ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you're a complete beginner and your priorities are cheap/free, easy setup, and avoiding platform fees, I'd narrow it down to these:

🥇 My recommendation: Payhip

Payhip

For someone with no technical skills, I'd start here. Payhip has a $0/month plan with all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue. The catch is a 5% Payhip transaction fee, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal payment-processing fee. payhip.com

The nice part is that you don't need to build a website or mess with hosting. You can create a course, upload your material, set a price, and give people a checkout link.

One important distinction: if by "without platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform commission, Payhip's free plan doesn't meet that requirement. Its $99/month Pro plan removes the 5% fee. payhip.com

🥈 If you absolutely want 0% platform commission

I'd look at Thinkific, but only once you're making enough money to justify the monthly cost.

Thinkific

Thinkific currently starts at $54/month, and it says it doesn't take a commission on sales when you use its own payment system. However, payment processing still costs money; for US/Canada cards, Thinkific currently lists 3.9% + $0.30 per transaction. www.thinkific.com

So it's not free, but it can make sense once you're selling consistently.

What I'd do in your shoes

Don't pay $50–$100/month just to get started.

Start with Payhip's free plan, create your first small course, and see if anyone actually buys it. You can even offer a course for free initially to test the setup and collect students. help.payhip.com

Once you're making, say, $1,000+/month, then revisit whether paying a monthly fee to eliminate/reduce transaction fees makes sense.

If you tell me what kind of course you want to sell (e.g. fitness, cooking, business, crafts, coaching, etc.) and roughly how much you expect to charge, I can recommend the cheapest setup and show you exactly what I'd use.

If you're a complete beginner, I'd prioritize three things: no monthly cost, very little technical setup, and low fees when you actually make a sale.

One important clarification: “no platform fees” and “free” are different things. Payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal will generally still take their processing fee. What we're trying to avoid is an additional fee from the course platform.

My top picks

🥇 I'd start with Payhip

payhip.com

For someone with no tech skills, Payhip is probably the easiest place to start. Its free plan is $0/month, includes all features, and allows unlimited products and revenue; it takes 5% per sale, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip Payhip

You can create course sections, add lessons/videos, and share a ready-made sales page without building a website yourself. Payhip

Why I like it for you: you can get something online without buying a domain, learning WordPress, or hiring anyone.

🥈 If “absolutely no platform fee” is the priority: Ruzuku

Ruzuku's current free tier is particularly interesting: it allows unlimited courses and charges 0% transaction fees, but you're limited to 5 students total. You'd still pay the normal Stripe processing fees. Ruzuku

That's actually a nice option if you're thinking:

“I want to teach 5 people first, see if I like doing this, and then expand.”

🥉 Gumroad — easiest, but I'd skip it for a course

gumroad.com

Gumroad is extremely beginner-friendly and has no monthly fee, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing costs. Gumroad Gumroad

So I'd use it more for a PDF, ebook, template, or small digital product than for a serious course.

What I would do in your shoes

Start with Payhip's free plan.

Don't worry about a fancy website, logo, domain, email funnel, or expensive camera.

Your first version could simply be:

Course → 5–10 short video lessons → downloadable worksheet → $19–$49 price → Payhip checkout

Get your first few students. Once you're actually making money, then consider whether paying for a 0%-platform-fee plan makes financial sense.

And I would not start with WordPress. Although it can eventually give you much more control and avoid platform fees, it introduces hosting, plugins, updates, domains, and other technical work—the opposite of what you're looking for. Course.Coach

If you tell me what you want to teach (e.g. cooking, fitness, crafts, business, coaching, music, etc.) and roughly how much you expect to charge, I can narrow this down to the simplest and cheapest setup for your particular course.

