OpenCourse

At a glance

• Editor score
  3.0 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  Communities wanting basic open-source courses
• Free plan
  Yes
• Facts checked
  20 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Unlimited members and courses on the Free plan
  • Forums, profiles, video lessons, quizzes, and assignments
  • Integrated payments, subscriptions, progress tracking, and analytics

• Where it doesn't

  • Limited integrations compared with broader course platforms
  • No native mobile app is listed among its platform options
  • Email marketing is not included in the listed feature set

Our verdict on OpenCourse

OpenCourse is an open-source online learning platform for educators and community builders. It combines course creation with community features, giving organizations a way to publish video lessons, quizzes, and assignments while supporting discussion forums and member profiles. Progress tracking, payment processing, subscription management, and analytics are also included. The platform is available on the web and can be self-hosted, making it a fit for communities that want basic courses alongside member interaction and control over the codebase.

The published plans show a useful free starting point. Free costs $0 forever and includes unlimited members, unlimited courses, full community features, and community support. The Community plan costs $15 per community and adds priority support, advanced analytics, and custom branding to everything in Free. The paid tier is therefore aimed at communities that need stronger reporting, a branded experience, or a higher support level rather than a different course format. Both plans support the platform’s core combination of courses, community tools, payments, and subscriptions.

OpenCourse’s main strength is its focused blend of learning and community functions, supported by a mobile-responsive interface and an open-source codebase. Its scope is narrower for teams that need a large integration ecosystem, native mobile applications, or built-in email marketing. Communities choosing OpenCourse should be comfortable with a relatively focused platform and, for self-hosting, the responsibilities that come with deployment and customization. It is a sensible fit for educators and community builders who value openness, integrated payments, and a free plan; organizations seeking broader platform integrations should consider alternatives.

Your product? Our editors can test OpenCourse in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

OpenCourse pricing

All 2 OpenCourse plans and prices →

OpenCourse fact sheet

Alternatives to OpenCourse

• TThinkificA full course business platform for established creators, with broad commerce and learning tools.9.3
• LearnWorldsA deep platform for interactive courses, learning paths, branded delivery, and digital sales.9.2
• FreshLearnA broad, budget-friendly course platform with commerce, marketing, mobile apps, and AI.9.0

See all OpenCourse alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

OpenCourse is listed in our Online Course Platforms directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update