Answers that name a competitor

If you’re starting your first course with almost no budget, I’d prioritize $0/month + easy setup + a way to collect payments. The best choice depends on whether you care more about keeping every dollar or getting the simplest launch.

Here are the strongest beginner options:

CourseProfit Lab Don't Do It Yourself### My pick for a first-time creator

Start with Payhip if you want your own mini course business. It gives you a place to host the course, sell it, and avoid a monthly subscription while you validate demand. Don't Do It Yourself

Start with Gumroad if your course is very simple (for example: a short video series, templates, a workshop recording, or a beginner guide). It’s fast to set up, but the tradeoff is that you give up a cut of each sale. CourseProfit Lab

I’d avoid paying for these at the beginning

• Kajabi — excellent, but built for established businesses with marketing budgets.
• Expensive LMS subscriptions — useful later, but usually unnecessary before you have students.
• Building a custom website — spend your first dollars on content quality or audience growth instead.

A shoestring launch could look like:

1. Record lessons with your phone or basic screen recorder.
2. Host the course on a free platform.
3. Sell to your first 10–50 students.
4. Upgrade only when revenue justifies it.

One thing to check before choosing: Are you planning to sell a video course, a live cohort/class, or a self-paced PDF/templates course? The best free option changes depending on the format.

I’d avoid paying for these at the beginning

If your priority is starting with essentially $0 upfront and avoiding a platform cut, I’d look at Thinkific first—but there’s an important 2026 pricing wrinkle.

My pick: Thinkific

thinkific.com

Thinkific is designed specifically for course creators, with video lessons, quizzes, discussions, checkout, and student management. Its current Basic plan is $40/month when billed annually, so it no longer appears to offer the old permanently free plan. Thinkific

So if you mean literally no monthly fee and no platform fee, I'd instead consider:

• Payhip — $0/month, unlimited products, but 5% transaction fee on its Free Forever plan. This is probably the easiest shoestring-budget option. Payhip
• Gumroad — $0/month, but 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, so it gets expensive as sales grow. Course Profit Lab
• Thinkific — better dedicated-course experience, but you'll need to move to a paid plan after its current trial. Thinkific

For your first course, I'd choose Payhip if you truly have $0 to spend. The 5% fee is a reasonable tradeoff for not having a monthly bill while you're testing whether anyone will buy.

One distinction: “0% platform fee” doesn't mean literally zero fees—payment processors such as Stripe can still charge processing fees. support.thinkific.com

If you tell me roughly what you'd charge for the course ($20, $50, $100, etc.) and how many students you expect, I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money.

Yes—but there’s an important distinction:

“No platform fees” usually means either self-hosted/open-source, or a SaaS platform that charges $0 on transactions but still has a monthly hosting fee. If you literally have $0 to spend, self-hosting is the route.

Best options for a broke solo creator

1. Moodle — my pick if courses are the core product

moodle.org is open-source and free to download/self-host. You can create lessons, quizzes, assignments, certificates, student accounts, progress tracking, etc. Moodle Services knowledge base

The catch is hosting: Moodle itself is free; running a server isn't necessarily free.

If you have essentially no budget, you can start by finding a free/cheap hosting arrangement, or run it locally while validating the idea.

MoodleCloud isn't the zero-budget solution: its paid plans currently start at $170/year, although it offers a free trial. Moodle Cloud

Best for: serious structured courses.

2. WordPress — best if you want an entire creator business

wordpress.org + free/open-source plugins can give you:

• Course lessons
• Student accounts
• Memberships
• Blog/content
• Landing pages
• Community/forums
• Email integrations
• Your own domain
• Your own payment processor

The advantage is that you aren't locked into a course platform. You can assemble exactly what you need.

For example:

WordPress → LMS plugin → membership plugin → community/forum → Stripe

You pay Stripe/payment-processing fees when someone buys something, but the course platform itself doesn't need to take a percentage.

Best for: building a long-term independent creator business.

3. Ghost — fantastic for a membership/community business

ghost.org is particularly interesting if your "course" is more like:

weekly lessons + articles + videos + private members area + discussion

Ghost has memberships, paid subscriptions, member-only content and comments. Its hosted plans charge 0% transaction fees; payment processing fees still apply. Ghost Ghost

You can also self-host Ghost, which eliminates the Ghost hosting bill.

Best for: cohort/membership education rather than traditional LMS-style courses.

4. Discourse — use this for the community

discourse.org is one of my favorite options if community is important.

It's open source and can be self-hosted for free. Discourse - Civilized Discussion Discourse - Civilized Discussion

It's not really a course platform, though. I'd pair it with something else:

Moodle + Discourse

That gives you:

• Moodle → actual course
• Discourse → community
• Stripe → payments
• Your own website → marketing

That's a surprisingly powerful stack.

What I would actually do with $0

I'd avoid Teachable/Kajabi/Circle/etc. initially.

For a solo creator trying to prove demand, I'd build:

Option A — simplest

WordPress + LMS plugin + Stripe + Discourse

or, if you're technically comfortable:

Option B — maximum ownership

Moodle + Discourse + Stripe

Your payment flow becomes:

Customer → your checkout → Stripe → you

rather than:

Customer → platform → platform takes its cut → you

This distinction matters as you grow.

For comparison, Teachable's current Starter plan is $39/month monthly ($29/month annually) and takes 7.5% per transaction; its $89/month Builder plan has 0% platform transaction fees. Teachable

So I'd think of Teachable as “pay for convenience,” not “free platform.”

One more option I'd seriously consider

If your course doesn't need sophisticated LMS functionality, you can go even simpler:

Your website + private video/content + Stripe + community

For example:

Landing page → payment → automatically give student access → private course area → Discord/Discourse community

You don't necessarily need a formal "course platform" at all.

My ranking for your situation

1. WordPress — best all-around zero-platform-fee foundation
2. Moodle — best if the course itself is sophisticated
3. Ghost — best if you're building a paid membership/education publication
4. Discourse — best community layer
5. Teachable — best if you're willing to pay for convenience

If you tell me what kind of course you're selling (video course, cohort, live workshops, AI course, fitness, coding, etc.) and roughly how many students you expect, I can give you a $0/month stack with the exact software to use and how the pieces fit together.

I'd avoid Teachable/Kajabi/Circle/etc. initially.

For a solo creator trying to prove demand, I'd build:

Option A — simplest

WordPress + LMS plugin + Stripe + Discourse

or, if you're technically comfortable:

Option B — maximum ownership

Moodle + Discourse + Stripe

Your payment flow becomes:

Customer → your checkout → Stripe → you

rather than:

Customer → platform → platform takes its cut → you

This distinction matters as you grow.

For comparison, Teachable's current Starter plan is $39/month monthly ($29/month annually) and takes 7.5% per transaction; its $89/month Builder plan has 0% platform transaction fees. teachable.com

So I'd think of Teachable as “pay for convenience,” not “free platform.”

One more option I'd seriously consider

If your course doesn't need sophisticated LMS functionality, you can go even simpler:

Your website + private video/content + Stripe + community

For example:

Landing page → payment → automatically give student access → private course area → Discord/Discourse community

If you mean literally $0/month in platform fees, your best options are mostly open-source + self-hosted. The tradeoff is that you become responsible for hosting, setup, backups, and maintenance.

For a solo creator starting from zero, I'd look at these:

1. Moodle — probably your best starting point

Moodle is genuinely free/open source. You can install it on your own server with no license fee and no percentage of your course revenue. Moodle Services knowledge base Moodle

It gives you:

• Video/text lessons
• Courses and modules
• Quizzes
• Assignments
• Progress tracking
• Certificates
• Student accounts
• Discussion forums
• Drip/restricted content
• Plugins and themes
• Your own branding and domain

The important distinction is MoodleCloud isn't free—that's Moodle's managed hosting service. Self-hosted Moodle is the $0-software route. MoodleCloud Moodle Services knowledge base

2. Discourse — if community is the core product

Discourse is excellent for building a paid/free membership community.

