Podia vs Thinkific 2023: Which is the Best Online Course Platform? In Depth Comparison

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The time is right to start selling educational content online. Why?

Because the eLearning industry is growing and constantly recruiting new teachers and students.

Creating an online course might be the best option for you if you’re an experienced professional looking for a new challenge or a hobbyist eager to share your skills and interests with a larger audience.

Nowadays, it’s much simpler than you might think to create and sell online educational content. Platforms like Podia and Thinkific offer you all the tools required to set up outstanding online schools.

None of which required writing a line of code!

From design and presentation tools to marketing and sales capabilities, this type of SaaS has a lot to offer!

So there’s no need to search further if you’re looking for an online course creation platform. In this post, I’ll do a comparison between Podia vs Thinkific, we’ll find out which platform is better suited for you.

By the end, it will be an easier decision for you to know which is the best choice for your content and audience.

Let’s get started.

Thinkfic

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Podia

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Pricing $39 $39
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Thinkific is a complete online software platform that enables you to create, market, and deliver courses and training programmes with simple and informative designs, allowing you to better your interactions with audiences.

Podia is your all-in-one digital storefront. The easiest way to sell online courses, downloads, webinars, and community, no technical skills required.

Features
  • Thinkific's software is extremely user-friendly.
  • Integration using Zapier is a possibility.
  • There's a helpful earnings calculator on Thinkific's website
  • There is a freemium package available.
  • It's simple to personalize your online school.
  • Podia enables you to customize a few features.
  • It offers Live chat help.
  • Provides access to over 15 templates.
  • Podia just implemented a Zapier connector.
  • It is easy to install and get access.
Pros/Advantages
  • The interactive content is very impressive.
  • You can create an infinite number of course.
  • It's simple to personalise your online school.
  • There is a freemium package available.
  • A useful wages calculator may be found on Thinkific website.
  • Storage is limitless.
  • The capability of developing self-paced courses.
  • They provide a lovely assortment of pre-designed layouts.
  • There are no transaction costs.
  • They provide reasonable price plans.
Cons
  • Thinkific marketing abilities are quite limit.
  • There is no free plan.
Ease of Use

Thinkific makes it simple to promote and sell your online courses by bringing together all of the resources you'll need in one place.

Podia is the most user-friendly platform in general, regardless of whether you are a novice or an expert user. Although the menu for Podia's course creation is minimal, it allows for a great deal.

Value For Money

Thinkific is an excellent platform with several options for creating online courses. You will not be dissatisfied with your decision to utilize this platform because it gives excellent value for money.

Podia is a beginner's tool. Its basic package is $ 39, which is reasonable but excludes helpful features like certificates, integrated checkout, and mentoring. Additionally, it limits community members to 1000 and discussion topics at 15.

Customer Support

Thinkific's Help Center, blog, training site, expert marketplace, and status page all provide customer care. There's also a FAQ if none of these are helpful.

Podia provides help by live chat, email, or video. According to their website, their average response time is two minutes.

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Podia vs Thinkific: Ease of Use

Podia is the most user-friendly platform in general, regardless of whether you are a novice or an expert user.

This is to be anticipated, considering the platform is a course delivery platform, on the other hand, Thinkific is course management on an enterprise-level software geared for classroom-based instruction.

Creating a course in Podia is a simple process. Decide on the product you want to create first, then add sections (these are chapters or modules), followed by files/links/text/or quizzes. Although the menu for Podia’s course creation is minimal, it allows for a great deal.

Once you’ve created the portions of your course, a basic menu shows next to each segment; utilizing only four easy menu choices, you can design your complete course and even create a full drip sequence.

Additionally, you may drag and drop lesson portions and their associated information around in podia by using the up and down arrows.

Podia Main - Podia vs Thinkific

Podia enables you to include links to your downloads in the download’s title description. This is beneficial for you in terms of conversion, but it also means that students may access your material without having to re-enter the course platform.

The options on the goods page are similarly straightforward. From the same page, you can modify presell settings (preselling enables you to sell your course today but provide it in the future by specifying a future start date), price (including upsells), comment settings, and integrations.

