ChatGPT answers, unedited

Yes. What you’re describing is essentially a Udemy-style multi-vendor course marketplace:

Creators → upload/manage courses → customers purchase → platform takes commission → creator receives the remainder.

There are several ways to build it, and the best choice depends on whether you want SaaS/no-code, WordPress, or a fully custom marketplace.

Best options

1. LearnWorlds — easiest LMS-oriented option

LearnWorlds supports multiple instructors and lets you assign a percentage of course revenue to each instructor. It automatically calculates the instructor's share based on the sale price. support.learnworlds.com

However, there's an important distinction: its newer Course Hub is primarily a marketplace where LearnWorlds schools license courses from other schools, rather than exactly the consumer marketplace you're describing. support.learnworlds.com

So I'd investigate it if your model is more "online academy with multiple instructors" than "Udemy competitor."

LearnWorlds

2. WordPress + Dokan + an LMS — probably the most flexible low-code approach

This is an interesting option if you want to actually build your own marketplace website.

Dokan provides the marketplace layer:

• Creator/vendor accounts
• Individual vendor dashboards
• Vendor storefronts
• Commission percentages
• Vendor-specific commissions
• Category-based commissions
• Payment splitting
• Vendor withdrawals

Dokan specifically supports percentage/fixed commissions and payment splitting through gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, MANGOPAY and others. dokan.co

You'd pair it with a WordPress LMS such as Tutor LMS, LearnDash, LifterLMS, etc.

The architecture would look roughly like:

WordPress
→ Dokan = marketplace/vendors/commissions
→ LMS plugin = courses/video/quizzes/certificates
→ Stripe = payments/payouts
→ You = marketplace owner

This can get quite close to the business model you're describing without building everything from scratch.

3. Mentor LMS — specifically aimed at Udemy-style marketplaces

Mentor LMS is particularly interesting because it explicitly positions itself around building a multi-instructor Udemy-like marketplace. It supports multiple instructors, custom commission rates, instructor profiles, course publishing and the marketplace owner earning commissions. mentor-lms.com

Mentor LMS

I'd put this on your shortlist if your primary requirement is:

"I want my own Udemy, not an LMS for my company."

4. Custom-built marketplace — best if this is intended to become a major business

If you're envisioning something like:

Creator signs up → creates course → submits for approval → course goes live → student buys → money automatically splits → creator gets paid → you retain 20%

then a custom platform gives you much more control.

For example:

• Creator onboarding
• Creator verification/KYC
• Course builder
• Video hosting
• Course marketplace
• Search/categories
• Reviews
• Coupons
• Affiliates
• Subscriptions
• Bundles
• Creator analytics
• Admin approval
• 10–30% configurable commissions
• Automatic creator payouts
• Refund handling
• Tax/VAT handling
• Stripe Connect
• Multiple currencies

There are companies that build this type of custom marketplace; for example, Webority specifically offers custom multi-vendor course marketplace development with revenue sharing and automated payouts. www.webority.com

Webority course marketplace

What I'd recommend for your idea

If you're testing the business, I wouldn't build a custom platform immediately.

I'd consider:

Option A — fastest launch

Mentor LMS

Option B — maximum flexibility without fully custom development

WordPress + Dokan + Tutor LMS

Option C — polished SaaS LMS

LearnWorlds

Option D — you're serious about building a large marketplace

Custom platform + Stripe Connect + dedicated LMS/video infrastructure

The critical thing I'd investigate before choosing is creator payouts. There is a big difference between software that merely calculates "creator gets 80%" and software that actually handles payment splitting, refunds, chargebacks, KYC, tax reporting and automated payouts.

If you're aiming to build a real Udemy competitor, I'd lean toward WordPress/Dokan for an MVP or custom + Stripe Connect for the long term.

Yes. What you're describing is essentially Udemy-style marketplace software: multiple independent instructors/creators upload courses, students buy them through your platform, and your platform keeps a percentage while paying the creator the remainder.

The important distinction is that many "online course platforms" support multiple instructors, but don't necessarily support a true multi-vendor marketplace with automated commissions and payouts.

Best options

1. Bubble + Stripe Connect — probably the most interesting for your idea

If you're building a startup rather than simply launching a course website, I'd seriously consider Bubble + Stripe Connect.

Bubble can handle the marketplace application—creator accounts, course creation, student accounts, catalog/search, reviews, enrollments, etc.—while Stripe Connect handles the money movement.

For example:

Student pays $100 → Stripe → $80 creator / $20 you

Stripe specifically supports marketplace payments where the platform collects money and pays connected sellers while retaining an application fee/commission. docs.stripe.comwww.lowcode.agencyspreecommerce.orgdocs.cs-cart.comdocs.stripe.com

A recent implementation guide specifically describes using Bubble + Stripe Connect for a multi-instructor course marketplace, including instructor onboarding, course listings, commission logic, and payouts. www.lowcode.agency

This is attractive because you aren't forced into someone else's marketplace business model.

2. Spree Commerce — good if you want to own the platform

Spree Commerce has a multi-vendor marketplace solution with:

• Vendor onboarding
• Vendor accounts
• Commission management
• Stripe Connect payouts
• Multi-vendor orders
• Open-source core

spreecommerce.org

You'd add an LMS/course layer on top of it. This is more developer-heavy, but gives you considerably more control.

3. CS-Cart Multi-Vendor

CS-Cart is another established multi-vendor platform.

Its Stripe Connect integration can split a customer's payment between multiple vendors and transfer your marketplace commission to your platform account. docs.cs-cart.com

The downside is that CS-Cart is fundamentally ecommerce marketplace software, not course/LMS software. You'd need to integrate or build the course-delivery component.

4. Bazaar

Bazaar is an interesting newer option if you want something self-hosted.

It provides:

• Vendor storefronts
• Vendor dashboards
• Commission tracking
• Stripe Connect
• Vendor onboarding
• Customer/vendor/admin roles
• Product and order management

It's built with Next.js and Prisma and is sold as source code rather than purely as a SaaS subscription. www.getbazaar.io

Again, you'd need to adapt the "products" architecture into courses → sections → lessons → videos → enrollments.

What about Thinkific?

Thinkific actually has a Revenue Partners feature that can assign a percentage of course sales to another person and track the commission owed. support.thinkific.com

But that's different from what you're describing.

