Podia is the most reasonable all-in-one for a solo creator who sells courses, downloads and a community and doesn't want Kajabi's price. Two things to know before you sign up: the entry plan's 5% fee stops making sense quickly, and canceling your Podia plan cancels every recurring subscription you've sold. Here's our read of Podia's pricing page and help center, checked October 10, 2026.
What it does well
One login, most of the job. Every plan includes courses (drip, quizzes, certificates), digital downloads, coaching, events, community spaces, a website and blog on your own domain, landing pages and email marketing. Podia says it doesn't cap customers on any plan.
Your Stripe account. Podia's help center says sales are deposited directly into your connected Stripe account, and that subscriptions and payment plans are created in that Stripe account. You can start with a Standard Stripe account.
Exports are straightforward. You can export your whole audience, filtered segments or a product's active customers as CSV. The sales export covers every invoice with customer, address, payment method, Podia fee, revenue and tax fields.
Moving in is supported. Podia's team migrates up to 50 products on Mover and 150 on Shaker and Earthquaker, including course content, downloads, customer emails and free community and membership members. Paid subscriptions aren't on that list.
Where it falls short
Canceling is destructive. Podia's help center says that when your Podia subscription is canceled, all recurring subscriptions and payment plans are canceled, your site goes offline and customers lose access. Your data is kept for 180 days, but you can only reach it by paying for a plan again. Export first.
Switching Stripe accounts is messy. Subscriptions stay tied to the Stripe account that was connected when they were created. Disconnect it and Podia can no longer manage them.
Email fills up fast. Mover includes 100 subscribers, Shaker 500 and Earthquaker 1,000. Beyond that you pay by list size, for example an extra $18/month (monthly billing) for 1,000 subscribers on Mover or Shaker.
Tax is collection only. Podia calculates and adds tax at checkout for places where you're registered. Filing and remitting are still your job.
Pricing in practice
Mover is $42/month billed annually or $49 monthly, plus a 5% Podia fee. Shaker is $84 or $99, and Earthquaker $150 or $179, with no Podia fee. Stripe or PayPal processing applies on every plan; Podia's FAQ cites 2.9% + 30 cents. There's a 14-day trial with no card, and Podia refunds a payment only if you ask within 72 hours.
Example (assumptions: 100 sales of $50 a month, US cards at 2.9% + $0.30, monthly billing, list under the included email limit):
- Mover: $250 Podia fee + $175 processing + $49 = $474 of $5,000.
- Shaker: $175 processing + $99 = $274.
The $50 price gap equals Mover's 5% fee at $1,000 a month in sales ($840 on annual billing). Past that, Shaker is cheaper and adds PayPal, Zapier and affiliates.
Who should pick it (and who shouldn't)
Pick Podia if you're a solo creator with a modest list who wants site, store, courses and community in one place. Go straight to Shaker once you expect to sell $1,000 a month or more.
Skip it if your list is already large (a dedicated tool like KitAFFILIATE, affiliate link, is usually cheaper at scale), or if recurring memberships are your main income and you want them to outlive the platform.
Alternatives worth comparing
- Kajabi: the same one-login idea with deeper funnels and email, at a higher price.
- Payhip: if you mainly sell downloads and want tax handled for you.
- LearnWorldsAFFILIATE (affiliate link) or Thinkific: if the course itself needs more depth.
- Stan: for selling mostly from a link in bio.
More options: Kajabi alternatives, Gumroad alternatives and best tools for course creators.