If you’re wondering how to sell your course, Podia has a sales page builder that’s similarly simple to use.

Creating a course on Thinkific is a little more involved and difficult. To begin, you must build a school. Next, you must create courses inside the school. Finally, you must flesh out the courses by adding chapters and material.

Is Thinkific so difficult to use that you can’t do it yourself?

No, although you may have to scratch your brain a little bit before you are convinced that you are doing it correctly. It helps that Thinkific has compiled a handy checklist of tasks to assist you, but

Now, the real process of establishing your school and courses is a little more involved than this neat little checklist suggests.

Thinkific Main - Podia vs Thinkific

Each item in the checklist is more complex than it seems, and not all tasks are completed in the same tab. For example, after checking the third box on the list, you must quit the page below and travel to “design your site” on the left-hand menu of your dashboard to work on your school’s look. 

Additionally, the site builder is sleek and simple to use, however I did get confused while building pages because choices such as default pages, the home page, and about page are all duplicated in the same menu.

Thinkific might make things a bit more orderly by consolidating all of these pages into a single tab and speeding the page creation process significantly.

In Podia, there is little that you must find out. The menu selections are straightforward, and the process is far more organized than on Thinkific.

Want to get an attractive offer on Thinkific? Then click here to check out the best deals and offers available on Thinkific plans.

Podia vs Thinkific: School & Course Marketing

Having the correct tools for marketing and selling your courses is critical to your success as an online course designer, so let’s examine how each of these platforms may assist you in marketing your online course or school.

Thinkific integrates with a variety of email marketing solutions, including MailChimp, Constant Contact, and Active Campaign. This way, you can manage your email marketing campaigns and provide material to your students from a single location.

There are several tools to assist you in promoting your courses, including a complete Affiliate Center for managing and paying affiliates who sell your courses online.

Affiliates may be tracked directly from your dashboard, and you can utilize a range of compensation rates to incentivize people to sell your courses on your behalf.

Additionally, Thinkific offers comprehensive data monitoring tools that enable you to determine what works and what does not to optimize your campaign’s outcomes.

Podia Course Marketing - Podia vs Thinkific

Additionally, you may incorporate other marketing tools using the platform’s many integration possibilities. Additionally, Podia offers excellent marketing alternatives to assist course designers in maximizing their investment.

Although the all-in-one course creation platform is geared for single course developers and entrepreneurs, the capabilities apply to enterprises of all sizes.

You’ll be able to design an eye-catching digital storefront to sell your courses, and you’ll also be able to create a range of course alternatives utilizing a variety of multimedia kinds, including digital downloads, videos, PDFs, and webinars.

This will significantly assist you in marketing your course to a larger number of consumers.

While Thinkific has a lot to offer in terms of school and course marketing capabilities, Podia offers more robust email marketing options, including the ability to send one-off newsletters, drip content, and much more.

Additionally, although Thinkific integrates with additional marketing tools, Podia integrates with Google Analytics, PayPal, and Stripe.

Podia vs Thinkific: Student Experience & Retention Tools

Unless you can provide an amazing student experience and guarantee that learners remember critical material from your courses, it’s doubtful that learners will return to take further courses or recommend you to friends and colleagues.

Here’s a brief overview of how Thinkific with Podia may help you create an exceptional student experience. Thinkific provides a variety of tools to assist you in providing the best possible experience for your students.

For example, students get a customized dashboard, and you have the option of completely customizing their sign-in experience via the use of videos, custom pages, and other features that are visible only to course participants.

Additionally, the platform has language translation capabilities, allowing you to offer your course in over 30 languages to students from all around the world.

Thinkific Student Experience - Podia vs Thinkific

Mobile access is another useful element that may assist you in creating an exceptional student experience.

Indeed, Thinkific’s whole platform is mobile responsive, allowing students to smoothly switch between desktop and mobile devices while still having easy access to and monitoring their progress inside the course.

Additionally, the course software has white-labeled URLs that allow you to display your website address to learners, ensuring a consistent experience for both visitors and students.

