Do you often find yourself answering questions or explaining how to complete tasks? Then you may be sitting on a valuable business opportunity.
Today, creating and selling online courses is the best way to turn your knowledge into a reliable income stream.
But here’s the hard truth: the platform you choose can make or break your course before you even create your first lesson. I’ve seen too many talented educators and specialists lose their momentum because they got stuck fighting with complicated systems that ate up their time instead of helping them teach.
With the right course creation software or tool, you’ll get everything you need to handle payments, manage your students, and deliver your content smoothly. This allows you to stay focused on what really matters: teaching your audience and growing your business.
That’s why I’ve spent weeks testing dozens of course creation platforms and plugins to find the best options.
Each one excels in a different area, whether you want a straightforward ‘all-in-one’ hosted platform or a flexible plugin that lets you completely customize the learning experience.
By the end of this showcase, you’ll have found the perfect course creation plugin or platform for your business.
Why Create and Sell Online Courses in WordPress?
Selling online courses is a great way to turn your existing knowledge into a reliable income stream.
It’s a perfect move if you’re working in a field such as coaching, consulting, or education, but it’s also a smart way to make money online if you’re simply an expert in your niche. For example, I’ve seen people build successful businesses teaching everything from sourdough baking to advanced digital photography.
If you have a skill that others want to learn, you have the foundation for a course.
If you’ve decided to share your knowledge with the world, I recommend setting up a WordPress website. It provides a level of stability and control that you just won’t find on social media or third-party marketplaces.
In particular, WordPress offers several major benefits when it comes to selling courses online:
- Full Ownership: You have complete control over your content and your student data. This is important because it means you’re not at the mercy of a third-party platform that could change its rules or shut down your account without warning. You own the relationship with your students, which is your most valuable asset.
- Complete Flexibility: With the right tools, you can completely customize how your courses look and act. This might include designing interactive quizzes, dripping content based on a schedule that suits you, and creating extra rewards like certificates and badges. You can also control how your entire elearning portal looks by installing WordPress themes and specialized page builders.
- Payment Control: You get to pick your preferred payment gateway and set your own prices without worrying about an external platform taking a cut of your sales. Plus, keeping more of your hard-earned money means you can reinvest in better equipment or marketing to grow your brand faster.
- Integrated Marketing: WordPress is part of a huge ecosystem of plugins, tools, email marketing services, and SEO platforms. This means you can grow your audience and promote your courses in almost limitless ways, such as launching an affiliate program or starting a blog.
- Room to Grow: You can begin by creating a small, simple course, and then gradually expand your site to offer things like full memberships, monthly subscriptions, or high-end coaching bundles. I like that WordPress doesn’t box you in; it can scale as your ambitions grow.
This is exactly why I recommend using WordPress with a course creation plugin. This removes the technical hurdles and makes it easy to build, manage, and sell everything from simple courses right through to advanced, structured learning experiences.
My Proven Method for Testing Course Creation Software
I didn’t just read feature lists or watch demo videos to put this guide together. Instead, I built real courses on staging sites to see exactly how each platform handled everyday tasks.
I wanted to know which tools felt intuitive, which ones supported real teaching workflows, and which ones made it easy to deliver a professional learning experience.
To ensure these tools actually work for you, I focused my testing on the following areas:
- Setup and course building: I tested how quickly I could create a curriculum from scratch using each platform or plugin. In my experience, if a tool is difficult to set up, then you’ll likely never get your course launched.
- Student experience: I enrolled test users and tracked how smoothly they could navigate lessons, take quizzes, and view their progress. A confusing layout is the fastest way to make a student quit, so I looked for clean, focused designs.
- Drip content and automation: I scheduled lessons to release over time to see how reliably each tool handled content delivery. I wanted to make sure that a lesson meant for ‘Day 7’ actually appeared on Day 7 without me having to do anything manually. This type of automation is a lifesaver for busy business owners who can’t be at their desks every time a new module needs to go live.
