30 Best Online Course Platforms of 2024

Are you looking to grow your business, create a community or earn revenue by selling courses online? Then, using one of the best online course platforms is a good idea. They have ready-made infrastructure built to make it easy, fast, and profitable to create online courses and serve the target audience effectively. 

But not all e-learning software is created equal and may not match your unique requirements. So, we have decided to share the ins and outs of each top e-learning software to help you make the best decision.

Best Online Course Platforms List

Here is the list of our top Online Course platforms:

Online Learning Platforms

Online learning platforms are the marketplace that helps users to sell courses online.

Here are our top platforms:

 1) Skillshare

Skillshare is the most famous e-learning platform. It provides 35,000+ courses on various topics like design, freelancing, photography, etc. It is ideal for creative entrepreneurs and experts looking to build new skills and enhance the existing ones. There is even the option to access classes offline.

Pros

• 1-month free trial on premium membership
• Bite-sized and interesting video lessons
• Get more than 50% discount
• Has a highly engaged community
• A large pool of classes
• Ask questions in discussions

Cons

• No feedback from the teacher
• No assessments, tests, and quizzes

2) Linkedin Learning

Being the leading e-learning platform, LinkedIn provides more than 16,000 courses on subjects like technology, creative and business. The users can even download these courses to the app and access them easily while on the move. The biggest benefit is that every online course is self-paced. This makes it easy for the users to learn them at their own pace.

Pros

• 1-month free trial
• Offline viewing
• Courses in multiple languages
• Certificate upon completion of course
• Personalized course recommendation depending on the interests and skills.

Cons

• Courses are short and targeted at beginners
• Some course material is not up-to-date

3) Pluralsight

Pluralsight has an extensive library of more than 7000 courses for individual learners and businesses. In addition, it offers high-end learning on tech-related topics such as cyber security, IT, Data, etc. 

Although it does not offer a big pool of free courses like Skillshare and Udemy, you can have a 10-days free trial. It helps you see the actual working of the cloud-based e-learning platform.

Pros

• 10-day free trial
• Updated and self-paced online courses taught by 1500+ skilled instructors
• Short-quizzes
• Support mobile downloads and offline viewing

Cons

• No accredited certification
• No lifetime subscription 

4) Coursera

If you're looking for an online education platform that offers you legitimate courses with accredited certificates, Coursera is an ideal choice. There are over 3900 courses designed to enhance the knowledge-base, acquire hard skills and boost your career. In addition, these courses usually have entertaining and engaging content.

Pros

• Support video learning
• The large course selection in every area of interest
• 100% degrees online
• Partnership with reputed universities
• Short assignments and lectures

Cons

• Limited customer support options
• More certificate rates upfront
• Limited trial

5) EdX

EdX is an open-source learning platform with over 3,000 courses. Although there are plenty of free classes, you need to spend some money to get a certificate upon completion. The platform initially favors science and higher education. But it has now expanded to humanities and tech.

Pros

• 1-day free of cost trial
• No geographical barrier when accessing EdX courses
• Large lesson catalog in plenty of languages
• Decent refund policy
• Partnership with prestigious universities, companies, and organizations like Harvard, Berkeley, etc.

Cons

• Limited topics
• Clunky UI

5) Udemy

With 183,000 courses and 44 million students, Udemy is one of the largest and best online course platforms where you can learn just anything you like. You can browse any professional course by navigating via categories or searching keywords. The secret behind such as large variety is that anyone can register and publish an online course.

Pros

• Support 65+ languages
• Superb sound and video quality
• A broad range of topics and fields
• 30-day refund policy
• More than 600 courses on a low budget

Cons

• Courses not accredited
• Few courses are outdated

7) Udacity

Udacity focuses on helping entrepreneurs and experts drive their careers forward and enhance their skills. Its available courses include Cloud Computing, AI, Digital Marketing, Programming, Information Technology, Blockchain Development, Robotics Software Engineering, and Career section.