SOURCES (CHECKED OCT 10, 2026)
| Claim | Source URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Plan prices (annual and monthly), 5% Mover fee, email subscriber limits and add-on tiers, product/video/space limits, PayPal/Zapier/affiliates on Shaker+, features on all plans, 14-day trial, 72-hour refund window, processor 2.9% + 30 cents, migration scope | https://www.podia.com/pricing | 2026-10-10 |
| Mover 5% fee deducted per sale; Stripe/PayPal fee separate | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11371138-understanding-podia-transaction-fees | 2026-10-10 |
| Funds deposited into connected Stripe account; Standard Stripe account | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11321150-connecting-stripe-to-your-podia-account | 2026-10-10 |
| Subscriptions tied to the Stripe account connected when created; effects of disconnecting | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11370303-what-happens-if-i-disconnect-change-my-stripe-account | 2026-10-10 |
| Canceling cancels all recurring subscriptions and payment plans; site offline; 180-day retention | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11370476-what-happens-when-i-cancel-my-account | 2026-10-10 |
| Contact, segment and product customer CSV exports | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11370285-exporting-your-contacts | 2026-10-10 |
| Sales export fields | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11371040-viewing-and-exporting-your-sales | 2026-10-10 |
| Tax collected only where you're registered | https://help.podia.com/en/articles/11370382-collecting-sales-taxes-on-podia | 2026-10-10 |
| Example math (derived): 5% x $5,000 = $250; 100 x ($1.45 + $0.30) = $175; plus monthly plan price | Derived from the rows above | 2026-10-10 |
| PLAN | PRICE | WHAT YOU GET |
|---|---|---|
| Mover | $42 /mo | Billed annually ($504/yr); $49/mo billed monthly. 5% transaction fee. 100 email subscribers, 50 products. |
| Shaker | $84 /mo | Billed annually ($1,008/yr); $99/mo billed monthly. No Podia fee. 500 email subscribers, PayPal, Zapier, affiliates. |
| Earthquaker | $150 /mo | Billed annually ($1,800/yr); $179/mo billed monthly. No Podia fee. 1,000 email subscribers, unlimited products. |
| Extra email subscribers | From $10 /mo | Add-on by list size, e.g. +$18/mo (monthly billing) for 1,000 subscribers on Mover or Shaker. |
Solo creators who want a website, store, courses, community and basic email under one login, without Kajabi's price. — and anyone who wants Podia to do the heavy lifting in this category.
Skip it if your email list is already large, or if recurring memberships are your main income and you want them to survive a platform switch. — if that's a dealbreaker, see every monetization tool we've reviewed.
- How much does Podia cost?
Mover is $42/month billed annually or $49 monthly, Shaker is $84 or $99, and Earthquaker is $150 or $179. There's a 14-day free trial with no card required.
- Does Podia take a transaction fee?
Only on Mover, which charges 5% per sale. Shaker and Earthquaker have no Podia fee. Stripe or PayPal processing (2.9% + 30 cents in the US, per Podia) applies on every plan.
- Can I export my customers from Podia?
Yes. You can export all contacts, filtered segments or a product's active customers as CSV, plus a full sales export with customer, payment and tax details.
- What happens to my subscriptions if I cancel Podia?
Podia's help center says all recurring subscriptions and payment plans are canceled, your site goes offline and customers lose access. Data is kept for 180 days but only reachable if you reactivate a paid plan.
- Does Podia handle sales tax?
It calculates and collects tax at checkout for the jurisdictions where you've registered. Filing and remitting remain your responsibility.
A fair-priced all-in-one for courses, downloads and community, but skip Mover once you sell, and know that canceling Podia cancels your subscriptions.
Editorially reviewed. An editorial evaluation of verified product information, official documentation, pricing and features, informed by Carlos Gil's professional experience. Available demos and screenshots may inform the review; documented product use is required for a hands-on label. Read our review standards.
Editorially reviewed by Carlos Gil. Based on Podia's official pricing page and help center, checked October 10, 2026. Podia pays us nothing and the link to it is a plain link. Links to Kit and LearnWorlds on this page are affiliate links, labeled where they appear, and never affect the score. How we review.
BestCreates is written and edited by Carlos Gil. Every tool is assessed against the same documented framework — the jobs creators hire it for, ease of use, pricing accuracy, support and integrations — and each review states in the open how it was assessed.
LAST UPDATED OCT 10, 2026
SIGNED BY CARLOS GIL · FOUNDER & EDITOR, THE BEST NETWORK · OUR DISCLOSURE POLICY