It's GPL-licensed, self-hostable, and lets you own/export your community data. Official hosted plans start at $20/month, but self-hosting the software itself doesn't require a platform fee. Discourse - Civilized Discussion

You could structure it like:

Course → Community → Office hours → Resources → Member discussions

It's much better at community than Moodle, but it isn't really a course platform.

3. WordPress + an LMS

This is probably the most creator-friendly long-term architecture.

You can run:

WordPress → LMS plugin → Stripe/PayPal → community plugin

and own the whole stack.

The software can be free, although you'll eventually need hosting and potentially paid plugins. The advantage is that WordPress gives you an enormous ecosystem for landing pages, SEO, email capture, memberships, payments, etc.

What I would NOT use if you're truly starting at $0

Teachable currently starts at $39/month monthly ($29/month annually), and its Starter plan takes 7.5% per transaction. The higher tiers eliminate the platform transaction fee but cost substantially more. Teachable

Podia starts at $42/month when billed annually, with a 5% transaction fee on its entry plan. Podia

So neither fits the "zero funding + no platform fees" constraint particularly well.

The stack I'd build

If I were a solo creator with $0 available, I'd actually separate the two functions:

Moodle
→ courses, lessons, quizzes, progress

Discourse
→ community, discussions, peer support

Stripe
→ payments

Your own domain
→ marketing site

That gives you something much closer to owning your own mini-education company rather than renting your business from Teachable/Podia.

The catch: $0 platform fees ≠ $0 operating cost. You'll eventually have hosting, domain, payment-processing, email, and possibly video-storage costs.

If your goal is $0 upfront and as little technical work as possible, though, I'd choose a different setup than the one above.

For occasional course/workshop sellers, I’d pick Payhip.

Why Payhip is my pick

payhip.com has a Free Forever plan with unlimited products and revenue, and it includes all features; you pay 5% per sale, plus Stripe/PayPal processing. It specifically supports courses, memberships, bundles, and coaching, so it fits workshops better than a basic digital-download store. Payhip Payhip Help Center

For someone who might sell a workshop only a few times a year, that's attractive: no subscription sitting there while you're not selling anything.

When I'd choose Gumroad instead

gumroad.com is probably the easiest if your priority is "give me a link I can send people and don't make me configure much." It has no monthly fee and supports courses, memberships, and digital products. The downside is the higher fee: 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, plus payment processing. Gumroad Gumroad

So for a $100 workshop, Payhip's 5% platform fee is $5 versus Gumroad's $10.50 platform fee, before payment-processing costs.

My recommendation: Start with Payhip. It's still simple enough for occasional selling, but gives you a proper course/workshop storefront rather than just a payment-and-download page. If you tell me whether your workshops are live Zoom/in-person or self-paced, I can tell you the best setup for that specific use case.

For someone who only sells workshops occasionally and wants no monthly fee, I’d usually start with Payhip or Gumroad. The best choice depends on whether you value course features or absolute simplicity. Payhip Toolradar

Best overall for occasional workshop sellers: payhip.com

Why it fits:

• Free plan (no monthly subscription)
• Lets you sell courses, downloads, memberships, and coaching-style products
• More “course storefront” oriented than a simple checkout page
• Lower platform fee on the free tier than Gumroad (Payhip’s free plan charges a 5% transaction fee, while Gumroad is commonly cited at 10% on sales) Payhip ChikiPay

Good for:

• A live workshop + replay
• A mini-course with videos and PDFs
• Occasional cohorts
• Selling handouts, templates, or bonus materials

Simplest setup: gumroad.com

Why people choose it:

• Very fast to set up
• Clean product pages
• Good if you already have an audience and just need a payment link LaunchAdvisor

Tradeoff:

• Higher per-sale fees can matter if your workshops become popular. ChikiPay

Good for:

• “I’m running a workshop next month; I need a checkout page today.”
• One-off recordings
• PDFs, guides, or simple digital products

Other options worth considering

• ko-fi.com — nice if you already have a community and want a lightweight creator page, but it’s less course-focused.
• stan.store — useful if most sales come through Instagram/TikTok and you want a link-in-bio storefront, but it has a monthly cost rather than being truly free. UxerWave
• Dedicated course platforms like teachable.com or podia.com are better for a serious course business but usually make less sense for occasional workshops.

My pick for your situation:
Start with Payhip if you want your workshops to feel like actual courses. Choose Gumroad if you mostly need a simple “buy this workshop” link and don’t care about a learning portal. Payhip LaunchAdvisor

If your workshops are live (Zoom/in-person) rather than prerecorded, the recommendation shifts slightly because you may want registration, calendar, and reminder features.

For a tiny nonprofit, I’d avoid “all-in-one” platforms that look free but take a percentage of every course sale or donation. The cheapest setup is usually a mix of a low-cost course platform + a true no-platform-fee donation tool.

Here are the options I’d look at:

For donations, these are worth considering:

• Zeffy — built for nonprofits; it advertises no platform fees and no transaction fees to nonprofits, funded through optional donor contributions. Zeffy Zeffy
• Better Giving — nonprofit-focused donation infrastructure with a $0 platform fee model. Better Giving Better Giving
• Every.org — nonprofit fundraising tools with no platform fee (payment processor fees can still apply depending on gift type). Every.org Every.org

My recommendation for a tiny nonprofit

Lowest-cost practical setup:

• Website: WordPress (cheap hosting)
• Courses: Moodle or a WordPress LMS plugin
• Payments for courses: Stripe/PayPal checkout (you’ll usually only pay payment processing, not a course-platform percentage)
• Donations: Zeffy or Better Giving Zeffy Better Giving

If you have almost no technical capacity:

• Use Thinkific/Teachable for courses
• Use Zeffy separately for donations
• Accept that you may pay small course transaction fees in exchange for simplicity

A few questions would change the recommendation:

1. How many learners do you expect per month (10, 100, 1,000+)?
2. Are courses mostly self-paced videos, live workshops, or downloadable materials?
3. Do you need certificates, quizzes, or tracking for funders?
4. Are you a U.S. 501(c)(3)?

If your priority is “no monthly platform fee” while I validate my first coaching membership, I’d lean toward Gumroad.

• Gumroad: $0/month, but 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction. It supports memberships, so you can launch without committing to a monthly software bill. Gumroad
• Patreon: $0/month to start, but new creators pay a 10% platform fee, plus payment processing and potentially other fees. Patreon Patreon
• Podia: Better if you want a more complete coaching-business platform, but its entry plan is $42/month billed annually + 5% transaction fee. The $84/month plan removes the platform transaction fee. Podia
• Circle: Stronger community experience, but it's not the budget/no-monthly-fee option; Circle also charges transaction fees on top of Stripe processing. Circle

My pick for you

Start with Gumroad if you're testing demand. You can spend essentially $0 before you make a sale, and accept the 10% + $0.50 as the cost of validating the idea.

For example, if your membership is $30/month:

• 10 members = $300 revenue → about $35.00 Gumroad fee
• 50 members = $1,500 → about $155
• 100 members = $3,000 → about $305

Once you're consistently making enough that the transaction fee hurts more than a monthly platform subscription, then migrate to something like Podia or a more specialized community platform.

One important distinction: “no monthly platform fee” doesn't mean “no payment fees.” You'll generally still pay payment-processing costs somewhere; the question is whether you're also giving the platform a percentage.

If you tell me your planned monthly membership price, expected first 20–100 members, and whether you need community/chat + video calls + course content, I can tell you which platform is cheapest for your specific numbers.