- Customization options: I explored design controls, branding settings, and layout flexibility. I want to ensure you can tailor the learning environment so it feels like a natural part of your brand, rather than an external add-on. I dislike it when a course looks completely different from the rest of a website, as it often feels disjointed and unprofessional.
- Integration capabilities: I connected each tool to payment gateways like Stripe, email platforms, and membership plugins. In this way, I made sure each tool could handle real-world workflows like sending an automated ‘Welcome’ email every time a new student signs up. It’s important that your software talks to your other tools so you don’t have to spend your day manually moving data around.
Why Trust WP101?
At WP101, we make it a point to personally install and test every tool on a real website before we ever recommend it to you. This hands-on testing is the only way to ensure we’re giving you advice that helps you build a successful WordPress website.
If you’re just starting your WordPress journey and feel a bit unsure about how to install the plugins mentioned in this article, I recommend our video tutorials.
We’ve designed them to be clear and direct, walking you through each step so you can get your site and online training ready for your students, without any delay or frustration.
Get started with WP101 Courses »
1. MemberPress – Best Course Creation Software for Membership Sites
MemberPress is a well-known membership plugin that also offers a Courses add-on.
This makes it a great choice for creators who want to combine membership features with course delivery, all without leaving their WordPress dashboard.
My Experience
I’ve used MemberPress across several projects, and the Courses add-on feels like a natural extension of the platform.
To start, I installed the plugin and add-on on a staging site to see how it handled building a curriculum. Because the Courses add-on extends the core MemberPress plugin, the setup instantly felt familiar.
MemberPress’ visual drag-and-drop builder made it easy to map out my lessons. I could move modules and place lessons within sections without having to switch between different screens. This made it much easier to build courses compared to some other software and tools I’ve used.
To check the student view, I enabled MemberPress’ ReadyLaunch styling. Immediately, my course looked much more professional. I dislike spending hours on design, so I appreciated that I didn’t have to write any code to make my pages look good.
Meanwhile, MemberPress’ progress tracking let me see exactly where students were within each course. I could also see completion percentages and which lessons were popular.
Going further, I used the plugin’s compliance options to create organized learning paths. I created a rule where students had to finish each module before moving onto the next. In this way, I could ensure my students followed each learning path, as intended.
Pros of MemberPress:
- User-friendly, drag-and-drop course builder
- Great at creating structured, compliance-driven learning paths
- Enhances the student engagement with interactive quizzes
- Detailed progress tracking helps both instructors and learners
- Fully integrates with the platform’s membership features
Cons of MemberPress:
- User interface feels a bit dated compared to some newer LMS plugins
- Quiz features are basic compared to dedicated LMS plugins
Pricing: The Courses add-on is included in all MemberPress plans (pricing starts at $199.50/year for MemberPress)
Why I Recommend MemberPress: This is a powerful, all-in-one platform for managing memberships and creating courses. In particular, I’ve found that having my billing, member protection, and lesson content all in one plugin removes many of the technical headaches I’ve encountered with other solutions.
In my opinion, MemberPress is the perfect solution if you want to grow a community around your content.
Get Started with MemberPress »
2. Thrive Apprentice – Best Course Creation Software for Design-Heavy Layouts
Thrive Apprentice is a versatile course-building solution that lets you create a completely custom classroom environment.
I’ve tested several course builders, and Thrive Apprentice stood out for its focus on design flexibility. Unlike other tools that inherit your site’s theme, Apprentice lets you create a specialized learning portal that feels professional and tailored to your brand.
My Experience
I spent a few days testing Thrive Apprentice on a staging site to see how it handled a design-heavy course.
I started by using one of their pre-designed school templates, and then used Thrive’s visual editor to fine-tune the design. It felt more like I was using a specialized page builder rather than a traditional WordPress plugin.
For this test, I also focused on drip feeding content. I set up a scenario where different lessons would unlock on specific dates. The automation worked smoothly in my tests, and I could easily visualize the schedule without getting lost in complex settings.
In addition, the access restrictions and content protection worked exactly as expected. I could control who had access to each lesson based on their membership level or purchase status.
Going further, I tested Thrive’s integration with major payment gateways and email marketing tools. I connected Thrive Apprentice to my email platform with just a few clicks, and the data synced automatically.
