8 Best Podia Alternatives: Which platform is right for you?

Looking at Podia alternatives in your search for an online course platform? We've got you covered. Keep reading to discover 8 platforms like Podia to consider for your online course.

Joanna TaylorJoanna Taylor

By Joanna Taylor  •  Updated 21 September 2023

Podia AlternativesPodia Alternatives

Want to create and promote your online course but can’t decide where to build it ?

Platforms like Podia have risen to prominence, offering creators a streamlined way to share knowledge and monetize their expertise. However, as with any tool, Podia may not be the perfect fit for everyone's unique needs.

Whether you're seeking different features, pricing models, or interfaces, there are a dozen alternative platforms to help you get the job done. I

Here is a roundup of the eight Podia alternatives in 2023, including what we like and don’t like about them.

1. LearnDash

Learndash alternative

LearnDash is an easy-to-use online course platform with decent customization options. You can use it to create courses and quizzes, track student progress, and award course completion certificates. Once you install this plugin, it won't interfere with the performance of your website.

We like that LearnDash integrates with WordPress pretty well and is compatible with visual builders such as Elementor and email marketing services like MailChimp. After you upload your course, you can set a monthly subscription, annual membership, or a one-time price.

Setting up a course on LearnDash is a three-step process. You simply select a template, create your course using the flexible drag-and-drop builder or wizard, and then integrate stripe. That’s all. If you get stuck, you can dive into the extensive video tutorials and user guides that makes course creation a breeze.

LearnDash has a drip-feed content that lets you restrict users from bingeing on your courses. You can dictate the flow and order of your online courses, too. Course migration could be better, and we hope the platform will borrow a leaf from Podia, which offers free and smooth migrations.

If you are looking for a flexible course creator that lets you create professional-looking courses minus the cost of a cloud-based LMS, LearnDash might be the right choice.

LearnDash pricing

LearnDash basic plan costs $199 per year and has one site. The other plan costs $399 a year and has 10 sites. For $799 per year, you can get unlimited sites. All the plans include support and updates.

LearnDash Pros

Compatible with WordPress sites
Distraction-free interface
Add videos to lessons
Custom course checkout & upsells

LearnDash Cons

No built-in analytics tool
Requires extra add-ons

2. Kajabi

Kajabi Podia Alternatives

Kajabi is the considered one of the “gold standard” tools in the creator economy and is ideal for entrepreneurs looking for an all-in-one online builder. 

With Kajabi, you can manage almost every aspect of your online business. You can create paid courses, manage learners, run a community, market your products, and even handle payments- all from a central place!

As an all-in-one solution, Kajabi comes with a host of tools and features, so you won't need a ton of integrations to expand your site’s capabilities. Within minutes of signing up, you can create online courses, sell coaching lessons, build a subscription website, and other digital products.

Every instructor, speaker, and trainer wants to earn recurring income through member subscriptions. Kajabi understands this and has built-in community tools that let you create a vibrant community of learners and different areas you can monetize for each segment.

If you're looking for an online platform with advanced course-building features, Kajabi is the right choice. Like Podia, Kajabi lets you build a sales funnel to nurture your leads. However, you'll pay much more than Podia to get your hands on its tools and features.

Kajabi pricing

Kajabi has three pricing options with zero transaction fees and between 1-3 websites:

  • Basic: $119 per month - an entry-level plan that allows you to create 3 products and 3 funnels.
  • Growth: $159 per month - a mid-tier plan that lets you create 15 products and 15 funnels.
  • Pro: $319 per month - a topmost plan with 100 products, 100 pipelines, and a custom code editor.

LearnDash Pros

All-in-one platform
User-friendly course builder
User-friendly course builder
Analytics and reporting tool

LearnDash Cons

Costly for starters
Limited payment gateway integrations

3. Thinkific

One of the best course platforms, Thinkific is a versatile tool that lets you create, promote, and sell learning products. It has a beginner-friendly course builder and some good starter templates. Both can give you a headstart when creating your first online course.

With Thinkific, you can create course assignments, host live lessons or webinars, and manage learners. We like that users can brand their courses. Before you hit the publish button, you can also set up pricing and a drip schedule.

In the Market and Sell section, you'll find handy tools to promote your courses and increase sales. For example, you can apply flat-rate coupons and discounts to your courses.

