Online course platforms compared: who competes, how each charges and who each one suits

Choosing a platform for your academy is a decision that is expensive to undo: your students, your videos and your payments all live there. This map covers the platforms that come up most often in comparisons, how each one charges according to its own website, and which profile each one fits. It includes LearnSuite, which is ours, and says plainly where it is not the best option.

Every figure was read on official pages on 15 October 2026 and is shown in the currency each company publishes, without conversion. Fees change: before deciding, check the source again (listed at the end). Whatever we could not verify is marked as such and not claimed.

The map at a glance

Each row has its own detailed comparison: LearnSuite vs Teachable, vs Kajabi, vs Thinkific, vs Skool and vs LearnWorlds.

How each one charges

Kajabi: high fee, no commission

Kajabi states that it takes no percentage of your sales. You pay the fee (143 to 399 USD a month on annual billing) and, if you use a third-party gateway, a surcharge of 2%, 1% or 0.5% depending on the plan. Kajabi Payments costs 2.9%, 2.8% or 2.7% plus 0.30 USD for US entities; for other countries the page points to a help table we could not read. 14-day trial and a 30-day guarantee. Details in the Kajabi comparison.

Teachable: the commission depends on the plan

Starter carries a 7.5% sales commission, while Builder and Growth charge 0% if you use Teachable Payments. Processing comes on top: 2.9% + 0.30 USD on US cards and 3.9% + 0.30 on international cards. 7-day trial and a 30-day guarantee. White label, certificates and free subtitle translations are tied to the Growth plan. We explain it in the Teachable comparison.

Thinkific: volume without a course cap

The page, viewed from Spain, showed euros: 39 to 159 a month on annual billing across the three priced plans, and a 30-day trial. It includes up to 10,000 active students and unlimited courses. White label arrives with Grow. We could not verify the third-party gateway fee, so we do not state it. See the Thinkific comparison.

Skool: a community with courses

Skool is unlike the rest: two flat plans and the community as the core product. Hobby costs 9 USD a month (7.50 on annual billing) with a 10% commission; Pro costs 99 USD (82 annual) with 2.9% (3.9% on charges from 900 USD). According to its help centre, Skool acts as merchant of record and handles EU VAT. See the Skool comparison.

LearnWorlds: AI and structured training

Three public plans (24 to 249 a month on annual billing) and one custom. No platform commission apart from 5 per paid enrolment on Starter. Certificates start at Pro Trainer, white label at Learning Center. The page showed no currency symbol, so we do not claim which one it is. See the LearnWorlds comparison.

Podia: no verifiable data

Podia is often on the shortlist too. Its official pricing page returned an access error (403) on 15 October 2026 and we could not verify anything first-hand, so we do not compare figures or write a comparison for it.

LearnSuite

You can start with no fee on the revenue share (LearnSuite keeps 20% of what you sell) or on Starter, €99 a month plus 8%, cancel any time and with the limits of Professional. Up to €825 of monthly sales the revenue share costs less; between €825 and €2,475, Starter; above that, Professional, which takes no commission. The pricing page has a calculator.

Professional costs €356.40 a month (or the equivalent of €297 a month on annual billing, €3,564 a year) and includes 500 active students, 3 instructors, 3 languages and 1 pricing zone. Institution costs €836.40 a month (€697 on annual billing) with 2000 students and 5 zones. There is a 14-day trial with a card.

Who each one suits

• You are a creator with a strong audience already and you sell in dollars: Kajabi or Teachable, for the marketing ecosystem and mobile apps.
• You want a paid community with some lessons: Skool, for simplicity and price.
• You have a large catalogue or structured training: Thinkific or LearnWorlds, for volume, SCORM and certificates.
• You teach in several languages, sell in several countries and support each student personally: this is LearnSuite's ground.

Where LearnSuite stands

LearnSuite is built for people who teach their own method and do not want to re-record their course for every language or leave student support to chance. What sets it apart, concretely:

• Per-language versions with human review: nothing is published until a person has reviewed it.
• Protected video: signed links that expire, a watermark and a maximum of three devices.
• Paid 1:1 sessions with calendar, reminders and payment built in.
• Verifiable certificates with a public check page.
• Regional pricing and checkout: the same course at a different price depending on the country.
• An academy on your own domain and an AI tutor per academy.

And what it is not: it is not the best option if you need automated email funnels or a branded mobile app today; Kajabi or Teachable are ahead there. Nor is it the simplest way to start: if your priority is paying the minimum with few decisions, Skool or Teachable's entry plan come out lighter. And if you do not have an audience yet, no platform gives you one: read own platform or marketplace first.

What to check before deciding

1. Fee plus commission plus processing, with your real sales. A plan with a 7.5% commission stops being cheap quickly: at 2,000 USD of sales a month that is 150 USD in commission alone.
2. Taxes: who collects and files VAT. Review EU VAT on online courses.
3. Your price: how to price an online course matters more than 20 USD of fee.
4. What you cannot take out: export students and content before signing anything.
5. A real test with a short course, not a demo.

You can see the LearnSuite plan catalogue and the rest of the blog articles.