Online course platforms: which one to choose to sell your courses

To sell online courses you have two types of platform: marketplaces, like Udemy, which bring the audience in exchange for keeping a large share of each sale, and own platforms, like Hotmart, Teachable, Kajabi, Skool, Systeme.io or Membersfy, where the course is yours and so is the relationship with the student. The best one depends on whether you already have an audience, the language you sell in and whether you want to sell only courses or also a community and subscriptions.

In this guide you'll see what to look at before choosing, a comparison of the most widely used platforms and which option fits each case.

Marketplaces or your own platform: the first decision

A marketplace is a huge catalog of courses from many instructors. It gives you visibility from day one, but the platform decides the prices and promotions, keeps a significant share of each sale and the students are theirs: you don't get their email to sell them your next course.

An own platform is your online school, with your brand. You set the price, get paid directly and build your own student list. In exchange, you have to attract the traffic yourself: with content, social media, advertising or your email list.

Many creators combine the two: they use a marketplace to get known and their own platform for their main course, the community and memberships.

What to look at before choosing an online course platform

• How it charges: a fixed monthly fee, a commission on each sale or both. With few sales, a commission seems cheap; with many, it gets very expensive.
• Language of the dashboard and support: many international platforms have the dashboard or support only in English. If you sell in Spanish, check this beforehand.
• Your data and your students: can you export the emails? Can you take your course with you if you ever change platforms?
• Brand and custom domain: so that students see your brand, not the platform's.
• Community: forums or a wall where students interact. It's what helps most for them to finish the course and renew.
• Subscriptions and memberships: if you want recurring revenue, you need monthly payments and tiered access control.
• Payments and invoices: which payment gateways it accepts (Stripe, PayPal…) and whether it helps you with invoices.
• Mobile app: more and more students study from their phones.
• Assessments and certificates, if your training needs them.

Comparison of online course platforms

Platform	Type	How it charges	Ideal for
Udemy	Marketplace	It keeps a share of each sale: the instructor gets 37 % if the sale comes through Udemy and 97 % if it comes through their own link or coupon	Getting known and testing a topic
Hotmart	Sales platform with an affiliate network	Commission on each sale (around 10 %, plus a small fixed amount)	Selling with affiliates in Latin America
Teachable	Own platform	Monthly fee; the cheapest plan adds a per-sale commission	Simple courses, mostly in English
Kajabi	All-in-one	High monthly fee, among the most expensive on the market	Businesses with a budget that want everything integrated
Skool	Community with courses	Monthly fee plus a percentage on each payment	Paid communities
Systeme.io	Affordable all-in-one	Free plan with limits and paid plans	Starting on a small budget
Membersfy	Own platform for courses, community and memberships	Fixed price, no per-sale commissions. Free plan with 1 course and paid plans from 37 € per month (30 € per month with yearly billing)	Courses, memberships and communities in Spanish

Data reviewed in November 2026. Platforms change their prices and terms often: always confirm them on their website before deciding. Also keep in mind the payment gateway fee (Stripe, PayPal…), which most platforms charge separately.

The platforms, one by one

Udemy

The best-known course marketplace. It gives you a huge audience, but you compete with thousands of courses, constant promotions drive prices down and you only get most of the sale when the student arrives through your own link. Useful for gaining visibility, less so for building a business of your own.

Hotmart

Very popular in the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Latin America, thanks to its affiliate network: other people sell your course in exchange for a commission that you set. It charges a commission on every sale, so the more you sell, the more you pay. If you're considering it, take a look at how much Hotmart keeps from each sale y the alternatives to Hotmart.

Teachable

A simple platform for building your course school. It works well for recorded courses, but it's designed mainly for the English-language market and its cheapest plan adds a per-sale commission.

Kajabi

A very complete all-in-one: courses, website, emails, funnels and community. Its weak point is the price, among the highest on the market, and that its dashboard is in English.

Skool

It started out as a community and added courses. It's very good for getting members to participate, with a points and levels system, but the options for structuring training are more limited than on a course platform.

Systeme.io

An affordable all-in-one with a free plan, designed for starting on a small budget. It covers the basics of courses, funnels and emails; in exchange, the student experience and community options are simpler.

Membersfy

A platform 100 % in Spanish for creating your online academy with courses organized by modules, community and forums, tiered memberships, exams and certificates, and your own mobile app on the more complete plans. It charges a fixed price, with no per-sale commissions, accepts Stripe, PayPal and Mercado Pago, and has support in Spanish. You can start with the free plan and one course. See all the features.

Which one to choose depending on your case

• You don't have the course yet: start with how to make an online course step by step and choose a platform once you know what you're going to sell.
• You're starting without an audience and want to test a topic: a marketplace can get you your first sales, even if you earn little on each one.
• You already have an audience (social media, email, customers): your own platform, because almost the entire sale is yours and the students stay on your list.
• You want monthly revenue: look for a platform with memberships and community, not just standalone courses. We explain it in how to create a membership step by step and we compare the options in membership platforms in Spain.
• You sell in Spanish: prioritize a platform with the dashboard, support and student experience in Spanish.
• You sell a lot: run the numbers with your real sales. At volume, a fixed fee works out much cheaper than a per-sale commission.

Frequently asked questions about online course platforms

What is the best online course platform?

There isn't one that's best for everyone. To get known, a marketplace; to build a business of your own, a platform where you control the price, the brand and your students. If you sell in Spanish and want to add community and memberships, choose one built for that.

Are there platforms for selling online courses for free?

Yes, some have a free plan with limits, for example on the number of courses or contacts. Check carefully what it includes and whether it charges a per-sale commission, because free can get expensive once you start selling.

What's the difference between Udemy and having your own platform?

On Udemy the student belongs to Udemy: they set the price and keep most of the sales that don't come through your link. On your own platform the student is yours, you decide the price and you keep almost everything you sell, but you have to bring in the traffic yourself.

Can I switch platforms later?

Yes, but it's costly: you have to move the videos, the students and the recurring payments. That's why it's best to choose with an eye on where you want to be in a couple of years, not just in the first month.

Try Membersfy

If you want to sell your courses in Spanish, with your own brand, community and memberships and no per-sale commissions, start with the free Membersfy plan and compare the plans whenever you need to.