Best Tools for Online Teaching in 2026: 9 Platforms Compared

Zoom is the default for live lessons, and its pricing page makes the trade-offs plain. The free Basic plan allows 100 participants but limits each meeting to 40 minutes. It includes 3 hosted meeting summaries and 20 AI queries per month, plus three editable whiteboards.

Pro costs $16.99 per user per month on monthly billing, or $14.16 per user per month billed annually. It lifts the meeting limit to 30 hours, adds unlimited clips and meeting summaries, and gives 10 GB of cloud storage per user. Business is $21.99 monthly or $18.33 annually and raises the participant cap to 300.

For a tutor with one-to-one sessions, the free plan may be enough. For a 60-minute class, you will need Pro or a workaround. Zoom lists a 50 percent discount for verified nonprofits.

Google Classroom keeps assignments, announcements and student work in one place. Google's support page says Classroom supports school accounts, Google Workspace accounts and personal Google Accounts, and describes personal accounts as typically used outside school, such as for homeschooling.

That makes it useful for independent tutors who do not have a school domain. The limit is cross-account use: the same page says a personal account user can join a class with a Workspace teacher only if the organization allows it.

Google's education page also mentions no-cost AI tools in Classroom, with advanced capabilities reserved for Education Plus and the Teaching and Learning add-on. It does not list prices for those, so check with Google or a reseller if your school is considering them.

Teams is a good fit when your students or employer already work in Microsoft products. Microsoft's support page says Teams Free supports meetings of up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes, and Microsoft's free plan pages list 5 GB of cloud storage per user. One-to-one calls are described as longer, up to 30 hours.

If you need longer group sessions, Teams Essentials raises the limit to 30 hours and 300 participants. A Microsoft page we found listed it at $4.00 per user per month paid yearly, but that page may be out of date, so confirm the current price.

Teams works best as a place where a class lives all week: chat, files and meetings together. It is heavier to set up than Zoom for a one-off tutoring session.

Loom lets you record your screen and face, then share a link. For teachers, that is ideal for explaining a homework problem or giving personal feedback without scheduling a call. Students can watch on their own time.

The Starter plan is free, with up to 25 videos, 5-minute recordings and 720p video. Business costs $18 per user per month and adds unlimited videos and recording time, 4K video and custom branding. Business + AI is $24 per user per month and adds auto-titles, summaries and chapters, with a 14-day free trial. Annual billing saves up to 17 percent.

The 25-video cap fills up fast if you build a whole course. If recorded lessons are central to your teaching, budget for a paid plan or store finished videos elsewhere.

Canva handles the design side of teaching: slide decks, worksheets, posters and social graphics for your classes. You do not need design skills, and templates make the first draft quick.

Canva's own learning pages list Canva Pro at $12 per month billed yearly ($144 per year) or $18 month to month. A free plan also exists. Third-party guides say Canva for Education is free for verified K-12 teachers and their students, but we could not confirm that on Canva's pages, so check eligibility before you rely on it. Guides also note it is not offered to college and university students.

Canva is a creation tool, not a teaching platform. You will still need Zoom, Classroom or a course site to deliver the lesson.

Teachable is built for creators who want to sell courses without building a website. The pricing page lists Starter at $39 per month ($29 per month billed annually), Builder at $89 ($69 annually) and Growth at $189 ($139 annually). Annual billing saves about 22 percent.

Fees are the main thing to read. Starter charges a 7.5 percent transaction fee, while Builder and Growth charge 0 percent. Teachable Payments processing fees include 2.9% + 30 cents for US cards and 3.9% + 30 cents for international cards. Growth adds course certificates and removes Teachable branding.

The page lists a 7-day free trial with a 30-day money-back guarantee, while a pop-up on the same page offered a 30-day trial. That inconsistency is worth checking before you sign up.

Thinkific is a course platform for building and selling online courses. Its pricing page lists Start at $109 per month ($82 per month billed annually), Grow at $219 ($164 annually) and Expand at $499 ($374 annually), plus a custom Plus plan. Every account starts with a 30-day free trial.

Thinkific Payments charges a standard 2.9 percent processing fee. If you use Stripe or PayPal, a gateway fee adds on top and varies by plan. A branded mobile app is available as a $199 per month add-on, and is included on select Plus plans.

The page did not list a free plan, so the trial is how you test it. Thinkific costs more than Teachable at the entry level, which is worth it only if its features match what you plan to build.

Kajabi is aimed at people building a business around courses, coaching or memberships. Its pricing page lists Basic at $179 per month ($143 per month billed annually), Growth at $249 ($199) and Pro at $499 ($399).

Kajabi says it takes no revenue share. Kajabi Payments charges 2.9% + 30 cents on Basic in the US, 2.8% + 30 cents on Growth and 2.7% + 30 cents on Pro. Third-party providers carry an extra fee of 2%, 1% or 0.5% depending on the plan.

The page described a 14-day free trial only for a Business Launch Kit, which converts to the Growth plan at $249 per month unless you cancel. It did not state a trial length for the regular plans, so we list it as See website. Kajabi makes more sense once you have an audience than for a first test course.

Podia lets you sell courses and other digital products from one site. Its pricing page lists Mover at $49 per month ($42 per month billed annually), Shaker at $99 ($84) and Earthquaker at $179 ($150).

Mover charges a 5 percent Podia transaction fee, while Shaker and Earthquaker charge none. Stripe or PayPal fees of about 2.9% + 30 cents still apply on all plans. The 14-day free trial includes all features, and you do not need to pick a plan or enter a credit card.

If you plan to start small and move up, Podia's fee structure is simple to follow. The catch is that Mover's 5 percent fee adds up quickly once you have steady sales, so price your course with it in mind.