Creating and selling online courses has become one of the most popular ways for educators, coaches, and content creators to share their knowledge while building sustainable income. Whether you're teaching photography, marketing, fitness, or creative writing, there's never been a better time to launch your own online course.
But here's the thing: not everyone has hundreds of dollars to spend on course platforms right away. You might be just testing an idea, building your first course, or bootstrapping your creator business from scratch.
The good news? You don't need a massive budget to get started. There are several online course platforms that offer free plans or trials that let you create, host, and even sell courses without paying anything upfront.
In this article, we'll walk you through the 10 best free online course makers available in 2025. We'll cover what each platform offers, who they're best suited for, and what limitations you might run into as you grow.
What to Look for in a Free Course Platform
Before we jump into the list, let's talk about what actually matters when choosing a course platform, especially if you're using a free plan.
Here are the key features you should pay attention to:
Course hosting and delivery. Can you upload videos, PDFs, quizzes, and other materials easily? Does the platform handle streaming without issues?
Student management. Can you track who's enrolled, monitor progress, and communicate with learners?
Payment processing. If you plan to sell your course, does the platform support payments? What are the transaction fees?
Branding options. Can you customize the look and feel, or are you stuck with generic templates?
Limits on the free plan. How many courses can you create? How many students can you have? Is there a cap on video storage?
Ease of use. Is the platform beginner-friendly, or will you need a tutorial just to upload your first lesson?
Now that you know what to look for, let's get into the platforms.
1. Teachable: Popular and User-Friendly
Teachable is one of the biggest names in the online course world. It offers a free plan that's perfect for creators who are just launching their first course.
What's included in the free plan:
You can create unlimited courses and host unlimited students. The platform includes a course builder, basic quizzes, and the ability to drip content over time. You also get access to Teachable's payment processing, which supports multiple currencies.
Transaction fees:
The free plan comes with a $1 + 10% transaction fee on every sale. So if someone buys your course for $50, you'll pay $6 in platform fees, plus payment processing fees on top of that.
Who it's best for:
Creators who want flexibility and don't mind the higher transaction fees in exchange for unlimited courses and students.
Limitations:
The free plan doesn't include custom domains, advanced marketing tools, or integrations with email platforms. You'll also have Teachable branding on your course pages.
2. Google Classroom: Completely Free for Education
If you're an educator or teaching in an academic setting, Google Classroom is hard to beat. It's completely free with no transaction fees, no student limits, and no hidden costs.
What's included:
Google Classroom lets you create classes, share assignments, give feedback, and communicate with students all in one place. It integrates seamlessly with Google Drive, Docs, and Meet, so you can host video lessons and share files without switching platforms.
Transaction fees:
None. Google Classroom is 100% free.
Who it's best for:
Teachers, tutors, and nonprofit educators who aren't selling courses but need a reliable platform to deliver lessons and track student progress.
Limitations:
Google Classroom isn't built for selling courses. There's no built-in payment processing, and it's designed more for traditional classroom settings than for polished, branded online courses.
3. Moodle: Open-Source and Fully Customizable
Moodle is an open-source learning management system that's been around for years. It's free to use, but you'll need some technical knowledge to set it up and host it yourself.
What's included:
Moodle gives you complete control over your course platform. You can customize everything from the design to the functionality. It supports videos, quizzes, forums, assignments, certificates, and just about any feature you can think of.
Transaction fees:
None, as long as you're hosting it yourself. If you use a managed Moodle hosting service, you'll pay hosting fees, but those are typically much lower than traditional course platform fees.
Who it's best for:
Tech-savvy creators, schools, or organizations that want total control and don't mind handling the technical side of things.
Limitations:
Moodle has a steep learning curve. If you're not comfortable with web hosting, plugins, and troubleshooting, this probably isn't the best choice for your first course.
4. Udemy: Free to Create, Pay When You Sell
Udemy works differently than most course platforms. It's free to create and publish courses, but Udemy takes a cut of your sales, and it can be a pretty big cut depending on how students find your course.
What's included:
You can create unlimited courses and reach Udemy's massive marketplace of students. The platform handles all the hosting, payment processing, and student support. You just upload your content and set your price.
Transaction fees:
If a student finds your course through Udemy's marketplace or promotional efforts, Udemy takes 50% or more of the sale. If you bring your own students through your own marketing, Udemy takes around 3%.
Who it's best for:
Creators who want access to a built-in audience and don't mind sharing revenue in exchange for exposure.
Limitations:
You don't own your student list, and you have limited control over pricing and branding. Udemy also runs frequent sales, which can devalue your course.