For a beginner with no tech skills, I’d avoid anything that requires WordPress, hosting, plugins, or custom websites. Those can be cheap but often cost you time and frustration. course.coach

My recommendations:

starters-tools.compicklogic.co

My pick for you:

1. Start with Podia if you want the easiest experience.
You can upload videos, PDFs, lessons, and create a simple sales page without much technical work. It’s designed for creators who don’t want to build a website from scratch. courseprofitlab.com

2. Start with Systeme.io if avoiding platform fees is your top priority.
It’s more business/marketing focused, but it gives you tools for landing pages, email lists, and selling courses in one place. www.ruzuku.com

3. Use Gumroad if you’re just testing an idea.
You can create a simple course product and see if anyone buys before committing to a monthly subscription. The tradeoff is that it takes a percentage of sales. courseprofitlab.com

I would not recommend:

• WordPress + LMS plugins → cheapest long-term, but too technical for a first course. course.coach
• Kajabi → excellent, but expensive before you have revenue. starters-tools.compicklogic.co
• Marketplace-only platforms like Udemy → easy distribution, but you give up control over pricing and customer relationships. www.savingsec.com

A simple beginner path:

1. Create your first course in Google Docs/Slides.
2. Record lessons with your phone or screen recorder.
3. Upload to Podia or Systeme.io.
4. Sell to your first 10–20 students.
5. Upgrade only when revenue justifies it.

If you tell me whether you want to sell the course (paid) or give it away (lead generation) and roughly how many students you expect, I can narrow it to one platform.

Yes. Since you’re a complete beginner, I’d prioritize “easy enough that I’ll actually launch” over having lots of advanced features.

One important catch: “no platform fee” usually doesn’t mean zero fees at all. Payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal can still charge their normal processing fee.

My top choices

Current 2026 comparisons indicate that Systeme.io has a free tier with one course and 0% platform transaction fees, while Ruzuku and FreshLearn also offer limited free plans without platform transaction fees. www.ruzuku.com

🥇 What I'd choose for you: Systeme.io

If your priorities are:

• I don't know anything technical
• I don't want to pay monthly
• I don't want the platform taking a percentage of every sale
• I want to sell an actual course
• I want the setup to be reasonably simple

I'd start with Systeme.io.

Its free plan is designed around having a course plus basic marketing functionality, rather than making you build a website yourself. The tradeoff is that the course features aren't as sophisticated as expensive platforms. www.ruzuku.com

🥈 If absolute simplicity matters more than fees

I'd look at Payhip.

It's more like: upload your course → set a price → get a sales page → share the link.

That's very attractive for someone who doesn't want to learn technology. The downside is that free/pay-as-you-go platforms generally take a percentage of sales, so it's not the best choice if zero platform fees is your #1 requirement. www.threecus.com

What I would NOT do yet

I wouldn't start with WordPress, a self-hosted LMS, or anything requiring you to buy hosting and configure plugins. Those can eventually give you more control and potentially eliminate platform fees, but they introduce exactly the technical complexity you're trying to avoid. course.coach

I also wouldn't pay $50–$150/month for something like Kajabi before you've proven that people will actually buy your course.

My recommendation: start with Systeme.io if avoiding platform fees is important, or Payhip if having the absolute easiest setup is more important.

If you tell me what you want to teach and roughly how much you want to charge (e.g. "$49 course about photography"), I can narrow it down to one platform and explain exactly how I'd set it up for a non-technical beginner.

If you’re brand new, non-technical, and want to spend as little as possible while avoiding platform fees, I’d narrow it down to two choices:

🥇 My pick: Systeme.io

Systeme.io

This is probably the best fit for what you described.

• $0 to start
• 0% platform transaction fee — you still pay normal payment-processing fees such as Stripe/PayPal
• Can host one course on the free plan
• Includes landing pages, checkout, email marketing, and a basic sales funnel
• No need to build a website or know how to code
• You can upgrade later rather than rebuilding everything

Their current information says the free plan supports one course and 2,000 contacts, with 0% transaction fees. systeme.io

Why I'd choose it for you: you're not just looking for a place to upload videos—you want something that lets you actually sell the course without assembling five different tools.

🥈 If you want the absolute simplest setup: Gumroad

Gumroad

Gumroad is extremely easy: upload your material, give it a price, and share the link.

