Top 6 Podia Alternatives in 2025 for Monetizing Your Audience
Here are the best 6 Podia Alternatives to create and sell online courses and digital products.
Podia is a platform that helps creators sell courses on any subject and skill. Podia provides end-to-end solutions for creators and educators on its platform.
With a simple interface that is easy to navigate and use, creators can see courses, manage events, add downloads, etc.
Podia has been around since 2014, but it is still not the best platform. It lacks many features that more modern companies offer.
Here are some Podia alternatives you may want to explore.
The top 6 Podia alternatives are:
- FreshLearn
- Teachable
- Thinkific
- Kajabi
- LearnDash
- Mighty Networks
Before exploring the Podia alternatives, let’s understand what Podia offers its creators and educators.
What is Podia
Podia is a platform that makes it easy for anyone to share their knowledge and create a course around it. The platform’s robust yet straightforward interface means you can create your course, manage events with ease, and get paid while doing so. Founded in 2014, it delivers an excellent user experience.
Pros of Using Podia:
- With Podia, anyone can create digital products from events and courses to downloads.
- Podia allows you to create versatile courses. The different formats are video, audio, or document files.
- Podia is a platform that connects content creators to their choice of payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal.
- Podia’s certificate generator is a great non-technical tool that automatically generates certificates for learners who have completed the course. Also, its easy-to-use interface drives a quick learning curve.
- Podia can also seamlessly move any of the creator’s previous work via Concierge migration services.
Cons of Using Podia
- You can't try Podia for free. It requires you to choose a paid plan even if you're still evaluating the platform.
- It does not provide 24/7 live chat support. Instead, it offers email support every day of the week and provides live chat support for paid plans on weekdays from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time.
- Podia does not have a mobile app, which means both creators and learners must rely on web browsers to access and manage content, potentially limiting convenience and on-the-go accessibility.
Podia Pricing
Podia’s pricing is pretty straightforward. Their pricing tiers depend on the features they provide for each plan.
The different pricing plans of Podia are:
- Mover: $39/month or $33/month (when billed annually) + 5% transaction fee
- Shaker: $89/month or $85/month (when billed annually).
- Podia Email: Free up to 100 subscribers and costs a maximum of $833/month or $666/month (when billed annually), up to 300,000 subscribers (Podia offers custom pricing for subscribers more than this limit).
Customer Support and Concierge Migration
Podia is an excellent platform for creators to build their courses with a good knowledge base and documentation.
However, it does not provide 24x7 live chat support. Instead, they offer only email help on the Shaker plan or higher.
This means that your questions will likely go unanswered if you're not upgrading. Podia can also seamlessly move any of the creator’s previous work over via Concierge migration services.
Now let's look at the best Podia alternatives in detail
Top 6 Podia alternatives
Podia Alternative #1: FreshLearn
FreshLearn is a platform that helps you set up and sell your online course in less than 60 minutes. It's about empowering creators, allowing them to convert knowledge into different formats.
The goal is to provide impactful assessments for learners with certification of their skill sets.
FreshLearn is a comprehensive solution that provides personalized options, such as customizing content based on what users want to learn instead of generic content. This is one of the main reasons for it being one of the best alternatives to Podia.
Comparing the Features of FreshLearn and Podia
FreshLearn is a comprehensive solution that provides personalized options, such as customizing content based on what users want to learn instead of generic content. This is one of the main reasons it is one of the best alternatives to Podia.
Comparing the features of FreshLearn and Podia
- FreshLearn covers it for any creator, from creating courses and downloading content to setting up newsletters, creating landing pages, or managing Masterclass memberships.
- FreshLearn offers a variety of course content formats like Video, Audio, and Documents.
- FreshLearn provides an exciting and engaging experience for learners by allowing creators to gamify their coursework.
- With virtual currencies, participants can earn points that translate into real money when they complete tasks in prescribed ways throughout each unit on FreshLearn's platform.
- FreshLearn helps you generate course completion certificates automatically on the completion of any courses by your students.
- FreshLearn designed its principles to help creators get online faster and deliver superior user experiences.
- Bulk student uploads, bulk course enrollments, and course clone-like advanced features are available in the $41/month plan.
- Premium and advanced marketing features such as Page Builder, Coupon Codes, Affiliate Marketing, and Email Marketing are available in the $49/month Pro plan itself.