If by “avoid monthly platform cut” you mean you don’t want a platform taking a percentage of every membership payment, I’d look at these options:

Gumroad explicitly has no monthly charge, but takes 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction. Gumroad Patreon is also free upfront, but new creators are generally on a 10% platform fee, on top of payment processing and other applicable fees. Patreon Help Center Patreon Podia's current Mover plan is $42/month with a 5% transaction fee; its $84/month Shaker plan removes Podia's transaction fee. Podia

What I'd choose for a freelance coach

Start with Stripe + a lightweight membership/community tool if you already have an audience.

That's because your economics get much better as you grow. For example, at $2,000/month in memberships:

• Patreon: roughly $200 platform fee + payment processing
• Gumroad: roughly $200 + $0.50 per transaction
• A Stripe-based setup: roughly $58 + $0.30 per transaction for US card payments, before whatever your membership software costs.

So I wouldn't optimize for “no monthly fee” alone. I'd optimize for low total cost at the number of members you realistically expect within 6–12 months.

If you're validating the idea with <20 members: Gumroad or Patreon is probably easiest.

If you're serious about building a coaching business: I'd lean toward Stripe + your own simple community/membership stack rather than surrendering 10% forever.

If you tell me your planned monthly membership price (e.g. $29/$49/$99), expected first 20–100 members, and whether you need live calls/community/course content, I can calculate the cheapest setup for you and compare 4–5 platforms.

Yes. If your main concern is keeping platform costs low, I’d avoid expensive “all-in-one” course businesses and look at platforms where you either pay a small flat fee or use a lightweight stack.

My shortlist

Current pricing varies by billing cycle and plan, so I'd verify before committing. Teachfloor Podia Ruzuku

🥇 Cheapest approach: Ruzuku + Zoom/Google Meet

If you're just trying to prove that people will pay for your class, you don't necessarily need a sophisticated platform.

Ruzuku is particularly interesting because its entry offering can work for very small cohorts, and it supports date-based/dripped course content and discussion. Ruzuku

You could essentially run:

Ruzuku → Zoom/Google Meet → Stripe

This keeps your fixed costs low while you validate the idea.

🥈 Best inexpensive purpose-built option: Teachfloor

If you know you're going to run cohorts repeatedly, I'd seriously consider teachfloor.com.

It is specifically designed around cohort-based learning: live sessions, assignments, peer review, discussions, cohorts, payments, etc. Its current starting price is $89/month, and Teachfloor says it doesn't take a percentage of course revenue; you pay the normal Stripe processing fee. Teachfloor Teachfloor

That's attractive once you're selling enough seats that a 5–10% revenue share becomes painful.

For example, on a $500 × 20-student cohort = $10,000, a 10% platform cut is $1,000. A flat $89/month platform is dramatically cheaper.

🥉 Best all-in-one budget option: Podia

podia.com is worth looking at if you want course + checkout + website + email + community in one place.

Its current Mover plan is $42/month when billed annually but charges a 5% transaction fee. The $84/month Shaker plan removes Podia's transaction fee, leaving you with payment-processor fees. Podia

So I'd think about it this way:

• Small/occasional cohorts: $42 + 5% can be reasonable.
• $5k–$10k+ cohorts: the $84 plan may make more sense.
• You also need a website/email list: Podia becomes considerably more attractive.

Maven: great for validating a premium offer

maven.com is a different model. It's built specifically around expert-led cohort courses and can help with marketplace/discovery, but you give up a portion of revenue rather than simply paying a small monthly fee.

Maven's own 2026 guidance describes cohort courses commonly being priced in the $800–$2,500 range, although courses can be priced lower. Maven Help Center

I'd consider Maven if you don't have an audience yet and the platform's distribution can help you get your first students. If you already have an audience that you can sell to yourself, I'd lean toward a flat-fee platform so you retain more revenue.

What I'd choose

If you're starting from scratch, my decision tree would be:

• “I just want to test whether people will buy this.” → Ruzuku or an ultra-lightweight setup.
• “I have an audience and want to maximize profit.” → Teachfloor.
• “I need a website, email, checkout, course and community too.” → Podia.
• “I don't have an audience and want marketplace exposure.” → Maven.
• “The community/peer interaction IS the product.” → Circle or Teachfloor.

One important point: don't optimize for the lowest monthly price alone. For cohort classes, a 5–10% revenue cut can become much more expensive than an $89/month subscription surprisingly quickly.

If you tell me your expected class price, number of students per cohort, and whether you already have an audience, I can calculate the actual fees for 3–4 options and tell you which is cheapest at your expected revenue.

Ruzuku → Zoom/Google Meet → Stripe

This keeps your fixed costs low while you validate the idea.

🥈 Best inexpensive purpose-built option: Teachfloor

If you know you're going to run cohorts repeatedly, I'd seriously consider teachfloor.com.

It is specifically designed around cohort-based learning: live sessions, assignments, peer review, discussions, cohorts, payments, etc. Its current starting price is $89/month, and Teachfloor says it doesn't take a percentage of course revenue; you pay the normal Stripe processing fee. Teachfloor Teachfloor

That's attractive once you're selling enough seats that a 5–10% revenue share becomes painful.

For example, on a $500 × 20-student cohort = $10,000, a 10% platform cut is $1,000. A flat $89/month platform is dramatically cheaper.

🥉 Best all-in-one budget option: Podia

podia.com is worth looking at if you want course + checkout + website + email + community in one place.

Its current Mover plan is $42/month when billed annually but charges a 5% transaction fee. The $84/month Shaker plan removes Podia's transaction fee, leaving you with payment-processor fees. Podia

So I'd think about it this way:

• Small/occasional cohorts: $42 + 5% can be reasonable.
• $5k–$10k+ cohorts: the $84 plan may make more sense.
• You also need a website/email list: Podia becomes considerably more attractive.

Maven: great for validating a premium offer

If your main goal is selling live cohort-based classes without getting crushed by monthly fees, I’d focus on platforms with either no upfront cost or very low/no transaction fees.

My shortlist

Pricing changes fairly frequently, so I'd verify the current plan before committing. Recent 2026 comparisons put Maven at roughly a 10% revenue share, Ruzuku at free for very small cohorts, Teachery around $49/month with no platform transaction fee, and Thinkific around $50/month on current plans. Ruzuku Teachery

What I'd choose in your situation

If you haven't sold a cohort yet:
Start with Gumroad + Zoom + a community tool (Discord, Slack, Circle free/trial, etc.). You can take payments without committing to $50–$100/month software. Gumroad is particularly useful for validating an offer before building a full course infrastructure, although its per-sale fee isn't particularly cheap once you're doing serious volume. Gigs Money Tips

If you're selling a $500–$2,000+ cohort:
I'd seriously consider Maven. You don't have a monthly subscription to worry about, and it's actually designed around instructor-led cohorts rather than trying to bend a self-paced LMS into a cohort system. The tradeoff is giving up a percentage of revenue. Ruzuku

If you've already validated the class and want to keep more revenue:
Look at Teachery or Thinkific. A flat subscription becomes much cheaper than a 10% revenue share once you're making several thousand dollars per cohort. Teachery specifically advertises 0% platform transaction fees, while Thinkific can also have 0% platform fees when using its payment system. Teachery LearnStream

One important trick

You don't actually need a single "cohort platform."

For a first cohort, you could use:

Stripe/Gumroad → Zoom → Google Drive/Notion → Slack/Discord

That gives you payment, live teaching, curriculum, and community for very little money. The downside is that you have to manage the pieces yourself.

Then, once you're consistently filling cohorts, move to something like Maven, Thinkific, Teachery, or a dedicated cohort platform.

If you tell me (1) what you plan to charge per student, (2) expected cohort size, and (3) whether classes are live on Zoom, I can calculate the actual dollar cost per cohort for 5–6 options and tell you which is cheapest.