Meanwhile, Thrive Apprentice’s reporting and analytics features let me see exactly where students were within each course. I could also see completion percentages and which lessons were popular. This would be invaluable for understanding how students interact with your site, so you can continuously improve your offerings over time.
Pros of Thrive Apprentice:
- Intuitive design with a user-friendly, drag-and-drop builder
- Flexible course templates for quick, professional setup
- A great option for creating both standalone courses and membership-based sites
- Detailed progress tracking helps both instructors and learners
- Integrates perfectly with the rest of the Thrive ecosystem
Cons of Thrive Apprentice:
- Limited native support for complex quizzes and certifications
- Content management can become complicated if you have lots of different courses
Pricing: You can buy Thrive Apprentice as a standalone plugin for $149 per year. Alternatively, you can purchase it as part of the Thrive Suite ($299 per year), which includes Thrive Quiz Builder, Thrive Architect, and Thrive Leads.
Why I Recommend Thrive Apprentice: This is my top pick for creators who want complete design control over their course platform. Being able to create a ‘school’ that looks completely different from the rest of your WordPress blog or website instantly gives your elearning a more premium feel.
For me, Thrive’s visual editor is one of the most intuitive on the market, and I really appreciate the seamless integration with the rest of the Thrive Suite.
Get Started with Thrive Apprentice »
3. MemberMouse – Best for High-Performance Membership Sites
MemberMouse immediately stands out when it comes to offering robust access control and member management features. This makes it ideal for businesses that want to integrate course offerings with comprehensive membership capabilities.
In my opinion, MemberMouse is a solid choice for creators who want to build a high-performance membership site where courses are just one part of the value they offer.
My Experience
I recently added MemberMouse and its Courses add-on to my test site, to see how it compares to more traditional LMS plugins.
Since the Courses add-on extends the core MemberMouse plugin, the transition from managing members to building lessons was completely seamless.
MemberMouse’s intuitive drag-and-drop course builder made it easy to map out my lessons. I was able to outline a curriculum and add lessons just as easily as creating a standard WordPress post.
My course list looked professional and organized by default, but I could also group courses by topic and create a sleek catalog without having to write any code.
I also really like that I could see completion percentages and identify where students were dropping off. This level of insight is invaluable for understanding how students interact with your training, so you can do more of what’s working and less of what isn’t.
Going further, I tested MemberMouse’s integration with major payment gateways. I connected Stripe and PayPal in just a few clicks, and my test transactions processed without any issues. The software also supports one-click purchasing, which I’ve noticed really helps to improve the user experience and boost my conversion rates.
Pros of MemberMouse:
- User-friendly, drag-and-drop course builder
- Robust access control options for course content
- Comprehensive analytics for monitoring course performance
- Easy-to-manage recurring payments and subscriptions
- Ability to sell courses in bundles to increase value offerings
- Supports one-click purchasing to enhance the user experience
Cons of MemberMouse:
- Membership features may be overwhelming for simple course-only sites
- Course design options are rather basic compared to specialized LMS platforms
Pricing: Starts at $149.50 per year
Why I Recommend MemberMouse: This is a powerful, high-performance platform for managing memberships and creating courses at scale. In particular, I’ve found that having advanced marketing features like one-click upsells built directly into the system has a big impact on revenue.
In my opinion, MemberMouse is the perfect solution if you want to grow a large-scale business around your content. I especially recommend MemberMouse if you plan to sell bundles or subscriptions, as the member management tools are some of the most robust I’ve used.
Get Started with MemberMouse »
4. WishList Member – Best Course Creation Software for Gamification and Rewards
WishList Member is a great fit for educators who want to keep their students engaged using reward systems.
In my time working with various membership plugins, I found that WishList Member stands out due to its focus on automated rewards. With that in mind, this is an excellent option for users who want to create a ‘sticky’ site where students feel motivated to return.
My Experience
WishList Member’s gamification features immediately caught my attention. That said, I set up a test where students automatically received ‘Points’ for logging in three days in a row. I also created a ‘Mastery Badge’ that appeared once a student passed the final quiz.