Thinkific is primarily designed for one business selling its own courses, with revenue partners/co-instructors. You're looking for:

"Creators come to MY platform, create their own storefront/course, students buy from MY marketplace, and I automatically take 20%."

That's a substantially different architecture.

What I'd build for your business

If you're serious about creating a new marketplace, I'd structure it like this:

                    YOUR MARKETPLACE
                           │
             ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
             │                           │
         STUDENTS                    CREATORS
             │                           │
       Browse courses              Creator dashboard
       Search/filter               Create courses
       Purchase                    Upload videos
       Watch lessons               Set prices
       Reviews                     See sales
             │                           │
             └─────────────┬─────────────┘
                           │
                    PAYMENT SYSTEM
                           │
                     Stripe Connect
                           │
                 ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                 │                   │
              CREATOR             YOU
               80%                 20%

For example, you could set:

• Creator chooses $49 course
• You take 20%
• Creator receives $39.20
• You receive $9.80
• Stripe/payment costs handled according to your marketplace configuration

Stripe Connect is specifically designed for this type of marketplace money flow and supports application fees, connected seller accounts, onboarding, and payouts. docs.stripe.com

My recommendation

If you're at the idea/MVP stage, I'd rank them:

🥇 Bubble + Stripe Connect — fastest way to validate the marketplace idea without building everything from scratch.

🥈 Custom Next.js + Stripe Connect + LMS — best if you have developers and want a serious, scalable product.

🥉 Spree/CS-Cart + custom course functionality — good if you want to leverage an existing multi-vendor engine.

I wouldn't start with Thinkific or LearnWorlds for this particular business model. They're excellent course platforms, but you're trying to build a marketplace business, not merely a multi-instructor online school. LearnWorlds, for example, focuses on letting businesses/creators run their own branded learning businesses, memberships, subscriptions, and courses. www.learnworlds.com

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$500, $5k, $20k+) and whether you want no-code or are okay with developers, I can narrow this down to the 3 best stacks and estimate what it would cost to launch.

Yes. What you’re describing is a multi-vendor course marketplace: creators/instructors upload courses, students buy them, and your platform automatically keeps a percentage while paying the creator the remainder.

There are several good approaches:

1. Best overall: LearnDash + WooCommerce + WCFM

This is probably the stack I'd investigate first if you want a real course marketplace rather than a generic marketplace.

LearnDash handles the LMS/course side. Its Instructor Role functionality lets multiple instructors create/manage courses, and it supports instructor commissions. learndash.com

Then use WCFM Marketplace for the marketplace layer. WCFM provides vendor dashboards, commission rules, and Stripe split payments. wordpress.org

The architecture would look roughly like:

Creator → creates course → Admin approves → Course goes live → Student purchases → Payment split → You keep 20% → Creator receives 80%

You could, for example, configure:

• Creator commission: 80%
• Your platform: 20%
• Different commission rates for different creators
• Creator dashboards
• Course approval
• Coupons
• Reviews/ratings
• Student accounts
• Instructor profiles
• Automated payouts

The downside is that you're assembling several WordPress/WooCommerce components, so it takes more configuration and maintenance.

2. Best for launching a marketplace quickly: Sharetribe

Sharetribe is specifically designed around marketplaces.

It supports sellers/providers, payments, Stripe Connect, automated payouts and marketplace commissions. You can take a percentage from the creator, the buyer, or both. www.sharetribe.com

However, Sharetribe isn't really an LMS. Its digital-product marketplace functionality is better suited to selling digital products/files than providing a sophisticated course experience. www.sharetribe.com

So I'd use it if your initial product is more like:

"Creators sell educational content"

rather than:

"Udemy-style platform with lessons, quizzes, progress tracking, certificates, etc."

3. Best for a custom startup: Bubble + Stripe Connect

Bubble is another interesting option.

You can build:

• Creator accounts
• Student accounts
• Course builder
• Course catalog
• Search/filtering
• Reviews
• Creator dashboards
• Admin approval
• Commission calculations
• Stripe Connect payouts
• Subscriptions
• Affiliate/referral systems

The advantage is that you aren't constrained by the structure of an existing LMS. A marketplace built with Bubble can have custom revenue-sharing and instructor workflows. www.lowcode.agency

The disadvantage is that you'll actually have to build much of the application.

What I'd choose

If your goal is something like "Udemy, but I recruit independent creators and take 20% of every course sale", I'd narrow it down to:

🥇 LearnDash + WooCommerce + WCFM

Best if you want to launch on WordPress and have a relatively conventional LMS.

🥈 Bubble + Stripe Connect

Best if you want to build a differentiated startup and expect custom functionality.

🥉 Sharetribe

Best if you want to validate the marketplace business model quickly, but you may eventually outgrow its course/LMS capabilities.

One important distinction

Before choosing software, I'd decide whether creators are selling:

A. Recorded courses

Videos + PDFs + quizzes + student progress + certificates

or

B. Any educational product

Courses + coaching + live classes + downloads + memberships + workshops

If it's A, I'd prioritize an LMS such as LearnDash.

If it's B, I'd prioritize a marketplace engine such as Sharetribe/Bubble and build the education functionality around it.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$500, $500–$5k, or $5k+) and whether you want no-code/low-code/custom, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 stacks and explain exactly how the creator → payment → commission → payout system would work.

Yes. What you’re describing is essentially a Udemy-style multi-vendor course marketplace:

• Creators/instructors create accounts
• Each creator publishes their own courses
• Customers buy courses through your marketplace
• You keep, say, 20%
• The creator receives 80%
• You handle the marketplace, discovery, payments, refunds, etc.
• Ideally, creator payouts are automated

There are several ways to build this, and the best choice depends heavily on whether you want no-code, WordPress, SaaS, or a custom platform.

Best options

1. WordPress — probably the most flexible starting point

You can combine a WordPress LMS such as LearnDash/LifterLMS with a multi-vendor marketplace system.

The architecture would look something like:

Creator → creates course → course marketplace → customer purchases → payment split → creator payout + your commission

This is attractive if you want creators to have their own dashboards, course management, coupons, reviews, analytics, etc.

The downside is that you're assembling several pieces rather than buying one purpose-built marketplace.

