7 Best LearnWorlds Alternatives Worth Considering

LearnWorlds is a solid course platform with SCORM compliance, interactive videos, and a branded mobile app builder. But it's not perfect for everyone. The $5 per-sale transaction fee on the Starter plan gets expensive fast, there's no free plan, and the pricing jumps significantly as you scale.

If you're selling courses at $50 each and making 50 sales per month, you're paying an extra $250/month in transaction fees on top of your $29 subscription. That math doesn't work for many creators.

I've tested the major alternatives and broken down what actually matters: pricing, transaction fees, course features, and who each platform works best for.

Quick LearnWorlds Pricing Recap

Before we dive into alternatives, here's what you're comparing against:

The standout LearnWorlds features are SCORM compliance, interactive video with in-video actions, and the ability to build your own branded mobile app. If you need those specific features, alternatives get tricky. But if you just need to create and sell courses effectively, you have better options.

1. Thinkific — Best Free Option to Start

Thinkific is the most direct LearnWorlds competitor and offers something LearnWorlds doesn't: a genuinely usable free plan with no transaction fees.

Pricing:

The free plan lets you test with real students before paying anything. Unlike LearnWorlds' Starter plan, Thinkific charges zero transaction fees on all plans. The course builder is drag-and-drop simple, and they've added AI-generated quizzes and a mobile app feature for higher plans.

The catch: You need the Start plan ($99/month) to get memberships and payment plans. The free and Basic plans are limited for serious course businesses. Also, Thinkific doesn't have SCORM support on standard plans — you need Thinkific Plus for that.

Best for: First-time course creators who want to launch without upfront costs and grow into paid plans.

2. Kajabi — Best All-in-One Platform

Kajabi is the premium option. It's more expensive than LearnWorlds but includes email marketing, sales funnels, and website building that LearnWorlds lacks natively.

Pricing (updated September 2025):

Zero transaction fees on all plans. Built-in email marketing, landing pages, and automation. You're replacing LearnWorlds plus your email service plus your funnel builder with one tool.

The catch: The Kickstarter and Basic plans have tight limits on products and contacts. Hit 250 email subscribers and you're upgrading immediately. Also, while Kajabi recently overhauled their coaching product and added new features, there's a learning curve to master everything.

Best for: Coaches and course creators who want one dashboard for everything and have the budget to pay for premium.

3. Teachable — Best for Simple Course Sales

Teachable focuses specifically on course creation and sales. Less feature bloat, more straightforward selling.

Pricing:

Teachable handles sales tax automatically with their BackOffice feature, which is a huge pain point for international sellers. They have a mobile app for students, course completion certificates, and solid assessment tools.

The catch: Transaction fees eat into profits on lower plans. The 5% fee on Basic adds up quickly — 100 sales at $50 each costs you $250/month in fees. You really need the Pro plan to make the economics work. Also, no built-in email marketing or blog.

Best for: Course creators who just want to sell courses without building a whole ecosystem around it.

4. Podia — Best Budget-Friendly All-in-One

Podia started as a digital product platform and evolved into a website builder with courses attached. It's the simplest option on this list.

Pricing:

Podia includes email marketing, blogging, webinar hosting, digital downloads, and community features. You can sell unlimited courses, coaching sessions, and digital products on the Mover plan for just $39/month.

The catch: Course features are basic compared to LearnWorlds. No SCORM support, limited quiz options, and the course player is functional but not fancy. Also, the 5% transaction fee on the Mover plan can get expensive as you scale.

Best for: Solo creators who want a simple, affordable platform for selling multiple product types.

5. LearnDash — Best WordPress Plugin Option

If you already have a WordPress site with traffic, LearnDash lets you add courses without rebuilding elsewhere.

LearnDash integrates into your existing WordPress site with a course builder that feels like the Gutenberg editor. You can build lessons, modules, drip content, manage enrollments, and run assessments.

The catch: WordPress plugins can be clunky. You'll likely need child themes and custom coding to get the look you want. LearnDash doesn't include hosting — you're paying separately for that. And troubleshooting plugin conflicts is a real thing.

Best for: WordPress users who want to keep courses on their existing site and don't mind technical setup.

6. Mighty Networks — Best for Community-First Courses

Mighty Networks approaches courses differently. Instead of course-first with community bolted on, it's community-first with courses as a feature.

You get activity feeds, chat, member directories, and customizable community spaces. Courses can include drip content, live cohorts, and various formats. There's a native mobile app for iOS and Android.

Best for: Creators whose value proposition is community and connection, with courses as supporting content.

7. TalentLMS — Best for Corporate Training

If you're doing employee training or customer education rather than selling to consumers, TalentLMS is purpose-built for that.

SCORM compliance, gamification, analytics dashboards, and content libraries. Manager portals for tracking team progress. Integrations with HR systems.

Pricing: Free plan available for up to 5 users, paid plans starting at $69/month for 40 users.

Best for: Businesses training employees or customers internally, not selling courses to consumers.

The Bottom Line: Which Alternative Should You Choose?

Here's the quick decision framework:

LearnWorlds remains strong for specific use cases: SCORM compliance, interactive video features, and branded mobile apps. But for most course creators, the alternatives above offer better value, simpler pricing, or both.

Start with the free trials — Thinkific, Kajabi, Teachable, and Podia all offer them. Build out a test course and see which interface feels right before committing your monthly budget.