Online Course Platform Comparison: Which One Actually Works for You?

When you’re choosing an online course platform, a digital system designed to deliver, manage, and track learning content. Also known as a learning management system, it’s the backbone of everything from free coding lessons to corporate training programs. But not all platforms are made equal. Some are built for instructors who want to sell courses, others for schools that need student tracking, and a few just for hosting videos with no real learning tools at all. The right one depends on what you’re trying to do—teach, learn, or make money.

Take eLearning platforms, digital environments where structured courses are delivered online. Also known as MOOCs, they range from massive open courses like Coursera to niche marketplaces like Udemy. These platforms handle payments, student progress, quizzes, and sometimes even certificates. But here’s the catch: if you’re an instructor, you’ll care about how much they take from your sales, how easy it is to upload content, and whether students actually finish your course. If you’re a learner, you care about clarity, support, and whether the skills you learn actually help you get hired.

Then there’s the tech behind them. Platforms that use xAPI, a learning record standard that tracks real-world activity across apps and devices. Also known as Experience API, it’s what lets a platform know you watched a video on your phone, then practiced on a simulator at work. Most free or cheap platforms still rely on old-school SCORM—useless for tracking anything beyond a click. Modern platforms? They know when you’re engaged, when you’re stuck, and even when you’re likely to drop out. That’s not magic. That’s data.

And if you’re thinking of building your own course? You’ll need to compare not just features, but costs. Some platforms charge monthly fees. Others take 30-50% of every sale. Some give you full control over branding. Others lock you in with their logo everywhere. Google’s free courses? They’re great for learning, but you can’t sell them. Udemy lets you sell, but you’re competing with 200,000 other courses. Teachable? You own your audience, but you handle all the marketing.

This collection of posts doesn’t just list platforms—it shows you what’s behind them. You’ll find real breakdowns of what works, what doesn’t, and why some instructors make thousands while others barely break even. You’ll see how teacher training programs pick their tools, how coding bootcamps track progress, and why some certifications are worth more because of the platform they’re hosted on. No fluff. No hype. Just what you need to pick the right system for your goals—whether you’re teaching, learning, or turning knowledge into income.