Best Free Tools to Create Online Courses

You can create a complete course without paying a cent for software. Seriously.

The problem is there are hundreds of "free" tools and most have hidden catches. Free versions that are useless, watermarks impossible to remove, limits that force you to pay at the worst moment.

This list includes only tools that actually work in their free version. For each one I explain what you can do and where the limits are.

Screen recording

OBS Studio Free, unlimited, no watermark. The standard for streaming and screen recording. Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Learning curve is somewhat steep but there are tutorials for everything. You can record your screen, camera, or both simultaneously.

Loom Free plan: videos up to 5 minutes, 25 videos maximum. Useful for short feedback videos or quick explanations. For long lessons it's useless unless you pay.

Screencastify Chrome extension. Free plan: 5 minutes per video, watermark. Very limited but can work for short demos.

QuickTime (Mac) Comes with the system. Records screen without limits or watermark. Basic but functional. Doesn't record system audio without additional apps.

Recommended: OBS Studio. Truly free, no compromises.

Camera video recording

Your phone's native app Free, unlimited. Most modern phones record in 1080p or 4K. Enough quality for any course.

Open Camera (Android) Free, open source. More control than the native app: manual adjustments for exposure, focus, white balance.

Filmic Pro Paid ($15), but I mention it because it's the only app worth paying for if you need professional control. Not free but a one-time purchase, no subscription.

Recommended: your phone's native app works for 90% of cases.

Video editing

DaVinci Resolve The best kept secret. Professional editing and color correction software, free. The free version has almost everything you need. Used in Hollywood productions. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Requires a computer with some power.

CapCut Free on mobile and desktop. Perfect for quick editing. Cuts, text, transitions, music. The desktop version is surprisingly complete.

iMovie (Mac) Comes free with Mac. Simple, intuitive. Limited in advanced features but enough for basic courses.

Kdenlive Free, open source, cross-platform. Less polished than DaVinci but lighter. Good option if your computer isn't powerful.

Clipchamp Now owned by Microsoft, free with Microsoft account. Browser-based editor, no installation needed. Exports in 1080p without watermark on the free plan.

Recommended: DaVinci Resolve if your computer can handle it, CapCut if you prefer something simpler.

Audio editing

Audacity Free, open source. The standard for audio editing. Remove noise, normalize volume, cut silences. Outdated interface but works perfectly.

GarageBand (Mac) Free with Mac. More music-oriented but works well for cleaning voice audio.

Recommended: Audacity. Does everything you need.

Graphic design

Canva Very generous free plan. Thumbnails, presentations, downloadable materials. Thousands of templates. Some photos and elements are paid but there's enough free content.

Figma Free plan for up to 3 projects. More powerful than Canva for custom design. Steeper learning curve but more professional results.

GIMP Free, open source. Photoshop alternative. Powerful but unfriendly interface. Worth it if you need advanced image editing.

Photopea Photoshop in the browser, free. Surprisingly capable. Opens PSD files. Has ads but works.

Recommended: Canva for most people. Figma if you want more control.

Presentations

Google Slides Free with Google account. Real-time collaboration. Exports to PDF. Limited but functional templates.

Canva Presentations Part of Canva's free plan. Better templates than Google Slides. Present directly from Canva or export.

LibreOffice Impress Free, open source. PowerPoint alternative. Works offline.

Recommended: Google Slides or Canva depending on your visual preference.

Video hosting

YouTube (unlisted) Free, unlimited. Upload videos as "unlisted" and only those with the link can view them. No fine control over who accesses.

Vimeo Free plan: 500MB per week upload. Better privacy controls than YouTube. Most course platforms integrate with Vimeo.

Google Drive Free up to 15GB. You can share videos with private links. Not a proper video player but it works.

Recommended: YouTube unlisted to start. Vimeo if you need more control.

Course selling platforms

Gumroad No monthly cost. 10% commission per sale. You can upload videos, PDFs, any file. Sales page included. Limited in course features but works to start.

Payhip No monthly cost. 5% commission per sale. Similar to Gumroad with lower commission.

Notion + Stripe Create the course in Notion (free), charge with Stripe, give access manually. Zero platform commission, only Stripe's commission (2.9% + 30 cents). More manual work but zero fixed cost.

Teachable (free plan) Exists but has serious limitations: 10% commission + $1 per sale, PayPal only, no custom domain. I don't recommend it.

LearnBase Free plan available. LMS with AI assistant for course creation, automatic video transcription and quiz generation. Video hosting included.

Recommended: Gumroad or Payhip to start. LearnBase if you want real LMS features.

Student communication

Discord Free. Communities with text and voice channels. Many creators use it for support and course community.

Slack Free plan with 90-day message history limit. Works but the history limit is annoying.

WhatsApp/Telegram groups Free, familiar to everyone. Simple but doesn't scale well. Works for small groups.

Recommended: Discord if you want community. Email if you prefer keeping it simple.

Automation and email

Mailchimp Free up to 500 contacts. Enough to start. Limits automations on free plan.

MailerLite Free up to 1000 subscribers. More generous than Mailchimp on automations.

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) Free up to 300 emails per day. No contact limit. Good if you have a large list but send infrequently.

Recommended: MailerLite if you're starting out. Better free automations.

The minimum viable stack

If you start today with zero budget:

1. Recording: phone's native app + OBS for screen
2. Editing: CapCut or DaVinci Resolve
3. Audio: Audacity
4. Design: Canva
5. Hosting: YouTube unlisted
6. Sales: Gumroad
7. Email: MailerLite

Total cost: $0

With this stack you can create, host, and sell a complete course. Limitations exist but they don't prevent you from starting.

When paying makes sense

Free tools work up to a point. Consider paying when:

• Your time is worth more than the savings (editing in DaVinci takes 3x longer than a simple paid editor)
• You need features that don't exist free (private video hosting with real protection)
• Work volume justifies it (thousands of email subscribers, dozens of videos)
• The watermark or limitation affects perceived quality

Until then, everything on this list works to create your first course with no budget excuses.