If you are an entrepreneur looking for a learning management system to host your online courses, you probably know about Podia. It’s an all-in-one platform allowing creators to sell online courses, offer digital downloads, other membership site features, webinars, and more.
Although it allows Podia users to create newsletters, some say it’s not as thorough and expansive as other email marketing tools. Fortunately, there are plenty of Podia alternative platforms you can take advantage of.
An Overview of the Best Podia Alternatives
Podia users can make money through email marketing campaigns and affiliate marketing. However, some users claim of experiencing challenges with Podia, especially its email marketing features.
If you want to check out other routes, here are our top picks to help you find the best Podia alternative:
| Starting Price | Pros | Cons | |
| Thinkific | $39.00 monthly | Free plan available Excellent course player Third-party integrations Continue learning on any device | No option to create community forums and course certificates on free and basic plans Does not offer a refund |
| Kajabi | $149.00 monthly | Customizable templates Built-in email marketing tool Multiple integrations Customer Relationship Management tool Community group | Expensive Steep learning curve |
| Teachable | $29.00 monthly | Flexible page editor No limits Excellent payment settings Multiple third-party integrations | Charges transaction fees |
| ClickFunnels | $97.00 monthly | Wide selection of templates Simultaneous testing of two pages Membership page creation Email marketing tool | No built-in payment gateway Significant pricing difference between plans |
| LearnDash | $159.00 annually | Drag and drop builder Excellent learning experience Detailed video content support Flexible quiz builder Third-party integrations | Limited built-in payment options Limited built-in membership options |
| Mighty Networks | $39.00 monthly | Creation of articles, events, polls, and quick posts Online courses creation Clean and modern community area design Native apps for Android and iOS Personalize notifications for members | Lacks native support for live and regular videos Limited features and options for course builder and landing pages |
Podia Alternative Programs
With all of its amazing tools and features, some users still want to look for an alternative to Podia. Good thing, other platforms sell online courses and other marketing tools essential in growing your online store. Here are Podia alternatives worth checking out:
1. Thinkific
Thinkific is an eLearning Management System that allows you to create and sell an online course, making it easy to monetize your expertise.
Using this Podia alternative, you can sell courses related to your skill and knowledge, providing you with complete control of your online business and brand. Its user-friendly course builder allows you to create professional-looking digital products suitable for learning.
What You Can Do With Thinkific
All the features of Thinkific have easy-to-use functionalities. You can enjoy an unmatched learning experience with flexible content. To achieve this, you can use assessments, live lessons, an online community forum, complete video courses, and more.
- Deliver Results
With Thinkific, you can offer your preferred learning experience to your clients using live lessons to blended classes. You can create quizzes, assignments, exams, comprehensive engagement surveys, and course certificates.
Thinkific users can track the progress of their students and validate their efforts using the platform’s tools. Also, they can create a community forum for added engagement.
- Run Business Your Way
Thinkific offers all the tools needed to create and launch your education business. Its drag and drop editor allows you to create websites with a personalized storefront. Even better, the marketing features of Thinkific have no transaction fees, allowing you to accept payments from more than 100 countries.
With Thinkific’s flexibility, you can market your expertise in bundles and digital products through membership or standalone courses. Lastly, you can set your pricing plans with coupons, subscriptions, or paid per month.
- Professional-Looking Website
Thinkific offers easy-to-use and professional-looking website themes without additional cost. With these, you can create unlimited courses using advanced customization options. You can even remove Thinkific branding and add your professional domain.
You don’t have to worry about your current tools, CRM, mailing list, or existing website because Thinkific will integrate them with its system.
- Support System
You will find more than 200 people in the Thinkific headquarters and thousands of creators to support you. Thanks to this, you can get fast and quick assistance from the platform’s award-winning and professionally-trained Customer Champions.
Explore the Thinkific Academy and take your educational courses to the next level as you access webinars and premium courses from experts.
Pricing Plans
Thinkific pricing plans allow a small business owner to sell courses even without a capital investment. The platform offers a Free Plan for those who want to test its core features before signing up for a paid plan.
You can start creating an online course using the tools and basic features of this $39-per-month plan. The most popular among Thinkific paid plans is the Pro Plan for $79 per month, suitable for course creators wanting to succeed with their business.
Advanced creators who want to build a successful learning business can choose the Premier Plan for $399 per month.