5. Canva: Free Course Design Tool
Canva isn't a course platform in the traditional sense, but it's an incredible free tool for designing course materials, presentations, and workbooks.
What's included:
Canva offers thousands of templates for creating slides, PDFs, infographics, and videos. You can use it to design everything from course covers to lesson handouts.
Transaction fees:
Canva is free for basic use. There's a Pro version for around $15 per month, but most creators can get by with the free version.
Who it's best for:
Any course creator who wants professional-looking materials without hiring a designer.
Limitations:
Canva doesn't host courses or handle payments. You'll need to pair it with another platform on this list.
6. Skillshare: Free to Upload, Royalty-Based Pay
Skillshare operates on a royalty model. You can upload courses for free, and you earn money based on how many minutes of your content students watch.
What's included:
Skillshare hosts your videos and handles all the technical stuff. You'll reach a community of learners who are already looking for new skills to develop.
Transaction fees:
None upfront. You earn royalties based on watch time, which typically works out to a few dollars per student per month.
Who it's best for:
Creators who want to build an audience and aren't focused on selling high-ticket courses right away.
Limitations:
You don't control pricing, and earnings can be unpredictable. You also don't own your student relationships.
7. Systeme.io: All-in-One Marketing Platform
Systeme.io is a hidden gem that many course creators overlook. It's not just a course platform but a complete business tool that includes email marketing, sales funnels, and automation, all with a genuinely useful free plan.
What's included in the free plan:
You can create unlimited courses and host up to 2,000 contacts. The platform includes email marketing with unlimited emails, sales funnels, membership sites, and even affiliate program management. You also get access to their website builder and blog functionality.
Transaction fees:
Zero transaction fees, even on the free plan. You only pay standard payment processing fees through Stripe or PayPal.
Who it's best for:
Course creators who want an all-in-one solution that handles courses, email marketing, and sales funnels without juggling multiple tools or paying monthly fees.
Limitations:
The free plan caps you at 2,000 contacts and limits some automation features. Once you outgrow these limits, paid plans start at around $17 per month, which is still very affordable compared to competitors.
8. Payhip: Simple and Creator-Focused
Payhip started as a platform for selling digital products, but it has evolved into a solid option for course creators who want simplicity and low fees.
What's included in the free plan:
You can sell courses, digital downloads, and memberships all from one platform. Payhip includes a simple course builder where you can upload videos and files, create lessons, and manage student access. You also get a customizable storefront and email marketing tools.
Transaction fees:
Payhip charges a 5% transaction fee on the free plan, which is lower than many competitors. You can eliminate transaction fees completely by upgrading to their paid plan at $29 per month.
Who it's best for:
Creators who want a simple course creation platform. It's perfect if you're selling a mix of courses and digital products.
Limitations:
The course builder is more basic than bigger platforms. You won't find advanced features like quizzes, certificates, or detailed analytics on the free plan.
9. TalentLMS: Free for Up to 5 Users
TalentLMS is a versatile learning management system that offers a genuinely free plan for small teams or individual creators just getting started.
What's included in the free plan:
You can create unlimited courses and host up to 5 users. The platform includes course authoring tools, quizzes, assignments, gamification features, and basic reporting. TalentLMS also integrates with tools like Zoom, so you can add live sessions to your courses.
Transaction fees:
None. The platform is completely free for up to 5 users, with no transaction fees on course sales.
Who it's best for:
Solo creators testing course ideas, small businesses training employees, or coaches working with a handful of private clients at a time.
Limitations:
The 5-user limit is quite restrictive if you're planning to grow. Once you exceed that, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan starting at around $149 per month for up to 40 users.
How to Choose the Right Platform for You
With so many options, how do you actually pick one? Here's a simple framework:
If you're just testing an idea: Start with Teachable or Systeme.io. Both have solid free plans that let you create and sell without upfront costs.
If you're an educator, not a seller: Go with Google Classroom. It's free forever and built for teaching.
If you want total control: Try Moodle if you're tech-savvy, or use Canva to design materials for any platform.
If you want access to an existing audience: Consider Udemy or Skillshare. You'll share revenue, but you won't have to handle marketing alone.
Conclusion
Starting with a free course platform is a smart move, especially if you're not sure how your course will perform or if you're building your audience from scratch. You can always upgrade later as you grow.
The key is to pick a platform that matches where you are right now, not where you hope to be in five years. Start simple, launch your course, and let your students guide your next steps.
Whether you're teaching yoga, coding, marketing, or anything in between, there's a free tool out there that can help you get started today. Choose one, start building, and don't let the fear of picking the "wrong" platform stop you from putting your knowledge out into the world.
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