10 Best Free Online Course Creator Software for 2024

At first, creating online courses may seem challenging, but with the right software, everything becomes easy.

I will share the 10 best free online course creator software to help you design, manage, and deliver high-quality courses without breaking the bank.

Whether you’re an experienced trainer or new to course creation, these options offer user-friendly features to suit your needs.

Let’s explore the best tools to boost your teaching and learning experience.

Which Is the Best Free Online Course Creator?

Choosing the right free course creator means considering a range of factors like ease of use, features, and scalability.

My top 3 picks are:

Option A: ProProfs Training Maker 

My organization uses ProProfs Training Maker for online employee training. It offers a cloud-based LMS with a user-friendly rapid authoring tool and a library of pre-made courses and templates. This platform suits businesses of various sizes and industries.

Option B: Thinkific 

Thinkific stands out for educators wanting to monetize their expertise. It provides tools to create, market, and sell courses. Features like coupons, webinars, and blog apps help attract new students and build an audience.

Option C: Kajabi 

Kajabi excels in transforming knowledge into digital products. Users can create and sell online courses, coaching programs, and memberships. Integrated features like payment processing and email marketing streamline business operations.

These are my top picks for the best free online course creators. If you want to explore more such tools, continue reading this post. I have also included a few basic things like the features and benefits of using online course creator tools.

What Is Online Course Builder Software?

Online course creator or builder software is a tool for developing and delivering educational content online. These platforms offer features to streamline the process, from creating video lectures and quizzes to managing learner enrollment and payment processing.

There are two main categories of online course creation software:

• Learning Management Systems (LMS): As the best online course creator platform, an LMS focuses on delivering and managing the course content. They offer features for uploading videos, PDFs, and presentations, creating quizzes, and tracking learner progress.
• All-in-One Platforms: These platforms combine LMS features with marketing and sales tools. They allow you to create your course content, build a landing page to promote it, process payments, and manage learner communication, all within a single platform.

What Are the Key Features of a Free Online Course Creator?

Having experimented with several free online course builders, I always look for a few things in these tools. Choose the feature based on your learning needs.

1. Course Creation Features

• Intuitive Interface: A drag-and-drop interface or a WYSIWYG editor allows users with varying technical backgrounds to structure their course content easily.
• Content Upload and Management: The platform should integrate various media formats, such as videos, audio files, PDFs, presentations, and quizzes.
• Drip Content: The ability to schedule content delivery or release modules sequentially keeps learners engaged and focused.
• Interactive Elements: Engagement is key. Features like polls, online collaboration and discussions, drag-and-drop activities, and gamification elements can be embedded to make courses more interactive.

2. Availability of Materials/Lessons

• Content Libraries: Some OCCs offer pre-built templates, quizzes, and other learning objects to jumpstart course creation.
• Lesson Planning Tools: The free online course builder should allow you to structure lessons with clear learning objectives, organize content, and track employee training progress.
• Assessment Tools: Multiple-choice questions, open-ended essays, and even video assignments can be created to evaluate learner understanding.

3. Easy Resource Management

• Cloud Storage: Secure cloud storage ensures content availability and scalability for a growing course library.
• Version Control: The ability to track changes, revert to previous versions, and collaborate on course development is crucial.
• Content Security: Features like password protection and access controls ensure your course content stays secure.

4. Marketing and Promotion Tools

• Landing Page Creation: The OCC might offer tools to build attractive landing pages to promote your course and capture leads.
• Email Marketing Integration: Integration with email marketing tools allows for automated course announcements, progress reports, and special offers.
• Affiliate Marketing Features: Some platforms allow recruiting affiliates to promote your course for a commission, expanding your reach.

5. Additional Technical Considerations

• SCORM Compliance: Ensure your OCC is SCORM compliant for easy integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS) used by organizations.
• Analytics and Reporting: Detailed reports on learner engagement, completion rates, and performance provide valuable insights for course improvement.
• API Access: For advanced users, an API allows for custom integrations with external tools.

