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    Where to Sell Online Courses: Marketplaces, Platforms, and Your Own Site

    Compare marketplaces (Udemy, Skillshare), platforms (Teachable, Kajabi, Ruzuku), and self-hosted options. Honest trade-offs for each.

    Abe Crystal, PhD13 min readUpdated April 2026

    You've built a course — or you're about to — and now you need to figure out where to actually sell it. The options break down into three categories: marketplaces that bring you students, platforms where you build your own storefront, and self-hosted setups where you control everything. Each comes with real trade-offs, and the right choice depends on what you're optimizing for: reach, revenue, control, or simplicity.

    Short answer

    If you have no audience and want exposure, a marketplace like Udemy gets you in front of millions of learners — but you'll give up pricing control and up to 63% of revenue. If you want to build a real course business, an all-in-one platform like Teachable, Kajabi, or Ruzuku lets you own your brand, set your prices, and keep the student relationship. If you're technical and want maximum control, WordPress + LearnDash works — but expect ongoing maintenance.

    Option 1: Course marketplaces (Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera)

    Marketplaces work like Amazon for courses. You upload your content, they handle discovery and marketing, and students find you through their search engine. The appeal is obvious: instant access to millions of potential students without building an audience first.

    Udemy is the largest, with over 70 million learners and 220,000+ courses. You can list a course for free. Skillshare uses a subscription model where students pay a monthly fee and you earn based on watch time. Coursera partners primarily with universities and institutions, so it's less accessible for independent creators.

    The trade-offs are significant

    Revenue share. Udemy takes up to 63% of each sale when they drive the student to your course. You keep 97% only on sales from your own promotional links — but most students come through Udemy's marketplace, not your links. Skillshare pays based on minutes watched, which typically translates to a few dollars per student per month.

    Pricing control. This is the big one. Udemy frequently runs site-wide sales that discount courses to $9.99 or $14.99 — regardless of what you set as your list price. You can't opt out. If you've built a $200 course, seeing it sold for $12.99 during a flash sale is demoralizing, and it trains students to wait for discounts rather than paying full price.

    No student relationship. Marketplace students belong to the marketplace, not to you. You can't export email addresses, you can't market other products to them directly, and you can't build the kind of ongoing relationship that sustains a course business long-term.

    When a marketplace makes sense: You have no existing audience and want to validate that people will pay for your topic. You treat it as a discovery channel, not your primary revenue source. Some creators use Udemy to attract students and then direct them to a higher-priced course on their own platform — essentially using the marketplace as a lead generation tool.

    Option 2: All-in-one course platforms (Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, Ruzuku)

    This is where most serious course creators end up. An all-in-one platform gives you a branded website, course hosting, payment processing, and student management — without needing to piece together separate tools or write code.

    The fundamental difference from a marketplace: you own the student relationship. You collect email addresses, set your own prices, and build a brand that's yours — not Udemy's. The trade-off is that you're responsible for getting students to your site. Nobody's browsing a marketplace and stumbling on your course.

    How the major platforms compare

    Teachable starts at $39/month and is popular for creators who sell self-paced video courses. It has solid sales page tools and handles payments well. The learning tools themselves — discussions, live sessions, assignments — are more limited. Teachable charges a 5% transaction fee on its Basic plan, which adds up quickly once you're making consistent sales.

    Kajabi starts at $71/month (annual) and positions itself as an all-in-one business platform — courses, email marketing, sales funnels, community, and a website builder. If you'd otherwise be paying for 3-4 separate tools, the price can make sense. But it's the most expensive option on this list, and the course-building features themselves aren't significantly stronger than cheaper alternatives. For a deeper look, see Kajabi alternatives.

    Thinkific starts at $36/month and offers more design customization than most platforms, including CSS editing and SCORM compliance for corporate training. It charges a 5% surcharge on the Basic plan if you use your own Stripe account. Good for creators who want visual control over their site.

    Ruzuku (our platform) starts at $49.75/month on an annual plan and is built for people who care about the teaching experience — live sessions, drip scheduling, built-in discussions, student tech support. It's not a marketing suite. If you want sales funnels and landing page builders, Kajabi is a better fit. But if your priority is students actually completing your course and having a good learning experience, that's what we've optimized for. Our data from 32,000+ courses shows that courses using live sessions and built-in discussions see 64% completion rates vs. 48% for self-paced courses without engagement tools.

    For a more complete comparison of switching from specific platforms, see Teachable alternatives.

    The pricing reality

    Here's a data point that matters: Ruzuku creators' median course price is $110. On Udemy, the effective price after discounts is often $10-$15. That's not a small difference — it's the difference between needing 10 students to make $1,100 and needing 100 students to make the same amount. When you own your platform and control your pricing, you can charge what your expertise is actually worth.

    Option 3: Self-hosted (WordPress + LMS plugins)

    If you're technical — or willing to hire someone who is — you can build a course site on WordPress using an LMS plugin like LearnDash. This gives you maximum control over every aspect of your site, from design to data to integrations.

