7 Best Podia Alternatives [August 2023]: For Every Course Creator

But it has some room for improvement in some areas:

• Community features: It only offers basic chat options.
• Courses and webinars: It has simple course creation tools and only offers webinars within the highest-paid plans.
• No mobile application: No native mobile application, so members have to always use their browser to access the platform.
• Lacks engaging learning methods: No gamification features to increase retention.

We tested the best tools in the course creation space to find some alternatives that address these pain points. We focused on the following key attributes:

• Community retention,
• Supported products,
• Course creation speed,
• Mobile-friendly applications,
• Course completion rate.

Here’s our list of recommended Podia alternatives. Let’s see what they bring to the table.

Best Podia Alternatives: Executive Summary

You’ll get the best value for money if you go for Kajabi.

You’ll get the best deal for high-ticket products if you switch to Simplero.

You’ll save the most money if you choose LearnWorlds.

Best Overall		Runner-Up		Third Best Alternative
Kajabi		Simplero		LearnWorlds
Best all-in-one alternative for entrepreneurs offering various products and managing large communities.		Best for high-ticket courses and coaching sessions.		Most affordable alternative for educators wanting to bring up students’ learning experience.
Visit Kajabi		Visit Simplero		Visit LearnWorlds

Buying Guide & How We Rate The Tools

All Podia Alternatives

	Kajabi Best all-in-one tool for entrepreneurs, large teams, and coaching experts. Great value for money when managing large communities of more than 10,000 members. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Simplero Best for experienced coaches and beginners offering flexible payment options for high-ticket digital products and mastermind classes. Creators can also sell physical products. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	LearnWorlds Most affordable option for educators and companies who want to educate students or employees using gamified courses. Paid plans start at $29/month with unlimited courses and students. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Skool Best alternative for creators looking to earn a stable income from large or growing communities with membership subscriptions. Offers great gamification tools to increase retention. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Mighty Networks Ideal for creators with robust communities wanting to build a strong and lasting connection using live sessions and cohort courses. Pricing starts at $39 and charges 2-3% transaction fees. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Xperiencify Ideal alternative for educators looking to create a more engaging experience using gamification, automation, and rewards. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Teachery Best for beginners who want to lots of customization options for their courses to match their business branding. It has unlimited courses and students but offers few integrations. Read More
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐	Affordability ⭐⭐⭐	Learning Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kajabi — Best Alternative For Large Enterprises

Kenny Rueter founded Kajabi in 2010 as an all-in-one platform for knowledge experts to successfully create, market, and sell their content online.

Kajabi’s top features:

• AI hub,
• Free and paid website templates,
• Courses, podcasts, and coaching products,
• Marketing automation,
• Ready-made sales funnels,
• Creator community.

Kajabi is the best alternative for entrepreneurs who need an all-in-one platform to serve as a hub for all of their online business needs. They take creator support to a higher level with free AI Creator Hub that helps you generate content and Kajabi University with tutorials to teach you everything you need to know — which makes Kajabi suitable for beginners, too. However, large teams with large communities will be the ones to find the most value in Kajabi.

Kajabi vs. Podia

Compared to Podia’s basic course process, Kajabi’s style is more sophisticated with a well-organized format for uploading videos. Also, you get to create quizzes and set passing grades on them, add images and descriptions, enable or disable notifications, and automate processes.

Furthermore, having your courses and an engaged community in one place increases retention and brand loyalty which is important for consistent revenue. To identify your most active members and encourage others to participate you can start a challenge, award points, and add the best performers on the leaderboard. The leaderboards show members how they are performing within the community and lets you track engagement.

Kajabi Pricing

Kajabi’s pricing plans start at $149/month with 3 products, 3 funnels, and 1,000 customers. To access more features, you’ll have to upgrade to the Growth plan at $199/month or Pro plan at $399/month. Kajabi also offers a 14-day trial period.

Use Kajabi if:

• You need to produce courses in bulk for a large community.
• You want better sales and marketing features.
• You’re an established course creator.

Not satisfied with the quick overview? We’ve got you covered! Check out our in-depth comparison of Kajabi vs Podia for a detailed analysis of which tool is best for your needs!

