GROW:

Online Courses

Turning your knowledge into structured learning

An online course helps people work through a subject in a planned order, with lessons and activities that support a clear learning goal.

Tools in this category will help you to...

Prepare teaching materials, organise lessons, deliver resources and manage student access or payments. Some platforms host courses for you, while others add learning features to your own WordPress website. A marketplace can introduce your course to people already looking for training. Licensed materials provide another starting point for developing lessons, with your knowledge and examples helping make them relevant to your audience.

Planning your first course? Read our short planning guide below →

How we classify our listings

✓ Personally tested — We have used the product ourselves.
◇ Research reviewed — We have examined available product information and relevant research, without claiming first-hand use.
○ Directory listing — A concise introduction based on available information; no hands-on testing or in-depth research is implied.

The directory is developing incrementally. We’ll add research and first-hand testing as we carry them out, while keeping straightforward listings useful for discovery.

Top ↑

Content Sparks

Content Sparks sells editable teaching materials for coaches, consultants and course creators, covering subjects such as business skills, marketing and professional development. Depending on the product, packs can include lesson content, presentation slides, workbooks and promotional materials. Adapt the content with your own branding, examples and experience, then teach or sell the finished training within its licence terms. Free content packs provide a way to examine some materials before buying. Course delivery and hosting are arranged separately. The licence does not let you pass resale rights to customers or redistribute the editable source pack.

○ Directory listing

Visit Content Sparks →

LifterLMS

LifterLMS adds course-building and student management tools to your own WordPress website. Organise lessons into sections, combine text, video and downloadable resources, and follow students’ progress through the material. The free core plugin includes quizzes, completion certificates and membership features, with support for unlimited courses and students. You can offer free enrolment or handle payments manually. Automated checkout through services such as Stripe or PayPal requires paid extensions or a suitable bundle. WordPress hosting and any separate video hosting are additional costs. It gives you control over your course website, along with responsibility for maintaining that site.

○ Directory listing

Visit LifterLMS →

Skool

Skool brings a course library and community discussions together in one hosted space. Organise lessons in its Classroom, share videos and supporting resources, and use the community feed for questions and conversation around the material. A calendar and live calls support scheduled sessions, while progress tracking helps members follow their learning. Both paid plans include unlimited courses. A 14-day trial is available, followed by a platform subscription for the group owner. Hobby costs US$9 a month, with a 10% plus US$0.30 fee on paid transactions. Pro costs US$99 a month and offers lower percentage transaction fees.

○ Directory listing

Visit Skool →

systeme.io

systeme.io lets you create, host and sell courses using video, text and downloadable resources. Arrange lessons into modules, add quizzes and release material gradually after enrolment. Its sales pages, checkout and email tools connect course delivery with promotion and student follow-up, without requiring a separate website or course plugin. The free plan currently includes one course for up to 500 students, with contact and automation limits also applying. Paid plans increase the available allowances. systeme.io charges no platform transaction fee, although payment providers such as Stripe or PayPal still charge for processing payments. You arrange how prospective students find your course.

○ Directory listing

Visit systeme.io →

Udemy

Udemy lets you publish recorded courses within an established learning marketplace. Plan your lessons, upload videos and organise supporting materials through its instructor tools. Topic research, teaching guides and feedback on a test video can help you prepare your first course. Publication requires instructor verification and a course that meets Udemy’s quality requirements, including at least 30 minutes of video and five lectures. Creating and hosting courses is free. Udemy retains a share of sales revenue, with instructors receiving a larger share when students buy through their own instructor coupons or referral links. Subscription programmes use separate payment arrangements.

○ Directory listing

Visit Udemy →

Planning a course people can use

Start with a clear learning goal

Decide who the course is for and what learners should be able to do when they finish. Break that goal into manageable steps, with a short lesson or activity for each. Examples, demonstrations and opportunities to practise can help people apply what you teach. Begin with a focused subject you know well, keeping the amount of material realistic for your first course.

Choose how the learning will happen

Consider whether students will work independently, attend live sessions or benefit from group discussion and feedback. A hosted course service, community platform and WordPress plugin involve different setup and maintenance tasks. Check how each handles lesson formats, student access, payments and progress. The Webinars section below covers tools for live presentations and teaching sessions.

Prepare the materials and check the costs

Use clear audio, readable visuals and instructions that suit your audience. If you buy licensed materials, check their accuracy, adapt them to your learners and follow both the content licence and your chosen platform’s publishing rules. Compare hosting charges, payment fees, paid extensions and any share retained by a marketplace. Before launch, work through the course as a student and allow time for questions, corrections and future updates.

Top ↑