Quick verdict
Bottom line up front: If you are looking for a Teachable alternative in 2026, Thinkific is the closest like-for-like swap with 0% platform fees on every paid plan, Podia is the simplest budget all-in-one, and Kajabi is the pick when you want email marketing and funnels built in rather than bolted on. The trigger for most switchers is the same: Teachable’s Starter plan takes 7.5% of every sale, there is no free plan any more, and every plan caps how many products you can publish.
Why do people look for Teachable alternatives?
Teachable is still one of the easiest ways to get a first course online, and its Teachable Payments system handles VAT and GST remittance across 45+ countries, which most rivals do not. But the pricing structure pushes creators out as they grow. Starter costs $29 per month billed annually ($39 monthly) and takes a 7.5% transaction fee on top of card processing of 2.9% plus 30 cents on US cards. Builder removes the fee at $69 per month billed annually, but caps you at 10 products; Growth allows 50 products at $139 per month billed annually. Product caps count bundles and coaching offers too, not just courses — a detail creators routinely discover late.
What the pricing page doesn’t make obvious
Do the break-even maths before you stay on Starter to save money. Builder costs $40 per month more than Starter on annual billing, and the Starter fee is 7.5% — so once you sell more than about $533 per month, Builder is already the cheaper Teachable plan, and every alternative below with 0% fees beats Starter by even more. At $2,000 a month in sales, Starter’s fee alone is $150, before processing. The second gotcha: Teachable has closed its community feature to new schools, so if community is part of your offer, you are shopping for a second tool as well as a course platform.
The 8 best Teachable alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Entry price (annual) | Platform fee | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific | Closest direct replacement | $40/mo Basic | 0% on Thinkific Payments | Best overall swap |
| Kajabi | Marketing-led creators | $143/mo Basic | 0% | Best all-in-one marketing |
| Podia | Simple storefront + email | $42/mo Mover | 5% on Mover, 0% on Shaker | Best budget all-in-one |
| LearnWorlds | Interactive learning depth | $24/mo Starter | $5 per paid enrolment on Starter | Best for assessments/SCORM |
| Skool | Community-first courses | $9/mo Hobby | 10% Hobby, 2.9% Pro | Best community discovery |
| Ruzuku | Live cohort teaching | Free up to 5 students | 0% | Best for cohort courses |
| Mighty Networks | Paid communities | Paid plans, no free tier | Varies by plan | Best community platform |
| Udemy | Built-in student marketplace | No monthly fee | Revenue share on sales | Best for discovery, worst control |
1. Thinkific — the closest like-for-like replacement
Thinkific does the same core job as Teachable — hosted courses, checkout, student management — with two structural advantages: 0% platform transaction fees on every paid plan when you use Thinkific Payments, and unlimited courses instead of Teachable’s product caps. After its August 2026 price rise, Basic is $40 per month billed annually, Start is $82 and Grow is $164. There is no free plan, just a 30-day trial. One honest caveat: if you insist on using your own Stripe account, Thinkific adds a gateway fee of 5% on Basic, 2% on Start and 1% on Grow, and unlike Teachable it does not remit EU VAT for you.
2. Kajabi — best when marketing is half the job
Kajabi bundles courses with email marketing, funnels, a website builder and a CRM in one subscription, with 0% platform fees. Basic is $143 per month billed annually ($179 monthly) for 5 products and 2,500 contacts. That is more than double Teachable Builder, and only worth it if it replaces separate email and funnel tools you already pay for. Our Kajabi alternatives guide breaks down when that maths works and when it does not.
3. Podia — the simplest budget all-in-one
Podia sells courses, downloads, memberships and coaching from one clean storefront, with email marketing and community spaces included. Mover is $42 per month billed annually but takes a 5% transaction fee; Shaker at $84 per month billed annually removes the fee and adds affiliates and upsells. The crossover is about $840 per month in sales — above that, Shaker is cheaper than Mover. Podia calculates tax but leaves filing and remittance to you, unlike Teachable Payments.
4. LearnWorlds — best for serious learning design
LearnWorlds is where course designers go when quizzes that are really quizzes matter: interactive video, deep assessments, SCORM support and a proper learning app. Starter is $24 per month billed annually, but watch the fine print — that tier adds $5 per paid enrolment, so the headline price understates the real cost once you are selling steadily. Higher tiers remove that per-enrolment charge and add white-labelling.
5. Skool — best for community-first creators
Skool flips the model: the community is the product, and courses live inside it. The Hobby plan is $9 per month with a 10% transaction fee; Pro is $99 per month with the fee down to 2.9%. You also get something no other platform here offers — discovery inside Skool’s own community marketplace. The trade-off is a deliberately plain course player and little branding control.
6. Ruzuku — best for live cohort teaching
Ruzuku is built for teachers who run repeat cohorts to an audience they already have: built-in live video with no Zoom account needed, lesson discussions, and direct tech support for your students. There is a free plan for up to 5 students, and Core is about $83 per month billed annually with 0% transaction fees. It is not a funnel machine — bring your own marketing.
7. Mighty Networks — best dedicated community platform
Since Teachable closed its community feature to new schools, Mighty Networks is the common pairing or replacement: paid communities, events, challenges and courses under your own brand, with native mobile apps. It is a community platform first, so pair it with a lightweight course tool if your teaching needs quizzes and certificates. Pricing is plan-based with no free tier; check the current tiers before budgeting.
8. Udemy — best for built-in demand, worst for control
Udemy is the odd one out: no monthly fee and no storefront to build, because Udemy brings the students through its marketplace and takes a revenue share on each sale. That makes it a useful discovery channel and a poor home base — you do not own the customer relationship, pricing control is limited, and heavy discounting is the norm. Many creators run Udemy for reach and one of the platforms above for their real business — the same dual-channel logic we recommend for newsletter creators in our Substack alternatives guide.
Verdict: which Teachable alternative should you pick?
Move to Thinkific if Teachable’s fees and product caps are the problem and you want the least relearning. Move to Podia if you are solo and want storefront, email and community in one modest bill. Pay for Kajabi only when it genuinely replaces two other subscriptions. And if you sell mostly to international students, price in Teachable’s automatic VAT/GST remittance before you leave — replacing that service is the hidden cost of every switch on this list. For course creators also choosing creation tools, see our roundup of the best AI tools for online course creators on Tested Intelligence.
Frequently asked questions
Does Teachable have a free plan in 2026?
No. Teachable retired its free plan; the cheapest entry is Starter at $29 per month billed annually, with a 7-day free trial and a 7.5% transaction fee on sales.
Which Teachable alternative has no transaction fees?
Thinkific and Kajabi charge 0% platform fees on their paid plans with their own payment systems, Podia charges 0% from its Shaker tier, and Ruzuku charges 0% on all plans. Card processing fees still apply everywhere.
Can I move my students and courses from Teachable to Thinkific?
Yes. Course content, student lists and progress can be migrated, and both platforms export/import via CSV and standard video files. Budget time to rebuild checkout pages and email sequences.
What does Teachable do better than its alternatives?
Automatic VAT and GST calculation, collection and remittance across 45+ countries through Teachable Payments. Most rivals calculate tax but leave the filing to you.