The 5 best platforms to create and sell online courses in 2025 (insider perspective)
An expert review of the best platforms to create and sell online courses in 2025. We compare Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable, Podia, and Esmerise on features, pricing, and user experience.
Introduction
Most comparisons of online course platforms stop at a superficial list of features. This analysis digs deeper, based on years of direct experience migrating and supporting hundreds of creators from all the major platforms we will review.
As the team behind Esmerise, we haven't just *used* these tools; we have meticulously documented the transition journeys, pain points, and success factors for creators who have used them. This gives us a unique and concrete perspective on their operational reality.
We understand precisely where each platform excels, where its structure creates friction, and for which specific creator needs each one is (or is not) optimally designed. In this guide, you will find a pragmatic evaluation of all the best platforms for creating and selling online courses. Naturally, we will also introduce Esmerise, our own solution, engineered as a direct response to the gaps we identified.
The goal is to provide you with the clarity needed for a fundamental strategic decision. The platform you choose will determine your efficiency, your students' experience, and ultimately, the success of your business. Let's get started!
As the team behind Esmerise, we haven't just *used* these tools; we have meticulously documented the transition journeys, pain points, and success factors for creators who have used them. This gives us a unique and concrete perspective on their operational reality.
We understand precisely where each platform excels, where its structure creates friction, and for which specific creator needs each one is (or is not) optimally designed. In this guide, you will find a pragmatic evaluation of all the best platforms for creating and selling online courses. Naturally, we will also introduce Esmerise, our own solution, engineered as a direct response to the gaps we identified.
The goal is to provide you with the clarity needed for a fundamental strategic decision. The platform you choose will determine your efficiency, your students' experience, and ultimately, the success of your business. Let's get started!
What to look for in a course platform? Our evaluation criteria
Choosing a platform is a strategic decision. An all-in-one software like Kajabi promises to centralize everything but often leads to complexity, high costs, and a dated user experience. To analyze the best platforms on the market, we'll use these key criteria:
- User experience & ease of use: Is the platform an accelerator for your business, or a brake that requires constant study? We’ll look at the initial learning curve and how efficient daily workflows become once you know it.
- Marketing & sales tools: Are payment systems reliable? Is the page builder powerful and intuitive? Are integrations with your favorite external tools native?
- Community & engagement: Does the platform blend courses, community, and gamification into a seamless experience? In 2025, this is the key element so your students can really get value from your courses.
- Mobile experience (for creators & students): Does it offer a single unified, branded app? This shouldn’t be optional anymore, it’s essential to make sure students can always access your content and feel close to your brand. According to our own data, most students access courses exclusively from mobile.
- Value for money (real value): Is the price sustainable? And above all, what do you end up paying if you need more advanced features like a branded app, unlimited products, custom domains, or software integrations? How much do the extras/upgrades really cost?
Teachable: the traditional choice
| Key Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| User Experience | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Very easy at first, but can become limiting) |
| Community & Gamification | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Basic features, not integrated with courses) |
| Mobile Experience & App | ⭐️⭐️ (App only for iOS students, no branding options) |
| Marketing & Sales | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Essential tools that work well) |
| Value for Money | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Great to get started, less convenient on advanced plans) |
What it’s really like to build and take a course on Teachable?
Teachable’s course editor is functional and very intuitive for beginners, thanks to its drag-and-drop system now common to most platforms. However, the student experience is quite pragmatic: it relies on a traditional content list that’s completely separate from any community features, which doesn’t encourage engagement or the feeling of being part of a shared journey. This feels increasingly limiting in 2025, especially compared to more modern platforms.The same can be said for the app and mobile experience, which is pretty disappointing: as a creator, there’s no dedicated app for you, though you can manage things from a mobile browser. For your students, the official app is only available for iOS (leaving Android users out), you can’t customize it with your own branding (not even as an add-on), and it doesn’t integrate the community feature, making it ultimately incomplete.
Community and gamification (student engagement)
Teachable was one of the first online course platforms, and you can feel its “age” especially in the student experience. The community feature is there, but it’s still kept separate from courses: you can link to it, but there’s no native integration, so interactions aren’t really contextual. As for gamification, it’s simply not there. In short: Teachable still offers a very traditional, functional but not very engaging experience. If you want to build a real community or use modern engagement tools, it’s probably not the best alternative for you.
