If you're planning to sell digital products or online courses, Podia and Teachable are two popular platforms to consider. However, they differ in approach and flexibility.
Podia offers an all-in-one solution with built-in tools for course sales, digital downloads, and email marketing, which may appeal to users looking for simplicity.
Teachable leans more toward structured learning features, such as course progress tracking, certificates, and advanced analytics.
In this article, we’ll explore the key differences between Podia and Teachable, including pricing, customization, and support. We'll also introduce the best alternative platform that emphasizes scalability, memberships, and community engagement.
What Is Podia?
Podia is a platform for creators to build and sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads. It combines tools like a website builder, online store, and email marketing into one system.
Podia includes built-in email marketing tools for sending newsletters, automated campaigns, and promotional emails.
Key features of Podia
- Sell courses, memberships, and digital products
- Connect newsletters and marketing emails
- Built-in affiliate marketing tools
- Simple interface designed for beginners
- Customize professional website templates
What Is Teachable?
Teachable is another course platform offering a system for creating, hosting, and marketing online courses. It’s known for its advanced customization options and scalability for larger businesses.
One of its most notable advantages is that it can integrate with a custom payment gateway, which gives you more control over how payments are processed and managed.
Key features of Teachable
- Generate course outlines and overviews
- Create quizzes to engage and test students
- Add subtitles and translations automatically
- Offer flexible payments like Buy Now, Pay Later
- Sell globally with tax-inclusive pricing
- Use digital downloads to attract leads
- Boost sales with affiliate marketing tools
What Is CustomerHub?
CustomerHub is a platform designed for knowledge entrepreneurs such as coaches, consultants, and course creators. It simplifies the process of building scalable sites so you can monetize your expertise through memberships, online courses, and digital products.
Its key features include intuitive plug-and-play functionality that lets you launch products without technical expertise.
It offers personalized onboarding experiences and a comprehensive product library that serves as a central hub for managing unlimited courses and delivering digital offerings.
CustomerHub provides a private customer feed to engage members and improve retention and integration with tools like CRMs and email platforms. It also provides responsive customer service and optional Done-for-You services for a smoother setup process.
If you’re ready to create a scalable, community-focused business, CustomerHub is the best choice. Start your 14-day free trial today!
Features Comparison: Podia vs Teachable
When deciding between Teachable and Podia, it's essential to understand their features and how they align with your goals.
While both e-learning platforms offer course-building capabilities, there are a few key differences that may impact your decision when it comes to flexibility, integrations, and support.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is an essential consideration, especially if you want a platform that allows you to focus on your content rather than spending hours learning the system.
Podia's design makes it an excellent choice for beginners and non-technical users. Setting up a course curriculum, membership website, or digital product is easier with steps guiding you through the process.
It also includes built-in marketing tools such as email marketing and affiliate management to reduce the need for external integrations.
Teachable, while still user-friendly, offers more advanced features that may take longer to master. Its platform is designed to accommodate creators with larger-scale operations or more complex needs.
It provides a drag-and-drop course builder for greater flexibility in customizing layouts and creating course content. However, this flexibility can feel overwhelming for beginners.
Relying on third-party integrations for features such as email marketing and analytics introduces additional complexity. While Teachable supports advanced customization options, such as the use of custom code, this feature may not appeal to users who lack technical skills.
Pricing and Transaction Fees
Podia Pricing Plans
Podia offers two paid subscription plans, each tailored to different stages of business growth. However, transaction fees apply to Podia's mover plan, which is Podia’s entry-level tier.
- Mover Plan: $39/month with 5% transaction fees
- Shaker Plan: $89/month includes memberships and affiliate marketing
Teachable Pricing Plans
Teachable's free plan includes transaction fees of $1 + 10% per sale. It also provides a tiered pricing model that caters to different organizational needs.
- Starter Plan: $39/month for beginners with a 7.5% transaction fee
- Builder Plan: $89/month, which includes advanced features like course certificates, affiliate program, and live chat support
- Growth Plan: $189/month, ideal for larger-scale creators with more products and custom user roles
- Advanced Plan: $399/month, and offers advanced features for large-scale businesses and unlimited integrations
Podia is best if you plan to upgrade to a higher-tier plan to avoid zero transaction fees. Teachable is better if you want to start small with the basic plan (Starter) while accepting transaction fees.
Though Teachable's Pro Plan is more expensive than Podia’s Shaker Plan, it offers advanced customization and analytics.
Course Creation Tools
Podia provides a simple course editor with all the essential features to get you started. The platform allows users to create courses without requiring technical expertise.