The downside is that it's not really a full-fledged course platform, and it takes a percentage of each sale (currently reported around 10% + $0.50). www.savingsec.comcourseprofitlab.com

So I'd use Gumroad if you're thinking "I want to test whether anyone will buy this", rather than building a polished course business.

What I would NOT start with

Kajabi: excellent, but massively overkill and expensive for a beginner.

Teachable: very beginner-friendly, but current plans can involve monthly fees and/or transaction fees, so it doesn't match your "no platform fees" requirement as well. www.savingsec.comcourseprofitlab.com

Thinkific: historically a great recommendation for beginners, but you'll find conflicting 2026 information online about its free plan. I wouldn't choose it without checking the exact plan available when you sign up.

My recommendation for you

If I were starting from zero in your shoes, I'd use Systeme.io. You can get your first course online without paying a monthly subscription, and you don't need technical skills.

If you tell me what your course is about and whether you plan to charge (and roughly how much), I can recommend the cheapest setup and walk you through exactly what I'd use.

If you're a complete beginner and your priorities are cheap/free + very simple setup + no platform fee, I'd narrow it down to these:

🥇 My recommendation: Payhip

For your situation, I'd start with Payhip.

You can start for $0/month, upload your course, sell it, and avoid paying anything until you make a sale. The catch is a 5% Payhip transaction fee, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal payment-processing fee. Payhip says its free plan includes all features and unlimited products. payhip.com

It's particularly attractive for a beginner because you don't have to build a website or learn complicated technology. You can create courses, memberships, bundles, and digital products from the same platform. help.payhip.com

One important distinction: if by "without platform fees" you mean literally 0% to the platform on every sale, Payhip's free plan doesn't meet that requirement. Its $99/month Pro plan has 0% platform transaction fees. payhip.com

🥈 Gumroad — easiest alternative

Gumroad is probably the simplest if your course is relatively straightforward. There's no monthly fee, and it supports courses/tutorials, memberships, and digital products. But the fee is 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, so it gets expensive as your sales grow. gumroad.com

For example, on a $50 course, you'd pay roughly $5.50 to Gumroad before payment-related considerations.

🥉 Thinkific — when you're ready to build a "real school"

Thinkific is much more course-focused, but I'd not start here if keeping costs near zero is your priority. Thinkific currently doesn't offer a free plan, and its pricing was increased in August 2026; the Basic plan is now $54/month monthly. support.thinkific.com

It becomes more attractive once you're making enough from your course to justify a dedicated learning platform.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Payhip → create one small course → sell it → upgrade only after you have customers.

You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars building a website, buying software, or learning complicated technology before knowing whether people want your course.

If you tell me what you want to teach (e.g. fitness, cooking, crafts, business, tutoring, etc.) and roughly what you'd charge for the course, I can recommend the cheapest setup and show you exactly what I'd use for video hosting + course platform + payments + email, without requiring technical skills.

For a complete beginner with no tech skills, I’d prioritize:

1. $0 upfront
2. 0% platform transaction fees
3. Easy drag-and-drop setup
4. A proper student experience—not just a file-download page
5. Room to grow without rebuilding everything

🥇 My first choice: Systeme.io

Systeme.io

This is probably the best match for what you described. Its free plan lets you build and sell a course, host the members area, and take payments, with 0% platform transaction fees. systeme.iowww.ruzuku.comwww.savingsec.com

Why I'd choose it for you:

• Free to start
• No coding
• Course hosting + sales page + email tools in one place
• 0% platform cut
• You don't have to pay $30–$100/month before knowing whether your course will sell

The main limitation is that the free plan is designed around one course, so it's better for starting with a single flagship course.

🥈 If absolute simplicity matters most: Podia

Podia

Podia is particularly beginner-friendly and is known for its simple, no-code setup. www.thinkific.com

The catch: its free option has a transaction fee, so it doesn't meet your "no platform fees" requirement as well as Systeme.io. Current comparisons put the free-plan fee at around 8%. systeme.iowww.ruzuku.comwww.savingsec.com

🥉 If you want a very simple "sell my course" setup

Payhip is another one I'd consider. It has a very low barrier to entry and doesn't require you to build a complicated website first. The tradeoff is that its free plan takes a percentage of sales.