Pros

• High-tech online courses
• Partnership with famous tech corporations like Facebook, Mercedes Benz, etc.
• Intuitive interface
• Strong mentor support
• Active student discussion forums

Cons

• Lack of community
• No Udacity application

8) Simplilearn

Simplilearn is an easy-to-use and one of the best online course platforms that focuses on IT and computer programming classes. There are around 400 accredited and high-quality courses. Thus, it is best for individuals interested in learning technical skills. This online certification provider has partnered with more than 40 famous global bodies like IASSC and Exin. 

Pros

• Simplilearn mobile app
• High-end IT-oriented courses
• Options for blended learning
• Accredited certificates
• Reliable customer support

Cons

• No free online courses
• Costly

9) Shaw Academy

Shaw Academy offers more than 100 courses organized in ten diverse categories like finance, photography, health wellness, arts & hobbies, etc. These online courses are globally accredited and recognized by reliable institutions. Moreover, all content is made by certified experts to ensure that the learning material is up-to-date and in a clear format.

Pros

• User-friendly layout
• Shaw academy mobile app
• Globally accredited certificates
• Easily digestible content

Cons

• The membership cancellation process is tough
• No option for skip, rewind, and pause in pre-recorded classes
• Unresponsive customer service

Online Asynchronous Course Platforms

Online asynchronous course platforms are saas platforms that have a low engagement rate. It's because course creators can only build schools with pre-recorded videos.

Here are our top asynchronous course platforms:

1) Learnworlds

Learnworlds is a cloud-based online training tool that is great for enterprises and experts looking to build and sell online courses. It provides state-of-the-art analytics, a modular page builder, gorgeous templates, an in-built social community, and gorgeous templates. It is great for course builders who want to communicate with their students.

Pros

• Easy to use and flexible
• Gamification, e-books, downloadable attachments, and interactive videos.
• Support social media integration
• 24* support
• Free courses and certificate of completion

Cons

• Costly and comprehensive plans
• No native mobile app

2) Kajabi

If you are an educated expert looking to sell your knowledge, Kajabi is a wonderful solution. This feature-rich online course creation platform is ideal for building, marketing, and selling courses online. However, the biggest benefit is – it's not limited to online courses; it can be used to sell any digital product.

Pros

• Easy course creator
• 14-day trial free
• Advanced email marketing functionality
• Transparent rates
• Support more than 10-course player themes
• Android and iOS Kajabi app

Cons

• No certificates
• Limited payment functionality
• Large catalog of education resources

3) Teachable

Teachable is a robust and simple teaching platform for business owners and people looking to build their own online schools and provide courses. You can even tailor your school with the course completion certificates and quizzes.

Pros

• Track and monitor the course progress with analytics and reporting
• Create unlimited courses online
• Build content in all multimedia forms with a powerful editor
• Comprehensive knowledge base
• Good customer support

Cons

• Teachable holds the content of owners
• One-click sales pages and upsell are tedious to build

4) Thinkific

Thinkific is a cloud-based course platform that allows anyone to create, market, manage and distribute courses online. So, whether your primary goal is to sell courses to earn income, educate customers or grow your brand, it makes it easy for you. In addition, it supports a broad range of integrations - e-commerce, email marketing, communication, and analytics.

Pros

• Build online courses in diverse content formats like PDF, discussions, videos, etc.
• Create quizzes
• It offers an in-built progress tracking system
• Tailor certificate with your brand image or choose pre-build certificate templates.

Cons

• It can be expensive for beginners.
• No live chat for customers

5) Podia

If you are looking for a single e-learning platform that allows you to sell memberships, digital products, and courses online, Podia is a perfect choice. It offers you the tools and infrastructure required to get online courses and sell them. What makes it unique is that the user owns the student information and gets full control over refund policy, prices, etc.

Pros

• Simple to use
• A broad assortment of customization options
• Support third-party app integrations like Paypal, MailChimp, Google Analytics, Zapier, etc.
• Unlimited courses and products

Cons

• Limited analytics and automation
• No mobile app
• No cloud import option in course builder

6) LearnDash

Looking to build content for your online course with WordPress, LearnDash is the best choice. This LMS plugin is suitable for solo e-course builders, academic institutes, and everyone in between. It helps the users build unlimited courses, offer quizzes, and add unlimited topics and lessons.

