Not sure if Podia is the right fit for your online business? Here are the top Podia competitors and alternative platforms to consider in 2024.
Podia is an impressive all-in-one platform for selling digital products, hosting communities, and delivering online courses. But it has some limitations around customization, physical product support, and advanced ecommerce features.
In this updated guide, we reveal the best Podia alternatives available this year based on key selection criteria like features, ease of use, scalability, and value for money.
Best Podia Alternatives 2023 At a Glance
Sellfy – Best overall alternative, great for ecommerce
Thinkific – Best for building online courses
LearnWorlds – Most advanced course builder and LMS
Teachable – Easy course creator with excellent templates
Kajabi – All-in-one knowledge commerce platform
SendOwl – Top choice for digital delivery & security
Memberful – Ideal for membership sites & communities
Gumroad – Simple digital marketplace for creators
PayHip – Easy payments & inventory management
LearnDash – WordPress LMS plugin with powerful features
Let‘s explore the key capabilities of each platform in more detail:
1. Sellfy – Best Overall Alternative
Sellfy is our top pick as the best overall Podia alternative for 2024.
Like Podia, it lets you create a customized online store and sell digital products seamlessly. But it also provides robust ecommerce capabilities for physical/print-on-demand products that Podia lacks.
Some of the notable benefits of using Sellfy include:
- Print-on-demand merchandise fulfillment
- Digital and physical product support
- Modern customizable themes
- Powerful marketing tools like coupons and cart abandonment
- Simplified tax management and compliance
The only downside is Sellfy doesn‘t have a built-in course creator or community platform like Podia. But with its flexibility and scalability, it beats Podia in most other aspects for serious ecommerce stores.
Pricing: Starts from $19/month billed annually
2. Thinkific – Best for Online Courses
If you mainly want to create and sell online courses, Thinkific is the best Podia alternative to consider.
While Podia offers a capable course builder, Thinkific offers a much more advanced LMS solution tailored specifically for eLearning products.
Some key benefits include:
- More course assessment options like quizzes, surveys, and exams
- Bulk course imports and powerful automation
- FREE plan available with 0% transaction fees
- Outstanding templates and designs
Thinkific also provides easy course marketing tools, analytics, and the ability to offer secure certificates or special rewards to students.
The only limitation is that it focuses exclusively on digital courses rather than physical/service products. But it excels at everything related to online learning.
Pricing: Starts from $49/month billed yearly
3. LearnWorlds – Most Advanced Course Builder
If you want unmatched sophistication and flexibility in your online courses, LearnWorlds is the best Podia alternative available.
While exceedingly powerful, LearnWorlds does have a steeper learning curve. But its standout features include:
- Interactive video technology
- Robust assessments and multimedia quizzes
- Gamification and advanced reward systems
- Customizable course themes and player
- Branded mobile apps for iOS and Android
For enterprise-grade course creators that need ultimate customization capability, LearnWorlds is the platform to beat in 2024.
The main downside is the higher pricing, which starts from $24/month billed yearly.
Pricing: Starts from $24/month billed yearly
4. Teachable – Easy Online Course Creator
Teachable is a long-time favorite for creating beautiful online courses with an intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
While perhaps not as advanced as Thinkific or LearnWorlds, it strikes a nice balance between simplicity and customization capability.
Notable Teachable features include:
- Excellent selection of customizable designs
- Wide range of niche course templates
- Integrated affiliate marketing tools
- Simple creator-focused UX and onboarding
For course creators that want beautiful designs without complexity, Teachable is a great user-friendly option that beats Podia in some aspects like custom themes and specialized course blueprints.
Pricing: Starts from $29/month billed yearly
5. Kajabi – Robust All-In-One Knowledge Commerce
As an end-to-end knowledge commerce platform, Kajabi competes directly with Podia on multiple fronts.
It provides impressive breadth and depth across online courses, membership sites, email marketing, sales funnels, and webinars.
