Thinkific vs Podia:
Which platform is right for your business?
We’ve broken down the key differences in pricing, features, and scalability so your team can make a confident decision.
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Thinkific vs. Podia
| Top Features | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Create courses with any content type | ||
| Host Coaching sessions or Webinars (free and paid) | On Mover or Shaker plan | |
| Build and deliver Digital Downloads | – | |
| Learning Communities | ||
| Easy to use landing pages, powered by AI | ||
| Email and chat support | Email and Live chat only | |
| Student course reviews | – | |
| App integrations | 90+ in the Thinkific App Store | |
| Automated tax collection |
Pricing & plans
Thinkific plans give experts, academies, and companies the tools and features they need to grow their business end-to-end.
| Plans | Thinkific | Podia | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific Basic vs. Podia Mover | $36/mo $432 billed annually | $33/mo $396 billed annually | -8.33% |
| Thinkific Start vs. Podia Shaker | $74/mo $888 billed annually | $75/mo $900 billed annually | 1.33% |
| Thinkific Grow vs. Podia Earthquaker | $149/mo $1,788 billed annually | $166/mo $1992 billed annually | 10.24% |
What’s important to online learning educators?
The right tool can help you build, market, and sell an unforgettable course experience worth paying for. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between Thinkific and Podia.
Course Creation
A user-friendly course builder is key to delivering engaging learning experiences.
Podia is built for solopreneurs and small teams, offering the basics to create a standard course. However, those seeking more advanced tools to build and sustain engaging learning experiences may hit limitations.
Thinkific is designed for growing education businesses and corporate teams. It’s simple to use and offers the ability to build, launch, and sell an entire course without a big learning curve.
| Course Creation | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| No design or technical experience required | ||
| Create courses with any content type | ||
| Downloadable content | ||
| Embed 3rd party tools and sites | ||
| Student surveys | – | |
| Embed many types of multimedia content, including Storyline, Captivate & More | – |
Learning Experience
A great learning experience is vital to your success as a training business. It helps learners learn more effectively and encourages them to share it with others, helping you grow.
Podia delivers a basic learning experience typical of most online course platforms.
Thinkific goes beyond with advanced features that elevate the learner’s experience from standard to exceptional. Plus, learners can leave reviews that you can share publicly, helping attract more buyers to your offering.
| Teaching and Learner Experience | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Sell memberships to a learning community | – | |
| Easy course navigation | ||
| Multiple Instructors | $20/mo per user | |
| Learner progress tracking | At the individual learner level, but don’t offer aggregate reporting. | |
| Learner course reviews | – | |
| Learner engagement survey | – | |
| Quizzes | Limited |
Sales and Marketing
Once your course is live, you need the right tools to reach your audience and drive revenue.
Podia provides a number of sales tools needed and a few basic marketing features to help you earn revenue from your course.
Thinkific provides everything you need to grow: build high-converting landing pages with AI, automate email marketing, and choose from 90+ no-code integrations – including ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Shopify, and Salesforce.
Thinkific also provides access to an expert marketplace where you can hire marketing consultants who are experts on the Thinkific platform to help you launch your course and generate more sales.
| Sales & Marketing | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Create free, paid, and time-limited courses | ||
| Email automation | Priced as an add-on | |
| Coupons and promotions | ||
| Subscriptions | ||
| Advanced Marketing Integrations (ie: Mixpanel, InfusionSoft, Segment.io etc.) | – | |
| Abandoned cart emails | – | |
| Currencies | 135+ | 29 |
| Affiliate program |
Everything you need to scale your training
From online courses and communities to memberships and digital downloads, Thinkific supports every way you want to share and scale your learning content.
1M+
courses published
35K+
businesses supported
$4.23B
earned by customers
Thinkific’s stand-out suite of features
Courses built to perform, not just exist
Training only creates value when learners complete it. Thinkific gives your team the tools to build great courses, and the learner experience to see them through.
Drag-and-drop course builder
AI-assisted course generation
Built-in AI teaching assistant
Live cohorts, self-paced, and blended formats
SCORM, video, and slide import
Quizzes, assignments, and certificates
Learning paths and prerequisites
Branded native mobile app
Communities built into the learning experience
Community lives inside the course. Discussions tie back to lessons, profiles show progress, and it all happens under one login.
Public and private spaces with course-gated access
Lesson-level discussions and comments
Posts, comments, reactions, and direct messaging
Member profiles with course progress
Live events and scheduled sessions
Moderation tools and admin roles
Branded iOS and Android mobile app with push notifications
Weekly email digests
Built for selling learning, not just taking payments
Run checkout, subscriptions, tax, and B2B invoicing in the same platform as your courses — no separate payment stack to wire up
Hosted checkout and order pages
One-time, subscription, and payment-plan pricing
Coupons, bundles, upsells, and order bumps
Multi-currency and local currency at checkout
Automated sales tax and VAT
B2B invoicing, POs, and seat licensing
Refunds, dunning, and failed-payment recovery
Revenue, MRR, and churn reporting
Scalable solutions to drive business growth
Thinkific plans give experts, academies, and companies the tools and features they need to grow their business end-to-end.
