Geoff CuddBefore picking a platform to start selling online courses or digital products, read my review of Podia.
I'll share the pros and cons of the platform, walk through its best features, break down current pricing, and compare it to the other top online course providers so you can make the right call for your business.
Note: Podia removed its free plan in October 2024. All three plans now require a paid subscription. A 30-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
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Thinkific
- Tweak every possible aspect of your course and sales page
- Lowest cost option to get started fast
- Great for new course creators with quizzes and certificates
Kajabi
- All tools included so nothing to connect or manage
- Easy to launch with room to scale
- Strong choice for serious long term creators
Is Podia Worth It?
Podia is worth it for creators who want a simple, affordable all-in-one platform for selling courses, digital downloads, memberships, and coaching without the complexity of tools like Kajabi. It bundles basic email marketing, a website builder, and unlimited products into a clean interface that non-technical creators can get up and running on quickly.
The main caveat is the 5% transaction fee on the Mover plan. If you're selling consistently, the math on upgrading to Shaker (which has 0% fees) works quickly. At around $840/month in course revenue, the Shaker plan ($84/month annually) becomes cheaper than staying on Mover and paying the 5% fee.
Where Podia falls short is advanced course customization and marketing automation. It's not the right fit for creators who need deep sales funnels, sophisticated email sequences, or highly customized course pages. For those needs, Kajabi or Teachable (Builder plan and above) are better options.
What Makes Podia Different?
Two things set Podia apart from other platforms:
- Simplicity and ease of use. Podia has one of the cleanest interfaces of any course platform. You can set up a course, connect your domain, and start selling in a single afternoon without any technical knowledge.
- Generous product limits. Podia allows 50 products on Mover, 150 on Shaker, and unlimited on Earthquaker. Teachable caps you at 5 products on Starter and 10 on Builder, so even Podia's entry plan gives you far more room to sell a mixed catalogue of courses, downloads, memberships, and coaching.
Podia Overview and Pricing (2026)
Podia has three paid plans. All of them include a website builder, community spaces, and email marketing. The main differences are the transaction fee, how many products you can sell, and how many email subscribers are included.
| Mover | Shaker | Earthquaker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $49/mo | $99/mo | $179/mo |
| Annual price | $42/mo ($504/yr) | $84/mo ($1,008/yr) | $150/mo ($1,800/yr) |
| Transaction fee | 5% per sale | 0% | 0% |
| Products | 50 | 150 | Unlimited |
| Email marketing | Included (100 subscribers) | Included (500 subscribers) | Included (1,000 subscribers) |
| Affiliate program | No | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal | No | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded checkout | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days, no credit card | 30 days, no credit card | 30 days, no credit card |
My pick is the Shaker plan at $84/month (annual). It removes the 5% transaction fee, adds affiliate tools, and is the only plan that includes PayPal and embedded checkout. Once you're selling more than $840/month in courses, the Shaker plan is actually cheaper than Mover after transaction fees.
Podia Email is included on every plan. The subscriber allowance is what changes: 100 on Mover, 500 on Shaker, and 1,000 on Earthquaker, with larger lists priced by size.
Get the full breakdown in our course platform pricing comparison guide.
Podia Review: The Good and Bad
Pros
- Good customer support with responsive live chat on every plan.
- High product limits. 50 products on Mover, 150 on Shaker, unlimited on Earthquaker.
- Built-in email marketing included on every plan. Message students based on enrollment, completion, and purchase events.
- Simple, clean interface that non-technical creators can get running quickly.
- Student payment options including installment plans and recurring subscriptions.
- Custom domain and customizable storefront on every plan.
- 30-day free trial with no credit card required. It is the longest trial of any course platform on this list.
- Regularly adds new features based on creator feedback.
Cons
- 5% transaction fee on Mover plan ($49/month). Drops to 0% on Shaker ($99/month).
- No free plan (removed October 2024). Starts at $49/month, or $42/month billed annually, after the 30-day trial.
- Less course customization than Thinkific or Kajabi. Design options are simpler.
- No native sales funnel builder. Requires third-party tools like ClickFunnels or Leadpages.
- No phone support. Live chat only.
- No course marketplace. You drive your own traffic.
- No dedicated mobile app for students (courses are mobile-responsive in a browser but no native app).
Review of Podia's Best Features
1. Simplicity and Ease of Use
Podia has one of the cleanest interfaces of any course platform. Setting up a course, connecting a custom domain, and launching a sales page takes a single afternoon without any technical knowledge. The dashboard is organized around what you're selling rather than platform settings, which reduces the learning curve significantly compared to Kajabi or even Teachable.
For creators who want to focus on content rather than configuring software, Podia gets out of the way and lets you sell. This is its biggest advantage over more feature-heavy platforms.
2. Generous Product Limits
Podia does gate product counts by tier, but the allowances are high: 50 products on Mover, 150 on Shaker, and unlimited on Earthquaker. Teachable allows 5 products on Starter and 10 on Builder, and Kajabi allows 5 on Basic and 50 on Growth, so Podia's entry plan is unusually roomy for the price.
For creators with a diverse catalog of digital products, this makes Podia's value proposition very strong relative to price.