For a local fitness instructor starting online, Payhip is probably the best low-cost fit—with one important caveat: its free plan still charges a 5% transaction fee, so it doesn't completely avoid platform fees. Payhip Payhip Help Center

• Payhip: $0/month on the Free plan, supports courses with video lessons, memberships, subscriptions, and coaching. You can embed videos from YouTube/Vimeo, or Payhip can host them for $5/month. Payhip
• If you specifically want zero platform transaction fees: Payhip's $99/month Pro plan has no Payhip transaction fee, although Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply. That's probably too expensive for someone just starting. Payhip
• Gumroad: easy for selling video courses and memberships, but its direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, so it's considerably more expensive for a small fitness business. Gumroad Gumroad

My pick

Start with Payhip Free + YouTube/Vimeo-hosted videos. That keeps your fixed cost essentially at $0 while giving clients a proper course area, accounts, subscriptions, and video lessons. Once revenue is high enough, you can decide whether paying for Payhip Pro to eliminate its transaction fee makes financial sense.

payhip.com
payhip.com

If by "online classes" you mean live Zoom-style fitness classes rather than prerecorded video lessons, the best low-cost option is a little different.

For a local fitness instructor, I’d look at Payhip first—but there’s an important distinction between “no monthly fee” and “no platform fees.”

• Payhip: $0/month on its Free plan, with all course features included, including video lessons, student accounts, drip content, quizzes, downloads, and subscriptions. However, it takes 5% per sale. You can embed videos hosted elsewhere, or Payhip-hosted video costs an additional $5/month. payhip.com
• Payhip Pro: $99/month with 0% Payhip transaction fee, though Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply. payhip.com
• Gumroad: Very easy for selling video courses, but it isn't fee-free: 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction, plus payment processing; marketplace sales can be 30%. gumroad.com

My pick: Start with Payhip Free + externally hosted videos. It's probably the best low-risk setup for testing whether your local clients will actually pay for online classes. Once revenue is consistently high enough, you can consider Payhip Pro to eliminate Payhip's percentage fee.

Payhip pricing
Payhip online courses

If your priority is building an email list first, hosting a course second, and paying $0 in platform transaction fees, I’d strongly consider systeme.io.

My top picks

🥇 I'd use Systeme.io

The free plan currently includes 2,000 contacts, unlimited email sends, 1 course, 3 sales funnels, marketing automation, and 0% platform transaction fees. It doesn't expire and doesn't require a credit card. Systeme.io Systeme.io

That makes it unusually well suited to the funnel you're describing:

Free lead magnet → email signup → automated welcome sequence → free/paid course → upsell

And you don't have to "integrate" a separate email provider—the email system is built into the same platform. You can trigger emails from form submissions, purchases, tags, and course activity. Systeme.io

systeme.io

The main catch is that you'll still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal payment-processing fees when you sell something. "0% platform fees" doesn't mean 0% payment-processing fees. Systeme.io

Why I wouldn't pick Podia for this particular goal

Podia is nice, but its current Mover plan is $42/month annually ($39? depending on billing/current promotion) and takes 5% per sale. Its free email allowance is only 100 subscribers, and the free period is a 30-day trial rather than a permanent free course platform. Podia Help Center Podia

What about Thinkific?

Thinkific is stronger if the course itself is the centerpiece and you want a more polished learning environment. But it doesn't currently offer a permanent free plan, and its paid plans start at $54/month monthly ($40/month annually for Basic). Thinkific Thinkific

So for your specific use case, my ranking would be:

1. Systeme.io — best if keeping costs near $0 is the priority.
2. Thinkific — best if you're willing to pay for a more dedicated course experience.
3. Podia — best if you value simplicity and don't mind the monthly cost/transaction fee.
4. Kit + separate course platform — worth considering if your business is primarily an email/newsletter business.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you're expecting (e.g. 500, 2,000, 10,000+) and whether the course is free or paid, I can narrow this down to the cheapest setup—including the email provider, landing page, checkout, and course host.

🥇 I'd use Systeme.io

The free plan currently includes 2,000 contacts, unlimited email sends, 1 course, 3 sales funnels, marketing automation, and 0% platform transaction fees. It doesn't expire and doesn't require a credit card. Systeme.io Systeme.io

That makes it unusually well suited to the funnel you're describing:

Free lead magnet → email signup → automated welcome sequence → free/paid course → upsell

And you don't have to "integrate" a separate email provider—the email system is built into the same platform. You can trigger emails from form submissions, purchases, tags, and course activity. Systeme.io

systeme.io

The main catch is that you'll still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal payment-processing fees when you sell something. "0% platform fees" doesn't mean 0% payment-processing fees. Systeme.io

Why I wouldn't pick Podia for this particular goal

Podia is nice, but its current Mover plan is $42/month annually ($39? depending on billing/current promotion) and takes 5% per sale. Its free email allowance is only 100 subscribers, and the free period is a 30-day trial rather than a permanent free course platform. help.podia.com podia.com

What about Thinkific?

Thinkific is stronger if the course itself is the centerpiece and you want a more polished learning environment. But it doesn't currently offer a permanent free plan, and its paid plans start at $54/month monthly ($40/month annually for Basic).

So for your specific use case, my ranking would be:

If your main goal is building an email list first and using a course as a lead magnet (rather than running a giant course marketplace), I’d prioritize email ownership + automation + low/no fees over fancy course features.

Here are the strongest fits:

Don't Do It Yourself RateTheTool## My recommendation for an email-list-first business

Option 1: Systeme.io (probably your best fit)

Use it like:

Landing page → email opt-in → automated welcome sequence → free course → paid offer

Pros:

• Email marketing is built in
• Funnels and course hosting are in one place
• You avoid stitching together 5 tools
• Good for lead magnets and simple courses

The downside: the course experience is more "marketing funnel" oriented than a premium learning platform. Don't Do It Yourself

Option 2: Thinkific + separate email tool

Use this if you care more about the student experience:

Email platform → opt-in → Thinkific course → upsell

Good email tools to pair with it:

• MailerLite — budget-friendly newsletters/automation
• ConvertKit (now Kit) — creator-focused email automation
• Beehiiv — newsletter-first businesses

The tradeoff is you’re managing two systems instead of one. Thinkific is stronger as a learning platform, but email marketing is usually handled through integrations. LaunchAdvisor

What I would avoid initially

• Kajabi: excellent, but expensive before you have revenue.
• Teachable/other platforms with revenue cuts: fine for testing, but percentage fees hurt once you sell consistently. Course.Coach
• Building a custom WordPress LMS too early: you’ll spend time maintaining software instead of growing the list.

A simple stack I’d choose:

Starting from zero:
→ Systeme.io

Already have an audience and want a premium course brand:
→ Thinkific + MailerLite/Kit

Planning a large info-business with multiple products:
→ Move to a paid all-in-one later

One question changes the recommendation a lot: is your course going to be free as an email lead magnet, or are you planning to sell the course immediately?

If your priorities are low upfront cost + 0% platform commission + international sales, I’d narrow the field quite aggressively. The catch is that “0% platform fee” does not mean zero payment fees: Stripe, PayPal, etc. will still charge their own processing/currency-conversion fees.

My top picks

1. systeme.io — best overall for a new creator

This is probably where I’d start.

• $0/month free plan
• 0% platform transaction fee
• Course hosting and student management included
• Sales funnels, email marketing, website tools and affiliate management included
• Payments through Stripe and PayPal
• Paid plans start relatively low if you outgrow the free plan. Systeme.io Systeme.io
• It also advertises integrations with additional gateways such as Razorpay, Flutterwave, Mercado Pago, Paystack and Xendit, which can be particularly useful outside wealthy-country payment ecosystems. Systeme.io

Why I like it for your situation: you can launch without paying a monthly subscription or surrendering a percentage of every sale to the course platform.

systeme.io

2. thinkific.com — best if you want a more traditional LMS

Thinkific is a stronger choice if the student learning experience is more important than having an all-in-one marketing system.