What I'd avoid for now

Kajabi — excellent, but way too expensive when you're just starting.

Teachable — easy to use, but its current entry-level pricing/fees make it less attractive if your priority is keeping costs down. courseprofitlab.com

Thinkific — very good course software, but be careful with older articles claiming it has a free, zero-fee plan; pricing and free-tier information has changed, and recent sources conflict. systeme.iowww.ruzuku.comwww.savingsec.com

My recommendation for you

If you told me, "I have never built a course before and I just want someone to show me the easiest way to get my first course online without spending much," I'd start with Systeme.io.

You don't need a website, coding, or a bunch of separate software. Start with one course, get it working, and only pay for upgrades once you're actually getting students.

If you tell me what your course is about (e.g. fitness, cooking, business, crafts, coaching, etc.) and whether you plan to sell it or give it away, I can narrow this down to the simplest setup and tell you exactly what I'd use.

If you're brand new, non-technical, and want to spend as little as possible, I’d narrow it down to two choices:

🥇 My pick: Systeme.io

Systeme.io

This is probably the best fit for what you described because:

• Free to start
• 0% platform transaction fees — you still pay normal payment-processing fees such as Stripe/PayPal
• Course hosting and a members area are included
• You can sell the course directly from the same platform
• It also includes landing pages, email marketing, and sales funnels, so you don't have to stitch several tools together. systeme.io

The tradeoff is that it can feel like more software than you need when you're first learning.

🥈 Simplest alternative: Podia

Podia

Podia is particularly good if your priority is "I don't want to learn complicated technology." Its interface is designed around putting your course, website, payments, and digital products in one place. Current pricing/fee details vary by plan, though, so it doesn't fit your zero platform-fee requirement as well as Systeme.io. www.savingsec.comwww.ruzuku.com

What I'd avoid initially

Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, etc. can be excellent, but I'd avoid paying $30–$150+ per month before you've even proven that people want your course. Also, be careful with older articles claiming Thinkific or Teachable have free plans with 0% fees—their pricing has changed, and current comparisons conflict because many are outdated. www.savingsec.comwww.ruzuku.com

My recommendation for you

If I were starting from zero in your shoes, I'd start with Systeme.io and not spend anything until I had my first students.

If you tell me what kind of course you want to create (e.g., fitness, cooking, crafts, coaching, business, etc.) and roughly how much you want to charge, I can recommend the simplest setup and walk you through exactly what to click, step by step.

If you're a complete beginner, I'd prioritize easy setup + no monthly cost + low/no platform commission rather than choosing the most powerful LMS.

One important distinction: “no platform fees” usually doesn't mean zero fees at all—payment processors like Stripe/PayPal can still charge their normal processing fee.

My picks

Payhip's free plan gives you all features and unlimited products, but takes 5% of each sale; payment processor fees still apply. payhip.com Gumroad has no monthly fee but charges 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, plus payment-processing costs. gumroad.com

🏆 What I'd choose in your situation

Start with Systeme.io if your goal is:

• Make a simple course
• Upload videos/PDFs
• Let people pay you
• Have a basic sales page
• Avoid technical setup
• Spend $0 initially

If you want something even more straightforward and don't mind giving up 5% per sale, Payhip is probably the easiest option.

I wouldn't start with WordPress. Technically you can build a course with free LMS software, but you'll have to deal with hosting, plugins, updates, domains, etc.—exactly the sort of technical work you're trying to avoid. course.coach

Also, I'd skip Gumroad for a course unless simplicity is more important to you than fees. A 10% + $0.50 cut becomes pretty painful as sales grow. gumroad.com

If you tell me what kind of course you're thinking of (e.g., fitness, crafts, business, cooking, education, etc.) and roughly how much you'd charge, I can narrow this down to the single best platform for you.

