CourseStorm alternativeA CourseStorm alternative for training that ends in a certificate.
CourseStorm is class registration software for community education, continuing ed, arts programs and camps. Cademy takes registrations too, then adds online lessons, certificates with expiry dates and invoicing for the employers who send their staff.
When your classes have turned into professional training.
CourseStorm covers signups, rosters and payments. Training that leads to a qualification also needs lessons, certificates and employer invoices.
- 1
Learners get their online access details in a roster email, and the course material lives somewhere else.
Each Cademy course can hold lessons, video, downloads and pass-mark quizzes, on every plan. Teams adds SCORM 1.2 uploads.
- 2
You export a roster and make certificates by hand in another program.
Once a learner finishes the course or is marked attended, the certificate goes out by email.
- 3
Certificates expire, and a spreadsheet tracks who is due to renew.
Set an expiry date on the course's certificates, then sort and export registrations by it to see who is due.
- 4
An employer pays for ten staff and asks for an invoice with its PO number.
From Pro, employers can pay by invoice and the PO number appears on it. On Teams, Xero receives it too.
- 5
An HR manager books places now and sends the names next week.
Whoever books can buy the places first, then add or remove names and check how every attendee is doing, certificates included.
What year one costs with a fee on every registration.
CourseStorm charges $2.49 per registration on all plans. Cademy's paid plans charge no platform fee.
CourseStorm Starter
- Starter, $99 a month on the Pay Yearly option
- $1,188
- 1,000 registrations at $2.49 each
- $2,490
- Stripe card processing
- Not counted
Year one$3,678
Cademy Pro
- Pro, £99 ($129) a month billed yearly
- $1,548 (£1,188)
- Platform fee on 1,000 registrations
- None
- Stripe, PayPal or Klarna card fees
- Not counted
Year one$1,548 (£1,188)
- 1,000 registrations a year, the number Cademy Pro includes.
- Starter is CourseStorm's lowest plan. Its Pro plan, which adds payment plans and attendance tracking, is $269 a month on the Pay Yearly option.
- CourseStorm's pricing page does not say whether the $2.49 can be passed on to students, so we counted it as your cost.
- Card processing is left out of both columns, since both run on a payment provider's own fees.
Source: CourseStorm pricing
Programs that should stay on CourseStorm.
Stay on CourseStorm if
- You run kids' classes and camps, with families signing up several children at once and age limits per class.
- You are an arts center or nonprofit that sends registrations to Spektrix, PatronManager, Little Green Light, Neon One or Bloomerang.
- Your classes are one-off evenings or weekends where nobody needs a certificate afterward.
- You want text message reminders and abandoned cart reminders, both listed on CourseStorm's pricing page.
Move to Cademy if
- Your classes now have online lessons, quizzes or SCORM modules attached.
- Certificates need an expiry date, or learners collect CPD points and hours.
- Employers book and pay for their staff by invoice.
- You would rather pay a flat plan than a fee on each registration.
How the two compare on price and features.
CourseStorm details are from its pricing, features, FAQ and integrations pages.
| Cademy | CourseStorm | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Professional training providers | Arts and culture, community ed, continuing ed and workforce training, kids' activities and camps |
| Year one at 1,000 registrations | $1,548 (£1,188) on Pro billed yearly, with no platform fee | $3,678 on Starter paying yearly, including $2.49 per registration |
| Fee per registration | None on Pro and Teams. The Free plan has a 5% platform fee on paid bookings | $2.49 per registration on all plans, plus Stripe card processing |
| Free plan | Yes, with no time limit | Not listed on their site. Demo on request |
| Online learning | Lessons, video, quizzes with a pass mark, drip release and forums on every plan. SCORM 1.2 on Teams | Access details for online classes sent in roster emails and reminders |
| Certificates | Issued automatically, with expiry dates. CPD points from Pro | Made in other software, using an export from CourseStorm |
| Payments | Stripe, PayPal or Klarna. Teams adds deposits and monthly installments | Stripe. Payment plans from the Pro plan |
| Integrations | Zapier from Pro. Xero, API and webhooks on Teams | Zapier, an API, Mailchimp and Constant Contact, and arts and nonprofit CRMs |
Checked November 3, 2026 on CourseStorm's own pages: CourseStorm pricing, CourseStorm FAQ, Integrations, Certificates of achievement, Continuing ed and workforce.
Moving your classes, students and website.
Every Cademy plan, Free included, lets you import your own data. On Teams you also get migration help from our team, and Enterprise moves are handled for you.
Export from CourseStorm
Export your class rosters to Excel from the CourseStorm admin.
Rebuild classes as courses
Set up each class as a course on Cademy, giving it dates, a price and a venue, then attach online lessons and a certificate to the ones that need them.
Import students and registrations
Contacts, organizations, registrations and orders load from your spreadsheets, and each learner's earlier registrations come with them.
Swap the catalog widget
Swap CourseStorm's widget for Cademy's course list or calendar, or point people to your Cademy booking site. Payments run through Stripe, PayPal or Klarna once connected.
Keep CourseStorm running until classes already on sale have finished. Cademy keeps each course private until you choose to publish.
Before leaving CourseStorm.
Is Cademy cheaper than CourseStorm?
At 1,000 registrations a year, Cademy Pro costs $1,548 (£1,188) billed yearly. CourseStorm's Starter plan comes to $3,678 once the $2.49 fee per registration is added. Card fees apply on both.
Does CourseStorm issue certificates?
Its own blog says certificates are made in other software, with an export from CourseStorm to help. Cademy issues them automatically, and each one can carry an expiry date.
Can I import my CourseStorm students into Cademy?
Yes. Load your roster exports as contacts, organizations, courses, dates, registrations and orders, whichever plan you are on. If you are on Teams, our team helps with the migration. On Enterprise, we run it.
Can employers pay by invoice?
Yes, from Pro. At checkout the booker can enter a purchase order number, which then appears on the invoice. On Teams, Xero gets the number as well.
Bring your CourseStorm classes across.
Tell us how many classes and students you run each year, and we will show you how the move works on each plan.
No card needed. See every plan on the pricing page.