The coronavirus pandemic and the efficiency and accessibility of digital products and services have accelerated their purchase and distribution. Aligning to the same ecosystem, more and more platforms are emerging to support these digital products – Podia is one of them.
Although quite a popular name in the market, Podia is not for everyone. There are several limitations to this platform, including:
- Expensive monthly “Shaker plan” that cost around $79/month
- Limited customizable features
- Limitations to integrating the 3rd-party codes, including Facebook pixels and tracking codes
- Lacks advanced marketing features
So, if you are considering looking into Podia alternatives, we have a few potent alternatives you can consider looking into. All of these options we will mention are better than Podia in one way or another, be it with their plans or even the features they offer.
What is Podia?
Podia is a one-stop solution for content creators, instructors and businesses to sell digital products, including online courses, memberships and video courses. This top-rated creator-centric platform integrates a host of email marketing features to support varying marketing endeavours.
The platform has been operational for a short period but has gained immense popularity. This learning management system also offers payable packages starting at $39/month. The platform is a prevalent name among content creators and small-scale businesses who want to build extensive exposure in the market.
However, due to a range of drawbacks, including lack of personalization and pricey packages, it isn’t surprising that interested creators are on the lookout for viable podia pricing alternatives.
Scroll down further to read about the best Podia alternatives that you can consider.
10 Best Podia Alternatives
Now that you know what Podia is and some of the drawbacks to this platform, knowing about the Podia alternatives help you keep your options open.
Here are the best ones to consider instead:
1. Mastera
The first and likely one of the most and in-demand platforms to sell your digital products is Mastera. The primary objective of this video experience platform is to enable creators, and thought leaders to create a profitable business out of their knowledge and wisdom.
Thanks to their flexible features and pricing options, the platform has witnessed peak growth in a short period. From enable creators to host live classes to offering membership-based video content, you get a broad opportunity to kickstart a passive income source with a few clicks.
The highlight of this platform is that it enables creators to earn recurring revenue through self-decided subscription models. All you have to do is pay a monthly fee to Mastera, as per your plans. Besides that, everything you earn from the platform is yours.
This is a sign that Mastera prioritizes and values the efforts put in by the creators and enables them to take 100% of their generated revenue without taking a bite out of it.
One of the drawbacks of Podia is that it limits customization tools and flexibility. With Mastera, you get to beat that with on-demand content, courses, and even merchandize. Along with that, Mastera also focuses on relationship building between the creators and members/subscribers with an open communication channel.
Features of Mastera
- Enables creators to host live classes with on-demand video content
- Backed with auto-pay features with flexible membership and subscription plans
- Convert and customize live classes into premium content, sell digital courses, and merchandize
- Interact with subscribers through text messages
- Manage class bookings with proper scheduling
- Personalized calendar booking
- Doesn’t involve any kinds of booking fee or commissions
- Build and host subjective profile page or website
- Avail 14 days free trial
Pricing Plan:
- Starter – $39/month
- Premium – $99/month
- Elite – $139/month
2. Thinkific
Another popular (and cheap) alternative to Podia that is worth considering is Thinkific. Although the platform does come with its fair share of limitations, it also brings you all the basic needs to get started with your online courses with membership sites.
More than the staple theoretical courses, this platform enables users to leverage it for enhanced branding and outreach. You get to pin the absolute best course that you have created and later earn from it.
Hosting over 50,000 creators and spread across 165+ countries, the platform has become a global sensation now. Like Mastera and Podia, this is also a one-stop platform to launch your online course and earn money and widespread recognition from the target audience.
From building and designing your course to marketing it, the platform supports you every step of the way. Not just new content creators, renowned entrepreneurs, and thought leaders leverage Thinkific to deliver their knowledge to the masses.
The best thing about this platform is that it offers the creators 100% control over the content, pricing, and the shared data. There are no risks of legal ownership or commissions taken from the creators (besides the standard monthly fee).
