Best Online Course Marketplaces for Instructors

The digital education landscape has expanded dramatically, creating unprecedented opportunities for instructors to share knowledge and generate income through online courses. Yet with this expansion comes increased complexity in choosing the right marketplace. Each platform offers distinct advantages in terms of audience reach, revenue models, and subject matter focus. This guide examines the leading online course marketplaces, helping instructors identify which platforms best align with their content, teaching style, and business objectives.

Udemy: The Mass Market Leader

Udemy stands as the most recognized name in the online course marketplace ecosystem, hosting over 185,000 instructors and more than 200,000 courses across virtually every conceivable subject. Its massive audience of 57+ million learners provides unparalleled reach for new instructors seeking exposure. The platform excels in professional development, technology, and creative skills training.

Despite its impressive reach, Udemy’s revenue model presents significant considerations. When students discover your course through Udemy’s marketplace, the platform takes 50% of the revenue. Instructors who drive their own traffic through referral links keep 97% of sales, but the audience-building responsibility shifts to the instructor. Udemy’s frequent deep-discount promotions (courses often sold at $9.99-$19.99) mean individual sale values remain relatively low, requiring volume to generate substantial income.

Udemy’s course approval process focuses primarily on technical quality rather than content expertise verification. This low barrier to entry makes it ideal for instructors testing new content, but also creates an intensely competitive environment where marketing skills often prove as important as teaching ability. The platform’s algorithm-driven promotion system favors courses with strong initial reviews and completion rates, making your launch strategy critically important.

Skillshare: The Creative Community

Skillshare has carved a distinctive niche focusing primarily on creative fields, design, and entrepreneurship. Unlike Udemy’s individual course purchases, Skillshare operates on a subscription model where students pay monthly access fees. Instructors receive compensation based on the watch time their courses accumulate, creating different incentives around course structure and length.

The platform’s dedicated creative community provides built-in audience alignment for instructors in applicable fields. Classes typically follow a project-based format that emphasizes practical application rather than comprehensive coverage. This structure encourages instructors to develop focused, action-oriented content rather than exhaustive multi-module courses.

Skillshare’s revenue model rewards engagement rather than enrollment. Instructors earn from a shared revenue pool based on minutes watched, which can benefit those who create genuinely engaging content but may challenge instructors whose material requires extensive explanation before practical application. The platform’s promotional efforts favor new releases, creating opportunities for consistent content creators who regularly publish new courses.

LinkedIn Learning: The Professional Powerhouse

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) occupies a unique position by integrating directly with LinkedIn’s professional network. This integration creates powerful context for career-oriented courses, as students can showcase completed courses directly on their professional profiles. The platform maintains stringent quality standards and typically works with experienced instructors rather than accepting open applications.

Courses on LinkedIn Learning undergo thorough editorial review and professional production assistance. The platform typically approaches instructors with established expertise rather than accepting unsolicited submissions, making it more exclusive but potentially more lucrative for those selected. Revenue typically comes through flat-fee content production arrangements or ongoing royalty agreements based on course performance.

The audience consists primarily of working professionals and organizational customers, making LinkedIn Learning ideal for business, technology, and professional development content. The platform’s enterprise sales team actively promotes content to corporate clients for employee development programs, potentially exposing your courses to large organizational implementations.

Coursera: The Academic Alliance

Coursera differentiates itself through partnerships with recognized universities and corporations, positioning its offerings as more academically rigorous than typical online courses. The platform focuses on structured learning paths and credential programs that carry institutional backing. This approach attracts motivated learners willing to commit to comprehensive educational experiences.

Unlike platforms that welcome individual instructors directly, Coursera typically requires institutional affiliation or exceptional subject matter expertise. The typical arrangement involves partnering with Coursera to develop comprehensive programs rather than standalone courses. Revenue models include certificate fees, subscription access, and degree program tuition sharing arrangements.

For instructors with academic credentials or institutional backing, Coursera offers access to highly motivated learners pursuing recognized credentials. The platform’s emphasis on structured learning pathways and assessments necessitates comprehensive curriculum development rather than isolated skill-building courses. Coursera’s audience typically commits to longer learning journeys with higher completion intention than casual browsing platforms.

Thinkific and Teachable: The Independent Alternatives

While not marketplaces themselves, Thinkific and Teachable deserve mention as popular alternatives for instructors seeking greater independence. These platforms provide course creation, hosting, and sales infrastructure without controlling the marketing or customer relationship. Instructors maintain pricing control, branding authority, and direct customer access.

Both platforms charge monthly subscription fees for their technology infrastructure and take no commission on course sales. This model benefits established instructors with existing audiences or effective marketing capabilities. Without built-in marketplace traffic, however, student acquisition responsibility falls entirely to the instructor.

The independence these platforms offer extends beyond revenue. Instructors maintain complete control over course structure, pricing strategy, and student communication. This freedom proves particularly valuable for instructors building comprehensive businesses around their educational content rather than simply publishing individual courses.

Choosing the Right Platform for Your Content

Content-platform fit should drive your marketplace decision. Evaluate each platform’s audience characteristics against your subject matter expertise. Technical courses often perform well on Udemy and LinkedIn Learning, while creative instruction typically finds better alignment on Skillshare. Academic content with credential value may better suit Coursera or edX.

Consider your revenue expectations and timeline. Marketplace platforms offer faster initial traction but at the cost of revenue share and limited student relationship control. Independent platforms provide greater long-term value but require more substantial marketing investment. Many successful instructors begin on marketplaces to build audience awareness before transitioning to independent platforms.

Your content production capabilities should also influence platform selection. LinkedIn Learning and Coursera maintain stringent production quality requirements that may necessitate professional equipment and editing. Udemy and Skillshare allow more production flexibility while still requiring baseline technical quality. Independent platforms impose no standardized quality requirements beyond what your audience expects.

Building a Strategic Platform Presence

The most successful online instructors often maintain strategic presence across multiple platforms rather than committing exclusively to one marketplace. This diversification might include introductory content on mass-market platforms that directs students toward comprehensive paid courses on independent platforms. Some instructors repurpose content across platforms, adapting presentation format and depth to each platform’s audience expectations.

Consider how different platforms might serve distinct phases of your instructor journey. Mass-market platforms like Udemy provide valuable feedback and audience insights during early content development. As you refine your approach and build reputation, specialized platforms like LinkedIn Learning can enhance credibility. Eventually, independent platforms maximize revenue and relationship control for established instructors.

Regardless of platform selection, consistent engagement with student questions and feedback remains essential for sustained success. The most profitable instructors across all platforms consistently demonstrate responsiveness to student needs, regularly update content, and actively participate in platform communities. This engagement compounds over time, creating reputational advantages that transcend algorithmic promotion.

Conclusion

The ideal online course marketplace varies dramatically depending on your subject matter expertise, audience building capability, and long-term objectives. Each platform presents distinct advantages in audience access, revenue potential, and positioning. Rather than seeking a universal “best” marketplace, successful instructors identify platforms whose audience and business model align with their specific content and goals.

As you evaluate potential platforms, consider starting with a primary marketplace that offers the strongest alignment with your subject matter and current audience-building capabilities. Gather student feedback, refine your approach, and establish your teaching reputation before expanding to additional platforms. This focused approach builds transferable skills and reputation that eventually increase your value across the entire online education ecosystem.