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Education & E-Learning · head to head

Blackboard vs Teachable

Blackboard logo

Blackboard

Education & E-Learning

Comprehensive learning platform for educational institutions

From
$10/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Teachable logo

Teachable

Learning Management

Create and sell courses online

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Blackboard user interface is outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive with hidden menus and excessive clicks; Teachable starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee, significantly higher than other plans
  • They diverge on capability: Blackboard covers Course management, Teachable covers Course builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blackboard and Teachable actually diverge.

Attributes where Blackboard and Teachable differ
AttributeBlackboardTeachable
Starting price$10/year$29/month
CategoryEducation & E-LearningLearning Management
Founded19972014

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Blackboard

  • Course management
  • Assessment tools
  • Discussion boards
  • Virtual classroom
  • Gradebook
  • Mobile app
  • Accessibility
  • SIS systems

Only in Teachable

  • Course builder
  • Quizzes
  • Certificates
  • Coaching products
  • Payment processing
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • Analytics
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Blackboard

  • Course deliverynot Teachable
  • Student engagementnot Teachable
  • Assessmentnot Teachable
  • Virtual learningnot Teachable

Teachable

  • Course creationnot Blackboard
  • Coaching servicesnot Blackboard
  • Digital productsnot Blackboard
  • Membership sitesnot Blackboard

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Blackboard

  • User interface is outdated, cluttered, and unintuitive with hidden menus and excessive clicks
  • Slow response times and platform crashes when opening multiple tabs simultaneously
  • Cannot track detailed student activity beyond most recent login information
  • Limited ability to handle large file uploads for content and assignments
  • Minimal customization options for page and template design

Teachable

  • Starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee, significantly higher than other plans
  • Student limits lift only at $10k+ annual sales for higher plans
  • No free tier, only 7-day trial
  • Custom plan requires sales contact with minimum $30k/year revenue

Pricing, plan by plan

Blackboard

$10/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Blackboard review.

Teachable

$29/month
  • Starter$39/month
    • 5 products
    • 100 active students
    • 7.5% transaction fee
  • Builder$89/month
    • 10 products
    • 1000 active students
    • 0% transaction fee
  • Growth$189/month
    • 50 products
    • 5000 active students
    • 0% transaction fee
  • Custom$null/month
    • Unlimited products
    • Dedicated success manager
    • Custom pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Blackboard if

  • You need course management.
  • You also want assessment tools.
Blackboard review

Choose Teachable if

  • You need course builder.
  • You also want quizzes.
Teachable review

Questions people ask

Is Blackboard or Teachable better?
Neither clearly leads. Blackboard starts at $10/year and Teachable at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blackboard or Teachable?
Blackboard starts at $10/year and Teachable at $29/month.
Does Blackboard or Teachable run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Blackboard best used for?
Blackboard is most often used for course delivery, student engagement, assessment, virtual learning. Of those, course delivery and student engagement are not what Teachable is typically brought in for.
What can Blackboard do that Teachable cannot?
Blackboard covers Course management, Assessment tools, Discussion boards, Virtual classroom. Teachable covers Course builder, Quizzes, Certificates, Coaching products. Both handle Analytics, Web support, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blackboard: What does Blackboard LMS offer?

Blackboard is a learning management system that includes course management, assignment and gradebook tools, discussion forums, and analytics for tracking learner progress in online, hybrid, and in-person courses.

Source
Teachable: Does Teachable have a free plan?

Teachable offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but no permanent free plan. The Starter plan costs $39/month (or $29/month annually).

Source
Teachable: What are the transaction fees?

Starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee. Builder, Growth, and Advanced plans charge 0% transaction fees. Additional payment processing fees of 2.9%-4.99% plus per-transaction charges apply depending on payment method.

Source
Teachable: What integrations are available?

Teachable integrates with Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Google Analytics, Calendly, Zoom, and other tools via the App Hub.

Source
Teachable: How many courses can I create?

Starter plan allows 5 products, Builder allows 10, Growth allows 50, and Advanced allows 100 courses.

Source
Teachable: What is included in certificate features?

Course certificates are available starting on the Growth plan ($139/month annually). Certificates can be customized with branding and are generated automatically when students complete courses.

Source
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Related pages

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