Fitness Coaches: What Course Platforms Really Cost to Run
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Fitness coaches choosing where to sell programs face three cost layers: the monthly plan, the platform’s cut of each sale, and card or PayPal processing. This article compares the entry plans of three platforms, Teachable, Podia and Kajabi, using what each vendor’s pricing page states. Other platforms are not covered here.
Entry plans side by side
| Teachable Starter | Podia Mover | Kajabi Basic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly billing | $39/month | $49/month* | $179/month |
| Annual billing | $29/month billed annually | $42/month billed yearly ($504/yr) | $143/month, billed annually |
| Platform transaction fee | 7.5% | 5% | No revenue share |
*Podia’s $49 figure comes from the page’s schema metadata, not the visible pricing table, so treat it with some caution.
Fees beyond the plan price
Teachable. The vendor’s pricing page lists a 7.5% transaction fee on Starter. Builder, Growth and Custom show 0% when you use Teachable Payments. That 0% covers only the platform’s cut: processing fees are separate and still apply. The page lists a U.S. card at 2.9% + 30¢, an international card at 3.9% + 30¢, U.S. PayPal at 3.49% + 49¢, international PayPal at 4.99% + 49¢, and a $15 chargeback fee.
Podia. Podia’s pricing page shows a 5% transaction fee on Mover. Shaker and Earthquaker have none charged by Podia. Even there, payments run through Stripe or PayPal, whose standard fee is described as 2.9% + 30¢ and may vary by location. Podia does not set that fee.
Kajabi. Kajabi’s pricing page says the platform takes no revenue share. On Basic, though, it notes a 2% third-party payment provider fee, which excludes PayPal and Kajabi Payments. For Kajabi Payments with US entities, Basic is listed at 2.9% + $0.30, and fees vary by country. Since Kajabi takes no revenue share, processing fees are the cost to plan around, and taxes are a separate matter.
What matters for fitness coaches
Coaches often sell to buyers in many countries, so payment and tax handling matter. Teachable says Builder and Growth include U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST handling through Teachable Payments. The vendor’s page was unclear to us on whether Starter is covered, so confirm this with Teachable before signing up. Podia lists sales tax support for 230 countries on all plans. Kajabi’s page does not state its VAT or sales-tax handling.
Podia also lists Events (live and in-person) on every plan. That could suit coaches running workshops or bootcamps. Teachable lists coaching as a product type, but its page does not describe live classes.
Trials and refunds
- Teachable: the plan pages mention a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back policy, while a site pop-up says the trial was extended to 30 days. The vendor’s page is inconsistent, so check the current offer at signup.
- Podia: a 14-day trial with full access and no credit card needed.
- Kajabi: a 30-day money-back policy on every plan. The page does not state a standard free-trial length for regular plans.
Pros and cons
- Teachable Starter: a plan price of $39/month on monthly billing, but a 7.5% platform cut on each sale. Tax handling for Starter could not be confirmed from the page.
- Podia Mover: a 5% platform cut and wide tax coverage. Events are included, but the monthly price comes from metadata.
- Kajabi Basic: no revenue share, but the entry price is $179/month, and several details a fitness coach might want are not stated.
Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere
- Starting out with few sales: a Teachable or Podia entry plan has a lower monthly price than Kajabi Basic. Whether the per-sale cut hurts depends on your sales volume, which you must estimate yourself.
- Selling internationally or running live events: Podia’s stated tax coverage and included events fit this case. It is still not automatically the right pick, because its video storage and bandwidth limits are not stated.
- Wanting no platform revenue share: Kajabi fits, if you accept the higher plan price and its gaps in stated tax handling.
- Needing a documented video library, drip schedule or specific payout method: look elsewhere or ask each vendor directly, since none of these are stated in the pages reviewed.
What we could not verify
The vendors’ pages do not state the following, so we cannot advise on them:
- Teachable live classes
- Teachable Starter tax handling (the vendor’s page was unclear to us)
- Podia video storage or bandwidth limits (only a video count per plan is shown)
- Podia drip content
- Podia payout methods
- Kajabi video hosting limits
- Kajabi drip content
- Kajabi VAT and sales-tax handling
- Kajabi payout methods
- Kajabi’s standard free-trial length
We also do not give prices for Teachable Builder and Growth, Podia Shaker and Earthquaker, or Kajabi Growth and Pro. Prices on all pages were last verified on 2026-10-27 and can change.