2. Sharetribe — excellent marketplace infrastructure

Sharetribe is interesting because it was built specifically around marketplace transactions rather than being primarily an LMS.

It supports Stripe Connect, provider onboarding, payouts, and marketplace commissions. You can charge a percentage commission to providers, customers, or both. www.sharetribe.com

For example:

$100 course

• Customer pays: $100
• Creator: $80
• Your marketplace: $20
• Stripe/payment fees: handled according to your payment configuration

The catch is that you'd need to integrate the actual course/LMS experience rather than relying on Sharetribe alone.

3. LearnWorlds — good if the LMS is the priority

LearnWorlds has instructor accounts and can calculate instructor revenue percentages. It supports assigning instructors to courses and specifying their percentage of course revenue. support.learnworlds.com

However, there's an important distinction: LearnWorlds' instructor revenue-sharing system calculates the instructor's share but doesn't automatically pay the instructor from within the platform; payments have to be handled separately. support.learnworlds.com

It also now has a Course Hub, which is a marketplace where schools can license courses from other schools/creators. That's somewhat different from the consumer marketplace you're describing. support.learnworlds.com

So I wouldn't make LearnWorlds my first choice if your core business is "many independent creators sell directly to consumers and we take a cut."

4. Custom platform + Stripe Connect — best long-term architecture

If you have a serious marketplace idea, this is probably what I'd consider.

Stripe Connect marketplace documentation specifically supports marketplace platforms where connected accounts receive payments and the platform keeps an application fee/commission. docs.stripe.com

You could build:

Your marketplace
→ Creator signup
→ Creator verification/KYC
→ Course creation
→ Course approval
→ Customer checkout
→ Stripe Connect
→ 20% platform fee
→ 80% creator payout
→ Course access automatically granted

This gives you much more control over things like:

• Different commission rates for different creators
• Featured courses
• Creator subscriptions
• Coupons
• Affiliate commissions
• Bundles
• Course memberships
• Refund rules
• Creator analytics
• Creator rankings
• Moderation/approval
• Promotional campaigns
• B2B licensing
• Multiple currencies
• Tax handling

5. Mentor LMS

Mentor LMS is worth looking at specifically because it markets a multi-instructor Udemy-style marketplace, including instructor profiles, independent course publishing, platform commissions and instructor payouts. mentor-lms.com

This is closer conceptually to what you're asking for than a traditional "build my own online school" LMS.

What I'd recommend for your idea

If you're validating the business, I'd avoid building everything from scratch initially.

I'd shortlist:

Option A — Fastest launch:
WordPress + LMS + multi-vendor + Stripe

Option B — Marketplace-first:
Sharetribe + a dedicated LMS/course system

Option C — Serious startup:
Custom marketplace + Stripe Connect

And I'd design the business around something like:

Creator gets 80% / Marketplace gets 20%

with Stripe Connect handling the money movement.

The key question isn't really "which LMS supports multiple instructors?" It's which platform properly supports marketplace sellers + split payments + automated payouts + course delivery. That's a much narrower category.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$5k, $5–20k, or $20k+) and whether you want no-code/low-code or custom, I can narrow this down to the 3 best platforms for your specific marketplace, including estimated costs and exactly how the creator/payment flow would work.

Yes. What you’re describing is a multi-vendor course marketplace: creators/instructors upload courses, students purchase them, and your platform automatically keeps a percentage while paying the creator the remainder.

There are several ways to build it, and the best choice depends heavily on whether you want no-code, WordPress, or a fully custom platform.

Best options

1. LearnDash + WooCommerce — probably the strongest WordPress route

LearnDash is specifically designed for online courses. It supports selling courses, subscriptions, bundles, memberships, and Stripe/PayPal payments. www.learndash.com

You can combine it with WooCommerce and a multi-vendor system. LearnDash documents an instructor setup where instructors can create courses/products and receive commissions from their sales. learndash.com

For example:

Student pays $100 →

• Creator gets $80
• Your marketplace gets $20
• Payment processor gets its processing fee

This is a good option if you want a conventional website that you control.

2. Sharetribe — excellent marketplace infrastructure

Sharetribe is very strong if your primary challenge is building the marketplace mechanics rather than the LMS itself.

It supports:

• Multiple sellers/providers
• Seller onboarding
• Payments
• Automatic payouts
• Platform commissions
• Customer fees
• Stripe-powered payment splitting

Sharetribe can automatically deduct your commission and pay the provider through Stripe. www.sharetribe.com

The catch: it's not really a full-featured course LMS out of the box. You'd likely need to integrate course delivery/video/content functionality.

So I'd use Sharetribe if your marketplace is more like:

"Udemy for a particular niche"

and you're comfortable assembling the course-learning experience around the marketplace.

3. WooCommerce Multi-Vendor

WooCommerce has official multi-vendor marketplace functionality.

Its marketplace extension supports vendor registration and administrator commissions, including percentage or fixed commissions and configurable commission rules. woocommerce.com

You could build:

WordPress
→ WooCommerce
→ Multi-vendor marketplace
→ LearnDash
→ Stripe
→ Creator dashboard

This gives you considerably more control than an all-in-one SaaS product.

4. Bubble + Stripe Connect — interesting if you want your own SaaS

Bubble is worth considering if you want something that feels like a modern marketplace application rather than a WordPress website.

You can build:

• Creator accounts
• Course creation
• Course approval
• Student accounts
• Search/discovery
• Reviews
• Creator dashboards
• Commission logic
• Stripe Connect payouts

A recent implementation guide specifically describes using Bubble and Stripe Connect for multi-instructor course marketplaces and revenue splitting. www.lowcode.agency

The advantage is that you aren't constrained by a prebuilt LMS architecture.

What I'd choose

If I were building your business, I'd narrow it down to three architectures:

🟢 Fastest/cheapest MVP

WordPress + LearnDash + WooCommerce + multi-vendor

Best if you want to launch relatively quickly and validate the business.

🔵 Marketplace-first

Sharetribe + course/video platform

Best if your differentiation is the marketplace and creator ecosystem, rather than sophisticated LMS functionality.

🟣 Build a real SaaS product

Bubble + Stripe Connect + video hosting + database

Best if you envision something like:

"Udemy + Shopify marketplace, but focused on [your niche]."

