Сreate Online Learning Platform: 2025 Guide and Essential Tips

We have all noticed the increase in the number of online learning platforms. There’s everything from libraries of school-level materials to massive online academies.

The growth of the market in recent years is impressive. The e-learning market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20% from 2020 to 2028.

If you plan on entering the market, our ProCoders guide can help. In 10 years of practice, we’ve created several platforms in the niche. So, we would love to share our insights into:

• must-have features

• benchmark platforms

• steps

• budgeting tips

Let’s get familiar with how to create online teaching platform!

E-Learning Platform Types

Type of e-Learning Platform	Description
Learning Management Systems (LMS)	Software platforms designed to manage and deliver online education. They typically include features such as course management, student tracking, and assessment tools.Example: Moodle
Virtual Classroom Platforms	Provide a virtual environment for students and instructors to participate in live, interactive classes. They often include features such as video conferencing, whiteboard tools, and file sharing.Example: Zoom
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)	Online courses that are open to anyone and can have thousands of students enrolled. They are often free or low-cost and are typically self-paced.Example: Coursera
Corporate Learning Platforms	These platforms provide a wide range of training materials and resources tailored to the needs of organizations and businesses.Example: LinkedIn Learning
Microlearning Platforms	Deliver small chunks of learning content, such as short videos, quizzes, or interactive games. They are designed to be highly engaging and easy to access on the go.Example: Duolingo

Must-Have Features of an Online Education Platform

ProCoders have put together a list of must-have features:

Course Management

Instructors can create and organize materials like:

• syllabi
• assignments
• quizzes

Student Tracking

This helps teachers see how students are doing. It tracks participation, progress, and allows for feedback.

Assessment Tools

These tools let teachers create tests, quizzes, and other assessments. They also provide instant feedback to students.

Communication and Collaboration Tools

Modern students need more than just video lessons. Tools like live video streaming, chat, and discussion boards help students and teachers work together in real time.

Accessibility

The platform should be accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. It must comply with accessibility standards such as WCAG.

Personalization and Adaptive Learning

These features let the platform adjust to each student. It can change the content or learning speed to match individual goals.

Analytics and Reporting

Teachers can track student performance and engagement. The platform also gives insights to help students improve.

How to Build an Online Education Platform: Trendy Features

• Gamification
  Add fun features like:
  • Points
  • Badges
  • Leaderboards

These keep students motivated by rewarding progress. For example, Duolingo uses gamification to make learning exciting and enjoyable.

• Virtual and Augmented Reality
  Use VR and AR to create interactive and immersive learning experiences. Some examples include:
  • virtual field trips
  • simulated labs
  • 3D visualizations of complex concepts

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
  AI and ML can personalize learning by analyzing user data. They help platforms adjust content to fit each student’s needs. For instance, Knewton uses AI to provide real-time adjusted lessons.

• Video-based Learning
  Offer courses through video content, so students can learn at their own speed. Coursera is a great example, offering video lessons from university professors.

• Microlearning
  Break learning into small, focused segments like short videos or quizzes. It’s perfect for quick study sessions. Quizlet uses flashcards and quizzes for this purpose.

• Social Learning
  Facilitates learning through peer interactions with tools like:
  • online communities
  • discussion forums
  • group projects
  • peer-to-peer mentoring

Top 10 eLearning Platforms for Benchmarking

So, who’s your competition, and why do they lead the industry? Let’s see!

