Best Free Online Course Platforms for Coaches (Compared)
An online course platform for coaches is a hosted service that lets you package video lessons, workbooks, and live cohorts into a paid product you can sell without building a website from scratch.
Coaches who teach on a generic website builder spend about 30 hours wiring up checkout, video hosting, and student logins before the first lesson ships. A 2026 Teachable product survey (accessed October 2026) puts the unbilled setup at roughly 6,000 dollars at a coaching rate of 200 dollars an hour.
The right platform ships a course in a single weekend, with no developer required.
Systeme.io wins for coaches who need a free forever tier with zero transaction fees. Teachable suits coaches ready to pay for the most polished student experience. Thinkific fits experts planning to publish many courses. Podia serves creators bundling courses, downloads, and webinars. Kajabi covers coaches who want email, funnels, and courses on one bill. Kartra fits established coaches running affiliates and help desks on top.
Key facts: Systeme.io’s free plan is free, with no fee. Teachable Starter is 39 dollars a month at 7.5 percent fee. Thinkific Basic is 54 dollars a month, unlimited courses. Podia Mover is 49 dollars a month at 5 percent. Kajabi Basic is 89 dollars a month, 0 percent on its processor. Kartra Essentials is 59 dollars a month at 5 percent per sale.
One number to remember: a coach who prices the first course at 197 dollars and enrolls 30 students in month one earns 5,910 dollars gross. A 7.5 percent fee on Teachable Starter takes 443 dollars. A 5 percent fee on Podia Mover takes 296 dollars. A zero percent fee on Systeme.io takes nothing.
Free and paid course platforms compared
The table below compares six platforms that coaches actually use to sell courses, sorted by entry price. All six host video lessons, process payments, and let students log in to watch content. They differ on free tier availability, transaction fees, course limits, and the wider marketing toolkit that comes with the subscription.
| Platform | Free Plan | Entry Paid Price | Transaction Fee | Course Limit at Entry | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Yes, free forever, 1 course and 2,000 contacts | 0 dollars | 0 percent on every tier | 1 course on free, 5 on Startup at 17 dollars | Coaches testing their first offer with zero upfront cost |
| Teachable | No permanent free plan, 7-day trial only | 39 dollars per month | 7.5 percent on Starter, 0 percent from Builder upwards | 5 products on Starter, 10 on Builder at 89 dollars | Coaches who want the most polished student-facing experience |
| Thinkific | No permanent free plan, free trial | 54 dollars per month | 0 percent on every plan | Unlimited courses on every paid tier | Experts planning to publish many courses over time |
| Podia | No permanent free plan, 14-day trial | 49 dollars per month | 5 percent on Mover, 0 percent from Shaker upwards | 50 products on Mover, 150 on Shaker at 99 dollars | Coaches who also sell digital downloads or run webinars |
| Kajabi | No free plan, 30-day trial | 89 dollars per month (Kickstarter), Basic 119 dollars | 0 percent on Kajabi Payments, 5 percent on own Stripe on Kickstarter | 1 product on Kickstarter, 5 on Basic, 50 on Pro | Coaches who want email, funnels, and courses in one bill |
| Kartra | No free plan, 14-day or 30-day trial | 59 dollars per month | 5 percent on Essentials, 0 percent from Starter upwards | 1 course on Essentials, unlimited from Starter at 119 dollars | Established coaches running affiliate programs and help desks |
The honest traps: what they do not put on the pricing page
Free tiers cap the number of courses, not the traffic. Systeme.io’s free plan hosts 1 course and 2,000 contacts forever, per its pricing page (accessed October 2026). A coach who wants a free lead magnet plus a paid signature needs the Startup plan at 17 dollars a month right away. The free plan will not host a second course. The free tier is a sandbox.
Teachable’s 7.5 percent fee disappears at 89 dollars, not at 39 dollars. Teachable Starter charges 7.5 percent on every sale, per its pricing page (accessed October 2026). Builder at 89 dollars per month drops the fee to zero. A coach selling 4,000 dollars a month pays 300 dollars in fees on Starter and 0 on Builder. The savings cover most of the price difference.
