Seven Excellent Free Tools for Building Online Courses 2025 [Strengths and Weaknesses Explored]

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Seven Excellent Free Tools for Building Online Courses 2025 [Strengths and Weaknesses Explored]

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Daniel Nic

Published – May 27, 2024

The majority of platforms for online courses typically involve recurring monthly charges, which may pose a difficulty when you are just beginning with constrained financial resources.

However, there’s no need for concern; a good number of complimentary course hosting platforms are available to assist you in developing and releasing your courses without straining your finances.

In the following discussion, we will introduce you to the seven leading free online course construction tools for 2025. We will explore their capabilities, positive aspects, and constraints to aid you in identifying the ideal platform tailored to your requirements.

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Free online course builders comparison

Currently, Kajabi holds a leading position as the preferred comprehensive online course platform available. It provides an extensive suite of tools designed to assist you in establishing and expanding your expertise-based enterprise.

Yet, does it represent the optimal selection for your specific circumstances? Which capabilities does it include, and how do these measure up against alternative course creation tools? Is a fully integrated platform genuinely necessary for your goals?

To address these inquiries and enable an informed choice, we have developed this detailed Kajabi assessment. Within this review, we will examine every aspect of the platform’s functionality and deliberate on the advantages and disadvantages associated with its utilization.

Additionally, we will impart the valuable perspectives acquired through assisting numerous creators in successfully launching their educational programs and membership communities using Kajabi.

Let us commence the exploration.

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Thinkific

THIN FIC

Thinkific stands out as the top versatile online course platform, offering a notably ample free tier.

This complimentary option provides a suite of functionalities for developing and marketing an online course, encompassing an intuitive drag-and-drop course creation interface, limitless storage for content, an integrated online community space, a tool for website construction, and built-in payment handling capabilities.

Advantages of Using Thinkific

Transaction Charges: Thinkific imposes no transaction fees or concealed costs, meaning the complimentary plan is genuinely without charge.
Course Development Capabilities: The course builder provided by Thinkific is straightforward to operate and accommodates diverse content types including videos, audio files, text documents, quizzes, and others. You also have the ability to establish an online community to encourage discussions related to the course.
Website Construction Tool: Thinkific offers site templates and a drag-and-drop interface that enable the creation of distinctive websites and effective sales pages.
eCommerce Functionalities: Through the free plan, you can set up efficient checkout processes and receive payments using Thinkific Payments. Furthermore, you gain instant availability of your earnings.
External Tool Connections: While many course platforms restrict third-party tool integrations on their free tiers, Thinkific permits numerous connections, including integration with Zapier.
Superior Overall Offering: Thinkific ranks as the most feature-rich course platform. Its subscription plans unlock further features like assignments, certifications, live interactive lessons, and considerably more. It additionally features an application marketplace, allowing you to readily enhance the platform’s capabilities.

Disadvantages of Thinkific

Restrictions on Products: Although student enrollment is unlimited, the complimentary plan permits the creation of only a single course and one community space.
Personalized Domain Name: Utilizing your own domain name isn’t possible; however, your website will be accessible via a Thinkific subdomain (for instance, mycourses.thinkific.com).

Further Information

Peruse our thorough Thinkific examination for a more detailed understanding of the platform.
Refer to our Thinkific instructional guide should you require step-by-step assistance.

New Zenler

New Zenler represents a comprehensive course solution enabling you to operate your complete online educational venture from a single location. It provides not only capabilities for course development and sales but also incorporates a collection of useful marketing instruments.

Additionally, New Zenler offers an ample complimentary plan which grants users entry to the majority of its features, with only a handful of limitations.

Strengths of New Zenler

Course Development Instruments: The complimentary plan encompasses the course builder, content storage, and all educational and interactive elements, including assessments, certifications, community features, and mobile applications.
Comprehensive Capabilities: You receive more than just course creation tools; it includes a complete package for website building, blogging activities, marketing funnel construction, and email campaign management.
External Tool Connections: All integrations with third-party applications—Zapier included—are fully supported even on the free usage tier.
Generous Account Allowances: No restrictions apply to the quantity of courses or the number of enrolled students. Nevertheless, you are permitted up to 5,000 subscribers and can dispatch up to 1,000 emails, which represents quite a substantial allowance.
Cost-Effective Paid Options: New Zenler presents two premium plans: Pro at $67 per month and Premium at $197 per month. Both grant complete functionality, unlimited courses and students, and zero transaction fees, positioning it as the most economically viable all-in-one solution.

