Learnworlds vs Podia: Which platform is right for you?

In this guide we'll cover everything you need to know to compare LearnWorlds vs Podia. Which is best for starting or growing your online course business?

By Joanna Taylor  •  Updated 29 September 2023

LearnWorlds vs Podia

Let’s say you want to share your knowledge to a worldwide audience, and frankly, you're also aiming to generate some additional income in the process.

How do you achieve both, especially, seeing that the online education market is projected to generate US$166.60bn in revenue in 2023? Enter an online course!

But here’s the catch — for an online course to do well and thrive in the competitive market of e-learning, you need a great e-learning platform. And in the crowded field of platforms competing for the top spot, how can you select the one that best suits your specific needs?

This article will simplify everything for you. We'll take a deep dive into Learnworlds Vs Podia, highlighting their features, weigh the pros and cons, and help you make an informed choice.

Everything You Need to Know about Learnworlds

Learnworlds is an established player in the world of online course platforms, offering a reasonable toolkit for creators to bring their knowledge to a global audience. 

Founded in 2014, Learnworlds has steadily grown, gaining recognition as a reliable platform for online course creation. Let's take a closer look at their operations.

LearnWorlds Features

  • Course Creation: Learnworlds provides a versatile course creation platform with features like interactive videos and gradable assessments, enhancing the overall learning experience.
  • Website Builder: Creators can customize their learning center, add a custom domain, and build one-click funnel/landing pages with ease, ensuring a seamless user experience.
  • Live Streaming: Learnworlds offers a live streaming feature through its integration with Zoom, fostering real-time engagement between creators and their audience.

LearnWorlds Pros

Versatile Course Creation Tools: Learnworlds offers a reasonable course creation experience, including interactive video and gradable assessments making it easy to keep your students engaged.
White Labeling: Another pro of Learnworlds is the white labeling feature. You get to customize the platform, make a website, and build a simple mobile app for your courses.
Payment Gateways: With this platform, you can securely accept payments from students as it is built with multiple payment gateways.

LearnWorlds Cons

Pricing: While Learnworlds does provide diverse pricing plans, it may not be the most budget-friendly option for beginners. The cost can be a barrier to entry for those who are just starting in the online course creation space. As a creator, you may need to carefully assess your financial capabilities before committing to Learnworlds.
Learning Curve: The platform's extensive feature set, while powerful, can be overwhelming for newcomers. Learning to navigate and make the most of all the available tools may require a significant time investment. You need to be prepared to dedicate time to master the platform before you can utilize its full potential.
Customization Complexity: While white-labeling is a notable advantage, the level of customization offered by Learnworlds can be both a pro and a con. Extensive customization options can sometimes lead to complexity in setup and management for you. Only tech-savvy creators may succeed in configuring the platform to their exact specifications.

Although Learnworlds allows you to share your knowledge with the world, you should carefully consider your budget and familiarity with online course creation before diving in. 

Ultimately, whether it's the right choice for you depends on your specific needs and goals for your own online education business.

All You Need to Know about Podia

Podia is a platform designed to cater to individuals across diverse domains, including creators, business owners, and educators.

Established in 2014, Podia has gained a reputable standing within the online course platform sphere. Their primary focus on simplicity is reflected in the diverse set of tools they provide to assist users in developing and marketing online courses, digital downloads, memberships, and more.

Podia caters to a broad spectrum of creators, with a particular emphasis on those who prioritize simplicity and a swift setup process. If your goal is to start selling your courses or digital products without grappling with a steep learning curve, Podia may be right for you.

Podia vs LearnWorlds

Podia Features

Course Creation: Like learnworlds, Podia provides a user-friendly course builder that simplifies the process of creating and selling online courses.

Digital Downloads: Beyond courses, you can sell digital products, memberships, and downloads directly through your Podia storefront.

Email Marketing Tools: Unlike Learnworlds which has an email marketing integration like MailChimp, Podia has a built-in email marketing feature.

Podia Pros

Ease of Use: Podia's user-friendly interface makes it accessible to beginners and experienced creators alike.
Quick Setup: You can set up your storefront and start selling your courses and products in no time as it does not require too many technical configurations.
Digital Products: The platform's support for digital downloads allows you to diversify your income streams.

Podia Cons

Limited Customization: While Podia offers customization options, they may not be as extensive as some other platforms.
Fewer Advanced Features: If you require more advanced features for your courses, Podia might not provide the depth you need.
Only Two Payment Gateways: While other platforms offer multiple gateways for easy subscription and transactions, Podia offers only two — Stripe and Paypal. Consequently, this limitation may be a huge turnoff for you if you desire multiple payment gateways.

In summary, Podia is a platform that offers a straightforward approach to course creation and digital product sales. While it may not be the most feature-rich platform available, it excels in simplicity and quick setup, making it an attractive option for those who want to create and sell online courses and digital products with ease.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Learnworlds vs Podia

In this section, we will conduct a detailed comparison between Learnworlds vs Podia, covering key aspects that matter most to creators.

1. Pricing Models

LearnWorlds Pricing Summary

Learnworlds offers a tiered pricing structure with multiple plans to choose from, including a free trial option. The pricing plans include:

  • Starter Plan: Designed for beginners, starting at $29 per month.
  • Pro Trainer Plan: Ideal for advanced users, starting at $99 per month.
  • Learning Center Plan: This plan is geared towards businesses and educators, starting at $299 per month.