3. Built-In Email Marketing
Podia Email is included on every plan and covers the basics well: broadcasts, automation sequences, segmentation by product and purchase history, and custom templates. Mover includes 100 subscribers, Shaker 500, and Earthquaker 1,000, with larger lists priced by size.
It's not as powerful as dedicated tools like ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign, but for creators who want one less platform to manage and don't need advanced conditional logic, it handles the fundamentals without extra cost.
4. Digital Downloads and Memberships
Podia is particularly strong for selling a mix of digital product types alongside courses. You can sell ebooks, templates, audio files, video downloads, and other digital products through the same storefront as your courses. Memberships with recurring billing are supported on every plan.
This makes Podia attractive for creators who aren't purely course-focused: writers selling ebooks, designers selling templates, and coaches selling a mix of courses and downloadable resources.
5. Customer Support
Podia consistently gets strong marks for customer support. Live chat agents are responsive and thorough, and you receive an email transcript of every conversation for reference. While there's no phone support, the chat support quality is noticeably better than what you get from most course platforms at this price point.
Podia vs. The Competition
| Platform | Starting Price | Transaction Fee | Email Included | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Podia | $42/mo annual | 5% (Mover), 0% (Shaker) | Yes | Mixed digital products and courses |
| Thinkific | $40/mo annual | 0% (own Stripe adds 1-5%) | No | Focused course delivery, customization |
| Teachable | $29/mo annual | 7.5% (Starter), 0% (Builder+) | Basic | Fast setup, flexible lesson builder |
| Kajabi | $143/mo annual | 0% (Kajabi Payments) | Yes (full automation) | All-in-one with funnels and community |
Who Should Use Podia?
Podia is a strong fit if:
- You sell a mix of digital products alongside courses: ebooks, templates, downloads, memberships.
- You want built-in email marketing without paying for a separate tool.
- Simplicity matters more to you than deep customization or advanced automation.
- You want unlimited products without being gated by pricing tier.
- You want the longest free trial (30 days) to properly evaluate the platform.
Podia may not be the right fit if:
- You need a dedicated student mobile app (Podia has no native app).
- Deep course customization and branding control are priorities (Thinkific is better here).
- You need advanced email automation and sales funnels (Kajabi handles this far better).
- You want phone support (not available on any Podia plan).
Alternatives to Podia
Podia is a solid all-in-one option for digital product creators, but it's not the right fit for everyone. If you want to explore alternatives, check out our reviews of the best course platforms.
Thinkific
- Tweak every possible aspect of your course and sales page
- Lowest cost option to get started fast
- Great for new course creators with quizzes and certificates
Kajabi
- All tools included so nothing to connect or manage
- Easy to launch with room to scale
- Strong choice for serious long term creators
Top alternatives to Podia:
- Thinkific: Read our full review (best for 0% fees and course customization)
- Kajabi: Read our full review (best all-in-one with email and funnels)
- Teachable: Read our full review (best for fast setup and flexible lesson builders)
- LearnDash: Read our full review (best for WordPress users)
- Udemy: Read our full review (best for marketplace reach)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Podia legit?
Yes. Podia was founded in 2014 and is a well-established platform used by thousands of course creators and digital product sellers worldwide. It's a legitimate company with a strong track record for customer support and regular product updates.
Does Podia have a free plan?
No. Podia removed its free plan in October 2024. Both plans now require a paid subscription. A 30-day free trial is available with no credit card required, giving you a full month to evaluate the platform before committing.
How much does Podia cost?
Podia has three plans. Mover costs $49/month ($42/month billed annually), Shaker costs $99/month ($84/month billed annually), and Earthquaker costs $179/month ($150/month billed annually). Mover charges a 5% transaction fee; Shaker and Earthquaker charge none. Email marketing is included on every plan, covering 100 subscribers on Mover, 500 on Shaker, and 1,000 on Earthquaker.
Does Podia charge transaction fees?
Yes, on the Mover plan. A 5% transaction fee applies to every sale. The Shaker plan has 0% transaction fees. Standard payment processing fees from Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) apply on every plan regardless of tier.
Is Podia good for beginners?
Yes. Podia is one of the most beginner-friendly course platforms available. The interface is clean, setup is fast, and you don't need any technical knowledge to launch your first course or digital product. The 30-day free trial gives you plenty of time to get comfortable before paying.
Does Podia have a mobile app?
No. Podia does not have a dedicated student mobile app. Courses are accessible via mobile browser and are mobile-responsive, but there's no native iOS or Android app for students. If a dedicated student app is important to you, Thinkific (with its white-label app add-on) or Kajabi (Pro plan) are better options.
Is Podia better than Teachable?
It depends on your priorities. Podia includes email marketing on all plans and allows far more products: 50 on its entry plan against Teachable's 5. Teachable has a more flexible lesson builder, handles EU VAT automatically, and offers a lower entry price ($29/month annually). Podia's 30-day trial is more generous than Teachable's 7-day trial. For a full comparison, see our course platform guide.
Can I sell digital downloads on Podia?
Yes. Podia supports unlimited digital downloads, including ebooks, templates, audio files, videos, and other file types on every plan. This is one of Podia's strengths compared to course-only platforms.