However, I'd put it below systeme.io for your circumstances. Its current Basic plan is $54/month ($40/month billed annually), and payment fees depend on your country and payment setup. Thinkific Payments is only available to creators in a defined list of countries, so this is an important limitation for developing-country creators. Thinkific Support Thinkific

Verdict: excellent platform, but not my first choice if keeping costs extremely low is the priority.

3. payhip.com — easiest low-cost alternative

Payhip is worth considering because it's extremely simple for selling courses and digital products.

The problem with your specific requirement is that its free plan takes 5% per sale. Its $99/month Pro plan removes the platform transaction fee, while payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal still charge their normal fees. Payhip Payhip

So I'd use Payhip if you value simplicity and don't mind the 5% initially, but it doesn't satisfy your "no platform fees" requirement on the free plan.

payhip.com

What I'd actually do

For a first course, I'd choose:

For comparison, current industry comparisons put Gumroad at around 10% + $0.50 per sale, while Teachable's lower-cost plans can also take a percentage of sales. SavingSec Podia

The really important issue: your country's payment rails

Because you're in a developing country, the payment processor is arguably more important than the course platform. A platform can say it works "globally" while Stripe or PayPal doesn't let you receive payouts in your country.

If you tell me which country you're based in, I can narrow this down to the platforms/payment gateways that you can actually use there, including options for local bank transfers, mobile money, Paystack/Flutterwave/Razorpay/Mercado Pago/etc., rather than recommending something that looks global but won't pay you.

If your priorities are very low upfront cost + no platform cut + the ability to sell internationally, the biggest catch is that “no platform fees” usually means you still pay payment-processor fees (Stripe, PayPal, etc.). And in developing countries, payment availability is often a bigger constraint than the course platform itself.

My shortlist

Payhip is probably the one I'd investigate first, but there's an important qualification: its current Free plan takes 5% per transaction, Plus takes 2%, and only Pro ($99/month) has zero Payhip transaction fees. You still pay Stripe/PayPal processing fees. Payhip

Thinkific isn't a great fit if you're specifically looking for “cheap + global + no fees.” Its current Basic plan is $54/month, and Thinkific Payments is only available to businesses in a defined list of countries. Thinkific Thinkific Support

The more important question: can you actually get paid?

For someone in a developing country, I'd choose the payment infrastructure first, course platform second.

Before committing, check whether your country supports:

• Stripe payouts
• PayPal receiving/withdrawals
• Local bank transfers
• Mobile-money or other local payment methods
• Payouts in your preferred currency

For example, Thinkific Payments currently lists countries such as the US, UK, EU countries, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and others—but many developing countries aren't on its supported-country list. Thinkific Support

What I'd do as a new creator

If you're starting with almost no budget, don't pay $99/month just to eliminate a platform fee.

I'd start with a platform that has $0 upfront cost, validate that people will actually buy your course, and accept the transaction fee initially. Once you're doing enough monthly sales that the percentage fee exceeds a subscription, then move to a zero-platform-fee plan.

If you tell me your country, I can narrow this down to platforms that actually support payouts to your country, including options with local payment methods rather than just Stripe/PayPal.

For an early-stage SaaS founder, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: Embedin

For your specific use case—SaaS onboarding courses that you want to embed into your existing product—Embedin looks unusually well matched. Its free plan currently gives you one published course, up to 25 students, 3 hours of video hosting, downloadable content, third-party video integrations, and Stripe, with 0% transaction fees. Embedin a free online course platform

That means you can start without adding another significant SaaS bill, while keeping the course experience closer to your own product rather than sending customers to a completely separate course business.

If you expect more than 25 learners quickly, I'd look at Thinkific instead. Thinkific has unlimited courses and up to 10,000 students on its Basic plan, and explicitly supports using Thinkific as the learning layer alongside an existing website. Its current Basic price is $40/month when billed annually, with no platform commission. Thinkific Thinkific

One caveat: "no platform fees" doesn't mean no payment fees—Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply.

If your courses are free customer onboarding rather than paid courses, I'd actually lean even more strongly toward an embeddable/lightweight option rather than paying $40–$100+/month for a traditional LMS.

For an early-stage SaaS founder, I’d shortlist Thinkific and Learn360, with one important distinction:

• learn-360.com — best if “cheap + 0% platform fee” is the priority. It has a $0 plan, keeps 100% of sales, and supports embedding/course delivery. The free tier is limited to 5 users, 5 courses, and 1 GB, so it’s best for validating the onboarding experience. Learn360
• thinkific.com — best overall for a serious SaaS onboarding academy. Its Basic plan is $54/mo monthly or $40/mo annually, with unlimited courses and 0% transaction fees when using Thinkific Payments. It can also complement an existing SaaS website rather than replacing it. Thinkific
• teachable.com — easy, but I wouldn't pick it for your criteria. Its $39/mo Starter plan takes 7.5% per transaction; you need the $89/mo Builder plan for 0% transaction fees. Teachable

My pick for a SaaS onboarding use case

Thinkific if you're building a real customer education hub:
yourapp.com/academy → Thinkific course

It gives you a mature course builder, quizzes, discussions, progress tracking, custom domain support, and the ability to integrate with an existing website. Thinkific

If by “easy embedding” you specifically mean “I want the course itself to appear inside my SaaS dashboard, ideally in an iframe/modal without users feeling like they've left the product,” tell me that—that changes my recommendation, and I can compare the best embeddable LMS/course platforms specifically.

Yes. If your priority is “tiny budget + community + courses + recurring subscriptions + no platform percentage”, I’d narrow it to a few options.

My shortlist

The important distinction is 0% platform fee ≠ 0% payment processing. You'll generally still pay Stripe/card-processing fees (roughly 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction in the U.S.). iHub Kazokus

What I'd do on a tiny budget

I'd start with Skool if $99/month is affordable.

It puts the community, courses, member access, payments and gamification together, and the flat-fee model means your platform cost doesn't increase as subscription revenue grows. EduBracket RateTheTool

For example:

• $1,000/month membership revenue → roughly $99 platform cost
• $5,000/month → roughly $99
• $10,000/month → roughly $99

That becomes particularly attractive once you have paying members.

But there's a catch: Skool is intentionally simple. If your courses need sophisticated quizzes, certificates, drip logic, complex learning paths, or extensive branding, I'd look at Thinkific instead. Current comparisons show Thinkific has no platform transaction fee, while its payment processing still applies. iHub

One interesting ultra-budget option

Kazokus is worth investigating if you're genuinely starting with almost no money. Its current offering advertises a free tier with community, courses and events and 0% platform transaction fees, with paid plans starting at $49/month. Kazokus

I'd be more cautious here simply because it's a less established ecosystem than Skool/Circle/Thinkific. But if $0 upfront is the overriding constraint, it's potentially compelling.

My ranking for your situation

1. Skool — best “launch it and don't overthink it” choice.
2. Thinkific — best if the courses are the main product and community is secondary.
3. Kazokus — investigate if cash is extremely tight and you want to start free.
4. Circle — better product experience, but harder to justify on a tiny initial budget.
5. Mighty Networks — powerful, but I'd wait until the community has traction.

One thing I'd avoid is choosing a $20–$40/month platform that takes 5–10% of every subscription just because the monthly bill looks cheap. Once you have, say, $5k/month recurring revenue, that “cheap” platform can cost you hundreds every month.

If you tell me roughly how many members you expect in the first 6–12 months and what you'd charge per month (e.g. $29/$49/$99), I can calculate the actual cheapest setup—including Stripe fees—for you.

For a tiny budget, I’d avoid the big all-in-one platforms at first. Your main choices depend on whether you’re more community-first or course-first.

Here are the best low-cost options:

My shortlist for your situation:

1. Best “start tiny, grow later”: Discord + a cheap course platform

• Discord: free community
• Sell courses through something like Thinkific/Podia or even a simple checkout + video hosting setup
• Move to a dedicated community platform once revenue exists

This minimizes risk but is more manual.

