A Side-by-Side Comparison Between Podia vs. Teachable

Creating an e-school is an excellent way to communicate knowledge and build brand authority. 

Online learning is becoming more popular as people want to learn new skills inexpensively from their comfort zones. 

Many SaaS providers can help you establish a school online with little effort. 

But Podia and Teachable are the most widespread. 

In this post, we’ll put both tools in a Podia vs. Teachable arena to see who wins. 

So without any further ado, let’s dive in!

Podia vs. Teachable

Teachable has an established reputation in the online course creation industry. 

On the other hand, Podia is a newbie and has grown famous in recent years. 

Although these platforms are standard, few in-depth posts about Podia vs. Teachable exist. 

That is why this post covers all the essential aspects. 

Related Reading: Buzzsprout Vs. Podbean – Read More Here.

Podia 101

Podia is an all-in-one online course creator established in 2014. 

It offers various features like memberships, digital downloads, and subscriptions. 

Podia’s most competitive feature is that it lets you do affiliate marketing and build courses. 

It is the perfect creator-friendly tool for developing an e-school and is used by 25,000 creators. 

Teachable 101

Teachable is more expandable. 

You can create exciting courses by adding media like webinars, videos, and quizzes to your lessons. 

The platform currently hosts 83K teachers and 275K active courses.

It offers excellent cross-platform compatibility so students can access the course from any device. 

But Teachable gives you a lot of ways to change things, and you can even change the code.  

The Main Features

It cannot be an actual Podia Vs. Teachable comparison if we don’t compare all their features. 

Hence, here comes the most awaited section!

Course Creation 

Although both tools are user-friendly and allow easy course creation, there are underlying differences. 

For instance, Teachable has a cloud-importing feature. 

It means you can import content from cloud storage into your course. 

Moreover, you can modify the settings of multiple courses simultaneously. 

Also, Teachable supports more content categories than Podia, like PDFs, digital downloads, etc. 

In comparison, Podia offers simplistic features, which makes it fall behind.

Learning & Engagement Features 

The next thing in our Podia vs. Teachable battle is the availability of engagement tools. 

Both tools can create drip content and send automatic emails when new content arrives. 

Quiz creation is available in both tools. 

But Teachable has good capabilities. 

For instance, you can track the student’s progress in Teachable. 

In Podia, you can’t. 

It also doesn’t allow completion certificates, while Teachable does.

Moreover, Teachable also provides upselling course reporting and analytics. 

You can track the aggregate at the course level. 

While in Podia, you can only track the progress of individual students. 

It also lacks video analytics, so there is no way to see if students watched all the included videos, but Teachable has a video analytics feature.

Content Delivery (Course Player) 

Videos are a great way to share information, and for many users, they may be a must-have for online courses. 

Both platforms have video players. 

Podia has a more modern look for the section, but the performance of both tools is similar. 

However, there is one significant difference.

Teachable has an iOS application that allows options like viewing offline etc. 

There is another consideration one must make, especially if they are developing a membership site rather than a mere course. 

Teachable lets you sell course bundles with a monthly or annual subscription. 

In Podia, you can create individual posts as well as product bundles. 

Third-Party Integrations

The next point in our Podia vs. Teachable comparison is compatibility. 

Teachable offers limited connectivity with ConvertKit and MailChimp. 

However, Podia is native to ActiveCampaign, Aweber, MailChimp, ConvertKit, and GetResponse. 

Both programs are now compatible with Zapier, which sends the students’ data whenever they purchase. 

But Teachable is more flexible because you can add quiz results, the end of a lecture, etc., as triggers, which you can’t do in Podia. 

Website Customization

Both platforms provide good site-building tools. 

You can get free hosting and SSL security. Also, the security, backups, and maintenance procedures are automated.

However, none of them offer theme templates. 

There are some basic templates and page builders that you can use to create or edit your web pages. 

Generally, they both have the same website customization capabilities, but there is a slight difference. 