If you're a complete beginner and your priorities are cheap/free + very simple setup + no platform cut, I'd narrow it down to these:

🥇 My recommendation: Payhip

Payhip

I'd start with Payhip's free plan. It costs $0/month, gives you all features, and lets you sell unlimited products. The catch is a 5% Payhip transaction fee, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. payhip.com

The big advantage for a non-technical beginner is that you don't need to build a website from scratch. You can upload your course, set a price, and share your course/store link.

If "zero platform fees" is absolutely non-negotiable

Then I'd look at Thinkific, but only once you're actually making enough money to justify the subscription.

Thinkific

Thinkific currently doesn't have a free plan, and its Basic plan increased to $54/month in August 2026. support.thinkific.com With Thinkific Payments, you're still paying payment-processing fees (for example, U.S. cards are generally 2.9% + $0.30), but Thinkific itself doesn't take a commission on those sales. support.thinkific.com

What I'd do in your shoes

Don't pay $50–$100/month yet. Start with Payhip, make your first small course, and see whether people actually buy it.

Once you're getting consistent sales, you can move to a platform with a subscription and 0% platform commission.

If you tell me what kind of course you want to create (e.g. fitness, cooking, language, business, crafts, coaching), I can recommend the simplest specific setup—including where to host videos, how to take payments, and how to get your first students—without needing any tech skills.

If you're a complete beginner and your priorities are easy setup + low/no monthly cost + avoiding platform fees, I’d narrow it down to these:

🥇 I'd start with Payhip

Payhip is probably the closest match to what you're describing. Its Free Forever plan is $0/month and includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. The catch is a 5% transaction fee, plus the normal PayPal/Stripe payment-processing fee. payhip.com

It also supports courses, memberships, coaching, and bundles, so you're not locked into selling simple PDFs or downloads. help.payhip.com

The setup is relatively straightforward: create an account, create your course, upload your lessons, set a price, and share your course link.

🥈 Gumroad — simplest, but I'd only choose it for very small sales

Gumroad is extremely beginner-friendly and has no monthly fee. But its current fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before certain additional processing costs. help.payhip.comgumroad.com

So, for example, on a $50 course, that 10% + $0.50 is already $5.50 before other applicable fees.

I'd choose Gumroad if your priority were "I want the absolute simplest possible way to sell something online."

🚫 I wouldn't start with Thinkific

Thinkific is a much more complete learning platform, but it's overkill for someone just starting out. It no longer has a free plan, and its Basic plan is currently $54/month after its August 2026 price increase. www.thinkific.com

It does have the advantage of not taking a percentage of sales on its paid plans, although payment-processing fees still apply. support.thinkific.com

One important distinction

If by "without platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform commission, that's different from "free to start."

You generally still have payment-processing fees (Stripe/PayPal/etc.). The realistic choices are:

• $0/month + small percentage of sales → Payhip
• $0/month + larger percentage of sales → Gumroad
• Monthly subscription + potentially 0% platform commission → Thinkific and similar platforms

For you, I'd start with Payhip. Don't spend weeks building a fancy website. Make one small course, put it on Payhip's free plan, and see if people actually buy it before paying for a more sophisticated platform.

If you tell me what you want to teach and roughly how much you'd charge (e.g. $20, $50, $100), I can recommend the cheapest setup and explain exactly what you'd need to do, step by step.

If you’re a complete beginner, I’d prioritize three things: no monthly commitment, very little setup, and low/no platform fees.