Some benefits that help it stand out include:
- Built-in CRM for subscriber management
- Automation workflows
- Landing page and funnel builder
- Webinars and live streaming
The main tradeoff with Kajabi is higher pricing that starts from $119/month billed annually. But it can seamlessly scale from zero to 7-figure revenues.
For serious coaches, consultants, and thought leaders, it provides an exceptional Podia alternative.
Pricing: Starts from $119/month billed yearly
6. SendOwl – Secure Digital Delivery
SendOwl competes with Podia as an end-to-end ecommerce solution tailored specifically for digital products.
It automates secure delivery for all types of files while also providing extensive storefront design and customization capabilities.
Some notable upsides over Podia are:
- Physical product support
- Multi-language and currency
- Robust affiliate and reward programs
- Advanced sales reporting and analytics
For digital sellers that need flawless global delivery backed by excellent support, SendOwl is a top-tier Podia alternative.
The main limitation is no native online course building features. But it excels at everything else related to digital commerce.
Pricing: Starts from $19/month billed yearly
7. Memberful – Best for Paid Communities
While Podia itself provides capable community building tools, Memberful is purpose-built for creating and managing paid membership communities.
It excels at flexible member management, secure signup flows, and enabling recurring memberships access.
Some useful Memberful capabilities include:
- Tiered membership levels and groups
- Robust member offboarding
- Advanced member profiles and branding
- Integration rewards and waitlists
For online community owners that need specialized membership site tools beyond Podia‘s offering, Memberful is a top platform pick for 2024.
The only limitation is no native course/digital product creation and sales capabilities.
Pricing: Starts from $19/month billed yearly
8. Gumroad – Easy Marketplace for Digital Creators
Gumroad is an elegantly designed platform for creators to easily sell all types of digital products directly to fans.
It lacks some advanced features provided by Podia but wins on simplicity and its unique built-in marketplace capabilities.
Upsides of using Gumroad include:
- Product listings on its Discover digital marketplace
- Direct access to an existing creator fanbase
- Intuitive mobile-first experience
- Simplified and automatic tax calculation
For indie creators that value reach and simplicity over customization, Gumroad provides a compelling Podia alternative to sell digital works.
Just don‘t expect advanced course tools or community options like some other platforms.
Pricing: 10% transaction fees + payment processing
9. Payhip – Easy Digital Commerce & Delivery
Payhip competes directly with Podia as an intuitive platform for creating customized online stores and selling digital products seamlessly.
It matches most of Podia‘s core digital commerce capabilities but also supports physical products/inventory management – a clear differentiator.
Some of the notable Payhip benefits:
- Physical and digital product support
- Unlimited products and revenue
- Intuitive tax tools and compliance
- Generous free forever plan
For lean solopreneurs that value simplicity in website building and ecommerce, Payhip outshines Podia across multiple vectors while maintaining affordability.
The lack of community features is a tradeoff however. So choose based on your specific business priorities.
Pricing: Free forever plan available
10. LearnDash – Feature-Rich WordPress LMS
LearnDash enables you to build advanced online courses and training programs directly within WordPress instead of using a separate platform like Podia.
As a WordPress plugin, it provides tight integration options and complete site control while matching Podia‘s core online course capabilities.
Some notable benefits:
- Robust course builder and multimedia support
- Assessments, quizzes, assignments and essays
- Certificates, points system, and gamification
- Automated conditional triggers and messaging
For those already on WordPress looking to add online courses, LearnDash provides exceptional capability rivalling dedicated LMS platforms.
The only catch is that it focuses exclusively on courses rather than broader digital commerce or community options.
Pricing: Starts from $199 per year
Podia Alternatives – The Final Verdict
We hope this guide has helped highlight capable Podia competitors for your specific business needs in 2024.
Platforms like Sellfy, Thinkific, SendOwl, and Memberful stand out as great alternatives depending on your priorities around ecommerce, online courses, digital delivery, or community building.
Evaluate your criteria around customization needs, scalability, physical product support, pricing, and ease of use before deciding. Most platforms offer free trials to test drive the actual experience before committing.
Please feel free to ask follow-up questions in the comments! We‘re happy to provide personalized recommendations based on your exact requirements.