You may provide quizzes and tasks to assist your Podia students in getting the most out of your course. Additionally, you may build a community around your material.

However, the platform’s customization possibilities for generating individual quiz and assignment sites are limited.

There are no course completion certificates, but you may give drip material to increase student engagement and keep them coming back for more.

Podia vs Thinkific: How Much Does It Cost?

Podia is a beginner’s tool. Its basic package is $ 39, which is reasonable but excludes helpful features like certificates, integrated checkout, and mentoring. Additionally, it limits community members to 1000 and discussion topics at 15.

The shaker plan is $ 79 and includes the ability to remove podia branding, host 15,000 community members, debate an infinite number of community subjects, and send emails to an unlimited number of recipients.

On the mover and shaker plan, you must pay an extra $ 20 per month for team seats.

Podia Pricing

If you want customized assistance and team seating, the earth quaker package is your best option. This will cost $ 179, but you will still be limited to 50,000 email recipients and 100,000 community members.

Thinkific offers an entirely free plan. Although this is beneficial for novices, it cannot be integrated with any autoresponder, schedule, or drip tool.

Other Thinkific price tiers include basic, which costs $ 49 per month, pro, which costs $ 79 per month, and premier, which costs $399 per month.

Although the basic plan includes drip material, chat assistance, one-to-one student email, a custom domain, and discounts, it does not include live classes, adjustable course pricing, or advanced course features such as assignments.

These capabilities, in addition to two administrator accounts and priority assistance, are included with the pro subscription.

Thinkific also offers a $ 499 customized growth plan that is combined with the pro plan. The growth + pro plan offers you access to some of the premier plan’s features.

Thinkific Pricing

I believe the plan is superfluous, given that the premier plan is $ 100 cheaper and includes all of Thinkific’s advanced features.

Finally, Thinkific offers a plus package for those whose education empire requires more robust capabilities than the premier plan offers. The plus plan’s price is available upon request.

While Podia does not offer a free plan, it is often less expensive and includes important capabilities such as sophisticated email automation and messaging in its base subscription.

While Thinkific’s free plan may provide you with the time and resources necessary to get your courses company off the ground, it is so restricted in functionality that it may make course selling more difficult.

Additionally, Thinkific’s basic and pro plans exclude capabilities that are included in Podia’s mover and shaker plans.

Let us immediately begin!

Major Differences Between Podia vs Thinkific:

The primary distinctions between Thinkific and Podia are as follows:

  • Thinkific is more suited to certified institutions of higher education, while podia are better suited to independent content providers.
  • Podia enables mass emailing at lower price levels, but Thinkific restricts emailing to specific recipients below the “Pro” account level.
  • Podia’s price structure is straightforward and two-tiered, but Thinkific’s is three-tiered.
  • Thinkific enables more sophisticated customization and technological integrations, whilst Podia provides the most capabilities out-of-the-box.
  • Thinkific’s classroom capabilities are more engaging, however, Podia’s video presentation features are superior.
  • Podia is more intuitive to use, but Thinkific demands a higher level of technical proficiency.

Podia vs Thinkific: Pros & Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of both platforms:

Thinkific Pros:

  • You may define compliance requirements and provide graded quizzes, surveys, and narrated presentations.
  • You may certify students’ completion of courses.
  • Thinkific has more extensive pricing choices than Podia when it comes to developing large-scale online schools.
  • Thinkific does not impose transaction fees on its paid plains, which enables you to benefit from straightforward, flat-fee pricing.
  • Thinkific offers a completely free plan! This enables you to design three courses and evaluate them with an infinite number of students.
  • Thinkific’s templates are as pleasing to the eye as they are professional.
  • Thinkific offers a great degree of customizability. Because you have access to the HTML and CSS Code, customization options are almost limitless.

Thinkific Cons:

  • The email marketing capabilities of Thinkific are much more restricted than those of Podia. At the very least, Podia enables the creation of one-time newsletters and drip campaigns. Regrettably, Thinkific restricts you from sending emails based on your segmentation criteria. Additionally, unless you upgrade to a more costly plan, you cannot contact students in bulk.