Basic
Foundational features and support for your learning business.
$49/mo
Save $156
by billing annually
$36/mo
$49/mo
Save $156
by billing annually
Basic includes:
Unlimited courses with video lessons, quizzes, and student discussions
1 community with DMs and weekly digests
5 digital downloads
(e.g. e-books, workbooks, templates)
Basic sales tools including order bumps, gifting, and coupons
Abandon cart emails to recover lost sales
Reporting and analytics for growth insights
A custom domain for your brand
Most Popular!
Start
Advanced features to drive recurring revenue and scale up.
$99
Save $300
by billing annually
$74
$99
Save $300
by billing annually
Everything in Basic, plus:
Unlimited live events and coaching sessions with Zoom integration
Certificates, assignments and compliance tools
Advanced sales tools
(e.g. bundles, post-purchase upsells, payment plans)
Membership and subscription programs
Customizable site design
(HTML and CSS)
2 course administrator accounts
Grow
Advanced commerce features to help you sell more and professional support.
$199
Save $600
by billing annually
$149
$199
Save $600
by billing annually
Everything in Start, plus:
3 communities for audience segmentation
Remove Thinkific branding across your website and products
Enhanced analytics with enrolment and engagement insights
Invoicing to send, track, and manage customer payments
Group orders for bulk purchases and seat assignments
Third party integrations via API and webhooks
Phone and priority chat support
Premium services designed for high-growth businesses and teams.
Schedule a call with our team and tailor a plan unique to your business needs.
Everything in Grow, plus:
Custom limits built for your business
SCORM-compliant courses
Learning paths with progression mapping
Branded mobile app included on select Plus plans
Advanced analytics with custom dashboards and automated exports
Single Sign On (SSO) and advanced security
CRM integrations with Hubspot and Salesforce
Priority support with email, phone, and chat
Dedicated on-boarding with step-by-step support for your launch
All prices are in USD and charged per site with applicable taxes added at checkout.
Curious how Thinkific compares to alternative platforms?
We’ve broken down the key differences and features below to help guide your research.
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Thinkific vs. Learnworlds
Thinkific vs. Kajabi
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel or change my account at any time?
Yes. You can cancel, upgrade or downgrade your account at any time from within your site dashboard.
Do I need a web host?
Your site is fully hosted with Thinkific; you don’t need anything else. Secure hosting and e-commerce are included.
Do I own my own content?
Absolutely! You always own your student data and your content. We’ll never market to your students, and you can export your data at any time.
How are payments processed?
Full e-commerce payment processing is included. Accept all major credit cards with a simple and secure checkout, and receive instant access to your funds in your account. We provide an SSL certificate to help ensure that all your data and customer information is secure. Note that transaction fees may apply if third party payment processors are used.
What is a Community?
A Thinkific Community is an online learning environment where students can engage in an interactive, communal learning experience. It shifts learning from a ‘one-sided’ experience to a collaborative, ‘two-way’ exchange.
Thinkific Communities allow you and your audience to connect globally, build trust and loyalty, and collaborate socially. You can build a community around your existing content to add even more value to your online courses, or create a community as a stand-alone, sellable product!
You can create a dedicated space for students to share knowledge and foster relationships while keeping the focus on your brand. Each community is a dedicated page on your Thinkific site where students and instructors can interact through posts and comments.
What are Digital Downloads?
Build a new lead and revenue stream with Digital Downloads! Drive leads or launch a new revenue stream by showcasing your unique genius and expertise. Upload or repurpose existing content – common digital downloads include eBooks, PDFs, templates, workbooks, guides, and spreadsheets.
Digital Downloads can also help you get started and earn more, faster. Whether you are just starting with Thinkific or already have existing products, setting up digital downloads is quick and easy – upload your file, price your product, and create a beautiful landing page using AI within minutes, not hours or days.
What are Coaching & Webinars?
Forge deeper connections and drive leads and revenue with Coaching & Webinars! Elevate engagement with your audience while boosting your bottom line.
With Coaching & Webinars, you can create and offer access for your 1:1 or 1:many live offerings for your leads and existing customers. Coaching sessions, webinars, or office hours – it can be just about anything you can think of!
“Thinkific offers exceptional scalability, enabling businesses to grow their course offerings and student base without any limitations. It can handle unlimited courses, students, and bandwidth, ensuring businesses can expand their e-learning offerings without worrying about technical constraints.”
Guy Marion
Chief Marketing Officer
Ready to create exceptional courses that scale?
Join thousands of professional educators who trust Thinkific to power their online businesses.