2. Kajabi
Kajabi is a Podia alternative that allows users to create and sell different content online and turn them into income. This all-in-one platform enables you to showcase your skills and expertise through online course creation, coaching programs, memberships, podcasts, and more.
Like Podia, you can take advantage of Kajabi’s collection of templates and built-in marketing tools to create campaigns, content, and sales funnels. You can also manage the growth of your business with Kajabi’s built-in CRM and easily collect payments through PayPal and Stripe integrations.
What You Can Do With Kajabi
Utilizing the key features of Kajabi makes it easier for creators to do and earn more.
- Community Group
Your website members have a greater chance of engagement and interaction through the community group feature.
- Customer Relationship Management
As mentioned, Kajabi comes with a CRM tool that helps automate coupons, emails, and product access.
- Email Marketing
With Kajabi’s email marketing features and automation, you can make personalized interactions with your customers.
- Integrations
Kajabi has various integrations for accepting payments like Stripe and PayPal and for workflow tools like Hotjar, Segment, and Zapier.
- Templates
Kajabi comes with customizable and high-quality templates you can use for your emails, landing pages, and websites. Some of these templates even include an opt-in button and videos.
Pricing Plans
Kajabi offers a 14-day trial period, allowing you to test the platform’s core features before signing up for one of its offered paid plans. After the two-week trial, you can opt for the Basic Plan for $149 per month, giving you three products and three sales funnels, among other features.
The Growth Plan is Kajabi’s most popular paid plan for $199 per month. It has numerous features, including 15 products and pipelines. Lastly, the Pro Plan for $399 per month includes 100 pipelines and products, among other inclusions.
3. Teachable
Another excellent alternative to Podia is Teachable, which allows you to share your knowledge by creating an online course and offering coaching services.
The platform offers flexibility as you create learning paths or products, including articles, live classes, PDFs, tests, and videos. This learning management solution has a user-friendly interface and several customization options.
What You Can Do With Teachable
Teachable comes with comprehensive features, allowing you to create one-on-one coaching services and professional online courses. While there are other platforms that offer the same thing, there’s no doubt it is one of the best programs you can use for your business.
- Customization
The Teachable platform offers easy-to-use customization features, including a custom domain for linking an existing website and a power editor for creating coaching sessions, multimedia lectures, and videos.
Another customization feature of the Teachable platform is the flexible page editor, allowing users to create sales funnel pages. Plus, you can easily know your numbers through your dashboard by keeping track of the student insights and your sales.
- Learning Tools
All Teachable paid plans offer unlimited options for most of its features, including bandwidth, courses, coaching services, and student numbers. You can run a live one-on-one session with your customers using call hosting, easy-to-build milestone, and other task features.
The Calendly tool integration allows the users to set specific dates to book, intake, schedule, and agree with their clients.
As part of the platform’s learning tools, you can create quizzes to engage the students and provide course completion certificates. You can use third-party forms or survey tools to get feedback from your students and integrate other tools to boost your support system.
- Monetization
Flex your pricing options by offering bundles, coupons, memberships, one-time payments, and subscriptions. Plus, you can utilize an affiliate program with the platform’s marketing tools so that others can help promote your business.
Also, you can offer incentives and discounts to existing students for referring your courses to other people. Teachable has excellent payment and money solution options to assist with your income.
- Hosting and Security
Since you are building a business as you create a Teachable account, the platform wants to ensure it stays safe and secure. To protect all the data in your platform, it offers seamless hosting and round-the-clock monitoring for possible outages.
Moreover, the platform offers additional protective measures to ensure the students’ info during login and payments stay secure.
Pricing Plans
Teachable offers straightforward pricing plans for all its users. These plans include a Free Plan for creators who want to share their expertise using the platform’s core features.
If you want more advanced features than the ones provided by the Free Plan, upgrade to the Basic Plan for $29 per month. The Pro Plan for $99 per month is the most popular among the pricing plan options of Teachable.
Lastly, if you want to experience the best features Teachable offers, sign up for the Business Plan for $299 per month.
4. ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is more than just an alternative to Podia. Instead, it is a marketing software that allows entrepreneurs to build a sales funnel and a website.
In addition, users can also create landing pages, e-commerce systems, lead generation systems, product launch pages, and squeeze pages using the drag and drop editor. It is a sales-driven platform helping small entrepreneurs with their businesses’ marketing and sales aspects.
