The short verdict
Best overall for UK sole traders: Systeme.io. It's the only platform here with a free-forever plan, it charges 0% transaction fees and includes funnels and unlimited email. Paid plans start at $17 a month. Best pure course platform: Thinkific, with unlimited courses on every plan, from $82 a month billed annually. Best mid-priced option with student apps: Teachable, whose Builder plan has no platform fee. Simplest all-rounder: Podia, from $42 a month billed annually. Best premium option: Kajabi, from $143 a month billed annually.
Course platforms compared
| Platform | Free plan? | Cheapest paid plan | Platform transaction fee | Courses / products | Email included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Yes, free forever | $17/month (Startup) | 0% on all plans | 1 / 5 / 20 / unlimited courses | Unlimited sends; 2,000 to unlimited contacts |
| Thinkific | No (30-day trial) | $82/month annually, $109 monthly (Start) | None on Thinkific Payments; extra fee with third-party gateways | Unlimited courses on every plan | Email automation; bulk student email from Grow |
| Teachable | No (7-day trial) | $29/month annually, $39 monthly (Starter) | 7.5% on Starter; 0% from Builder with Teachable Payments | 5 / 10 / 50 products | Built-in email marketing listed |
| Podia | No (14-day trial) | $42/month annually, $49 monthly (Mover) | 5% on Mover; none on Shaker or Earthquaker | 50 / 150 / unlimited products | 100 / 500 / 1,000 subscribers included |
| Kajabi | No (free trial) | $143/month annually, $179 monthly (Basic) | No revenue share; 2% / 1% / 0.5% extra with a third-party processor | 5 / 50 / unlimited products | Unlimited marketing emails; 2,500 to 100,000 contacts |
If you're a UK sole trader turning your expertise into an online course, whether you're a bookkeeper, a yoga teacher, a hairdresser training juniors or a consultant, you don't need an expensive platform to start. What you do need is a way to host lessons, take payment, email buyers and, ideally, grow a list of people who might buy later. The five platforms below all do that, at very different prices.
How we chose: we compared each platform's official pricing page in October 2026, looking at the cost before your first sale, transaction fees, course or product limits and built-in marketing. We haven't built and sold courses on every platform, so we don't make claims about video quality or support response times. Prices are in US dollars, as each vendor lists them.
Sources: official pricing pages for Systeme.io, Thinkific, Teachable, Podia and Kajabi, all checked 22 October 2026 (prices checked October 2026). US dollars, excluding VAT. Card processing fees from Stripe, PayPal or the platform's own payments service are charged on top in every case.
1. Systeme.io: best overall for UK sole traders
Price: Free; Startup $17/month; Webinar $47/month; Unlimited $97/month. Systeme.io advertises "2 months free" on annual billing. Our rating: 9.2/10.
Systeme.io is an all-in-one marketing platform that includes courses, rather than a course platform with some marketing bolted on. The free plan never expires and needs no card. It includes 2,000 contacts, unlimited email sends, three sales funnels, one blog, one custom domain and one course with up to 500 students. The main catches are that the free plan only processes up to $10,000 in total sales, includes a single automation rule, and that accounts with no login or activity for six months are deactivated. Every plan, including Free, has 0% transaction fees, unlimited sub-accounts and your own affiliate programme.
Good for: testing a first course for £0, building an email list alongside it and selling through funnels with upsells and order bumps. Less good for: large catalogues on the lower plans (5 courses on Startup) and advanced teaching features such as graded exams.
Want the details? Read our Systeme.io free plan review.
2. Thinkific: best pure course platform
Price: Start $109/month ($82 billed annually); Grow $219/month ($164 annually); Expand $499/month ($374 annually). There's a 30-day free trial and no free plan.
Thinkific is built around teaching. Every plan includes unlimited courses, quizzes, assignments, completion certificates, drip content, Zoom lessons and a community. The Grow plan adds exams and question banks, bulk email to students, branding removal, API access and B2B seat sales with invoicing. A branded mobile app is a $199-a-month add-on. Thinkific Payments is priced at 2.9% according to Thinkific; if you use Stripe or PayPal instead, it adds a gateway fee that varies by plan and isn't shown on the pricing page.
Good for: course-only businesses, training providers and anyone planning many courses. Less good for: anyone who wants to start without a monthly bill.
3. Teachable: best mid-priced option with student apps
Price: Starter $39/month ($29 billed annually); Builder $89/month ($69 annually); Growth $189/month ($139 annually). There's a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
All Teachable plans include AI creation tools, iOS and Android student apps, global payments and taxes, upsells and cart recovery. The important detail is fees: Starter has a 7.5% transaction fee, while Builder and above have 0% with Teachable Payments. Plans are limited by "products". Each course, coaching offer or download counts as one, but memberships and bundles don't. Certificates and branding removal start on Growth.
