Podia alternatives are sought by creators who outgrow a plan built for a first course, and by those who want a different cost structure. Some object to the 5% cut on the entry plan, some need a stronger community or marketing layer, some want to own the software. They move to flat-priced all-in-one suites, community-first platforms, or a WordPress plugin on their own hosting.
Short answer: The first three alternatives to Podia in our online course platform ranking are Teachable, Kajabi and Kartra. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Choose Teachable if you want a course-centred platform with student apps and managed payments and tax. All 13 alternatives below are ranked products from Best Online Course Platform in 2026, and each says where it differs from Podia.
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Pricing: 14-day trial only, no free plan; published monthly plans, Mover takes 5% of sales, Shaker and Earthquaker take no cut
Established in: United States
Built for: A solo creator who wants one bill and no sales cut from the Shaker plan up
Not for: Structured training that needs assessment, certificates and completion reporting
01
Why buyers look past Podia
01
The entry plan takes a cut and the useful features sit above it
Podia's cheapest plan, Mover, is listed at $42 a month billed annually and charges a 5% transaction fee on top of the payment processor's own charge. Shaker ($84) and Earthquaker ($150) charge no Podia fee, but affiliate marketing, upsells, PayPal and Zapier are listed only from Shaker upwards. A seller whose revenue grows past the point where 5% matters is pushed into the middle plan, and that is the moment many start comparing.
02
Email, quizzes and site design are included but basic
Podia Email is bundled free up to 100 subscribers on Mover, 500 on Shaker and 1,000 on Earthquaker, and a larger list means a higher plan. Quizzes on its course pages are multiple-choice or multiple-answer only. Creators who run funnels, segmented email or graded assessments tend to find the bundle thinner than a dedicated tool, and look at suites with deeper marketing or at LMS plugins with richer quiz types.
03
Plan limits on products, videos and migration help
Mover allows 50 products and 500 videos, Shaker 150 products and 1,000 videos, and only Earthquaker is unlimited. Podia's migration help covers up to 50 products on Mover and up to 150 on the two higher plans. A creator with a large catalogue of small downloads reaches a ceiling sooner than the headline price suggests, which is a common reason to look at platforms priced by contacts or members instead.
Per month, published from $49; $1.99 or $0.99 per subscriber on Growth and App Essentials, and 5% to 10% on one-time sales
Video membership, with branded phone apps from App Essentials and TV apps on Custom
your product is a video library or live classes sold by subscription
#11
03
What each one does differently
1
Teachable
United States · Starter takes 7.5% of each sale; Builder and above, published, take none on Teachable Payments; 7-day trial only
Teachable is the established course-first competitor, with plans of $39, $89 and $189 a month billed monthly. Its Starter plan takes 7.5% per sale, Builder and Growth take 0%, and certificates sit on Growth. It offers a 7-day trial against Podia's 14, and sells fewer products on each tier.
Switch from Podia if you want a course-centred platform with student apps and managed payments and tax.
United States · Per month, published tiers by products and contacts, from $179; a 2% to 0.5% fee on sales through third-party processors
Kajabi prices by contacts and products, not by a sales cut: Basic is $179 a month billed monthly with 5 products and 2,500 contacts, Pro $499. It states no revenue sharing and bundles funnels, a website builder and a branded app. The cost is several times Podia's entry price.
Switch from Podia if funnels, automation and a branded app justify a much higher monthly bill.
United States · Per month by plan, published; tiers by contacts and email volume; Essentials takes 5% of sales, higher plans none
Kartra is a marketing suite with memberships and courses attached. Essentials is $59 a month billed monthly, 5% fee and one course or membership, while Starter and above list 0% fees, unlimited courses and unlimited email. Pricing rises by contact count, and the interface is built around funnels and automations.
Switch from Podia if your list and automations matter more than the course player.
France · Free tier with limits; paid monthly plans published, no cut of sales
Systeme.io has a free plan (1 course, 3 funnels, 2,000 contacts) and paid plans from $17 a month, with 0% transaction fees stated on every plan. It covers funnels, email and affiliate tools in one account. The cost is a plainer course area and a funnel-first editor that suits sellers more than teachers.