What Are the Benefits of Free Course Creator Software?

Course creation tools provide numerous benefits not just for instructors but learners as well. Here is how both parties can benefit from this tool:

Benefits for Entrepreneurs and Consultants:

1. Reduced Costs: Create professional courses without expensive software licenses.
2. Faster Course Creation: Pre-built templates and drag-and-drop features save time.
3. Easy Content Management: Upload various media formats and organize your course content.
4. Marketing & Sales Tools: Promote your courses and collect payments through the platform (may vary depending on the platform).
5. Learner Engagement: Built-in tools like quizzes and discussions can boost interaction.
6. Analytics & Reporting: Track learner progress and course performance to improve future offerings.

Case Study:

Benefits for Learners:

1. Free Learning Opportunities: Access valuable educational content without upfront costs. (Note: this feature is applicable for free tools only)
2. Convenient & Flexible Learning: Learn at your own pace and on your own schedule.
3. Diverse Course Catalog: Explore various topics and find courses that fit your interests.
4. Interactive Learning Experience: Engage with quizzes, discussions, and other interactive elements (may vary).
5. Track Your Progress: Monitor your learning journey and see how you’re doing in the course.
6. Potential for Certification: Earn certificates upon completion to showcase your acquired skills.

List of the Best Free Online Course Builders

1. ProProfs Training Maker – Best for easy online employee training & LMS

My organization uses ProProfs Training Maker, a comprehensive cloud-based LMS, and the best free online course builder to simplify online employee training. Thanks to its authoring tool and a rich library of hundreds of premium courses and templates. This platform suits businesses of various sizes and industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, NGOs, etc.

This tool allows me to create, manage, distribute, and monitor online training courses and assessments. Features include mobile LMS, gamification, advanced reporting, and customizable certificates.

Gamification elements like leaderboards, badges, and quizzes make learning engaging and enjoyable. Advanced reporting tools give me valuable insights into learner progress. Customizable certificates add a personal touch to course completion recognition.

What you will like:

• Incredibly easy to understand and use
• Quick start with out-of-the-box content solutions
• Adaptable for any use case, industry, or audience type
• High security with password-protected courses, user roles, permissions, GDPR compliance, and complete data ownership
• Automatic grading and granular reports offer real-time progress insights

What you may not like:

• The free version supports only 10 learners and excludes premium courses.
• Adding a dark mode option would enhance the user experience.

Pricing:

Forever free for small teams. Paid plans start at $1.99/learner/month.

2. Thinkific – Best for Coaches Selling Courses

Thinkific is the ideal platform for selling online courses crafted by educators for educators. It offers a user-friendly and secure way to monetize your expertise and make a meaningful impact. You can start selling your knowledge products in a simple and authentic way. Thinkific’s tools foster relationships, establish trust, and turn your participants into lifelong learners.

With features like coupons, promotions, webinars, and blog apps, Thinkific helps you attract new students and grow your audience. This online course creator for free lets you create education-focused websites, landing pages, and sales pages to showcase your offerings. The platform ensures an optimized checkout process, making it easy for students to enroll. With built-in tools that save time on marketing and administration, you can focus on developing products and teaching.

Thinkific’s TCommerce package enhances growth by integrating marketing, payments, and bookkeeping tools. This allows you to boost conversions and increase the value of every order. For anyone looking to share their knowledge and grow their teaching business, Thinkific provides a comprehensive and effective solution.

What you will like:

• Create a professional web storefront to promote your online course without needing coding skills.
• Offers strong community-building features, allowing you to grow your learning community with Thinkific Communities.
• With Branded Mobile by Thinkific, you can have a custom mobile app for your courses and communities with your branding.

What you may not like:

• Lacks its own email marketing platform and only offers third-party integrations.
• Does not include a sales funnel builder, which could limit your marketing capabilities.
• Thinkific does not allow the sharing of completion certificates with students.