2. Best all-in-one on a budget: Communi

If you specifically want paid memberships + courses + events in one place, Communi is one of the cheaper options advertising 0% platform transaction fees (you still pay normal payment processor fees like Stripe). Communi Communi

3. Best if the community itself is the product: Skool

Skool is popular for paid masterminds and communities because it combines discussion, courses, and engagement mechanics. Check the exact fee structure for the plan you choose, because lower-cost tiers can have transaction charges. ProveWorth

For a $0–$50/month launch, I’d probably do:

• Community: Discord or Communi
• Payments: Stripe
• Courses: same platform if possible, otherwise Thinkific/Podia
• Email: free tier of an email service
• Upgrade only after you have paying members

A key question: are you expecting a membership community ($20–100/month recurring), or one-time courses ($50–500 each)? The best platform changes quite a bit depending on that.

3. Best if the community itself is the product: Skool

Skool is popular for paid masterminds and communities because it combines discussion, courses, and engagement mechanics. Check the exact fee structure for the plan you choose, because lower-cost tiers can have transaction charges.

For a $0–$50/month launch, I’d probably do:

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. It supports digital downloads and courses, so you can sell Lightroom presets as ZIP files and put your short courses on the same storefront. Payhip Payhip

It also lets you offer free downloads—useful for a free preset/mini-guide as an email-list lead magnet—and buyers can download digital products immediately after purchase. Payhip Help Center

Once you're doing enough volume, its $29/month Plus plan drops the platform fee to 2%, while Pro is $99/month with 0% platform fees. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi is a good alternative

ko-fi.com is particularly nice if your photography business is built around Instagram/social followers. You can sell digital files directly from your page, with no listing or monthly fees and a 5% shop fee, plus normal PayPal/Stripe processing. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

Its advantage is that you can combine presets + courses/content + tips + memberships in one creator page. Ko-fi

What I'd avoid for your particular goal

Gumroad is wonderfully simple, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing fees. Gumroad Gumroad

So, for example, on a $20 preset:

• Payhip: $1 platform fee + payment processing
• Ko-fi: $1 platform fee + payment processing
• Gumroad: $2.50 platform fee + payment processing

Bottom line: Start with Payhip if you want a tiny storefront specifically for presets and courses. Use Ko-fi if you want the storefront to feel more like a creator/community page. Both let you avoid a recurring subscription while you're testing whether the photography side business takes off.

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. It supports digital downloads and courses, so you can sell Lightroom presets as ZIP files and put your short courses on the same storefront. Payhip Payhip

It also lets you offer free downloads—useful for a free preset/mini-guide as an email-list lead magnet—and buyers can download digital products immediately after purchase. Payhip Help Center

Once you're doing enough volume, its $29/month Plus plan drops the platform fee to 2%, while Pro is $99/month with 0% platform fees. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi is a good alternative

ko-fi.com is particularly nice if your photography business is built around Instagram/social followers. You can sell digital files directly from your page, with no listing or monthly fees and a 5% shop fee, plus normal PayPal/Stripe processing.

Its advantage is that you can combine presets + courses/content + tips + memberships in one creator page.

What I'd avoid for your particular goal

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDF guides, and short video courses, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes unlimited products and revenue. It supports digital downloads, video, PDFs, courses, bundles, memberships, and other digital products. Payhip Payhip

That's particularly good for your setup because you could have:

• $19 preset pack → downloadable ZIP
• $39–59 preset bundle → multiple ZIPs
• $15 photography guide → PDF
• $49 short course → hosted course/video
• Free preset/sample → email-list lead magnet

Payhip also specifically supports selling photos/digital prints and offers coupons, affiliates, pay-what-you-want pricing, and email updates. Payhip Payhip

The important distinction: no platform fee at all is hard to get on a free plan. Payhip's 5% is on top of the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi is excellent if you're social-first

ko-fi.com lets you sell digital downloads with no monthly or listing fee, but takes 5% on shop sales on its free setup, plus payment-processing fees. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

I'd choose Ko-fi if most of your customers are coming from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or a photography community, because you can essentially use it as a simple storefront attached to your creator profile.

Why I wouldn't start with Gumroad

Gumroad is very easy to use, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing costs; marketplace/discovery sales are 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

For inexpensive presets, that fixed $0.50 becomes particularly painful. On a $10 preset, for example, the $0.50 alone is 5% of the sale.

One interesting alternative: Fourthwall

Fourthwall's pricing materials show no monthly fee and 3% on digital products, with payment processing on top. Fourthwall It's worth considering if you eventually want to sell prints, merch, presets, and other creator products from one storefront.

My recommendation for you: start with Payhip Free. It gives you the best combination of low upfront cost, downloadable files, courses, and room to grow without paying for a website immediately. Once your sales volume gets high enough, its $29/month Plus plan drops the platform fee from 5% to 2%, and $99/month Pro eliminates it. Payhip

If you tell me roughly how many preset/course sales you expect per month and your typical price ($10, $20, $50, etc.), I can calculate which platform would actually leave you with the most money.

If your income is unpredictable, I’d look at learnfrom.co first. It matches your criteria unusually well:

• $0 upfront / no monthly subscription
• No platform transaction fee
• Pay-as-you-go: you pay per new student enrollment, starting at $4.99/student, dropping to $3.49 after 250 students and $1.99 after 1,000.
• Unlimited courses and students.
• Stripe/PayPal processing fees are separate. learnfrom.co

That structure is particularly attractive for a solo entrepreneur because you don't have to pay a monthly fee during months when you make no sales.

One important distinction

If by "no platform fees" you mean literally 0% of sales, learnfrom.co fits. Payhip, for example, has a $0/month plan but takes 5% per sale; its $99/month Pro plan removes that transaction fee. Payhip

Gumroad is also pay-as-you-go with no monthly fee, but charges 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, so it's considerably more expensive as your course revenue grows. Gumroad Gumroad

My pick for unpredictable income: learnfrom.co if its course features meet your needs. The fixed per-student cost makes your expenses predictable and eliminates the risk of paying $30–$200/month before you've earned anything.

If you tell me your expected course price (e.g. $49, $199, $499) and roughly how many students you expect per month, I can compare the cheapest 3–5 platforms at your actual revenue level.

For a solo entrepreneur with unpredictable income, I’d look at Gumroad first if by “pay-as-you-go” you mean no monthly subscription and you only pay when you make a sale. It supports courses and charges 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, with no monthly fee. Gumroad Gumroad

However, there’s an important distinction:

• Gumroad: $0/month, pay per sale — 10% + $0.50. Best for minimizing fixed costs. Gumroad
• Payhip: $0/month on its Free Forever plan, but 5% per sale. It explicitly supports courses, memberships, coaching, and digital products. Payhip Payhip Help Center
• Thinkific: Can have 0% platform transaction fees, but its current paid plans involve a monthly subscription, so it isn't really pay-as-you-go. CourseMargin

My pick: Payhip

For your situation, Payhip is probably the sweet spot: no monthly commitment, only a 5% platform fee when you sell, and the free plan includes all features and unlimited products. You'd still pay Stripe/PayPal's normal payment-processing fees. Payhip Payhip

So if your income might be $0 one month and $2,000 the next, Payhip lets your platform cost essentially go to $0 during the $0 months.

payhip.com

If you tell me your expected course price (e.g. $49, $199, $499) and roughly how many sales/month, I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money.

