creators to also sell their courses on other platforms like Skillshare.

10. PluralSight 

PluralSight is a top platform for publishing professional courses, offering opportunities to create lessons, assessments, and labs. It also has a strong instructor community where experienced authors support newcomers.

However, joining PluralSight is competitive—it’s invitation-only, and courses published there must remain exclusive to the platform. This makes earning a full-time income from royalties alone difficult. Instead, it’s best seen as a valuable way to build credibility and connect with companies for potential consulting work.

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11. Teachable

Teachable is a flexible platform that lets creators design their own course websites and sales pages while easily uploading content from tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. It offers multiple pricing options—one-time payments, subscriptions, or payment plans—and allows the use of coupons for promotions.

The platform also supports affiliate marketing through its built-in system, removing the need for external tools. With Teachable’s email marketing features, instructors can engage students based on their activity, gather feedback through surveys, and stay connected even after course completion, making it a well-rounded tool for course creation and student communication.

12. Thinkific

Thinkific simplifies the process of creating online courses with its user-friendly templates. Divide course creation in two parts: course material and landing page. Select from templates like pre-sell, mini-course, flagship course, membership resource library, or webinar replay, each offering helpful prompts for content creation, including video lessons, quizzes, downloads, surveys, and instructor messages. Also, you can customize these templates or use them as-is.

Choose your pages, add content, select a theme, and you're set. Additionally, if you want to showcase testimonials, Thinkific allows you to collect and display student reviews seamlessly on your landing page by enabling student reviews for your course. Thinkific is designed to make course creation straightforward and efficient.

13. Kajabi Platform to Sell Online Courses

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for selling online courses, combining powerful marketing and automation tools to help creators attract and engage students. Its pre-built “blueprints” simplify marketing by providing ready-made landing pages, email sequences, and checkout flows. For example, its freebie funnel collects emails, sends automated follow-ups, and promotes paid courses using customizable templates.

Instructors can manage contacts, send special offers, and automate actions based on student behavior—such as completing lessons or canceling subscriptions. Kajabi also includes built-in email tracking and analytics to measure engagement and performance. Overall, it streamlines course hosting and marketing, making it a comprehensive solution for growing an online education business.

14. Fiverr 

Fiverr, best known for connecting freelancers and clients, also offers opportunities to sell online courses. With over 4 million monthly visitors, it provides access to a large audience—especially those interested in business, marketing, and web development skills.

Courses related to entrepreneurship and professional growth tend to perform best on Fiverr, making it a good option if your niche aligns with these areas. While it may not rival platforms like Udemy or Udacity in course reach, Fiverr can be a valuable secondary channel to earn extra income and expand your visibility.

15. Arlo Course Selling Platform 

Arlo is a cloud-based training management system built for managing courses, events, and corporate training. It’s ideal for live and blended learning, combining both in-person and virtual sessions.

Unlike typical course platforms, Arlo focuses on professional development and corporate education. It also integrates with LMS tools like Moodle, supports certification tracking, automates workflows, and connects with CRM systems—making it a complete solution for training providers who manage both events and online courses.

III. How To Choose The Best Platforms for Selling Online Courses

Choosing the right online course platform is key to meeting your teaching, growth, and income goals. Start by matching your course content with a platform that supports your media types, quizzes, and customization needs. Look for ease of use, flexible pricing, scalability, marketing tools, analytics, and strong data security.

If you’re just starting, try a course marketplace to test your content. Once it’s proven, move to your own website using publishing software for more control. In 2025, many platforms now include AI features for personalized learning and engagement, plus easy content migration.

Ultimately, the best platform should simplify course delivery so you can focus on teaching and growing your audience.

FAQ About Selling Courses and Programs Online

1. Where can I sell online courses?

You can sell online courses on marketplaces like Udemy and Skillshare, through course creation platforms like Teachable and Thinkific. Alternatively, you can promote and sell courses with Timely, which helps you reach a wider audience through event listings, marketing automations, as well as registration and payments.

2. What’s the best platform for beginners to sell courses online?

For beginners, Teachable and Thinkific offer user-friendly interfaces and free plans. Additionally, Timely can complement these tools by helping you promote your training programs with course catalogs, automated emails, social media integrations, and online registration and payments.

3. Where to sell online courses if I want full control over pricing and branding?

Platforms like Kajabi, Podia, and self-hosted options like LearnDash give you full control. You can also use Timely to drive traffic and increase enrolment by showcasing your courses on a branded calendar embedded into your website.