Overviews of Both the Platforms
Teachable and Podia are both online platforms designed to help creators sell digital content, but they have different focuses. Teachable is mainly for creating and selling detailed online courses, offering features like quizzes, student progress tracking, and course completion certificates.
It also allows for custom branding and has advanced reporting tools, making it ideal for educators who want to build structured courses. On the other hand, Podia is an all-in-one platform that allows creators to sell not only courses but also memberships and digital downloads like eBooks and templates.
It offers a simple course creation process, built-in email marketing, and a customizable website, making it perfect for creators who want an easy-to-use platform with flexible selling options. While Teachable excels in course-specific features, Podia stands out for its simplicity and ability to sell multiple types of digital products.
What Are Teachable and Podia?
Teachable Overview
Teachable is a powerful platform designed specifically for creators who want to build and sell detailed online courses. It offers a wide range of tools that cater to educators, coaches, and anyone looking to share knowledge through structured learning experiences.
With Teachable, users can create courses that include videos, text lessons, quizzes, and downloadable resources, making it easy to provide an interactive learning experience. One of its standout features is the ability to track student progress, allowing course creators to monitor how well students are doing, which helps improve the overall learning process.
Teachable also offers the option to issue certificates upon course completion, adding an extra layer of professionalism. Customization is another strong point, as creators can design their course pages to align with their brand by adding logos, changing layouts, and choosing specific colors. The platform handles payment processing, so creators can offer one-time payments, subscriptions, or payment plans to students worldwide.
Additionally, Teachable supports affiliate marketing, allowing others to promote courses for a commission, and provides advanced reporting tools to help creators analyze their sales, student engagement, and other important metrics. This makes Teachable an ideal solution for educators who want a comprehensive and professional course-building platform with plenty of control over the learning experience.
Podia Overview
Podia is an all-in-one platform designed to help creators easily sell digital products such as online courses, memberships, and digital downloads like eBooks, templates, and more. It stands out for its simplicity and user-friendly interface, making it ideal for beginners and those who prefer a hassle-free setup.
Podia allows creators to quickly build courses by uploading videos, text, and other materials, with a focus on streamlined course creation rather than overly complex features. One of Podia’s key strengths is its ability to sell memberships, where creators can charge recurring fees for ongoing access to exclusive content.
In addition, Podia supports digital downloads, making it a versatile choice for creators who want to sell various types of content. The platform comes with built-in marketing tools, such as email marketing, which allows creators to send newsletters and updates directly to their audience. Users can also create coupon codes, bundles, and affiliate programs to boost sales. Podia does not charge any transaction fees, meaning creators keep all their earnings, minus standard payment processing fees from Stripe or PayPal.
Its customizable website builder allows creators to build and design their sales pages without needing advanced technical skills. Moreover, Podia offers 24/7 live chat support, ensuring creators have access to help whenever they need it. Overall, Podia is a great choice for creators who want a simple, yet powerful platform that supports multiple revenue streams and provides strong customer support.
Teachable Features
Teachable integrates with tools like email marketing platforms (MailChimp) and other services (Zapier) to make your work easier.
Course Creation Tools:
You can create detailed online courses with video, text, and quizzes. Add quizzes to test students’ knowledge and issue certificates when they complete the course.
Customization:
Teachable allows you to customize your course pages with your logo, colors, and layout to match your brand.
Student Management:
Track your students’ progress through the course and see how they’re doing with built-in reports.
You can also send automated emails to students to keep them engaged.
Payment Processing:
Teachable manages payments for you, so you can accept payments from students worldwide.
You can set up one-time payments, subscription payments, or payment plans.
Affiliate Marketing:
You can set up an affiliate program where other people can promote your courses and earn a commission on sales.
Analytics & Reporting:
Teachable gives you detailed reports on your course sales, student progress, and more. This helps you understand what’s working well.
Integrations:
Teachable integrates with tools like email marketing platforms (MailChimp) and other services (Zapier) to make your work easier.
Podia Features
Course Creation:
Podia allows you to create simple online courses with videos, text, and images. It’s easy to use, making it perfect for beginners.
Memberships:
You can sell memberships where students pay regularly (like monthly) to access your content, perfect for creating a community or offering ongoing content.
Digital Downloads:
Podia lets you sell digital products like eBooks, templates, PDFs, or other downloadable files in addition to courses.
Email Marketing:
Podia has built-in email marketing tools, so you can send newsletters or updates to your students directly from the platform. This helps you stay connected with your audience.
Website Builder:
Podia provides a simple website builder so you can create your own sales pages without needing a separate website.
