Best Website Builder for Online Courses (2026)
Selling online courses requires more than a website builder — you need a platform that handles video hosting, student progress tracking, payment processing, certificates, and ideally email marketing too. A standard website builder like Wix or Squarespace can host a course sales page, but you'll need integrations or a dedicated course platform for the actual learning experience.
Here's how to choose based on what matters most to you.
Dedicated course platforms
- Teachable — the most popular standalone course platform. Handles video hosting, quizzes, certificates, and payments. Free plan available (5% transaction fee); paid plans from $39/month remove the fee. Best for creators launching their first course.
- Podia — all-in-one platform covering courses, digital downloads, memberships, and email marketing. Simpler than Kajabi and better value for solo creators. Plans from $39/month.
- Kajabi — the premium option with the most complete feature set: courses, memberships, coaching, email, landing pages, and analytics in one tool. Expensive at $149/month but eliminates the need for any other platform. Best for established course creators with consistent revenue.
- Thinkific — strong free plan (unlimited students, 1 course), no transaction fees on any plan. Good for testing ideas before committing to a paid tier.
General website builders with course integrations
If you already have a Squarespace or WordPress website and want to add a course, you can integrate a dedicated course platform rather than rebuilding everything. Teachable and Podia both support custom domains and can embed into existing sites.
WordPress + LearnDash is the self-hosted route: maximum control over the learning experience, ownership of all student data, and no platform fees. But it requires hosting, setup time, and ongoing maintenance. Best for organisations with technical resources.
Key features to look for
- Video hosting included (or affordable CDN integration)
- Student progress tracking and completion rates
- Payment processing with no or low transaction fees
- Drip content scheduling (release lessons over time)
- Certificates of completion
- Mobile-friendly student experience
- Email automation for enrolment and follow-ups
What budget do you need?
You can start completely free on Thinkific or with low fees on Teachable. Once you're earning consistently, moving to a $39–79/month paid plan typically pays for itself many times over through reduced transaction fees and better student experience. Kajabi's price is only justified once you're doing $3,000+ per month in course revenue.
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