Podia alternatives in 2026: 8 options for courses, downloads, and coaching
Podia now starts at $49 a month with a 5% fee on its entry plan. Here are 8 Podia alternatives with real prices and fees, checked September 2026.
Podia's entry plan, Mover, costs $49 a month ($42 billed yearly) and takes 5% of every sale. To drop the fee you need Shaker at $99 a month ($84 yearly). Every plan includes a small email list (100 to 1,000 subscribers) before add-ons. The best Podia alternative depends on what you use most: Eden for courses, coaching, and AI products from $29 a month plus 5%, Payhip if you want a free plan, Thinkific or Teachable for a course-first setup, Mighty Networks if community is the product, and Kajabi if you want everything and can pay $179 a month.
This guide is for creators on Podia now, or comparing it with other tools before they start. Full disclosure: we make Eden, which is first on this list. Every price and fee below was checked on each company's own pricing page or help center in September 2026. Payment processing (usually 2.9% + 30¢ per US card sale) applies on every platform and is left out of the platform fees unless we say otherwise.
What Podia costs now
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Podia fee | Email subscribers | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mover | $49 | $42/mo | 5% | 100 | 50 |
| Shaker | $99 | $84/mo | 0% | 500 | 150 |
| Earthquaker | $179 | $150/mo | 0% | 1,000 | Unlimited |
Every plan includes courses, digital downloads, coaching, events, a community, a website and blog, a custom domain, and built-in checkout. Shaker adds affiliate marketing, upsells, PayPal, and Zapier. More email subscribers cost extra: on Mover, going from 100 to 500 adds $10 a month. There's a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
That's a fair deal if you use most of it. A website, a store, a community, and email in one login is the honest case for Podia.
Why people leave Podia
These are the changes and limits Podia has published itself:
- The free plan is gone. Podia removed its free plan on October 14, 2024 and replaced it with a trial. Its reason: a free plan "makes it too easy to build without ever being forced to take the leap." If you were testing ideas for free, that door closed.
- The entry plan takes a cut. Mover is $49 a month and still takes 5% of each sale. Getting to 0% doubles the bill to $99.
- The email list is small. 100 subscribers on Mover is a starter list, not a business. Many creators end up paying for Podia's email add-ons or a separate tool like Kit.
- Upsells and affiliates cost more. Both are on Shaker and up, not on Mover.
- The new Podia changed how it works. Podia moved every account to what it calls "the new Podia," with community built into every site. Podia's help center says the migration is one-way and required. Public community topics were removed, and free community plans no longer exist (free products replace them). If you liked Podia as a simple store, it now leans hard toward community.
The short version
| Platform | Best for | Price from | Platform fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden | Courses, coaching, and AI products from one workspace | $29/mo | 5% |
| Payhip | Downloads and simple courses with no monthly bill | Free | 5% on Free |
| Teachable | A straight course platform | $39/mo ($29 yearly) | 7.5% on Starter |
| Thinkific | Unlimited courses and a 30-day trial | $54/mo ($40 yearly) | 0% |
| Kajabi | The full suite: site, funnels, email, and community | $179/mo | 0% |
| Stan Store | Selling from your link in bio | $29/mo | 0% |
| Gumroad | Selling files with tax handled for you | Free | 10% + 50¢ |
| Mighty Networks | A community-first business with courses and events | $79/mo | 2% on Launch |
1. Eden
Eden is a creator workspace with a store built in. You write lessons, notes, and files in Eden, then sell them as a course, a cohort, a coaching offer, a membership, a digital download, or a bundle. Every product sits on your free link-in-bio page at your handle.
What it does well:
- The product types Podia sells. Courses with lesson checkmarks, cohorts with seats and live sessions, memberships billed monthly or yearly, downloads, and bundles.
- Coaching with more structure. Packages, applications for high-ticket offers, intake questions, and booking on your Google Calendar with Google Meet links (or a Calendly or Cal.com link). Each client gets a space with calls left, recordings, and shared notes.
- Selling tools on the entry plan. Order bumps, discount codes, timed sales, and testimonials. Pro at $79 adds up to 3 one-click upsells after checkout and an affiliate program. On Podia, upsells and affiliates start at $99 a month.
- A Custom AI product. An AI built from your course that buyers can ask about the lesson they're on. Podia has nothing like it. See how to sell a custom AI.
Where it falls short: Eden has no built-in email broadcasts. It sends buyers and signups to your email list in Kit, beehiiv, GoHighLevel, or Substack instead. There's no community or forum, no custom domain, and no blog or website builder. Your store lives at your-handle.eden.so. Eden isn't the merchant of record, so sales tax through Stripe is yours to handle.
The fee math: Eden Starter and Podia Mover both take 5%, and Eden costs $20 a month less. Shaker at $99 a month with 0% is where Podia's upsells and affiliates live. Eden Pro ($79 + 5%) is cheaper than Shaker until you sell about $400 a month, or about $100 a month against Shaker billed yearly ($84). Eden Starter is cheaper than Shaker until about $1,400 a month, but it has no upsells or affiliates.