For instance, Teachable’s text editor is more feature-rich than Podia’s. 

In comparison, Podia’s page builder is more expansive. 

You can create multiple pages like bios, FAQ sections, and other elements Teachable lacks. 

However, none are suitable for a first-rate website design compared to other tools. 

Fund Processing 

Both platforms offer good courses and reasonable digital media pricing. 

You can set up regular subscriptions or make it a one-time free offer. 

Teachable offers expansive pricing as it supports different currencies. 

In comparison, Podia only allows currency selection at default levels. 

One good thing about Podia is that it allows you to create a free trial in your course. 

Also, you can bundle products and posts in membership plans. 

In contrast, Teachable doesn’t allow it, so you must assign standalone material to each membership. 

The payment processing approach of both platforms is different. 

Podia has a straightforward process. 

You link your account, and funds move there, whereas Teachable has different options. 

The Custom Gateway method allows instant payouts. 

On the other hand, Teachable Gateway transfers funds outside the United States or Canada in 30 to 60 days. 

However, the payouts are instant if you are in Canada or the USA. 

Customer Support 

Teachable provides email assistance on the free and basic plans. 

Live chat support, on the other hand, is only available in Professional or higher plans. 

Whereas, Podia offers chat assistance in all plans. 

Even though Podia doesn’t have a live chat option for customer service, they respond within five to ten minutes during business hours. 

Podia provides migration as well. 

If you migrate to Podia from another platform, your users and the content will also be transferred.

Additionally, both platforms offer a vast library of how-to guides, and users often prefer looking for the solution there rather than in live chat. 

However, Teachable’s Facebook community crowns it as the Podia vs. Teachable customer support winner. 

You can join their Facebook group for solutions and updates. 

Price Plans

Comparing the pricing plans of each platform will determine the victor.

Podia offers growth-stimulating solutions and resonates with all budgets. It has three plans.

The Mover plan costs $39 per month and comes with 24/7 support, no transaction fees, and the ability to make as much content as you want. 

At the same time, the Shaker plan costs $89 per month and has a capacity of 15,000 subscribers. 

The Earthquaker plan costs 199 dollars per month, with a maximum of 500,000 subscribers.

How it works with Teachable, it’s different. 

First, they have a free plan that lets you do basic things like process payments, make courses, set up sale pages, etc.

Also, you can have ten enrollees. 

Next comes the Basic Plan, with 59 dollars per month and a 5% Teachable transaction fee. 

You can purchase your domain, create drip content, do affiliate marketing, and more.

The Pro Plan costs $159  per month. The business plan gives you access to all Teachable features and costs $665 monthly. 

The free plan makes Teachable the Podia vs. Teachable showdown winner because you can start your e-school with zero investment.

Related Reading: Best Online Course Platforms – Learn More Here.

Pros and Cons Summary

Podia Pros

• Podia transfers funds to your account without a transaction fee.
• Unlike other platforms, it offers instant payouts that process funds in 30 or more days. 
• Podia allows membership creation of courses. 

Podia Cons 

• It doesn’t allow course completion certificates making courses unappealing for professional uses.
• Podia offers only basic third-party integrations, which doesn’t resonate with enterprise needs. 
• Customization options are limited. 

Teachable Pros 

• Offers a free plan
• Availability of course completion certificates
• Mobile application

Teachable Cons 

• It doesn’t allow membership or download selling.
• Good customer support is only accessible in higher plans.
• Expensive compared to Podia (Podia’s shaker plan costs 79$ with affiliate features, while the Teachable professional plan is 99$ per month and lacks it)

FAQs

Related Reading: Teachable or Thinkific? – Find Out Here.

Final Thoughts 

So, who wins the flag in this Podia vs. Teachable battle? 

It depends.

Teachable is best when creating a complete course with analytics and certification. 

Podia is more suited to self-publishing courses and has good email marketing features. 

As far as establishing an online school is concerned, both are commendable options.