Podia’s Mover plan fees outpace the subscription at modest sales. Podia Mover charges 5 percent on top of Stripe’s 2.9 percent plus 30 cents, per its pricing page (accessed October 2026). On 1,000 dollars a month, the fee is 50 dollars, about the 49 dollar subscription. Shaker at 99 dollars charges 0 percent and pays for itself near 840 dollars a month on annual billing.
Kajabi’s zero percent fee depends on using Kajabi Payments. Per its pricing page (accessed October 2026), Kajabi charges 5 percent on Kickstarter, 2 percent on Basic, and 0.5 percent on Pro with your own Stripe. Kajabi Payments drops the fee to zero but locks you into Kajabi’s processor, which holds funds for 7 business days. The promise comes with a processor you do not pick.
Kartra’s contact ceiling forces plan upgrades, not overage fees. Kartra has no per-contact overage, per its pricing analysis (accessed October 2026). Hit 2,501 contacts on Starter and you move to Growth at 229 dollars a month, not a 20 dollar overage. The contact limit is the number to plan around, not the subscription price.
Thinkific and Teachable do not include email on every plan. Teachable’s built-in email is gated to Builder and above, per its pricing page (accessed October 2026). Thinkific does not include native email on Basic or Start, so coaches pair it with ConvertKit, Mailerlite, or a similar tool. The 54 dollar Thinkific price is not the real total once a 30 dollar email tool is added.
Best for zero upfront cost: Systeme.io
Systeme.io is the only platform in this comparison with a free forever plan that includes the full course builder, payment processing, and 2,000 contacts. Per its pricing page (accessed October 2026), the free plan supports 1 course, 3 sales funnels, 1 custom domain, and unlimited email sends at zero cost.
The platform takes 0 percent in transaction fees on every tier. A coach selling a 197 dollar course keeps the full amount minus Stripe’s 2.9 percent plus 30 cents. The free tier is the right tool to validate whether an offer sells. No credit card is required to start, and the free plan never expires.
The limits are real but intentional. One course means the free plan cannot host a free lead magnet and a paid core course at the same time. Two thousand contacts is enough to test an offer to a small list but tight once a coach runs paid traffic. Startup at 17 dollars per month lifts the limit to 5 courses and 5,000 contacts.
Systeme.io is a good fit for coaches who want to spend their budget on coaching, not on platform fees. It is a poor fit for coaches who need a polished student experience, branded mobile apps, or advanced marketing automations.
Best for polished student experience: Teachable
Teachable is the most established course platform on this list. Per its pricing page (accessed October 2026), Starter is 39 dollars per month with 5 products, a course builder, mobile student apps, and 7.5 percent in transaction fees. Builder at 89 dollars per month removes the transaction fee and lifts the product cap to 10.
The student-facing experience is the reason coaches pick Teachable. Course pages load fast, video playback is reliable, and the iOS and Android apps give students a Netflix-style experience on mobile. Completion certificates, quizzes, and drip scheduling are all available on the paid tiers, and Teachable handles global VAT and US sales tax automatically.
The catch is the 7.5 percent fee on Starter. A coach selling 5,000 dollars a month pays 375 dollars in fees on top of the 39 dollar subscription. The fee disappears at 89 dollars on Builder, so the practical question is whether monthly revenue clears 1,200 dollars, the rough breakeven point where Builder becomes cheaper than Starter.
Teachable fits a coach who is confident in their offer and ready to pay for a platform that signals quality. It is the wrong choice for a coach still validating their first course.
Best for unlimited courses on every plan: Thinkific
Thinkific is the only platform in this comparison that ships unlimited courses, unlimited video, and unlimited students on every paid plan, including the 54 dollar Basic tier. Per its pricing page (accessed October 2026), Basic includes unlimited courses, video lessons, quizzes, 1 community, 5 digital downloads, and a custom domain. Transaction fees are zero on every plan.
Thinkific suits a coach who plans to publish many courses over time. A coach who wants a free lead magnet, a 197 dollar signature, and a 997 dollar cohort can host all three on Basic. The Start plan at 109 dollars per month adds membership subscriptions for alumni. The platform does not penalize a coach for publishing more.
The missing piece is built-in email. Thinkific does not include a native email tool on Basic or Start, so most coaches pair it with Mailerlite, ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign. The real monthly bill is the 54 dollar Thinkific Basic plus a 20 to 30 dollar email tool, which lands closer to 80 dollars total.
