Teachable Review (2026): Honest Look at Pricing, Fees, and Features

Before picking a platform to start selling online courses, read my review of Teachable. I'll share the pros and cons of the platform and compare it to the other top online course providers.

• Fast, beginner-friendly setup with an intuitive admin interface and AI course starter
• Builder plan and above have 0% transaction fees on all course sales
• AI-driven tools to generate course outlines, quizzes, summaries, and subtitles
• EU VAT handled automatically, a genuine differentiator for European sales

Note: Teachable completely restructured its pricing in 2026. The old Basic/Pro/Business plan names and prices no longer apply. Current plans are Starter, Builder, Growth, and Advanced. All pricing in this review reflects the current structure.

Is Teachable Worth It?

Teachable is worth it for creators who want a focused, beginner-friendly course platform and already have or prefer separate tools for email marketing and sales funnels. It's not the cheapest option once you factor in the 7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan, but the Builder plan at $89/month ($69/month annually) removes all transaction fees and hits a solid sweet spot for most creators.

If you need EU VAT handled automatically, want native iOS and Android student apps, or want the fastest possible path from “course idea” to “live and selling,” Teachable delivers. Where it falls short is deep customization and built-in marketing tools. Kajabi handles those better, and Thinkific offers more design flexibility at a lower price point.

What Makes Teachable Different?

Teachable's features are geared toward new course creators:

1. An intuitive admin interface and AI course starter that makes building your first course fast and straightforward
2. The most flexible lesson builder of any platform. Mix video, text, audio, and quizzes in a single lesson, and add upsells or custom code inside lesson content
3. Custom branding, built-in marketing tools, and EU VAT handling out of the box

Teachable Overview

Teachable is one of the most well-known online course platforms for creating and selling courses, coaching programs, and memberships. It provides a framework for everything you need to build and sell your course without any coding knowledge.

The platform's drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to design and deliver courses, while custom branding features help you create a professional school that feels like your own. Teachable's built-in payment processing, affiliate program, and marketing tools are integrated natively so you can manage the business side without juggling multiple tools. For creators who want more advanced marketing automation and funnels, third-party integrations via Zapier or the Teachable API cover the gap.

Teachable Pricing (2026)

Teachable restructured its plans completely in 2026. The old Basic/Pro/Business tiers are gone. Current plans are:

• Starter: $39/month ($29/month annually): 1 published product, up to 100 students, basic tools, with a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale. Good for testing your first course idea, but the fee adds up quickly if you start selling consistently.
• Builder: $89/month ($69/month annually): Up to 5 published products and 1,000 students, 0% transaction fees, email marketing tools, custom domain, and affiliate program. This is my recommended starting plan for anyone serious about selling.
• Growth: $189/month ($139/month annually): 25 products, unlimited students, white-label branding, bulk student import/export, and advanced reporting.
• Advanced: $399/month ($309/month annually): 100+ products, full API access, webhooks, custom user roles, and priority support.

A 7-day free trial is available on all paid plans. Teachable technically still has a free tier, but it's capped at 10 students with a 10%+$1 fee per sale. It is only useful for testing the interface, not for running a real course business.

My pick for most creators is the Builder plan at $69/month (annual). It's the first plan with 0% transaction fees, includes email marketing and affiliate tools, and provides good room to grow before needing to upgrade.

Get the full rundown on Teachable pricing plans here.

Is Teachable Legit?

Yes. Teachable was founded in 2014 by Ankur Nagpal and was acquired by Hotmart in 2020. It serves tens of thousands of course creators and has processed over $1 billion in creator earnings. It's one of the most established platforms in the space.

Who Should Use Teachable?

Teachable is ideal for creators who want a clean, fast setup and need EU VAT handled automatically. Its no-coding-required interface makes it accessible to anyone. It's especially strong for creators who already have email marketing tools they like and just need a reliable course delivery platform.

Who Uses Teachable?

Teachable is used by tens of thousands of course creators, including Pat Flynn (Smart Passive Income) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Annapurna Living). Enterprise users include The New York Times, Intuit, Shopify, and Penn Law.

Teachable has been accessed by over 32 million students, and creators on the platform have collectively generated over $1 billion in sales.

Teachable Review: The Good and Bad

When I started looking into online course creation, Teachable stood out for its simplicity and fast setup. The interface is genuinely beginner-friendly, and the AI course starter gets you from a blank page to a structured course outline in minutes.

The main caveat is the 7.5% transaction fee on the entry Starter plan. If you're selling consistently, plan to move to Builder ($69/month annually) early. The fee savings cover the subscription difference quickly. As you grow, the lack of built-in email automation and sales funnels becomes the main limitation compared to Kajabi or even Thinkific.

