Podia vs Thinkific (2026): Which Course Platform Fits Your Business?

Published 2026-09-28

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Quick verdict

Best for solo creators who sell a mix of products: Podia. It bundles courses, downloads, coaching, community, a website, and email in one plan starting at $42/mo, and the Shaker plan removes Podia's own transaction fee.

Best for course-first businesses that need structured learning: Thinkific. It gives unlimited courses on every plan, plus certificates, live Zoom lessons, and memberships from the Start plan up.

We haven't run a business on either platform. This comparison is built from each company's official pricing page (checked September 28, 2026), not from hands-on testing.

Comparison table

Podia Thinkific
Entry price Mover: $42/mo ($504/yr) Basic: $54/mo, or $40/mo billed annually
Mid tier Shaker: $84/mo ($1,008/yr) Start: $109/mo, or $82/mo billed annually
Top self-serve tier Earthquaker: $150/mo ($1,800/yr) Grow: $219/mo, or $164/mo billed annually
Enterprise Not listed Plus: custom pricing
Free plan None (14-day free trial) None (30-day free trial)
Free trial 14 days, no credit card required 30 days
Platform transaction fee 5% on Mover; none on Shaker and Earthquaker 2.9% with Thinkific Payments; extra plan-based fee with Stripe/PayPal
Payment processing 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe/PayPal) 2.9% via Thinkific Payments; extra gateway fees with Stripe/PayPal, varying by plan
Courses 50 / 150 / unlimited products Unlimited on all plans
Email marketing Included (100 / 500 / 1,000 subscribers; more can be added) Email automation on all plans (limits not listed on pricing page)
Community 25 / 100 / unlimited Spaces 1 / 1 / 3 communities (unlimited on Plus)
Team seats 0 / 1 / unlimited assistants 1 / 2 / 6 admins
Best for Creators selling several product types Creators building serious course catalogs

Prices are in USD and come from the official pricing pages on September 28, 2026. Plans and prices change often, so confirm on checkout.

Podia in detail

Podia is an all-in-one storefront. The pitch is simple: one subscription replaces a website builder, a course host, a download shop, and an email tool.

Every plan includes courses, digital downloads, coaching, community, events, a website builder with custom domain support, a blog, and landing pages. Podia also lists 1,900+ integrations.

Podia plans at a glance

  • Mover — $42/mo ($504/yr). Up to 50 products, 500 videos, 25 community Spaces, and 100 email subscribers. Podia charges a 5% transaction fee on this plan.
  • Shaker — $84/mo ($1,008/yr). Up to 150 products, 1,000 videos, 100 Spaces, and 500 email subscribers. No Podia transaction fee. Adds one assistant seat, an affiliate program for your own products, and PayPal support.
  • Earthquaker — $150/mo ($1,800/yr). Unlimited products, videos, Spaces, and assistant seats, plus 1,000 email subscribers. No Podia transaction fee.

Pros

  • Wide product mix on one plan. You can sell a course, a PDF, and a coaching session from the same site without extra tools.
  • Website and blog included. Many creators can skip a separate site builder.
  • No-card trial. The 14-day trial doesn't require a credit card, per Podia's pricing page, so you won't be billed by surprise.
  • No platform fee from Shaker up. Once you're on Shaker or Earthquaker, you only pay processor fees.
  • Your own affiliate program from Shaker. You can recruit partners to promote your products without another app.

Cons

  • Email subscriber caps are low. Even Earthquaker tops out at 1,000 subscribers. Podia says you can add more subscribers anytime, but that extra capacity costs more as your list grows.
  • 5% fee on the entry plan. On $2,000 a month in sales, that's $100 to Podia on top of processor fees. That's more than the $42/mo price gap between Mover and Shaker.
  • Product and video caps on lower tiers. Mover's 50-product and 500-video limits can pinch a creator with a large back catalog.
  • Course features are basic compared with Thinkific. Podia lists drip lessons, quizzes, and certificates, but it has fewer course-specific tools than a dedicated course platform.

Pricing gotchas

  • Monthly vs annual billing. The pricing page shows $42/mo and $504/yr for Mover, which is the same total. That means there's no discount for paying annually, so monthly billing keeps you flexible at no extra cost.
  • Processor fees still apply. "No fees" on Shaker means no Podia fee. Stripe or PayPal still take 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
  • Stacked fees on Mover. On Mover, you pay Podia's 5% and the processor's 2.9% + 30¢.

Thinkific in detail

Thinkific is a course platform first. Its plans focus on the tools you need to teach: unlimited courses, quizzes, certificates, live lessons, and memberships.

