Geoff CuddUdemy is a massive provider of online courses, frequently seen as the default option for those looking to share their skills online. But are there better Udemy alternatives? If so, where are they, and why are so many of us still die-hard Udemy users?
In this post, we'll explore Udemy's business model and how it works for you as an online instructor. We'll take a deep dive into the features that limit course instructors' earnings and freedom, and discuss alternatives that may enable online tutors to see better returns for their hard work.
Thinkific
- Tweak every possible aspect of your course and sales page
- Lowest cost option to get started fast
- Great for new course creators with quizzes and certificates
Kajabi
- All tools included so nothing to connect or manage
- Easy to launch with room to scale
- Strong choice for serious long term creators
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Why Consider Udemy Alternatives?
Let's be clear from the start: Udemy isn't terrible. Its gigantic marketplace is genuinely appealing when you're starting out as an online instructor. There's no business where there are no clients, and Udemy has tens of millions of them. It's also free to publish, which removes the upfront barrier entirely.
So why consider alternatives? Because once you've been working with Udemy for a few months, some significant limitations start to show up.
1. Udemy Takes a Large Cut of Your Sales
Udemy's revenue share model has gotten less favorable for instructors over time. Here's how it currently breaks down:
- 97% to you when a student uses your own coupon or referral link
- 37% to you when a student finds your course organically through Udemy's marketplace
- As little as 15% to you for Udemy Business (enterprise subscription) sales, down from 25% in 2023
The 97% sounds great, but most instructors can't drive enough of their own traffic to rely on it. The reality is that a large portion of your sales come through Udemy's marketplace, where you keep only 37 cents on every dollar. And Udemy runs frequent site-wide promotions that discount your course to $9.99 or $14.99 regardless of your listed price, and you cannot opt out.
2. Restrictive Standards for Course Instructors
Udemy has quality standards for course creators. While this protects students from low-quality content, it also limits how you can teach. Courses must follow Udemy's structural guidelines, meet minimum video quality requirements, and stay within approved topic categories. You apply to become a premium instructor and wait for approval. If you want to teach in your own style or on a niche topic that doesn't fit Udemy's mold, you may find the platform too restrictive.
3. Customers Expect Discounts
Udemy's business model is built around promotions. The platform runs site-wide sales constantly, training students to wait for $9.99 deals rather than pay full price. You set a price that reflects your course's value, but a significant share of your students will only buy when Udemy discounts it. That means your effective revenue per sale is often much lower than your listed price, on top of Udemy's already-large revenue share.
4. Pricing Is Capped
Udemy caps course prices at $199.99. For expert-level courses in high-demand fields, this ceiling is too low, especially when Udemy takes 63% of marketplace sales on top of it. On your own platform, you can charge $500, $1,000, or more for a high-value course with no cap and no revenue share.
5. You Don't Own Your Student Relationships
This is the most underrated downside of Udemy. You cannot collect student email addresses. Your students belong to Udemy, not to you. If Udemy changes its algorithm, adjusts its revenue share (which it has done multiple times), or decides to delist your course, you have no way to reach your audience directly. On your own platform, every student email is an asset you own.
6. No Subscription or Payment Plan Options
Udemy only supports one-time course purchases. You can't offer subscriptions, payment plans, or membership models. For instructors building a recurring revenue business, this is a significant limitation that alternatives like Thinkific and Kajabi handle natively.
Alternatives to Udemy
Below are the platforms we consider the best Udemy alternatives. Each one lets you set your own prices, own your student list, and keep significantly more of every sale.
1. Thinkific
Best for beginners and budget-conscious course creators
Thinkific is our top pick among Udemy alternatives for most creators. Plans start at $49/month ($36/month annually) with 0% platform transaction fees on every paid tier, meaning every sale you make goes to you, not the platform. Compare that to Udemy keeping 63% of marketplace sales.
Key advantages over Udemy:
- 0% transaction fees on all paid plans. You keep 100% of your course revenue (minus standard payment processing fees).
- No price cap. Set any price you want. No $199.99 ceiling.
- You own your student list. Collect emails and build a real audience you can market to directly.
- Phone support on the Grow plan. Thinkific is the only major course platform to offer this.
- Full customization. Brand your course site to look like your own website with custom domains and HTML/CSS access.
- Payment plans and subscriptions available on Start plan and above.
The one trade-off versus Udemy is discoverability. Thinkific has no course marketplace, so you'll need to drive your own traffic. But when you're keeping 100% of each sale instead of 37%, the math on your marketing spend looks very different.
Read our full Thinkific review.
Pros
- 0% transaction fees on all paid plans
- No price cap. Charge what your course is worth
- You own your student email list
- Phone support on Grow plan
- Deep customization options
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
Cons
- No free plan (removed in 2025). Starts at $49/month.
- No built-in course marketplace. You drive your own traffic
- No native email marketing or sales funnels
2. Kajabi
Best all-in-one course and marketing platform
Kajabi is the most feature-complete Udemy alternative. It bundles email marketing, sales funnels, a website builder, community tools, and course hosting into one monthly price. If your goal is to build a real online business around your courses rather than just listing them on a marketplace, Kajabi gives you the entire stack.