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Pros: What I like about Teachable

• Teachable Payments is a built-in payment processor. No separate Stripe or PayPal account needed.
• Most flexible lesson builder of any platform. Mix video, text, audio, and quizzes in one lesson, with upsells and custom code supported inside content.
• Bulk content upload saves significant time for large courses.
• Built-in email marketing tool to message students on enrollment, completion, and other events.
• Course completion certificates on Builder plan and above.
• iOS and Android mobile apps for students.
• Student payment options include installment plans and recurring subscriptions.
• EU VAT is handled automatically, a genuine differentiator for selling to European audiences.
• AI-powered course starter, quiz generator, summary generator, subtitle generator, and lesson writing assistant.
• Affiliate program available on Builder plan and above.
• Private in-video student notes. Students can annotate directly in the video player.

Cons: What I don't like about Teachable

• 7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan ($39/month). Fee drops to 0% on Builder ($89/month) and above.
• No native sales funnel builder. Requires third-party tools like ClickFunnels or Leadpages.
• Less design customization than Thinkific. Branding changes apply at the school level, not per-course.
• No phone support on any plan.
• No course marketplace.
• Product and student limits on all plans (Starter: 1 product, 100 students; Builder: 5 products, 1,000 students).

Review of Teachable's Best Features

1. Intuitive Interface and Fast Setup

Teachable has a clean admin panel that's easy to navigate from day one. The no-code builder requires zero coding experience. Drag and drop to format your course and lesson structure. The site-building tool lets you create a storefront for students without any web design background.

The AI course starter is a genuine time-saver: enter your course title and description, and Teachable generates a full course outline including modules and lessons that you can customize. It's one of the fastest ways to go from a course idea to a structured curriculum.

2. Payment Processing

Teachable Payments is built in, so you don't need a separate payment account. It supports credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Teachable also supports Afterpay and Klarna, so students can pay in installments even on higher-priced courses.

Payout schedules are flexible: daily, weekly, or monthly, paid directly to your bank account. Teachable's payment processing fees are in line with industry standards at 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction (standard Stripe rates). There's also a 25-cent fee per payout, which is negligible if you batch payouts monthly.

Importantly, Teachable handles EU VAT automatically. It calculates, collects, and remits VAT for European sales without any manual work on your part. This is a significant practical advantage over platforms like Thinkific that require third-party solutions for EU compliance.

3. Coaching Options

Teachable's coaching feature (available on all paid plans) lets solo entrepreneurs sell one-on-one coaching sessions alongside courses. It provides a sales page, intake forms, a 1:1 coaching space for scheduling, direct messaging, and video conference tool integrations. This eliminates the back-and-forth of email-based coaching coordination and keeps everything in one place.

4. Circle.so Integration

Teachable integrates with Circle.so, a dedicated community platform. You can create a free community to build your brand and generate leads, or a paid standalone community. You can also connect a community directly to your courses to drive discussions and accountability within cohort-based programs. Students access both platforms through a single sign-on.

5. Marketing Tools

Teachable includes a solid set of marketing tools on paid plans:

• Subscriptions: Offer recurring access to course content at a monthly or annual price.
• Bundles: Package courses, coaching, and digital products together for better value and higher average order value.
• Affiliate marketing: Recruit affiliates, manage commission settings, process payments, and handle commission tax reporting.
• Upsells: Let students upgrade or add a purchase in one click immediately after checkout.
• Referrals: Generate unique sharing links so students can refer peers directly.

6. AI Tools

Teachable has expanded its AI toolkit significantly. Current AI features include:

• AI Curriculum Generator: Generates a full course outline from your title and description.
• AI Quiz Generator: Creates quizzes to reinforce student learning.
• AI Summary Generator: Produces lesson summaries students can revisit.
• AI Subtitles and Translations: Makes video content more accessible across languages.
• AI Lesson Writing Assistant: Helps draft lesson text directly within the content builder.

Teachable Support

Teachable's support resources include:

• teachable:u: A catalog of mini-courses on course creation and marketing.
• Product Webinars: Training on new features as they launch.
• teachable:rewards: Incentives for instructors based on sales performance.
• Launch Accelerator Challenge: A 30-day program to help you launch your first course.
• Live Chat: Available on Growth and Advanced plans.
• Guides and Resources: Downloadable workbooks, ebooks, and case studies.

Note: live chat support is only available on Growth ($189/month) and Advanced ($399/month) plans. Starter and Builder plan users are limited to email support and self-service resources.