Platform	Description
Coursera	Offers online courses and specializations from top universities and industry leaders, with a focus on career advancement. Coursera is on track for its third consecutive year of over 20% revenue growth. In Q4 2023, the company recorded positive Adjusted EBITDA for the first time, and projects continued progress in 2024. The platform expects its Adjusted EBITDA to be between $26 million and $32 million for the year.
Udemy	Provides a marketplace of courses taught by experts in various fields, with a wide range of topics available. Udemy reported a full-year revenue of $729 million in 2023, marking a 16% increase from the previous year. The fourth quarter alone saw revenues rise by 15% to $190 million. Notably, Udemy Business, the platform’s enterprise segment, experienced a robust 27% year-over-year growth in Q4, reaching $115 million.
edX	Offers online courses and degrees from top universities, as well as professional education and corporate training.
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)	Provides on-demand video courses taught by industry experts, with a focus on business, technology, and creative skills.
Khan Academy	Offers free, self-paced courses and practice exercises in a variety of subjects, primarily aimed at K-12 students. Khan Academy garnered $39.98 million in charitable contributions, with $21.1 million coming from foundations and individual donors, and $18.8 million provided by corporate sponsors.
FutureLearn	Provides free and paid courses in a variety of subjects, with a focus on social learning and collaboration.
Skillshare	Offers courses taught by industry professionals in creative fields such as design, photography, and writing, as well as some business and technology topics. According to PrivCo, the company has a post-money valuation ranging from $100 million to $500 million. To date, the company has raised $136.8 million over 11 funding rounds, as reported by Crunchbase in April 2023.
Codecademy	Focuses on teaching coding skills through interactive lessons and projects, with courses available for various programming languages. Between 2012 and 2017, Codecademy expanded its user base from zero to over 50 million without the aid of a marketing team or advertising efforts. Subsequently, from 2017 to 2019, the company quadrupled its revenue. This growth culminated in an acquisition in 2022 for over $500 million.
Treehouse	Provides courses and projects to help users learn web development, mobile app development, and other coding skills.
Pluralsight	Offers video courses and assessments to help users develop and validate technology skills, with a focus on IT and software development. Pluralsight, an e-learning platform, currently serves 1,336 customers and holds an estimated market share of 0.46%, ranking it 37th in its sector.

And a short checklist of their features:

Platform Name	Certificate Options	Course Type	Course Topics	Course Duration	Cost
Coursera	Yes	Instructor-led	Various	Self-paced and instructor-led	Paid and Free
Udemy	Yes	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Various	Varies	Paid and Free
edX	Yes	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Various	Varies	Paid and Free
LinkedIn Learning	Yes	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Various	Varies	Paid
Khan Academy	No	Self-paced	Math, Science, Economics, etc.	Self-paced	Free
FutureLearn	Yes	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Various	Varies	Paid and Free
Skillshare	No	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Creative, Business, Technology	Self-paced	Paid and Free
Codecademy	Yes	Self-paced	Coding and Programming	Self-paced	Paid and Free
Treehouse	Yes	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Coding and Programming	Self-paced	Paid
Pluralsight	Yes	Instructor-led and Self-paced	Technology and Business	Varies	Paid

How to Create Online Learning Platform: Step-by-Step

Here are ProCoders’ steps for online learning platform development:

Stage 1: Market and Competitor Research

Start by studying your target audience and the market. Identify their demographics, preferred features, and pain points. Look for gaps in the market that your platform can fill.

Analyzing competitors is also important. Consider their strategies for user engagement, marketing, and design. Check what users like and dislike about their platforms. For a starting point, you can explore this very article.

Stage 2: Choosing a Working Model

he right model depends on your situation:

• Have an idea but need clarity? Start with a Discovery Phase to define your goals and refine your approach.

• Have a plan but need more hands? Staff Augmentation lets you add skilled developers temporarily.

• Starting from scratch? Use a Discovery Phase first, then move to a Dedicated Team. This gives you a team focused entirely on your project.

Step 3: Choose the Suitable Development Approach to Create Your Own Learning Platform

Your development approach affects how your platform works and scales.

Web-Based Development

Web platforms use technologies like HTML and JavaScript.

Web-based platforms are easier and quicker to develop. They are a cost-effective solution for e-learning.

This type is ideal for reaching a broad audience where detailed customization isn’t important.

The main drawback is their reliance on strong and stable internet connection. Because the offline features of such apps are limited, performance might decrease with slower connections

Mobile-Based Development

Native apps (built for Android or iOS) provide a personalized experience. You can use languages like Java and Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS apps.

Mobile-based apps provide a personalized user experience. This is excellent for engaging learners through gamification and social learning features. They use the full capability of the user’s device. For example, they can send push notifications and integrate with sensors.

Development costs can be higher because you need people with native development skills. Also, updates require app store approval, which can delay them.

However, there is a way out! You can use cross-platform frameworks that allow for the development of Android and iOS apps from a single codebase. This approach saves development time and costs.

Hybrid

Hybrid apps combine web and mobile technologies. As a result, your app functions across web browsers and mobile devices.

Hybrid platforms offer:

• high performance

• offline capabilities

• access to device-specific features

They are suitable for projects that aim to provide a wholesome user experience on all devices.

