In today’s digital economy, creating and selling online courses is one of the most effective ways to monetize your knowledge, build a personal brand, and generate passive income. But as the e-learning industry continues to explode—with millions of creators launching their own academies and training programs—the tools you choose to build and run your course can make or break your business.
Enter Teachable, one of the most well-known platforms in the online course world. With over 100,000 creators and counting, Teachable has earned a reputation as a go-to solution for coaches, consultants, educators, and entrepreneurs who want a simple way to package and sell their expertise. But does it actually live up to the hype?
Is Teachable the all-in-one platform it claims to be, or is it merely a stepping stone for beginners before they upgrade to something more robust?
I’ve spent considerable time digging into Teachable’s features, building courses on the platform, and comparing it to major competitors like Kajabi, Kartra, Thinkific, and Podia. What I found was both enlightening and, at times, frustrating.
What is Teachable?
Teachable is a cloud-based platform designed to help individuals and businesses create, market, and sell online courses. It offers a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced course creators. With Teachable, you can build multimedia-rich courses, manage students, and handle payments—all from a single dashboard.
Teachable Pricing Plans
Teachable offers a range of pricing plans to cater to different needs:
- Free Plan: $0/month + 10% transaction fee. Ideal for testing the platform with a single course.
- Basic Plan: $39/month + 5% transaction fee. Suitable for creators with a few courses.
- Pro Plan: $119/month. No transaction fees, includes advanced features like graded quizzes and course completion certificates.
- Business Plan: $299/month. Designed for teams, offering features like bulk student enrollments and advanced reporting.
Each plan comes with a 14-day free trial, allowing you to explore the platform before committing.
Key Features of Teachable
1. Course Creation
Teachable provides an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, enabling you to create courses effortlessly. You can upload videos, add quizzes, and organize content into modules. The platform supports various content types, including text, PDFs, and multimedia, ensuring a rich learning experience.
2. Student Management
The platform offers robust student management tools, allowing you to track progress, send messages, and manage enrollments. You can also segment students based on their activity, enabling targeted communication.
3. Payment Processing
Teachable integrates with payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, handling transactions securely. It supports multiple currencies and offers automatic tax calculation, simplifying the payment process for both creators and students.
4. Marketing Tools
Teachable includes built-in marketing features such as coupon codes, affiliate programs, and order bumps. These tools help you promote your courses and increase sales without needing third-party integrations.
5. Analytics and Reporting
The platform provides detailed analytics, including revenue reports, student progress tracking, and sales trends. These insights help you make data-driven decisions to grow your course business.
Pros of Using Teachable
- User-Friendly Interface: Teachable’s intuitive design makes it easy to navigate and manage your courses.
- Comprehensive Features: From course creation to marketing, Teachable offers a wide range of tools to support your business.
- Scalability: Whether you’re a solo creator or part of a team, Teachable’s plans cater to different scales of operation.
- Community Support: Teachable has a vibrant community of creators, providing opportunities for networking and support.
Cons of Using Teachable
- Transaction Fees: The Free and Basic plans come with transaction fees, which can add up as your sales grow.
- Limited Customization: While Teachable offers some customization options, they may not be sufficient for users seeking a highly personalized experience.
- Basic Email Marketing: The built-in email marketing tools are basic, and advanced features may require third-party integrations.
- No Mobile App for Creators: While students can access courses via a mobile app, creators lack a dedicated mobile app for managing courses on the go.
Teachable vs. Competitors
Teachable vs. Kajabi
Kajabi is another popular platform for course creators. While both platforms offer similar features, Kajabi provides more advanced marketing tools, including email automation and sales funnels. However, Kajabi’s pricing plans are higher, which may be a consideration for budget-conscious creators.
Teachable vs. Kartra
Kartra is an all-in-one marketing platform that includes course creation tools. It offers more advanced marketing features than Teachable, such as advanced email automation and landing page builders. However, Kartra’s learning curve is steeper, and its pricing plans are also higher.
Final Verdict
Teachable is a solid choice for creators looking for an easy-to-use platform to host and sell their courses. Its comprehensive features, scalability, and community support make it a compelling option. However, if you’re seeking advanced marketing tools or highly customizable features, you might want to explore other platforms like Kajabi or Kartra.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Teachable suitable for beginners?
Yes, Teachable’s user-friendly interface makes it ideal for beginners.
2. Can I sell multiple courses on Teachable?
Yes, depending on your plan, you can sell multiple courses.
3. Does Teachable offer a mobile app for students?
Yes, Teachable has a mobile app for students to access courses.
4. Are there any hidden fees?
Be aware of transaction fees on lower-tier plans.
5. Can I integrate Teachable with other tools?
Yes, Teachable supports integrations with various third-party tools.
Conclusion
After spending substantial time exploring Teachable—building courses, managing students, customizing pages, and testing its tools—my verdict is clear: Teachable is good, but not great.
For beginners, Teachable offers a relatively easy way to start. Its dashboard is clean, course creation is straightforward, and the onboarding process is simple. If you’re brand new to online education and just want to get a course up and running without learning complex tools, Teachable can get you moving in the right direction.
However, once you begin to grow your audience, build an email list, run ads, or scale your product offerings, Teachable’s limitations become more apparent. The platform’s lack of advanced marketing features, barebones customization, and reliance on third-party tools means you’ll eventually hit a ceiling. And when that happens, you might find yourself migrating to a platform like Kajabi or Kartra—an expensive and time-consuming process that many creators wish they had avoided by choosing the right tool from the start.
Let’s be honest—Teachable is a course hosting platform, not a full business platform. If that’s all you need, it’ll serve you well. But if you’re serious about building a long-term, scalable digital business, you’ll need to factor in its shortcomings before you commit.