Plus, FreshLearn offers simple and creator-friendly pricing plans that allow you to use the resources for an unlimited time.
FreshLearn also offers a seamless experience for both students and instructors by letting you integrate your payment gateway so that money hits your account the moment students pay.
Additionally, Freshlearn provides 24/7 live chat for any questions about your account, which is one of the most comprehensive support systems in the industry.
The best part is that if you are moving from a learning management system to FreshLearn or vice-versa, FreshLearn will help transition with our concierge service at no cost.
FreshLearn vs Podia: Pricing Comparison
FreshLearn offers simple and creator-friendly pricing plans that allow you to use the resources for an unlimited time with 24/7 customer support for all the available plans.
Besides the free forever plan: $0 ($1 + 9% commission for every sale), the different pricing plans for FreshLearn are:
FreshLearn vs Podia: Quick Comparison
Limitations of FreshLearn
- FreshLearn currently offers fewer native third-party integrations, which may require extra setup for creators with complex tool stacks.
Customer support and concierge migration
FreshLearn offers 24/7 live chat support for all users, regardless of their plan. Their comprehensive support system ensures help is always available for any questions about your account.
FreshLearn also has a dedicated YouTube channel with excellent course-creation videos that are perfect for beginners. The academy also provides a detailed step-by-step process of online course creation, which will help you get started with your first tutorial.
If you are moving from a learning management system to FreshLearn or vice versa, FreshLearn will help transition with our concierge service at no cost.
Podia Alternative #2: Teachable
Teachable is another one of the popular alternatives to Podia. It is a platform that provides an all-inclusive service for selling online courses.
It handles everything from web hosting to payment processing, giving course creators complete control over their content and online business models without worrying about any technical stuff, such as database management or website design.
In addition, you can customize your teaching experience with options like video backgrounds and course page designs.
Benefits of Choosing Teachable over Podia
- Teachable offers graded quizzes with graded scoring and pass/fail settings, allowing creators to assess learners more effectively. In contrast, Podia provides basic multiple-choice quizzes without grading or feedback features.
- Teachable provides a mobile app unlike Podia. However, it is only for iOS and lacks an Android app.
- Teachable offers a free plan and a 7-day free trial on all its paid plans. On the other hand, Podia offers only a free trial and does not offer a free plan.
Note that both Podia and Teachable charge a 5% transaction fee on their basic plan.
Podia vs Teachable: Pricing Comparison
Teachable Pricing offers four different plans that are differentiated based on the features provided and commissions.
- Free: $0/month ($1+10% transaction fee)
- Starter: $39 /month or $29/month (When billed annually) (7.5% transaction fee)
- Builder: $89/month or $69/month (When billed annually)
- Growth: $189/month or $139/month (when billed annually)
- Advanced: $399/month or $309/month (when billed annually).
- Custom Plan: Contact the sales team
Note: With Teachable’s recent price hike, creators seeking budget-friendly platforms may want to explore more affordable alternatives.
Limitations of Teachable
Given the advantages, Teachable also has a few limitations:
- Teachable offers a course builder that can be difficult and confusing for first-time creators.
- The lack of monetization features for creators, including Newsletters, is a significant fault for Teachable.
- The company also does not provide flexible white-label solutions for content creators, and the checkout page or the school’s URL will have Teachable’s branding.
- The advanced features are available only in the high-end plans costing $159/month and $249/month.
- Additionally, Teachable’s knowledge base differentiates between creators based on the plan type they subscribe to.
Customer support and concierge migration
When it comes to customer support, Podia generally offers a more accessible experience across all pricing tiers. Podia provides email support seven days a week and live chat on weekdays (9 AM–6 PM ET) for all paid plans, making it easier for creators to get help when needed.
In contrast, Teachable also offers email support every day, but limits live chat to users on the Pro plan and above, and only during weekdays. Neither platform offers phone support.
Podia provides free migration assistance on all paid plans, helping users move their content, customer data, and digital assets from other platforms. In contrast, Teachable does not offer concierge migration; users must manually transfer their materials or use third-party tools.
Alternative to Podia #3: Thinkific
Thinkific is a platform for instructors who want to take their teaching skills from basic knowledge into an industry they can be proud of.
Thinkific offers a single dashboard that provides access to everything to create courses, including branding opportunities & marketing tools. The process is also pretty straightforward and efficient.
The tool allows you to assess what your students know and customize their experience so that they get more out of each session.