You can make the creator experience much more customized.

One important thing to get right

Don't just look for software that lets multiple people sell courses. You specifically need marketplace payment infrastructure.

Your platform needs to handle:

Creator signs up → creator gets verified → creator publishes course → you approve it → student buys → payment is split → your commission is retained → creator gets payout → refunds/chargebacks are handled.

That payment/payout architecture is one of the most important parts of the system. Stripe Connect is particularly relevant for this type of model.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$5k, $5–20k, $20k+) and whether you want no-code/WordPress/custom, I can narrow this down to the 3 best software stacks and their approximate costs, including exactly how I'd build the creator dashboard, course delivery, commissions, and payouts.

Yes. What you’re describing is essentially a Udemy-style multi-vendor course marketplace:

• Creators/instructors sign up
• Each creator publishes their own courses
• Students buy courses through your platform
• You keep, say, 20–30% commission
• The creator receives the remainder
• You control approvals, refunds, pricing rules, and payouts

There are several ways to build this, and the best choice depends on whether you want fast/no-code, WordPress, or a fully custom marketplace.

My shortlist

1. LearnWorlds — easiest dedicated LMS

LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds supports instructors and can calculate instructor revenue based on assigned percentages. However, its instructor payout mechanism is not as turnkey as a true marketplace payment-splitting system: its documentation says instructor commissions are calculated automatically but payouts are handled outside the platform. support.learnworlds.com

It also has a newer Course Hub marketplace concept, where creators/schools can license courses to other schools, but that's somewhat different from the consumer-facing "Udemy where creators sell directly to students" model you're describing. learnworlds.freshdesk.com

Verdict: Great LMS, but I'd investigate the payout architecture carefully before choosing it for your marketplace.

2. WordPress + WooCommerce + Dokan + an LMS — probably the most flexible

Dokan

This is an interesting route because Dokan turns WooCommerce into a multi-vendor marketplace, with vendor storefronts and commission functionality. It explicitly supports digital products, including courses. dokan.co

You could build something like:

WordPress
→ WooCommerce — payments/store
→ Dokan — creators/vendors + commissions
→ LearnDash / LifterLMS / LearnPress — course delivery
→ Stripe — payments/payouts

There are also WordPress solutions specifically designed to calculate instructor royalties for LearnDash/LifterLMS marketplaces. www.sirenaffiliates.com

Verdict: My pick if you want to launch relatively cheaply while retaining a lot of control.

3. WooCommerce Product Vendors

WooCommerce Product Vendors

This is WooCommerce's own multi-vendor extension. It allows vendors to sell products through your store, supports vendor-specific commission rates, and provides vendor sales/commission reporting. woocommerce.com

You'd combine it with an LMS such as LearnDash or LearnPress.

Verdict: Good if you're already comfortable with WooCommerce, but I'd generally look at Dokan as well before committing.

4. Mentor LMS — interesting if you want a purpose-built course marketplace

Mentor LMS course marketplace

Mentor LMS specifically positions itself around building a Udemy-like multi-instructor marketplace. It supports multiple instructors, instructor commissions, course sales, and marketplace administration. mentor-lms.com

Verdict: Worth evaluating if you don't want to assemble a WordPress stack yourself.

5. Custom platform — best if this could become a serious marketplace

If your vision is more like:

"I want to build the next Udemy for a specific niche"

I'd seriously consider a custom application eventually.

A typical architecture would be:

Frontend: Next.js
Backend: Node/NestJS, Laravel, Django, etc.
Database: PostgreSQL
Course/video: Mux, Vimeo, Cloudflare Stream, etc.
Payments: Stripe
Creator payouts: Stripe Connect
Search: Algolia/Typesense/Elastic
Email: Resend/Postmark
Storage: S3/Cloudflare R2

Stripe Connect is particularly important because your core financial flow becomes:

Student pays $100 → platform keeps $25 → creator receives $75

You can then support different commission arrangements:

• Platform: 30%, Creator: 70%
• Premium creator: 15%, Creator: 85%
• New creators: 40%, Creator: 60%
• Platform-sponsored courses: custom split
• Affiliate + creator + platform splits

That's much harder to model cleanly with some off-the-shelf LMS products.

What I'd choose

If you're testing the business idea, I'd start with:

WordPress + WooCommerce + Dokan + LearnDash/LifterLMS

because you can get the fundamental marketplace model running without building everything from scratch.

If you've already validated demand and expect hundreds/thousands of creators, I'd skip the WordPress architecture and build a custom marketplace around Stripe Connect.

The important distinction is that you don't just need a multi-instructor LMS. You need a multi-vendor commerce system + LMS + creator payouts.

That's the part that eliminates a lot of otherwise-good course platforms.

If you tell me your approximate budget (<$5k, $5–20k, $20–50k, or $50k+) and whether you want no-code/low-code or custom, I can narrow this down to the 3 best platforms for your exact marketplace model, including estimated costs and how the commission/payout flow would work.

Yes. What you need is a multi-vendor LMS (Learning Management System) marketplace — essentially a “Udemy-like” platform where:

• Creators/instructors create accounts
• They upload and manage courses
• Students buy courses
• Your platform takes a commission (e.g., 20–30%)
• Creators receive payouts automatically
• You control approvals, pricing, analytics, and policies

Here are the main software options:

mentor-lms.com

My recommended approaches

1. Fast MVP: WordPress stack

Good if you want to launch quickly.

Typical setup:

• WordPress
• LearnDash or Tutor LMS (course delivery)
• WooCommerce (payments)
• Dokan or WC Vendors (multi-vendor marketplace)
• Stripe Connect or PayPal Payouts (creator payments)

Example flow:

1. Creator signs up
2. Creates a course
3. Admin approves it
4. Student pays $100
5. Platform keeps $30
6. Creator receives $70

This is usually the cheapest way to validate the idea.

2. SaaS marketplace builder

If you want less technical work, look at platforms designed for creator marketplaces. Some providers specifically build Udemy-style multi-instructor systems with creator dashboards, commissions, and payouts. mentor-lms.com

3. Custom platform (best if you expect scale)

For a serious marketplace, you would typically build:

Frontend

• React / Next.js

Backend

• Node.js, Django, Laravel, etc.