Podia Pricing Summary

Podia offers a simple pricing model featuring two primary plans, both of which include a 14-day trial:

  • Mover Plan: This plan can be paid annually at $39 per month or on a monthly basis at $49.
  • Shaker Plan: Offers two payment options: you can choose to pay $79 per month on an annual basis or opt for a monthly plan at $89.

There is a Free Version accessible at no cost, but it tends to restrict access to most of the features in the paid versions.

It's worth mentioning that Podia does not impose transaction fees, allowing creators to retain a larger portion of their earnings. However, if you choose the free plan, you will be subject to an 8% deduction from your earnings.

In contrast, Learnworlds' pricing plans come with varying fees and processing costs. For instance you will be charged a $5 fee for every course sale in their Starter plan.

2. Course Creation and Content Delivery

Learnworlds is great in providing a comprehensive course creation experience. It offers features such as interactive video elements, quizzes, assignments, and multimedia integration to create engaging content. 

Creators can design courses that include a variety of media formats to enhance the learning experience.

Podia's course creation is user-friendly and suitable for beginners. It simplifies the process of creating and selling online courses, making it accessible to those with limited technical knowledge. While it may not offer as many advanced features as Learnworlds, it provides a straightforward solution for course delivery.

3. Website Building Capabilities

Learnworlds allows creators to build their own learning centers and landing pages, providing a branded and immersive user experience. It has over 400 custom templates making customization options extensive, thereby enabling creators to tailor the platform to match their brand identity.

Podia offers a limited website builder that allows creators to create their online storefront and add content without the need for coding or design skills. While it simplifies the process, it may have limited customization options and templates totaling just about 9 in number.

4. Customization and Branding

Learnworlds is good in customization and branding. It allows creators to white-label the platform to create a professional and cohesive learning environment. This level of customization allows for a seamless integration of the platform with the creator's brand identity.

While Podia offers some customization options, they may not be as extensive as Learnworlds. Although you can customize their storefront and content to some extent, you will have limited control over certain design elements.

5. Integration and Third-Party Tools

Learnworlds offers integration with over 40 platforms and services, allowing you to connect your online courses with other tools you use as a content creator. This includes integration with popular platforms such as WordPress, Zoom, Zapier, and various marketing tools.

Podia also integrates with platforms like Zoom, ConvertKit, and Google Analytics, enhancing its functionality and allowing creators to leverage additional tools for audience engagement and analytics.

6. Customer Support and Community Engagement

You may find Learnworlds useful if you desire responsive customer support. They also have a Customer Support Center to address any issues promptly.

While it may have a smaller community compared to Learnworlds, Podia offers live chat support on weekdays and weekends, providing creators with direct assistance.

Which Platform Is Right for You?

The decision between Learnworlds vs Podia isn't a one-size-fits-all choice. Your selection should align with your specific goals, audience, and content type. To make a well-informed decision, it's important to consider the following factors:

#1. Your Objective: What are your intended outcomes for the course? Are you aiming for a highly professional course or a more low-key side venture?

#2. The Nature of Your Content: What kind of content do you intend to provide? Is your primary focus on online courses, or do you also plan to market digital products, memberships, and downloads?

#3. Technical Proficiency: Are you comfortable with technical aspects, or do you prefer a platform that simplifies the setup and course creation process?

#4. Budget: Consider your budget and whether the pricing plans of Learnworlds or Podia align with your financial goals. Keep in mind any transaction fees associated with the platform you choose.

#5. Customization Needs: You need to evaluate your branding and customization requirements. Do you need extensive control over the platform's look and feel, or are you content with basic customization options?

Introducing Kourses: The Platform that Empowers Creators with a Complete Toolkit

You have seen the other two platforms and their many drawbacks which may prevent you from making the most of your resources.

But you don’t have to put your course creation on hold just because they do not provide all the features you need. Kourses is designed just for you, to serve you in ways that others cannot.

For starters, Kourses isn't just a membership platform; it's a comprehensive toolkit designed to empower creators. Although Learnworlds and Podia are undoubtedly valuable in their own right, Kourses takes content delivery and community engagement to the next level.

What makes Kourses unique?

Here are some great features you can expect to get on Kourses:

Seamless and Visually Stunning Membership Portals

Imagine having the ability to create membership portals that seamlessly blend online courses, community interactions, and content delivery, all within an elegant and visually stunning interface. Kourses makes this a reality, offering an experience that's both aesthetically pleasing and functionally robust.

Highly Engaging Online Courses

Online courses are the backbone of Kourses, and they've made sure it's a straightforward and visually captivating process through processes such as high-speed video hosting, member progress tracking and branded course portals.

Lesson Interaction

Kourses allows your students to comment on lessons. This exciting feature comes in handy so you can foster engagement and support among your members as they interact with your course.

Engaging Welcome Videos

Welcome videos set the tone for your courses and introduce you to your members. Kourses allows you to connect with your students with these optional video introductions thereby creating a warm and thriving community.

Autoplay feature

You can choose to keep the momentum going with automatic progression to the next lesson with Kourses’ unique autoplay feature.

Customizable Membership Tiers

Kourses acknowledges that every member is unique, and it provides you with the flexibility to create custom membership tiers tailored to individual preferences and content access.

Flexible Content Organization with Hubs

Kourses introduces the concept of "Hubs," enabling you to create standalone courses or integrated mini-communities that combine various content and community elements. Customize these hubs effortlessly to align with your content strategy.

Create. Engage. Profit

Start building a better membership site.

The power to create beautiful membership portals that make your content the star of the show. Engaging experiences. Powerful business tools.