Free Online Course Platforms
Which online course platforms a startup can create and sell courses with for free today, which have a free plan and which a free trial, the transaction fee on each sale, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Course platforms change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Online course platforms a startup can start with for free today include Systeme.io (Free plan with core features), Thinkific (Free trial of each paid plan), Ruzuku (Free plan: 5 students, unlimited courses), LearnWorlds (30-day free trial, all core features), and Moodle LMS (Free open source, self-hosted). Each of the 12 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its transaction fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Selling a course, a cohort or a paid community takes a platform that hosts the lessons, takes payments and manages students. A few course platforms have a free plan, Moodle is free and open source, and most others offer a free trial before a monthly plan.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap courses or students, cheaper plans take a fee on every sale, and some trials do not state a length. Each platform below shows what is free, its main limit, its transaction fee, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which platforms we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which platforms are listed or where.
Course platforms with a free plan
Publish and sell courses with no monthly fee to start.
- 1
Systeme.io
Courses, funnels and email on one free plan
Systeme.io's free plan includes one course and up to 2,000 contacts, with no credit card needed. Payments through Stripe or PayPal carry no extra fee, and the first paid plan, Startup, is $17 a month.
- Transaction fee
- No transaction fees (Stripe, PayPal) (source: systeme.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: systeme.io)
- First paid plan
- Startup: $17 a month (source: systeme.io)
- 2
Ruzuku
Unlimited courses for up to 5 students, free forever
Ruzuku's Free plan is free forever with no credit card, and includes unlimited courses for up to 5 students. Every plan has zero transaction fees on course sales, and the first paid plan, Core, is $99 a month.
- Main limit
- Up to 5 students (source: ruzuku.com)
- Transaction fee
- 0% transaction fees (source: ruzuku.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: ruzuku.com)
- First paid plan
- Core: $99 a month, unlimited students (source: ruzuku.com)
- 3
Moodle LMS
Self-hosted LMS you can download and modify
Moodle LMS is an open source learning management system that is free to download, modify and share with others.
Course platforms with a free trial
Paid course platforms you can try free before the first bill.
- 1
Thinkific
A month to test the whole platform before paying
Thinkific has no free plan. Its free trial covers the whole platform, and Thinkific Payments adds no third-party gateway fee on sales.
- Transaction fee
- No gateway fee on Thinkific Payments (source: thinkific.com)
Start free at ThinkificTerms read on thinkific.com on Thinkific: the free allowance and how to start - 2
LearnWorlds
A 30-day trial with every core feature
LearnWorlds's 30-day trial gives access to all the core features. The Starter plan is $29 a month, billed monthly, with $5 per paid enrollment.
- Transaction fee
- $5 per paid enrollment on Starter (source: learnworlds.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $29 a month (source: learnworlds.com)
Start free at LearnWorldsTerms read on learnworlds.com on LearnWorlds: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Teachery
Unlimited courses and customers on a 14-day trial
Teachery's free trial lasts 14 days. The monthly plan is $70 a month, billed monthly, with unlimited courses and unlimited customers.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial (source: teachery.co)
- First paid plan
- Monthly: $70 a month (source: teachery.co)
- 4
Kajabi
Courses and memberships with no revenue share
Kajabi offers a free trial and does not take a revenue share as a platform. The Basic plan is $179 a month, billed monthly.
- Transaction fee
- 0% revenue share (source: kajabi.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: $179 a month (source: kajabi.com)
- 5
Mighty Networks
A 14-day trial of communities and courses, no card
Mighty Networks's 14-day free trial needs no credit card and runs on the Growth plan. The Launch plan is $79 a month.
- Transaction fee
- 0.5% on Growth, 2% on Launch (source: mightynetworks.com)
- First paid plan
- Launch: $79 a month (source: mightynetworks.com)
Start free at Mighty NetworksTerms read on mightynetworks.com on Mighty Networks: the free allowance and how to start - 6
Circle
A 14-day trial of a branded community, no card
Circle's 14-day free trial needs no credit card. The Professional plan is $89 a month with a 2% transaction fee.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial (source: circle.so)
- Transaction fee
- 2% on Professional, 1% on Business (source: circle.so)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: circle.so)
- First paid plan
- Professional: $89 a month (source: circle.so)
- 7
Graphy
Courses and products with a 14-day trial
Graphy's free trial lasts 14 days. The Launch plan is $49 a month, with a 0% transaction fee and unlimited products.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial (source: graphy.com)
- Transaction fee
- 0% transaction fee on Launch (source: graphy.com)
- First paid plan
- Launch: $49 a month (source: graphy.com)
- 8
Skool
Community and courses with a free trial to start
Skool's pricing page lists a Try for free option on its Hobby and Pro plans, both with unlimited members, courses and videos. The Hobby plan takes a 10% transaction fee and costs $9 a month.
- Transaction fee
- 10% transaction fee on Hobby (source: skool.com)
- First paid plan
- Hobby: $9 a month (source: skool.com)
- 9
Teachable
A 7-day trial to build a course before paying
Teachable has no free plan, but its paid plans include a 7-day free trial. The Starter plan allows 5 products, charges a 7.5% transaction fee and costs $39 a month.
- First paid plan
- Starter: $39 a month (source: teachable.com)
Start free at TeachableTerms read on teachable.com on Teachable: the free allowance and how to start
Also useful for founders
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers online course platforms a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each platform's terms. Every term comes from the platform's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on courses or students, a transaction fee on every sale, custom domains or community features kept for paid plans can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these platforms pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a platform appears, and no platform pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
Is there a free online course platform?
A few. By the terms each provider states, Systeme.io's free plan includes 1 course, 3 funnels and 2,000 contacts with no transaction fees, Ruzuku's free plan allows unlimited courses for up to 5 students, and Moodle LMS is free open source to self-host.
Does Teachable have a free plan?
No. Teachable offers a 7-day free trial and no free plan; its Starter plan is $39 a month, with a 7.5% transaction fee.
Is Thinkific free?
Thinkific has no free plan; it offers a free trial of its paid plans.
Which course platform charges no transaction fee?
By their own pages, Systeme.io charges no transaction fees, Ruzuku 0%, Graphy 0% on Launch and Kajabi 0% revenue share, while Skool takes 10% on Hobby and Teachable 7.5% on Starter.
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