Benefits of choosing Thinkific over Podia
- Thinkific offers a comprehensive suite of assessment tools, including quizzes, surveys, assignments, and exams, allowing for diverse evaluation methods. Podia provides basic quiz functionality but lacks built-in assessment types like surveys and polls.
- Thinkific enables creators to design and issue customizable certificates upon course completion, enhancing learner recognition. Podia has recently introduced course completion certificates; however, customization options are limited compared to Thinkific.
- Thinkific offers a branded mobile app, which can be a point of consideration when choosing Thinkific over Podia.
Podia vs Thinkific: Pricing Comparison
Thinkific Pricing offers four different plans that are differentiated based on the features provided and user requirements.
- Basic: $49/month or $36/month (when billed annually).
- Start: $99/month or $74/month (when billed annually).
- Grow: $199/month or $149/month (when billed annually).
- Plus: Provides custom pricing.
Customer Support & Concierge Migration
Though Thinkific’s entry level is higher than Podia's, it offers comprehensive features like sales tools, abandoned cart, and more. Also, the platform does not incur transaction fees like Podia.
Limitations of Thinkific
Though Thinkific offers a few advantages over Podia, it has the following limitations:
- Thinkific's lack of other monetization features for creators, including built-in blogging or a marketplace, is a missed opportunity.
- They could continue to grow their community by adding a newsletter and download options, as well as masterclass courses.
- Thinkific does not provide complete white-label services. To access comprehensive features like removing Thinkific branding, you must be on their ‘grow’ plan, which costs $199/month.
Customer support & concierge migration
Thinkific's documentation and support are excellent for those new to the platform. Still, it falls short in terms of depth compared to other platforms, and discouragingly, it differentiates support based on the plan type.
Thinkific’s base plans do not include live chat support or concierge migration services. Creators must manually transfer their content from other platforms, as no built-in or automated migration support is available at lower tiers.
Podia Alternative #4: Kajabi
Kajabi was founded in 2010 and is one of the oldest platforms to start in this online course platform segment.
It is an all-in-one platform that allows creators and educators to build and launch learning businesses on different topics and fields.
Benefits of choosing Kajabi over Podia
- Kajabi offers a dedicated mobile app for both iOS and Android users.
- Kajabi offers a variety of monetization features for its creators, including creating podcasts.
- Kajabi provides detailed student-level analytics, including course progress, login frequency, enrollment date, and last activity. Podia, on the other hand, does not offer this depth of insight, making Kajabi more suitable for creators who need to monitor student engagement closely.
Podia vs Kajabi: Pricing Comparison
Kajabi Pricing includes four distinct plans, each tailored to different features and user needs.
- Kickstarter: $89/month or $71/month (when billed annually)
- Basic: $149/month or $119/month (when billed annually)
- Growth: $199/month or $159/month (when billed annually)
- Pro: $399/month or $319/month (when billed annually)
No doubt, Kajabi is more expensive than Podia. However, it does not incur a transaction fee per sale and provides advanced features even in its starting plan, including Kajabi AI, creator studio, and more.
Limitations of Kajabi
Kajabi has the following limitations:
- Kajabi pricing tiers depend on usage limits. Therefore, the pricing is rather high for LMS platforms for the features Kajabi provides.
- Kajabi has many limitations in its pricing plans. It does not offer a free plan and limits pricing based on the products, pipelines, contacts, and the number of active students.
Customer support & concierge migration
Kajabi is an excellent tool for creating a knowledge base, but it lacks 24/7 live chat support in its basic plans. You can only contact them during normal business hours.
Kajabi is an education-focused platform that does not provide a concierge migration from other platforms in any of its plans. So to move your courses over, you have to do it yourself.
Podia Alternatives #5: LearnDash
Learndash is a plugin that lets you launch courses through your WordPress website. Thus, transforming it into an easy-to-use learning management system for creators.
They can create and sell their course content while tracking learner development and certificates based on their performance.
Benefits of choosing LearnDash over Podia
- LearnDash, a WordPress plugin, offers extensive customization with themes and page builders, while Podia has limited design flexibility and fixed templates.
- Podia supports integrations but is more limited and primarily connects to standard email marketing and payment tools. Whereas Learndash, being a WordPress plugin, has access to a vast space of plugins and integrations for CRM, analytics, membership, etc.
