Course Platform Free Plans and Entry Prices Compared
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If you are starting your first online course, the word “free” matters. This comparison looks at three platforms (Teachable, Podia and Thinkific) and what each one’s pricing page says about free access, entry-level prices and fees. Other vendors are not covered here.
Is there a free plan?
Short answer: not on these three. According to each vendor’s pricing page, none of them states a permanent free plan. What you get instead is a trial period.
| Platform | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Teachable | None | 7-day free trial (plan cards); a banner says 30-day trial |
| Podia | None | 14-day free trial, no card needed |
| Thinkific | None | 30-day free trial |
Teachable’s pricing page is inconsistent here. The plan cards mention a 7-day free trial and a 30-day assurance, while a banner refers to a 30-day trial. Check the current wording before signing up.
Entry-level plans and fees
Teachable
The Starter plan is $39/month billed monthly, or $29/month billed annually. It carries a 7.5% transaction fee. On the Builder and Growth plans the transaction fee is 0% when you use Teachable Payments. Payment processing fees are separate and may still apply: U.S. card 2.9% + 30¢, international card 3.9% + 30¢, U.S. PayPal 3.49% + 49¢, and international PayPal 4.99% + 49¢.
Other points from the page: video storage of up to 1TB on Starter, Builder and Growth, and all plans include U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST handling.
Podia
Podia lists its Mover plan at $42/month billed annually. A $49 monthly figure is not shown in the visible pricing card, so the page is inconsistent on monthly pricing. Mover has a 5% transaction fee and a limit of 500 videos.
The Shaker and Earthquaker plans have no Podia transaction fees. Processing fees are separate and still apply: Stripe or PayPal at 2.9% + 30¢, which may vary by location and is not charged by Podia. The page also says refund requests must be made within 72 hours of your most recent payment, and there are no partial refunds on annual plans. That matters if you pay annually and change your mind.
Thinkific
Thinkific prices its Start plan at €107/month billed monthly or €79/month billed annually. Video bandwidth on Start is 200 GB/mo. The page describes a 30-day free trial that lets you explore the whole platform.
The vendor’s page does not clearly state a transaction fee percentage for its plans, beyond a third-party gateway fee that varies by plan. It also does not state refund terms or VAT handling. For processing it only refers to pricing in line with other processors, such as Stripe and PayPal at 2.9%.
Comparing the entry prices
Thinkific lists its prices in euros and the other two in dollars, and billing periods differ, so we do not rank them against each other. Within each vendor, the annual price is lower than the monthly price where both are shown (Teachable and Thinkific). Podia’s visible card shows only an annual figure.
For fees, Teachable’s Starter plan is at 7.5% and Podia’s Mover plan is at 5%. Thinkific’s equivalent is not stated, so a full ranking on fees is not possible from these pages.
Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere
Teachable suits beginners who want tax handling (U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST) included and who want a detailed list of processing fees. Its drawbacks are the 7.5% transaction fee on Starter and the conflicting trial wording. If you sell internationally, the higher international card and PayPal rates are worth noting.
Podia suits beginners who want a longer no-card trial (14 days) and a lower stated fee on its entry plan. Drawbacks: the 500-video limit on Mover, the strict refund window, and the inconsistent monthly price. Its VAT handling is not detailed on the pricing page, which only mentions sales tax (230 countries). If you expect to sell a large video library, check that limit first.
Thinkific suits people who want the longest trial of the three, at 30 days. Its entry plan is priced in euros, and the page leaves the fee percentage, refund terms and VAT handling unstated. If you need to know your exact cost per sale before committing, Thinkific is not the right pick until you confirm those details with the vendor.
None of these is the right choice if you need a permanently free plan. In that case, look at vendors not covered here.
What we could not verify
- Whether any of the three offers a permanent free plan: none states one on its pricing page.
- Thinkific’s transaction fee percentage, refund terms, and VAT handling.
- Teachable’s live lessons.
- Podia’s live lessons, drip content, memberships, and payout schedule.
- Any vendors beyond these three.
Plans and prices change, so confirm current terms on each vendor’s pricing page (Teachable, Podia, Thinkific) before you buy. Prices here were last verified on 2026-10-29.
Affiliate note
Some links to Podia and Thinkific on this page are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you sign up. That does not change the facts above, and as noted, neither is the right pick if you need a permanent free plan.