Start with the thing members are paying to keep accessing. If the course structure is the product, favour Thinkific, Teachable or LearnWorlds; if discussion and live interaction drive retention, Skool or a community-led platform may fit better. The trade-off is that community-first tools usually give you less course structure than a course-first LMS.
Check whether memberships are available on the plan you intend to buy. LearnWorlds puts subscriptions, memberships and payment plans on Pro Trainer and above, not Starter, while sourced notes say Thinkific memberships and subscriptions require Start or higher. Entry pricing can look attractive, but it may not include the membership feature you need.
Do the fee maths at your expected revenue. Teachable Starter has a 7.5% transaction fee, Podia Mover has a 5% transaction fee, and LearnWorlds Starter charges $5 per paid enrollment. Higher monthly plans can be cheaper once recurring revenue is meaningful.
Separate platform fees from payment processing. Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable, Podia and Mighty Networks all have fee details that depend on plan, payment method or provider. A plan with 0% platform transaction fees can still have Stripe, PayPal, card, gateway or in-app purchase costs.
Look hard at limits before moving members in. Product counts, active students, contacts, communities, admins, storage, streaming hours and landing pages can all affect a membership site. The best platform at launch can become a poor fit if the next plan jump arrives too early.
All-in-one platforms reduce tool sprawl, but they also make switching harder. Kajabi and Podia are useful if you want courses, checkout, email and pages in one place. The catch is that plan limits, fee rules and product structure matter more because more of the business depends on one account.