Weaknesses of New Zenler

Beta Status: The current beta phase for New Zenler has a finite duration, and the development team indicates that a free plan will be available post-official launch; however, it is expected to offer fewer features.
Transaction Charge: A 10% fee is applied to every sale processed through the platform.
Personalized Domain Name: The option to employ a custom domain is unavailable; instead, you must use a New Zenler subdomain (e.g., mycourses.newzenler.com).

Further Information

Explore our comprehensive New Zenler assessment for a deeper dive into the platform’s details.
Consult our New Zenler instructional guide if you need sequential assistance.

Teachable

Teachable ranks among the widely favored online course construction platforms, providing a permanent free option allowing you to develop and market an online educational program.

Fundamental capabilities—including the course development interface, content storage, sales page creation, and payment facilitation—are part of the package. Despite this, the constraints regarding video storage space and permitted student count tend to be overly restrictive for the majority of educators.

A particular aspect we appreciate regarding Kajabi’s user interface is how all distinct tools are seamlessly interconnected.

Advantages of Using Teachable

Course Development Interface: The intuitive drag-and-drop course creator allows enhancement of the learning journey through video segments, downloadable course PDF documents, simple quizzes, and various other educational content formats.
Mentoring Services: Beyond your course offerings, you have the capability to develop and market a single coaching product and facilitate a personalized one-on-one coaching initiative.
Page Creation Tool: Teachable provides a user-friendly page construction tool for assembling your online presence and promotional landing pages.
Sales and Promotional Instruments: The complimentary plan permits flexible pricing for your products; furthermore, you can handle payment processing, manage tax obligations, and initiate a referral scheme directly via the platform.
Adaptable Pricing Structure: Regarding subscription tiers, the Basic option is priced at $59 monthly (plus a 5% commission), while the Pro option costs $159 monthly (without commission), rendering the pricing accessible for newcomers.

Disadvantages of Teachable

Transaction Commission: Although no monthly fee applies, a charge of $1 plus a 10% transaction commission is levied on all completed sales.
Course and Enrollment Restrictions: You are limited to establishing only one course containing a maximum of ten accessible videos under the free plan. Additionally, enrollment is capped at ten students.
Personalized Domain Usage: Employing your unique domain name is not permitted; instead, your website utilizes a Teachable-assigned subdomain (e.g., mycourses.teachable.com).
External Tool Connections: The free tier lacks support for integrating with any external marketing applications, which includes services like Zapier.

Further Resources

Examine our comprehensive Teachable assessment for greater insight into the platform.
Review our Teachable instructional walkthrough for detailed, sequential guidance.
Consult our Teachable versus Thinkific comparative analysis.

TrainerCentral

TrainerCentral originates from the Zoho suite and stands as one of the most budget-friendly online course platform choices currently accessible.

Its complimentary tier provides entry to the course creation tool and permits the publication of a maximum of three courses. Nonetheless, it lacks payment handling functionality, making it best suited for distributing free educational content.

Advantages of TrainerCentral

Course Creation Tool: The drag-and-drop course construction interface offered by TrainerCentral is user-friendly and provides considerable flexibility for incorporating various types of content into course modules.
No Student Limits: There is no cap on the quantity of learners you can register in your programs, even when utilizing the complimentary tier.
Economical Pricing: TrainerCentral ranks as one of the most cost-effective platforms for courses. Its top-level plan is priced at $50 per month, significantly less expensive than alternative platforms.

Disadvantages of TrainerCentral

Constrained Video Capacity: Although the complimentary plan permits up to three courses, the overall storage allocation is restricted to 5 GB. This may prove insufficient if your educational materials heavily feature video elements.
Absence of Engagement Features: TrainerCentral does not offer access to any interactive learning components such as quizzes, content dripping, or live sessions within its free tier.
Missing Payment Functionality: The complimentary plan lacks the capability to process financial transactions, rendering it appropriate solely for providing no-cost courses or serving as an introductory trial preceding a paid subscription upgrade.

Udemy

As the most prominent online education marketplace, Udemy offers instructors a venue to upload digital courses and engage with its extensive student population numbering in the millions.