Simplero — Best Alternative For Simplicity and Clarity

Software developer and coach, Calvin Correli founded Simplero in 2010 as a platform that empowers knowledge experts to create, market and sell courses in a simple, fun, and easy way.

Simplero’s top features:

• Websites & landing pages,
• Courses & communities,
• Completion certificates,
• Course analytics,
• Marketing features like upsells, downsells, and coupons.

Simplero is perfect for creators who want to sell high-ticket courses or coaching sessions with flexible payment options.

Simplero vs. Podia

Compared to Podia, Simplero’s sales and marketing features are more appealing. It lets you bundle courses, coaching programs, videos, quizzes, and worksheets into a single offering with flexible payment options like paying in installments, using multiple cards, etc.

Simplero also provides done-for-you marketing campaigns to launch new products, promote sales & giveaways, and carry out surveys. You can also sell both digital and physical products.

Simplero Pricing

Simplero’s pricing plans start at $70.80/month with the basic features only but you get unlimited websites and hosting, unlimited emails and automation, 5 courses, 5 products, and one membership site.

If you are just starting out, you can utilize a 14-day free trial to make sure the platform works for you before investing.

And if you have a larger audience and want more value for money, you can upgrade to higher plans with more features. The “Scale” plan starts at $178.80/month, while the “Skyrocket” starts at $298.80/month.

You also get a 17% discount on annual billing (10 months) and 2 months for free.

Use Simplero if:

• You want to sell high-value products with flexible prices.
• You have no marketing experience and are looking for done-for-you campaigns for a boost in selling courses.

LearnWorlds — Best Alternative For Student Engagement

Panos Siozos, George Palaigeorgiou, and Fanis Despotakis founded LearnWorlds in 2014 to help educators create and sell courses online to build a community around sharing knowledge.

LearnWorlds’ top features:

• Drag-and-drop website builder,
• Gamification,
• Live videos,
• SCORM.

LearnWorlds is ideal for schools or organizations that want to create interactive learning experiences for their students and employees respectively.

LearnWorlds vs. Podia

LearnWorlds has flexible courses, quiz builders, and gamification features that make learning more engaging. Unlike Podia, LearnWorlds lets students create their own learning paths, use interactive videos, and earn badges and rewards, motivating them to keep learning.

LearnWorlds Pricing

LearnWorlds’ plans start at $29/month with unlimited paid courses and one admin. However, it also charges a 5% transaction fee for every course sale. For more features and zero transaction fees, you can upgrade to Pro Trainer at $99/month or Learning Center at $299/month.

Learnworlds is a cheaper option compared to Podia if you have a larger team that needs more admin.

Use LearnWorlds if:

• You want to increase student engagement with gamification and customized learning experiences.
• You’re looking for an affordable, scalable option for your virtual classes.

Skool — Best Alternative For Community Engagement and Retention

Sam Oven, a well-known marketer, launched Skool in 2019 to help creators engage and collaborate with their online community in fun ways.

Skool’s top features:

• Community,
• Gamification,
• Courses,
• Live streaming,
• Group funnel.

Skool is great for beginners and business owners who don’t want complex tools but need a powerful platform to create amazing communities. It’s also one of the cheapest online learning platforms.

Skool vs. Podia

Skool is a great alternative to Podia if your focus is on growing your community, increasing retention, and you have a predictable income. It offers gamification features like leaderboards, polls, texts, videos, and GIFs to keep members engaged. These fun features are also a perfect way of attracting more members compared to Podia’s basic community features.

Skool Pricing

Skool only offers one pricing plan starting at $99/month, ideal for creators with large communities offering unlimited courses. But if you’re just starting out and are looking to primarily monetize your offerings, Podia might be a better option with its marketing tools like email marketing, affiliate marketing, and website builder.

Use Skool if:

• You want to engage with your existing community in meaningful ways.
• You are looking for a less formal user experience.

Mighty Networks — Best Alternative For Social Engagement

Gina Bianchini, together with Tim Herby and Thomas Aaron, envisioned Mighty Networks as a platform that allows content creators to build their own culture in a unique, vibrant community away from social media noise.

Mighty Networks’ top features:

• Robust communities,
• Courses,
• Live streaming,
• Mobile application,
• Automated emails and CRM integrations.