In my experience, small rewards like these prevent students from losing interest halfway through the curriculum.
I also tested WishList Member’s automation rules. For example, I configured the system to send a helpful email if a student failed a quiz, while a passing grade unlocked a ‘bonus’ membership level.
This type of interaction promises to turn even passive ‘watch this video’ lessons into a more interactive and engaging experience.
I also spent time looking at the progress tracking. WishList Member’s reporting tools showed me which students were moving quickly and which ones had stopped engaging. Having this data allows you to send a manual nudge to anyone who might be struggling.
WishList Member’s content dripping also worked exactly as I expected. I scheduled a course to release lessons once a week, and the software handled the timing perfectly without any extra work from me.
Because it’s a membership plugin at its core, the access control felt very secure. I could easily limit certain lessons to ‘Gold’ members while keeping other courses open to everyone.
One difficulty I noticed is that achieving very specific branding can take some time and effort. While WishList Member works with page builders like Elementor and Divi, you might need to spend extra time on the settings or use some CSS if you want a totally custom design.
Pros of WishList Member:
- Simple course creation with a drag-and-drop interface
- Built-in reward system encourages students to keep engaging
- Reliable drip content features for scheduled learning
- Integrations with popular WordPress plugins including WPForms, FunnelKit Automations, and Formidable Forms
Cons of WishList Member:
- Customizing the design to match a specific brand can be time-consuming
- Managing a very large number of courses might feel cluttered
- Reporting is good but lacks some of the depth found in high-end LMS plugins
Pricing: Plans range from $149.50−$349.50 per year.
Why I Recommend WishList Member: This plugin’s focus on giving out points and badges makes the learning process feel much more interactive and fun for the student. In my experience, when students feel like they’re ‘winning’ by completing lessons, they’re much more likely to finish an entire course.
With that said, WishList Member is a solid choice if you want to create a loyal community where members are rewarded for their progress.
Get Started with WishList Member »
5. AccessAlly – Best Course Creation Software for Advanced Automation
AccessAlly provides a powerful blend of course creation, membership management, and customer relationship management (CRM) integration. This makes it a great solution for businesses that want to automate and personalize the learning experience.
My Experience
I spent several days exploring AccessAlly to see how it handles high-end automation. After building out a demo coaching portal, I was impressed by how much control I had over the entire student journey.
The visual course wizard helped me with the initial setup, but the most interesting part was connecting the plugin to a CRM.
I tested a setup where a student’s progress through a video would trigger specific ‘tags’ in the background. This allowed me to automatically send a follow-up email if a student stops watching halfway through a module. This can help to keep your completion rates high.
However, one of the best features I tested was AccessAlly’s Video Bookmarking. I uploaded a sample video and set specific points where students could skip directly to the most relevant parts of a lecture.
When I finished the course as a test user, AccessAlly automatically created a PDF certificate with my name and the correct date. I really like that this is built-in, as many other plugins make you buy extra add-ons for certificates.
I also created a few different types of assessments, including personality tests and scoring quizzes. These can trigger different actions based on the student’s results, which is a very powerful way to segment your audience.
The main challenge I found is that you really need to understand how CRMs and marketing automation work to get the most out of AccessAlly. If you’ve never used a CRM before, you’ll likely face a steep learning curve while you figure out how to create automated workflows.
Pros of AccessAlly:
- User-friendly builder that supports flexible course design
- Customizes the user experience based on tags, points, and gamification
- Advanced eCommerce features like one-click upsells and order bumps
- Built-in affiliate management helps to grow your sales
- Seamlessly connects with tools like ActiveCampaign, Kit, and Keap
Cons of AccessAlly:
- Requires a solid understanding of CRM automation for the best results
- The price point is higher than many other WordPress LMS options
Pricing: Plans range from $495−$745 per year
Why I Recommend AccessAlly: This is a seriously powerful tool if you’re running a high-end coaching program or a professional training site that requires deep personalization.
The way AccessAlly handles video bookmarking and automatic certificates makes the entire learner experience feel very professional.
