LMS Softwares (Online Course)

Podia: My Unbiased Review of This Online Course Platform

Podia is a simple solution to host and monetize your training and digital content. Discover my unbiased review 2025 now!

TRY NOW Podia
Sell your online courses - Start for FRE
4.8

/5 | 345 reviews ⭐️

hero img blog

🟢 Free Version

🟢 Free Trial

❌ Free Version

💵 Start from  

39

💲

/mo

🗺 HQ :United States

📆 Last Update :

10/2025

📊 Key Takeaways

Podia is an all-in-one LMS designed for creators, trainers, coaches, and entrepreneurs looking to sell online courses, digital downloads, and memberships.

Launched in 2014, it has over 150,000 users and a 4.7/5 rating on Capterra.

access to Podia templates

A major advantage of Podia lies in its ease of use and integration of all features needed to manage an online store, allowing everything to be managed without technical skills through an intuitive interface, customizable site templates, and integrated email marketing.

What is Podia?

Podia is a SaaS solution that enables creation of an online store to sell digital products like courses, e-books, webinars, or subscriptions.

It integrates a customizable website with modular site or sales page templates, allowing users to choose a pre-designed template and easily adapt it to their needs, an e-learning platform, and marketing tools (email, affiliates).

Unlike Kajabi or Teachable, Podia focuses on simplicity and zero transaction fees on its premium plan, offering a seamless experience for creators.

Who is Podia for?

Podia platform audience

The Podia SaaS software is ideal for:

  • Content creators: Bloggers, YouTubers, or podcasters selling courses or e-books.
  • Trainers and coaches: For online training or individual coaching.
  • Small businesses: SMEs launching memberships or digital products.
  • Independents: Consultants or freelancers monetizing their expertise.

Example: A fitness coach uses Podia software to sell a training program and manage a paid community.

Key Features

Podia key features
  • Online courses: Create courses with videos, quizzes, and drip content (progressive).
  • Digital downloads: Sell PDFs, audio, or e-books.
  • Memberships: Manage communities with various subscription plans on this platform
  • Website: Build an SEO-optimized storefront without coding.
  • Email marketing: Automations, segmentation, and campaigns included.
  • Integrations: Zapier, Stripe, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and more.
  • 24/7 Support: Responsive live chat, rated 4.8/5.

Podia stands out through several important aspects, particularly interface simplicity, intuitive content management, and customization options offered to users. The platform also allows offering different content forms, like PDFs, audio files, videos, or e-books, to meet all creator needs.

2025 Tips: Podia added eye-catching landing pages to boost conversions.

Podia Pricing

Podia offers two paid plans with a 30-day free trial:

💰 Mover vs Shaker Pricing Plans (2025)
📦 Plan 💵 Price 📉 Transaction Fees ⚙️ Key Features
Mover $33/month
($396/year)
5% – Unlimited courses
– Email marketing (up to 100 subscribers)
– Integrated and hosted website
– Basic analytics (signups, sales)
Shaker $75/month
($900/year)
0% – Everything in Mover
– Integrated affiliates
– Live webinars
– Optimized checkout (integrated payment)
– Advanced analytics and third-party integrations
Pro $149/month
($1,788/year)
0% – Everything in Shaker
– Multi-school or multi-site management
– Community spaces (integrated forum/Slack type)
– Priority support and SLA
– Extended marketing automations

Email add-on: Free up to 100 subscribers, then $9/month (500 subscribers) to $63/month (10,000).

How to Sign Up and Log In?

Podia signup
  1. Visit www.podia.com.
  2. Click "Start for free" and create an account with email/password.
  3. Test all features for 30 days without a credit card.
  4. Log in via app.podia.com with your credentials.
  5. Configure your site, add products, and integrate Stripe for payments.

Types of Content to Sell

Podia website interface

Podia supports:

  • Online courses: Structured training with videos and quizzes.
  • Memberships: Paid communities with exclusive content.
  • Digital downloads: E-books, templates, audio files, or PDFs.
  • Webinars: Live or pre-recorded sessions (Shaker plan).
  • Coaching: Individual sessions via integrations like Calendly.

However, Podia is mainly suited for simple or moderately-sized projects and may show its limits for more complex or large-scale projects.

Podia vs Competition Comparison

🔍 2025 Comparison — Podia vs Kajabi vs Teachable vs Thinkific
📦 Tool ⭐ Rating / 5 🎯 Target Audience 💵 Base Price ✅ Key Features ⚠️ Notable Limits
Podia 4.5 ★★★★☆ Creators & independents in intermediate phase ≈ $39 / month
(≈ $33/month billed annually)
– Integrated email marketing
– Course sales, downloads, subscriptions, coaching
– Zero transaction fees on paid plans
– Fluid and intuitive interface
– Limited educational tools (advanced quizzes, assessments)
– No advanced native gamification
– Premium support only on higher plans
Kajabi 4.7 ★★★★☆ Infopreneurs & premium creators seeking all-in-one ≈ $119 / month (base plan) – Complete platform (site, marketing, membership, automation)
– Sales funnels and integrated email marketing
– Mobile app for students
– 24/7 customer support
– High cost to start
– Less flexible for advanced pedagogy
– Price increases with more contacts
Teachable 4.3 ★★★★☆ Structured course creators, pedagogy-oriented ≈ $39 / month (with transaction fees on base plan) – Quizzes, certificates, drip content, assessments
– Support for varied lesson formats
– Intuitive and clear interface
– Flexible course structure
– Transaction fees on basic plans
– Less integrated marketing tools
– Limited support depending on chosen plan
Thinkific 4.6 ★★★★☆ Schools, academies & creators seeking control and structure Free (base plan) / ≈ $49 / month (beginner plan) – Free version available
– Advanced customization + extension marketplace
– Quizzes, student forums, detailed structure
– No transaction fees on paid plans
– Limited integrated marketing compared to Podia/Kajabi
– Longer learning curve
– Some functions require external integrations

Podia is more affordable and simple than Kajabi, but less feature-rich. Teachable and Thinkific offer more advanced educational tools, but Podia shines with its integrated marketing.