Switch from Podia if you want funnels and email at the lowest monthly figure.
United Kingdom · Free with 5% of each sale; Plus at $29 a month takes 2%, Pro at $99 takes nothing
Payhip, made in London, charges for volume of sales, not for features: Free Forever carries a 5% fee, Plus is $29 a month with 2%, Pro is $99 with none. All plans have the same features and unlimited products. Courses and memberships are listed, but it has no email suite or community comparable to Podia's.
Switch from Podia if you sell files and a few courses and prefer paying by sales volume.
Germany · 14-day trial only; monthly plan published from EUR 27, plus 2.7% and EUR 0.50 per sale; reseller mode adds 2.5% and EUR 1.00
The platform now trades as ablefy, built on checkout, invoicing, tax handling and dunning. The plan starts at 27 euros a month plus 2.7% and 0.50 euro per standard payment, with member tiers of 150, 3,000, 10,000 or unlimited. The interface and documentation are German first. It has no equivalent to Podia's flat no-cut upper plans.
Switch from Podia if German-language sales operations, invoicing and collections matter as much as the course.
France · Free plan; paid per month by plan, published
LearnyBox is a French all-in-one in euros, excluding VAT, with a permanent free plan limited to 1 course and 20 learners. Launch is 39 euros a month for 10 courses and 100 learners, Boost 89 euros for unlimited courses. Funnels, webinars and email are included. Its site and support are French first.
Switch from Podia if your audience is French-speaking and you want funnels and webinars included.
India · Per month, published tiers; annual billing discounted
Graphy lists a Launch plan at $49 a month and Rise at $149, both with 0% transaction fees, unlimited products and learners, and a 14-day trial. Branded iOS and Android apps arrive on Rise, and AI agents for sales and support are part of the pitch. It is a heavier product than Podia, and the entry tier caps contacts at 10,000.
Switch from Podia if your own branded mobile app is a requirement.
United States · Per month per plan, published, from $89 on annual billing; a transaction fee of 2% to 0.5% on every plan
Circle puts the community first and attaches courses, live events and a website to it. Professional is $89 a month billed annually, with unlimited members and iOS, Android and desktop apps; Business is $199, Scale $419. There is a 14-day trial with no card. It is a community product more than a download shop.
Switch from Podia if member discussion and events are the product and courses are an add-on.
United States · Per community per month, published: Hobby $9 plus a 10% transaction fee, Pro $99 plus 2.9%
Skool sells one thing, a community with a classroom, on two plans: Hobby at $9 a month with a 10% transaction fee and Pro at $99 with 2.9%. Both list unlimited members, courses and videos. It has no downloads store, no site builder and little design control, which Podia provides.
Switch from Podia if you want a single discussion-led community with courses and the lowest starting price.
United States · Per month, published, from $79; a transaction fee of 2% to 0.5% on every plan
Mighty Networks centres on community and courses, with mobile apps for iOS, Android and web. Launch is $79 a month, Scale $179, Growth $354, and a custom Mighty Pro tier covers branded apps. Members are unlimited on every plan, but hosts and moderators are capped. It does not lead with downloads or a website builder.
Switch from Podia if you want members in a mobile community rather than a storefront.
United States · Annual licence, published, from $259 a year; no hosted option listed, WordPress hosting is yours
LearnDash is a WordPress plugin sold on annual licences, Pro at $399 a year and Elite at $599, with unlimited courses and learners and no per-student fees. You supply the WordPress hosting, payment setup and email. Its quiz builder lists 8 question types. It needs a WordPress site you maintain, where Podia is hosted.
Switch from Podia if you already run WordPress and want to own the course site, quizzes included.
