Teachable alternatives: 6 free & open-source picks
Curated, verified, and actually free. No trials, no crippled tiers. Star counts and last-activity dates checked by hand, not scraped and forgotten.
ZombieA website, course catalog, forums and payments inside an ERP; subtle it is not.
licenseLGPL-3.0
runsyour server
installUse Odoo's packaged installer, source install or Docker image, backed by PostgreSQL
dataBusiness and website records in PostgreSQL; uploaded attachments in Odoo's filestore
vs TeachableOdoo's course experience is secondary to its ERP and lacks Teachable's creator-friendly coaching, authoring, marketing and student polish.
setupA production deployment needs PostgreSQL, workers/reverse proxy configuration, backups and ongoing administration of a very large suite
facts verified 2026-08-10
The most complete free LMS here, with the least creator-friendly first impression.
licenseGPL-3.0+
runsyour machine or their cloud
installUpload the PHP release to a web server, create a database and moodledata directory, then complete the browser installer
dataCourses, users, grades and settings in SQL; uploaded files in the separate moodledata directory
vs TeachableMoodle's administration and learner interface are far less creator-friendly, and selling/coaching requires configuration or plugins.
setupPHP and database requirements, protected writable storage, cron, SMTP, backups and upgrades are all the operator's responsibility
facts verified 2026-08-10
Courses, cohorts, assignments, quizzes, certificates and payments in a modern UI; coaching workflows are lighter.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installRun Frappe's easy-install script or the official Docker Compose deployment
dataCourse and user records in the Frappe/MariaDB site database; public/private site files on disk, while video lessons commonly embed external hosts
vs TeachableFrappe Learning is less creator-commerce and coaching focused than Teachable, and self-hosting means learning the Frappe stack.
setupSelf-hosting still needs Docker or a Frappe server, DNS/SSL and email; payments require separate gateway configuration
facts verified 2026-08-10
Courses, coaching-style communities, downloads and sales pages in one stack; you run the stack.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installDocker Compose, with SUPER_ADMIN_EMAIL set before first start
dataApplication records in MongoDB; production media uploads use MediaLit plus S3-compatible object storage
vs TeachableCourseLit has less mature coaching, reporting, marketing automation and creator-commerce polish, while the owner runs the infrastructure.
setupDocker starts the app, but a production setup also needs SMTP for email login and MediaLit/S3-compatible storage for uploads
facts verified 2026-08-10
A full course shop inside WordPress; low GitHub stars, but current releases and more than 100,000 active installs.
licenseGPL-3.0
runsyour server
installInstall from WordPress Plugins → Add New, then run Tutor LMS's setup wizard
dataCourses, enrollments and settings in the WordPress database; lesson media in the WordPress Media Library
vs TeachableTutor LMS depends on WordPress and key creator features such as subscriptions, certificates, assignments and drip content may require paid add-ons.
setupIt first requires a maintained WordPress site, and subscriptions, certificates, assignments, drip content and several integrations sit outside the free core
facts verified 2026-08-10
One hosted course, bookings, digital products and payments free; useful until your catalog becomes plural.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installHosted signup
dataContacts, funnels, course/community content, orders, emails and uploaded files in systeme.io's vendor-managed cloud; the underlying storage format is not published
vs TeachableThe free plan's one-course ceiling and lighter assessment/creator-school tooling become the first major limit.
setupSelling requires connecting a payment gateway; the free plan is capped at 2,000 contacts, three funnels, one course, one community and one custom domain
facts verified 2026-08-10
last updated 2026-08-10 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odoo Community | LGPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 53,527 | 2026-08 |
| Moodle | GPL-3.0+ | self-host, real ops | web, ios, android, self-hosted | 7,300 | 2026-08 |
| Frappe Learning | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 3,100 | 2026-07 |
| CourseLit | AGPL-3.0 | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 1,200 | 2026-07 |
| Tutor LMS | GPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, self-hosted | 124 | 2026-08 |
| systeme.io | proprietary, free | they host it | web | — | — |
They pay because course businesses need checkout, access, progress, and support to just work. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $468 a year.
Is there a free alternative to Teachable?
Yes: Odoo Community, Moodle, Frappe Learning and 3 more. Every tool on this page is either open source or genuinely free to use long-term: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Should I just build my own Teachable?
Our verdict is KINDA. A basic course site with Stripe can be built, but student apps, tax/payments, course compliance, certificates, upsells, affiliates, and support make full parity hard. If you'd rather build, the exact one-shot prompt is free at canivibecodeit.com/teachable.