For businesses with a large volume of students, the time saved by automating these manual tasks should easily cover AccessAlly’s higher cost.
6. Teachable – Best Course Creation Software for Beginners
Teachable combines accessible course creation with robust marketing and student management tools.
Since it’s a hosted platform, you don’t have to worry about the technical side of things, such as installing plugins or managing server updates. This makes Teachable a top choice for educators who want to launch and scale their online courses without a lot of setup or technical headaches.
My Experience
Because Teachable is a hosted platform, I simply signed up and started building a ‘Creative Writing’ course immediately.
The first thing I tested was the new artificial intelligence (AI) curriculum generator. I provided a brief description of my topic, and the tool drafted a logical sequence of modules. This gave me a great headstart on building my course.
I also explored how Teachable handles payouts and taxes, which I know is a major pain point for many content creators. Teachable acts as the ‘merchant of record,’ meaning they handle EU VAT and US sales tax automatically. For a solo creator who doesn’t want to hire an accountant just to sell a few courses, this is a massive benefit.
Going further, I tested the marketing features, such as student referrals and upsells. I set up a discount for students who referred their friends, which is a great way to grow your audience.
Meanwhile, the student management tools gave me a clear view of everyone’s progress. I could see who was active and who might need some extra encouragement.
I also customized the site with my own branding and a custom domain. This made the learning platform feel like a professional extension of my main WordPress website.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Starter plan has a 7.5% transaction fee. This can add up quickly as your sales grow, so you’ll want to factor that into your pricing strategy.
Once you’re making consistent sales, it usually makes more sense to upgrade to a higher plan to remove those additional transaction fees.
Pros of Teachable:
- Highly intuitive interface that’s perfect for beginners
- Advanced branding options that allow for a fully white-labeled experience
- Built-in AI tools that speed up curriculum and content creation
- Flexible payment options for students including Apple Pay and Klarna
- Automatic tax handling and ‘merchant of record’ services
Cons of Teachable:
- A 7.5% transaction fee applies on the lower-priced Starter plan
- Performance can vary depending on server load and user activity
Pricing: Plans range from $29−$309 per month.
Why I Recommend Teachable: I suggest using Teachable if you want to get your first course online as quickly as possible. In particular, the combination of AI tools and automatic tax handling removes the biggest barriers that stop most people from starting.
Although Teachable is one of the more expensive options, in my opinion not having to manage your own WordPress hosting or digital security is well worth the higher monthly subscription fee.
7. LearnDash – Best Course Creation Software for Advanced Features
LearnDash is one of the most established and feature-rich LMS plugins available for WordPress today.
I’ve tested LearnDash on multiple projects, and it consistently delivers when you need advanced functionality. That said, this is a great option for serious course creators who want complete control over every detail of the learning process.
My Experience
During testing, LearnDash’s ‘Focus Mode’ caught my attention straight away.
I enabled this on a few of my demo lessons and was impressed by how it transformed the page. It stripped away the standard website header, footer, and sidebars, replacing them with a clean interface that kept the progress bar and lesson navigation front and center.
I’ve heard from many users who claim this single feature has significantly improved their completion rates.
I also spent some time with LeadnDash’s quiz builder, which is far more advanced than many others I’ve tested. I was able to create everything from simple multiple-choice questions right through to complex ‘sorting’ and ‘essay’ tasks with ease.
To check how LearnDash handles automation, I set my lessons to unlock based on specific dates. I also tried setting them to release only after a student finished a previous module. This gave me perfect control over the pace of the learning.
After that, I explored the gamification elements, like badges and certificates. When students earn recognition for their achievements, it helps to keep them engaged throughout longer courses. LearnDash does a really great job at this.
Next, I tested LearnDash’s integration with other tools. I connected LearnDash to WooCommerce to sell my courses and used membership plugins to create bundled offerings. This made LearnDash feel like a natural part of the WordPress ecosystem.
I could also easily organize students into groups and sub-groups, which is perfect for managing different cohorts. I even tested the automated assignment reminders, which helped keep my test students from falling behind.