Thinkific plans at a glance

  • Basic — $54/mo, or $40/mo billed annually. Unlimited courses, one community, one admin seat, email marketing, quizzes and assessments, and a custom domain. No memberships, certificates, or live Zoom lessons.
  • Start — $109/mo, or $82/mo billed annually. Everything in Basic, plus two admin seats, memberships, certificates, and live Zoom lessons. Thinkific labels this its most popular plan.
  • Grow — $219/mo, or $164/mo billed annually. Three communities, six admin seats, product bundles, and API access.
  • Plus — custom pricing. Unlimited communities, plus custom roles and additional administrators. A branded mobile app is available as a $199/mo add-on.

Thinkific says annual billing saves $173/yr on Basic (its displayed monthly rates are rounded), $330/yr on Start, and $660/yr on Grow.

Pros

  • Unlimited courses on every plan. You never hit a course cap, even on Basic.
  • Stronger teaching toolkit from Start. Certificates, live Zoom lessons, and memberships unlock at $82–$109/mo.
  • Longer trial. Thirty days gives you time to build and test a full course before paying.
  • Clear growth path. More admin seats, bundles, API access, and a mobile app option are there when you scale.
  • Real annual discount. Paying yearly cuts roughly 25% off the monthly price on each self-serve plan.

Cons

  • Higher sticker price. Start costs $109/mo on monthly billing, while Podia's Shaker, with no platform fee, costs $84/mo.
  • Key features are gated. Certificates and live lessons are missing from Basic. Bundles and API access need Grow at $164–$219/mo.
  • Limited community spaces. Basic and Start include one community each. Podia's Mover alone includes 25 Spaces.
  • Mobile app costs extra. The branded app is Plus-only and adds $199/mo on top.
  • No free plan. After the trial, you pay or you leave.

Pricing gotchas

  • Trial billing terms. The pricing page doesn't say whether the 30-day trial needs a card up front. Thinkific's Terms of Service say paid subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel, so set a reminder before the trial ends.
  • Gateway fees vary. Thinkific Payments charges 2.9%. If you use Stripe or PayPal instead, the pricing page says an extra third-party gateway fee applies and varies by plan. The pricing page doesn't list the rates, so check Thinkific's gateway fee FAQ before you choose.
  • The 2.9% applies on every plan. Thinkific Payments charges 2.9% per sale on all plans, including the most expensive ones.

Head-to-head: where each one wins

Price for a solo creator

Winner: Thinkific, once you have regular sales. Podia Mover's $42/mo sticker price is lower than Thinkific Basic's $54/mo, but Mover adds a 5% platform fee. At about $240/mo in sales, that fee closes the $12 gap, so Thinkific Basic costs less above that point. Billed annually ($40/mo), Thinkific Basic is cheaper than Mover at any sales level. Payment processing fees (about 2.9%) apply on both platforms.

Here's a simple way to think about it. Podia Shaker ($84/mo) removes the 5% fee. On sales of $840 a month or more, 5% equals at least $42, which is the gap between Mover and Shaker. Above that point, Shaker costs less than Mover.

Course features

Winner: Thinkific. It lists certificates, quizzes, live Zoom lessons, and memberships in its plan table. Podia also lists drip lessons, quizzes, and certificates, but Thinkific offers more depth for structured courses.

Selling more than courses

Winner: Podia. Downloads, coaching, events, a blog, and a website come on every plan. That makes Podia a better fit for a creator whose course is one product among several.

Email marketing

Winner: depends on list size. Podia includes email on all plans but caps subscribers at 100, 500, or 1,000. Thinkific includes email automation on every plan, but its pricing page doesn't list subscriber limits. If your list is already large, plan on a dedicated email tool either way.

Community

Winner: Podia for quantity, Thinkific for structure. Podia gives 25 Spaces on Mover and unlimited on Earthquaker. Thinkific gives one community on Basic and Start and three on Grow.

Team and scaling

Winner: Thinkific for larger teams. Six admin seats on Grow, API access, bundles, and an enterprise Plus tier give it more room to grow. Podia's Earthquaker offers unlimited assistant seats, which is generous for small teams.

Cost scenarios: what you'd actually pay

List prices only tell part of the story. Below are three simple scenarios using the published prices and fees. They exclude taxes and any fees we couldn't confirm, so treat them as rough comparisons, not quotes.

Scenario 1: Just starting, $500/mo in sales

  • Podia Mover: $42 plan + 5% platform fee ($25) = $67/mo, before processor fees.
  • Podia Shaker: $84 plan, no platform fee = $84/mo, before processor fees.
  • Thinkific Basic: $54/mo monthly, or $40/mo billed annually, before payment fees.