What You Can Do With ClickFunnels
Create beautiful and life-changing sales funnels using the following key features of this marketing software:
- Tools and Strategies
You can access the platform’s tools and strategies in one spot, allowing you to market, sell, and deliver content online. Plus, with ClickFunnels’ drag and drop function, you can easily create convertible sales funnels and turn them into customers.
In addition, you will also get a Smart Shopping Cart and marketing automation for your email and Facebook account organized in a simple Dashboard.
- Generate Leads
The platform allows you to create simple funnels, allowing you to capture the contact information of anyone who visits your website. It is an easy way to generate new leads, so you can follow up anytime, even after leaving the website.
- Sell Your Products
Integrated into the software are Order Pages that allow you to create products and help you increase your sales. This funnel builder platform is ideal for creating and selling courses and memberships, digital, and physical products.
With ClickFunnels, you only need a few minutes to build and launch sales funnels. You can even add a one-click upsell button and help increase the sales from each customer.
- Follow-Up Funnels
Upgrading your account to ClickFunnels Platinum allows you to connect and reconnect with your customers through multi-dimensional marketing. This function lets you send your messages to your customers directly, anytime.
Moreover, you can send messages to your customers via different options, including desktop notifications, email, social networks, and text.
Pricing Plans
ClickFunnels offers two paid plan options, but you can start with the 14-day free trial period to test the platform and its core features. After trying the platform for 14 days, you can opt for the Basic Plan for $97 per month. With this plan, you will get all the necessary tools to generate more leads and boost sales online.
If you want to experience growth without limits, upgrade to the ClickFunnels Platinum Plan. It will help build your sales funnel quickly and increase your online sales.
5. LearnDash
LearnDash is an excellent Podia alternative for making and selling courses. It is a WordPress plug-in that allows you to create an online course using the core features of WordPress. This online course platform is built to maximize content delivery as it increases completion rates.
What You Can Do With LearnDash
Create excellent online courses without any limitations using all the features found in LearnDash.
- Course Authoring
With LearnDash Focus Mode, your learners will have a branded learning portal and distraction-free environment. You can easily create your online courses and advanced quizzes using the platform’s drag and drop editor.
- E-Learning Tools and Features
LearnDash provides learners with an excellent learning experience through the best e-learning tools and features. The platform allows you to award certificates to learners who completed a course or present them with badges to recognize their performances.
- Marketing and Sales
LearnDash allows you to control the pricing model, giving you the freedom to set different prices for each content. You can sell your courses through different options, including one-time purchases, subscriptions, memberships, or course bundles.
- Integrations
LearnDash offers numerous integrations of popular apps and adds different functionalities to your online course.
Pricing Plans
LearnDash offers flexible pricing plans for its users, giving you core features and a 15-day money-back guarantee. However, it does not provide a free plan like other platforms.
For an annual bill of $159, you can sign up for the Basic Plan, which comes with one site license and other core features. The Plus Plan worth $189 comes with 10 site licenses and a ProPanel, making it an excellent platform for students.
In addition to the core features, signing up for the Pro Plan for $329 includes a ProPanel and up to 25 site licenses.
6. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks eventually developed into a complete platform starting as a social network. It allows users to host events, sell courses, highlight successes, and set off an inspiring engagement, making it one of the best community software platforms.
It is an ideal alternative to Podia but lets you create a group of fans and followers on a specific course. The platform gives you access to essential data and allows you to observe how the group or community engages and responds to your brand.
What You Can Do With Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks has numerous features worth checking out to help you get started with your business.
- Community Builder
Upon signing up, Mighty Networks will make a community space for you. You can start by adjusting your privacy settings. In addition, you can personalize your community branding by using a custom domain and brand colors or uploading your logo.
You can also utilize Quick Posts to update your status or make blog posts using the Articles option and make engaging content.
The platform’s Mighty Effect personalization technology allows you to provide relevant content to your members, making each feed unique. Plus, the Discovery and Welcome sections help new members explore your site and familiarize themselves with its navigation.
- Migrate Your Community
With Mighty Networks, you can start gathering your groups under your brand. It doesn’t matter if the follower is from a social media network or another platform. Mighty Networks functions well across different platforms, whether Android, iOS or the web.
You will have a personalized domain and landing page, allowing you to organize custom topics for your members.
- Build A Business
With Mighty Networks, you can easily build your business without adding another tool to your platform. It has a native course builder that allows you to add a course community, gate your content, or even teach a cohort-based, live course.
