Updated 1 October 2026 · Pludor team · 4 sources
The best course platform depends on your stage: marketplaces bring students but keep a large share of sales they bring; dedicated course hosts such as Teachable, Thinkific and Kajabi cost a monthly fee and give you control; all-in-one stores with free plans suit creators starting out or selling courses alongside other products. Compare total cost at your expected sales before choosing.
Course platforms fall into three groups, and the right one changes as your course business grows.
Add the monthly fee and per-sale fees at your expected sales.
Marketplaces bring traffic but take a bigger share and own the student; your own platform keeps both.
Reliable video, simple checkout, progress tracking and a way to talk to students.
Keep your source files and student list so you can move without re-recording.
Use a free plan and pre-sell before recording everything.
Choose a platform that also takes bookings or add a booking tool.
Free plans cost nothing monthly but charge per sale; flat plans cost more monthly but less per sale. The cheapest depends on your sales.
For established creators using its marketing tools, possibly; Basic starts at $143 a month billed yearly (Kajabi).
Starter has a 7.5% transaction fee; higher plans list 0% (Teachable).
Yes, a course sales page with checkout is enough.
Your recordings and materials are yours; keep copies outside any platform.
AI can outline and draft; your expertise and examples make it worth buying.
Add email, booking and community tools to the platform cost; all-in-one tools can be cheaper overall.
Selling in cohorts with start dates creates urgency and better completion.
Once a course sells, a free lesson plus email sequence can sell it every day.
Templates, coaching and advanced courses raise revenue per student.
As sales grow, a different plan or platform may cost less.
AI shortens the path from idea to course.
Check every fact; students rely on your course being right.
Many sellers pay for several tools to cover these jobs. Pludor includes them in one free store, with free amounts every month and pay-as-you-go past them (pricing).
| Job | Usual separate tool | On Pludor |
|---|---|---|
| Online courses | Teachable Starter, $39 a month plus a 7.5% transaction fee (Teachable) | Included: courses and paid challenges |
| Bookings and deposits | Calendly Standard, $10 per seat a month billed yearly (Calendly) | Included; 30 bookings free each month, then pay as you go |
| Email marketing | Mailchimp Essentials, from $13 a month (Mailchimp) | Included; 500 marketing emails free each month |
| Online store and checkout | Shopify Basic, $39 a month billed monthly (Shopify) | Included, $0 a month, no item limit |
Monthly subscriptions in this table add up to about $101.00 a month before any per-sale fees; on Pludor the same jobs start at $0 a month plus 4.99% + 90¢ per paid order and card processing (pricing). Prices checked 1 October 2026 on each tool's pricing page.
Pludor hosts courses and paid challenges free, alongside your store, bookings and memberships, with a course marketplace for discovery.
Free to start - no card, no item limit. Pay only for what you use past the monthly free amounts.
Start my course freeChecked 1 October 2026. Fees and rules change; follow the links for the latest.