Pros

• Customer-friendly drag-and-drop course builder
• Drip-feed lessons
• Video progression functionality
• Lessons can be reused in other online courses

Cons

• In-built membership and payment options are limited

7) Moodle

Moodle is a free-of-cost and open-source e-learning management system that offer an engaging e-learning experience. It is updated and maintained constantly by a community of enthusiasts and development teams worldwide. Therefore, it is suitable for both enterprises and small businesses.

Pros

• Intuitive text editor
• In-built integration with H5P and quiz maker
• Tailored
• Superb mobile app
• Progress tracking and reporting
• Support course creation in bulk

Cons

• No tailored reports
• Limited support options

Enterprise Learning Platforms

Enterprise Learning Platforms help large corporations and e-learning platforms manage their curriculum effectively.

Here are our top enterprise learning platforms:

1) Docebo

Docebo is a cloud e-learning solution that offers a comprehensive toolkit for companies seeking to accomplish efficient training management programs. It is suitable for all businesses and supports learning like blended, mobile, and social.

Pros

• Purchase courses created by experts
• Support powerful integrations such as Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, etc.
• Scalable and mobile-friendly app
• Schedule and tailor reports
• Excellent customization capability

Cons

• Optimized for in-house training

2) Tophat

Tophat is a cloud-based LMS suitable for educational institutes, professors, and teachers looking for interactive presentations and slideshows. It leverages student smartphones to drive engagement and real-time feedback. It consists of integrated tools that enable the users to create and organize courses, learning materials, and textbooks in one place.

Pros

• Create engaging content with quizzes, videos, texts, and activities.
• Task automation
• Student assessment with auto-grading
• Test builder

Cons

• Android app is not as good as iOS

3) Canvas LMS

Canvas is a cloud-based application built to motivate students and teachers by creating an exciting learning environment. Businesses of all sizes can also use it to create e-learning modules. This LMS system is available for both mobile and desktop devices.

Pros

• Free-of-cost trial
• User support community
• Organized student grades
• Excellent import functions
• Native app for Android and iOS
• Offer notifications to students about the upcoming assignments

Cons

• No dark mode
• No gamification

4) TalentLMS

TalentLMS is an excellent platform for small-to-medium size businesses and edupreneurs. It offers employee training and sets up e-learning courses. In addition, this cloud-based LMS delivers interactive online learning content to partners, customers, and employees.

Pros

• Create courses with training materials or use content from other web sources like Google Drive, SCORM, etc.
• Support gamification
• Tailored user roles
• Schedule and customize reports
• Integration with BambooHR and Zapier

Cons

• The interface could be much better
• Quiz maker support just support 5 question types

5) ispring

ISpring is a full-fledged e-learning system ideal for workplaces and schools looking to build all types of complicated and simple educational courses. It blends videos, quizzes, presentations, and other materials in a single suite.

Pros

• Big content library
• Simple to use if you know PowerPoint
• Affordable as compared to other similar tools
• Plenty of video documentation to get started
• Quiz maker
• Offline content accessibility

Cons

• Must be used in conjunction with M.S Powerpoint.

6) Cornerstone Learning

Cornerstone Learning offers organizations a fully-integrated talent management suite. It is built to ensure that the business hires, trains, and efficiently manages all human capital.

Pros

• Intuitive reporting feature
• Gamification
• Excellent learning and training tools for staff
• Performance management
• Engaging training courses

Cons

• Lack of plugins or extra features

7) LearnUpon

LearnUpon is a cloud-based Learning Management System designed for training companies, enterprises, and software companies. It helps them build, manage and measure learning to help their business grow fast.

Pros

• Live online courses with a lot of plugged-in vendors
• Neat multilingual user interface
• Strong e-commerce offering 
• Support multiple support formats
• Excellent learner portal

Cons

• No quiz options

8) Absorb LMS

Absorb LMS is a flexible e-learning platform. It makes it easy to create and manage train programs. It is suitable for learners and all types of organizations. This cloud-based LMS consist of smart administrative tools that allow you to get the most out of the platform.