Price: free to build. Selling needs Starter at $29/mo, Pro at $79/mo, or Studio at $199/mo. Eden takes 5% per sale, and Stripe's processing comes out of your share.
Best for: creators who sell courses and coaching and want buyers to get help, not just files.
2. Payhip
Payhip sells downloads, courses, memberships, and coaching, with every feature on every plan. Only the fee changes. It collects and pays EU and UK VAT and US and Canadian sales tax for you.
Where it falls short: the course tools are basic, and the storefront is plain.
Price: Free with a 5% fee, Plus $29/mo with 2%, Pro $99/mo with 0%.
Best for: Podia users who miss the free plan.
3. Teachable
Teachable is a course platform first, with sales pages, coupons, and unlimited students on every plan.
Where it falls short: Starter takes 7.5% per sale and allows only 5 products. The fee drops to 0% on Builder at $89 a month (when you use teachable:pay). More in Teachable alternatives.
Price: Starter $39/mo ($29 yearly), Builder $89/mo ($69 yearly), Growth $189/mo ($139 yearly). 7-day trial.
Best for: a course-only business ready to grow into Builder.
4. Thinkific
Thinkific gives you unlimited courses on every plan and a 30-day free trial. There's no platform fee on Thinkific Payments.
Where it falls short: the Basic plan allows only 5 digital downloads. Using Stripe or PayPal directly adds a gateway fee that varies by plan.
Price: Basic $54/mo ($40 yearly), Start $109/mo ($82 yearly), Grow $219/mo ($164 yearly).
Best for: creators with several courses who want a long trial first.
5. Kajabi
Kajabi covers most of what Podia does and adds more: funnels, email marketing, automations on Growth and up, and a branded mobile app on Pro. Kajabi says it takes no revenue share.
Where it falls short: it starts at $179 a month, more than three times Podia Mover. More in Kajabi alternatives.
Price: Basic $179/mo ($143 yearly), Growth $249/mo, Pro $499/mo. Kajabi Payments costs 2.7% to 2.9% + 30¢.
Best for: creators who have outgrown Podia's email caps and want one tool for all of it.
6. Stan Store
Stan turns your link in bio into a store for downloads, courses, coaching, and memberships, with 0% transaction fees on both plans.
Where it falls short: discount codes, upsells, and email broadcasts are on the $99 Creator Pro plan. See Stan Store fees.
Price: Creator $29/mo, Creator Pro $99/mo.
Best for: creators who sell from Instagram or TikTok.
7. Gumroad
Gumroad has no monthly fee and is the merchant of record, so it handles sales tax and VAT for you.
Where it falls short: 10% + 50¢ per direct sale plus processing, and 30% on sales through its Discover marketplace. Its course and coaching tools are thin. More in Gumroad alternatives.
Price: no monthly fee.
Best for: selling files without a monthly bill or tax paperwork.
8. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks is built around the community, with courses, events, and memberships inside it. If the new Podia's community focus appeals to you, Mighty goes further.
Where it falls short: it costs more than Podia, and every plan takes a fee.
Price: Launch $79/mo with a 2% fee, Scale $179/mo with 1%, Growth $354/mo with 0.5%. Two months free when billed yearly.
Best for: creators whose members stay for each other.
Which one should you pick?
- Choose Eden if you sell courses and coaching and want an AI tutor on a $29 plan, with upsells and affiliates on $79.
- Choose Payhip if you want a free plan back.
- Choose Teachable or Thinkific if you only sell courses.
- Choose Kajabi if you need built-in email and funnels and can pay for them.
- Choose Stan if you sell from your link in bio.
- Choose Mighty Networks if community is the product.
- Stay on Podia if you use its website, email, and community every week and want them in one login. Moving only pays off if the new tool covers what you use.
How to move from Podia to Eden
- Rebuild the course. Create a course in Eden and add your lessons. For each video, paste a YouTube, Loom, or Vimeo link, or upload the file. See sell a course.
- Set the price and publish. Connect Stripe and publish on Starter or above.
- Bring your buyers. Import your existing customers so they get access without paying again.
- Connect your email tool. Send new buyers and signups to Kit, beehiiv, GoHighLevel, or Substack.
Want to keep Podia's checkout for now? Eden supports Podia as your own checkout through Zapier, so each Podia sale gives access in Eden.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Podia cost in 2026?
Mover is $49 a month, Shaker is $99, and Earthquaker is $179. Billed yearly, they come to $42, $84, and $150 a month.
Does Podia still have a free plan?
No. Podia removed its free plan on October 14, 2024. New users get a 14-day free trial with no card needed.
Does Podia charge transaction fees?
Mover takes 5% of each sale. Shaker and Earthquaker charge no Podia fee. Stripe or PayPal processing applies on every plan.
What is the cheapest Podia alternative?
Payhip's free plan has no monthly bill and takes 5%. For courses, coaching, and memberships, Eden starts at $29 a month plus 5%. Upsells and affiliates need Pro at $79.
Can I move my Podia course to Eden?
Yes. Rebuild the lessons as a course in Eden, then import your customers so they keep access without paying again.
Want to see your course with an AI tutor inside it? Start Eden free, build the course, and publish when you're ready.