What’s it like to sell and monetize your digital products on Teachable?
Teachable provides reliable tools to sell courses, bundles, subscriptions, and payment plans, with decent flexibility.There are two payment options:
- Teachable:Pay (integrated): Easy to set up for cards and PayPal, but payouts follow Teachable’s own schedule.
- Custom gateways (Stripe/PayPal): More control, but PayPal only works together with Stripe and only for one-time payments in USD, an important limitation for many in Europe.
How much does Teachable really cost?
The basic plan starts at $59/month and allows up to 5 products of each type, great for starting out. However, if you want advanced features (like connecting your own domain), higher plans are less competitive and quickly become more expensive than many alternatives.
Our Insider Perspective
💡 Teachable is great for those starting a simple project on a reliable, established platform. However, its lack of true innovation, perhaps due to its acquisition by Hotmart, and a less engaging mobile and student experience make it increasingly uncompetitive. These are the main reasons why creators we've helped have chosen to migrate to Esmerise.
Podia: the simple and affordable option
| Key Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| User Experience | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Extremely simple and intuitive) |
| Community & Gamification | ⭐️⭐️ (Functional community but separated, gamification absent) |
| Mobile Experience & App | ⭐️ (No native app for creators or students) |
| Marketing & Sales | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Excellent page builder and flexible product management) |
| Value for Money | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Great value, generous plans) |
What is it really like to create and take a course on Podia?
The course creation experience on Podia is one of its strongest points. The interface is clean, modern, and very intuitive, making it quick and frictionless to set up your courses. However, the student experience, while visually appealing, still relies on the traditional list of contents. The community, although functional, remains a separate product and is not smoothly integrated into the lessons, which limits contextual interactions.The biggest compromise of this approach shows up on mobile: Podia doesn’t offer any native app, for creators or students. While the website is well-optimized for mobile browsers, the total absence of a dedicated app is a significant strategic limitation in 2025, reducing accessibility and engagement for users on the go.
Community and gamification (student engagement)
Podia offers a well-designed and flexible community feature that lets you create both public and private spaces. However, like other platforms from its generation, the community is treated as a separate product from the course experience (even if it can be linked, like in Teachable). Gamification, on the other hand, is completely missing. In short, the lack of a dedicated app, absence of gamification, and a community that’s detached from the learning flow may result in a less engaging experience for students.
What is it like to sell and monetize your digital products on Podia?
Podia stands out for those selling not only courses, but also digital downloads, webinars, and community memberships. Payment processing is handled through the usual partners, Stripe and PayPal, and you’ll need to connect an account to receive funds. One of Podia’s biggest strengths is its page builder: it’s one of the most modern and intuitive on the market, letting you create professional sales pages effortlessly using well-designed templates. There’s also a built-in basic email marketing system (with a small additional cost) and a solid set of direct integrations.How much does Podia really cost?
Its pricing is one of its strongest advantages. The plans are simple, transparent, and very affordable. The base "Mover" plan (about $39/month) already offers unlimited products with a small 5% fee, while the "Shaker" plan (around $89/month) removes it entirely. There are no hidden fees for essential features, making Podia one of the most budget-friendly alternatives on the market.
Our Insider Perspective
💡 Podia offers one of the best value-for-money ratios on the market. It’s extremely user-friendly, and its page builder is excellent, making it ideal for those selling multiple digital products. However, its biggest drawback is the complete lack of a mobile app for both creators and students. This is the main reason creators cite when migrating to Esmerise.
Thinkific: the cooler traditional platform
| Key Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| User Experience | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Intuitive and functional, but not excellent) |
| Community & Gamification | ⭐️⭐️ (Community separated from courses, no gamification) |
| Mobile Experience & App | ⭐️⭐️ (Student app has issues, branded option is very expensive) |
| Marketing & Sales | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Flexible with Thinkific App Store, complex page builder) |
| Value for Money | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Great entry/mid plans, but removing their branding is very expensive) |
What is it really like to create and take a course on Thinkific?
