Verdict. Pick Podia if you sell a mix of courses, downloads and coaching and want sales to land in your own Stripe or PayPal account. Shaker at $99 a month is the sensible plan because it removes the 5% fee and adds PayPal and affiliates. The catch is email. Even Earthquaker includes only 1,000 subscribers, so a list of any real size means paying for more or keeping another email tool.
- Founded
- 2014 (Launched as Coach in 2014 and renamed Podia in 2017.)
- Best for
- Creators selling several small products from one storefront
- Plans from
- $49/month
- You keep from $1,000
- $842 on Mover
Who can join. Open to anyone who can open a Stripe account or a PayPal business account. Podia offers a 14-day free trial and no free plan.
Podia pricing and fees
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.
| Plan | Price | Fee on sales | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mover | $49/mo | 5% of sales | $42/mo billed annually. 50 products, 500 videos, 25 community spaces, 100 email subscribers. |
| Shaker | $99/mo | 0% | $84/mo billed annually. 150 products, 1,000 videos, 100 spaces, 500 email subscribers, PayPal, affiliates, Zapier. |
| Earthquaker | $179/mo | 0% | $150/mo billed annually. Unlimited products, videos and spaces, 1,000 email subscribers. |
On $1,000 of monthly sales at $10 each, the cheapest option is the Mover plan. You'd pay about $158 in platform and card fees, 15.8% of revenue, and keep $842. Compare that with every other platform.
Payment processing. You connect your own Stripe or PayPal account, and they charge their standard fee, about 2.9% + 30¢ per US card sale. PayPal handles one-time payments only, so subscriptions and payment plans need Stripe.
Payouts. Sales go straight to your own Stripe or PayPal account, so payout timing and minimums follow their schedules. Podia never holds your money. On Mover, Podia deducts its 5% from each sale before the money reaches you.
What you get with Podia
- Online courses
- Digital downloads
- Coaching
- Live and in-person events
- Community with spaces
- Website and blog builder
- Custom domain
- Built-in email marketing
- Affiliate marketing on Shaker and up
- Zapier on Shaker and up
Podia pros and cons
What we like
- Payments land in your own Stripe or PayPal account, and Podia never holds funds.
- Shaker and Earthquaker take 0% of sales.
- Courses, downloads, coaching, events and community come on every plan.
- Custom domain and website builder on every plan, including Mover.
What gets in the way
- Mover's 5% plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ takes about 8% of each sale.
- Email limits are tiny. Mover includes 100 subscribers and Earthquaker only 1,000.
- Mid-2026 changes raised prices and cut Mover from unlimited products to 50.
- PayPal, affiliates and Zapier need Shaker at $99 a month.
- The pricing page shows only annual rates, so you have to hunt for monthly prices.
Who should skip Podia
If your email list already passes 1,000 people, pick Kajabi, which includes 2,500 contacts on Basic, or keep your current email tool next to Podia.
Podia alternatives
| Platform | Score | Keep from $1,000 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | 6.6 | $852 | Solo course creators who want simple setup and checkout |
| Thinkific | 6.3 | $832 | Course businesses that want a polished learner experience |
| Circle | 6.1 | $815 | Brands and creators running a large paid community |
| Skool | 5.8 | $861 | Coaches running a paid community with courses inside |
Head to head: Kajabi vs Podia.
See all 6 course and community platforms ranked.
Podia questions
Does Podia charge transaction fees?
Only on Mover. Podia deducts 5% from each Mover sale before payout. Shaker and Earthquaker carry no Podia fee. Every plan still pays Stripe or PayPal processing, about 2.9% + 30¢ per US card sale, and that rate varies by country.
How much does Podia cost?
Billed monthly, Mover is $49, Shaker is $99 and Earthquaker is $179. Annual billing cuts that to $42, $84 and $150 a month. There is a 14-day free trial. Mover includes 50 products and 100 email subscribers, and Shaker raises that to 150 products and 500 subscribers.
Does Podia have a free plan?
No. Podia no longer offers a free plan, only a 14-day free trial. After the trial you need Mover, Shaker or Earthquaker to keep selling and to keep using Podia Email. Mover is the cheapest at $49 a month, or $42 a month billed yearly.
How do Podia payouts work?
Podia does not hold your money. Customers pay through your connected Stripe or PayPal account, so funds follow that processor's payout schedule. PayPal works only for one-time payments and only on Shaker and Earthquaker. Subscriptions and payment plans need Stripe.
Sources
We checked these pages on October 20, 2026. Platforms change fees often, so confirm on the official page before you commit.