ToolsRanks

Online Courses & LMS Software Comparison (2026)

This is the full side-by-side: every online courses & lms tool in our database (25 in total), with the numbers that actually decide a shortlist.

For every tool you get its starting price, an honest free-plan verdict, its core audience and a one-line standout. Use it to draw up a shortlist, then click through to the full overview, review or pricing page for the detail.

Methodology: entry price is the lowest recurring paid tier we could verify; the free-plan column distinguishes a permanent free tier from a trial-only offer. The audience and standout are drawn from the tool's stated focus, not marketing superlatives. Figures reflect public pricing at the time of writing and can change. How we evaluate →

All 25 course & membership platforms compared

ToolEntry priceFree plan?Best forStandoutGet it
Circle
review · pricing		from $89/moTrial onlyPremium branded communities and Courses + communityA premium, modern community platform that bundles courses, events and paywalls for branded creator communities.Visit →
Coursera
review · pricing		from $49/moNoAccredited certificates and degrees and University-backed contentThe leading marketplace for accredited, university-backed certificates and degrees, anchored by the Coursera Plus subscription.Visit →
Disco
review · pricing		14-day trialTrial onlyCohort-based courses and AI-assisted learning opsAn AI-native social learning platform built specifically for cohort-based academies and training businesses.—
Docebo
review · pricing		from $25000/moNoLarge enterprises and AI-driven personalizationAn enterprise AI learning platform built to train employees, partners and customers across separate branded portals.—
Gumroad
review · pricing		See pricingFree planSelling single digital products fast and No monthly feeThe fastest, no-monthly-fee way to start selling a digital product, with tax handled for you.Visit →
Kajabi
review · pricing		from $89/moNoEstablished creators and coaches and All-in-one (no plugins)The premium all-in-one for creators who want courses, email, funnels and a site under one roof and will pay for it.Visit →
Kartra
review · pricing		from $99/moNoFunnel-driven course sellers and All-in-one (incl. affiliate mgmt)An all-in-one for funnel-driven sellers that bakes in affiliate management alongside courses and checkout.Visit →
LearnDash
review · pricing		from $199/moNoWordPress site owners and Full data ownershipThe leading WordPress LMS for owners who want full control of their course site and data, with no per-sale cuts.Visit →
LearnWorlds
review · pricing		from $29/moTrial onlyInteractive and assessment-heavy courses and White-label mobile appThe platform of choice when interactive video, assessments and a branded mobile app matter more than simplicity.Visit →
LifterLMS
review · pricing		See pricingFree planWordPress memberships + courses and Free start with add-onsA free-to-start WordPress LMS built for selling memberships and courses together, scaling via add-on bundles.Visit →
MasterClass
review · pricing		from $120/moNoInspiration and soft-skill learning and Gift subscriptionsPremium, cinematic classes from famous experts, sold as a flat annual subscription rather than per course.Visit →
Memberful
review · pricing		from $25/moFree planWhite-label memberships on your own site and Newsletters and paid contentWhite-label membership software (owned by Patreon) that bolts paid subscriptions onto your own site.—
Mighty Networks
review · pricing		from $49/moNoCommunity-led memberships and Courses + community in oneBuilt around an engaged community feed first, with courses and memberships layered in and native apps standard.Visit →
Moodle
review · pricing		from $130/moNoSchools and universities and Self-hosted customizationThe world's most-used open-source LMS, infinitely customizable and self-hostable, dominant in education.—
Patreon
review · pricing		See pricingFree planFan-funded creators and Recurring membershipsThe default platform for fan-funded recurring memberships, with the widest built-in audience.—
Podia
review · pricing		from $39/moFree planSimplicity-first creators and Bundling courses + downloads + communityA simplicity-first all-in-one for creators who want courses plus downloads plus community without complexity.Visit →
Skool
review · pricing		from $99/moTrial onlyCoaches and group programs and Gamified communitiesGamified community and courses in a single, distraction-free feed, popular with coaches and group programs.Visit →
Systeme.io
review · pricing		from $27/moFree planBudget-conscious creators and Free tier to startA genuinely free, low-cost all-in-one positioned as a budget Kajabi alternative for courses and funnels.Visit →
TalentLMS
review · pricing		from $69/moFree planSMB employee training and Partner/customer onboardingAn approachable corporate LMS with transparent per-user pricing and a real free tier for small teams.—
Teachable
review · pricing		from $39/moFree planBeginners launching a first course and Coaches and creatorsOne of the easiest on-ramps for a first paid course, but the cheap tier's 7.5% cut punishes you until you upgrade.Visit →
Thinkific
review · pricing		from $36/moFree planCourse-first creators and No transaction feesCourse-first platform with no platform transaction fees and unlimited courses from the cheapest paid tier.Visit →
ThriveCart
review · pricing		from $495/moNoHigh-converting checkouts and One-time license (no monthly fee)A lifetime-license checkout platform with a built-in (but now sunsetting) course tool, bought once rather than monthly.Visit →
Tutor LMS
review · pricing		from $199/moFree planWordPress course marketplaces and Drag-and-drop builderA modern WordPress LMS with front-end course creation and AI course generation, good for multi-instructor marketplaces.Visit →
Udemy
review · pricing		from $10/moFree planReaching a built-in audience and Self-paced skill coursesTrades margin for reach: publish free to a global audience, but Udemy keeps the majority on organic sales.Visit →
Whop
review · pricing		See pricingFree planSelling community/membership access and Digital products + coursesA creator marketplace where you sell gated community, course and software access with native video and Discord integration.Visit →

Prices verified 2026-06-28 from public vendor pricing. Plans and prices change — always confirm on the vendor's own site. No price here is guaranteed.

Key takeaways

FAQ

How many course & membership platforms does this comparison cover?

All 25 course & membership platforms we track in the Online Courses & LMS category are in the table above, compared on the same four points: entry price, free plan, best-for and standout. It's a full reference chart, not a curated shortlist.

Which online courses & lms tool is the cheapest?

By verified entry price, Udemy is the cheapest paid option at $10/mo, and it also has a free plan.

Which of these course & membership platforms have a free plan?

Gumroad, LifterLMS, Memberful, Patreon, Podia, Systeme.io, TalentLMS, Teachable, Thinkific, Tutor LMS, Udemy and Whop offer a genuine free plan you can keep using at $0. The free-plan column above marks each one, and separates them from tools that only run a trial.

How is this different from your best-of guides?

This page lists every tool in the niche side by side so you can scan the whole market. Our best-of guides instead pick the five to eight course & membership platforms we'd actually recommend for a specific job, with a full write-up on each.

Sources

The standout lines, audiences and free-plan facts in the table above are drawn from these vendor pages and independent reviews:

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