Create online training for free: Essential tools to use

How can I create online training for free?

Creating online training for free is absolutely possible with the right tools and platforms at your disposal. While most online training platforms would require you to shell out a fortune, there are several options available that’ll allow you to design high-quality training materials without breaking the bank. You may consider using these platforms to make your training more interactive and engaging.

Now, we’ve compiled some of the best tools to create online training courses for free. Read on to see what these options offer, so you can find the perfect fit for your training needs.

1. Mitti (by SafetyCulture)

Mitti is a learning management system designed to take your training to the next level, cost-free. Through its top-notch features, you can develop training that’s perfect for various industries like sales, construction, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and more.

With Mitti (by SafetyCulture), you get to use a unique microlearning approach that breaks down complex topics into bite-sized lessons that are easier to understand and retain. With this, you’ll be able to boost your team’s focus, engagement, and productivity.

You may explore Mitti’s course library for reference work. It hosts pre-made microlearning content, including thousands of free online training courses that you can also customize according to your training needs.

But if you’re wondering how to create an online course from scratch, you can also use the platform’s in-built creator tool. You’ll have access to more than 80 templates for adding videos, quizzes, games, and assessments. You can make training exciting and interactive for your team even with no coding or graphic design experience.

Or, you can take advantage of Mitti’s Create with AI if you’re looking for an effortless way to create your training content. It’s one of the best AI tools for course creation that does all the heavy lifting, so you won’t have to stress about all the research and brainstorming efforts it takes to make one. You can quickly generate top-notch lessons with just a few clicks, saving you up to two hours of course creation time.

And those aren’t all—Mitti (by SafetyCulture) goes beyond content creation. You can explore the online training platform’s impressive range of features, including gamification, interactive in-lesson discussions, practical assessments, reporting and analytics, and group training.

The best part? These awesome features are free to use for up to ten users, making it a perfect tool for individuals and small teams. But you can always opt for an upgrade anytime.

Cost: Free (up to 10 users), paid plans available

Key Features:

• Mobile-first microlearning

• Editable course library

• Creator tool

• Create with AI

• Gamification

• In-lesson discussions

• Practical Assessments

• Reporting and analytics

2. Coursify.me

Coursify.me is a free training tool that allows you to host an online academy. You can take advantage of its user-friendly course builder feature to structure your curriculum according to your training objectives. To create courses, simply import media content from YouTube, Dropbox, or straight from your computer. Then, splash in some of your company's logo, style, and color scheme for enhanced brand identity and customization.

You’ll also be able to integrate content from other platforms, track learner progress, and hop into discussion forums to interact with your teams. And you’ll have no worries about the number of learners you want to add to your class or the courses you can build. It’s all unlimited, with plenty of disk space to accommodate your content and data.

Cost: Free

Key Features:

• Course builder

• Brand customization

• Progress tracker

• Discussion forums

3. Teachable

Simultaneously a free course creator software and an e-commerce tool, Teachable is a great platform for trainers and entrepreneurs who want to create, manage, and sell online courses.

Teachable has a drag-and-drop authoring tool that lets you apply images, audio, and videos for an immersive learning experience. Plus, you can personalize it to your brand, even without advanced technical skills or coding background.

Its free plan includes other features such as student referrals, integrated payment processing, and email support. But the catch is that you’ll only get to publish one course. You’ll need to upgrade to its paid plan to publish up to 50 courses, along with access to advanced features like affiliate marketing, public API access, and live chat support.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Authoring tool

• Personalized branding

• E-commerce

• Email support

4. TrainerCentral

TrainerCentral’s no-cost plan allows you to build comprehensive training courses of any type you prefer. You can set up unique course structures and upload multi-format material to support your training plan.

When you establish an online academy through TrainerCentral, you’ll also have access to their designated library, where you can store all your courses and lesson content. Keep in mind that you can only create up to three free courses but can add as many learners as you want. Plus, you can brand your content, give engaging assignments and handouts, and use a custom domain.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Multi-format material upload

• Course library

• Branding options

• Custom domain (partial)

5. isEazy

Trusted by brands like Leica, Toyota, and Santander, isEazy prides itself on being a complete toolkit for corporate e-learning. It offers SCORM publishing, learner tracking, and a course distribution feature with an intuitive authoring tool. Here, you can easily design courses, guides, and presentations, as well as incorporate interactive elements like multimedia, games, and exercises.