Thinkific fits a coach who values course hosting and is comfortable plugging in a separate email tool. It is the wrong choice for a coach who wants one bill, one login, and built-in email on the entry plan.
Best for coaches who also sell downloads and webinars: Podia
Podia bundles online courses, digital downloads, coaching sessions, webinars, and a community in one storefront. Per its pricing page (accessed October 2026), Mover is 49 dollars per month with 50 products, 500 videos, 25 community spaces, and 100 email subscribers. Shaker at 99 dollars per month removes the 5 percent platform fee and lifts the product cap to 150.
Podia fits a coach who sells more than one product type. A coach who sells a 197 dollar course, a 47 dollar workbook, and a 997 dollar group cohort can host all three on a single Podia storefront, with one checkout and one customer list.
The Mover plan fee is the trap. At 5 percent, a coach selling 1,000 dollars a month pays 50 dollars in platform fees, about the same as the subscription. Shaker at 99 dollars removes the fee and adds affiliates, upsells, PayPal, and Zapier. The Mover-to-Shaker crossover sits at about 840 dollars a month on annual billing.
Podia is the right platform for a coach whose business mixes courses, downloads, and live sessions. It is the wrong choice for a coach who only needs course hosting, because Teachable and Thinkific deliver the same core experience at a lower monthly price.
Best for all-in-one with email and funnels: Kajabi
Kajabi is the most expensive platform in this comparison and the one that replaces the most separate tools. Per its pricing page (accessed October 2026), Kickstarter is 89 dollars per month with 1 product, 1 community, 1 funnel, 2,500 contacts, and 0 percent fees when you use Kajabi Payments. Basic at 119 dollars per month adds 5 products, 3 funnels, and 10,000 contacts.
Kajabi replaces a course platform, an email tool, a landing page builder, a sales funnel builder, and a basic CRM. A coach paying 89 dollars for Kajabi Kickstarter plus 30 dollars for email, 30 dollars for funnels, and 20 dollars for a CRM pays 169 dollars a month for the same capabilities Kajabi bundles at 89 dollars.
The catch is the 5 percent platform fee when you use your own Stripe on Kickstarter. The fee drops to 2 percent on Basic and 0.5 percent on Pro. Kajabi Payments removes the fee but ties the coach to Kajabi’s processor, which holds funds for 7 business days. A coach who needs same-day cash flow needs to plan around the hold.
Kajabi is the right platform for a coach who already pays for an email tool, a funnel tool, and a CRM and wants to consolidate. It is the wrong choice for a coach just starting out, because the 89 dollar entry price and 1 product cap are too steep for a single-course launch.
Final decision path
If you are still validating whether your course idea sells, start on Systeme.io’s free plan and launch your first course without spending a dollar. The 0 percent fee keeps your test budget intact, and Startup at 17 dollars a month is the affordable next step once you have paying students.
If you already have a clear offer and want the most polished student experience, pay for Teachable Builder at 89 dollars per month and avoid the 7.5 percent fee on Starter. The savings cover the price difference once you cross about 1,200 dollars a month in sales.
If you plan to publish many courses and are comfortable pairing a separate email tool, choose Thinkific Basic at 54 dollars per month for unlimited courses and zero transaction fees. The total bill with email lands near 80 dollars, the cheapest unlimited-course setup here.
If you sell courses plus downloads, webinars, or coaching sessions, pick Podia Shaker at 99 dollars per month billed annually to remove the 5 percent Mover fee. The crossover math favors Shaker as soon as monthly sales clear about 840 dollars.
If you already pay for an email tool, a funnel tool, and a CRM, consolidate on Kajabi Basic at 119 dollars per month with Kajabi Payments to avoid the 5 percent platform fee. The bundle pays for itself when the separate tools exceed 100 dollars a month combined.
If you run an established coaching practice with affiliates, a help desk, and a webinar program, choose Kartra Growth at 229 dollars per month billed annually. The contact ceiling at 12,500 is the budget number to plan around, not the headline price.
Basis: vendor pricing pages and platform feature comparisons (Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, Podia, Systeme.io, Kartra; accessed October 2026). We did not run hands-on course launches on every platform; figures are read from the public pricing pages and corroborated against independent 2026 reviews. Verify current pricing on each vendor’s site before purchase. Last updated: October 2026
