Teachable vs Podia
Quick verdict
As of 2026-09-05, Podia is the cheaper online course platforms tool, starting at $49/mo versus Teachable at $59/mo. That's $10/mo less on the entry option. Neither offers a free plan. Teachable has 3 priced options; Podia has 3 priced options.
Teachable starts at $59/mo and has no free plan. Podia starts at $49/mo and has no free plan.
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0 of 6 online course platforms tools include a free plan.
| Teachable | Podia | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $59/mo | $49/mo |
| Free plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| Priced options | 3 | 3 |
| Pricing model | flat monthly per plan + a transaction fee on the entry tier only; Enterprise Core is custom per-seat, contact sales | flat monthly per plan + a transaction fee on the entry Mover tier only |
| Transaction fee (entry plan) | 7.5% per sale | 5% per sale |
| Own Stripe/PayPal surcharge (entry plan) | Not published | n/a — your own processor is the only option |
| Automation | Basic (email sequences) | ✓ |
| Ecommerce | Native course/coaching/digital-download sales, order bumps, upsells; transaction fee on the entry tier only | Native courses, digital downloads, coaching, memberships, webinars; transaction fee on the entry Mover tier only |
| Memberships & community | Native Community add-on (Basic+ plan); Teachable paused further investment in it in 2026 and now recommends a third-party tool (e.g. Discord/Slack) for new discussion needs | Community rebuilt as the platform's core experience (June 2026 relaunch) — chat spaces + member profiles on every plan |
| Course cap | 5 products, unlimited students | 100 email subscribers, up to 50 products, 25 community spaces |
| Landing pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | 20+ native (Zapier bridges more) | Native email + Zapier |
| Visit site | Visit site → | Visit site → |
Sources: teachable.com/pricing, verified · podia.com/pricing, verified
Teachable — pros & cons
Pros
- Very easy on-ramp for first-time creators
- Built-in coaching product type
- AI-assisted course creation on every paid tier
- Solid native checkout (upsells, order bumps)
Cons
- 7.5% transaction fee on the entry Starter tier (0% from Builder up)
- Lighter automation than Kajabi
- Fewer native integrations
- No more free plan (Teachable retired it; entry is now the $59/mo Starter tier)
Podia — pros & cons
Pros
- True all-in-one (courses, downloads, email, community)
- Simple to set up and run
- Built-in email marketing
- Zero transaction fees on Shaker and Earthquaker
Cons
- No permanent free plan (30-day trial only, retired live)
- Transaction fee on the entry Mover tier
- Bans affiliates from running paid ads
- No native AI features
ToolFit Score: Teachable
Teachable scores 40/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 12.22/24 | entry $59/mo is 9% above the $54/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 12.5/20 | supports 3 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (3 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 15/16 | tagged as a best fit for 3 use cases. |
| Integrations | 0.6/12 | lists 20+ integrations. |
| Free-tier availability | 0/8 | has no free plan. |
| Review sentiment | — | no published review-sentiment data yet. |
Computed deterministically from our gold dataset — pricing, features, fit, integrations, and a count-weighted third-party review-sentiment aggregate. Weights v2.0.0 — how we score.
ToolFit Score: Podia
Podia scores 57/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 20.92/24 | entry $49/mo is 9% below the $54/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 17.97/20 | supports 5 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (1 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 17.65/16 | tagged as a best fit for 3 use cases. |
| Integrations | — | no published integration count. |
| Free-tier availability | 0/8 | has no free plan. |
| Review sentiment | — | no published review-sentiment data yet. |
Computed deterministically from our gold dataset — pricing, features, fit, integrations, and a count-weighted third-party review-sentiment aggregate. Weights v2.0.0 — how we score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Teachable or Podia cheaper?
Podia is cheaper to start. Teachable begins at $59/mo and Podia at $49/mo, a gap of $10/mo. Both usually bill less on an annual plan, so weigh yearly pricing before deciding. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-09-05.
Does Teachable or Podia have a free plan?
Teachable has no free plan and Podia has no free plan. Neither is free, though both typically offer a limited free trial before you subscribe. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-09-05. We source it from each vendor's own pricing page, not a paid placement.
Which has more features, Teachable or Podia?
Teachable supports 1 of the 3 features we compare on this page and Podia supports 2, so Podia covers more out of the box. Choose on the specific capabilities — automation, ecommerce, or landing pages — that matter most for how you plan to build and sell your courses.
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