Features of Thinkific:
- Bring your vision to life using tools to create, develop and market your online course
- Supports developing customizable websites, sales tools, and a lot more
- Enables sharing pre-recorded, live, and on-demand classes
- Offers a wide range of assessment and certification formulas for optimal growth
- Drag and drop website builder
Pricing Plan:
- Free – $0/month
- Basic – $39/month
- Pro – $79/month
- Premier – $399/month
3. iSpring Market
For the creators who have previous experience selling online courses and want to get started with an even better option, iSpring Market is optimal. The standout feature of this platform is how quick the process is. If you have all the resources and products ready, you can set everything up in a day and start earning from your training program.
That’s how efficient the platform is.
On the home page, iSpring Market describes their process in three steps –
- Create your account
- Set up your courses
- Track the results
This might seem very easy, but these are tangible steps that help you skyrocket your passive income source to the next level without any compromise.
The standout point that gives this platform an upper hand over Podia is the degree of customizations it offers. From the domain name to the logo and your branded colors and themes, the platform enables users to make the most out of their webpage via this platform.
Another fantastic factor that places this as a front runner in the market is its flexibility. Not just video courses, the platform allows creators to upload and market their content on a global scale without any restrictions.
The pricing options for the courses are flexible and depend on what the creators decide. There are no commissions involved, enabling creators to enjoy 100% of the profits to their names.
Features of iSpring Market:
- Supports adaptive content where users can learn the courses from any platform, including PC, tablets, laptops, etc.
- Open communication between creators and subscribers to answer queries, doubts while taking the course.
- Supports a host of learning formats for the courses, including video, PDF, offline events, etc.
- Supports gamified learning experience to make the process more interactive and competitive.
- Every course is backed with an official certificate on completion.
- Supports 6 languages to accommodate the needs of different learners.
Pricing plan:
- 500 users, 25GB – $77/month
- 1000 users, 50GB – $147/month
- 2000 users, 100GB – $277/month
- Custom plans – require direct consultation
4. Teachable
Just like the name of the platform suggests, Teachable is for creators who want to earn money by teaching people what they know best. The platform enables creators to offer online courses and coaching services to mark their presence in the knowledge business and e-learning space.
The platform supports over 100,000-course creators who have sold over $1 billion in different fields of courses and coaching. Besides enabling creators to get started with their course creation, the platform enables creators to use the available resources to create and sell online courses without needing specialized tech skills.
Besides the freedom to create, Teachable offers a host of customization tools that allow creators to personalize their content to match their branding.
However, besides everything, the best thing about this platform is handling the finances. As creators, all you have to do is create and share content. Teachable takes care of the payouts, affiliates, taxes, and everything along that realm for you.
Features of Teachable:
- Host of customization tools to transform your online or digital products and presence for the members
- Track sales and analytics to analyze your growth on the platform
- Create innumerable sales pages with page editors to drive tangible sales
- Offers a host of collaborative tools to streamline the work progress
- Conduct live sessions to talk to the students and clear doubts
- Schedule calls and calendars for meetings and discussions
Pricing Plan:
- Free – $0/month
- Basic – $29/month
- Pro – $99/month
- Business – $249/month
5. Invanto
For users looking for something similar to Podia, Invanto is a pretty great deal. It is a one-stop destination for all things digital courses. You can create, sell and market your courses within a simple registration and subscription-based model. The best thing about this platform is that it features many apps that support its functionalities.
The unique standpoint of this platform is that it’s more than just a platform for digital or online courses. Unlike Podia that focuses more on selling courses, this one has a diverse portfolio. You get to create membership sites, set up an online discount store, or even indulge in other forms of passive income with the available tools and resources.
Despite which plan you purchase for yourself, the platform provides you with a sea of unlimited opportunities, including videos, bandwidth, and site development.
The platform is a highly trusted choice among entrepreneurs and coaches globally and from different niches. Also, in case you are stuck or having issues setting up your profile, Invanto’s 5-star customer support champions are here to guide you through the process.
Features of Invanto:
- Supports unlimited videos, bandwidth, and site development
- Backed with Zapier Engine for seamless data integration
- Built-in translation engine to develop sites and content in any language for a broader audience targeting
- Comes with custom domain support with free SSL
- Coupon generator option to enable users to avail special discounts
- Control and eventually schedule the release time of the content (if they are in parts)
- Personalize email communication with hundreds of templates
- Custom make your site for enhanced outreach and to meet your branding
Pricing plans:
- Up to 10,000 users – $200 per month.