Yes. If your priority is selling both live workshops and evergreen courses while keeping platform transaction fees at 0%, I’d put these at the top of the evaluation list:

*Payment processing fees still apply; "0% platform fee" doesn't mean credit-card processing is free. Thinkific notes that payment processors commonly charge around 2.9% + $0.30, depending on payment method/location. Thinkific Support

My shortlist

1. systeme.io — best value if keeping costs very low is the priority

This is the first one I'd test. Its free plan supports a course, funnels, email contacts, etc., and the company says it charges 0% transaction fees on all plans. Paid plans currently start around $17/month. Systeme.io Systeme.io

It is particularly interesting for your model because it combines:

• evergreen courses
• sales pages/checkout
• email marketing
• funnels
• upsells
• memberships
• evergreen webinars

The catch: live interactive workshops aren't its strongest native capability. You'd likely use Zoom or another live-video service alongside it. Systeme.io

2. thinkific.com — best if live workshops are important

Thinkific is considerably more expensive, but its current Start plan specifically includes live cohorts/coaching, unlimited Zoom sessions, booking calendars, attendance tracking, memberships, payment plans, and courses. It is currently $109/month monthly or $82/month when billed annually. Thinkific

I'd choose this if your workshops are a substantial part of the business rather than simply an occasional add-on.

3. podia.com — best "I don't want to fiddle with technology" option

Podia combines courses, webinars, downloads, coaching, website, email marketing, and memberships. Its higher-tier plan eliminates transaction fees; current pricing information puts that tier around $99/month or $84/month annually. Podia

It's more expensive than Systeme.io, but potentially worth it if ease of use saves you time.

One important distinction

If by "without platform fees" you mean I don't want the platform taking 5–10% of every sale, there are plenty of good choices.

If you mean "I want essentially no fees at all," that's different. You'll still have payment-processing costs through Stripe/PayPal/etc. Even a 0%-transaction-fee platform doesn't eliminate those.

What I'd do in your situation

I'd test Systeme.io vs. Thinkific first:

• Systeme.io: cheapest, excellent for funnels + email + evergreen sales.
• Thinkific: substantially better if your live workshops need scheduling, Zoom integration, attendance, cohorts, assignments, etc.

If your business is primarily live workshops that you later turn into evergreen courses, I'd lean Thinkific.

If it's primarily evergreen courses with occasional live workshops, I'd lean Systeme.io.

And if you tell me roughly how much you expect to charge per workshop/course and how many sales or students you expect per month, I can do a real cost comparison at $2k / $5k / $10k / $25k monthly revenue—which will make the fee differences much clearer.

It's more expensive than Systeme.io, but potentially worth it if ease of use saves you time.

One important distinction

If by "without platform fees" you mean I don't want the platform taking 5–10% of every sale, there are plenty of good choices.

If you mean "I want essentially no fees at all," that's different. You'll still have payment-processing costs through Stripe/PayPal/etc. Even a 0%-transaction-fee platform doesn't eliminate those.

What I'd do in your situation

Yes. If by “without platform fees” you mean you’re willing to pay a monthly subscription but don’t want the platform taking a percentage of every sale, there are several inexpensive options worth evaluating.

One important distinction: 0% platform fee does not mean 0% payment processing. Stripe/PayPal will still typically charge processing fees. CourseMargin

My shortlist

Pricing is changing frequently in 2026, so I'd verify the exact current tier before committing. Current comparisons put Thinkific around $49–54/mo, LearnWorlds around $29/mo, Podia around $42/mo, and LearnDash around $199–259/year depending on plan/billing. Cloudspress LearnWorlds Teachfloor

1. thinkific.com — probably where I'd start

This is the strongest match for live workshops + evergreen courses without a percentage going to the platform.

You can structure the business as:

• Evergreen self-paced course
• One-off live workshops
• Paid cohorts
• Bundles
• Memberships/community
• Upsells from workshops → evergreen course

The big advantage is that you're buying a conventional course platform rather than an expensive all-in-one marketing suite. Current 2026 comparisons report 0% platform transaction fees on the relevant Thinkific setup. LearnWorlds Teachfloor

I'd shortlist this first if you're serious about building a course business.

2. learnworlds.com — best for a polished learning experience

Worth considering if your evergreen course is going to be substantial.

It has stronger interactive-learning capabilities than some of the simpler platforms, including interactive video and assessments. The catch is that the cheapest plan has a per-enrollment fee, so you'd want to move to a higher plan if you're selling significant volume. LearnWorlds

3. systeme.io — best if keeping costs extremely low is priority #1

This one is particularly interesting.

It combines:

• Courses
• Landing pages
• Email marketing
• Sales funnels
• Checkout
• Automations
• Affiliates

And there is a free tier, with paid plans starting relatively inexpensively. Current comparisons report 0% platform transaction fees on the free tier, although payment processing still applies. Cloudspress CourseMargin

The tradeoff is that it's more marketing/funnel-first than a sophisticated LMS.

For someone saying “I want to sell workshops and courses without paying Kajabi money”, though, I'd definitely test it.

4. learndash.com — best if you want to own the infrastructure

LearnDash is a WordPress LMS rather than a hosted course marketplace.

You pay for the software, host your WordPress site, and use your own payment processor. That means no percentage platform fee, but you take on hosting, WordPress maintenance, plugins, backups, etc.

It's attractive if you want maximum control and expect this to become a substantial business.

5. podia.com — easiest all-in-one

Podia is appealing because it handles courses, digital products, email, website, coaching and community in one relatively simple interface.

But I'd be careful here: the inexpensive tier has a platform transaction fee, while the higher tier eliminates it. LearnWorlds SoloStore

So if “no platform percentage” is a hard requirement, compare the no-fee Podia tier against Thinkific rather than simply choosing Podia's cheapest plan.

What I'd actually test

I'd narrow your evaluation to three:

1. Thinkific — best balance of course + workshop capabilities.
2. Systeme.io — cheapest way to get the business machinery running.
3. LearnWorlds — strongest alternative if the actual learning experience is important.

I wouldn't start with Kajabi for your stated goal. It's excellent, but you're essentially paying a premium to consolidate marketing, CRM, email, funnels and courses; current pricing is substantially higher than the inexpensive options. LearnWorlds

And I wouldn't choose Gumroad if avoiding platform fees is important: it's inexpensive to start, but its percentage fee becomes expensive as sales grow. SoloStore

One thing I'd optimize for

Don't compare platforms on monthly price alone. For example, at $10,000/month in course/workshop sales, a 5% platform fee costs $500 every month. A $50–100/month subscription with 0% platform fees can therefore be dramatically cheaper.

If you tell me roughly (a) your workshop price, (b) evergreen course price, (c) expected monthly sales, and (d) whether you need Zoom/live video built in, I can calculate the actual monthly/yearly cost of the top 3 and tell you which one is likely cheapest for your business.

Podia is appealing because it handles courses, digital products, email, website, coaching and community in one relatively simple interface.

But I'd be careful here: the inexpensive tier has a platform transaction fee, while the higher tier eliminates it.

Yes. If your priorities are cheap + multilingual + no platform transaction fees, there are several viable choices. One important distinction: “no platform fees” usually does not mean zero payment-processing fees—Stripe/PayPal fees can still apply.

