Teachable
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.
Verified against: teachable.comteachable.com as of 2026-09-19
Quick verdict: Teachable earns 3.9/5 in our research-based assessment as the cleanest course-first platform in the set — purpose-built builders, native mobile apps and AI tools at a middle-of-the-cluster price. The fee structure is the number that decides: at $39/mo the 7.5% fee quietly taxes low-price courses, and once a month of revenue crosses about $500 the fee-free Builder at $69/mo annual becomes the cheaper total. Pick Teachable for course-centric selling with a polished mobile app; pick Thinkific for 0% fees, Kajabi for the full marketing suite, or Podia for a near-free start. (Research sweep, no paid workspace tested.)
- Our rating: 3.9/5
- Strongest dimension: Usability (5/5, research only)
- Weakest dimension: Collaboration (3/5, research only)
- Pricing: 7-day free trial · $39/mo (monthly, Starter)
- Verification: Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-19. Sources: teachable.com, teachable.com
Teachable pricing details
- 7-day free trial
- paid plans from $39/mo (monthly, Starter)
- starter $39/mo · Builder $89/mo · Growth $189/mo · Advanced $399/mo (monthly)
- starter $29/mo · Builder $69/mo · Growth $139/mo · Advanced $309/mo (annual)
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.
In our index: No free plan; 7-day trial; paid from $39/mo monthly ($29/mo annual, Starter) · Builder $89/mo monthly ($69 annual); 7.5% fee on Starter, 0% on Builder+; billed by product count (1/5/25/100)
How Teachable scores across our 6 index dimensions
- Functionality: 4/5 (research only)
- Usability: 5/5 (research only)
- Stability: 4/5 (research only)
- Collaboration: 3/5 (research only)
- Localization: 3/5 (research only)
- Value: 4/5 (research only)
Score rationale: 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.
What Teachable does well
- 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
Where Teachable falls short
- 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
How Teachable compares to other Online Courses tools
Our index tracks 5 Online Courses tools. Teachable sits at 3.9/5, with starter $29/mo · builder $69/mo · growth $139/mo · advanced $309/mo (annual). Here are the 4 closest alternatives we hold pricing and scoring evidence for.
- Kajabi — 4.2/5 · 14-day free trial · $143/mo (annual, Basic)
Kajabi is the all-in-one creator operating system: courses, coaching, podcasts, community, email marketing, landing pages and a website in one subscription. It bills by product and contact volume, and its January 2026 restructure removed the cheap Kickstarter entry — Basic is now the floor at $143/mo annual. - Thinkific — 4.1/5 · 30-day free trial · $40/mo (annual, Basic)
Thinkific is a hosted course platform that builds, markets and sells courses, communities and digital downloads without a developer. It bills by tier and is the cluster's standout on fees: 0% platform transaction fees on Start, Grow and Plus tiers, with a 5% surcharge on Basic — and the only cluster member whose free option is a 30-day full-featured trial. - Podia — 4.0/5 · Free plan · $39/mo (monthly, Mover)
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. - LearnDash — 3.8/5 · 48-hour live demo (no card) · $259/yr (Essentials, about $21.58/mo)
LearnDash is the WordPress LMS plugin: a one-time annual license you install on your own site, with unlimited courses and learners on every tier. It bills by license (Essentials / Pro / Elite per year), takes no cut of your sales, and is the only cluster member priced annually-only.
Frequently asked questions about Teachable
How much does Teachable cost?
7-day free trial; paid plans from $39/mo (monthly, Starter); starter $39/mo · Builder $89/mo · Growth $189/mo · Advanced $399/mo (monthly); starter $29/mo · Builder $69/mo · Growth $139/mo · Advanced $309/mo (annual). Billing detail: 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. Figures verified 2026-09-19.
Does Teachable have a free plan?
No free plan is listed for Teachable, but a trial is offered (7-day free trial). Paid plans start at $39/mo (monthly, Starter).
What is Teachable rated in our index?
Teachable sits at 3.9/5 in our index, strongest on usability (5/5, research only) and weakest on collaboration (3/5, research only). Teachable earns 3.9/5 in our research-based assessment as the cleanest course-first platform in the set — purpose-built builders, native mobile apps and AI tools at a middle-of-the-cluster price. The fee structure is the number that decides: at $39/mo the 7.5% fee quietly taxes low-price courses, and once a month of revenue crosses about $500 the fee-free Builder at $69/mo annual becomes the cheaper total. Pick Teachable for course-centric selling with a polished mobile app; pick Thinkific for 0% fees, Kajabi for the full marketing suite, or Podia for a near-free start. (Research sweep, no paid workspace tested.)
What are the drawbacks of Teachable?
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.
What does Teachable do well?
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.
How was Teachable verified?
Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-19. Sources: teachable.com, teachable.com.
What are the alternatives to Teachable?
We track Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, LearnDash, Podia as the closest alternatives in our Online Courses index, and 4 head-to-head comparisons against Teachable are available.