Payment Processing:
Podia handles payments for you, allowing you to accept credit card payments and PayPal. You can set up one-time payments, subscription payments, or payment plans.
No Transaction Fees:
Podia does not charge transaction fees on sales, which means you keep all the money you make, except for standard payment processing fees from Stripe or PayPal.
24/7 Live Chat Support:
Podia offers customer support anytime through live chat, so you can get help whenever you need it.
Affiliate Marketing:
Just like Teachable, Podia allows you to create an affiliate program where others can promote your courses or products and earn commissions.
Integrations:
Podia integrates with other tools like ConvertKit and MailChimp, making it easier to manage email marketing and other services.
Pricing
Teachable Pricing Plans
- Free Plan
- Cost: $0 per month
- Features: Limited features with transaction fees on each sale.
- Basic Plan
- Cost: $39 per month
- Features: Unlimited students and courses, no transaction fees, basic quizzes and certificates.
- Pro Plan
- Cost: $119 per month
- Features: Advanced features like no transaction fees, detailed quizzes, course completion certificates, and priority support.
Podia Pricing Plans
- Mover Plan
- Cost: $39 per month
- Features: All core features including courses, memberships, digital downloads, email marketing, and unlimited products.
- Shaker Plan
- Cost: $89 per month
- Features: Everything in the Mover Plan plus advanced features like affiliate marketing, memberships, and priority support.
Which One Is Cheaper?
- Starting Cost: Both Teachable and Podia start at $39 per month for their basic paid plans.
- Free Option: Teachable offers a free plan, which can be good if you’re just starting out, but it comes with transaction fees. Podia does not have a free plan.
- Advanced Features: If you need advanced features, Teachable’s Pro Plan is more expensive than Podia’s Shaker Plan, but it includes different tools tailored for course creation.
Ease of Use
Teachable
- Learning Curve: Teachable has more advanced features, which might make it slightly harder to use at first, especially if you’re new to creating online courses.
- Powerful Tools: Once you get used to it, Teachable is very powerful and can handle complex course setups.
Podia
- User-Friendly: Podia is known for being very easy to use. If you want to set up quickly without dealing with too many details, Podia is a great choice.
- Simplicity: It’s perfect for people who prefer simplicity and don’t need a lot of technical features.
Support
Teachable
- Email Support: Available to all users.
- Knowledge Base: A collection of helpful articles and guides.
- Live Chat: Available for users on higher-priced plans, providing quicker help when you need it.
Podia
- 24/7 Live Chat Support: Available to all users, meaning you can get help any time of day.
- Great Customer Service: Podia is known for its excellent customer support, making it easy to get assistance when you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Can I use my own domain with Teachable and Podia?
- Teachable: Yes, you can connect your own domain to give your course a professional look.
- Podia: Yes, Podia also allows you to use your own domain.
2. Do Teachable and Podia take a percentage of my sales?
- Teachable: The Free Plan has transaction fees, but paid plans like Basic and Pro do not charge transaction fees.
- Podia: Podia does not take a percentage of your sales on any of its plans.
3. Can I offer discounts or coupons?
- Teachable: Yes, you can create discount codes for your courses.
- Podia: Yes, Podia allows you to create discount codes and special offers easily.
4. Is it possible to create bundles or package deals?
- Teachable: Limited options for bundling courses.
- Podia: Yes, Podia makes it easy to bundle products together and offer package deals.
5. Can I sell memberships?
- Teachable: Not as straightforward; memberships are not a primary feature.
- Podia: Yes, Podia is built to handle memberships alongside courses and digital products.
6. What payment gateways do they support?
- Teachable: Supports major payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
- Podia: Also supports major payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
7. Do they offer mobile-friendly platforms?
- Teachable: Yes, courses are accessible on mobile devices.
- Podia: Yes, Podia’s platform is mobile-friendly for both creators and customers.
Conclusion
Both Teachable and Podia are excellent platforms for selling online courses, but they serve different needs.
- Choose Teachable if:
- You need advanced course creation tools like quizzes, certificates, and detailed student tracking.
- You are focused solely on creating and selling courses.
- You don’t mind a slightly steeper learning curve for more powerful features.
- Choose Podia if:
- You want an easy-to-use platform with a simple setup.
- You plan to sell not just courses, but also memberships and digital products.
- You value having excellent customer support available 24/7.
Think about what you want to offer and how much control you need over your courses and products. If you need a lot of features for building detailed courses, Teachable might be the better choice. If you prefer simplicity and want to offer a variety of products, Podia could be the right fit for you.
Both platforms offer free trials or free plans (Teachable has a free plan), so you can try them out before deciding which one works best for your needs.