Such development is more complex, though. It often requires diverse expertise and larger development teams to handle both web and mobile components. This can lead to increased costs and project timelines.

Stage 4: Conducting a Discovery Phase

ProCoders has years of experience in Discovery Phase services. If you prefer to handle this yourself, focus on these steps.

1. Set Clear Goals and Scope
   Define what your platform should achieve. Focus on the features, functionalities, and user experience.
2. Analyze the Market and Competitors
   Study market trends and competitors to spot opportunities and gaps.
3. Gather and Prioritize Requirements
   Talk to your stakeholders and gather input. Then, prioritize based on what brings the most value and impact.
4. Create a Project Roadmap
   Develop a clear plan. Include milestones, deliverables, and timelines, and you’ll get a guide to the project’s progress.
5. Select Technology and Design Architecture
   Choose the right technology stack and design a system architecture. Focus on functionality, scalability, and security.
6. Estimate Resources and Budget
   Calculate the resources and budget needed. Account for technology, personnel, and potential risks.
7. Organize for Execution
   Establish communication practices with your team. Set up project management tools for proper execution.

Stage 5: MVP Development

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the best way to test your idea. Focus on features that solve key challenges for your audience. Gather feedback and adjust quickly before moving to full development.

Stage 6: App Development

Develop both the front-end and back-end of your platform. Use APIs to connect extra features.

Make sure there is regular communication with the development team for tracking progress.

For smooth updates and iterations, we at ProCoders adopt Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices. This approach allows real-time feedback integration.

Stage 7: Testing and Deployment

Thorough testing of the app helps identify and fix any bugs before launch. This is important because issues can harm the app’s reputation early on.

Testing should cover:

• functionality

• user interface

• security

• performance across different devices and platforms

Once the app meets quality standards, deploy it. Now, the development stage is over, so you can move on to marketing to attract users. After deployment, make sure to collect user feedback and make improvements.

Recommended: How to Create a Website like Udemy or Coursera?

Costs and Budget of e-Learning Platform Development

So, what comprises the cost of app development?

• Discovery Research
  Estimated Cost: $5,000 to $15,000
  This phase can involve stakeholder interviews, competitor analysis, and creating user personas.

• MVP Development
  Estimated Cost: $20,000 to $50,000
  Developing a minimal viable product typically requires fewer features, which reduces the cost compared to full product development.

• Full Development
  • Web-only Development: $50,000 to $150,000
  • Mobile-only Development: $50,000 to $200,000 (costs can increase significantly for native app development for multiple platforms)
  • Combined Web and Mobile Development: $100,000 to $300,000

• Testing
  Estimated Cost: $10,000 to $25,000
  May include functional, usability, and performance testing.

• Maintenance
  Estimated Cost: 15-20% of total development cost per year.

More on costs in our blog:

Costs of Research and Development
Outsourcing Software Development: Pros and Cons
Cost of Software Development

How ProCoders Can Help You Make E-learning Website and Save Costs?

ProCoders offers complete support for developing educational platforms, working with clients of all sizes—from startups to large corporations. Our team is like a “Swiss army knife” for e-learning development, ready to adapt to your project’s unique needs.

We handle everything from the Discovery Phase, where we identify your market, technology, and features, to full-scale development. Our process ensures you get a cost-effective solution without compromising quality.

ProCoders’ Experience in the E-learning Industry

Quartz Network

ProCoders helped Quartz Network build a platform that combines professional networking with a rich educational library and virtual conferences. We developed a user-friendly admin panel, a large course database, matching algorithms, and integrated payment systems. The platform has successfully hosted countless courses and events, creating a seamless experience for users.

Membean

For Membean, a language-learning platform, we created a personalized learning system that goes beyond traditional memorization. Our custom algorithm adjusts to each user’s skill level, helping them focus on critical thinking. This adaptive approach has set Membean apart in the competitive language-learning space.

FAQ

Conclusion

E-learning is shaping global education, growing by 20% annually through 2028. To succeed in this space, focus on:

• Strategic planning.

• Features like gamification and AI.

• Support from experienced developers.

ProCoders helps education providers build scalable platforms that engage users and meet market demands. With the right approach, businesses can lead in educational innovation and improve learning outcomes worldwide.