Software · head to head
Thinkific vs Podia
Podia
Software
Sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads
- From
- $42/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only; Podia mover tier charges 5% transaction fees on all sales; higher tiers offer fee-free processing
- They diverge on capability: Thinkific covers Course builder, Podia covers Course hosting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Thinkific and Podia actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Thinkific
- Course builder
- Website builder
- Quizzes
- Certificates
- Communities
- Marketing tools
- Analytics
- IOS support
Only in Podia
- Course hosting
- Digital downloads
- Email marketing
- Webinars
- Community
- Affiliate marketing
- Custom website
- Google Analytics
Both cover
- Memberships
- Zapier
- Mailchimp
- ConvertKit
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Thinkific
- Course creationnot Podia
- Membership sitesnot Podia
- Coaching programsnot Podia
- Corporate trainingnot Podia
Podia
- Content creators selling digital courses with email marketing integrationnot Thinkific
- Coaching businesses managing memberships and community spacesnot Thinkific
- Newsletter publishers monetising subscriber base with events and digital productsnot Thinkific
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Thinkific
- No free plan, 14-day trial only
- Transaction fees on third-party payment processors (5% on Basic tier)
- PayPal only available on Grow plan ($199/month), not on Basic or Start
- Limited customization on lower-tier plans
- Cannot embed courses in external domains or iframes
- Limited number of spaces per plan
- Less interactive community features compared to alternatives
- Features continuously moved to higher-priced tiers
- Payment processing delays reported (up to 90 days)
Podia
- Mover tier charges 5% transaction fees on all sales; higher tiers offer fee-free processing
- Mover plan capped at 50 products maximum; Shaker at 150 products; only Earthquaker offers unlimited
- Video storage limited by plan: 500 videos (Mover), 1,000 (Shaker), unlimited (Earthquaker)
- Email subscriber limits tiered: 100 (Mover), 500 (Shaker), 1,000 (Earthquaker); overage model not stated
- Annual billing required for all plans with 72-hour refund window; partial refunds excluded
Pricing, plan by plan
Thinkific
$36/month- Basic$36/month
- 1 course
- Up to 500 students
- Thinkific Payments (0% fees)
- Start$74/month
- Up to 3 courses
- Up to 2,000 students
- Third-party payment (3% fees)
- Grow$149/month
- Unlimited courses
- Unlimited students
- Third-party payment (0% fees)
Podia
$42/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Podia review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Thinkific if
- You need course builder.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want website builder.
Questions people ask
- Is Thinkific or Podia better?
- Neither clearly leads. Thinkific starts at $36/month and Podia at $42/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Thinkific or Podia?
- Thinkific starts at $36/month and Podia at $42/month.
- Does Thinkific or Podia run on more platforms?
- Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile. Podia runs on Web.
- What is Thinkific best used for?
- Thinkific is most often used for course creation, membership sites, coaching programs, corporate training. Of those, course creation and membership sites are not what Podia is typically brought in for.
- What can Thinkific do that Podia cannot?
- Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates. Podia covers Course hosting, Digital downloads, Email marketing, Webinars. Both handle Memberships, Zapier, Mailchimp, ConvertKit.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Thinkific: Does Thinkific have a free plan?
No. Thinkific does not offer a free plan but provides a 14-day free trial. Paid plans start at $36/month (Basic tier).
SourceThinkific: Are there transaction fees on Thinkific?
Thinkific charges no transaction fees when using their built-in Thinkific Payments. Third-party payment processors incur 5% fees (Basic) down to 0% (Plus), plus 3.6% for Stripe with subscriptions.
SourceThinkific: What payment methods does Thinkific support?
PayPal is locked to Grow plan ($199/month). Basic and Start plans do not support PayPal, limiting payment options for international creators and potentially reducing conversions.
Source