Thinkific vs Podia Pricing (2026)
Compare / Thinkific vs Podia
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Team size
25 seats

Thinkific vs Podia

LMS & E-Learning pricing comparison · 2026

Thinkific pricing ranges from $99–$499/month, while Podia ranges from $39–$89/month. Podia is typically 79% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Thinkific pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Podia pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · LMS & E-Learning
Side-by-side · live
Thinkific
Thinkific is a leading online course platform headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, enabling
verified 20d ago
$708 $36K
View pricing →
Podia
Podia is a streamlined all-in-one platform for creators to sell online courses, digital do
verified 27d ago
$708 $36K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Podia saves $35K vs Thinkific · 25 seats
Cheapest $708
Spread 98%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Grow
$60K/yr
year 1 license · $199/seat
Shaker
$27K/yr
year 1 license · $89/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$36K/yr
Vendr · n=20
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$708/yr
Vendr · n=53
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 9 sourced facts
7 hidden-cost · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 8 sourced facts
4 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Limited Features on Lower-Tier Plans
    20-40% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Transaction Fees on Free Plan
    10% of revenue + $1 per transaction
    1 source
  • Steep Price Jump to Higher Tiers
    $3,000-$6,000/year
    2 sources
  • Additional Community Costs
    $500-$1,500/year
    1 source
  • Payment Processing Fees
    2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
    1 source
4 documented
  • Transaction fees on paid plans
    5-8% of license costs
    1 source
  • Email sending fees
    10-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Zapier integration costs for basic functionality
    $20-$100/month
    1 source
  • Third-party video hosting required
    $7-$75/month
    1 source
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
7.9/5 (83)
Best for
Solo creators launching with full commerce tools from day one
Watch out
Expensive pricing for higher-tier plans
TrustRadius
7.7/5 (3)
Trustpilot
2/5 (24)
Best for
New creators selling their first digital products with simple needs
Watch out
Poor and slow customer support
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Thinkific pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Podia pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
LMS & E-Learning

Thinkific

$99–$499
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
LMS & E-Learning

Podia

$39–$89
/month
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Thinkific and Podia both operate in the lms & e-learning category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Thinkific Podia
Start $99 /month $39 /month
Grow $199 /month $89 /month
Expand $499 /month —
Plus Custom —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Thinkific

7 scenarios
Start plan at $74/month (annual) with TCommerce for 0% fees + Stripe processing (~$74/mo) + external email tool ($13/mo) = ~$161/month total. Revenue: ~$2,450/mo.
First-Time Course Creator
Start plan at $74/month (annual) with 0% transaction fees + Stripe processing (~$150/mo) + email marketing ($29/mo) = ~$253/month total. Includes live lessons and memberships.
Creator with Live Workshops
Grow plan at $149/month (annual) with branding removal, API access, bulk tools + Stripe processing (~$300/mo) + email ($50/mo) = ~$499/month total.
Education Business with White-Label
See all 7 scenarios →

Podia

3 scenarios
Mover plan at $33/month (annual) + 5% transaction fee ($25/mo) + Stripe processing (~$15/mo) = ~$73/month total. Simple and affordable for low-volume sales.
Hobbyist Creator with a Side Hustle
Shaker plan at $75/month (annual) + 0% transaction fees + Stripe processing (~$90/mo) + email add-on for 500 subscribers (~$15/mo) = ~$180/month total. The 0% fee saves $150/mo vs Mover at this revenue.
Growing Creator Ready to Scale
Shaker plan at $75/month (annual) + 2 team members ($40/mo) + email for 2,000 subscribers (~$30/mo) + Stripe processing (~$236/mo) = ~$381/month total.
Course Creator with Small Team

Market Intelligence

Thinkific

Median annual cost
$35,958
Based on
20 deals

Podia

Median annual cost
$708
Based on
53 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Thinkific 5 hidden costs

medium
Limited Features on Lower-Tier Plans 20-40% of license costs
high
Transaction Fees on Free Plan 10% of revenue + $1 per transaction
medium
Steep Price Jump to Higher Tiers $3,000-$6,000/year
medium
Additional Community Costs $500-$1,500/year
low
Payment Processing Fees 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
See all Thinkific hidden costs →

Podia 4 hidden costs

medium
Transaction fees on paid plans 5-8% of license costs
medium
Email sending fees 10-15% of license costs
high
Zapier integration costs for basic functionality $20-$100/month
critical
Third-party video hosting required $7-$75/month
See all Podia hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Thinkific Podia
Auto-renewal — —
Cancellation — —
Minimum commitment — —
Price escalation — Users report price increases year over year

Continue researching

Thinkific

Podia

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