- 30-days free trial
6. Kajabi
As unique as the platform’s name is, Kajabi is an equally rewarding online business platform that is here to streamline your passive income sources. Find ways to leverage the resources and tools on the platform to monetize your courses, podcasts, memberships, and online store to earn a handsome amount of money each month.
The main objective behind Kajabi is to offer multiple ways of monetization to the creators. All you have to do is craft and curate a unique idea, convert it into a compatible digital product, and start your journey to earning.
The platform also integrates and hosts everything under one umbrella, including the content, the marketing prospects, and the products for a holistic mode of earning. Instead of worrying about the backend work, you get more time to focus on your digital products.
The integration of Stripe and PayPal to the account enables easy payment terms. It hosts varying payment terms, including one-click upsells, membership plans, and even one-time trials.
The availability of real-time insights via analytics tools enables creators to make the right decisions with real-time insights and updates. From customer progress to user forecasting, they show it all.
Features of Kajabi:
- Offers monetization of a wide range of digital products, including courses, podcasts, newsletter, coaching, websites, etc.
- Integrates email templates for easy customization for marketing and building stronger audience relationships
- Customizable website development options with different themes and enhances flexibility
- Kajabi pipelines automate, optimize and scale your marketing and branding to reach more of the target audience
- Real-time analytics and insights into the growth of the digital products
- Seamlessly allows building customers into a loyal community with groups and networking
Pricing plans:
- Basic – $119/month
- Growth – $159/month
- Pro – $319/month
7. Sellfy
There are not many integrated and holistic e-commerce solutions in the market. Sellfy tends to just that loophole. From bloggers to rising businesses, this platform helps sell digital products, subscriptions, and even a range of physical products.
Besides the 14-days free trial, the platform also doesn’t involve any transaction fees, enabling you to make 100% in profits from your sales.
This customizable platform enables users to either sell directly from their existing website using Sellfy’s resources and tools or create a new Sellfy storefront to make successful and lucrative sales. The highly customizable storefront enables users to change themes, colors and looks to match their branding.
The platform also supports different kinds of digital content formats, including courses, PDFs, online events, tutorials, memberships, digital art, and so much more. It also supports many features that promote upselling, marketing, and integration of discount or coupon codes.
Features of Sellfy:
- Supports unlimited products and bandwidth, allowing free flow of unlimited traffic to your storefront without additional charges
- Supports 10GB file formats for each digital file
- Comes with SSL encryption to ensure the highest level of security and privacy of the buyer’s data
- Backed with built-in email marketing with associated freebies to expand your mailing list
- Integrated with “Pay what you want pricing” for optimum sales
Pricing Plans:
- Starter – $29/month
- Business – $59/month
- Premium – $129/month
8. LearnDash
Created for the learners by the enthusiastic digital creators. We are all aware that there is no limit to learning, which this platform epitomizes. This is the only WordPress-based learning management system that has been created and developed by e-learning experts.
Experts curate the entire pyramid of learning via this platform and know what it requires to ensure maximized content delivery with higher completion rates. The platform offers certifications, which further enchants learners to flock in and leverage the varying courses offered by the creators on the platform.
LearnDash provides complete control in the hands of the users when it comes to selling your online courses and choosing the pricing model and such. From varying pricing models to a multitude of payment gateway, the platform understands the plight of creators.
The platform also provides the creators with the resources to quickly start their courses, even with minimal tech and WordPress knowledge.
Supports Drip-feed content to schedule when the next chapter of your content goes live. It reduces the hassle of doing everything manually every time. The engagement triggers are another fantastic feature that enables users to interact with the learners based on their actions. So, if someone has clicked on your course and not subscribed, you can discuss the shortfalls and ensure a successful conversion.
Features of LearnDash:
- Automatically delivers the next part of the content on a schedule
- Engagement triggers to connect and interact with the learners and guide them along
- Allows creating learner groups for better community engagement and loyalty
- Integrates different rewarding systems with certifications, badges, and points to encourage competitiveness in the learners
- Constant innovation and improvement at LearnDash ensures they are adding new features frequently
- Supported by a responsive help desk to clear doubts and help every step along the way
Pricing Plans:
- Basic – $159
- Plus – $189
- Pro – $329
9. Gumroad
Like their tagline, Gumroad is designed to make it easier for creators to get paid online without any complications. It allows creators to turn their talent and passion into a high-paying side hustle with a consistent stream of passive income.
