Best course platforms for solopreneurs and creators (2026)
Systeme.io, Podia, Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi or Payhip? The best platforms to sell online courses as a solopreneur or creator — compared on price, payout and the one EU question no US list answers: who handles your VAT.
Financial analyst & solo founder · 12 June 2026 · updated 12 June 2026 · 5 min read
Selling what you know is one of the cleanest businesses a solopreneur can run: near-zero marginal cost, high margins, and an audience you may already have. The platform you sell on decides how much of that margin you keep, how good the learning experience is — and, if you’re in the EU, whether the VAT headache is yours or someone else’s. That last point is the one almost every “best course platform” list ignores, and it’s where this one starts.
How I evaluated these. From an EU solo creator’s chair: what does it cost to start, how good is the actual course experience, does it bundle the funnel (email/checkout), and — the question nobody else asks — who is liable for EU VAT? Figures are 2026 public pricing; confirm before committing.
The EU question that sorts the field: who owns the VAT?
Sell a digital course to a consumer in another EU country and someone has to charge that buyer’s local VAT rate and file it. There are two models:
- You are the seller (Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, Systeme): the VAT is your legal problem — correct rate per country, evidence, OSS return. Workable, but it’s on you (automate it; see the payment processors roundup).
- A merchant of record sells for you (Payhip, or routing through Paddle/Lemon Squeezy): they are the seller of record and handle EU VAT entirely.
Neither is “better” — but for a solo who’d rather never think about OSS, it can decide the whole choice. Read the EU VAT OSS explainer once and this section pays for itself.
At a glance
| Platform | Best for | VAT handled for you? | Start price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Budget all-in-one funnel + course | ❌ (yours) | Free |
| Payhip | Creator storefront, VAT handled | ✅ (merchant of record) | Free + fee |
| Teachable | Course experience, your funnel | ❌ (yours) | Free + fee / paid |
| Thinkific | Course experience, generous free | ❌ (yours) | Free / paid |
| Kajabi | Established creators, premium all-in-one | ❌ (yours) | Premium |
1. Systeme.io — the budget all-in-one
Systeme.io
For a European solo starting out, this is the pragmatic pick: landing page, email list, checkout and course in one login, with a free plan that covers 2,000 contacts, one course and a product. You can launch and validate a course business before paying anything — and when email is part of the funnel, you’re not wiring three tools together.
The trade-off: it’s a course module inside a funnel platform, not a best-in-class learning experience, and EU VAT is yours to handle. But for “go from idea to first sale cheaply”, it’s hard to beat.
2. Payhip — the merchant-of-record creator store
Payhip
The EU sleeper pick. Payhip is a clean storefront for courses, downloads and memberships with a genuinely usable free tier — and, crucially, it acts as merchant of record, so it handles EU VAT for you. For a creator who wants to sell a course without ever touching an OSS return, that alone can win it. Best for: solo creators who value “tax handled” over deep learning features.
3. Teachable — the creator-favourite course experience
Teachable
A polished, well-known platform focused on the course itself — lessons, completion, coaching, a respectable free tier to start. You bring your own email and funnel (it slots beside them). Best for: creators who want a strong learning experience and already have an audience tool. Watch: EU VAT is yours; factor it in.
4. Thinkific — generous free, course-first
Thinkific
Similar territory to Teachable, with one of the more generous free tiers for building real courses before paying. Clean course-building, quizzes and drip content. Best for: creators who want to build the course properly on a free plan first. Watch: again, VAT is on you.
5. Kajabi — the premium all-in-one for established creators
Kajabi
The high-end option: courses, email, funnels, communities and a website in one premium platform. It’s expensive and requires an active paid subscription, so it suits creators already making real money who want everything under one roof and will use all of it. Best for: established creators with revenue to justify it. Not for: anyone pre-first-sale — it’s a lot of platform to pay for an unvalidated idea.
How to choose
| If you are… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Budget-conscious, want the whole funnel in one | Systeme.io |
| An EU creator who wants VAT handled for you | Payhip (merchant of record) |
| Focused on the best course experience + have an email tool | Teachable or Thinkific |
| An established creator wanting one premium home | Kajabi |
| Really just selling a PDF or simple download | A checkout (Payhip / Lemon Squeezy), not a course platform |
The cost beyond the subscription
Two recurring costs hide behind the monthly fee. First, transaction/VAT handling — a merchant-of-record platform takes a higher cut but removes the tax work; a cheaper platform leaves you to automate VAT yourself. Second, the audience — a course platform sells the course, but you still need traffic and a list to sell to. That’s why the smart sequence is audience first, platform second: build the email list that the course converts, then pick where it lives.
Bottom line
Match the platform to your stage and your tax appetite. Start on Systeme.io if budget and funnel-in-one matter; choose Payhip if you want EU VAT off your plate; reach for Teachable or Thinkific for the best course experience beside your own email; and only step up to Kajabi once the revenue clearly justifies it. Whatever you pick, decide the VAT question first — it’s the part that finds EU creators at quarter-end.
Related: the tax side is in EU VAT OSS explained and the payment processors roundup; the funnel around the course is in the all-in-one platforms roundup; and the audience to sell to starts with the email marketing roundup.
Affiliate note: Podia, Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi and Payhip run recurring affiliate programmes we’re registering; Systeme.io is live. Plain links become trackable in the DB without changing this page.