Pricing:

Free plan available (limited to one course). Paid plans start at $36/month

3. Kajabi – Best for Building Digital Products

At our organization, we find Kajabi to be a powerful platform for diversifying our revenue, building our brand, and turning our followers into customers. With Kajabi, we can transform our knowledge into digital products like online courses, coaching programs, podcasts, memberships, and newsletters.

As the best free online course builder we’ve used, Kajabi simplifies the creation, marketing, and selling of digital products, even for those of us without technical skills. Its user-friendly tools and templates help us quickly design and launch polished digital products. Moreover, Kajabi helps us connect with our audience through a custom mobile app and an online community.

With integrated features like payment processing, email marketing, and automated funnels, Kajabi streamlines your business operations. The platform’s analytics provide valuable insights to help you grow. Kajabi’s all-in-one solution ensures you have everything you need to succeed, including dynamic landing pages, seamless payments, and comprehensive contact management.

What you will like:

• The platform is intuitive, easy to navigate, and regularly updated with new features.
• Users can create a wide range of engaging products.
• It includes easy automation and flexible tools for sales processes.

What you may not like:

• Limited support for sales tax calculations can lead to extra costs for users.
• Flexibility in customizing and issuing completion certificates for students is limited.
• Options for customizing assessments on the platform are limited.

Pricing:

Free trial available (for 14 days). Starts at $55/month

4. Teachable – Best for Generating Course Outlines 

I feel that Teachable’s new AI-powered course curriculum generator has made creating courses much easier for me. Now, I can start for free and use AI to help build my course curriculum. Even experts sometimes find it tough to create courses, but Teachable’s curriculum generator removes this hurdle. I can quickly turn my ideas into structured content, which speeds up and energizes the course creation process.

With Teachable, I can teach an unlimited number of learners, offering lessons in various writing forms, from fiction to copywriting. It gives me the tools to create sales pages, enroll learners, and collect payments. Teachable is ideal for writers who want to diversify their income and extend their expertise globally. Whether you are a seasoned author or a budding scribe, Teachable helps turn your writing skills into educational success.

With Teachable, you get an all-in-one platform to create and sell courses, coaching, and digital downloads without coding. Join over 100,000 creators using Teachable to share their knowledge effortlessly.

What you will like:

• Offers a simple setup for creating a professional online school quickly.
• It handles transactions, making sales easier.
• Learners can use the Teachable iOS app for flexible learning.

What you may not like:

• You need third-party platforms for sales funnel building.
• No marketplace, so you have to market your courses independently.
• Has limited support for multiple languages, which could hinder global reach.

Pricing:

Free plan available ($1+10% transaction fee). Paid plans start at $39/month

5. Podia – Best for One-on-One Coaching Sessions

Podia is a versatile platform tailored for entrepreneurs and educators passionate about sharing knowledge through one-on-one coaching sessions. Its intuitive interface simplifies creating and selling online courses, digital downloads, and membership sites, but Podia truly shines in its personalized coaching offerings.

With Podia, coaches can effortlessly schedule sessions, manage bookings, and receive payments, all within a single ecosystem. The direct messaging feature enhances the coaching experience by allowing seamless communication between coach and client. This fosters a more intimate learning environment, enabling coaches to provide tailored guidance and support.

Moreover, Podia’s commitment to a no-transaction-fee policy means that coaches retain more earnings, making it an economically attractive option for professionals looking to grow their personal brand and business. The platform’s ability to integrate with various marketing tools also assists coaches in expanding their reach and nurturing client relationships.

What you will like:

• Podia does not charge transaction fees, allowing creators to keep more earnings.
• Includes features like email marketing and customer messaging, adding to its versatility.
• Covers digital commerce needs like memberships, digital downloads, coaching packages, and traditional courses.