Podia features the following:
- Course editor to upload videos, PDFs, audio files, and quizzes
- Schedule lessons to be released at specific intervals
- Build as many courses as you want
- Sell digital downloads alongside your courses, such as templates, eBooks, or guides
Teachable offers more advanced tools for building and managing courses, which can be appealing if you want greater control and flexibility. Teachable includes key features such as:
- Drag-and-drop editor to customize course pages and layouts
- Engage students with quizzes, assignments, and course completion certificates
- Group multiple courses into bundles and offer them as a package
- Supports HTML and CSS customization for advanced users
- Track individual course students' progress with graded quizzes
While Teachable’s tools are more feature-rich, they come with a steeper learning curve, especially for beginners.
Marketing Features
Marketing tools help with attracting and retaining students, promoting courses, and growing your online business.
Podia allows you to create email campaigns, schedule newsletters, and segment your audience. While not as advanced as dedicated platforms, it’s sufficient for basic email marketing features.
You can also set up an affiliate program to encourage others to promote your courses. Affiliates have access to a dedicated dashboard to track their commissions.
Teachable takes a more integration-focused approach to provide you with basic built-in tools while encouraging the use of other marketing tools for advanced needs.
Similar to Podia, Teachable includes an affiliate program where you recruit partners and track performance. It also integrates with email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign to provide advanced segmentation and automation features.
Teachable’s reliance on external tools can be a drawback for creators who want an all-in-one platform, but it offers more flexibility and scalability for advanced marketing strategies.
Customer Support
If you’re setting up your first course or troubleshooting an issue, the quality of support can make a difference in your experience.
Podia offers seven-day-a-week support for all users, even on the Mover Plan, to make sure you get immediate assistance. They also have a comprehensive library of guides, how-to articles, and video demos to help you resolve common issues.
Teachable provides a range of support options, but access to some features depends on your subscription plan. While the platform’s help center and email support are available to all users, live chat support is only available to users on the Builder, Growth, and Advanced plans.
Teachable’s support is generally helpful, but the restriction of live chat to premium plans is often cited as a key difference for users on lower-tier plans.
Customization and Branding
Customizing your online course platform and ensuring consistent branding are key to providing a professional and memorable experience for your audience.
Podia extends to its customization options. You can connect your own domain to tie your courses and membership website to your brand.
You can also add your logo, brand colors, and custom copy to create a cohesive look. But Podia’s templates don’t allow for advanced modifications or custom coding.
Teachable offers more flexible customization options where you can build personalized course pages and portals. Its tools cater to users who want to align their courses closely with their brand.
Its drag-and-drop editor lets you adjust layouts, content blocks, and design elements with ease. Like Podia, Teachable allows you to use your custom domain for a professional look.
Teachable supports custom coding for unlimited design possibilities, which can be beneficial for tech-savvy creators or those with developers.
Payment and Monetization Options
Podia allows you to offer products with installment-based pricing. You can choose to provide only a payment plan or payment options to let customers decide between paying in full or through installments.
Podia integrates with Stripe and PayPal. Payments are processed and delivered to your account immediately after a sale.
Teachable supports one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, and course bundles. It also integrates with Stripe and PayPal for easy payment processing.
Teachable Payments (available in select countries) allows daily payouts, while PayPal or Stripe payouts may take longer. It handles automatic tax handling, which makes it easier for creators to comply with regional laws.
Analytics and Reporting
Podia offers a basic sales dashboard where you can view revenue trends, individual product performance, and overall sales data. Student management insights are also available, so you can track purchase history and identify popular products.
Teachable delivers a better set of analytics tools if you want to optimize your courses and understand your audience better.
Course reports provide insights into how students are interacting with your content, including stats on lecture and video completion, quiz scores, and course leaderboards.
Teachable’s sales reports also offer detailed tracking of total sales, earnings, refunds, chargebacks, affiliate commissions, and payouts.
What Makes CustomerHub Better Than Podia and Teachable?
CustomerHub is the best online course platform that stands out by providing a user-friendly and membership-centric solution.
Online learning platforms like Podia and Teachable cater to course creators. But CustomerHub takes a more holistic approach by integrating memberships, online course creation tools, and personalized services.
Plug-and-Play Simplicity
CustomerHub is designed for ease of use, offering a plug-and-play experience that lets you launch memberships, courses, or digital courses.
The platform eliminates the need for extensive setup or technical expertise. Therefore, you spend less time managing tools and more time sharing your expertise.
While Podia and Teachable are user-friendly, their setup processes can feel more time-intensive, especially for those new to creating online courses.