A major highlight of Thinkific is its mobile learning app, which allows students to access course content or material on the go. The platform supports email marketing solutions, including Constant Content, Aweber, and MailChimp. To track website performance, you can connect your website with Google Analytics.

You will never have to worry about the technical side of your business. Thinkifi’s team will take care of hosting, website maintenance, updates, and security so you can focus on creating and selling impactful courses.

If you’re starting out and want an affordable course builder to create
scheduled or self-paced courses online, you can’t go wrong with Thinkific.

Thinkific Pricing

Thinkific offers the following four plans:

  • Free plan: Zero fees - Create one course and one community
  • Basic: $36 per month - Unlimited courses and unlimited students.
  • Start: $74 per month - Unlocks more features to drive student engagement and amplify their learning experience.
  • Grow: $149 per month - Unlocks even more advanced tools that help you sell more learning products and grow your online business.

Thinkific Pros

User-friendly course builder
Free plan to create three courses
Enroll unlimited students
Flexible payment methods

Thinkific Cons

No live chat support
Advanced features locked into higher-level plans

Recommended for you

We know Thinkific is one of the most popular online course platforms on the market. So we have done our own research into the 12 best Thinkific alternatives here.

4. Teachable

Teachable alternative

Teachable is ideal for bloggers, solopreneurs, and creators who want to share their knowledge or expertise and make money online.

On Teachable, you can create and sell online courses and digital downloads and offer one-to-one coaching for a fee. It has a user-friendly course builder that lets you create and customize your courses.

You can migrate students' information from other platforms, create quizzes, and incentivize students using referrals. After students complete a course, you can issue them with completion certificates.

As a trainer or instructor, you can package and sell your courses as memberships or time-based options. Teachable will charge you transaction fees on your first paid plan. Unlike Podia, you can't communicate with students on this platform.

Teachable offers many advanced and customizable features, including white labeling, email automation, and student reports. But you will undoubtedly pay more than Podia to get your hands on these features.

If you want the freedom to customize your courses and don’t mind the steep price, Teachable might be the right online course platform for you.

Recommended for you

If you're looking for more information about Podia vs Teachable, be sure to check out our in-depth guide.

Teachable Pricing

Teachable offers four plans. You can try the free plan before you go premium.

  • Free: $0 per month - 1 published product for each content type.
  • Basic: $39 per month - 5 published products for each content type.
  • Pro: $119/month - 50 published products, advanced tools, and more support.
  • Pro+: $199 per month - 200 courses, 200 digital downloads, 200 product bundles, and custom user roles.

Teachable Pros

Free trial for 30 days
All-round course builder
Coupon-code friendly platform
A large community of course creators

Teachable Cons

Fewer app integrations
Supports PayPal and Stripe only
No messaging option

5. LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds Alternative

LearnWorlds is a powerful, user-friendly, and reliable e-learning platform with lots of customization options. It’s ideal for trainers, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to deliver engaging and unique online social learning experiences to their audiences. Whether you want to sell online courses, train employees, or educate your customers, LearnWorlds has got you covered.

With LearnWorlds, you can create interactive videos, ebooks, one-to-one training sessions, and assessments. To get started, choose from a range of beautiful themes (both free and paid), then set up drip-feed or curated courses. You can use your domain name and even add your courses.

Course creation does not end when you upload your course content and add a brief description. You can edit or customize your material anytime and add interactive elements. After students complete a course, you can issue them with certificates.

Connecting LearnWorlds with your marketing stack is also a seamless process. Unlike Podia, LearnWorlds has a built-in analytics tool that lets you monitor your learner’s behavior so you can make adjustments as your business grows.

Since this platform offers advanced pricing options for various digital products, we are sure you’ll find the right plan.

LearnWorlds is pretty good and does its job, but we wish it could allow creators to set up courses for free before spending a dime. The platform could borrow a leaf from Podia.

LearnWorlds Pricing

LearnWorlds offer four risk-free plans.

  • Starter: $24 per month - unlimited premium courses and ebook page builder. Every sale attracts a $5 fee.
  • Pro Trainer: $79 per month - All the Starter features and more. Ideal for boosting engagement.
  • Learning Center: $249 per month - Includes features of the two lower plans, interactive videos, advanced assessments. Great for improving students' learning experience.
  • High Volume & Corporate: Tailored pricing - all features of the penultimate plan, multiple daily backups, and dedicated success manager.