You can even sell courses and memberships as one-time purchases or subscriptions and accept payments in different currencies. Moreover, the Ambassador program allows you to offer incentives to your members who will refer the platform to others.
- Spark Member Connections
Having a community allows you to grow your business as your members continue to connect and interact with one another. Enjoy private direct messaging, create small group chats, and match your members by interest and location.
- Live Human Connection
It is easier to build a community and enjoy long-term dividends if you have live human connections, especially if it is done on your platform. You can do live streaming, host live and group chat events and meetings, organize your event calendar, and utilize native video uploads.
- Own Your Data
With Mighty Networks, you own all your data, making it easy to download a member’s information or have access to insights to gauge what is working or not. You can even get your members to share their best practices in the Mighty Community so that others can see them.
Pricing Plans
Mighty Networks offer different plans, so it will be easier to find the right one that will work for you, starting from the free trial.
The Community Plan for $39 a month lets you build a community and a website you can charge for. On the other hand, the Business Plan is the most popular choice among brands and creators wanting to build a community-powered business.
Finally, there’s the Mighty Pro Plan. With this subscription, you can level up your business using your branded apps. You can request a demo from the website to see how it works.
Alternative to Podia FAQs
1. What is a learning management system?
A learning management system or LMS is a web-based technology or software application that you use to assess, implement, or plan a learning process. It is used for eLearning practices, helping you manage your business’s development and learning needs.
2. What are the common features of a learning management system?
Though there are plenty of LMS platforms for you to choose from, most come with common and essential features. These platforms allow you to manage the courses, roles, and users or even generate reports.
The ability to make a course calendar helps in the management of activities. The messaging and notifications features allow users and trainers to send notifications, reminders, and upcoming events and training.
3. What is Podia?
Podia is a package deal of various functionalities, including selling digital products, memberships, online courses, webinars, and more. It is a perfect platform for academics, creatives, and entrepreneurs to offer their products and services even without technical knowledge.
4. What are the key features of Podia?
Here are some of Podia’s key features you can use for your online business.
- Podia Editor
With the easy-to-use Podia Editor, you can let your site stand out. It features almost everything you need to create a modern website. You don’t need to be technically savvy to put up a new site; in fact, you can easily create pages specific to your audience.
Moreover, the editor works well even on mobile devices, so you can edit anything while on the go.
- Built-in Email Function
Podia offers a built-in email function, allowing users to engage with their customers via this option. Additionally, it lets users use a different service provider within the platform. This reliable email marketing tool is integrated into both Mover and Shaker Plans.
- Create Memberships
The Podia Shaker Plan for $79 offers membership sites as part of its package, either paid or free. A membership site provides gated content, meaning only members can access whatever is inside the plan.
- Host Online Courses
With its wide range of course preferences, there is no limit to the number of products a user can sell on the platform. You can create online courses, upload ones you previously made, offer single programs, bundle them in levels, or create drip lectures.
- Sell Digital Downloads
In addition to unlimited hosting, you can also sell digital products you can easily upload to a Podia-based site. Moreover, Podia users can sell or give away their digital products to attract more traffic to their websites.
Others use various social network platforms to offer free downloads of their courses, directing customers and students to provide their email addresses on the website. This technique will allow Podia users to reach these individuals with future email marketing campaigns.
- Support System
Podia has a friendly support team of agents and creators always ready to help its customers anytime. You have different options to reach Podia’s support team. You can email hello@podia.com or contact them via live chat inside the app or the website.
5. How much is a subscription to Podia?
Podia comes in two flat-rate subscriptions priced at $39 and $79. It doesn’t offer a free plan, but you can try its 14-day trial period. You can either cancel or sign-up for the Mover plan for $39 at the end of the two-week trial period.
6. Why do users look for an alternative to Podia?
In addition to not having a free plan, some users find that Podia lacks design and customization options and other advanced features. As such, they turn to other programs to find the best Podia alternative.
7. Who is Podia for?
Podia is perfect for users who want to sell digital products and courses using an all-in-one platform without spending too much cash.
Which Is the Best Podia Alternative?
So, which do you think is the best Podia alternative among these options? We think it’s Thinkific because of its integrated eCommerce solution that lets you host and sell various content in one platform.
Kajabi and Teachable are also great options, with their competitive functionalities and features. However, they lack Podia’s and Thinkific’s flexibility.
