Best Online Course Platforms 2026: Hotmart vs Teachable vs LearnWorlds
Choosing a course platform is choosing a business partner: it takes a cut of your revenue (commission or subscription), it shapes your students’ experience, and, the part almost nobody checks at the start, it decides how expensive it will be to leave once you grow. The market splits into three models: Hotmart (pure commission plus an affiliate army), Teachable (flat fee under your own brand) and LearnWorlds (flat fee with the best learning experience). Here are the real numbers, who each one is for, and the test that keeps you from picking wrong.
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The three pricing models (the real decision)
| Model | Platform | You pay | It suits you if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission per sale | Hotmart | ~10% + small transaction fee | You’re starting with zero budget and want affiliates |
| Monthly subscription | Teachable, LearnWorlds | $29-150/month (+0-5% by plan) | You sell steadily and want your own brand |
| Self-hosted (WordPress + plugins) | The technical route | Hosting + plugins (~$20-40/month) | Full control and high volume |
The simple math: below roughly $500/month in sales, commission wins; above roughly $1,500/month, subscription wins. In between, the other factors decide.
1. Hotmart, the commission giant
The dominant platform of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, increasingly present in English: zero fixed cost (about 10% plus a small fee per sale), a checkout optimized across dozens of countries and currencies, local payment methods (decisive if you sell to Latin America), and its nuclear weapon: the affiliate marketplace, where thousands of affiliates can sell your course for the cut you set.
- Pros: start selling today for free; affiliates scale sales without you running ads; international taxes handled for you (merchant of record).
- Cons: the commission hurts as you scale; your student lives inside Hotmart’s ecosystem; the learning area is decent, not premium. The head-to-head with Teachable is here.
2. Teachable, your school under your brand
The consolidated creator’s standard: a school on your own domain with your branding, plans from ~$39/month (with transaction fees on lower plans that vanish as you upgrade), coupons, your own affiliate program (yours, not a marketplace) and Stripe/PayPal payments.
- Pros: predictable costs, full brand ownership, a solid balance of ease and power.
- Cons: the learning experience (interactivity, community) trails LearnWorlds; international tax handling needs attention on your side.
3. LearnWorlds, the premium learning experience
The platform for creators whose product IS the course: interactive video (questions inside the video, synced transcripts), serious assessments, certificates, a built-in community, and on higher plans a branded mobile app. From ~$29/month (with a per-sale fee) to ~$299/month.
- Pros: the best student experience on the market, and it shows in completion rates; students who finish repurchase and refer. SCORM support opens B2B doors.
- Cons: total cost climbs as you add modules; configuration takes longer.
Verdict by type of project
- First course, no audience, no budget: Hotmart. Zero risk, and the affiliate marketplace can bring your first sales. The full launch playbook is in how to sell your first online course.
- Creator with an audience selling $1,500+/month: Teachable. The flat fee hands back the margin Hotmart keeps.
- High-value training (B2B, certifications, $300+ per student): LearnWorlds. The premium experience justifies your price and retains the student.
- A Latin American audience anywhere in your plans: Hotmart, almost mandatory for local payments, or a dual setup (Hotmart for LatAm, Teachable for your English-speaking direct audience).
The three questions that prevent regret
- Can I export my students (emails) and content? Emails, yes, on all three. Structured content (quizzes, sequences) never migrates cleanly. Choose for 2-3 years.
- Who charges the student and owes the tax? Hotmart acts as merchant of record and settles international taxes; on Teachable and LearnWorlds more of that sits with you. At international volume this is real accountant money.
- Where will traffic come from? No platform sells by itself. Your funnel (audience, email, a webinar) does the selling; the platform collects.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to sell courses online? With Hotmart: ~10% of each sale, nothing fixed. With Teachable or LearnWorlds: $29-150/month plus 0-5% depending on plan, plus card processing.
Which platform is best for Latin American buyers? Hotmart, by a wide margin: PIX, OXXO, local currencies and installments that US-born platforms don’t match.
Can I sell the same course on two platforms? Yes, nothing prevents it, and it is a common strategy: Hotmart for the affiliate/LatAm channel, your own school for direct sales.
What about WordPress with LearnDash or similar? Cheap and fully yours, but you become your own tech support: payments, taxes, video, security. It pays off with high volume and a technical profile; otherwise the platforms win.
🔎 This article contains affiliate links to Hotmart, Teachable and LearnWorlds. Read our affiliate policy.