Start with launch friction. If your main job is getting a first course live, Teachable is the easiest place to start, but its Starter plan has a 7.5% transaction fee. That can be fine for validation, and less fine once sales are consistent.
Do the fee maths before choosing the cheapest-looking plan. Teachable Starter, Podia Mover and some Kajabi third-party payment setups can add platform-level fees, while payment processors still charge their own fees even where platform transaction fees are 0%.
Check product limits early. Teachable Starter allows 5 products, Builder allows 10 and Growth allows 50, while Kajabi Starter includes 1 product and 250 contacts. Those limits are workable for a first launch, but tight if you plan courses, coaching and downloads together.
Choose all-in-one only if you will use it. Podia and Kajabi can replace separate tools for email, community and pages, but that value disappears if you only need a course checkout. Thinkific is a better fit if course structure matters more than bundled marketing.
Do not rely on old free-plan claims. Teachable now describes itself as a paid service with a 7-day free trial, Thinkific says there is no free plan and starts accounts with a 30-day trial, and Podia offers a 30-day trial with no card required.
