Curated Directory of SaaS Course Builders & Self-Hosted Open-Source Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Focused on Course Creation, Video Hosting, Student Portals, Monetization, Creator Funnels & EdTech Infrastructure
📅 Last updated: August 2026
This repository tracks notable SaaS platforms and open-source projects for building and scaling Online Course Platforms & LMS Software. These tools empower creators, educators, coaches, and enterprises to build, deliver, market, and monetize digital courses and community memberships under their own brand.
- 💎 SaaS/Hosted Platforms
- 🔓 Open-Source GitHub Projects
- 🛠️ Key Architectural Patterns
- 🤝 How to Contribute
- ⭐ Star History
- 📜 Disclaimer
📈 Market Size & Industry Structure: The global Online Course Platform & LMS market is estimated at $18.5B – $22B+ (projected to surpass $45B+ by 2030 at a 16.5% CAGR). The sector is moderately to highly fragmented across creator-first suites, enterprise LMS engines, mobile-app builders, and lightweight checkout tools rather than being dominated by a single winner-take-all monopoly.
The table below ranks top commercial hosted platforms by company size / valuation / ARR (descending):
| 🏢 Platform | 📝 Description | 📊 Company Size (Valuation / ARR) | 💵 Pricing (Starting Tier) | 🎁 Free Tier / Free Trial Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | All-in-one knowledge commerce suite combining video courses, marketing funnels, email automation, and communities. | ~$2.0B Valuation ($550M raised, ~$75M+ ARR) | $179/mo ($143/mo billed annually) for Basic plan (0% transaction fee) | 14-day free trial with access to core course creation and funnel tools (bulk contact import and custom domain restricted during trial; no permanent free plan). |
| Thinkific | Publicly traded course platform with flexible site design, multimedia curricula, assessments, and zero transaction fees on paid tiers. | ~$741M Valuation (at IPO, Public TSX: THNC; ~$61.3M ARR) | $49/mo ($36/mo billed annually) for Basic plan (0% transaction fee via Thinkific Payments) | 30-day free trial with full access to course creation, e-commerce checkouts, and unlimited student enrollments; no permanent free plan. |
| Teachable | Creator-friendly platform focusing on fast course launching, digital downloads, student coaching, and automated tax compliance. | ~$250M Valuation (Acquired by Hotmart, ~$26M+ ARR) | $0/mo (Free plan) / $39/mo ($29/mo billed annually) for Starter plan (7.5% transaction fee) | Free forever plan limited to 1 published product (course, download, or coaching), 1 admin user, and $1 + 10% transaction fee per sale; 7-day free trial on paid plans. |
| LearnWorlds | Interactive course platform featuring in-video quizzes, SCORM compliance, gradebooks, certificates, and white-label mobile apps. | ~$27.3M ARR (Venture-backed, $32M raised) | $29/mo ($24/mo billed annually) for Starter plan (+ $5 fee per course sale) | 30-day free trial (no credit card required) allowing full course building, interactive video testing, and page design; no permanent free plan. |
| Systeme.io | High-value all-in-one marketing suite bundling online courses with sales funnels, affiliate programs, and email campaigns. | ~$20.1M ARR (Bootstrapped, 300k+ active creators) | $0/mo (Free plan) / $27/mo ($17/mo billed annually at $170/yr) for Startup plan | Free forever plan limited to 2,000 contacts, 1 course with unlimited students, 3 sales funnels, 1 blog, and unlimited emails with 0% transaction fees. |
| Passion.io | Mobile-first platform turning courses, interactive habits, and communities into branded iOS and Android native apps. | ~$14.0M ARR (Bootstrapped / Profitable) | $119/mo ($99/mo billed annually) for Launch plan (3.9% payment processing fee) | 14-day free trial / 30-day refund guarantee with app builder access (limited to 100 subscribers, 100 videos, and web app preview during trial; no permanent free plan). |
| Graphy | Modern course and community platform by Unacademy optimized for cohort-based courses, live workshops, and mobile apps. | ~$10.0M ARR (Parent Unacademy valued at ~$3.4B) | $49/mo (or ~₹24,999/yr billed annually) for Launch/Basic plan | 14-day free trial with access to course builder, cohort scheduling, and community features; no permanent free plan. |
| LearnDash Cloud | Managed cloud hosting solution for LearnDash LMS on WordPress, removing server maintenance overhead. | ~$6.0M ARR (Acquired by Liquid Web / One Equity Partners) | $29/mo ($25/mo billed annually at $299/yr) for Starter plan | Free interactive demo environment to test all LMS features / 15-day full money-back guarantee; no permanent free plan. |
| Heights Platform | Creator platform combining AI-powered course generators, gamification badges, challenges, and creator communities. | ~$2.0M ARR (Bootstrapped / Profitable) | $29/mo ($19/mo billed annually) for Challenge plan / $49/mo ($39/mo annual) for Basic plan | 30-day free trial (no credit card required) with access to AI course creation, community tools, and gamification setup; no permanent free plan. |
