6 Best Free Teachable Alternatives in 2025

Teachable has one of the most popular free plans for LMS software, but the free plan has become more restrictive, and many users are looking for alternative free platforms. Here’s your guide to the best free Teachable alternatives in 2025. 

1. Systeme.io

Best for: Creators who want an all-in-one platform with no upfront cost
Platform Fees: None (only standard payment processor fees apply)

Systeme.io has quickly become one of the strongest free alternatives to Teachable because it brings together everything you need to run an online course business, without charging you a cent to get started. The free plan includes funnels, email marketing, automation workflows, blogging tools, and course hosting. In other words, you’re getting a full marketing stack without the monthly bill.

On the free plan, you can create one course, host unlimited students, run up to three sales funnels, and manage up to 2,000 email contacts. That’s more than enough for testing ideas, launching your first course, or building a small audience before you commit to scaling up. Unlike Teachable’s restricted free plan, Systeme.io doesn’t add transaction fees, meaning more of your revenue stays in your pocket.

Pros:

• All-in-one platform: funnels, email, blog, courses, and automations
• Forever-free plan with generous limits
• Zero platform transaction fees
• Built-in marketing tools to scale as you grow
• Simple and intuitive interface

Cons:

• Design customization is limited compared to WordPress or fully hosted sites
• Free plan caps funnels and courses (upgrade needed for larger operations)
• Not as polished in course player experience as Teachable

If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to launch and grow your course business, Systeme.io is one of the best free options on the market today. It is especially appealing if you want to go beyond simple course hosting and tap into marketing automation early on.

2. Payhip

Best for: Creators who want a flexible storefront for courses, memberships, and digital products
Pricing: Free plan available forever
Platform Fees: 5% per sale on the free plan (plus standard payment processor fees)

Payhip is one of the most popular free Teachable alternatives because it gives you a complete online storefront without a monthly subscription. On the free plan, you can sell online courses, memberships, coaching services, and digital downloads, all from a clean, easy-to-use platform. Unlike Teachable’s limited free plan, Payhip lets you host unlimited products and students right away.

The main trade-off is the 5% transaction fee on the free plan, but this is a fair exchange for the amount of flexibility and functionality included at no upfront cost. Payhip also automatically handles VAT and sales taxes, which is a major headache-saver for creators selling internationally. Marketing features like coupons, bundles, and affiliate programs are also built-in, so you can grow your audience without third-party tools.

Pros:

• Forever-free plan with unlimited products and students
• Supports courses, memberships, coaching, and digital downloads
• Automatic VAT/sales tax handling for global sales
• Built-in coupons, bundles, upsells, and affiliate tools
• Professional storefront that’s easy to customize

Cons:

• 5% fee on every transaction under the free plan
• Website builder is basic compared to dedicated site platforms
• Limited community features compared to Teachable

For creators who want to keep their startup costs low while still having the freedom to sell a wide variety of digital products, Payhip is a strong Teachable alternative. It is especially attractive if you plan to expand beyond courses into memberships or digital downloads.

3. Ruzuku

Best for: Creators who want a course platform with live sessions and community features
Pricing: Free plan available forever (with limited features)
Platform Fees: None beyond standard payment processing fees

Ruzuku is another strong alternative to Teachable, especially for creators who like to teach interactively. While Teachable focuses mainly on basic course hosting, Ruzuku leans into live learning and community engagement. On the free plan, you can build unlimited courses and host unlimited students, which makes it stand out immediately from Teachable’s restrictive free plan.

The platform is designed to make course creation fast and stress-free. Its step-by-step course builder is easy to use even for beginners, and you can schedule live webinars directly on the platform. Ruzuku also includes discussion spaces where students can connect, giving your courses a community feel right out of the box.

That said, Ruzuku doesn’t offer as much in-depth customization or advanced marketing features as some other platforms. It is best suited to educators who value simplicity, ease of use, and direct interaction with their learners over complex funnels or design flexibility.

Pros:

• Unlimited courses and students on the free plan
• Built-in live webinar hosting and scheduling
• Simple, beginner-friendly course builder
• Community discussions to keep students engaged
• Reliable support and onboarding help

Cons:

• Limited marketing and sales tools compared to Teachable
• Fewer customization options for course design
• May feel too basic for creators wanting a polished, branded experience

If you’re the kind of educator who thrives on interaction and wants to focus on teaching instead of tech, Ruzuku is a great free Teachable alternative. It’s ideal for coaches, workshop leaders, and teachers who want a straightforward way to combine courses, live classes, and community in one place.