Advantages and Disadvantages

third-party solution integrations (social media, emailing, productivity, etc.)

Advantages:

  • Simplicity: Intuitive interface, ideal for beginners.
  • All-in-one: Site, courses, email, and secure payments in one platform.
  • Responsive support: 24/7 assistance via chat, highly appreciated.
  • Flexibility: Sell courses, subscriptions, or downloads without limits.

Disadvantages:

  • Limited customization: Less flexible than Kajabi or Thinkific.
  • No mobile app: Management only via browser.
  • Email fees: Additional costs for large subscriber lists.
Discover the EXCLUSIVE deal by clicking here
arrow CTA right

Integrated Affiliate Program to Increase Sales

Podia lets you launch an affiliate program in a few clicks. You invite your partners, set the commission rate, and the platform generates unique links for each affiliate. The program is based on commission exchange: in return for promoting or selling your digital products, your partners receive a share of revenue, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Podia affiliate program specifics

Performance tracking is clear: number of clicks, sales, and owed commissions are visible in real-time. Affiliate payments are managed manually, but information is easy to retrieve. It's a good lever to increase visibility and sales without a fixed budget.

  • Quick and simple setup.
  • Customizable commissions per product.
  • Dashboard to track performance.
  • Payments managed manually via PayPal or Stripe.

Podia Customer Support

Customer support is one of Podia's strengths, known for its responsiveness and efficiency. The team stands out for quick response times to requests, ensuring personalized and effective follow-up.

Podia Support Contact Options

Wondering how to contact Podia customer service?

Here are some options:

  • By email: A traditional but effective option.
  • Via chat widget: Although not live chat, it's more convenient than constant email exchanges.

In summary, you can reach the Podia team in minutes during business hours, but expect longer delays outside these hours and on weekends. Response quality remains constant though, even during high-traffic periods.

Podia Knowledge Base

Podia doesn't leave you on your own; their knowledge base is there to help.

  • Free guides: Find articles on course creation, marketing, sales funnels, and more.
  • No Facebook community: Note that Podia doesn't yet have a Facebook community, unlike some competitors.
  • Available on Shaker plan at $79/month: Podia will move your content and audience from another platform for free.

If you're looking to switch to Podia, this free migration service is a bargain, a feature rarely seen with other course platform providers.

As a concluding tool, Podia's customer support is one of its most impressive assets, offering administrators various support options, a rich knowledge base, and even a free migration service on their Shaker plan.

Conclusion

This all-in-one platform contains EVERYTHING you need to market and sell your work online.

From training to digital downloads, webinars, community building, coaching, and much more.

earn money with your online course business on Podia

Whether you're a beginner or experienced user, you'll be ready to sell in no time.

You can create a custom website, add affiliates, run paid ads, and send email marketing campaigns, all from one convenient place.

The platform also comes with tons of resources to help you on your journey, including a blog, help center, video tutorials, guides, free tools, live demos, and much more.

Podia brings real added value to creators and trainers by offering them concrete tools to develop their business. Investing in Podia fits into a long-term vision, ideal for those wanting to build a lasting relationship with their audience and achieve their goals over time.

You can read more details in my comparative review of Podia VS Thinkific.

FAQ

Is Podia available in multiple languages like French and English?

Yes, Podia works in English, but can be used in French through interface and created content adjustments. Creators can thus reach varied learner groups depending on chosen language.

What is Podia's approach to payments and course access?

Podia directly integrates payments via Stripe and PayPal, offering a secure environment. Once payment is made, access to digital products or training is automatic and fluid for customers.

Is Podia a premium solution or rather affordable?

With its Mover plan at $39/month and Shaker at $79/month, Podia isn't a luxury premium tool, but rather an effective and simple solution. It brings something essential: the ability to launch a business without technical complexity.

Can you analyze sales and content performance on Podia?

Yes, Podia includes analysis of sales, subscribers, and user behavior. This functionality helps understand in which cases your training or products work best and how to optimize your ROI.

How does Podia integrate into the daily life of an entrepreneur or business?

Podia simplifies creators' lives: it centralizes course, community, and sales management. Whether for a small business or independent, the tool becomes a reference name for digital product management.

TRANSPARENCY ON PARTNERSHIPS
We carefully choose the software, platforms, and services we recommend based on their quality and reliability. Our team tests and approves them, regardless of any business agreements.If you make a purchase or sign up through our partner links, we may earn a commission. This doesn’t cost you extra and helps keep our content free.

You might also like...

Check out more reviews to learn something new. Explore a variety of tools and resources that could be helpful and give you fresh ideas.