United States · Per month, published from $49; $1.99 or $0.99 per subscriber on Growth and App Essentials, and 5% to 10% on one-time sales
Uscreen is a video membership platform with a Netflix-style catalogue and native livestreaming. Starter is $49 a month with a 100 subscriber limit, Growth $149 plus $1.99 per subscriber, App Essentials $449 plus $0.99 and two mobile apps. It suits video libraries, and it is not a downloads or email suite like Podia.
Switch from Podia if your product is a video library or live classes sold by subscription.
Podia stays the right choice when one person or a small team sells courses, downloads and a modest community and wants one price they can read on a page. Above the entry plan no Podia fee applies, the 14-day trial needs no card, and email, a website, coaching and events come in the same account. If your list is under 1,000 and you do not need funnels, apps or graded exams, the alternatives mostly add cost or complexity.
05
What moving off Podia involves
01
Check what Podia will move before you commit
Podia states it migrates course content, digital downloads, customer email addresses for those products and free community and membership subscribers, up to 50 products on Mover and 150 on the other plans. A destination's own migration help is usually separate, so count your products first and ask each candidate what it imports.
02
Rebuild email and checkout links by hand
Podia Email sequences, automations and checkout URLs sit inside Podia. Export the subscriber list, recreate welcome sequences in the new tool, and redirect old product links before cancelling. Students who bought through Podia checkout may need new access instructions, so tell them before the cutover date.
03
Compare the fee structure on your real revenue
Podia charges 5% only on Mover, while a destination may charge a percentage (Payhip Free, Skool Hobby), a per-sale fee (ablefy) or a flat price by contacts (Kajabi, Kartra). Run last year's revenue and list size through each published price, and add the payment processor's own charge, which applies on Podia as well.
06
Questions about replacing Podia
6 answers
What is the closest alternative to Podia?
Teachable and Payhip are the nearest in scope: courses, downloads and memberships sold from one account. Teachable costs more per month but removes the fee from Builder upwards. Payhip has the same features on every plan and varies only the sales fee.
Is there a free alternative to Podia?
Podia itself has a 14-day trial and no free plan. Payhip (Free Forever with 5%), Systeme.io (free plan with limits) and LearnyBox (free plan with 1 course and 20 learners) have permanent free tiers. Check the limits, because each caps contacts, courses or learners.
Which Podia alternative has no transaction fees?
Kajabi states no revenue sharing, Graphy lists 0% on its plans, Systeme.io states 0% on all plans, and Kartra Starter and above list 0%.
Payhip's Pro plan has none at $99 a month. The payment processor still charges its own fee on every platform, as it does at Podia.
What is the best Podia alternative for a community?
Circle and Mighty Networks build the product around a community with courses attached, and both offer mobile apps. Skool is the cheapest start at $9 a month with a 10% fee. Podia has community spaces too, but they are one feature among several.
Can I host the course on my own site instead of Podia?
LearnDash is the option here: a WordPress plugin on an annual licence with unlimited courses and learners. You provide hosting, security and payments. It suits teams that already run WordPress and want control over the data, not those who want a hosted service.
Does Podia take a percentage of sales?
Only on the Mover plan, at 5%. Shaker and Earthquaker take no Podia fee. Stripe or PayPal charge their standard processing fee on every plan, which Podia lists as 2.9% plus 30 cents, varying by location.
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Sources
Checked 16 October 2026
Podia pricing: Mover $42, Shaker $84, Earthquaker $150 billed annually; 5% fee on Mover only; 14-day trial; email subscriber limits; product and video limits; migration limits; processor fee wording.
Podia online courses: Quizzes are multiple-choice or multiple-answer; completion certificates; no per-student fees.
Teachable pricing: Starter $39, Builder $89, Growth $189 monthly; 7.5% fee on Starter, 0% above; 7-day trial; certificates on Growth.
Kajabi pricing: Basic $179, Growth $249, Pro $499 monthly; products and contacts limits; no revenue sharing statement.
Kartra pricing: Essentials $59 monthly with 5% fee and 1 course or membership; Starter and Growth list 0% fees and unlimited courses.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Written, edited and fact-checked by Sebastiaan Smits. Last reviewed
16 October 2026. How we review.