The platform hosts close to 100,000 creators who have earned over $5 billion in revenue. If you are looking to shift from your traditional 9-5 job and earn doing what you love, this is the platform that supports those endeavors.
Gumroad has highly structured and full-fledged e-learning programs that allow creators and learners to collaborate. However, like Podia, even Gumroad comes with customization limitations, which can be a downer.
Creators will need to contain their courses into a single digital product, reducing the flexibility to change the colors and themes based on individual courses. The buyer incentives are also quite limited, offering only coupon codes and no signs of upselling or bundles.
However, one good thing about this platform is that it manages the creator’s storefront without any additional charges. You get to customize your landing page to your desire, which can propel conversions in the long run.
Features of Gumroad:
- Has a very interactive and bright user interface for creators and learners
- Supports CSS customization with varying tools and resources
- Supports third-party integrations
- Has low interactivity with compatibility of different digital product formats
- The platform isn’t ideally aligned only to the e-learning realm and focuses more on e-commerce
Pricing plans:
- Free – $0/month
- Premium – $10/month
10. Hyax
Last but not least is Hyax. Compared to all the alternatives in the list, this one is the youngest. It has transformed the way entrepreneurs and digital creators are leveraging the power of the internet to monetize their businesses.
From courses to newsletters, Hyax supports a host of different content formats from the creators to help them make good money in the process. It allows the creators to handle subscriptions and gate their content, all in a single platform.
The unique bestselling feature of this platform is the integrated landing page and marketing funnel developer. This allows users to make quick pages in under 10 minutes to drive successful conversions to the marketing funnel.
The entire UI and UX of the platform are mobile-friendly with quick interactivity for a seamless user experience. You can create your digital storefront from scratch to get higher average orders, all in under 10 minutes of registration.
Besides the developer site, it also supports creating a membership site with recurring plans and communities to allow users to network and build connections.
The interactive resources on the platform support the seamless creation of online courses from scratch, even with minimal knowledge about tech and designing. Get customizable course builders with video lesson templates to get started with your digital courses.
Features of Hyax:
- Supports A/B testing of the product pages and upsells to bring in more revenue
- Comes with multiple buyer’s incentives to drive better sales
- Integrate separate digital products for upselling inside a course
- One backend solution for easy integration of different products in one spot
- Handle recurring payments with easier access to products
Pricing Plan:
- Beginner – $99/month
- Advanced – $199/month
- Enterprise – Custom quote
Why Mastera is the best alternative to Podia?
Although we did include ten excellent alternatives to Podia, we can’t deny that Mastera stands out from the lot. Not just in terms of accessibility and functionalities, the learning management system has also garnered a lot of popularity because of its customizable freedom to the creators.
Here’s a quick comparison to understand why Mastera is a superior choice:
| Features | Mastera | Podia |
| Pricing | Starts from $39/month | Starts from $39/month |
| Platform type | All-in-one digital selling platform | Focused more on digital courses |
| Membership | Yes | No |
| Email marketing | Highly customizable | Lacks personalization features |
| Integrations | Seamless integration with third-party apps like Zoom | Supports email marketing software integration only |
| Has a free plan? | No, but it offers 14 days free trial | Yes |
| Transaction fees | None | None |
| Allow video streaming and live classes? | Yes | Yes |
| Support Calendar bookings? | Yes | No |
| Analytics | Very detailed with real-time insights | Lacks proper insights |
| Hosted Page or website | Yes | No |
Conclusion
Podia, as good as it is, comes with its set of challenges. If you were looking for some alternatives, we have sorted out our top 10 picks. Now, you have the opportunities to create, sell and market your online courses and monetize them to start a steady income.
If we had to give you one option to choose among them, Mastera is a worthy competitor. From more customization features to seamless integration, the platform does it all. The prices are at par with market standards, and it ensures 100% transparency, which is always appreciated.
Co-Founder, Gleantap & Mastera