4. Skillshare

Best for: Creators in the creative fields looking for built-in exposure
Pricing: Free to publish courses
Platform Fees: Revenue-share model (royalties paid from membership pool)

Skillshare is a unique free alternative to Teachable because instead of charging you to host your courses, it operates as a marketplace where students pay a monthly subscription to access all classes. As an instructor, you can publish your courses for free, and you earn royalties based on the number of minutes watched by your students.

Unlike Teachable, you won’t pay anything upfront and you don’t have to worry about hosting, payment processing, or technical setup, Skillshare handles all of that. The trade-off is that you don’t set your own prices or keep direct control over your student relationships. Instead, you’re joining a massive community of learners who are already searching for new courses, particularly in creative fields like design, illustration, photography, writing, and business.

Skillshare’s free publishing model makes it attractive for creators who want immediate reach without the challenge of building an audience from scratch. However, if you want more control over your pricing, branding, or student data, you may find its marketplace approach limiting compared to Teachable.

Pros:

• Free to publish unlimited courses
• Built-in global audience of learners
• Zero hosting or tech costs
• Popular among creatives and entrepreneurs
• Encourages shorter, project-based classes that are quick to produce

Cons:

• Revenue share means earnings can be unpredictable
• Limited control over pricing and branding
• Students are Skillshare’s customers, not fully “yours”
• Best suited to creative niches rather than all industries

If your goal is to reach a wide audience quickly, especially in creative disciplines, Skillshare is one of the best free Teachable alternatives. It’s perfect if you’re less concerned about owning your platform and more interested in exposure and royalty-based earnings.

5. Udemy

Best for: Instructors who want maximum reach without upfront costs
Pricing: Free to publish courses
Platform Fees: Revenue-share model (percentage depends on how the student finds your course)

Udemy is one of the most recognizable course marketplaces in the world, and it stands out as a free alternative to Teachable because you can publish your course without paying for software, hosting, or maintenance. The platform handles all the tech, payment processing, and student management so you can focus entirely on teaching.

The trade-off is its revenue share model. Instructors earn a much higher percentage (currently 97%) when students enroll using their coupon links, but only around 37% of the sale price when students find the course through Udemy’s marketplace or ads. In addition, Udemy frequently runs steep discounts on courses, which means your $100 course might sell for $15. While this can be frustrating, it’s also what drives Udemy’s huge student traffic and sales volume.

Udemy is particularly strong if you’re starting out and don’t yet have an audience of your own. Instead of struggling to find students, you can tap into Udemy’s massive global reach of millions of learners. However, if you want to build a branded business and control your pricing and customer relationships, it won’t replace Teachable’s flexibility.

Pros:

• Free to create and publish courses
• Huge built-in marketplace with global reach
• No tech, hosting, or payment headaches
• Reliable video hosting and course player
• Good for testing course ideas with a large audience

Cons:

• Revenue share reduces earnings on marketplace-driven sales
• Limited control over pricing (Udemy discounts heavily)
• Student relationship belongs to Udemy, not you
• Not ideal for building a branded online school

If your priority is getting your course in front of as many people as possible, Udemy is one of the best free Teachable alternatives. It is especially effective for new instructors looking to validate course ideas and grow a student base without upfront costs.

6. Tutor LMS

Best for: Creators who want full ownership of their course platform on WordPress
Pricing: Free plugin (paid add-ons optional)
Platform Fees: None (only standard payment processor fees like Stripe or PayPal)

Tutor LMS is a free WordPress learning management system (LMS) plugin that turns your website into a fully functional online school. Unlike Teachable, which hosts your courses on its own servers, Tutor LMS gives you total ownership of your content, branding, and student data. The core Wordpress plugin is free to install, and it already includes powerful features like unlimited courses, quizzes, assignments, and reporting.

Since Tutor LMS runs on WordPress, you have complete control over how your school looks and functions. You can pair it with WooCommerce (also free) to handle payments and Stripe/PayPal integrations. This means there are no platform transaction fees, only the standard card processing costs. For creators who want to scale or customize their learning platform, there are premium add-ons available, but the free version is more than enough to get started.

Pros:

• Free plugin with unlimited courses and students
• Full ownership of your website, branding, and student data
• Works seamlessly with WooCommerce and Stripe/PayPal
• Quizzes, lessons, assignments, and course reports included
• Highly customizable with WordPress themes and plugins

Cons:

• Requires WordPress hosting and setup (not beginner-friendly)
• No built-in marketing or funnel tools (you’ll need extra plugins)
• Premium features like certificates or advanced quizzes may require add-ons

If you value ownership and flexibility over convenience, Tutor LMS is one of the strongest free Teachable alternatives. It is especially appealing for creators who already use WordPress or want to build a long-term, customizable online school without paying platform fees.

‍

That’s it, check each one out and stick with the one you decide makes the most sense for your business in 2025.