Good for: creators who want students to learn in a mobile app and can start on Builder. Less good for: anyone selling meaningful volume on Starter, where the 7.5% fee adds up quickly.
4. Podia: simplest all-rounder
Price: Mover $49/month ($42 billed annually); Shaker $99/month ($84 annually); Earthquaker $179/month ($150 annually). There's a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
Podia keeps things simple. Every plan includes courses, digital downloads, coaching, community, events, a website and blog, a custom domain, landing pages and built-in checkout, plus sales tax handling that Podia says covers 230 countries. Email is included but capped by plan: 100 subscribers on Mover, 500 on Shaker and 1,000 on Earthquaker, with more available to buy. Mover carries a 5% transaction fee; Shaker and Earthquaker have none. Affiliate marketing and upsells start on Shaker.
Good for: creators who want one tidy storefront for courses, downloads and coaching. Less good for: growing an email list cheaply, given the low subscriber allowances.
5. Kajabi: best premium choice
Price: Basic $179/month ($143 billed annually); Growth $249/month ($199 annually); Pro $499/month ($399 annually). There's a free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but no free plan.
Kajabi is a polished, premium all-in-one with unlimited funnels, landing pages and marketing emails on every plan. Contacts are limited to 2,500, 25,000 and 100,000 by plan, and products to 5, 50 and unlimited. Pro includes a branded mobile app. Kajabi takes no revenue share, but adds 2%, 1% or 0.5% if you use a third-party processor instead of Kajabi Payments, where Kajabi Payments is offered. Kajabi's own FAQ says Basic is for people who haven't sold yet.
Good for: established coaches with steady revenue who want premium extras. Less good for: anyone still testing an idea. See our full Systeme.io vs Kajabi comparison.
What UK sole traders should check before choosing
- Total cost at your expected sales. Add the monthly fee to any platform transaction fee. A 5% or 7.5% fee on a cheap plan can cost more than a pricier plan with 0%.
- Dollar billing. All five price in US dollars, so your cost in pounds moves with the exchange rate.
- VAT. GOV.UK says you must register for VAT once taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12 months. Selling digital products to overseas customers can bring separate rules. Check HMRC guidance or ask an accountant; no platform removes your own obligations.
- Digital content cancellation rights. UK consumers can cancel digital content purchases unless they agree to immediate access and acknowledge losing that right. Set your checkout wording accordingly.
- Your email list. If list-building matters, compare the included contacts carefully. They range from 100 subscribers (Podia Mover) to 2,000 contacts free (Systeme.io). See also our best free email marketing tools for UK businesses.
Bottom line
Most UK sole traders should start on Systeme.io's free plan. It costs nothing, takes no cut of your sales and gives you funnels and email as well as a course. Upgrade to Startup at $17 a month once you need more contacts or courses. If courses become a large, teaching-heavy business, Thinkific is the strongest specialist. Teachable Builder and Podia Shaker are solid mid-priced options without platform fees. Kajabi is worth considering once your revenue comfortably covers $143 or more a month. For a head-to-head on the two big specialists, read Systeme.io vs Thinkific vs Teachable.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest online course platform in the UK?
Of the platforms we compared, Systeme.io is the cheapest: it has a free-forever plan with one course (up to 500 students) and paid plans from $17 a month. Thinkific, Teachable, Podia and Kajabi have no free plans (checked Oct 2026).
Which course platforms have no transaction fees?
Systeme.io charges 0% on all plans. Teachable charges 0% from Builder upwards with Teachable Payments, and Podia charges no fees on Shaker and Earthquaker. Kajabi takes no revenue share, but adds a fee if you use a third-party processor. Card processing fees always apply.
Do I need to register for VAT to sell online courses as a sole trader?
According to GOV.UK, you must register once your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12-month period, or if you expect it to in the next 30 days. Overseas sales can have separate rules, so check HMRC guidance or ask an accountant.
Is Thinkific or Teachable better for beginners?
Teachable is cheaper to start (from $29 a month on annual billing), but its Starter plan has a 7.5% transaction fee. Thinkific starts at $82 a month on annual billing with unlimited courses. If you want to start free, Systeme.io is the alternative.
Is Kajabi worth it for a sole trader?
Usually only once you have steady revenue. Kajabi starts at $143 a month billed annually. Its own FAQ suggests Basic for people who haven't sold yet, but cheaper platforms cover the same basics for much less.
Related guides
- Systeme.io vs Thinkific vs Teachable for UK course creators
- Systeme.io vs Kajabi for UK coaches and course creators
- Systeme.io free plan: what you really get in 2026
- Best free email marketing software for UK small businesses
- See our full ranking of AI tools for small business
Prices and plan limits change frequently. We note the date we checked each fact; always confirm on the vendor's official pricing page before buying. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.