Learning engine

• Custom LMS or integrated LMS

Payments

• Stripe Connect (handles marketplace splits)

Video

• Vimeo OTT, Mux, Cloudflare Stream, Bunny Stream

Features

• Creator dashboards
• Course builder
• Reviews
• Certificates
• Coupons
• Affiliate tracking
• Subscription plans
• Analytics
• Automated tax documents

Features you should make sure the software supports

For your business model, prioritize:

✅ Multiple instructors
✅ Instructor storefronts
✅ Revenue split rules (70/30, 80/20, etc.)
✅ Automatic payouts
✅ Course approval workflow
✅ Video hosting/security
✅ Student accounts
✅ Refund handling
✅ Coupons/affiliate tracking
✅ Mobile-friendly learning experience
✅ API access for future apps

My shortlist by business stage

Testing an idea ($0–$5k budget):

• WordPress + Tutor LMS + Dokan

Growing marketplace ($5k–$50k):

• WordPress with custom development or a dedicated marketplace platform

Building the next Udemy/Coursera competitor:

• Custom marketplace + Stripe Connect + dedicated LMS

One important distinction: platforms like Kajabi, Teachable, and Thinkific are excellent for individual creators, but they generally are not designed to run a true multi-creator marketplace where you are the marketplace owner taking commissions. creatorstackclub.com

If you share your expected scale (e.g., 50 creators vs 10,000 creators, and whether you want no-code vs custom development), I can narrow this down to the best architecture.

For a multi-creator course marketplace (think Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera Marketplace) where creators upload courses, students buy them, and you keep a commission, you need more than a normal LMS. You need:

• Instructor/creator accounts
• Creator dashboards
• Course approval workflows
• Marketplace catalog
• Commission rules (e.g., 20% platform / 80% creator)
• Automated payouts (Stripe Connect, PayPal Payouts, etc.)
• Reviews, ratings, coupons, analytics
• Admin controls

Here are the strongest options:

www.lowcode.agencywww.webority.com

Best practical choices

1. WordPress + LMS + marketplace plugins (fastest/cheapest)

A common stack:

• WordPress
• LearnDash or Tutor LMS
• WooCommerce
• Dokan or WC Vendors

Creators become vendors, upload courses, and you take a percentage. This is usually the best route for validating the idea. www.sirenaffiliates.com

Typical setup:

• Creator earns: 70–90%
• Platform keeps: 10–30%
• Payments handled through Stripe/PayPal

2. Bubble + Stripe Connect (best no-code custom marketplace)

If you want something closer to a startup product:

• Creator profiles
• Course listings
• Student dashboards
• Custom commission logic
• Automated creator payouts

Bubble can handle the marketplace database and Stripe Connect can split payments between you and creators. www.lowcode.agencywww.sirenaffiliates.com

Good for:

• MVP
• Testing demand
• Unique marketplace ideas

3. Custom-built platform (best long term)

If your goal is "the next Udemy," build custom:

Frontend:

• React / Next.js

Backend:

• Node.js / Django / Laravel

Learning:

• Video hosting + LMS engine

Payments:

• Stripe Connect

Core features:

• Creator onboarding
• Revenue sharing
• Affiliate tracking
• Subscription marketplace
• Enterprise accounts

This gives you full control but costs much more.

4. White-label course marketplace software

Some vendors build turnkey multi-instructor platforms with instructor storefronts, commissions, and payouts. For example, specialized course marketplace builders can provide creator onboarding, revenue-share rules, and automated payouts. www.webority.com

My recommendation by stage

If you have no customers yet:
→ WordPress + Tutor LMS/LearnDash + WooCommerce marketplace plugin

If you want to prove the business model quickly:
→ Bubble + Stripe Connect

If you already have investors or expect thousands of creators:
→ Custom build

If your marketplace is niche (fitness courses, coding, cooking, business skills, etc.):
→ Start with WordPress/Bubble and avoid overbuilding.

A key question: are you trying to build a Udemy-style open marketplace where anyone can become a creator, or a curated marketplace where you approve/select experts? The software choice changes quite a bit.

Yes. What you’re describing is a multi-vendor / multi-instructor course marketplace: creators upload and manage their own courses, students purchase them through your platform, and you keep a percentage while the creator receives the remainder.

The main options I’d look at are:

1. Mentor LMS — probably the closest fit

Mentor LMS

Mentor LMS explicitly supports a multi-instructor marketplace, where instructors can create courses and the platform owner controls commissions. It's self-hosted and built with Laravel/React. mentor-lms.com

This is attractive if your goal is essentially:

“I want my own Udemy, but I own the platform and decide the commission.”

2. LearnPress + WordPress

LearnPress

LearnPress has marketplace functionality for multiple instructors, including instructor commission management, front-end course creation, co-instructors, reviews, and course sales. learnpresslms.com

This is a good option if you want the enormous WordPress ecosystem and don't mind assembling several components.

3. LearnDash + WordPress

LearnDash

LearnDash can be extended into a multi-instructor marketplace. Its instructor functionality allows creators to manage courses from the frontend and supports commission structures and instructor payouts. www.liquidweb.com

I'd consider this if the learning/LMS functionality is more important than having a simple marketplace.

4. Bubble + Stripe Connect

Bubble

If you want something more customized, Bubble can be used to build the marketplace itself, with Stripe Connect handling split payments between your platform and creators. www.lowcode.agency

For example:

$100 course sale

• Creator: $80
• Your marketplace: $20
• Stripe/payment fees: handled according to your payment setup

This gives you much more freedom over creator onboarding, commission tiers, subscriptions, bundles, referrals, etc.

5. Custom marketplace

For a serious business, you could have a development company build the platform around Stripe Connect + an LMS/video infrastructure. Custom implementations can support creator onboarding, course approval, different commission percentages, automated payouts, subscriptions, reviews, certificates, and more. www.raftlabs.com

What I'd choose

If you're testing the business idea, I'd start with:

Mentor LMS → fastest path to an actual multi-creator course marketplace.

If you want WordPress and maximum flexibility:

LearnPress or LearnDash + marketplace/commission functionality.

If you have a very specific product vision and want something that can eventually become a major marketplace:

Bubble + Stripe Connect initially, or a custom application once you have traction.