Creating a course on Thinkific is a functional and familiar experience. The editor uses a classic layout that allows you to organize your content neatly, though the interface can sometimes feel confusing and less visually polished than other alternatives. For students, the learning experience sticks to the traditional list of lessons, which feels uninspiring and isolated, since community features are kept separate from the learning flow.When it comes to mobile, Thinkific doesn’t shine. For you as a creator, there’s no dedicated management app, so you’re forced to use the browser with some limitations. For students, there’s an app for iOS and Android, but it receives fairly critical reviews on iOS and can’t be customized with your brand unless you pay for a very expensive add-on starting at $199/month.
Community and gamification (student engagement)
Like Teachable and Podia, Thinkific also shows signs of its “age” in its architecture. Its community features, while available and well-structured, exist in a separate environment from the courses. This means interaction doesn't happen contextually within lessons, but rather in a dedicated space. As for gamification, there are no native features: adding points or badges requires external integrations with additional cost and complexity.In summary: Thinkific’s approach to engagement is traditional; features exist, but they’re not integrated, resulting in a disconnected experience for the student. It’s a solid platform for delivering content, not for easily building a truly interactive learning ecosystem.
What is it like to sell and monetize your digital products on Thinkific?
Thinkific provides a solid selling system, with flexible payment management through an integrated solution (Thinkific Payments) and direct gateways. Its biggest marketing asset is the Thinkific App Store, which allows you to expand functionality through many third-party integrations. However, as mentioned earlier, its native page builder is cluttered and less intuitive compared to competitors.How much does Thinkific really cost?
The base plan (about $48/month) is a good starting point, with unlimited courses and zero transaction fees. The issues arise when your brand needs to grow: to remove Thinkific’s branding, you’ll need to upgrade to the $195/month plan, and a custom-branded app will cost you an additional $199/month. These “hidden costs” make the platform extremely expensive for anyone looking to scale with advanced features.
Our Insider Perspective
💡 Thinkific is a solid and reliable platform, great for delivering traditional courses with a good base plan. The problem arises when you want to scale: the costs to become a professional brand are prohibitive. Removing their branding requires a $195/month plan, and a custom-branded app costs an additional $199/month. Creators who migrate to Esmerise usually do so to find a more engaging and modern student experience, more sustainable costs, and in some cases, greater ease of use.
Kajabi: the powerful all-in-one option
| Key Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| User Experience | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Powerful but complex, steep learning curve) |
| Community & Gamification | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Separate community, limited gamification) |
| Mobile Experience & App | ⭐️⭐️ (3 separate apps, branded option is very expensive) |
| Marketing & Sales | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Very complete marketing suite) |
| Value for Money | ⭐️⭐️ (Very expensive, restrictive base plans) |
What is it really like to create and follow a course on Kajabi?
Kajabi’s editor is powerful and full of features, which results in a slightly steeper initial learning curve compared to, for example, Teachable. Creators who migrated to Esmerise from Kajabi have often told us that day-to-day use feels cumbersome, with many functions that end up never being used. The student experience is rather traditional, based on a visually unappealing list of lessons and completely separated from the community.The mobile ecosystem is unfortunately its biggest weakness: it is split across three different apps (creator, students, community), creating a confusing user experience. The creator app is also very limited to a statistics dashboard, and although it is possible to have a branded app for students, it requires an expensive monthly add-on.
Community and gamification
Kajabi offers a dedicated platform, Kajabi Communities, which is a solid choice if you want to sell a community as a standalone product (and very powerful for this specific use). However, it’s designed more as a separate entity, likely developed over time following the success of platforms dedicated exclusively to community features. The limitation becomes clear when you try to integrate it with courses: the community is intended to be its own separate world, as shown by the fact that students need one app for courses and another for the community. Native gamification is also absent within courses and is only available, with some basic features, in the community platform.
What is it like to sell and monetize your digital products on Kajabi?
Kajabi offers a very extensive suite of tools: you can sell courses, coaching, memberships, and even podcasts. Its page builder is one of its strengths, with good-quality templates and plenty of flexibility. However, the built-in email marketing system is heavily limited in the basic plan (only 250 contacts), and the decision to block essential integrations (such as Zapier and Google Analytics) in the lower-tier plans creates an isolated and impractical ecosystem for beginners.How much does Kajabi really cost?
