TL;DR: Thinkific fits course-first creators who want a published Basic row around $40/mo (annual) with 0% Thinkific-Payments platform fee. Teachable fits creators who will either accept a Starter transaction fee (published 7.5% on Starter) or jump to Builder to drop that fee. Podia fits course-plus-digital-products sellers on a Mover/Shaker ladder (Mover still carries a platform fee). Kajabi fits creators buying the all-in-one (site, email, funnels) at Basic $143/mo annual / $179 monthly after the 2026 plan reset β not a $40 course SKU.
An online course platform hosts lessons, checkout and student access. It is not a corporate LMS (Kurums already compares LMS software) and it is not Udemy-style marketplace revenue share.
Every entry uses the same fields: published subscription, platform transaction fee, what else is bundled and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Lowest published course-first subscription first. Kajabi last because the 2026 Basic row is an all-in-one price.
Online course platforms compared at a glance
| Provider | Published subscription | Platform fee on entry plan | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific | Basic $40/mo, Start $82/mo, Grow $164/mo on recent thinkific.com/pricing reads (annual positioning). Plus is quote | 0% on Thinkific Payments; external gateways can add 1β5% | Course-first schools | Visit β |
| Teachable | Starter / Builder / Growth on teachable.com/pricing. Teachable has published Starter with a 7.5% fee and Builder from $69 annual / $89 monthly with 0% platform fee | 7.5% on Starter; 0% on Builder+ | Creators who will do the fee-vs-subscription math | Visit β |
| Podia | Mover ~$42/mo with 5% fee; Shaker ~$84/mo at 0% fee (confirm live) | 5% on Mover | Courses plus downloads and memberships | Visit β |
| Kajabi | Basic $143/mo annual ($179 monthly), Growth $199 ($249), Pro $399 ($499) after the January 2026 reset | 0% on Kajabi Payments (card processing still applies) | All-in-one course + email + funnel | Visit β |
Plan names and fee rows were cross-checked against vendor pricing pages and 2026 plan-change notes on 15 September 2026. Card processing (~2.9% + $0.30 in the US) sits under every β0% platform fee.β Confirm the live annual toggle.
Three products can be a course storefront. Kajabi is a marketing suite that happens to host courses.
Subscription versus take-rate
Teachable Starter at a low subscription plus 7.5% loses to Builder once monthly sales cross the fee. Thinkific Basic at $40 with 0% platform fee on Thinkific Payments wins on take-home at modest volume β until you need Kajabiβs email and funnel bundle.
The four providers in detail
1. Thinkific
COURSE-FIRST, 0% ON THEIR PAYMENTS
Best for: creators whose product is the course, not a 12-step funnel stack.
| Published subscription | Basic $40 / Start $82 / Grow $164 per month on 2026 pricing-page reads. Plus quote |
| Platform fee | 0% on Thinkific Payments. External Stripe-style gateways can add 1β5% |
| Bundled extras | Course hosting, student areas, affiliates on higher rows. Not Kajabi email |
| Free plan / trial | Trial. No lasting $0 school |
| Main limitation | Use Thinkific Payments if you want the 0% row to stay honest |
- Model $40 + card processing, not $40 all-in.
- Start vs Grow is student/admin and feature gates β read the live grid.
- Corporate training belongs on an LMS comparison, not here.
2. Teachable
FEE ON STARTER, 0% ON BUILDER
Best for: creators who will calculate the 7.5% Starter fee against Builderβs higher subscription.
| Published subscription | Starter / Builder / Growth. Builder has been listed at $69/mo annual and $89 monthly with 0% platform fee. Starter is cheaper and keeps a 7.5% take-rate |
| Platform fee | 7.5% Starter; 0% Builder+. Card processing extra |
| Bundled extras | Teachable Payments VAT/GST remittance is a Teachable marketing point on Builder β verify for your countries |
| Free plan / trial | Short trial. No $0 production school |
| Main limitation | Leaving Starter too late is how 7.5% quietly exceeds Builder |
- At $1,000/month sales, 7.5% is $75 β already in Builder territory.
- Do not compare Starterβs headline subscription to Thinkific Basic without the fee.
- Growth is for team and volume gates, not for βfeeling enterprise.β
3. Podia
COURSES PLUS DIGITAL PRODUCTS
Best for: sellers who mix courses with downloads, memberships or coaching on one storefront.
| Published subscription | Mover ~$42/mo with 5% platform fee; Shaker ~$84/mo at 0% fee on 2026 reads. Confirm podia.com/pricing |
| Platform fee | 5% on Mover. Card processing extra |
| Bundled extras | Digital products and email-lite features. Not Kajabiβs full funnel suite |
| Free plan / trial | Trial |
| Main limitation | Moverβs 5% is the same trap as Teachable Starter. Do the crossover math |
- Pick Podia when the offer is a mix, not a single evergreen course.
- Shaker exists to kill the 5%.
- Community-first creators should also look at Circle/Skool β different category.
4. Kajabi
ALL-IN-ONE AFTER THE 2026 RESET
Best for: creators who will actually use email, funnels and the site builder, not only a video outline.
| Published subscription | Basic $143/mo billed annual ($179 monthly), Growth $199 ($249), Pro $399 ($499). Kickstarter-style cheap entry was removed in the January 2026 reset |
| Platform fee | 0% on Kajabi Payments. Processing still applies. Contact and product caps on Basic (2,500 contacts / 5 products on published 2026 tables) |
| Bundled extras | This is the product: pipeline + email + course |
| Free plan / trial | Trial |
| Main limitation | If you only need a course player, you are buying a marketing suite |
- Do not put Kajabi Basic next to Thinkific $40 as if they were the same SKU.
- Watch the 2,500-contact cap. That is the Growth trigger.
- VAT remittance is not automatic in every Kajabi Payments country β read the current list.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
One course, modest sales, want 0% platform fee
Thinkific Basic on Thinkific Payments.
We will cross ~$1,000/month soon
Teachable Builder (kill the 7.5%) or Thinkific. Run the fee math.
We sell courses and downloads together
Podia Shaker if you want 0% platform fee.
We need email + funnels + course in one login
Kajabi, and we will use the other modules.
This is employee training
Wrong article. Use the LMS comparison.
Buying tip: write last-month sales and contact count. Add platform fee + card processing + subscription. That total, not the homepage βfrom,β is the comparison.
How this comparison was put together
Vendor pricing pages and 2026 Kajabi/Teachable plan notes, 15 September 2026. Card-network fees are not vendor platform fees. No paid placement. Kurums did not enrol a live student cohort on all four.
Order is course-first subscription first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is β0% transaction feeβ actually 0%?
It means the platform does not add a take-rate. Stripe/Kajabi/Thinkific Payments still charge processing.
When do I leave Teachable Starter?
When 7.5% of sales exceeds the gap to Builder. Often around four figures of monthly revenue.
Should we use Udemy instead?
Udemy is a marketplace with revenue share. Different motion.
Did we test student UX?
No. Buy one test seat on a trial and take the course yourself.
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