7 Teachable Alternatives After the Price Hike (2026)

A course platform charges every month, whether or not you sold anything. That became harder to ignore after Teachable changed its plans in June 2025. Schools on the old Basic plan moved to Builder, which raised the monthly price from $59 to $89 and cut the base transaction fee from 5% to 0%. (Teachable's current plans and fees are broken down in our pricing review.)

The right alternative depends on why you're leaving: the fixed bill, the product limit, or the tools Teachable doesn't include.

Why people look for a Teachable alternative

More fixed costs

Perhaps the largest reason creators leave Teachable is cost. As mentioned earlier, the increase in Teachable's 2025 pricing changed the relationship between the monthly cost of using the service and the fees associated with transactions.

It would make sense for a creator who has limited income derived from selling products through their Teachable account to want to keep their monthly charges at the lowest possible amount. In a Reddit discussion, creator u/blabel75 wrote, “I might only sell 15 courses a year now”, while seeking alternatives after receiving the plan-change email.

Using the Basic-to-Builder change as an example, a $30 increase in monthly subscription costs is offset by the removal of a 5% transaction fee once sales reach $600 per month. Above that amount, the fee savings would exceed the additional subscription cost. This calculation excludes processing costs and other charges.

Catalog limits

Teachable currently permits 5 published products on Starter, 10 on Builder, and 50 on Growth. Creators who sell several smaller products may need to move to a higher plan when their catalog exceeds their current allowance. This means that a Starter or Builder plan that worked when you had three to five courses will become restrictive when you expand to 20. (Teachable)

These changes to Teachable’s limits have caused customers to complain. In a reddit post explaining why Teachable changed what used to be called the Basic Plan Tim Kul (u/TimKul) wrote "they also took away the unlimited course option." Tim later updated the post to say they had canceled.

A different tool mix

You want a platform that gives you more than course hosting in order to scale. That may mean bringing email marketing, funnels, digital products, and live sessions together instead of relying on additional tools.

In the r/Teachable “Too Expensive” discussion, user u/masgrimes described paying separately for courses and community, writing, “So, many of us are left paying for both aspects.” They said they would consider a combined course-and-community subscription if rebuilding their setup.

Teachable does have a Community feature, but it is in maintenance mode: Teachable has paused work on it, and its help center points creators who want a richer community to Discord or Slack. (Teachable)

Before switching, check whether the alternative supports your teaching and member activities, and which separate subscriptions it would actually replace.

How we compared them

We compared the platforms on five things:

• Total cost: Subscription, sales fees, processing, and extras.
• Course delivery: Catalog capacity and teaching features.
• Community: Discussions, events, and mobile access.
• Marketing: Website, email, and sales tools.
• Switching: Content transfers, student access, and billing.

The alternatives

Here are the platforms worth considering in 2026.

1. Heartbeat

Teachable is built around the course. Heartbeat is built around the community: members talk to each other in channels, meet at live events and take courses together, with memberships and checkout in the same place. It fits when the community is what people pay for, such as a membership, a group program or a cohort course where members learn from each other.

Every plan includes unlimited courses, events and documents, and a course can run evergreen or as a cohort. Members use the Heartbeat app, and the Scale plan adds your own branded app in the App Store and Google Play.

Build costs $49 a month, or $40 a month billed annually, for up to 350 members, with a 5% transaction fee on top of Stripe processing. Grow ($149, or $124 a month billed annually) raises the cap to 5,000 members and lowers the fee to 2.5%. There is a 14-day free trial, with no card required to start.

Start your free trialSee pricing

2. Thinkific

If your course catalog is growing, Thinkific makes the most sense. Its Basic plan supports unlimited courses at $54 per month or $40 per month billed annually. This gives you a growing course library without the course-count upgrade that comes with Teachable’s product caps.

The Basic plan also supports five digital downloads and certificates, while membership requires the Start plan or above.

Key things to note before switching to Thinkific are that branded mobile apps are available as a paid add-on, and third-party payment gateway fees cost 5% where applicable.

3. Systeme.io

If your goal is to get a Teachable replacement without the monthly software bill, you may want to explore Systeme.io. It has a free plan that comes with one course, 2,000 contacts, three sales funnels, and unlimited email sends. It also charges 0% platform transaction fees.

This is its clearest advantage over Teachable for an early-stage seller. For a creator selling a first course, Systeme.io ticks the box. However, for a person moving an established catalogue from Teachable, maybe not. So if you have a large course catalog and need a straightforward migration, skip it.

4. Kajabi

Kajabi bundles courses, email, funnels, and a website in one platform. It comes with a high price tag, so it is worth considering mainly when it replaces several other tools. The Basic plan costs $179 monthly or $143 when billed annually, and it’s capped at 5 products, 2,500 contacts, and two admins.

Kajabi also charges payment-processing fees, which are listed at 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction on Basic, with lower rates on its higher plans. Using a third-party payment processor can add an additional platform fee.

The value therefore depends on what else you’re currently paying for. If you already pay separately for email marketing, funnels and a website, consolidating those tools may make the higher Kajabi subscription easier to justify.

5. LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds can be a top choice for creators looking for platforms designed around online learning rather than merely uploading videos and selling access. It permits unlimited paid courses, avoiding Teachable’s published-product ceiling. Its Starter plan is $29 monthly, or $24 when billed annually, plus a $5 fee per paid enrolment. But it is the Pro Trainer plan that makes LearnWorlds a worthy Teachable competitor. It costs $99 monthly, or $79 monthly for yearly subscriptions, with the addition of SCORM support, which makes it ideal for trainers combining a larger catalog with specific learning requirements.

6. Podia

If the reason you’re leaving Teachable is that you’re paying for too many tools, then Podia is worth your time. It’s a platform that combines a storefront, email, community and products. For many creators who use one platform for courses and another for marketing and digital products, this combination simplifies the software stack.

The Mover plan costs $42 a month billed annually, with a 5% transaction fee and a 100-subscriber email allowance. The email limit is where you want to check against your current list. If you have a larger list, you may have to choose the Shaker plan at $84 or Earthquaker at $150.

There is also one obvious limitation for creators who care about mobile learning: Podia does not currently offer a mobile app for members.

7. Circle

Another Teachable alternative creators may want to consider is Circle Professional, which combines courses, discussions, events, and member profiles. It’s a great option if you consider ongoing member interaction central to what your customers buy. However, Professional costs $89 per month, billed annually, plus a 2% platform transaction fee, so it’s not the obvious low-cost option for a creator who simply wants to sell courses.

Its case against Teachable is simply the community-centered workflow, not a lower entry bill. Circle’s branded-app offer is part of custom-priced Circle Plus. A basic course library alone may not justify that different cost structure.

Comparison table

USD prices checked October 13, 2026. Monthly equivalents below require annual billing. Payment processing is additional. Branded apps may require another purchase or plan.

Kajabi’s third-party payment-provider fee does not apply to Kajabi Payments or PayPal transactions, or in countries where Kajabi Payments is unavailable. Payment processing charges still apply.

Which one to pick, by reason

When it comes to picking the right Teachable alternative, it often boils down to the option that closely suits your business needs. But here’s how we’d look at it:

• If members learning from each other is what people pay for, look at Heartbeat.
• If you’re looking for the cheapest way to test your first course, start with Systeme.io
• Want to build a large course catalog? Thinkific may make more sense since its Basic plan supports unlimited courses.
• Using many tools and need one platform to replace them all? Podia and Kajabi make that possible
• If you’re looking for a more specialised learning functionality, look at LearnWorlds.
• If your business is a paid community with courses attached, Circle is the more natural fit.

There’s also the option of staying with Teachable if your current setup is working. Also, switching platforms can create work and additional costs of moving courses, students, payments, and other workflows.

How to move off Teachable

Migrating to another platform after being on Teachable requires a plan.

Export before cancelling

Before you cancel Teachable, export the information you need and make a list of everything running through your school, as Teachable does not provide a single course export file for recreating your school on another platform. So save videos, PDFs, and other files, copy lesson text, and export user and transaction records separately.

Check what the new platform can import

Confirm how the destination platform handles lesson orders, quizzes, sales pages, and automations. Podia’s migration service, for example, explains information like subscriptions and payment details cannot be transferred across.

Separate access from payments

You need to think about students who already have access. Do not assume an email-address export brings passwords, progress, or billing credentials with it. Ensure you consider how existing customers will receive their courses and which records transfer.

Test, communicate, then close

Don't cancel the old platform until you've tested the new one, checked your links, confirmed payments work, and made sure existing students can access what they purchased. Teachable's cancellation process can affect access to your school, so treat cancellation as the final step rather than the first.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Teachable?

Yes. Systeme.io offers a $0 plan, but the free plan is limited to one course. Payment-processing fees still apply, so a free subscription does not mean there are no costs when you make a sale. Heartbeat starts with a 14-day free trial with no card required, and every plan includes courses, cohorts and a community where students learn together.

Which is better, Udemy or Teachable?

Udemy and Teachable are built around different models. Udemy is more of a course marketplace, while Teachable gives you a platform to run your own course business. The better choice depends on how you want to sell.

Which is better, Thinkific or Teachable?

Thinkific is worth considering when course-count limits are your main constraint. Teachable may still fit your catalog and current workflow. Compare the feature tier and payment setup you actually need, rather than choosing on the starting price alone. Our Thinkific vs Teachable comparison covers what each costs at different sales levels.

What are the top 10 online learning sites?

Some of the popularly known learning sites include Coursera, edX, Udemy, Khan Academy, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, FutureLearn, Udacity, Pluralsight, and MIT OpenCourseWare. These are places to learn, not interchangeable tools for running your own course business.

Which Teachable alternatives have no platform transaction fee?

Several platforms use a 0% platform transaction fee on particular plans or payment setups. Systeme.io's plans advertise 0% platform transaction fees, while Thinkific does not charge its third-party gateway fee when Thinkific is used.

Can I move my courses and students without losing access?

You can move some of your content and data, but migration is not necessarily a complete one-click transfer. Plan an overlap, transfer supported records, and test student access before cancelling. Most importantly, document what needs to be preserved and confirm what your new platform can import.