At this level, Podia Mover costs about $67/mo ($42 plus a $25 platform fee), so Thinkific Basic is the cheapest option on either billing cycle. Pick Podia anyway if you want downloads, coaching, and a website in the same tool and value that more than the price gap.

Scenario 2: Growing, $2,000/mo in sales

  • Podia Mover: $42 + 5% ($100) = $142/mo, before processor fees.
  • Podia Shaker: $84/mo, before processor fees.
  • Thinkific Start: $109/mo monthly, or $82/mo billed annually, before payment fees.

Here, Podia Mover becomes the most expensive choice. Shaker and Thinkific Start (annual) land within a few dollars of each other. The decision comes down to features: Podia's product mix versus Thinkific's certificates, memberships, and live lessons.

Scenario 3: Established, $8,000/mo in sales with a small team

  • Podia Earthquaker: $150/mo with unlimited assistant seats and no platform fee.
  • Thinkific Grow: $219/mo monthly, or $164/mo billed annually, with six admin seats, bundles, and API access.

Podia is cheaper on paper. Thinkific Grow makes sense if you need API access or product bundles, or if your email list has outgrown Podia's 1,000-subscriber cap.

What to test during your free trial

Both trials are long enough to build a real course. Use the time to answer these questions before you pay:

  1. Can you upload and organize your lessons the way you want? Build at least one full module, not just a single video.
  2. How does checkout look to a buyer? Run a test purchase and view it on a phone.
  3. Does email cover your needs? Import a sample of your list and check the subscriber count against your plan's limit.
  4. What fees show up on a real transaction? Compare the payout you'd receive against the sale price.
  5. How does billing work when the trial ends? Confirm whether the trial converts automatically and how to cancel.

Write down what you find. It's easier to compare two platforms when your notes cover the same five points.

Who should choose which

Choose Podia if…

  • You sell a mix of courses, downloads, and coaching, and want one tool for all of it.
  • You want a website and blog without paying for a separate builder.
  • Your email list is small, under 1,000 subscribers.
  • You'd rather try a platform without entering a credit card.
  • You expect roughly $840/mo or more in sales, which makes upgrading to Shaker to drop the 5% fee worth it.

Choose Thinkific if…

  • Courses are your main product and you plan to build many of them.
  • You need certificates, live Zoom lessons, or memberships.
  • You're building a team and need multiple admin seats or API access.
  • You're willing to pay annually to lock in a lower monthly rate.
  • You may eventually want a branded mobile app (Plus with the $199/mo add-on).

Consider neither (yet) if…

  • You haven't validated your course idea. A free trial is fine for testing, but neither platform replaces talking to potential students first.
  • Your email list is your main business asset and is already in the thousands. Look at a dedicated email platform alongside either tool.

How we compared

We read each company's official pricing page on September 28, 2026 and compared plan prices, limits, and listed features. We did not score either platform with stars or points, and we did not run paid accounts. Where an official page didn't state a detail, we say so rather than guess.

FAQ

Is Podia cheaper than Thinkific?

Only at very low sales. Podia Mover is $42/mo and Thinkific Basic is $54/mo on monthly billing, but Mover adds a 5% transaction fee. Above about $240/mo in sales, Thinkific Basic costs less. With annual billing, Thinkific Basic drops to $40/mo and is cheaper than Mover at any sales level.

Does Podia or Thinkific have a free plan?

Thinkific's pricing page says there's no free plan, but it offers a 30-day free trial. Podia offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and it has no free plan either.

Which platform charges transaction fees?

Podia charges 5% on Mover and no platform fee on Shaker or Earthquaker. Payment processors still charge 2.9% + 30¢. Thinkific Payments charges 2.9%, and other gateways add fees that vary by plan.

Can I sell digital downloads on Thinkific?

Thinkific's pricing table focuses on courses, communities, memberships, and bundles. Thinkific also supports digital downloads: Basic allows up to 5 e-books, workbooks, or templates, and Start and higher allow unlimited downloads. Podia lists digital downloads on every plan.

Can I move from Podia to Thinkific later?

You can switch platforms, but plan for the work. You'll need to re-upload course content and migrate students and email subscribers. Check each platform's import and export tools before you commit.

Which is better for beginners?

Podia is simpler if you want one tool that includes a website, store, and email. Thinkific is a good starting point if you know courses will be your core product and want room to grow.

Sources & last updated

Last updated: September 28, 2026.

Prices and features change. Always confirm on the official site before you buy.