Your course goes live, students enroll, and somewhere between checkout and certification a SaaS platform is quietly taking 5–10% of every transaction—forever. Online course platform development builds you a custom LMS your business actually owns: video delivery that doesn't spike hosting bills when enrollment doubles, progress tracking that fits your pedagogy instead of forcing linear modules, payment rails that route straight to your Stripe account. Your brand, your data, your margin. This isn't about cloning Teachable's UI. It's about architecting a platform that scales with your student base without bleeding revenue or forcing you into cookie-cutter course structures. We ship in 12 weeks, not six months—because your next cohort launch date doesn't wait.
Où les projets échouent
Conformité
Adaptive Video Streaming
Progress Tracking & Certificates
Payment & Subscription Logic
Role-Based Access Control
Course Builder Interface
SEO-Optimized Course Pages
Ce que nous construisons
Stop hemorrhaging 5–10% transaction fees to platforms that cap your upside
Break free from identical templates that make your courses indistinguishable from competitors
Eliminate unpredictable video hosting bills that punish growth
Escape linear module structures that can't support cohort-based or branching pedagogy
Fix blind spots in analytics that hide where learners actually drop off
Cut vendor lock-in before migrating becomes a data loss nightmare
Notre processus
Platform Strategy & Architecture
Core Platform Build
Admin & Course Builder
Polish, Test & Optimize
Launch & Growth Support
Questions fréquentes
How long does it take to build a custom online course platform?
Most course platforms go from kickoff to launch in 8-12 weeks. A single-instructor platform with video delivery, progress tracking, and payments can ship in 8 weeks. Multi-tenant platforms with white-labeling, advanced analytics, and community features push to 12-14 weeks. We scope every project before locking in a timeline — no exceptions.
How much does custom LMS development cost compared to Teachable or Thinkific?
A custom LMS starts around $12,000 as a one-time investment. Teachable and Thinkific run $99-399/month plus 5-10% transaction fees. If you've got 500+ students generating $10K/month in revenue, you'll typically recoup the build cost within 12-18 months — and every dollar after that compounds in your favor. You also own the codebase and the data outright.
Can you migrate my existing courses from Teachable or Kajabi?
Yes. We pull your course content, student accounts, progress data, and enrollment history from most major platforms via their APIs or data exports. Video files transfer to Mux for adaptive streaming. We handle the migration as part of the build, so your learners don't notice anything's changed during the switch.
Do custom course platforms support SCORM and xAPI?
Absolutely. We implement SCORM 1.2/2004 and xAPI (Tin Can) compliance for enterprise clients who need to plug into existing HR systems or track learning records in an LRS. For most independent course creators though, our native progress tracking is simpler and more flexible than SCORM's rigid packaging requirements — so we only add it when there's a genuine reason.
How do you handle video hosting and streaming costs?
We use Mux for adaptive bitrate streaming with per-minute pricing that scales predictably. Unlike Vimeo OTT or Wistia, Mux only charges for actual encoding and delivery — typically $0.02-0.05 per stream hour. For a platform with 1,000 monthly active learners watching 10 hours each, you're looking at roughly $200-500/month in hosting costs.
Can students access courses on mobile devices?
Every platform we build is mobile-first. With 60% of learners in key markets coming in via smartphone, we design the course player, navigation, and assessments for touch interfaces first, then layer the desktop experience on top. We can also add progressive web app features for offline access and push notifications when it makes sense for your audience.
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something together.
Whether it's a migration, a new build, or an SEO challenge — the Social Animal team would love to hear from you.