Mighty Networks is ideal for creators who want to build a strong and lasting connection with their communities and increase brand loyalty.

Mighty Networks vs. Podia

Mighty Networks offers more advanced features when it comes to community.

Creators can engage with their community using polls, quizzes, live streams, and group messaging. On top of that, each member gets a customized activity feed.

Mighty Networks also lets members ask questions or make suggestions about the course. You can also create branded mobile apps so students can access your courses and community from anywhere.

Mighty Networks Pricing

Mighty Networks’ pricing starts at $39/month. But some of its features are locked, so creators with large communities will have to go with the Business plan or higher.

Mighty Networks also charges a 2-3% transaction fee for every product you sell. It’s worth noting that Podia doesn’t have any transaction fees, and its cheapest paid plans offer more sales and marketing features compared to Mighty Networks.

Use Mighty Networks if:

• You want to grow and monetize your community.
• You prefer building a community culture and using live streaming.

Xperiencify — Best Alternative For Increasing Course Completion Rate

In 2019 Marisa Murgatroyd and Murray Gray decided to create Xperiencify as an online course platform that focuses on making learning interesting and motivates more students to complete enrolled courses.

Xperiencify’s top features:

• Gamification,
• Community,
• Quizzes and assessments,
• Certification,
• Automation.

Educators with low course completion rates can use Xperiencify’s gamification and community features to motivate students to complete courses and achieve their goals.

Xperiencify vs. Podia

Both Podia and Xperiencify offer certificates, rewards, and badges for completing courses. However, Xperiencify offers more robust gamification features and rewards, including points, badges, and celebrations that encourage students to complete the courses they take. It also helps educators reinforce concepts and topics while students can demonstrate their skills and competence in the subject.

Xperiencify Pricing

Xperiencify’s plans start at $49/month, making it more expensive than Podia’s paid plan which starts at $39/month with unlimited courses, community, and one admin. But if you are looking for features to improve your course completion rates, then Xperiencify is the better option.

Use Xperiencify if:

• You want to increase your course completion rate.
• You want to make your courses more interesting and reinforce concepts.

Teachery — Best Alternative For Customization

In 2014, Jason Zook’s passion for online courses led him to start Teachery—a highly customizable and intuitive platform for course creators.

Teachery’s top features:

• Live course editor,
• Customizable course style,
• Course hub and drip content,
• Zapier integrations.

Teachery is best suited for beginners looking for a simple and customizable platform to personalize their courses so they match their business branding.

Teachery vs. Podia

First-time course creators will find Teachery easy to use because of its simple course creation tools. You can translate courses into any language while Podia supports only 11 languages. It’s a great tool to easily create courses and increase your brand reach.

Teachery Pricing

Teachery makes it easier for beginners with a monthly starter plan of $49/month and no transaction fees. You’ll get unlimited courses, students, landing pages, and an affiliate program to start your business. The highest paid plan is $470/year, with no transaction fees. Although both Teachery and Podia allow unlimited users on their paid plans, Teachery’s monthly plan is more expensive.

Use Teachery if:

• You want a user-friendly course creation platform for beginners.
• You want to reach more customers around the world.

The Final Verdict

There are hundreds of tools out there that can help you create, market, and sell your courses but the truth is, each tool excels in its own expertise.

We wanted this list to highlight these areas and show how you can get the most value out of your chosen platform. There’s no single platform that can perfectly satisfy a creator’s need even though they have everything under the same roof.

So here are our final recommendations:

• Kajabi for enterprises with a large community and content creation needs.
• Simplero for creators selling high-ticket products.
• LearnWorlds for educators who want to make their lessons interesting.
• Skool for creators looking to engage and create meaningful connections with their community.
• Mighty Networks for creators who want to establish a strong and lasting connection with their community members.
• Xperiencify for educators who use gamification to motivate their students to complete courses.
• Teachery for beginners looking to personalize their courses to match their brand.

Note: We tried, tested, and compared many popular online course creation platforms by now. If you’re looking for something specific, check out our comparisons & reviews. We’d recommend looking into Kajabi vs Teachable, Thinkific vs Mighty Networks, LearnDash vs Kajabi, Tutor LMS vs LearnDash, and more. Some of them even have free plans available 😉