OnPodium vs Teachable: One Platform Does It All — The Other Charges Extra at Every Turn
Teachable is one of the most established online course platforms. It offers a polished course builder, student management, quizzes, certificates, and payment processing. For podcasters looking to turn expertise into courses, Teachable seems like a natural fit — until you factor in transaction fees on lower plans, the need for separate hosting, and the absence of a real podcast website.
OnPodium gives podcasters a complete platform: unlimited hosting, a professional website, email marketing, and product sales with zero commissions — all for $39/month.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | OnPodium | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $39/mo | $39–$119/mo |
| Transaction fees | 0% | 5% on Basic ($39) |
| Podcast hosting | Unlimited | Not available |
| Podcast website | Professional, immersive | Course pages only |
| Email marketing | Unlimited sends & subscribers | Basic (limited to students) |
| Course builder | Included | Advanced |
| Digital products | Unlimited | Included |
| Memberships | Included | Included |
| Blog | Built-in | No |
| Custom development | Included | Template-based |
Transaction Fees Punish Growth
Teachable's Basic plan ($39/month) takes a 5% cut of every sale. On a $99 course, that is $4.95 per sale. Sell 50 courses a month and Teachable keeps $247.50 — more than six months of OnPodium's subscription. To eliminate transaction fees on Teachable, you need the Pro plan at $119/month. And you still need separate podcast hosting.
OnPodium charges zero transaction fees on every plan. Sell one product or one thousand — the cost stays at $39/month. Your revenue is your revenue.
The Podcaster's Workflow Problem
For a podcaster using Teachable, the workflow looks like this: publish an episode in Buzzsprout or Captivate, manually create a blog post about it, send an email through Mailchimp to promote the course, and link to Teachable for the checkout. Four platforms, four logins, four billing statements.
On OnPodium: publish an episode, the website auto-generates an episode page, send an email campaign from the same dashboard, and link to your product — all on your own site. One workflow, one platform, one price.
Course Building: Advanced vs Practical
Teachable's course builder is more feature-rich: drip scheduling, quizzes with grading, completion certificates, and student progress tracking. If you are building a full-fledged online academy with structured curricula, Teachable's builder has an edge.
For most podcasters, the courses are simpler: a video series, a structured guide, a workshop recording with downloadable materials. OnPodium handles these use cases efficiently while providing the podcast infrastructure that Teachable completely lacks. Compare other course platforms: Kajabi and Thinkific.
Courses + Hosting + Website + Email. Zero Fees.
Sell your knowledge directly to listeners. No transaction fees. No separate hosting bill. One flat price.
Start Free 14-Day TrialThe Bottom Line
Teachable is a strong course platform for educators and coaches. For podcasters who sell courses and products alongside their show, OnPodium delivers the same selling capabilities plus hosting, a website, and email — without transaction fees and at a lower total cost. $39/month, unlimited. Try it free.