Teachable alternatives: 7 open-source picks
Teachable costs $39/mo — $468 a year. These 7 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Odoo Community, Moodle and Frappe Learning. All 7 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
A 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
the catch 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
the catch 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
the catch 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
the catch 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
the catch 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
Publishing platform with memberships and paid newsletters built in. The self-hosted answer to Substack taking 10% of your revenue.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Headless commerce framework in Node.js — carts, orders, payments, fully customizable.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Odoo Community · Ghost
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
how to choose a Teachable alternative
Most proven
Odoo Community, with 53,527 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 7, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Works on your phone
Moodle has a mobile app on iOS and Android.
Needs real ops to self-host
Odoo Community, Moodle and Tutor LMS are capable but expect someone to run a server, updates and backups. Budget for that before choosing one.
what you give up by leaving Teachable
- student apps
- payments/tax workflows
- certificates
- upsells
- affiliates
- support
- course compliance features
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Teachable alternatives at a glance
| 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 |
| Ghost | MIT | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 49,000 | 2026-08 |
| Medusa | MIT | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 30,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Teachable
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.
questions about switching from Teachable
Is there an open-source alternative to Teachable?
Yes: Odoo Community, Moodle, Frappe Learning and 4 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Teachable?
Our verdict is YES. Odoo Community (54k stars), Ghost (49k stars), Medusa (30k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Teachable — self-host with real ops work and stop paying $39/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/teachable.
What is the most popular open-source Teachable alternative?
By GitHub stars, Odoo Community (53,527). Ghost is next with 49,000.
