What a Course Platform Costs in Year One: Entry Plans Compared
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A course platform’s first-year cost is more than the sticker price. It also includes the billing cycle you choose, any per-sale platform fee, and payment processing on top. This article lines up the entry plans of three platforms using only what each vendor’s pricing page states. We do not add up a yearly total, because the pages do not give every figure needed for one. Other platforms are not covered here.
Entry plans at a glance
| Teachable Starter | Thinkific Start | Podia Mover | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly billing | $39/month | €107/month | $49/month |
| Annual billing | $29/month billed annually | €79/month billed annually | $42/month billed annually |
| Platform transaction fee | 7.5% | Not covered here (see below) | 5% |
| Free trial | See below | 30 days | 14 days |
Thinkific is priced in euros and the other two in dollars. We do not convert between them, so compare the currencies yourself with a rate you trust. Annual billing lowers the monthly rate on all three. The Teachable pricing page says annual billing saves $120/yr, the Thinkific pricing page says save €336, and the Podia pricing page lists $504/yr for Mover.
One caveat on Podia: the $49/month figure comes from the page’s structured data, not from the visible pricing block, so check it at checkout.
Fees beyond the subscription
Teachable. The 7.5% transaction fee applies only on Starter. On Builder, Growth and Custom it is 0% when you use Teachable Payments. That 0% is not the whole picture. Processing is separate: Teachable Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ on U.S. cards, 3.9% + 30¢ on international cards, 3.49% + 49¢ on U.S. PayPal and 4.99% + 49¢ on international PayPal, with a $15 chargeback fee. On tax, the page says Teachable Payments covers U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST. Builder and Growth prices were not recorded for this article.
Thinkific. Thinkific states a standard processing fee of 2.9% on Thinkific Payments. If you connect Stripe or PayPal instead, gateway fees apply on top of their own fees. Plan-specific transaction fees were not confirmed by the pages we read, so we make no claim about them. Prices for the higher plans were not recorded either.
Podia. Podia charges 5% on Mover and no platform transaction fee on Shaker and Earthquaker. That absence applies to Podia’s own fee only. Stripe or PayPal charge a standard 2.9% + 30¢, which may vary by location and is separate from Podia’s fee. The page does not clearly state how tax is handled, and the prices for Shaker and Earthquaker were not recorded.
Trials and refunds
- Teachable: the page is inconsistent. The plan cards show a 7-day free trial, while a separate pop-up shows 30 days. It also offers a 30-day money-back policy.
- Thinkific: a 30-day free trial on every plan, and no free plan. The page does not state refund terms.
- Podia: 14 days with full access and no card required. Refunds must be requested within 72 hours of your most recent payment, and annual plans get no partial refunds.
Pros and cons
- Teachable: tax handling is spelled out, but the 7.5% fee on Starter and the contradictory trial length both count against it.
- Thinkific: a clearly stated 30-day trial and unlimited Zoom sessions on Start, plus Zoom meetings and webinars on all plans. The drawbacks are the missing refund terms and the unread fee details.
- Podia: a trial that needs no card, and a 5% fee on its entry plan. The refund window is short, and the annual-plan refund rule is strict.
Who it suits and who should look elsewhere
- Choose a Thinkific trial if you want a clearly stated 30-day trial and plan to run live Zoom sessions. Verify the fees that we could not read before committing.
- Podia suits someone who wants to test with full access and no card. Look elsewhere if a 72-hour refund window feels too tight for an annual purchase.
- Teachable’s entry plan suits you if clear tax handling matters. If you expect many sales, weigh its 7.5% fee against the other platforms’ fees, because that fee applies to every sale on Starter.
None of these is right for everyone, and we do not rank them overall.
What we could not verify
- Teachable live classes, and video bandwidth or storage limits for Teachable and Podia.
- Podia drip and subscription billing features, live and webinar detail by tier, and payout schedule.
- Thinkific tax handling by plan.
Prices and terms change, so confirm them on each vendor’s own pricing page before you buy.