| Podia | Clean, unified storefront for selling digital downloads, online courses, webinars, and coaching with built-in email marketing. | ~$1.5M ARR (Bootstrapped / Profitable) | $49/mo ($42/mo billed annually) for Mover plan (5% transaction fee) | 30-day free trial (no credit card required) with access to course builder and up to 100 email subscribers; no permanent free plan. |
| FreshLearn | Streamlined digital product platform for launching courses, digital downloads, and masterclasses with custom domains. | ~$800K ARR (Bootstrapped / Seed stage) | $0/mo (Free plan) / $39/mo ($29/mo billed annually) for Pro plan (0% transaction fee) | Free forever plan limited to 25 learners, 1 course/product, 3 sales pages, 1 blog, and 9% transaction fee; 14-day free trial on paid plans. |
| Teachery | Simple, no-code course builder with zero transaction fees and unlimited courses, students, and landing pages. | ~$350K ARR (Bootstrapped / Founder-led) | $49/mo ($470/yr, ~$39/mo; or $750 lifetime access) (0% transaction fee) | 14-day free trial with full access to unlimited courses, unlimited students, and custom course hubs; no permanent free plan. |
Open-source LMS and course platforms give you 100% data ownership, zero platform revenue share, customizability, and self-hosted control. Repositories below are sorted by GitHub star count (descending):
-
BigBlueButton
The open-source virtual classroom and interactive web conferencing system designed specifically for online learning, real-time sharing of slides, audio, video, breakout rooms, and deep LMS integrations (Moodle, Canvas, Open edX). -
Moodle
The world’s most widely adopted open-source LMS. Features advanced grading, competency frameworks, SCORM/xAPI packages, modular plugin architecture, and payment plugins for selling course enrollments. -
Canvas LMS
The open-source core of Instructure Canvas LMS powering leading global universities and enterprises. Robust Ruby on Rails architecture with rich REST APIs, grading speed-grader, and LTI integrations. -
Open edX (edx-platform)
The powerhouse platform behind edX.org. Author and deliver massive online open courses (MOOCs) or corporate training using edX Studio for authoring and the scalable edX LMS learner portal. -
Frappe LMS
Modern, 100% open-source learning management system built with Python, Frappe Framework, and Vue.js. Offers clean modern UX, student portals, quizzes, certificates, and monetization features. -
LearnHouse
Modern open-source e-learning platform and community builder. Designed with clean UX, self-hosting ease, student analytics, and direct course monetization. -
Tutor (Open edX)
The official Docker and Kubernetes deployment orchestrator for Open edX. Simplifies installation, plugin management, theming, and production operations for Open edX instances. -
CourseLit
Lightweight, self-hosted alternative to Teachable, Thinkific, and Podia. Sell courses and digital downloads on your own branded website with built-in Stripe payments and custom page builder. -
Chamilo LMS
Full-featured open-source learning management and talent tracking system focused on ease of use, accessibility, multi-tenancy, and compliance reporting. -
Sensei LMS
Open-source WordPress LMS plugin built by Automattic (the makers of WooCommerce and WordPress.com), enabling seamless course creation and monetization directly inside WordPress. -
ILIAS LMS
Flexible, enterprise-grade open-source web LMS supporting integrated testing engines, learning communities, SCORM 1.2/2004, and fine-grained access control.
- 🚀 Creator Stack: Pair CourseLit or Frappe LMS with Stripe for zero-commission course sales and instant payouts.
- 🎓 Academic & Enterprise Scale: Deploy Open edX (via Tutor) or Moodle with SSO, SCORM packages, and proctored exam plugins.
- 💻 Headless LMS: Combine a headless LMS backend (Canvas API / edX APIs) with custom Next.js/Nuxt frontend web portals.
- 📹 Live Classrooms: Connect BigBlueButton to any open LMS for secure, self-hosted live webinar and breakout teaching.
- 📊 Privacy-First Analytics: Layer open-source telemetry (Matomo, Plausible) to track student completion without tracking cookies.
- Fork the repository.
- Add or update entries in
README.mdfollowing the tabular or badge format. - Ensure all links, descriptions, pricing details, and star counts are factual and up to date.
- Submit a Pull Request with a clear summary of changes.
- This list is community-curated for informational and educational purposes.
- Online course platforms process customer payments and student personal data. When choosing open-source self-hosted solutions, ensure PCI-DSS compliance, SSL/TLS encryption, and compliance with GDPR/CCPA regulations.
- Pricing, valuations, and metrics are subject to change; verify directly on official provider sites.
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