Last Updated: March 2026
Our Verdict: Teachable is a solid, no-fuss course platform that lets creators focus on teaching instead of tech — but you’ll pay for the privilege. | Rating: 7.5/10
Quick Summary
| Best For | Individual creators and small businesses selling online courses |
| Pricing | Free plan available; paid plans from $39/mo (annual) |
| Free Plan | Yes — $1 + 10% transaction fee per sale |
| Our Rating | 7.5/10 |
| Key Strength | Intuitive course builder with zero technical skills required |
| Biggest Weakness | Transaction fees on lower-tier plans eat into margins |
What Is Teachable?
Teachable is an online course platform that lets creators build, host, and sell courses and coaching programs from a single dashboard. Since launching in 2014, it has become one of the most recognizable names in the creator education space, with over 100,000 creators using the platform and billions of dollars in course sales processed.
The platform handles everything course creators need: a drag-and-drop course builder, payment processing, student management, basic email marketing, and customizable sales pages. It is not trying to be an all-in-one business platform like Kajabi — it focuses specifically on courses and coaching, and does that job well.
Where Teachable shines is simplicity. If you have video content, a Stripe account, and 30 minutes, you can have a live course for sale. The learning curve is minimal, the interface is clean, and the platform stays out of your way. The trade-off is that you get fewer built-in marketing tools than competitors, and the transaction fees on lower plans can add up quickly.
Key Features
1. Drag-and-Drop Course Builder
Teachable’s course builder is about as straightforward as it gets. Upload videos, PDFs, audio files, or text content, then drag them into the order you want. You can organize content into sections and lectures, add drip scheduling to release content over time, and set completion requirements for each lecture. The builder supports all major video formats, embeds from YouTube and Vimeo, and handles large file uploads without issues. It is not the most feature-rich builder on the market, but it is reliable and fast to use.
2. Integrated Payment Processing
Teachable handles all payment processing through Stripe and PayPal. You can offer one-time payments, subscriptions, and payment plans without any third-party integrations. Coupons and promotional pricing are built in. For US-based creators, Teachable also handles sales tax compliance through their Tax-Exempt collection feature. The significant caveat: on the Free and Basic plans, Teachable takes a transaction fee on every sale in addition to Stripe’s processing fees.
3. Sales Pages and Checkout
Each course gets a customizable sales page with a built-in checkout flow. The page editor lets you add testimonials, feature lists, instructor bios, and pricing tables. The checkout experience is optimized for conversion — it is a simple, clean page that does not distract buyers. You can also create bundle pages to sell multiple courses together at a discount, and order bumps to increase average order value.
4. Student Management and Engagement
Track student progress, completion rates, and quiz scores from a centralized dashboard. You can manually enroll or remove students, send targeted announcements, and set up automated completion certificates. The built-in discussion feature lets students ask questions within each lecture, though it is fairly basic compared to dedicated community platforms.
5. Coaching and Digital Downloads
Beyond courses, Teachable supports one-on-one coaching packages with milestone-based delivery and scheduled sessions. You can also sell simple digital downloads (ebooks, templates, guides) through the same platform. This flexibility is useful for creators who want to start with a $27 template, graduate to a $197 course, and eventually offer $2,000 coaching — all from one platform.
Pricing Breakdown
| Plan | Price (Annual) | Transaction Fee | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | $1 + 10% | 1 course, basic features, Teachable branding |
| Basic | $39/mo | 5% | Unlimited courses, custom domain, coupons, drip |
| Pro | $119/mo | 0% | Affiliate program, graded quizzes, certificates, priority support |
| Pro+ | $199/mo | 0% | Bulk import, advanced reports, custom user roles |
| Business | $499/mo | 0% | Advanced customization, bulk enrollments, dedicated CSM |
Prices shown are for annual billing. Monthly billing is approximately 30% higher.
The Pro plan at $119/mo is the sweet spot for most serious course creators. It eliminates transaction fees entirely, which pays for itself once you are doing more than roughly $2,400/month in sales. The Basic plan’s 5% transaction fee means Teachable takes $5 on every $100 sale — on top of Stripe’s ~3% — which adds up fast.
Pros and Cons
What We Like
- Extremely easy to set up — course can be live in under an hour
- Clean, conversion-optimized checkout experience
- Supports courses, coaching, and digital downloads in one place
- Solid payment flexibility (subscriptions, plans, bundles, bumps)
- Good student progress tracking and completion certificates
- Handles sales tax compliance for US sellers
What Could Be Better
- Transaction fees on Free and Basic plans are significant
- Built-in email marketing is very limited (no automations, no sequences)
- Sales page customization is restricted compared to dedicated page builders
- No built-in community feature (only basic discussion per lecture)
- Affiliate program only available on Pro plan and above
Who Is Teachable Best For?
Great fit if you:
– Want to launch a course quickly without technical headaches
– Sell premium courses ($97+) where the clean checkout experience matters
– Need integrated payment plans and subscription billing
Look elsewhere if you:
– Need robust email marketing and automation (consider Kajabi)
– Want a built-in community alongside your course (consider Skool or Circle + Teachable)
Teachable vs Competitors
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $39/mo | $149/mo | Free/$36/mo |
| Transaction Fees | 5% (Basic) | 0% | 0% on paid plans |
| Free Plan | Yes (limited) | No (14-day trial) | Yes |
| Course Builder | ✅ Clean, simple | ✅ More templates | ✅ Comparable |
| Built-in Email | ❌ Very basic | ✅ Full automation | ❌ Basic |
| Community | ❌ Discussion only | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Built-in |
| Coaching Tools | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Affiliate Program | ✅ (Pro+) | ✅ | ✅ (paid plans) |
| Best For | Course-focused creators | All-in-one business | Budget course creators |
Choose Teachable if you want simplicity and a great checkout experience. Choose Kajabi if you need email marketing, community, and website in one tool and have the budget. Choose Thinkific if you want a comparable course platform with no transaction fees at a lower price point.
Final Verdict
Teachable earns its reputation as one of the most user-friendly course platforms available. The setup process is fast, the student experience is clean, and the payment processing is reliable. For creators who want to focus on teaching and selling rather than wrestling with technology, it delivers on its promise.
The main tension point is pricing. The Basic plan’s 5% transaction fee is a meaningful drag on revenue, and the features that most creators actually need — affiliate programs, advanced quizzes, certificates — are locked behind the $119/month Pro plan. If you are doing enough volume to justify that cost, Teachable is excellent. If you are just starting out and testing the waters, the Free plan’s $1 + 10% fee structure can sting.
Our recommendation: start with the Free plan to validate your course idea. If it sells, upgrade directly to Pro (skip Basic — the 5% fee makes it poor value long-term). Teachable is not the cheapest option, and it is not the most feature-rich, but it strikes a reliable balance between simplicity and capability that has kept it among the top course platforms for a decade.
Rating: 7.5/10
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Teachable Pricing and Deals
Looking for the best price on Teachable? Check our dedicated Teachable Pricing and Deals page for current discount codes, plan comparisons, and money-saving tips.