Best Free Tools to Launch an Online Course in Under 24 Hours

Think launching an online course takes weeks of planning, fancy tools, and a designer? Think again.

If you’ve got content ready to go — slides, videos, or even just a structured outline — you can launch your first course in under 24 hours using completely free tools.

It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be live, and that’s what matters.

Here’s the exact stack you can use to get your course off the ground fast, without paying a cent.

1. Systeme.io – All-in-One Free Course Platform

If you want a simple platform that does it all — landing pages, email marketing, checkout, and course hosting — Systeme.io is hands-down the best free option.

What it does:

Lets you host your course with modules and lessons
Build sales funnels and opt-in pages
Collect payments (Stripe and PayPal)
Send automated emails

Why it’s great:
Their free plan lets you create one course, build three sales funnels, and manage up to 2,000 contacts. It’s perfect for first-time creators.

2. Canva – Create Slide Decks, PDFs, or Course Thumbnails

Even if your course is video-based, you’ll want some visual materials. Canva makes it ridiculously easy to create:

Slide presentations
Downloadable PDFs
Course thumbnails and promo graphics

They’ve got templates for everything. You don’t need a design bone in your body.

3. Loom – Record Your Lessons Fast

Need to record screen shares or explain things visually? Loom is perfect for quick video creation.

Free plan includes:

Unlimited 5-minute videos (or longer with watermark)
Webcam + screen recording
Easy sharing and download options

You can download your Looms and upload them to your course platform. No editing required if you’re in a rush.

4. Trello – Plan Your Course Content

Before you hit record, you need to organize your content. Trello helps you map out modules and lessons quickly.

Create a board like this:

List 1: Module 1 (Title)
List 2: Module 2 (Title)
Cards inside = each lesson

This gives you structure and keeps you from going off-track while recording.

5. Stripe – Accept Payments Directly

If you’re charging for your course, you’ll need a way to get paid. Stripe is free to set up, only charges a fee per transaction, and integrates with most platforms like Systeme.io.

If you’re just validating demand, set up a “preorder” page and accept payments before launching the full course.

6. Google Drive or Dropbox – Deliver Bonus Materials

Got templates, checklists, or worksheets? Host them on Google Drive or Dropbox and just drop a link into your course lessons.

No need to overcomplicate it.

Optional: TidyCal or Calendly – For 1:1 Coaching Add-Ons

Want to add a personal touch or upsell coaching calls? These tools let people book time with you for free.

Putting It All Together in One Day

Here’s what your 24-hour launch plan could look like:

Hour 1–2: Outline modules and lessons (Trello)
Hour 3–6: Record videos (Loom or just your phone)
Hour 7–8: Design visuals (Canva)
Hour 9–12: Set up landing page and course (Systeme.io)
Hour 13–16: Upload content, link bonus files (Drive or Dropbox)
Hour 17–18: Set up checkout with Stripe
Hour 19–20: Build email autoresponder for students
Hour 21–24: Test everything, write your launch post, go live

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a big budget or a full tech stack to launch your first course. You just need a clear message, some solid content, and the right set of tools.

Start now. Polish later.