The best course and community platforms in 2026
Course and community platforms host lessons, cohorts and member forums. Most charge a monthly plan, and the cheaper plans often add a transaction fee on every sale.
Short answer. Podia is the best pick for most creators who want courses and paid communities, at 6.6 out of 10. Teachable comes second (6.6). If cost matters most, Skool takes the least from $1,000 in sales.
- Skool$139 taken, you keep $861
- Teachable$148 taken, you keep $852
- Podia$158 taken, you keep $842
- Thinkific$168 taken, you keep $832
- Circle$185 taken, you keep $815
- Kajabi$238 taken, you keep $762
Cheapest plan for that volume, $10 average sale, US card processing added where the platform charges it separately, at 2.9% + 30¢ or the platform's documented rate. Taxes, currency conversion and app store fees not included. Try your own numbers.
Rankings
- 1
Podia
6.6 / 10Best for: Creators selling several small products from one storefront. You keep $842 of $1,000.
All-in-one storefront for selling courses, digital downloads, coaching, live events and a community, with a website and email built in.
- 2
Teachable
6.6 / 10Best for: Solo course creators who want simple setup and checkout. You keep $852 of $1,000.
Hosted platform for selling online courses, digital downloads, memberships and coaching, with its own checkout and student apps.
- 3
Thinkific
6.3 / 10Best for: Course businesses that want a polished learner experience. You keep $832 of $1,000.
Course platform for selling online courses, communities, memberships, digital downloads and coaching, with its own payment processor.
- 4
Circle
6.1 / 10Best for: Brands and creators running a large paid community. You keep $815 of $1,000.
Community platform for paid memberships, courses, live events and a website, with a branded mobile app on higher plans.
- 5
Skool
5.8 / 10Best for: Coaches running a paid community with courses inside. You keep $861 of $1,000.
Community platform that combines a discussion feed, courses and live calls in one group, with built-in paid memberships.
- 6
Kajabi
5.4 / 10Best for: Established course sellers who want one paid tool. You keep $762 of $1,000.
All-in-one platform for selling courses and communities, with built-in email marketing, funnels, landing pages and a website.
Side by side
| Platform | Score | What it costs | Keep from $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Podia | 6.6 | Plans cost $49 to $179 a month billed monthly, Mover takes 5% of each sale, Shaker and Earthquaker take 0%, and Stripe or PayPal charge about 2.9% + 30¢ on top. | $842 |
| Teachable | 6.6 | Plans cost $39 to $189 a month billed monthly, Starter takes 7.5% of each sale, Builder and Growth take 0% on Teachable Payments, and US cards cost 2.9% + 30¢ to process. | $852 |
| Thinkific | 6.3 | Public plans cost $109 to $499 a month billed monthly, Thinkific takes 0% on Thinkific Payments at 2.9% + 30¢ per US card, and using Stripe adds 0.5% to 2%. | $832 |
| Circle | 6.1 | Plans cost $99 to $419 a month billed monthly, Circle takes 2% of sales on Professional and 1% on Business and Scale, and Stripe charges from 2.9% + 30¢ on top. | $815 |
| Skool | 5.8 | Hobby costs $9 a month plus 10% + 30¢ per sale, and Pro costs $99 a month plus 2.9% + 30¢, with card processing included in both. If Growth Boost brings you a member, Skool also takes 30% of that member's charges, renewals included, and Growth Boost is on by default. | $861 |
| Kajabi | 5.4 | Plans cost $179 to $499 a month billed monthly, Kajabi takes no cut of sales, and Kajabi Payments charges 2.7% to 2.9% plus 30¢ per US card sale. | $762 |
How to choose
- Find the upgrade point. Teachable Builder at $89 beats Starter's 7.5% fee above about $670 a month, and Skool Pro beats Hobby's 10% + 30¢ above about $1,270.
- Read the fine print on 0%. Kajabi Basic and Thinkific Start both add 2% per sale if you use your own Stripe account instead of their built-in payments.
- If you want your own Stripe account, Circle and Podia connect to it directly. Skool runs every payment through its own merchant account and charges members only in USD.
- Check caps before price. Kajabi Basic allows 5 products and 2,500 contacts, Teachable Builder 10 products, and Podia Shaker only 500 email subscribers.
- Price a branded app separately. Circle includes one on Business at $219 a month, while Thinkific charges another $199 a month for its branded mobile app.
- Renewals cost more than one-time sales on Circle. Professional's 2% plus Stripe and Stripe Billing comes to about 5.6% + 30¢ per subscription payment.
Head-to-head comparisons
Questions people ask
Which course or community platform has the lowest fees?
On $1,000 of monthly sales at $10 each, Skool costs the least: about $139 in platform and card fees on its Hobby plan, so you keep $861. At higher volume, flat-fee plans usually win.
Do course platforms have free plans?
None of the six we rank has a free plan for new sellers. Teachable gives you a 7-day trial, Podia and Circle 14 days, and Thinkific 30 days. The cheapest way in is Skool Hobby at $9 a month plus 10% + 30¢ per sale, then Teachable Starter at $39 and Podia Mover at $49. Kajabi starts at $179.
Should I use a course platform or a community platform?
Pick by what members pay for. If the course is the product, Teachable has student apps, Thinkific has certificates and Kajabi has funnels around it. If the discussion is the product, Skool puts a feed, courses and live calls in one group from $9 a month, and Circle adds a branded app on Business. Podia includes courses, coaching and a community on every plan.
When do course platforms pay out?
Thinkific Payments pays daily, and US sales clear in 2 business days. Teachable pays daily on a 2 business day rolling delay. New Kajabi Payments accounts start on monthly payouts with a 7 business day hold per sale. Skool pays every Wednesday, and the first payout can take 14 days. Podia and Circle follow your own Stripe schedule.
Scores use our published method. Fees were checked against each platform's own pricing pages; every review lists its sources.