Udemy operates using a system based on sharing generated income. While instructors avoid monthly subscription costs, the platform retains 63% of your course income, with the remainder disbursed to you each month.

Positive Aspects of Udemy

Established Student Community: Udemy boasts a vast community of millions of enrolled learners, offering your courses potential visibility among this substantial audience.
Most Expedient Launch Method: The platform furnishes all necessary infrastructure for hosting and distributing online courses. You avoid the need to establish a website or configure payment systems. Udemy handles all these aspects for you.
Superior Educational Experience: The platform features a refined course playback interface and incorporates functionalities like quizzes, practical assignments, question-and-answer forums, and dedicated mobile applications.
Comprehensive Assistance Materials: Udemy provides a wealth of support documentation and guides designed to assist instructors throughout the complete course development journey.

Negative Aspects of Udemy

Substantial Revenue Deduction: Udemy retains a significant 63% portion of revenue from any sales generated via its platform, which represents a very large percentage.
Learner Information Control: You do not retain ownership of your students’ information (such as email contacts and payment details) or direct control over the relationship, nor can you migrate them off the platform.
Platform Regulations: Instructors lack influence over the platform’s operational policies and operate subject to Udemy’s decisions. For instance, the instructor revenue share has decreased from 90% down to 37% over recent years.
Marketplace Rivalry: The Udemy marketplace presents intense competition, making it challenging for newly joined instructors to generate income. Indeed, our research indicates that instructors joining after 2020 earn merely $2,100 annually on average.
Specialized Subject Areas: Learner interest tends to cluster around specific popular topics within business and technology. If your expertise lies in different fields, the potential demand might be limited.

Additional Resources

Explore our detailed Udemy evaluation to assess its suitability for course developers.
Examine our Teachable versus Udemy comparative study.

Gumroad

Gumroad functions as a digital sales platform providing creators with an online shopfront for marketing their offerings, which can encompass online courses. While capable of storing course materials, it lacks the features needed to provide a high-quality learning environment.

The pricing model for Gumroad is uncomplicated. It foregoes monthly subscription fees, opting instead for a straightforward transaction charge set at 10%.

Benefits of Using Gumroad

Absence of Recurring Charges: No monthly subscription costs are imposed at any stage, and users gain access to the complete feature set. Payment involves only a fixed percentage fee per transaction.
Digital Commerce Features: Gumroad delivers potent eCommerce capabilities, featuring versatile product pricing structures, a streamlined checkout process, automated sales tax management, and tools for overseeing affiliate programs.
Personalized Domain: The platform allows you to connect a unique domain name to your digital storefront, positioning Gumroad as the sole provider offering this ability without a monthly service fee.

Drawbacks of Gumroad

Educational Content Presentation: Numerous crucial course functionalities, like an integrated course player, assessment tools (quizzes), and learner interaction forums, are notably absent.
Storefront Visual Design: Both your main homepage and individual product landing pages present a very basic appearance, with limited options available for significant customization.
User Account Requirement: Gumroad acts as an intermediary connecting you with your customers; for transactions to be processed via Gumroad, purchasers are obligated to register for a Gumroad account.
Payout Schedule for Creators: Immediate access to earned funds is not provided; instead, payments are issued weekly on Fridays, contingent upon your account balance reaching a minimum of $10.

Additional Info

Read our Gumroad review to see if it is worth it for course creators.

Tutor LMS

Tutor LMS stands as a widely utilized Learning Management System plugin, empowering users to develop and market online educational programs directly via their WordPress installations.

This plugin offers a complimentary edition equipped with substantial course development functionalities, plus the capability to augment its features by incorporating the wide array of add-ons it accommodates.

Nevertheless, it’s important to recognize that constructing an online course solely with Tutor LMS isn’t feasible. A functional WordPress website is essential, entailing supplementary costs for web hosting, visual themes, and potentially other required plugins. Consequently, if you don’t currently operate a WordPress site, this option might prove less advantageous.

Positive Attributes of Tutor LMS

Course Development Capabilities: Tutor LMS features an intuitive course creation tool accommodating video-based lessons and assessments, enabling the construction of limitless courses and individual lesson modules.
Potential for Expansion: The complimentary version of Tutor LMS facilitates connections with well-known plugins such as GamiPress and Easy Digital Downloads, permitting you to enhance its core functionality.
Professional Version: The premium PRO iteration of the plugin offers more integrated features and comes with a reasonable annual price tag of $199.