My top picks

There is some conflicting current information online about which platforms still have genuinely free plans, so I'd verify the pricing immediately before signing up. For example, recent comparisons disagree about Thinkific's free tier. course.coach

For you, I'd start with Payhip or Gumroad. They're much less intimidating than setting up WordPress or building a full website. Gumroad has no monthly subscription and supports courses/tutorials, charging when you make a sale. gumroad.com

If you want something that feels like a proper online school—less like selling a downloadable product—I'd choose Thinkific if its current free/trial offering meets your needs. It has a more traditional course-learning experience. picklogic.co

What I'd avoid initially

• Kajabi — excellent, but overkill and expensive for a beginner.
• WordPress + LMS plugins — cheap in theory, but much more technical.
• Teachable — polished, but transaction fees/subscription costs can make it less attractive when you're just starting. www.savingsec.com

My simple recommendation:
👉 Payhip if your #1 priority is "I want this live with almost no technical work."
👉 Thinkific if your #1 priority is "I want it to look and function like a real course platform."
👉 Gumroad if you want "I just want to test whether people will pay for my idea."

If you tell me what kind of course you're planning to teach (e.g. fitness, cooking, business, crafts, coaching), I can narrow it down to the one I'd personally use, including the cheapest way to set it up.

If you’re brand new, non-technical, and want to spend little or nothing upfront, I’d narrow it down to Payhip vs. a dedicated course platform.

🥇 My pick: Payhip

Payhip is probably the easiest place for you to start.

• $0/month to start
• You can sell online courses, digital downloads, memberships, etc.
• No coding or website-building required
• The free plan gives you the same core features as the paid plans
• The tradeoff: 5% Payhip transaction fee, plus normal Stripe/PayPal processing fees. payhip.com

So if you sell a $50 course, Payhip's platform fee would be $2.50, before payment-processing fees.

🥈 If "no platform fees" is the priority

I'd look at Thinkific, but there's an important catch: information online about its free plan is conflicting and some articles are outdated. Current 2026 sources indicate that Thinkific has moved away from a permanent free plan, so I wouldn't choose it specifically because you want $0 upfront. www.ruzuku.com

🥉 Gumroad — extremely simple, but higher fees

Gumroad is very beginner-friendly and has no monthly subscription, but its direct-sale fee is around 10% + $0.50, so it gets expensive as your course sales grow. www.savingsec.com

What I'd do in your situation

Start with Payhip. Don't pay $30–$100/month for a fancy platform before you've proven that people will actually buy your course.

You can essentially:

Create course → upload lessons → set price → share your link → get paid.

Once you're making consistent sales, you can consider moving to a platform with more sophisticated course features.

One important distinction: "no platform fees" doesn't mean "no fees at all." Even a platform charging 0% will generally still have payment-processing fees from Stripe/PayPal.

If you tell me what kind of course you want to sell (e.g. fitness, crafts, business, cooking, coaching, etc.) and roughly how much you'd charge, I can recommend the cheapest/easiest setup for your specific situation.

For someone with no tech skills, I’d prioritize:

1. Easy setup
2. No monthly cost until you prove people will buy
3. Low or no platform fees
4. No need to build a website

My recommendations:

www.schoolmaker.comwww.teachfloor.com

My pick for you

If you want to spend $0 and learn as you go:
→ Systeme.io
You can create a course, landing page, email list, and basic sales funnel without stitching together lots of tools. www.schoolmaker.com

If you just want to upload lessons and sell a small course this week:
→ Gumroad
It’s probably the least intimidating. You can sell videos, PDFs, templates, or a mini-course without learning complicated software. The tradeoff is less of a “school” experience and a sales fee. www.schoolmaker.com

If you expect to build a real course business:
→ Podia or Thinkific
They’re better once you need a cleaner student experience, multiple courses, memberships, or more structure. www.schoolmaker.comwww.teachfloor.com

A simple beginner path I’d suggest:

1. Create your first course in Google Docs + phone videos (don’t overproduce).
2. Upload it to Systeme.io or Gumroad.
3. Get your first 5–20 students.
4. Upgrade platforms only after you know people want it.

I would avoid starting with expensive all-in-one platforms like Kajabi because the monthly cost is hard to justify before you have sales. www.schoolmaker.comwww.teachfloor.com

If you tell me:

• what kind of course you want to sell (fitness, coaching, crafts, business, etc.)
• whether you already have an audience
• whether you want one-time sales or a membership

…I can narrow it down to one platform.