LearnWorlds Pros

Intuitive course builder
100% white label solution
Limitless customization
Lots of integration options

LearnWorlds Cons

Lacks a built-in email marketing tool
Very basic data reporting

6. Udemy

Udemy Alternative

A popular alternative to Podia, Udemy is perhaps the world’s largest online marketplace for students and instructors. 

As of March 2023, Udemy had over 75,000 instructors and more than 210,000 courses across 13 categories. The platform charges no fee to create and host a course. However, it keeps a percentage of earnings from sales under a revenue-sharing model.

As an instructor, you can create and publish as many courses (both free and paid) as you like. It’s no wonder Udemy has instructors from around the world. Courses cover a range of topics in IT and software, web design, personal development, photography, and even music.

A major benefit of Udemy is that courses are displayed on the marketplace, meaning they can get more views than on a personal website. However, promoting your course on Udemy can be challenging as you need access to email marketing. Podia has the upper hand here with its built-in email marketing tool.

Still on the negatives, you can't set pricing for your online courses, access the students' lists, or analyze their data. While some courses on Udemy allow for discussions, the interaction between students and instructions still needs to be improved.

Udemy Pricing

There is no fee to create and host online video lessons on the platform. However, Udemy will take a cut from every sale.

Udemy Pros

Create and host courses for free
Nice enrollment incentives
Standard course report tools

Udemy Cons

Limited design customization
No way to build your brand

7. Gumroad

Gumroad Alternative

Seventh on our list of podia alternatives in 2023 is Gumroad. The platform has been around for a little over a decade and is quite popular with writers, artists, and bloggers. On Gumroad, you can host and sell just about any content, including courses, books, and stories.

Getting started on Gumroad is easy, all thanks to a simple page editor. You can create and sell subscriptions, ebooks, courses, and printables within minutes of signing up. You don’t have to worry about copyright because the platform uses a digital rights management system.

A major advantage of selling courses on Gumroad, unlike Udemy, is that instructors get access to customer's information. The stats feature lets you see the number of product views and purchases and where the sales originated.

Gumroad has automated workflows. It also lets you interact with your audience via emails, which makes it possible to reach a wider audience. Once you have uploaded your courses, you can offer discounts and apply coupons to your products.

If you're a creator who wants to create and sell digital products, including courses, but want to avoid the technical aspect of websites, Gumroad is the right platform for you.

Gumroad Pricing

Unlike other online course platforms, Gumroad has no monthly pricing plans. The company keeps 10% of each sale made on the platform.

Gumroad Pros

No monthly subscription fee
Access to sales data
Supports email marketing

Gumroad Cons

No-live chat support
No way to offer free trials

8. Uteach

Uteach is an all-in-one learning management system that lets you run your e-learning business remotely. 

Uteach offers you the tools you need to create your online platform and market your courses.

You can create a course, run marketing campaigns, hold live sessions, and more. Once learners complete your course, you can award them custom certificates. 

Uteach gives you greater control, and everything is accessible from a dashboard.

Aside from creating a full-featured e-learning website, you can sell downloadable digital products and provide paid coaching. Uteach also lets you run affiliate programs and offer bundle options. 

What we like about this platform is that you can automate assignments, quiz checking, notifications, attendance tracking, and more. 

What’s more? Uteach integrates with a host of tools like Zapier, Mailchimp, and Google.

Uteach Pricing

Uteach offers these three plans with free trials.

  • Starter: $29/month - 1 admin/author, unlimited courses and unlimited students
  • Expert: $79/month - 5 admin/authors, live chat support, plus all the features of the starter plan.
  • Business plan: $199/month- 20 admin/authors, priority support, plus all the features of the Expert plan.

Uteach Pros

Built-in website builder
Marketing and SEO tools
Convenient mobile app
24/7 support via email and live chat

Uteach Cons

Limited design templates for courses
Check-out is not customizable

Podia Alternatives: Which should you choose?

Online course creators have a wide range of different platform options to choose from when deciding where to host and monetize their content.

From the feature-rich LearnDash and Kajabi to the expansive marketplace of Udemy and the simplicity of Gumroad, there's something out there for every type of creator. 

It's crucial to align the platform's features with one's teaching style, technical prowess, and budget.

The goal for any course creator is to provide a seamless learning experience for students while also ensuring a smooth and profitable business.

The right platform can make all the difference, so do thorough research, perhaps even test a few, and choose the one that fits best with your vision and goals.

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