Negative Aspects of Tutor LMS

WordPress Dependency: Being WordPress-centric, Tutor LMS necessitates establishing a website prior to plugin utilization. This requirement not only involves additional setup effort but also demands a certain level of technical proficiency.
Relies on Additional Plugins: Contrasting with the self-contained platforms mentioned previously, you will need to integrate multiple auxiliary plugins, like Elementor for designing pages and WooCommerce for handling transactions.
Supplementary Expenses: Tutor LMS does not cover website hosting services or video content storage. These necessary elements must be acquired and paid for independently.

Choosing the Ideal Complimentary Online Course Builder

Every complimentary online course platform featured within this compilation provides a free tier enabling the hosting and distribution of an online course without incurring regular monthly charges.

We did not include platforms such as Kajabi, which present a no-cost trial period but subsequently require a paid subscription. Similarly, platforms like Podia, permitting only draft course creation on their free plan, were also excluded.

It is important to note, however, that the free tiers of certain platforms may impose transaction fees and place restrictions concerning the quantity of courses, available features, and personalization capabilities.

This approach is acceptable provided the free plan avoids being excessively limiting. For instance, Teachable permits the development of just one course, further restricting it to 10 videos and a maximum of 10 students, which proves unworkable for actively marketing your course.

So, how can you determine which free online course construction tool aligns best with your situation? Below are several crucial elements to evaluate:

What quantity of courses are you permitted to develop using the free tier? Do any constraints exist regarding video storage capacity?
What is the maximum number of learners allowed to enroll in your educational programs?
Which course development instruments are accessible within the complimentary plan?
Does the free plan grant access to the website construction tools and eCommerce functionalities?
Is it possible to connect any external applications or services with the free tier?
Does the platform apply a fee per transaction? If applicable, what is the percentage?

An additional vital factor to weigh is the complete operational capability of the platform, not solely its free offering. Selecting a platform capable of supporting your requirements over the long term as your online course venture expands is crucial.

We recommend utilizing our interactive comparison resource to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the platforms, considering over 60 essential features and characteristics. You can also consult our thorough reviews for an enhanced comprehension of the platforms and their inherent potentials.

Concluding Remarks Regarding Free Course Hosting Solutions

Although each of these platforms possesses unique advantages, our primary recommendation for a complimentary online course builder is Thinkific.

Thinkific’s permanent free plan comes without any transaction charges or undisclosed fees, rendering it particularly appealing. Furthermore, it offers quite generous features, including the course creator, content storage, website construction tools, eCommerce functions, and even integrations with external applications.

Ultimately, Thinkific stands as the premier all-encompassing online course platform, simplifying the decision considerably. You can establish a complimentary account on Thinkific to begin constructing your digital course.

We trust this guide has assisted you in selecting the free online course platform most suitable for your needs. Should you have any inquiries, please share them in the comments section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best free online course builder?

Several free course hosting platforms exist, but Thinkific is the best option. Its free plan doesn’t have any transaction fees or hidden charges. Plus, it also gives you all of the essential course creation and selling tools, including the course builder, content hosting, website builder, and eCommerce tools.

What can you do on Thinkific’s Free plan?

Thinkific’s Free plan lets you create one online course and one community. It allows you to create a course with videos, text, PDFs, and quizzes, build your course website and sales pages, and accept payments for your course.

Is Udemy free to create courses?

Yes, creating a course on Udemy is free. However, the platform takes a generous cut from your course revenue. In fact, the commission is 3% if you drive the sale and 63% for sales on the platform.

How do I create an online course for free?

You can use a few tools to create an online course for free. We recommend using Google Docs to write your content, ScreenPal to record videos, and Thinkific to host and sell it. Read this guide for a comprehensive list of free course creation tools.

About The Author

Daniel Nic

Daniel NicFounder, SellingOnliceCoursesGuide.comis an entrepreneur and digital education specialist who founded sellingonlinecoursesguide.com, a platform dedicated to helping creators and educators successfully navigate the online course marketplace. Through his website, he shares insights and strategies for developing, marketing, and monetizing online educational content. His work focuses on empowering course creators to build sustainable online businesses while effectively sharing their knowledge with students worldwide.

Our Top Picks

#1. Thinkific
#2. New Zenler