Pricing is Kajabi’s biggest drawback. The basic plan (about $89/month) is almost unusable, limiting you to just one product. To gain even minimal operational freedom, you quickly need to upgrade to the $159/month plan. If you want a custom-branded app, you’ll have to add an extra $199/month. These limits and extra costs make the platform very expensive for those looking to grow. However, if cost is not an issue for your business, in terms of features alone Kajabi ranks as the most complete all-in-one on the market.
Our Insider Perspective
💡 Kajabi is the choice for those with a high budget who need a mature 'all-in-one' marketing ecosystem. However, its complexity, prohibitive costs, and a fragmented, dated user experience are the main reasons why creators we've helped have chosen to migrate. It's a powerful platform, but often oversized and not agile enough for the needs of the modern creator.
Esmerise: the best overall platform for value and innovation
| Key Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| User Experience | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Fast and consistent 'in-context' course editor) |
| Community & Gamification | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Natively integrated for maximum engagement) |
| Mobile Experience & App | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Single app for creators/students, branded and included) |
| Marketing & Sales | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Powerful page builder and direct native integrations) |
| Value for Money | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Simple plans, industry-first features included) |
What’s it really like to create and follow a course on Esmerise?
Esmerise redefines course creation by removing the divide between backend and frontend. As a creator, you build and edit content "in-context", seeing exactly what your students will see in real time. For them, learning isn’t just a list of lessons, it’s an integrated learning ecosystem, where courses, community, and gamification work together to dramatically boost engagement and completion rates.This philosophy extends seamlessly to mobile. Esmerise offers a unified native app for both you and your students, a unique feature in this industry. You can manage your entire academy from your phone with no limitations. Your students access all content and interactions in a consistent and professional space. Most importantly, the app is customizable with your icon starting from the mid-tier plan, without the high extra costs typical of other platforms.
The platform is also fully localized in 4 languages (Italian, English, Spanish, and French), with customer support available in all of them, and includes a full video walkthrough to help you make the most of every feature.
Community & Gamification (Student Engagement)
Modern learning science is clear: isolated and passive learning doesn’t work. Studies published in leading academic journals (such as Computers & Education and the British Journal of Educational Technology) consistently show that the most effective online courses create synergy between content, social interaction, and motivation. When students feel part of a shared journey and see their progress recognized, completion rates increase dramatically.Esmerise was built from the ground up on this principle, offering a truly integrated learning environment that includes the option to activate a forum section and group chat, both seamlessly embedded within the course space.
This is further enhanced by a flexible and native gamification system. You can create a real internal economy 🏆 with points, badges, and rewards to recognize consistency and progress, turning learning from a passive task into an engaging journey.
Community and gamification are no longer add-ons, but core elements of the new generation of digital learning paths.
How does selling and monetizing your digital products work on Esmerise?
Esmerise takes a centralized and powerful approach, allowing you to create products that combine courses, community, and gamification in one single offer. Payment management is extremely flexible (Stripe, PayPal, installments, multi-currency), and the strategic advantage lies in the many direct native integrations with leading industry tools, eliminating the need for Zapier for common automations.How much does Esmerise really cost?
Esmerise pricing plans are designed to include premium features without outrageous add-on fees. The basic plan already includes unlimited products, but the real competitive edge is in the intermediate tier: the fully customizable mobile app with your brand is included, a feature that on other platforms can cost hundreds of euros more per month. The goal is to give you all the tools to grow, with no surprises. We believe that Esmerise currently offers the best value for money on the market, whether you're just starting out or already have an established brand and want to stand out.
Our Insider Perspective
💡 Esmerise is not just an alternative, but a direct response to the limitations of traditional platforms. Instead of separating courses, community, and mobile, we’ve integrated everything into one powerful and intuitive ecosystem. An exceptional student experience is the biggest accelerator for a creator's business, and our entire platform is built on this principle, from the app included in the price, to the human support that guides you in your growth, to the revolutionary 'in-context' creation experience. Esmerise is the best alternative for those who want to stand out from the competition and build a successful business in the 2025 landscape.