What you may not like:

• There is no mobile app, which could limit access for users on the go.
• Reporting tools are basic and may not meet users’ needs seeking detailed analytics.
• No conversion-boosting features are available, which could hinder marketing efforts.

Pricing:

Free plan available (10% fees applicable). Paid plans start at $4/month

6. Skillshare – Best for Video Courses 

I haven’t tried Skillshare myself yet, but based on what my peers say, it excels as an online learning community known for its vast collection of video courses. This online course creator focuses on creative and interactive learning and offers over 29,000 courses in design, photography, and writing categories.

My colleagues appreciate Skillshare’s project-based approach, which encourages practical application. This makes it popular among learners who want hands-on experience. Courses like “Digital Illustration: Learn to Use Procreate” and “Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Visual Design” have high enrollments, showcasing the quality content and expertise of the instructors.

They also find the platform appealing due to its accessibility and rich content. For a subscription fee, users get unlimited access to all courses, allowing them to explore various subjects at their own pace. Its user-friendly interface and community features, like peer reviews and project sharing, create an engaging learning environment.

What you will like:

• Opportunities for interaction with instructors and learners enhance the learning experience.
• The platform is easy to navigate and suits learners of all levels.
• Users can become instructors, sharing their expertise and potentially earning money.

What you may not like:

• Skillshare does not offer certificates, which may not suit those seeking formal qualifications.
• The annual subscription fee can be high, and the auto-renewal policy can be off-putting for some users.
• Some courses may lack depth due to their short duration, which might not suit in-depth learning.

Pricing:

One month free trial available. The paid version is available on custom pricing

7. Udemy – Best for Cohort-Based Learning

Udemy Business stands out as a leading platform for cohort-based learning, particularly for leadership development. It offers a dynamic blend of self-paced and interactive learning experiences designed to foster innovation, resilience, and problem-solving among leaders. The programs are tailored to align with organizational goals, ensuring that learning translates into tangible business outcomes.

The cohort learning approach incorporates asynchronous micro-learning modules, collaborative forums, and live expert-led sessions. With over 50 specialized courses, Udemy Business caters to all leadership levels, providing relevant and actionable content.

Moreover, AI and machine learning analytics help organizations predict behavioral changes and gain insights to drive impact. Whether upskilling emerging leaders or enhancing the capabilities of established ones, Udemy Business delivers a comprehensive and impactful cohort learning experience.

What you will like:

• Learners can study at their own pace, fitting their schedule.
• Purchased courses come with lifetime access.
• Courses are reasonably priced. This makes learning accessible to a wider audience.

What you may not like:

• Course quality can be inconsistent since various instructors create them.
• Certificates of completion are not officially verified by external partners.
• Some courses may lack interactive elements.

Pricing:

Free personal plan (limited to 7 days only). Starts at $30/month/user

8. LearnWorlds – Best for creating & selling online courses 

LearnWorlds is a top platform for creating branded websites, blogs, and communities, especially for educational content. It offers a comprehensive set of tools that enable educators and entrepreneurs to deliver interactive and engaging learning experiences. With LearnWorlds, users can create unique online courses, integrate social learning activities, and build vibrant communities to enhance the value of their educational offerings.

The platform’s built-in community feature provides a space where learners can connect, discuss, and grow together. I like this feature because it promotes active participation and collaboration, leading to deeper understanding and knowledge retention.

LearnWorlds offers a stable and secure environment for hosting branded communities, free from the unpredictability of social media algorithms. Users have full control over their content and the community engagement rules. The platform’s intuitive design and SEO-optimized templates ensure that creating a professional-looking academy or blog is quick and easy.

What you will like:

• It offers a robust set of tools for course creation and marketing.
• There are many course options available.
• The platform integrates academy design with smart analytics and marketing.

What you may not like:

• The starting plan includes a $5 transaction fee on each course sale.
• Does not offer advanced options like A/B testing and automation rules.
• Full white-label options start at $299/month, which may be prohibitive for smaller businesses

Pricing:

30-day free trial available. Starts at $24/month.

