Every course platform comparison leads with the monthly price, then buries the two numbers that actually decide which one is cheaper for you: the transaction fee, and what you lose if you pick the bottom tier.
Here's what each platform's own pricing page says, checked directly rather than pulled from another comparison post.
Kajabi
- Basic: $143/mo (billed annually), 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction on Kajabi Payments
- Growth: $199/mo, 2.8% + $0.30
- Pro: $399/mo, 2.7% + $0.30
Kajabi's fee drops to 2%, 1%, or 0.5% respectively if you route payments through a third-party processor instead of Kajabi Payments, but that processor charges its own fees on top, so it's not a clean win. There's no fee-free tier at all: even Pro carries a transaction fee.
Teachable
- Starter: $29/mo, 7.5% transaction fee
- Builder: $69/mo, 0% platform fee
- Growth: $139/mo, 0% platform fee
The "0%" on Builder and Growth means Teachable doesn't take a cut. You still pay standard card processing (roughly 2.9% + $0.30 in the US) either way. Starter's 7.5% is on top of that, which makes it the most expensive plan per sale once you're doing real volume, despite having the lowest sticker price.
Podia
- Mover: $42/mo, 5% transaction fee, capped at 50 products, 500 videos, 25 community spaces, 100 email subscribers
- Shaker: $84/mo, no platform fee, 150 products / 1,000 videos / 100 spaces / 500 subscribers
- Earthquaker: $150/mo, no platform fee, unlimited everything
Podia's entry tier is the one most likely to surprise you. It's not the "sell unlimited stuff, no limits" plan some comparison posts describe. If your list is going to pass 100 subscribers in the first few months, Mover runs out before your course does.
The actual question
None of these is "the cheapest platform" in general. It depends on volume. Below roughly $1,500/month in course revenue, the lower sticker price usually wins even with a transaction fee attached. Above that, a $0-fee tier starts paying for itself. Match the plan to what you're actually going to sell in year one, not the platform's homepage pitch.