Quick Verdict

Creating an online course still works – but only if you dodge the usual traps. Most people waste time on perfect production when they should be perfecting the problem they solve. Here’s my take after launching three courses (two failed, one pays my rent):

Teachable **** (4/5) – easiest for beginners, decent fees
Thinkific ***** (4.5/5) – best feature set, custom domain included
Kajabi *** (3/5) – all-in-one but way too expensive for what it is

So you want to teach people stuff and get paid for it. Good instinct. I did it back in 2023 and it’s still my main income source. Not bad for talking into a webcam for a few hours. But here’s the thing – most online course guides are written by people who’ve never actually sold a course. They tell you to "brand yourself" and "build an email list" like you’ve got a spare $10k and a marketing degree. Screw that.

First off, forget everything you’ve heard about "experts" selling $2000 courses. That’s mostly luck and a fancy sales page. For every guru with a Ferrari, there’s a thousand people who sold 3 courses to their mom. Seriously. I burned $200 on a camera I never used because I thought I needed 4K video. My most successful course was recorded on a $70 mic in my closet.

The secret that nobody tells you: your content doesn’t have to be perfect. I spent months editing my first course. Nobody noticed the jump cuts. But they did notice when I explained a concept wrong. Accuracy > polish. Also, I accidentally recorded a whole course with my laptop mic pressed against my shirt. Sounded like I was whispering into a pillow. Still got 4.5 star reviews.