One important thing: Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, etc. aren't really the right architecture for what you're describing. They're primarily designed for an individual business/brand selling its own courses, rather than you operating a marketplace where thousands of independent creators sell through you.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$100/month, $500/month, or $5k+ to build) and whether you want no-code, WordPress, or custom, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 best choices and explain exactly how the commission/payout flow would work.

Yes. What you’re describing is essentially a multi-vendor course marketplace:

Creators/instructors → upload & sell courses → students purchase → your platform takes a commission → creator receives the remainder.

There are a few good ways to build this, and the best choice depends on whether you want course functionality first or marketplace functionality first.

My shortlist

1. Sharetribe — probably the easiest marketplace foundation

Sharetribe is specifically designed for marketplaces with multiple sellers/providers. It supports seller profiles, listings, payments, automatic payouts, KYC, and commission-based monetization through Stripe. It also supports digital products. www.sharetribe.com

The catch: Sharetribe isn't really an LMS. You'd need to connect it to a course-learning system or build the course delivery layer yourself.

I'd consider it if your vision is:

Udemy-style marketplace + custom learning experience

rather than simply an online school.

2. LearnWorlds — strongest course platform

LearnWorlds has excellent native course functionality, including video, assessments, certificates, subscriptions, bundles, memberships, etc. www.learnworlds.com

It also supports instructor revenue/commission calculations. You can assign an instructor a percentage and LearnWorlds calculates their revenue from course enrollments. However, its instructor commission system doesn't automatically pay instructors from the platform—you need to handle those payments externally. support.learnworlds.com

One important distinction: LearnWorlds' newer Course Hub is a marketplace for creators/schools to license courses to other LearnWorlds schools. It's not exactly the consumer marketplace you're describing. www.learnworlds.com

So I'd choose LearnWorlds if you're primarily building your own academy with multiple instructors, rather than a true open marketplace like Udemy.

3. WordPress + WooCommerce + Dokan + an LMS — very interesting for your idea

This is probably the best low-code option if you want a true multi-vendor course marketplace.

The architecture would be:

WordPress
↓
WooCommerce — checkout/payments
↓
Dokan — creators/vendors
↓
Tutor LMS / LearnPress / LearnDash — courses
↓
Stripe — payments & payouts

Dokan supports vendor commissions, including percentage or flat commissions, vendor-specific commission overrides, and payment disbursement. wordpress.org

This gives you much more control over things such as:

• Creator dashboards
• Creator onboarding
• Course submission/approval
• Your commission percentage
• Different commissions for different creators
• Coupons
• Reviews
• Categories
• Instructor profiles
• Student accounts
• Course progress
• Certificates
• Subscriptions
• Affiliate programs
• Creator payouts

The downside is that you're assembling several products, so maintenance and integration complexity are higher.

What I'd recommend for your specific business

If you're trying to build something like:

"Udemy, but focused on [your niche]"

I'd avoid using a traditional single-school LMS by itself.

You need the platform to treat creators as vendors, not simply instructors.

Your core architecture should look like:

                    YOUR MARKETPLACE
                           │
          ┌────────────────┴────────────────┐
          │                                 │
       STUDENTS                           CREATORS
          │                                 │
     Browse courses                    Creator dashboard
          │                                 │
       Purchase                         Upload course
          │                                 │
          └──────────────┬──────────────────┘
                         │
                       CHECKOUT
                         │
                    $100 purchase
                         │
                ┌────────┴────────┐
                │                 │
          Your commission    Creator payout
             $20 (20%)          $80 (80%)

And I'd make Stripe Connect a major part of the architecture because marketplace payments/payouts are one of the hardest parts to get right.

My ranking

If you want to launch quickly:
🥇 WordPress + WooCommerce + Dokan + Tutor LMS

If marketplace functionality is the priority:
🥈 Sharetribe + LMS/course-delivery integration

If course/LMS functionality is the priority:
🥉 LearnWorlds

If you're building a major long-term business:
🏆 Custom marketplace + Stripe Connect + dedicated LMS/content infrastructure

The last option gives you the most control over the commission model, creator payouts, subscriptions, bundles, refunds, affiliate revenue, course ownership, and marketplace rules, but obviously costs considerably more to build.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$5k, $5–20k, $20k+) and whether you want no-code/low-code/custom, I can narrow this down to the best 3 platforms and the exact stack I'd use.

Yes. What you’re describing is essentially “Udemy, but you own the marketplace”:

• Multiple independent creators/instructors
• Each creator has their own courses/profile/dashboard
• Students buy courses through your platform
• You automatically take, say, 10–30% commission
• The creator receives the remainder
• You control branding, pricing, policies, and customer acquisition

There are several ways to build this.

1. Sharetribe — best for the marketplace infrastructure

Sharetribe is particularly interesting if your priority is multi-vendor marketplace functionality rather than having a sophisticated LMS out of the box.

It supports seller/provider accounts, digital products, Stripe payments, KYC, automatic payouts, and automatic commission splitting. It also has an API/developer platform so you can build a custom course-learning experience on top. www.sharetribe.com

Good architecture:

Sharetribe = marketplace + creators + payments + commissions
Custom/LMS layer = courses + lessons + quizzes + progress

That's a strong option if you want something resembling a custom Udemy.

2. Mentor LMS — closest to an actual multi-instructor course marketplace

Mentor LMS specifically markets a Udemy-like multi-instructor marketplace, with instructors creating courses, custom commission rates, student enrollment, reviews, and instructor payouts. mentor-lms.com

This is probably worth investigating first if your core product is:

Creator → Course → Student → Commission

rather than a general marketplace.

3. WordPress + LMS + multi-vendor plugin — flexible/cheaper route

Another common approach is to build it from WordPress components:

WordPress
→ LMS (LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LearnPress, etc.)
→ Multi-vendor functionality
→ Stripe Connect/payment splitting
→ Your commission rules

This can give you considerably more control, but it becomes more of a plugin/integration project. I'd choose this if you want to own the infrastructure and don't mind technical maintenance.

