Best platforms to create online courses in 2026: comparison

The market of platforms to create online courses has become particularly diverse: professional authoring tools, marketplaces, all-in-one solutions and LMSs with built-in creation modules now coexist, each designed for a different type of project. In this comparison we analyse the 11 best platforms to create online courses in 2026, their features, advantages and real-world use cases so you can choose based on solid criteria. If you are still in the previous stage, we recommend reading our article on what authoring tools are before comparing platforms.

What should a good platform to create online courses have?

Before comparing specific tools, it is worth being clear about the criteria that set a professional platform apart from a limited one. This is the 8-criteria checklist any learning and development manager should review before making a decision:

• Ease of use without technical knowledge: visual drag-and-drop editor, pre-designed templates and a short learning curve. Any profile on the L&D team should be able to build a professional course without coding.
• Advanced customisation and templates: ability to adapt the corporate identity (colours, fonts, logo) and start from templates that speed up design without giving up brand identity. Don’t forget accessibility in content creation: an inclusive course reaches more learners and meets compliance standards.
• LMS integration and distribution options: export in SCORM 1.2/2004 and xAPI (Tincan), direct or embedded links, publishing on the web or intranet. This is what connects creation with delivery; if you have any doubts, take a look at our guides on what an LMS is and what SCORM is.
• Multilingual support and automatic translation: build a course once and publish it in several languages. Critical for organisations distributed internationally.
• Collaboration and version control: simultaneous work by multiple authors, change history and restoration of previous versions.
• Multimedia and interactive elements: video, audio, simulations, quizzes, branching scenarios and microinteractions to raise the pedagogical quality of the course. Approaches like microlearning and mobile learning rely on this kind of capability.
• Competitive pricing and reliable technical support: a clear licensing model, no hidden costs, and human support that responds in reasonable timeframes.
• Built-in artificial intelligence: automatic generation of the course structure, drafting and rephrasing of text, translation, voiceovers and subtitles. The AI layer is now the main productivity driver.

A platform that ticks all eight criteria, like a good authoring tool, will let you produce courses faster, with higher quality and without depending on technical profiles.

Types of platforms to create online courses

Not all platforms solve the same problem. Before comparing specific tools, this table summarises the five main types that exist today, what each one allows you to do and which profile of project it suits best.

The 11 best platforms to create online courses in 2026

These are the 11 platforms to create online courses that stand out in 2026. We have selected them for their maturity, their AI capabilities and the quality of the courses they let you produce, whether your priority is corporate training or you are looking to create and sell courses to a wider audience. Before getting into the detail of each one, this table summarises which type of platform each tool is and which profile it suits best.

1. isEazy Author

Cloud-based authoring tool powered by AI, designed for L&D and HR teams to produce professional courses without technical knowledge. Templates, advanced interactivity and export to any LMS in SCORM and xAPI. Discover everything isEazy Author can do.

2. Easygenerator

Collaborative platform aimed at companies that want their internal subject-matter experts (SMEs) to build simple training in a self-service way.

3. iSpring Suite

Desktop authoring suite that works as a PowerPoint plug-in. A good option for teams highly familiar with Office and traditional corporate training.

4. Thinkific

Platform to create and sell online courses to a wide audience. Designed for content creators, individual trainers and small training businesses.

5. Teachable

All-in-one platform to launch your own online academy and monetise courses. Focus on payment gateway, sales pages and community.

6. LearnWorlds

White-label LMS for online academies. Lets you create courses, sales pages and certificates with a strong focus on visual customisation.

7. Podia

Digital products platform that combines courses, ebooks, downloads and memberships. Suitable for creators selling training alongside other products.

8. Kajabi

All-in-one solution aimed at training businesses with integrated marketing: courses, sales funnels, email marketing and community in a single platform.

9. Udemy

Massive online course marketplace. Distribution is its great advantage, but courses live inside the Udemy catalogue and you compete on price with thousands of instructors.

10. Coursera

Academic marketplace with courses created by recognised universities and companies. Focus on professional certifications and MOOC-style content.

11. Adobe Captivate

Desktop authoring tool for advanced simulations and immersive experiences. Powerful, but with a steep learning curve; recommended for highly technical profiles.

Vodafone is a good example of what a generative AI authoring tool can do at scale: it tripled its productivity in e-learning content creation and has produced more than 400 courses in an agile and autonomous way with isEazy Author. See how they did it →

How to choose your ideal platform to create online courses

With so many options available, choosing well comes down to first grounding your real needs: what type of courses you are going to produce, with which team, in what volume and for which audience. These are the six steps we recommend following, in order, before closing the decision.

1. Define your objectives and use case

The first step is knowing what problem you are going to solve: internal training at scale, employee onboarding, sales-team upskilling, or launching a course to sell to the public? Each objective aligns with a different type of platform. A useful angle to bring in here is the employee learning experience — when your goal is internal training, optimising that experience pays off across all metrics.

2. Assess the real technical level of your team

If your training team has no technical profiles, prioritise tools with a visual drag-and-drop editor, ready-made templates and an AI assistant. The difference between a technical platform and a self-service one can be weeks of production time per course.

3. Check compatibility and integration with your ecosystem

Make sure the platform exports in SCORM (1.2 and 2004) and xAPI, and integrates with your LMS, intranet or communication tools. Technical compatibility determines how easy it will be to distribute and measure the courses.

4. Measure the actual AI capability

Not all “AI features” are equivalent. Check exactly what each tool can do: generate the course structure, draft and rephrase content, translate, narrate, subtitle, build assessments. This is the main productivity driver in 2026. A good benchmark here is AI Autopilot from isEazy Author.

5. Calibrate scalability and support

Think about the 12-month scenario: number of authors, languages, course volume. And demand human support with reasonable response times; you notice support when something breaks in production.

6. Ask for a demo and run a real test

Before signing, test the platform with a real case from your organisation (one module of an existing course, for example). It is the only reliable way to know whether the learning curve and workflows fit your team.

Quick checklist before deciding: objectives defined · technical profile of the team assessed · standards (SCORM/xAPI) verified · AI features tested · scalability and support reviewed · real test with a case from your company done.

isEazy Author: a tool designed for training teams

As we have seen throughout this comparison, there is no single “best” platform for everyone: the choice depends on your objective, your budget and your team’s technical level. That said, if your priority is to create professional online courses in a company quickly and without complications, isEazy Author ticks most of the criteria we have analysed. Its biggest advantage is that you do not need any technical knowledge or coding skills to create attractive courses: the editor is 100% visual and AI takes care of the heavy lifting.

What are you waiting for to try the easiest authoring tool on the market? Try isEazy Author for free and start building your courses now.