Final comparison: Kajabi vs Teachable vs Podia vs Thinkific vs Esmerise
| Key Aspect | Teachable | Podia | Thinkific | Esmerise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usability & Interface | ✅ Very simple ⚠️ Can become limiting | ✅ Very simple ✨ Modern interface | ✅ Simple 🧩 Less polished | ✅ Intuitive & fluid ✨ In-context interface |
| Student Experience | 👴 Traditional 🧊 Isolated experience | 👴 Traditional 🎨 Clean design | 👴 Traditional 🧊 Community isolated | 🎓 Integrated experience 🤝 Social learning |
| Marketing & Sales | 📄 Basic builder 🔗 Native integrations + Zapier | 📄 Excellent builder 📧 Integrated email marketing (extra cost) | 📄 Confusing builder 🔗 Thinkific App Store | 📄 Excellent builder 🔗 Native integrations |
| Community & Gamification | 🟡 Separate ❌ None | 🟡 Separate ❌ None | 🟡 Separate ❌ None | ✅ Integrated 🏆 Advanced gamification |
| Mobile & White‑Label App | 📱 iOS app only ❌ Not brandable | ❌ No app ❌ Not available | 📉 Yes, but poor iOS reviews 💸 Very expensive ($199/mo) | ✅ Unified app 🎁 Included & brandable |
| Pricing & Value | 💲 Affordable start ⚠️ High plans less value | ✅ Excellent value ♾️ Generous plans | 💲 Affordable start 💸 High plans costly | ✅ Excellent value 🎁 Unique features included |
We hope this in-depth analysis has been helpful. As we’ve seen, the key is choosing the platform that offers the best experience to build a successful business in 2025. The online learning world has evolved, yet many legacy platforms are struggling to keep up, forcing you to compromise: a solid course but with an outdated student experience, or a lively community with weak teaching tools (like Skool and similar).
Esmerise was born from exactly this: listening to the frustrations and needs of hundreds of creators who, like you, wanted more. We engineered from the ground up a new learning ecosystem where courses, community, and gamification finally work together. Because when students are more engaged, they don’t just complete your courses, they become a loyal community that supports your long-term growth.
Along the way, we removed all unnecessary complexity and added industry-first features, like a unified PWA app customized with your brand (included, not an expensive extra), human multilingual support 🇮🇹🇬🇧🇪🇸🇫🇷 to support you along the way, and affordable pricing plans with no artificial limits, designed to grow with you.
Esmerise was born from exactly this: listening to the frustrations and needs of hundreds of creators who, like you, wanted more. We engineered from the ground up a new learning ecosystem where courses, community, and gamification finally work together. Because when students are more engaged, they don’t just complete your courses, they become a loyal community that supports your long-term growth.
Along the way, we removed all unnecessary complexity and added industry-first features, like a unified PWA app customized with your brand (included, not an expensive extra), human multilingual support 🇮🇹🇬🇧🇪🇸🇫🇷 to support you along the way, and affordable pricing plans with no artificial limits, designed to grow with you.
Start building your business today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best online course platform in 2025?
The 'best' platform depends on your specific needs. For absolute simplicity and budget, Podia is a strong choice. For power and extensive marketing tools, Kajabi leads but at a high cost. For a modern, all-in-one experience that masterfully integrates courses, community, and a branded mobile app at an unbeatable value, Esmerise is the top contender for 2025.
Which course platform is best for beginners?
Esmerise, as it is the only one designed with a highly intuitive 'in-context' editor, making it easy to start with, but also offering a clear path to scale with advanced features like an integrated community and a custom app included in its plans.
Which platform provides the best mobile app experience?
Esmerise is the clear winner here. It's the only platform offering a single, unified native app for both creators and students, which is fully brandable and included in its mid-tier plans. Kajabi's experience is fragmented across 3 apps, Teachable's app is iOS-only, Thinkific's app has issues and branding is a very expensive add-on, and Podia has no app at all.
What is the most important feature for an online course in 2025?
In 2025, the key to success is student engagement and completion rates. The most important feature is the seamless integration of courses with community and gamification. A platform that treats these as separate add-ons is outdated. Esmerise is built from the ground up to merge these elements, creating a superior and more effective learning environment.
Which online course platform offers the best value for money?
For both pure affordability and true long-term value, Esmerise stands out. It includes premium, high-impact features like a fully branded native app and advanced gamification in its standard plans, which would cost hundreds of dollars extra per month on platforms like Kajabi or Thinkific.
