BEST-OF · 2026

The Best Way to Sell Courses on WordPress

If you already run WordPress, you can host your course on your own site and skip the monthly platform fees entirely. These are the best options for selling courses on WordPress, where you own the platform.

Scored by the EverythingLMS review panel · how we score · Updated June 2026 · affiliate disclosure

PICK

Thrive Apprentice 82/100 · EXCELLENT BEST FOR WORDPRESS

Thrive Apprentice is the pick for people who already live in WordPress and want to own their course platform outright. Instead of renting space on a hosted tool and handing over a monthly fee plus a slice of sales, you run everything on your own site for a flat annual licence. Over a few years, that maths gets very appealing.

✓ PROS

Runs on your own WordPress site
One annual fee, no per-student or per-sale cut
Full design control via Thrive tools

✕ CONS

Needs WordPress and hosting to run
Not a hosted, set-up-for-you platform

Best for: WordPress users who want to own their platform and pay no per-student fees

No per-student fees

from ~$99/yr

See pricing ↗ Read full review →

PICK

Kajabi 92/100 · EXCEPTIONAL EDITOR'S CHOICE

Kajabi is the platform we point most serious course creators toward, and the reason is simple: it replaces about five separate subscriptions. You get the course builder, the website, the email tool, the sales funnels and the checkout in one account, and they actually talk to each other. For someone running a knowledge business rather than just publishing a single course, that consolidation is worth real money.

✓ PROS

Courses, website, email and funnels in one place
0% transaction fees on every plan
Strong marketing and automation tools

✕ CONS

Pricier than single-purpose course tools
Course-design depth trails LearnWorlds

Best for: Serious creators who want to run their whole business from one platform

0% transaction fees

from $89/mo

Start free trial ↗ Read full review →

PICK

Thinkific 90/100 · EXCEPTIONAL BEST FREE PLAN

Thinkific is the platform I most often suggest as the Teachable alternative, and for a lot of people it is the better choice. The course builder is clean and quick to learn, it charges 0% transaction fees on paid plans, and its free plan is the most genuinely usable of any tool here. You can build and launch a real course without paying a cent.

✓ PROS

0% transaction fees, even on paid plans
One of the most generous free plans available
Clean, intuitive course builder

✕ CONS

Marketing and email tools are lighter
Fewer advanced design options than LearnWorlds

Best for: Creators who want a solid course builder with no transaction fees, free to try

0% transaction fees

from $49/mo

Try free ↗ Read full review →

PICK

Teachable 88/100 · EXCEPTIONAL BEST FOR BEGINNERS

Teachable is the platform I recommend to anyone launching their first course who does not want to think about the tech. You can go from a blank account to a published, payable course in an afternoon. The interface gets out of your way, the course player is clean, and it quietly handles the annoying parts like EU VAT and payouts.

✓ PROS

Genuinely easy to set up your first course
Free plan to start with zero cost
Clean, reliable course player for students

✕ CONS

Transaction fees on the free and lower tiers
Site design and customisation are limited

Best for: First-time creators who want to launch a course quickly without a learning curve

Free plan (high fees)

from $39/mo

Try free ↗ Read full review →

PICK

LearnWorlds 86/100 · EXCELLENT BEST COURSE DESIGN

LearnWorlds is for creators who think of a course as a teaching product, not just a stack of videos. It does things the others do not: interactive video with questions baked into the timeline, rich assessments, proper certificates, and SCORM support for selling into companies. If learning outcomes matter to you, this is the platform that takes them seriously.

✓ PROS

Interactive video with in-video questions
Strong assessments, certificates and SCORM
The most flexible course design on this list

✕ CONS

Starter plan adds a $5 per-sale fee
Steeper learning curve than Teachable

Best for: Creators who want genuinely interactive, well-designed courses

Starter +$5/sale

from $29/mo

Start free trial ↗ Read full review →

At a glance

Tool	Index	Ease	From	Free	Best for
Thrive Apprentice	82	7.6	from ~$99/yr	—	WordPress users who want to own their platform and pay no per-student fees
Kajabi	92	8.8	from $89/mo	—	Serious creators who want to run their whole business from one platform
Thinkific	90	8.8	from $49/mo	✓	Creators who want a solid course builder with no transaction fees, free to try
Teachable	88	9.0	from $39/mo	✓	First-time creators who want to launch a course quickly without a learning curve
LearnWorlds	86	7.9	from $29/mo	—	Creators who want genuinely interactive, well-designed courses

HOW TO CHOOSE

Choosing the right tool

Decide if owning the platform is worth the upkeep. Running your course on WordPress means no monthly platform fee and no cut of your sales, but you are responsible for hosting, updates and maintenance. For self-reliant WordPress users that trade is usually worth it.

Price the long game. A hosted platform charges every month forever; a WordPress plugin like Thrive Apprentice is largely an annual licence. Over a few years the WordPress route often wins on cost, especially as your sales grow.

Check the design and funnel tools. The appeal of WordPress is control, so look at how much you can customise the course experience and whether you can build landing pages and funnels on the same site.

Be honest about your tech comfort. If you do not want to touch hosting, plugins or updates, a hosted platform that sets everything up for you is the safer pick. WordPress rewards people who like owning their stack.

FAQ

What is the best LMS for WordPress?

Thrive Apprentice is our pick for selling courses on WordPress. It runs on your own site for an annual licence with no per-student fees, and pairs with Thrive Suite for funnels and landing pages.