9. iSpring Suite – eLearning software for PowerPoint

I have been using Spring Suite for quite some time now, and if you’re looking to create strong PowerPoint-based eLearning courses, it’s a top choice. Being the best free online course builder, this platform is known for its versatility and user-friendliness, iSpring Suite caters to instructional designers, course developers, L&D professionals, and educators aiming to create engaging courses effortlessly and share learning content across any device.

A key feature of iSpring Suite is its direct integration with PowerPoint. This makes it easy for users familiar with Microsoft’s presentation tool to create interactive courses without needing coding or design skills. I appreciate this intuitive nature, its short learning curve, and the robust support provided by the iSpring team.

The iSpring Suite toolkit supports creating professional courses, quizzes, interactive assessments, and simulations within the PowerPoint interface. The software’s HTML5 output ensures modules are accessible on various devices, enhancing the learning experience.

What you will like:

• It builds courses ready for mobile devices and adaptable to different screen sizes.
• The tool is easy to use and has an intuitive user interface.
• The product is known for good customer support and helpful resources.

What you may not like:

• Want more global commands, like “convert all notes to speech,” to streamline workflow.
• Certain features, like some drag-and-drop capabilities, are missing compared to other tools.
• Features like simulations and branching scenarios have a learning curve.

Pricing:

Free plan available (Limited to three question types only). Starts at $770/author/year

10. Coassemble – Best for Creating Immersive Learning Experiences

Coassemble creates immersive learning experiences. Its user-friendly authoring tool allows easy creation of courses, templates, and policies with a WYSIWYG functionality. This feature enables you to create interactive and visually stunning courses without coding skills.

One of Coassemble’s key features is its customizable templates. The platform offers a comprehensive library of templates, themes, and multimedia assets that can be tailored to fit your brand and teaching style. Additionally, Coassemble includes an AI assistant for quizzes, helping you create quizzes quickly and align assessments with learning outcomes.

Engaging in interactive courses is another highlight of Coassemble. The platform incorporates videos, interactive quizzes, and infographics to make learning enjoyable and memorable. It also offers SCORM compatibility, allowing you to export courses to any LMS. This flexibility ensures that your courses can reach a wider audience.

What you will like:

• The platform features a simple drag-and-drop tool for creating courses.
• Courses are optimized for mobile devices, enhancing learning flexibility.
• Coassemble provides live chat support in all packages, ensuring quick assistance.

What you may not like:

• Currently lacks built-in e-commerce functionality.
• Does not offer a large library of pre-made content, which may require additional content creation or procurement.
• May have limited advanced customization options for users seeking highly tailored course designs.

Pricing:

Free plan available (lacks image library). Starts at $7.50/member/monthly

Evaluation Criteria 

The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:

1. User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
2. Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
3. Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
4. Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
5. Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.
6. Personal Experience / Experts’ Opinions: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can I sell my courses using free online course creator software?

Yes, some free online course creator software allows you to sell courses, but with limited features. Free plans often restrict the number of courses, learners, and advanced tools, making it challenging to scale your business without upgrading to paid plans.

Do I need any technical skills to use online course creator software?

No, most online course creator software is designed for ease of use, catering to non-technical users. These platforms offer drag-and-drop tools, templates, and intuitive interfaces, enabling you to create and manage courses without technical expertise.

What are the limitations of a free online course builder?

Free course creator builder often limits the number of courses, learners, and features. Advanced tools like marketing automation, detailed analytics, and extensive customization options may only be available in paid plans, restricting the growth and scalability of your online courses.

Are there any downsides to using free course creator software?

Yes, downsides include limited features, support, and scalability. Free plans may lack advanced tools and integrations, reducing the effectiveness of your courses. Additionally, customer support for free users is often minimal, hindering troubleshooting and course management.