Pros of LearnDash:
- Highly customizable options for building complex online courses
- Keep students motivated with a distraction-free Focus Mode
- Easily organize students into groups and sub-groups for better management
- Set up a reliable income stream by selling recurring subscriptions
- Reliable integration with WordPress and eCommerce tools
Cons of LearnDash:
- Initial setup can be complex due to the sheer wealth of features
- May require additional paid add-ons for features like advanced reporting or gradebooks
Pricing: Starts at $199 per year for a single website license
Why I Recommend LearnDash: If you want to build a professional-grade educational platform with high student engagement, then LearnDash is difficult to beat.
While it takes a bit more time to master, the power it gives you to scale your business is unmatched within the WordPress ecosystem. As your courses become more advanced and complex, LearnDash has the depth to support your growth so you don’t need to switch to a different platform.
Which Is the Best Course Creation Software?
Ultimately, the best option for you will vary depending on your specific business needs. I’ve found that choosing a platform isn’t about finding the ‘best’ overall tool, but rather the one that aligns with your goals, technical expertise, and how you want your students to learn.
That said, I believe the MemberPress Courses add-on is the top choice for most people. It integrates perfectly with the core MemberPress membership features. This provides structured course creation alongside powerful access control and monetization tools, all in one user-friendly platform.
In my opinion, this is the fastest way to turn a standard WordPress site into a professional learning hub.
Meanwhile, if you’re focused on design flexibility and want a custom-branded learning environment, Thrive Apprentice is ideal. I especially recommend Thrive if you want to create a ‘school’ that looks completely different from the rest of your WordPress blog or website.
Finally, MemberMouse is a top-tier contender if you want to handle a large volume of members. It’s a powerful platform for managing memberships and creating courses at scale, especially if you plan on using advanced marketing tactics like one-click upsells.
Common Questions About Course Creation Tools
Before you pick a platform and start building, you might have a few lingering questions about how these tools work in the real world.
I’ve spent a lot of time troubleshooting these plugins and hosted platforms, so I’ve put together this quick guide to answer the most common things I hear from other users.
What is the best course creation software for WordPress?
In my opinion, MemberPress with the Courses add-on is the best choice for most WordPress users.
It combines course creation with robust membership management and payment tools in a single, seamless platform. I really like that I don’t have to glue multiple plugins together to get the results I want. This makes the entire process much smoother.
Can I create online courses without WordPress?
Yes, you certainly can. Teachable is a hosted platform, which means it lives outside of WordPress. I recommend this if you don’t want to deal with hosting, security updates, or plugin conflicts.
Platforms like Teachable offer a ‘hands-off’ approach where you simply sign up and start uploading your content without worrying about the underlying technology.
Which course platform has the best automation features?
AccessAlly is the clear winner when it comes to advanced automation.
In my experience, its ability to connect deeply with your CRM is unmatched. I’ve also used AccessAlly to set up video bookmarking and automatic certificates that trigger when a student finishes a module.
If you want a site that ‘thinks’ for itself based on student behavior, then AccessAlly is a great option.
Do I need coding skills to create an online course?
No, you don’t need to write a single line of code.
All the tools I’ve covered in this guide use visual drag-and-drop builders. This makes it easy to move lessons and organize your curriculum just by clicking your mouse.
I dislike spending hours on technical setup, so I love how these tools let me focus on teaching, rather than coding and designing.
Can I add gamification to my WordPress courses?
Yes, and WishList Member is one of the best for this.
It lets you create a very engaging and interactive learning experience by awarding points and badges to your students. I’ve found that giving students these kinds of rewards keeps them much more motivated to reach the end of your course.
Finding a course creation tool that handles the technical heavy lifting for you means you can focus on what actually matters: sharing your expertise and supporting your students.
Whether you want a simple setup or a high-end automated portal, I hope this guide has helped you find the right software or tool for you.
After creating your courses, you might want to explore other ways to improve your WordPress site. With that in mind, I highly recommend taking a look at our ultimate WordPress toolkit, where I’ve gathered all the essential resources you need to run a successful site.
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