Pros

• Superb user interface
• Gain unlimited access to the learning materials.
• Excellent mobile support with iOS and Android apps
• Reporting and analytics for tracking learner’s progress
• Support several integrations like Salesforce, Zoom, Absorb LMS, etc.

Cons

• Pricing plans are suitable for only medium and large-sized companies.

9) Adobe Captivate

Need professional educational content for your business? Using Adobe Captivate is the ideal choice. It helps build highly responsive courses, multi-module courses, interactive virtual reality videos, and software simulations.

Pros

• Support VR projects
• Great authoring tool for pro users
• Gamification and blended learning
• Unlimited themes
• SCORM complaint

Cons

• Limited support options
• Complicated to use

10) SAP Litmos

SAP Litmos is a comprehensive online learning tool for medium and small-sized organizations with simple learning management needs. Dashboards and reporting are efficient with a great visual representation of information. It helps in building training plans and courses easily.

Pros

• Easy to set up and use
• Third-party integrations
• Modern and clean interface
• Manage and track course assignments
• 14-day free trial

Cons

• Limited customization for roles

11) 360 Learning

360 Learning is a powerful LMS that helps creators launch interactive learning programs for their communities. It comes with cutting-edge tools that produce in-depth insights to enhance their courses.

Pros

• Free trial
• Tailored course content creation
• Support all web and media formats
• Extensive knowledge base
• Mobile-friendly features

Cons

• Semi-opaque pricing

12) Articulate 360

Articulate 360 is another excellent tool that helps users create courses that engage and motivate the learners. Course components and themes can be tailored easily to offer consistent messaging and fit your brand image.

Pros

• Visually-pleasing modern interface
• Excellent training sessions through regular webinars
• Responsive course builder
• Support for assessments, quizzes, and multi-media content
• Offer a high degree of customization

Cons

• Cannot build sub-lessons

Best Cohort-Based and Collaborative Learning Platform

They are known as cohort-based learning platforms. These are the latest innovation in the edtech market. Their main goal is to create live and pre-recorded courses with student groups.

Here are our top collaborative learning platforms:

Teachfloor

Teachfloor is a cohort-based and collaborative learning platform that allows companies and schools to make the learning experience engaging, collaborative, and interactive.

The cohort-based learning methodology is becoming mainstream in online learning. The previous methodology based on MOOCs and asynchronous courses offered a passive learning experience making learning difficult for students. Different studies show that MOOCs have a low completion and engagement rate. 

Instead, cohort-based learning offers a new active and interactive learning experience with a high level of student engagement rate. 

So far this methodology has been successfully applied to online schools and bootcamps but not yet to a corporate environment. 

It’s crucial for businesses today to update their learning methodologies in order to empower their employees and retain their best talent. Upskilling employees and an effective learning & development strategy should be an integrated part of a company’s strategy for winning the competition in the knowledge economy.

Teachfloor enables creating, managing, and selling online cohort-based courses. Course creators can create their curriculum while combining synchronous and asynchronous for the best possible user experience. With Teachfloor organizations can manage their learner’s community create interaction and increase learners’ engagement. Some of the benefits of using this platform include:

Pros:

1. Create cohort-based learning in minute — not days
2. Create a collaborative environment using peer learning
3. Manage communities to encourage valuable discussions and connections
4. Build an entire academy under your brand

Main features:

• Curriculum Builder
• Peer Review
• On Demand Video
• Student report
• Schedule your lessons
• Stripe Integration
• Analytics Dashboard
• White Label
• Zoom Integration
• Multi Instructors
• Course page
• Email Automations
• Gamification
• Discussion Forum

Teachfloor offers a 15-day trial period, after which you get to choose between the business and the pro tier. The pro tier (up to 100 students) costs $99 per month, whereas you get a custom quote for the business tier.

Wrapping Up:

Today, the online learning sector is witnessing huge growth. By 2025, global online education will skyrocket up to $325 billion. Many best online course platforms are available now, allowing online course creation and marketing a breeze. We have tested plenty of platforms, and above mentioned are our best picks.

👉 Read also: Best Collaborative Learning Tools for 2024