Personalized Support and Done-for-You Services
CustomerHub differentiates itself with unmatched personalized support and optional Done-for-You (DFY) services.
This online community platform provides unlimited chat support, so you get real-time help whenever you need it. Also, CustomerHub offers DFY services, where their team assists with complex setup tasks, including migrating content from another platform.
In comparison, Podia offers responsive support but lacks the advanced assistance of DFY services, and Teachable primarily relies on self-service resources, with live chat restricted to higher-tier plans.
This level of support makes CustomerHub appealing if you're finding the idea of switching platforms or setting up memberships daunting.
Integrated Membership and Community Tools
CustomerHub goes beyond basic course delivery by offering built-in tools for memberships and community engagement. This is what makes it a strong fit if you're exploring the best membership site platforms to support long-term audience growth.
Features like private member feeds and personalized experiences help foster engagement and promote a high level of satisfaction and retention among customers.
CustomerHub’s tighter integration of these features gives you the tools you need to build stronger relationships with your audience, without limiting you to just courses.
Seamless Integration With Existing Tools
CustomerHub connects with existing workflows by integrating with CRMs, email platforms, payment processors, and over 7,000 apps via Zapier to automate tasks and manage your operations.
Both Podia and Teachable support direct integrations, but lack the flexibility that CustomerHub offers. If you have complex workflows or niche software needs, CustomerHub’s integration capabilities provide a clear advantage.
Simplicity for Scalability
Unlike Teachable, which can feel overly complex for those who want a simplified, scalable solution, CustomerHub provides the flexibility needed for growth without unnecessary complications.
It also supports digital product monetization beyond just courses, which makes it easier to diversify your offerings without complicating your backend setup.
As your online business course grows, your platform needs often become more complex. CustomerHub offers a balance between simplicity and scalability.
You can expand offerings without sacrificing ease of use, including support for a monthly payment gateway and flexible paid plans.
Exceptional User Experience
CustomerHub prioritizes both the creator and customer experience. Features like private customer feeds, progress tracking, and simple onboarding deliver a polished and professional experience.
Customers benefit from a user-friendly portal, while creators enjoy tools that make delivering content simple and efficient for coaching sessions, memberships, or content delivery.
Sign up with a 14-day free trial today and transform how you manage memberships and engage your audience!
Take Control of Your Memberships and Content With CustomerHub!
Choosing between Podia and Teachable can be overwhelming, especially when both platforms seem to offer all the features.
However, if you’re looking for a solution that goes beyond basic course creation and prioritizes community engagement and flexibility, CustomerHub is the clear choice.
Designed for creators, CustomerHub offers a unified platform for managing memberships, delivering content, and creating strong relationships with your audience.
What sets CustomerHub apart is its ability to combine plug-and-play simplicity with sophisticated tools for long-term scalability. While Podia and Teachable have their strengths, they often require more time for setup or lack the integrated community-building features that drive retention.
Don’t settle for platforms that treat memberships as an afterthought. CustomerHub is built for creators who want personalized support and need a platform that adapts to business processes.
Start your 14-day free trial and see how CustomerHub makes it easier to manage memberships, engage your audience, and grow your revenue!
FAQs About Podia vs Teachable
Is Podia better than Teachable?
That depends on your needs. Podia is good if you're looking for simplicity, built-in tools, and a clean interface for digital products and memberships. One of the key differences is that Podia includes email marketing and affiliate tools without relying heavily on third-party services.
However, Teachable may offer more advanced customization and scalability if you're working with a larger student base or complex course structure.
What’s better than Teachable?
If you're looking for something more flexible with deeper integration options, platforms like CustomerHub stand out. They provide stronger community-building tools and automation capabilities.
Unlike Teachable, CustomerHub includes private member feeds and allows features like Google Pay, Google Analytics, and unlimited landing pages, which can help personalize your user experience.
Is Podia worth it?
Yes, if you want a quick setup and minimal tech headaches. You can create courses, launch memberships, and build sales pages without needing to code or hire developers.
Podia also allows you to accept payments easily via Stripe or PayPal, and supports features like upsells and downloads within your storefront.
What does Podia cost?
Podia offers tiered pricing plans. While there’s no forever-free version, you can try it out with a free trial. The paid plans scale depending on the features you need. For example, the Mover and Shaker plans are popular choices and include support for unlimited students.
It's also worth noting that Podia does not charge transaction fees on higher-tier plans, and unlike Teachable, it does not lock features like live chat support behind more expensive pricing plans.