4. Custom marketplace

If you're serious about building a large business, you can build the platform yourself using something like:

Next.js / React

• Stripe Connect
• Mux/Vimeo for video
• Postgres
• custom LMS

This gives you complete control over:

• Creator onboarding
• Commission percentages
• Creator payouts
• Course approval
• Subscriptions
• Bundles
• Coupons
• Affiliate commissions
• Reviews
• Course analytics
• Student progress
• Creator analytics
• Refunds
• Revenue sharing

It's substantially more expensive initially, but you aren't constrained by an LMS product's architecture.

What I would choose

For your specific idea, I'd narrow it down to:

My first choice for an MVP: Mentor LMS if its course functionality fits what you need.

My choice if the marketplace mechanics are the difficult part: Sharetribe.

My choice if you want a highly customizable long-term business: custom build.

One important distinction: platforms such as Udemy, Teachable, and Thinkific are primarily designed for an individual business/creator to sell courses, whereas your model requires the software to treat creators as vendors on your platform. That's why ordinary “course platforms” aren't necessarily sufficient.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$100/month, <$500/month, or willing to pay $5k–$20k to build) and whether you want no-code or custom, I can narrow this down to the 3 best options and explain exactly how you'd implement the commission/payout system.

Yes. What you’re describing is essentially a Udemy-style multi-vendor course marketplace:

• Creators/instructors sign up
• Each creator can create and manage courses
• Students buy courses through your marketplace
• You keep, say, 20–30% commission
• The creator receives the remainder
• You control creator approval, pricing, refunds, payouts, etc.

There are a few ways to build this, and they differ quite a lot.

Best options

1. Tutor LMS + WooCommerce — probably my first choice

Tutor LMS is particularly interesting for your model.

Tutor LMS supports multiple instructors and revenue sharing, allowing you to define how course revenue is divided between administrators and instructors. It also supports adjusting instructor percentages. tutorlms.com

You can combine it with WooCommerce's marketplace functionality. WooCommerce Product Vendors lets vendors have their own profiles/products and allows you to set commissions at the store, vendor, or product level. tutorlms.comwoocommerce.com

A typical setup would be:

WordPress
→ Tutor LMS = courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates
→ WooCommerce = checkout/payments
→ Multi-vendor system = creators/vendors
→ Commission system = your 20–30%
→ Payment/payout system = creator payouts

This gives you a lot of control over the marketplace.

2. Mentor LMS — interesting if you specifically want a Udemy clone

Mentor LMS is specifically positioned around building a multi-instructor course marketplace, where educators sell courses and the marketplace owner earns commissions. It advertises instructor accounts, custom commission rates, course marketplaces, and multiple payment gateways. mentor-lms.com

This is worth investigating if you don't want to assemble as many components yourself.

3. LearnWorlds — excellent LMS, but I'd be careful for your model

LearnWorlds supports instructors and instructor revenue percentages. It can calculate instructor commissions based on course sales, bundles, subscriptions, and installment payments. support.learnworlds.com

However, there's an important distinction:

LearnWorlds is primarily an LMS/online-school platform, rather than a consumer marketplace like Udemy where hundreds of independent creators each have their own storefront.

Its newer Course Hub is a marketplace where LearnWorlds schools can license courses from publishers, which is a somewhat different business model. support.learnworlds.com

So I wouldn't make it my first choice if your vision is:

"Anyone can apply to become a creator → create courses → publish them → students discover and buy courses from different creators."

What I'd recommend for your business

If you're starting the marketplace from scratch, I'd shortlist these three:

🥇 Tutor LMS + WooCommerce

Best if you want maximum control without paying someone to build everything from scratch.

🥈 Mentor LMS

Best if you want something closer to a ready-made Udemy-style marketplace.

🥉 Custom-built

Best if you're planning to make this a serious venture and need things like:

• Stripe Connect automated creator payouts
• Creator onboarding/KYC
• Different commission rates
• Creator subscriptions
• Promotional coupons
• Marketplace-wide sales
• Bundles containing courses from multiple creators
• Affiliate commissions
• Creator analytics
• Reviews/ratings
• Creator storefronts
• Refund handling
• Tax/VAT/GST handling
• Automated invoices
• Course approval/moderation
• Search/recommendation algorithms
• Mobile apps
• Multi-currency
• Multiple languages

The payment architecture is particularly important. You don't want to build a system where all money simply lands in your bank account and you manually pay 500 creators every month.

For example, you could have:

Student pays $100

→ Payment processor
→ $25 marketplace commission
→ $75 creator payout

And your system automatically records the transaction, handles refunds, and pays the creator according to your payout rules.

One important distinction

There are two very different products you could build:

A. "Marketplace"

Udemy / Skillshare model
1,000 independent creators → 10,000 courses → students browse the entire marketplace.

B. "Multi-instructor school"

One brand → 20 instructors → all instructors contribute courses to the same school.

For A, I'd lean toward Tutor LMS + a proper multi-vendor/payment setup or a purpose-built marketplace solution.

For B, LearnWorlds, Thinkific, etc. become much more attractive.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. <$500, $500–$5k, $5k–$25k+) and whether you want no-code, WordPress, or custom, I can narrow this down to the 3 best platforms for your exact marketplace and compare their pricing, commissions, creator onboarding, Stripe payouts, and scalability.

For a Udemy-style marketplace where many creators upload courses, students buy them, and you keep a commission, you need more than a normal LMS. Look for:

• Multi-instructor/vendor accounts
• Creator dashboards
• Course approval workflows
• Revenue split rules
• Automated creator payouts
• Marketplace commissions
• Reviews/ratings
• Coupons/affiliates
• Payment splitting (Stripe Connect, PayPal Payouts, etc.)

Here are the main software options:

mentor-lms.comwww.lowcode.agency

My recommendations by stage

1. Fast MVP (launch in weeks)

• WordPress
• Tutor LMS
• WooCommerce
• Multi-vendor/payment plugin
• Stripe Connect for creator payouts

Good if you want to validate demand before investing heavily.

2. Growing marketplace (hundreds of creators)

• Custom WordPress architecture or Bubble
• Better creator analytics
• Automated payouts
• Strong search/discovery

Bubble is often used for custom marketplace MVPs because it supports multi-role users and payment split workflows. mentor-lms.comwww.lowcode.agency

3. Serious Udemy competitor
Build custom:

• Frontend: React/Next.js
• Backend: Laravel, Django, Node.js, etc.
• LMS/video system
• Stripe Connect
• Creator dashboards
• Recommendation engine

A custom marketplace gives you control over commission rules and creator economics. www.webority.com

Example business model

Student pays: $100

• Creator receives: 70% ($70)
• Your platform commission: 30% ($30)

The software should automatically:

1. Process payment
2. Enroll student
3. Record creator earnings
4. Hold funds if needed
5. Pay creators weekly/monthly

For most founders, I would start with WordPress + Tutor LMS + WooCommerce + Stripe Connect, then migrate to custom software after proving traction.

