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Teachable vs Podia 2026: Course Platform or Creator Storefront?

Quick verdict: Podia is our overall pick for Teachable vs Podia.

  • Best overall: Podia (4.0/5)
  • Best free: Podia
  • Best for teams: Podia
  • Pricing last checked: 2026-09-19

Teachable (3.9/5) wins on course depth and mobile apps; Podia (4.0/5) wins on entry price — the cluster's only standing free plan and the cheapest flat bill.

~880 words · 2 tools compared

Tool Rating Pricing Best for
Teachable 3.9/5 $39/mo (monthly, Starter) Teachable is a course-first platform for selling self-paced courses, coaching and digital …
Podia Best overall Best free Best for teams 4.0/5 Free $39/mo (monthly, Mover) Podia is an all-in-one creator commerce platform for courses, downloads, memberships and c…
Bottom line: Podia (4.0/5) for the cheapest real start — a standing free plan (1 product, unlimited students, 8% fee, no card), flat unlimited products on every paid tier, and 0% fees from Shaker ($75/mo annual). Teachable (3.9/5) for course depth — graded quizzes, certificates, coaching and native iOS/Android student apps that Podia does not ship. The decision is stage: launch one or two products on Podia's free plan and upgrade only when the 8% fee outgrows you; go Teachable from day one when the product is the course itself and mobile delivery matters. Podia stays the value pick below roughly $5,000/mo of sales.

Pricing and details

Teachable · 3.9/5

7-day free trial · $39/mo (monthly, Starter)

Teachable bills by published-product count: 1 product on Starter, 5 on Builder, 25 on Growth, 100 on Advanced. Starter charges a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale; Builder and above carry 0% fees. There is no standing free plan — entry is the 7-day trial, and annual billing saves about 22-33% per tier.

Starter $29/mo · Builder $69/mo · Growth $139/mo · Advanced $309/mo (annual)

Online Courses · Course Builder · Payments · Creator Economy · Freemium-free

Teachable is a course-first platform for selling self-paced courses, coaching and digital products with native iOS and Android student apps. It bills by product count, not by seat, and its entry tier carries a 7.5% transaction fee that drops to 0% at the Builder tier.

Score breakdown

Evidence legend: ★ Hands-on tested = we used the product ourselves; Verified (docs) = checked against the vendor’s own pages and pricing.

FunctionalityVerified (docs)
4.0
UsabilityVerified (docs)
5.0
StabilityVerified (docs)
4.0
CollaborationVerified (docs)
3.0
LocalizationVerified (docs)
3.0
ValueVerified (docs)
4.0

📎 Course-first builder with native student apps and AI creation tools (ease 5/5). The 7.5% fee on the $39 Starter tier quietly erodes low-price courses — the fee-free Builder at $69/mo annual is the honest entry for anyone selling above a trickle of volume. Collaboration and community features are thinner than Kajabi's suite. No hands-on testing this round; figures from the official pricing page.

Pros

  • Course-first builder: drag-and-drop lessons, quizzes, certificates, drip and coaching in one flow
  • Native iOS and Android student apps on every paid tier — mobile delivery without a third party
  • 0% transaction fees on Builder, Growth and Advanced tiers
  • AI creation tools plus free subtitles/translations and unlimited integrations

Cons

  • 7.5% transaction fee on the $39/mo Starter tier — real volume sellers should start at Builder
  • No standing free plan; entry is the 7-day trial
  • Community and collaboration tooling is thinner than Kajabi's all-in-one suite

Pricing verified 2026-09-19

Podia · 4.0/5

Free plan available · $39/mo (monthly, Mover)

Podia bills by tier, never by student or product — every plan, free included, carries unlimited students and unlimited products. The free plan takes an 8% transaction fee; Mover at $33-39/mo drops the platform fee to 5% while bundling unlimited courses, downloads, webinars, coaching and basic email; Shaker at $75-89/mo removes fees entirely (0%) and adds affiliates, memberships and community.

Mover $33/mo · Shaker $75/mo · Earthquaker $159/mo (annual)

Online Courses · All-in-One · Creator Commerce · Freemium · No-Code

Podia is an all-in-one creator commerce platform for courses, downloads, memberships and coaching, aimed squarely at solo sellers. It bills by tier and is the cluster's only standing free plan (1 product, 8% fee); paid tiers are flat-priced with unlimited products and 0% fees on Shaker and up.

Score breakdown

Evidence legend: ★ Hands-on tested = we used the product ourselves; Verified (docs) = checked against the vendor’s own pages and pricing.

FunctionalityVerified (docs)
3.0
UsabilityVerified (docs)
5.0
StabilityVerified (docs)
4.0
CollaborationVerified (docs)
3.0
LocalizationVerified (docs)
3.0
ValueVerified (docs)
5.0

📎 The cheapest real entry in the cluster — a standing free plan, flat unlimited products on every tier, and 0% fees once you reach Shaker (value 5/5). It is deliberately shallow: no native mobile apps, lighter quizzes/certificates than Teachable or Thinkific, and email tooling stops short of Kajabi (core 3/5). The right answer for solo creators selling a small shelf of products. No hands-on testing this round; figures from the official pricing page.

Pros

  • Only standing free plan in the cluster: 1 product, unlimited students, 8% transaction fee — no card required
  • Flat pricing with unlimited products and students on every paid tier — the bill never scales with catalog size
  • 0% platform fees from Shaker up; Mover's 5% is the only fee in the paid ladder
  • Courses, downloads, webinars, coaching, memberships, affiliates and basic email in one dashboard (ease 5/5)

Cons

  • Deliberately shallow: no native mobile apps, and quizzes/certificates are lighter than Teachable or Thinkific
  • Email tooling stops short of Kajabi's automation suite — serious funnels mean an add-on
  • Community and memberships are capped to the Shaker/Earthquaker tiers

Pricing verified 2026-09-19

Frequently asked questions

Which is better overall, Teachable or Podia?

Podia is our overall pick (4.0/5 vs 3.9/5). Teachable (3.9/5) wins on course depth and mobile apps; Podia (4.0/5) wins on entry price — the cluster's only standing free plan and the cheapest flat bill.

Do Teachable and Podia offer free plans?

Podia has a free tier. Teachable paid plans start at $39/mo (monthly, Starter); Podia paid plans start at $39/mo (monthly, Mover).

What does Podia cost?

$39/mo (monthly, Mover) — Podia bills by tier, never by student or product — every plan, free included, carries unlimited students and unlimited products. The free plan takes an 8% transaction fee; Mover at $33-39/mo drops the platform fee to 5% while bundling unlimited courses, downloads, webinars, coaching and basic email; Shaker at $75-89/mo removes fees entirely (0%) and adds affiliates, memberships and community. Prices were last verified on 2026-09-19.

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