Teachable Integrations

Teachable integrates with:

• Email providers: AWeber, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailerlite, and Mailchimp. Additional providers via Zapier or the Teachable API.
• Zapier: Connect Teachable with thousands of other apps.
• Zoom: Start meetings directly from your Teachable dashboard.
• Circle: Single sign-on between your Teachable course and Circle community.
• MemberPress: Build membership sites and monetize content.
• Amazon Payments: Add Amazon customers to your contact list.

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Course Engagement

Interactive Tools for Learning and Retention

Teachable's interactive tools include quizzes with multiple question types (multiple choice, true/false, open-ended), live lessons, and discussion boards. The private in-video student notes feature is unique. Students can annotate directly in the video player as they watch, which is particularly useful for complex material. These tools give instructors visibility into student engagement and progress, making it easier to identify where students are struggling and adjust accordingly.

Site Design and Customization

Website Themes and Branding

Teachable offers customizable themes with options to change colors, fonts, and layouts, and add your own logo and images. Custom theme uploads are supported for users who want full design control. One limitation compared to Thinkific is that branding and design changes apply at the school level. You can't customize the look on a per-course basis. For most creators this isn't an issue, but those running multiple distinct course brands on one account may find it limiting.

Reporting and Administration

Analytics

Teachable provides reports on course completion rates, quiz scores, discussion participation, time spent on materials, and student feedback. These insights help identify where students drop off and where content needs improving. Higher-tier plans (Growth and above) unlock more advanced analytics, including segment-level reporting and bulk student management tools.

Alternatives to Teachable

We've analyzed dozens of the best online course platforms and made a shortlist of the top Teachable competitors:

• Thinkific: Read our full review | Thinkific vs Teachable comparison | How to migrate from Thinkific
• Kajabi: Read our full review | Kajabi vs Teachable comparison | How to migrate to Kajabi
• LearnDash: Read our full review
• Podia: Read our full review
• Udemy: Read our full review

Tips for Selling Your First Course

Creating and selling online courses is one of the most scalable ways to build passive income. If you've got a great idea, the temptation is to dive straight into a full course and spend months on content creation. I'd suggest a smarter approach first.

Before investing months building out a full course, set up a mini-course in your niche. Pick one topic or chapter of your planned course and use that as a proof of concept. Offer it free or for a nominal fee to your existing audience, social media followers, or through a small paid campaign.

At the end of the mini-course, add a survey and ask students what could be improved and what topics they want next. This way you can tailor your full course to what students actually want. Collect email addresses so you can notify them when the full course launches and start with real demand already established.

Teachable Pros and Cons Video

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Teachable legit?

Yes. Teachable was founded in 2014, acquired by Hotmart in 2020, and serves tens of thousands of course creators worldwide. Creators on the platform have collectively generated over $1 billion in sales.

Is Teachable mobile-friendly?

Yes. Teachable courses are fully mobile responsive, and students can access content via the Teachable iOS and Android apps.

Who uses Teachable?

Teachable is used by tens of thousands of individual course creators, including Pat Flynn, as well as enterprise clients like The New York Times, Shopify, and Penn Law.

Does Teachable have a free plan?

Teachable technically has a free tier, but it's capped at 10 students and charges a 10%+$1 fee on every sale. It's only suitable for testing the interface. For a real course business, the Starter plan ($39/month) is the practical entry point, though the Builder plan ($89/month, $69/month annually) is a better value since it removes transaction fees entirely.

Does Teachable charge transaction fees?

Yes, on the Starter plan, Teachable charges a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale. The Builder plan and above have 0% transaction fees. Standard payment processing fees (2.9% + 30 cents per transaction) apply on all plans regardless of tier.

How does Teachable Payments work?

Teachable Payments is Teachable's built-in payment gateway, powered by Stripe. It supports credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay, and Klarna. Payouts go directly to your bank account on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule. There is a 25-cent fee per payout batch, which is negligible on a monthly schedule.

Is Teachable an LMS?

Yes. Teachable is a web-based learning management system (LMS) that supports course creation, delivery, student tracking, and assessment in both written and video formats.

Is Thinkific better than Teachable?

It depends on your priorities. Thinkific has 0% transaction fees on all paid plans (vs 7.5% on Teachable's Starter), more design customization options, and phone support on the Grow plan. Teachable has a more flexible lesson builder, handles EU VAT automatically, and tends to have a faster initial setup. See our full Thinkific vs Teachable comparison for a detailed breakdown.

Where is Teachable located?

Teachable is headquartered in New York, NY.