Independent analysis. This page may contain affiliate links.
Course Platform Pricing Compared: Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi
Online course platforms range from lean tools that host your lessons for a small monthly fee to all-in-one suites that bundle marketing, email, and websites. The pricing models differ, and so does what you actually get for the money.
This comparison breaks down the leading options so you can match a platform to how you sell.
Quick comparison table
| Option | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Teachable | Simple, established course hosting | Free; paid from about $39/mo |
| Thinkific | Course businesses wanting flexible design | Free; paid from about $49/mo |
| Kajabi | All-in-one courses, funnels, and email | From about $149/mo |
| Podia | Courses, downloads, and memberships | Free; paid from about $39/mo |
| LearnWorlds | Interactive courses with quizzes and certificates | From about $24/mo |
| Udemy | Reaching a built-in marketplace audience | Free; revenue share per sale |
Pricing Models: Subscription vs Revenue Share
Self-hosted platforms charge a monthly subscription and let you keep the full sale minus payment processing fees. Marketplaces like Udemy list your course for free but take a substantial share of each sale in exchange for their traffic.
If you build your own audience, a subscription platform keeps more revenue per sale. If you lack an audience, a marketplace may generate sales a small site cannot, even after the revenue share.
Teachable
Teachable is one of the best-known course platforms, with a free plan for a single course and paid tiers that add more products, students, and features like quizzes. It is straightforward to set up and quick to launch.
It does not include a full marketing suite, so you will pair it with an email tool. For creators who mainly need reliable hosting and checkout, that simplicity is an advantage.
Thinkific
Thinkific emphasizes design flexibility and course structure, with a free plan and paid tiers that unlock more features and lower transaction fees as you climb. It suits businesses that want control over how courses look and are sequenced.
Like Teachable, it focuses on courses rather than all-in-one marketing, and you add your own email and landing pages as needed.
Kajabi
Kajabi bundles course hosting, email marketing, landing pages, and funnels into a single high-priced subscription. If you would otherwise pay for three or four separate tools, the total can be comparable while keeping everything in one dashboard.
For solo creators who do not need that much, the monthly cost is high. It makes most sense for businesses replacing a stack of tools.
Podia, LearnWorlds, and Udemy
Podia is a friendly option for courses, digital downloads, and memberships with no transaction fees on paid plans. LearnWorlds targets interactive learning with quizzes, certificates, and assessments. Udemy provides marketplace reach for creators without an audience.
Each fits a different seller: Podia for simple product businesses, LearnWorlds for training and certification, and Udemy for pure discovery-driven sales.
Pros
- Free plans on several platforms let you launch without upfront cost
- Self-hosted tools keep most of each sale, unlike marketplaces
- Kajabi consolidates several tools into one subscription
- Marketplaces such as Udemy provide ready-made traffic
Cons
- All-in-one platforms like Kajabi cost significantly more monthly
- Marketplaces take a large revenue share and withhold customer data
- Subscription platforms still need extra tools for email and pages
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Teachable or Kajabi?
Teachable is far cheaper to start. Kajabi costs more but includes email, funnels, and pages that you would otherwise pay for separately.
Do free course plans take a cut of sales?
Some do. Teachable and Thinkific charge a transaction fee on sales made on their free plans, which drops or disappears on paid tiers.
Should I sell only on Udemy?
Only if you lack an audience. Use Udemy for reach but keep your own platform to retain customers and margin.
Which platform is best for quizzes and certificates?
LearnWorlds is built for interactive learning with assessments and certificates, more so than Teachable or Thinkific.
Verdict
Choose Teachable or Thinkific for simple, affordable self-hosted courses, Kajabi if you want to replace a whole marketing stack, Podia for mixed digital products, and Udemy for marketplace reach. Match the model, not the feature list, to how you actually sell.