If you tell me your expected scale (e.g., 50 creators vs 10,000 creators) and whether you want no-code, WordPress, or fully custom, I can narrow it down.

Yes. What you’re describing is a multi-vendor course marketplace: creators/instructors have their own storefronts, upload courses, customers buy from the marketplace, and your platform automatically keeps a commission and pays the creator.

There are a few good ways to build it.

My top options

1. WordPress + WooCommerce + WCFM + an LMS — probably the best starting point

This is the route I'd investigate first if you want something you can launch without building the entire platform from scratch.

WCFM Marketplace provides the multi-vendor layer. Vendors can have their own marketplace accounts, sell products/services, and you can configure the commission they pay to the marketplace. WCFM specifically documents commission settings and vendor withdrawal/payment methods. docs.wclovers.com

Then add an LMS such as Tutor LMS, LearnDash, or another WordPress LMS for the actual course functionality.

Your architecture would look roughly like:

Your marketplace
→ Creator signup
→ Creator dashboard
→ Create/upload course
→ Course marketplace listing
→ Customer checkout
→ Marketplace takes 20%
→ Creator receives 80%
→ Student gets course access

For example:

Creator sells a $100 course
Your commission = 20% ($20)
Creator = $80
Payment processor fees handled separately

The big advantage is that you aren't trying to force a normal LMS to behave like Etsy.

2. LearnWorlds — excellent LMS, but there's an important distinction

LearnWorlds has very strong multi-instructor functionality. You can assign instructors to courses and specify their revenue percentage. LearnWorlds calculates the instructor revenue automatically. support.learnworlds.com

However, I would not automatically choose it for the marketplace you're describing.

LearnWorlds has introduced Course Hub, which is a marketplace where creators can license courses to other LearnWorlds schools. www.learnworlds.com

That's somewhat different from:

"I am building Udemy. 500 independent creators list courses on MY marketplace, consumers browse them, buy them, and I take 20%."

Also, LearnWorlds' normal instructor commission calculation doesn't necessarily mean the platform automatically handles creator payouts for your marketplace; its documentation says instructor payouts are handled outside the platform. support.learnworlds.com

So I'd choose LearnWorlds more readily for "I run an online academy with multiple instructors" than "I run a consumer marketplace with hundreds of independent sellers."

3. WooCommerce Product Vendors + LMS

WooCommerce itself has a multi-vendor product called Product Vendors. It turns a WooCommerce store into a marketplace where vendors can have their own products and you control the commission paid to each vendor. woocommerce.com

You can then layer an LMS on top.

This gives you something like:

WordPress

• WooCommerce → commerce
• Product Vendors → vendors
• LMS → courses
• Payment gateway → checkout
• Stripe/PayPal → payments
• Vendor payout system → creator payments

It's more modular than LearnWorlds, which can be a major advantage if your marketplace has unusual requirements.

4. Custom marketplace + Stripe Connect — what I'd use if this is a serious startup

If you're planning something substantial—say hundreds/thousands of creators and potentially millions in GMV—I'd strongly consider building the marketplace application yourself and using Stripe Connect for the financial infrastructure.

Stripe Connect for marketplaces is specifically designed for marketplaces that onboard sellers, collect payments, take platform fees, and pay sellers. docs.stripe.com

For example:

Customer pays $100

                $100
                 │
                 ▼
          Your marketplace
             /       \
        $20           $80
     platform       creator
     commission      payout

Stripe Connect supports application fees, destination charges, separate charges/transfers, seller onboarding, verification and payouts. docs.stripe.com

That's particularly useful because payments are actually one of the harder parts of a marketplace. You're not just accepting a payment—you have to establish who gets paid, how much, when they get paid, what happens with refunds, chargebacks, disputes, taxes, KYC, etc. stripe.com

What I'd recommend for you

It depends on what you're trying to build.

If you want to launch cheaply/quickly

WordPress + WooCommerce + WCFM + Tutor LMS

This would be my first experiment.

You can build:

• Creator registration
• Creator profiles
• Creator dashboards
• Course creation
• Course marketplace
• Categories/search
• Reviews
• Student accounts
• Checkout
• Coupons
• Commission rules
• Creator withdrawals
• Admin approval of courses
• Instructor earnings
• Bundles
• Subscriptions

WCFM already supports configurable vendor commissions and vendor withdrawals. docs.wclovers.com

If you want to build the next Udemy

I'd do:

Next.js/React + backend + PostgreSQL + LMS/video infrastructure + Stripe Connect

with Stripe Connect handling the creator/payment side.

That gives you complete control over:

• 10%, 20%, 30% etc. commissions
• Different commission rates by creator
• Promotional discounts
• Affiliate commissions
• Creator subscriptions
• Marketplace subscriptions
• Refund rules
• Creator approval
• Course approval
• Bundles
• Corporate purchases
• Multiple creators on one course
• Revenue sharing
• Automated creator payouts

Stripe explicitly supports splitting payments between multiple parties, which becomes useful if, for example, a $200 course has a creator, affiliate, and your marketplace all receiving a share. woocommerce.comstripe.com

One important question

The best software depends heavily on whether creators are actually independent sellers.

If your model is:

A. "Creators join my marketplace and sell directly to consumers"
→ You need a true multi-vendor marketplace.

If it's:

B. "I own the academy and hire multiple instructors to create courses"
→ A normal multi-instructor LMS such as LearnWorlds is much simpler.

If it's:

C. "I want creators to build their own mini-schools/storefronts inside my marketplace"
→ I'd lean toward custom + Stripe Connect or WordPress/WCFM + LMS.

If you tell me your expected number of creators, course price range, commission %, and whether you want a no-code/low-code solution or are willing to have it developed, I can narrow this down to the 3 best platforms and give you an estimated cost/tech stack for each.