How we rank: Platforms to sell your own online courses
The Score (0–100) is a weighted sum of the factors below. Each factor is the weighted average of its metrics; each metric is calculated from one published fact. Missing facts score zero, and a service is ranked only when enough of its Score is backed by facts.
A service is ranked only when at least 70% of its Score is backed by verified facts.
← Best Platforms to Sell Online Courses 2026: Fees, Features
Price and fees 30%
Monthly list price in USD of the cheapest paid plan with monthly billing: $0 scores 100, $150 or more scores 0 (weight 3). Annual-billing discounts and first-months promotions are ignored; if the page does not say in text which billing a price belongs to, or a script fills in the price or the currency, the fact stays empty. The platform's own fee on your sales on that cheapest plan, through the platform's built-in checkout: 0% scores 100, 10% or more scores 0 (weight 2); card processing fees of Stripe or PayPal are not counted. A permanent free plan (weight 1); a free trial is not a free plan.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan per month | Linear from 0 (100) to 150 (0) — lower is better |
| Platform fee on sales (cheapest plan) | Linear from 0 (100) to 10 (0) — lower is better |
| Free plan | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Teaching tools 30%
Whether the platform offers quizzes or tests in courses, completion certificates, drip release of lessons on a schedule and a built-in community space for your students (weight 1 each) on any of its plans. Comments under lessons alone do not count as a community. The fact shows that a feature exists, not that the cheapest plan has it: check the note under each fact.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Quizzes | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Completion certificates | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Drip release of lessons | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Built-in community | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Selling tools 25%
Whether you can sell recurring subscriptions or memberships, send email to your students or leads from the platform itself, run your own affiliate program in which other people earn a commission for selling your courses, and connect your own domain (weight 1 each). An integration with a separate email or affiliate service does not count as built in.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Subscriptions and memberships | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Built-in email to students | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Your own affiliate program | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Your own domain | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Platform and security 15%
A documented public API, two-factor login for your creator account, a public status page with incidents (weight 1 each) and how long the platform has been running: 15 years or more scores 100 (weight 1). Beta and preview features do not count.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Public API | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Two-factor login | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Public status page | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Founded | Full score at 15+ years |