Fee-first verdict
Annual cost favors Basic; monthly billing can favor Mover.
Thinkific Basic costs $39.58 per month from its $475 annual invoice and has no third-party gateway fee when Thinkific Payments is used. Podia Mover costs $42 per month annually plus a 5% Podia fee. Regular monthly billing is $54 for Basic versus $49 + 5% for Mover: they tie at $100 of no-refund monthly gross before other costs. Podia can be the stronger consolidation choice when its website, email, community, courses, downloads, coaching, and events replace separate tools.
Podia's $840 annual-budget and $1,000 regular-monthly Mover–Shaker crossovers assume no refunds. Returned Podia fees reduce Mover's cost: the fictional 20% full-refund example moves those original-gross ties to $1,050/$1,250. Processing is separate. Check the refund assumptions; verify the other platform's refund policy separately.
Published pricing
The four plans that matter most
| Platform and plan | Regular monthly bill | Full annual bill | Annual-plan equivalent | Platform fee | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific Basic | $54/month | $475/year | $39.58/month | No gateway fee with Thinkific Payments | Unlimited courses, quizzes, discussions, and one community |
| Thinkific Start | $109/month | $978/year | $81.50/month | No gateway fee with Thinkific Payments | Certificates, assignments, bundles, memberships, and payment plans |
| Podia Mover | $49/month | $504/year | $42.00/month | 5% Podia transaction fee | 50 products, 500 videos, 25 spaces, and 100 email subscribers |
| Podia Shaker | $99/month | $1008/year | $84.00/month | No Podia transaction fee | 150 products plus affiliates, PayPal, upsells, and Zapier |
USD subscription billing rechecked October 4, 2026. Annual billing commits the full invoice, not twelve cancellable monthly payments. The equivalents are budget allocations, not prorated refund promises. Normal payment processing, taxes, currency conversion, extra email subscribers, and optional add-ons are separate.
Billing choice, not a sales forecast
Monthly billing changes the entry-plan crossover
Compare a fictional no-refund month using regular monthly bills, not annual equivalents. Basic has no modeled platform or third-party gateway fee on an eligible Thinkific Payments route. Mover adds its 5% Podia fee. Processing, tax, currency conversion, email and other tools are excluded on both sides.
| No-refund monthly gross | Thinkific Basic | Podia Mover | Lower modeled cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $54.00 | $49.00 | Mover |
| $50 | $54.00 | $51.50 | Mover |
| $100 | $54.00 | $54.00 | Tie |
| $500 | $54.00 | $74.00 | Basic |
($54 − $49) ÷ 5% = $100: Mover is lower below that no-refund gross, ties at $100, and Basic is lower above it under this payment-route assumption. For a fictional 20% full-refund share with Podia's documented own-fee returns, $125 original gross leaves a $100 Podia fee base and the same $54 cost. That is not a general refund forecast; processor retention, other charges and the other platform's policy still need checking.
The higher fixed-price pair also changes direction: Start's $81.50 annual equivalent is $2.50 below Shaker's $84.00, but its $109 regular monthly bill is $10 above Shaker's $99. These are not feature-equivalent plans. Choose required features and a sustainable commitment before treating either difference as savings.
Review Podia's refund example or check Thinkific's annual billing basis. The main fee calculator uses annual equivalents; these regular-monthly inputs do not change its defaults.
Example economics
Platform cost at three monthly revenue levels
This model counts subscriptions and published platform transaction fees. It assumes annual billing and Thinkific Payments. Payment processing is excluded because it varies by method and location. No customer refunds are modeled in this table.
| Monthly gross | Thinkific Basic | Podia Mover | Podia Shaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $39.58 | $67 | $84 |
| $1,000 | $39.58 | $92 | $84 |
| $3,000 | $39.58 | $192 | $84 |
Thinkific Basic remains the lowest modeled platform cost at every positive revenue level under these assumptions. That does not make it the automatic winner: Basic omits several tools included in Podia, and a creator may need Thinkific Start or external software.
Podia break-even
Podia's $840 annual-budget tie assumes no refunds.
Shaker costs $42 more each month on annual billing. Dividing that difference by Mover's 5% Podia fee gives an $840 monthly break-even. Below $840, Mover has the lower modeled Podia cost. Above $840, Shaker's zero Podia fee makes it cheaper—before payment processing and any email-subscriber add-ons. Regular monthly billing instead ties at $1,000 without refunds; see the refund assumptions above before applying either threshold to original gross sales.
The global-payment check
Confirm payment support before trusting the fee table
Thinkific says its native payment service is the default for new creators in supported countries. Its help center also publishes third-party gateway fees of 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, and 1% on Grow for affected transactions, while Thinkific Payments users avoid that gateway fee. Thinkific says the fee stops after the first $1 million in calendar-year sales made through Thinkific; monthly examples do not automatically account for year-to-date sales.
Podia separately charges Mover's 5% platform fee, while Stripe or PayPal processing is additional. Before choosing either platform, verify that the available gateway supports your country, business type, currency, and payout method.
Feature fit
Choose based on what the platform replaces
Check Podia integration limits before counting replacement savings.
Downloads and course assets have different delivery and revision rules. Check streaming, file-opening and shared-update limits before treating either platform as a replacement for your current file workflow.
Podia may fit when
- You want a website, email, courses, downloads, and community together.
- You are a solo creator optimizing for a simple weekly workflow.
- Mover's 50-product limit or Shaker's 150-product limit is sufficient.
- Shaker's affiliates, PayPal, or Zapier actions replace other tools.
- You prefer fewer integrations over a deeper learning-management system.
Thinkific may fit when
- You want unlimited courses from the entry paid plan.
- Quizzes, discussions, student progress, and course structure matter most.
- You expect to add certificates, assignments, cohorts, or memberships.
- You already have a website or email system you plan to keep.
Decision table
Which one should you test first?
| Your priority | Test first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-plan cost | Check billing choice | Annual Basic is lower; regular monthly Mover starts lower before the $100 no-refund tie |
| Fewest separate tools | Podia | Broader all-in-one creator stack |
| Structured course catalog | Thinkific | Unlimited courses and a deeper learning upgrade path |
| Affiliates and email in one system | Podia Shaker | Both are included without a separate service |
Frequently asked
Podia vs Thinkific questions
Is Podia or Thinkific cheaper?
On annual billing, Thinkific Basic is lower in the subscription and platform-fee model when Thinkific Payments is available. On regular monthly billing, Mover is lower below $100 no-refund monthly gross, ties there, and Basic is lower above it, before other costs. Podia may provide better total value if it lets you cancel separate email, website, community, or digital-product tools.
Does Thinkific charge a transaction fee?
Payment processing charges apply. Thinkific says users of Thinkific Payments avoid its third-party gateway fee. When that gateway fee applies, the published rates are 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, and 1% on Grow.
Which platform is easier for a beginner?
Podia is easier to recommend when a solo creator wants one simple system. Thinkific is easier to justify when the learning experience and a growing course catalog are the priorities.
When is Podia Shaker cheaper than Mover?
Shaker becomes cheaper above $840 in monthly gross sales using annual billing with no refunds. Regular monthly billing instead ties at $1,000. Podia fee returns after full refunds can move the original-gross threshold; processing and capacity are separate.
Official sources
Verify current prices and regional terms
Vendor links are currently direct and non-affiliate.