Best options

🥇 Thinkific — probably my first choice

Thinkific is particularly attractive if you want a real course platform without giving up a percentage of every sale. Current comparisons put its paid plans at 0% platform transaction fees when using Thinkific Payments; fees can apply if you connect an external payment processor. Ruzuku Don't Do It Yourself

For multilingual courses, you can create separate versions of your course for English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc., and customize course/site content. The main caveat is that native interface localization is not the same thing as automatically translating your course.

thinkific.com

🥈 Teachery — excellent if you want simplicity

Teachery is worth looking at if you don't need a huge ecosystem. Its big advantage is straightforward pricing and no Teachery transaction fee. Teachery

I'd consider it if you're planning something like:

• English course
• Spanish version
• French version
• Same videos/content structure
• Separate pricing or landing pages for each market

teachery.co

🥉 LearnWorlds — best if multilingual is central to the business

LearnWorlds is more education-focused and has stronger tools for building a polished “online school.” Its higher-tier plans eliminate platform transaction fees, while the entry plan has a per-enrollment charge. Ruzuku

This would be my pick if you're envisioning multiple languages + multiple courses + a proper branded academy, rather than simply selling one course.

learnworlds.com

💰 Systeme.io — cheapest starting point

systeme.io is interesting if keeping your initial costs extremely low matters more than having the most sophisticated learning environment. Current 2026 comparisons report a free tier with 0% platform transaction fees, alongside funnels, email marketing and course functionality. Don't Do It Yourself CourseMargin

The tradeoff is that it feels more like an all-in-one marketing/sales system that includes courses than a dedicated multilingual learning platform.

systeme.io

One I'd be cautious about: Teachable

Teachable is very easy to use, but its cheapest current plan has a 7.5% transaction fee. You need the higher tier to get 0% platform transaction fees. Teachable Ruzuku

So if you're specifically saying “I don't want the platform taking a percentage of my sales,” I'd look at Thinkific, Teachery, or LearnWorlds first.

teachable.com

What I'd choose for your situation

If you're launching one course in 2–5 languages, I'd shortlist:

1. Thinkific — best overall.
2. Teachery — cheapest/simple option with no platform cut.
3. LearnWorlds — best if multilingual education is a major part of the business.
4. Systeme.io — best if your priority is keeping upfront cost near $0.

One thing I'd investigate before choosing is how you want the multilingual experience to work. There is a big difference between:

A. One course where students choose English/Spanish/French inside the same course

versus

B. Separate English, Spanish and French versions, each with its own sales page, price, emails and student enrollment.

If you tell me how many languages, your expected monthly sales/students, and whether you'll sell one course or several, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 cheapest platforms and calculate what you'd actually pay per month/year at your expected revenue.

systeme.io

One I'd be cautious about: Teachable

Teachable is very easy to use, but its cheapest current plan has a 7.5% transaction fee. You need the higher tier to get 0% platform transaction fees. teachable.com Ruzuku

So if you're specifically saying “I don't want the platform taking a percentage of my sales,” I'd look at Thinkific, Teachery, or LearnWorlds first.

If by “no platform fees” you mean you keep 100% of the course revenue aside from Stripe/PayPal processing fees, there are several good options. For a multilingual course, I’d narrow it to these:

*Prices can change; these are current published prices I found. LearnWorlds Thinkific Teachable

My picks for your situation

1. Thinkific — probably the sweet spot

Thinkific explicitly supports creating and delivering courses in multiple languages, including localized site settings and student communications. Its current Basic plan is $54/month monthly or $40/month when billed annually, with no platform transaction fee. Thinkific

thinkific.com

2. LearnWorlds — best if multilingual learning is central to the product

LearnWorlds gives you more sophisticated LMS functionality. The catch is that its cheap Starter plan charges $5 per enrollment. The Pro Trainer plan is $79/month annually and removes those enrollment fees. LearnWorlds

learnworlds.com

3. Teachable — worth considering if you want automated translation

Teachable now includes free subtitles and translations, and its platform supports global payments and taxes. However, the inexpensive Starter plan takes 7.5%, so you'd want to move to a 0%-fee tier if you're expecting meaningful sales volume. Teachable

teachable.com

One important distinction

“No platform fees” doesn't mean zero fees altogether. Even on a 0%-platform-fee plan, you'll generally still pay Stripe, PayPal, or another payment processor's processing fee. Thinkific, for example, says its payment tools are available through Thinkific Payments, while LearnWorlds explicitly notes that Stripe/PayPal fees remain separate from its own platform fees. Thinkific LearnWorlds

If you're launching, say, English + Spanish + French and want to keep costs low, I'd start with Thinkific. If you need separate localized versions of courses, sophisticated assessments, certificates, or a more full-featured LMS, I'd look at LearnWorlds.

If you tell me how many languages, expected students/month, course price, and whether you need translated audio/video or just translated text/subtitles, I can work out the cheapest option for your specific launch.

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

My top picks

1. Payhip — easiest place to start

• Free to set up.
• Unlimited products and revenue.
• Very beginner-friendly.
• The catch: the free plan takes 5% per sale, plus normal PayPal/Stripe processing fees. Its $99/month Pro plan has 0% platform transaction fees. Payhip Payhip Help Center
• payhip.com
• Thinkific — better if you want a "real school"

• Designed specifically for online courses.
• More polished course/student experience than a simple digital-product store.
• However, it no longer has a free plan; it currently offers a 30-day trial, and paid plans start at $54/month monthly after its August 2026 pricing increase. Thinkific Support Thinkific
• If you use Thinkific Payments, you're paying payment-processing fees rather than an additional platform transaction fee. Thinkific Thinkific Support
• thinkific.com
• Teachable — easy, but I'd skip it for your particular goal

• It's beginner-friendly and very course-focused.
• But its lower-priced plans can have transaction fees, so it doesn't fit your "no platform fees" requirement as well as you'd like.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Payhip. Don't spend $50–$100/month before you've proven that people actually want your course.

You can create the course, put it online, and start selling it for essentially $0 upfront. Once you're making enough sales that the 5% fee becomes painful, then consider moving to a platform with no platform transaction fee.

One important distinction: "no platform fees" doesn't mean "no fees at all." Payment processors such as Stripe or PayPal will normally still take their processing fee when someone pays you. Payhip explicitly notes this. Payhip

If you tell me what you want to teach (e.g. fitness, cooking, coaching, crafts, business, language, etc.) and roughly how much you want to charge, I can recommend the simplest setup and walk you through exactly what I'd use.

For someone with no tech skills, I’d avoid anything that requires WordPress, hosting, plugins, or building your own website. You want a “sign up → upload videos/PDFs → add a price → share link” experience.

My recommendations:

1. Systeme.io — best overall free starting point

systeme.io

Best for: A beginner who wants to sell a first course without paying monthly fees.

Pros:

• Free plan available
• Course hosting + sales pages + email tools in one place
• No coding needed
• Good if you eventually want funnels, email lists, and marketing tools

Cons:

• The course area is more basic than premium platforms
• Less “beautiful” than some dedicated course platforms

This is probably where I’d start if you’re building a small paid course from scratch. courseplatformpicks.com OnlineCourseTools

2. Podia — easiest interface

podia.com

Best for: Someone who values simplicity over advanced features.

Pros:

• Very beginner-friendly
• Clean course builder
• Also handles digital downloads, memberships, and email

Cons:

• Free/low-cost options may include transaction fees
• You may need a paid plan as you grow SavingSec Oversite

3. Gumroad — simplest “just sell something”

gumroad.com

Best for: A first mini-course, workshop, ebook, templates, or downloadable lessons.

Pros:

• Extremely easy setup
• No monthly subscription required
• Good for testing an idea

Cons:

• Not a full classroom experience
• Limited quizzes, student tracking, community features Threecus

4. Thinkific — best if you want a more “professional school” feel

thinkific.com

Best for: A serious course business after you know people want your content.

Pros:

• Strong course structure
• Better student experience
• More education-focused

Cons:

• Free options and pricing have changed over time, so check current limits before committing. Ruzuku

What I would choose in your situation

• $0 budget + beginner: Systeme.io
• Want the easiest interface: Podia
• Testing a small idea this month: Gumroad
• Planning a real course business: Thinkific

I would not start with:

• WordPress + LMS plugins (too technical)
• Kajabi (excellent, but expensive for a beginner)
• Building a custom website

A simple beginner path:

1. Record lessons with your phone or Zoom.
2. Put videos in Systeme.io or Podia.
3. Create a simple sales page.
4. Get your first 5–10 students.
5. Upgrade only after you have proof people will pay.

If you tell me (1) whether you want to sell the course or give it away, (2) your expected price, and (3) whether it’s video/audio/PDF/live classes, I can narrow it down to one platform.