With the expansion of the number of online tools necessary for building ever more sophisticated marketing funnels, course creators have been craving for simplicity.
It's easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of pieces you need to put together in order to sell and deliver your online programs: from the back-end to the marketing campaigns
That's how a gap in the market was created around 2010. A need for platforms integrating all the tools you need in one place!
So that even beginners could have access to the somewhat fancy tools and didn't need to be shackled to a WordPress developer and integrate different plugins and 3rd party tools.
A platform to join them all an ALL-IN-ONE Platforms (ok may be getting a little dramatic here)
Today I'm going to lay out the top 5 all-in-one platforms for course creators, and what you should know about them to pick the best one for you!
These are in no particular order. The choice depends on your particular needs!
But First What are all-in-one platforms exactly?
Ok so let's first take a quick step back and talk about why exactly should you care about all-in-one platforms?
There are different ways of hosting and delivering your online courses. Almost all of them do include actually hosting the video training and other pieces on a platform, inside of a member's area.
But selling courses also means that you'll need some other tools in your arsenal to effectively run marketing campaigns and close the deals.
Here are the main elements that are almost 100% necessary to achieve this:
- Course design and hosting: this is the member's area where students can watch and download the training.
- Page/Funnel Builder: To build your marketing funnel, including sales page, optin, webinar registration, upsell pages,...
- Checkout: to take payments via a payment gateway (Stripe, Paypal,...) and then give appropriate access to the product.
- Email marketing: to build a list and send email marketing campaigns and drive traffic to your funnel.
Well that's in a nutshell everything an all-in-one platform offers under the same roof!
Whereas a standalone online course platforms, like Teachable or Thinkific, only offer the very basics and lets you integrate 3rd party tools for the rest, all-in-one platforms take care of everything.
This kind of platform is, in my opinion, what 90% of course creators should default to if they're unsure about what type of platform to choose...
Ok so now that we're clear on what all-in-ones are, let's take a look at the very best ones out there!
#1 Kajabi
Kajabi is maybe the most recognized and popular all-in-one platform at the moment!
Maybe because it has been pushed by big influencers such as Amy Portefield or Brendon Burchard. But also because of its longevity and maturity in the market, pioneering the concept itself when it was created in 2010.
One of its key strengths is also the raving community it has built over the years where you can find fellow course creators and experts to help you on your journey.
In my opinion it's also the all-in-one platform that allows for the best student experience because of the numerous course layout and templates you can use.
They have always put UX at the forefront of their priorities making the platform very easy and satisfying to use.
Kajabi would be a better choice if you?
Are a beginner and value ease of use over a lot of customization - even if you still have plenty (with code access too)
Would benefit from having a community to help you through your online course creator's journey, to ask for help but also pick the brain of top experts in the industry.
Value UX: Kajabi is the Apple of online course platforms: everything looks great, and just works!
For more details and full review of Kajabi: Click here
#2 Kartra
Kartra is a platform developed by Genesis Digital group which is also behind other well-known and widely used industry tools like EverWebinar and WebinarJam.
One of its co-founder, Mike Filsaime, also later on created another all-in-one in this list: GrooveFunnels.
If you're familiar with any software these guys created, then you'll understand the level of excellence that can be found in Kartra.
It's now becoming a very mature and widely used platform in spite of its relatively short existence (about 4 years). Kartra also pioneered bundling a lot of features into the all-in-one models that others didn't: calendar capabilities, a full blown CRM system,...
Kartra would be a better choice if you?
Want all the bells and whistles and more! Including some tools almost no other platforms include.
Are somewhat tech savvy. As mentioned before, this is not the most beginner friendly platform due to its large amount of features and a sometimes not-so-intuitive interface.
Don't want to compromise! What makes its weakness for some, is a big selling point for others. If you really want to get granular on a lot of functionality like A/B testing, advanced funnel building and affiliate marketing, then Kartra has a degree of customization that's almost unequalled elsewhere.
For more details and full review of Kartra: Click here
#3 GrooveFunnels
A few months ago, GrooveFunnels would have not been on this list!
With an early release in early 2020 and a full suite launch later that year, GrooveFunnels became, overnight, one of the most utilised all-in-one platforms for course creators!
It was founded, among other people, by Mike Filsaime, previously mentioned in the creation of Kartra and other tools at Genesis Digital.
And this time the team really went all out when it comes to features! Beyond the traditional tools you'll find in any all-in-ones, GrooveFunnels is also pioneering a LOT of functionality no other platform in the industry is even close to having.
Namely, the platform will integrate a native live and evergreen webinar tool, as well as a native survey and calendar application, but also a built in video hosting platform allowing for things like in-video call to actions. Some of these are not fully developed yet so do check their public planned releases.
Although still working through the early days tribulation of new platforms and tech troubleshooting, there is no doubt that with its 16 different tools, GrooveFunnels will be one of the main platforms used for not only course creators but any online business owners too!
GrooveFunnels would be a better choice if you?
Want it all on the feature side! And wish to invest in a truly all-in-one platform pioneering a lot of new tools in the industry.
Don't mind that they're still working out some of the kinks right now and the fact that the platform isn't as mature as others.
Also want to sell physical products, which is made very easy with things like the GrooveKart integrated tool, meant to replace the Shopify's and other ecommerce platforms.
For more details and full review of GrooveFunnels: Click here
#4 New Zenler
New Zenler made a big splash when it came out with its new version of the platform a couple years ago!
Especially because of its very affordable package while still offering all the bells and whistles of an all-in-one.
It was also one, if not the first all-in-one, to put out a native webinar hosting feature for you to host lives directly into the platform.
You'll also be able to build a community/forum type of places for your audience to connect directly, inside or outside a course!
There's no doubt that it has now established itself as a serious contender in the all-in-one platforms industry and something to consider for all course creators.
The team is also constantly pushing to add on new features to the platform and to the benefit of its growing user base!
New Zenler would be a better choice if you?
Are price sensitive and looking for an affordable solution right now, sacrificing a little bit on things like UX or platform maturity.
Don't mind that some features like the email system or course design are somewhat basic - as long as it works!
Care about great and helpful support from a very tech savvy team behind the scene.
For more details and full review of New Zenler: Click here
#5 Podia
Created in 2014, the platform has slowly evolved to be something widely considered in the all-in-one world.
Its main feat is probably its cheaper price (in comparison to other all-in-one) and VERY simple user experience and back-end setup.
It does have some limitations on the feature side of things, like its page builder and email system.
So don't expect to build fancy funnels or advanced email automations!
But if you're just looking to get your feet wet with the whole online course world and don't want to invest in the more expensive platforms listed before, then Podia might just be the right option for you!
Podia would be a better choice if you?
Want to get started with an all-in-one but not break the bank just yet!
Value simplicity and ease of use over fancier setup.
Don't mind the lower ability for customization for pages and the courses experience
For more details and full review of Podia: Click here
Top All-In-On Platforms: Conclusion
As mentioned in the introduction of this article, there is no straight answer to the question of which one of these 5 platforms is the best...
The right answer depends on your needs and what you value. But if you do find the concept of having all of your online course tools into one platform, then one of these will definitely fit!
Please feel free to comment about a platform you think is missing from this list or simply your experience on any of the one I've reviewed 🙂