But you won’t be able to customize it as you please. In its free option, you’ll have to stick with isEazy’s logo instead of your own company logo on your materials. You’ll also be limited to one-author access, three projects, and a few style templates to choose from.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Authoring tool

• SCORM publishing

• Learner tracker

• Course distribution

6. Coggno

Another way to boost your team’s skills and competencies is by using Coggno. While some online training platforms can be a bit complicated to navigate, Coggno stands out as an easy-to-use tool to create online training for free. Its straightforward authoring process lets you design mobile-friendly courses, which you can do either by yourself or with other people for better efficiency.

But it may not offer the same level of customization as other open-source LMSs. In Coggno’s free version, you can only implement basic branding to your materials. You’ll have to purchase their paid plan, priced at 199 USD per month, to access advanced or full branding. Plus, other useful features like global master certificates, a report dashboard, and a marketplace.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Course creator

• Mobile learning

• Basic branding

• Collaborative editing

7. Ruzuku

Like other free online course creators, Ruzuku has all the basic features you need to launch your own training content. For one thing, you’ll receive admin control over its powerful course management tool. You can easily assemble a step-by-step course with text, videos, and PDF files. There’s no cap to the number of courses you can generate, but you’ll only be permitted to have five students at most.

You can also integrate unlimited videos, host live meetings and webinars, and facilitate discussions in your online community. And, if you want to monetize your content, Ruzuku allows you to publish sales pages where you can accept signups.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Course management

• Live meetings and webinars

• Discussions

• Sales pages

8. Udutu

Another tool to create online training for free is Udutu. It’s a cloud-based online training tool designed as a one-stop solution for your e-learning needs. By signing up for their authoring tool account, you’ll be able to produce limitless learning content and distribute it to up to five users monthly.

It also grants you access to pre-made templates in various formats for better engagement. These include case-studies, interactive quizzes, gamified scenarios, and rich media presentations. And if you want a quick start to your course creation process, you can just upload any PowerPoint material you already have to Udutu. Its course creation software will swiftly convert them into its standard course format.

Cost: Free; paid

Key Features:

• Authoring tool

• Pre-designed templates

• PowerPoint uploader

• Multimedia

9. AdaptiveU

AdaptiveU is an online learning platform tailored for employee learning, sales training, and customer education. It boasts a set of useful features that can help you empower your team through a simplified and responsive design. This includes learning minutes, progress tracking, shared learning, and course creation.

But, as good as it sounds, it may not be the best tool to create training materials in bulk. Having the basic subscription means you’ll only be allowed to publish a maximum of two courses. You’ll also have smaller storage and limited user access. So if you want to add more, you’ll have to upgrade to their paid version, starting at 25 USD per month.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Course creator

• Learning minutes

• Shared learning

• Progress tracking

10. Thinkific

Thinkific is a popular online training platform designed to cater to modern training initiatives. It has a drag-and-drop course builder that lets you incorporate text, images, videos, and audio into your presentations. You can also distribute course quizzes and surveys, send completion certificates, and integrate e-commerce features if you’re seeking to sell your courses.

But, like other training tools on this list, you’ll also have limited access to Thinkific’s features. For instance, you’ll only be allowed to build one course in its free plan. It also doesn’t allow you to collaborate with other editors, as course creation access is limited to one admin. The good news, though, is that there’s no limit to how many students can enroll in your course.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop course builder

• Quizzes and surveys

• E-commerce

• Certificates

11. Mini Course Generator

One of the free elearning authoring tools is Mini Course Generator. It's a great tool that uses AI to help you create engaging mini-courses with ease. You can start by entering a simple description, and then let the AI Assistant come up with a catchy title and a detailed outline for you. You can also enhance your existing mini-courses by adding images, tweaking text, and including quizzes to make your content more interactive.

Interactive mini-courses are perfect for a variety of uses, like serving as educational lead magnets, boosting workshops, or providing micro-learning materials for your community. Best of all, you won’t have to deal with the complexities of traditional course builders when it comes to creating engaging and onteractive micro-learning materials.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• AI assistant

• Card content

12. Coursebox

Last on the list of free elearning tools is Coursebox. Creating courses is super easy with Coursebox’s drag-and-drop builder. With its AI engine, you can have an online course ready in under an hour. It quickly helps you set up a course structure and generates content in just seconds. After that, you can easily tweak things and add any missing elements to make your course stand out.

Coursebox also makes training more engaging with a range of great features. You can easily turn your existing videos and documents into course materials, so you don’t have to start from scratch. Plus, with AI Assessment, giving feedback and grading your team is a breeze.

Cost: Free, paid

Key Features:

• AI Assessment

• Drag and drop builder