Podia Pros:

  • Podia is intuitive, with an easy-to-follow learning curve for newcomers.
  • Access to a simple and clear pricing structure
  • There are no transaction costs.
  • Podia’s integrated live chat is now available only via Podia.
  • On Podia, you may offer memberships and digital items. Thinkific, on the other hand, is more focused on course building and hence less adaptable.
  • Podia has a no-hassle migration option with each of its plans. As a result, you may swiftly migrate information from another platform or data file to Podia.
  • You can build an unlimited number of products, enroll an unlimited number of students, and host an unlimited amount of courses and data.
  • Podia is an amazing bargain, particularly for solitary artists and do-it-yourself educators. At $ 39 a month, the Basic plan opens a slew of features that many other platforms reserve for their more costly tiers.
  • Each package includes email marketing tools. While this is not a comprehensive solution, if your email marketing requirements are straightforward, you’ll save the expense of purchasing separate software.

Podia Cons:

  • Podia’s customization options are limited in comparison to its rivals. For example, some consumers express dissatisfaction with their inability to eliminate the empty gap between parts or modify the font size. If you value creative flexibility, this platform may be too confining for you.

FAQs on Podia vs Thinkific

Are podia any good?

I strongly suggest Podia as a platform for an online business owing to the low price and simplicity of usage. Podia is ideal for creating a customized online platform that enables you to sell digital downloads and online courses to clients.

Are podia better than Teachable?

Podia is the superior option if: You're seeking exceptional value. Podia's straightforward price structure makes it simple to know precisely what you're getting for your money at a glance. Additionally, with Podia, you have access to capabilities that Teachable reserves for its more costly programs.

Does Thinkific have a free plan?

Yes. With the Thinkific free plan, you are restricted to three courses, but you may have an infinite number of students. Naturally, as you may guess, you will not have access to all features.

Can I use Thinkific for free?

The free plan offered by Thinkific is rather substantial. On their free plan, you may have an infinite number of students and create up to three courses. This covers all hosting services for material such as videos. Additionally, you'll have access to their quizzes and surveys, as well as immediate access to any income you generate.

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Conclusion: Podia vs Thinkific 2023

Now that we’ve reached the conclusion of our Podia vs Thinkific comparison, it’s entirely up to you. Which online course creator is the best fit for your business? Both provide excellent features to their consumers and provide comparable prices on their lesser plans.

Therefore, if you’re still undecided, these are the providers we’d recommend:

Podia is a good option if you’re searching for a straightforward and user-friendly service. Their customer service is well regarded, and their online course editor is exceptionally user-friendly. You’ll quickly grasp it!

Additionally, Podia is a comprehensive solution that includes live chat and email marketing tools and allows you to sell digital items in addition to online courses. In the long run, this reasonably priced solution enables you to diversify your material.

In a nutshell, Podia is ideal for solopreneurs and self-taught course teachers.

Whereas Thinkific may be the better option if you’re more concerned about design freedom. Their beautiful templates are simple to change, and if you have any web programming experience, you can put them to good use!

Thinkific also surpasses Podia in terms of course development – with a mix of quizzes, polls, interactive presentations, and much more, as well as compliance requirements and certifications, you’re sure to keep your audience interested!

However, Thinkific is somewhat more costly than Podia, and you’ll need to subscribe to third-party programs to make use of more advanced email marketing capabilities.

In a nutshell, Thinkific is suitable for establishing a typical classroom learning environment and scaling online schools.

If in doubt, you can always join up for a free trial of Podia or Thinkific. In this manner, you’ll be able to evaluate their primary characteristics for yourself.

Have you worked with any of these online course builders? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments section below! Continue to share your expertise, and we look forward to speaking with you soon!

Jacob Keifer

Jacob Keifer spends most of his time writing the best online course reviews, learning new skills, and playing chess. Jacob himself has many online courses where he teaches people about making money, digital marketing, SEO, and other skills. With his articles to get a very good insight about the topic, he writes about.

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