Best Maven Alternatives in 2026
The top Maven alternatives are Thinkific, LearnWorlds and FreshLearn: 15 online course platforms our editors would look at instead of Maven, in our ranking order.
Maven: A strong starting point for cohort instructors who want no platform fee before sales. Where it falls short: charges a 10% fee on paid enrollments.
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Best forEstablished creators needing a full platform
A full course business platform for established creators, with broad commerce and learning tools.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
9.6/10★★★★★Visit Thinkific -
Best forInteractive academies and branded learning businesses
A deep platform for interactive courses, learning paths, branded delivery, and digital sales.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit LearnWorlds -
Best forBudget-conscious creators wanting broad features
A broad, budget-friendly course platform with commerce, marketing, mobile apps, and AI.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit FreshLearn -
Best forCreators wanting low-cost selling tools
A creator-focused course platform with broad selling tools and a notable Starter transaction fee.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Teachable -
Best forOrganizations wanting a mature free LMS
A mature free LMS with broad assessment, integration, mobile, and customization options.
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Moodle -
Best forAll-in-one course and marketing businesses
A broad course, marketing, commerce, and community platform for growing education businesses.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Zenler -
Best forAcademies wanting broad selling and community tools
A broad online academy platform for courses, live learning, payments, and communities.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit ClassOnLive -
Best forSmall teams needing an inexpensive LMS
An affordable LMS for small teams, with live teaching, analytics, and branded mobile apps.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit TrainerCentral -
Best forInstitutions needing open-source course delivery
A broad open-source course platform for institutions prepared to manage deployment and operations.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Open edX -
Best forPremium education businesses with marketing needs
A broad creator business platform for teams that can justify its premium starting price.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Kajabi -
Best forCreators needing live classes and local payments
A broad course platform for live teaching, local payments, and branded mobile apps.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Graphy -
Best forEuropean sellers needing scalable memberships
A broad course and membership platform for European sellers scaling paid learning.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit ablefy -
Best forUnlimited-student academies needing CRM automation
A broad course and CRM platform for unlimited-student academies.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Softbook -
Best forCourse businesses needing payments and white-label apps
A broad course business platform with payments, memberships and branded mobile apps.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Knorish -
Best forIndian providers needing strong operations and apps
A broad LMS for Indian providers that need delivery, operations, payments, and apps.
- Email marketing
- Custom domain
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Edmingle
Maven Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Maven?
Thinkific: #1 in our Online Course Platforms ranking, with an editor score of 9.6 out of 10. A full course business platform for established creators, with broad commerce and learning tools.
Is there a free alternative to Maven?
Yes. FreshLearn, Moodle LMS, TrainerCentral and Open edX have a free plan or a free tier.
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Maven?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Teachable starts lowest, at $29/mo.
Maven vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Student limit | Transaction fee | Custom domain | Course formats | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 112 | Maven | Yes | None | — | 10 % | — | Classic; Weekend Seminar; Hybrid; live sessions; projects; pre-recorded videos; readings; templates; resource links | 4.2 |
| 1 | Thinkific | No | — | 10000 students | 0 % | Yes | video, text, audio, PDFs, quizzes, assignments, surveys, downloadable files, SCORM | 9.6 |
| 2 | LearnWorlds | No | — | 1000 students | — | Yes | Interactive video, PDF, SCORM/HTML5, LTI, PowerPoint, YouTube, audio, SoundCloud, live sessions, ebooks, exams, self-assessments, forms, certificates, social, embeds, and external links | 9.0 |
| 3 | FreshLearn | Yes | $35/mo | — | 0 % | Yes | video, audio, documents/PDFs, quizzes, assessments, assignments, live sessions, embedded content | 8.5 |
| 4 | Teachable | No | $29/mo | — | 7.5 % | Yes | video, text, quizzes, audio, files | 7.7 |
| 5 | Moodle LMS | Yes | None | — | — | — | — | 7.6 |
| 6 | Zenler | No | $47/mo | 500 students | 0 % | Yes | video, audio, PDF, PowerPoint, ebook, text, SCORM, HTML | 7.6 |
| 7 | ClassOnLive | No | — | — | — | Yes | video, audio, documents, SCORM, live sessions, webinars, tests, assignments, interactive elements | 7.4 |
| 8 | TrainerCentral | Yes | — | — | 0 % | Yes | text, documents, audio, video, PDFs, spreadsheets, images, external links | 7.3 |
| 9 | Open edX | Yes | None | — | — | — | — | 7.1 |
| 10 | Kajabi | No | $143/mo | — | 0 % | Yes | video, audio, text, downloadable files, quizzes | 7.1 |
| 11 | Graphy | No | $49/mo | — | 0 % | Yes | PDF, video, audio, SCORM, files, text, links, quizzes, live tests, live classes, assignments, and forms | 6.8 |
| 12 | ablefy | No | — | — | 2.7 % | Yes | video, audio, text, presentations, downloads, quizzes, certificates, live formats | 6.8 |
| 13 | Softbook | No | $39/mo | — | 0 % | Yes | video, audio, text, images, PDF, DOC, XLS, slides, tests, assignments, certificates | 6.7 |
| 14 | Knorish | No | — | — | 0 % | Yes | Video, PDF, DOC, Excel, YouTube, Vimeo, Prezi, ebooks, templates, guides, live meetings, webinars and workshops | 6.6 |
| 15 | Edmingle | No | — | 500 students | — | Yes | PDF, PPT, ZIP, video, audio, embeds, SCORM | 6.5 |
Guides on Online Course Platforms
- 9 Best Online Course Platforms in 2026 (with Free Options)Aug 2026
- 10 Best Open Source LMS Tools for Online Course Builder Projects in 2026Aug 2026
- 5 Best Online Course Platforms for 2026Aug 2026
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
Last updated · How we research and update