How to create an online course with WordPress in 2026

Hosted course platforms charge $39–$199 a month and still own your audience. WordPress plus a good LMS plugin gives you the same features on infrastructure you control. Here is the complete path from empty site to first sale.

What you need

• A WordPress site (any host, any theme — block themes included)
• The free CourseGlade plugin
• A Stripe account if you plan to charge for the course

That’s the whole stack. CourseGlade ships its own checkout, so you do not need WooCommerce, a page builder, or a separate membership plugin.

Step 1 — Install the plugin

Install CourseGlade from the WordPress plugin directory and activate it. On activation it creates the pages you need automatically: a course catalog, student dashboard, checkout, login, and registration. No wiring required.

Step 2 — Structure your course

Open CourseGlade → Courses → Add New. A course is built from sections, and each section holds lessons and quizzes. A structure that works for most first courses:

1. A short welcome section — one lesson plus your course roadmap
2. Three to five core sections, each 3–6 lessons
3. A quiz at the end of each section to reinforce the material

The curriculum builder is drag-and-drop, so reordering as you record is painless.

Step 3 — Add your lessons

Paste a YouTube or Vimeo link and the video embeds automatically, or point to a self-hosted MP4. Add text, images, and downloads under the video. Students watch in a distraction-free learning mode with the curriculum in a sidebar and Q&A below.

Step 4 — Build a quiz

CourseGlade includes seven question types in the free plugin: multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, essay, matching, and ordering. Build a quiz by adding questions inline and setting a passing grade, time limit, and attempt limits. Essay and short-answer questions go to a grading queue for you to review.

Step 5 — Set your price

In the course settings, choose free enrollment or a price. Connect Stripe in Settings → Payments with your API keys, and checkout works immediately — cards and wallets, handled by Stripe Checkout. Prefer bank transfer? Enable the manual gateway. Already run a WooCommerce store? Link the course to a product instead.

Create a launch coupon under Coupons — percentage or fixed amount.

Step 6 — Launch

Publish the course and share the catalog page. Students register, pay, and land in their dashboard with progress tracking, quiz attempts, and Q&A. You get order emails; they get enrollment confirmations — thirteen transactional emails are pre-written and customizable.

When to go Pro

The free plugin is a complete LMS. Upgrade to Pro when you want completion certificates, scheduled content drip, assignments, live classes over Zoom or Google Meet, or gamification. Every Pro plan includes all fifteen addons, plus AI Studio.