Get your real monthly and annual price, see how it stacks up against paying for separate tools, then find your plan. Affiliate link. We may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. Check the tools you currently pay for. Edit any price to match what you actually pay. Kajabi rolls all of these into one plan. Stack prices are typical starting prices, not exact quotes. Affiliate link, no extra cost to you. 1. How big is your audience / contact list? 2. Will you run a community or membership? 3. Need advanced automation, multiple sites, API, or a branded app?What will Kajabi actually cost you?
Key advantages over Udemy:
- No third-party tools needed. Email marketing, sales funnels, landing pages, and payment processing are all built in.
- 0% transaction fees using Kajabi Payments.
- No price cap. Sell high-ticket courses, coaching programs, and memberships at whatever price the market will bear.
- Full student ownership. You own every email address and can market to your students directly.
- Marketing automation. Trigger emails and offers based on student behavior like course completion, inactivity, purchases, without any third-party tools.
Kajabi is the most expensive option on this list. Plans start at $179/month ($143/month annually) after the January 2026 pricing restructure. But for instructors who would otherwise pay separately for email marketing, a funnel builder, and a website alongside a course platform, Kajabi often ends up being cheaper in total. Read our full Kajabi review.
Pros
- All-in-one platform: courses, email, funnels, and community built in
- 0% transaction fees with Kajabi Payments
- No price cap on courses
- Full student email ownership
- Marketing automation on all plans
Cons
- Most expensive option. Starts at $179/month
- Steeper learning curve due to breadth of features
- No course marketplace
3. Teachable
Best for fast setup and simple course delivery
Teachable is one of the most popular Udemy alternatives for creators who want a focused, beginner-friendly platform for course delivery. It has the fastest setup of any platform on this list and handles EU VAT automatically, a genuine differentiator for instructors selling to European students.
Key advantages over Udemy:
- No price cap. Set your own course price with no ceiling.
- You own your student list. Collect emails and build your own audience.
- Flexible payment options including installment plans and subscriptions.
- EU VAT handling built in. Teachable manages this automatically so you don't have to.
- Fast setup. Courses go live quickly with minimal configuration.
The main caveat is transaction fees on the entry plan. Teachable's Starter plan ($39/month) carries a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale. Fees drop to 0% on the Builder plan ($89/month). If you're selling consistently, upgrading to Builder quickly pays for itself. Read our full Teachable review.
Pros
- Fast, beginner-friendly setup
- EU VAT handling built in
- Flexible lesson builders that let you mix content types in one lesson
- Payment plans and subscriptions available
- You own your student email list
Cons
- 7.5% transaction fee on Starter plan ($39/month)
- No native email marketing or sales funnel builder
- Less design customization than Thinkific
- No course marketplace
4. Podia
Best for digital products alongside courses
Podia is one of the more affordable Udemy alternatives and works especially well for creators who sell a mix of digital products alongside courses: ebooks, downloads, templates, memberships, and coaching. Its platform is simple to navigate and bundles basic email marketing and a website builder into every plan.
Key advantages over Udemy:
- No price cap. Sell at whatever price works for your audience.
- You own your student list. Every email address is yours.
- Email marketing included on both plans (up to 100 subscribers free, then tiered).
- Unlimited products on both plans: courses, downloads, memberships, and more.
- Payment plans available for higher-priced courses.
Note: Podia removed its free plan in October 2024. The entry Mover plan costs $39/month ($33/month annually) but carries a 5% transaction fee. The Shaker plan ($89/month, $75/month annually) removes transaction fees entirely. Read our full Podia review.
Pros
- Affordable starting price
- Email marketing included on all plans
- Unlimited products on both plans
- Great for selling a mix of digital products and courses
- 30-day free trial
Cons
- 5% transaction fee on Mover plan ($39/month)
- No free plan (removed October 2024)
- No built-in sales funnel builder
- No course marketplace
Best Alternative to Udemy
For most course creators, Thinkific is the best Udemy alternative. It offers 0% transaction fees on all paid plans, no price cap, full student email ownership, and deep customization, all starting at $49/month. If you're currently losing 63% of marketplace sales to Udemy, moving to Thinkific and driving your own traffic quickly becomes the better financial decision.
If you want an all-in-one platform that replaces your email marketing, funnel builder, and website alongside course hosting, Kajabi is the premium option worth the higher price. And if budget is the primary concern and you want the fastest possible setup, Teachable at $39/month gets you started quickly. Just plan to upgrade to Builder ($89/month) before your transaction fees outpace the subscription cost.
Thinkific
- Tweak every possible aspect of your course and sales page
- Lowest cost option to get started fast
- Great for new course creators with quizzes and certificates
Kajabi
- All tools included so nothing to connect or manage
- Easy to launch with room to scale
- Strong choice for serious long term creators
We like Udemy for what it is: a marketplace with built-in traffic that's great for testing a course idea or reaching a new audience. But for building a sustainable, growing course business where the rewards go to you rather than the platform, any of the alternatives above will serve you better long-term.
Read our full comparison of the best online course platforms to see how all the top options stack up.
