Heights Platform vs Podia
We give Heights Platform and Podia the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Heights Platform
Course, challenge and community platform with built-in AI tools
Podia
Website, store, courses, community and email for creators in one place
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHeights PlatformFair | 2.4GPAPodiaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CChallenge is $19 a month billed yearly but covers 1 challenge course for 100 students. Basic, with unlimited courses and 5,000 students, is $39, and no plan takes a fee on sales, so $2,000 of sales costs $39 a month: the middle of this category. | CMover is $42 a month billed yearly but adds a 5% fee, $100 on $2,000 of sales: $142. Shaker at $84 takes no fee, so $84 a month is what you'd pay, inside this category's usual range but above its dearer quarter ($59). Shaker includes 500 email subscribers. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 30-day trial with no card needed, as long as any in this category. | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial of every feature with no card needed, and once you pay, refunds only within 72 hours of the latest payment. |
| Features | BCourses and challenges with quizzes, assignments, certificates and badges, community channels, meeting rooms and live streams, email to students, fee-free checkout and Heights AI. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job; a custom domain waits for Pro. | BCourses with quizzes and certificates, downloads, coaching, events, a community with chat, a website and blog, checkout with tax for 230 jurisdictions, email automations and an MCP connection. No gap in the job; PayPal, Zapier and affiliates just need Shaker. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Heights AI drafts courses, quizzes and pages, which helps, but you're still building a school. | CNo App Store rating on record. Everything's in one place, which helps, but you still build a site, a store and your emails before selling. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, plus Mac and Windows apps, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Google Analytics and Dropbox. No iPhone or Android app, which an A needs, and the API is only on Academy. | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Zoom, Calendly, Kit, Mailchimp and Discord, plus MCP for Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor. No phone or desktop apps listed. |
| Best for | fee-free courses and challenges with live lessons | creators selling a mix of courses and downloads |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Heights Platform and Podia. How we grade
Price against what you get
Heights Platform starts at $19 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Podia starts at $42 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Heights Platform starts $23 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Heights Platform for less, and 1 scores higher than Podia for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Heights Platform starts at $19 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly). Podia starts at $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly).
- Only Heights Platform lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Heights Platform also covers video calls.
- Podia also covers marketing automation.
At a glance
| Heights Platform | Podia | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $19 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Velora Studios, LLC | Podia Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | heightsplatform.com | podia.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Heights Platform
- Creators starting with a single challenge or small course
- Course sellers who want no platform fee on payments
- Teachers who run live lessons and group calls
Podia
- Creators who want site, store, community and email in one bill
- Small lists, since email is priced by subscriber count
- Sellers of a mix of courses, downloads and coaching
Worth knowing
Heights Platform
- Challenge allows 1 course and 100 active students and has no community.
- A custom domain and removing Heights branding need Pro at $99 a month billed annually.
- API access and custom student roles are only in Academy.
- No iOS or Android app is listed: students use a mobile browser or the Mac and Windows desktop apps.
Podia
- Mover adds a 5% Podia fee to each sale; Stripe or PayPal also charge their own fee of about 2.9% plus 30 cents.
- Plans include only 100, 500 or 1,000 email subscribers; 10,000 adds $56 a month billed annually ($70 monthly) on any plan.
- PayPal, Zapier, affiliate marketing, upsells and assistant seats need Shaker or Earthquaker.
- Refunds are given only within 72 hours of the latest payment; there is no free plan.
Key features
Heights Platform
- Courses and challenges
- A lesson builder with drip and unlockable lessons, assignments and quizzes, certificates, badges and points, and unlimited video hosting.
- Community channels
- Free or paid channels tied to courses, with student projects, member messaging, and free channels published as public, indexable pages.
- Meeting rooms and live streams
- Live lessons, group calls in meeting rooms from Basic, and live streams in community channels, with 5 to 30 video hours a month by plan.
- Payments without fees
- One-time, subscription and installment prices through your own Stripe or PayPal account, with coupons, order bumps and cart recovery.
- Heights AI
- Drafts courses, quizzes, emails and website pages, moderates the community, builds reports, and on Pro coaches you weekly.
Podia
- Courses, downloads and coaching
- Courses with drip lessons, quizzes, certificates and unlimited students, plus digital downloads, bookable coaching, and live or in-person events.
- Community
- Topic spaces, group chat, member-to-member messages, badges and paid membership tiers. Everyone who signs up or buys joins the community.
- Website, blog and checkout
- Pages, a blog and your own domain, with a one-page checkout, payment plans, coupons, subscriptions and tax handled for 230 jurisdictions.
- Email marketing
- Broadcasts to the whole list or a segment, welcome sequences and automations, and blog posts sent to subscribers as newsletters.
- Podia Agent and MCP
- A built-in AI assistant that works inside your account, and an MCP connection for Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor. Both are on every plan.
Plans
Heights Platform
Challenge$19
per month for up to 100 students, billed annually ($29 monthly)
1 challenge course, email to 1,000 contacts, live lessons, certificates, gamification and coupons. No community. No transaction fee.
Basic$39
per month for up to 5,000 students, billed annually ($49 monthly)
Unlimited courses and community channels, digital products, meeting rooms, affiliate program, Zapier, email to 5,000 contacts.
Pro$99
per month for up to 10,000 students, billed annually ($119 monthly)
Custom domain, web page builder, live streaming, no Heights branding, 2 admins, weekly AI coaching, email to 10,000 contacts.
Academy$399
per month for unlimited students, billed annually ($499 monthly)
Email to 100,000 contacts, 25 admins, custom student roles, API access, advanced reporting, a setup consultation and priority support.
Podia
Mover$42
per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly)
50 products, 500 videos, 25 community spaces. Podia takes a 5% transaction fee. $98 a month at 10,000 subscribers, billed annually.
Shaker$84
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed annually ($99 monthly)
150 products, 1,000 videos, 100 spaces, no transaction fee, 1 assistant, affiliates, upsells, PayPal and Zapier. $140 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Earthquaker$150
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed annually ($179 monthly)
Unlimited products, videos, spaces and assistants, no transaction fee. $206 a month at 10,000 subscribers, billed annually.
Ways to pay less
Heights Platform
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual plans
Heights Platform's pricing page lists 20% off for annual plans: Challenge $19 a month instead of $29, Basic $39 instead of $49, Pro $99 instead of $119.
Podia
- Annual discount
Lower monthly price with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Mover is $42 a month instead of $49, Shaker $84 instead of $99 and Earthquaker $150 instead of $179.