- Unlike Podia, LearnDash can access native mobile apps through third-party integrations like BuddyBoss, improving mobile learning. However, this comes at an extra cost of $99/month.
Podia vs LearnDash: Pricing Comparison
The different pricing plans of Learndash are:
LearnDash LMS (WordPress plugin)
- For 1 site: $199/year
- For 10 sites: $399/year
- Unlimited: $799/year
StellarSites Learning (Self-hosted)
- Starter: $39/month or $29/month (when billed annually)
- Growth: $69/month or $55/month (when billed annually)
- Pro: $99/month or $79/month (when billed annually)
Limitations of LearnDash
LearnDash has the following limitations:
- Plugins are a great way to extend and enhance your WordPress site, but too many can slow download times or cause stability issues. Regularly maintaining plugins is essential to ensure the ones you use most stay updated with the latest improvements and security patches.
- If you want to use WordPress plugins, be prepared for tech support because it's not always right and sometimes creates compatibility issues with other plugins.
- It is not the best choice for creators who are just getting started because it isn't an intuitive or user-friendly experience like some other platforms offer.
- Learndash does not offer a free plan for creators who want to test the platform.
- It also has many vulnerabilities because it relies on other plugins to function. Hosting, security, and backup are all extra costs you must pay on Leardash.
Customer support & concierge migration
Learndash provides extensive documentation and a knowledge base, but does not currently offer live chat support for its creators (in the plugin version). However, email functions allow you to contact the team with any questions or problems. Learndash provides course migration services. However, it requires installing third-party plugins, which cannot be beginner-friendly.
Podia Alternative #6: Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks is a platform that allows creators to customize and monetize their content. In addition, it offers various features like online communities, live streaming events, courses, etc.
It was founded in 2017 to drive community innovation while providing people with an alternative type of business.
Benefits of choosing Mighty Networks over Podia
- Courses are embedded within active communities, allowing real-time interaction via feeds, comments, and discussions — like a social network around each course. While Podia offers community features, they are separate from the course structure.
- Mighty Networks allows monetizing courses, memberships, communities, live events, and private groups. Tiered pricing and supports custom bundles. While Podia also supports selling digital products (courses, downloads, webinars, coaching), it has limited membership tiers and no monetization of individual community spaces.
- Mighty Networks has full-featured native iOS and Android apps with community, course access, notifications, and optional branded apps (via Mighty Pro). While Podia does not have a native mobile app.
Podia vs LearnDash: Pricing Comparison
Mighty Networks’ plans are:
- The community Plan: $49/month or $41/month (when billed annually).
- The Courses Plan: $119/month or $99/month (when billed annually).
- The Business Plan: $219/month or $179/month (when billed annually).
- The Path to Pro Plan: $430/month or $360/month (when billed annually)
Limitations of Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks has the following limitations:
- The platform’s website is not easy to navigate. This makes the user experience complex and overwhelming.
- Uploading videos on Mighty Networks is a tedious process that requires the user to embed links from other platforms.
- Mighty Networks is also missing some essential monetization features like Newsletters.
Customer support & concierge migration
Mighty Networks offers dedicated support only on the path-to-pro plan, and works 7 days a week with them (6 am to 6 pm PT). In addition, it provides the convenience of automatically moving your courses from one stream to another without any additional work on your part.
Final Thoughts
When creating content as an online teacher, having a well-structured platform is key to long-term success. Podia has carved out its niche with user-friendly features, but as creator expectations evolve, demanding more control, customization, and support, so does the platforms they rely on.
FreshLearn stands out as the top alternative to Podia, addressing several of its common limitations. For example, unlike Podia, FreshLearn offers 24/7 live chat support and transparent, creator-friendly pricing with no hidden fees or transaction costs. This makes it especially attractive for educators looking for responsive help and budget clarity as they grow.
That said, your choice might depend on your unique needs:
- If you’re looking for deep third-party integrations and automation, platforms like Teachable or Kajabi offer powerful tools for that.
- For those who want a WordPress-native LMS with full design control, LearnDash is a natural fit.
- Creators prioritizing community-first learning will find Mighty Networks to be a compelling option with its built-in social features.
- And if you focus on course structure simplicity, Thinkific is worth exploring.
Whatever your teaching style or business model, the right platform can make all the difference. If you're looking for simplicity, transparent pricing, and real-time support, sign up for free with FreshLearn and see how it fits your workflow.
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