    What you get: Full ownership of your site and data. No monthly platform fees (just hosting, typically $10-30/month). No transaction fees beyond payment processor charges. Complete design freedom. Integration with any WordPress plugin or theme.

    What you give up: Simplicity. A self-hosted setup requires managing hosting, security updates, plugin compatibility, backups, and SSL certificates. When something breaks — and it will — you need to debug it yourself or pay someone to fix it. LearnDash costs $199-$399 for the plugin, and you'll likely need additional plugins for payment processing, email marketing, and video hosting.

    For a detailed breakdown, I've written a WordPress LMS comparison that covers the major plugin options.

    When self-hosted makes sense: You already run a WordPress site with significant traffic. You have technical skills (or a developer on retainer). You need specific integrations that no hosted platform supports. Or you're philosophically committed to owning your entire technology stack.

    When it doesn't: You're just getting started and your time is better spent creating course content and finding students. The hours you'll spend configuring plugins and troubleshooting conflicts could go toward actually teaching.

    Which option is right for you?

    Rather than declaring a single "best" option, here's a decision framework based on where you are right now:

    You have no audience and want to test your topic. Start with a marketplace like Udemy to validate demand, or use a platform's free tier (like Ruzuku's free plan) to run a small pilot with people you already know. The goal at this stage is learning, not maximizing revenue.

    You have a small audience (email list, social following, existing clients). Go straight to an all-in-one platform. You already have people who trust you — a marketplace will undercut your pricing and put a wall between you and your students. Even 100 email subscribers is enough to launch a course.

    You're a coach or trainer who runs live programs. Look for platforms with native live session support, built-in discussions, and completion tracking. The "marketing suite" platforms (Kajabi, Kartra) are designed for selling, not for teaching. If student outcomes matter to your business — and for coaches, they should — prioritize the learning experience.

    You're building a content empire. If you plan to sell dozens of courses with complex funnels and upsells, Kajabi's all-in-one approach may justify the higher price. If you're more focused on selling digital products broadly (courses, downloads, memberships), a lighter platform plus separate email marketing might give you more flexibility.

    You're technical and want full control. WordPress + LearnDash is your path. Just be honest about the maintenance commitment — it's ongoing, not a one-time setup.

    Your next step

    Don't overthink the platform decision. I've seen creators spend months comparing features on spreadsheets when they could have been building their first course. The platform matters less than the quality of what you teach and your ability to reach the people who need it.

    If you're still early, my honest advice: pick any reputable all-in-one platform, create your first course, sell it to a small group, and learn from that experience. You can always switch platforms later — and the things you learn from actually teaching will inform a much better platform decision than any comparison article (including this one).

    If you want to start right now, Ruzuku's free plan lets you create unlimited courses and enroll up to 5 participants — no credit card, no transaction fees, no time limit. Or read our guide to starting an online coaching business if you're still working through the bigger picture.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the best place to sell online courses in 2026?

    It depends on your goals. Marketplaces like Udemy give you a built-in audience but take up to 63% of revenue and control your pricing. Self-hosted platforms like Teachable, Kajabi, and Ruzuku let you own your audience, set your own prices, and build your brand — but you handle marketing. For most independent course creators, an all-in-one platform is the strongest starting point because you keep control without needing technical skills.

    Can you make money selling courses on Udemy?

    Yes, but the economics are challenging. Udemy frequently discounts courses to $9.99-$14.99 regardless of your list price. Instructors receive 37% of revenue from Udemy-driven sales. You can earn 97% on sales from your own promotional links, but most sales come through Udemy's marketplace. Creators who sell on their own platform typically charge $50-$200+ — Ruzuku's median course price is $110.

    Should I sell courses on my own website or a marketplace?

    If you already have an audience — even a small one — selling on your own platform is almost always better. You keep 95-100% of revenue, set your own prices, and own the student relationship. If you have no audience and want to test whether people will pay for your expertise, a marketplace can provide initial validation. Many creators start on a marketplace and move to their own platform once they have traction.

    How much does it cost to sell online courses?

    Marketplaces are free to list on but take 37-63% of each sale. All-in-one platforms charge monthly subscriptions: Teachable starts at $39/month, Kajabi at $71/month (annual), Ruzuku at $49.75/month (annual). Self-hosted WordPress setups cost $10-30/month for hosting plus a one-time LMS plugin fee ($199-$399 for LearnDash). The cheapest option upfront isn't always cheapest long-term.

    What is the difference between a course marketplace and a course platform?

    A marketplace (Udemy, Skillshare) hosts your course alongside thousands of others and handles marketing, but controls pricing and takes a large revenue share. A platform (Teachable, Kajabi, Ruzuku) gives you your own branded site where you control pricing, student data, and the learning experience. Think of it like selling at a flea market vs. opening your own shop — the flea market has foot traffic, but the shop builds your brand.

    Topics:
    sell online courses
    course marketplace
    course platform
    Udemy
    Teachable
    Kajabi
    self-hosted courses

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