Hotmart vs Podia (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hotmart grades higher than Podia: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hotmart grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Podia grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Podia
Website, store, courses, community and email for creators in one place
Which one is for you
Pick Hotmart if
- Fits if you want to sell a first course without paying a monthly fee
- Works for creators who want an affiliate programme built in
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell a lot, as the 9.9% plus R$1 fee is taken from every sale
- Watch out: the fee is quoted in Brazilian reais, so check the fees page for your currency
- Watch out: withdrawing earnings costs a fee, in reais a minimum of R$2.00 plus R$1.99
- Watch out: payout timing depends on the sale currency and the buyer's payment method
Pick Podia if
- Fits if you sell courses, downloads and coaching to one small audience
- Works for creators with a small email list, since email is priced by subscribers
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have a big list, as 10,000 subscribers adds $56 a month billed annually
- Skip it if you plan to stay on Mover, because 5% of every sale goes to Podia
- Not for you if your members expect a phone app, as none is listed
- Watch out: PayPal, Zapier, affiliates, upsells and assistant seats need Shaker at $84 a month
- Watch out: there's no free plan, and refunds come only within 72 hours of the latest payment
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHotmartGood | 2.4GPAPodiaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BNo monthly or annual fee, but 9.9% plus R$1 comes off every approved sale up to five figures of revenue. A seller with steady income pays more than a flat plan would charge. | 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 | BA free account with no limit on products, and a platform fee only when something sells. One person can run on it. | 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 | BMembers area, checkout, affiliate programme, events and webinars, funnels, email automation and analytics. Nothing named in the listing is missing for selling a course. | 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 store rating on record. You build the product, the members area and the checkout yourself. | CNo App Store rating on record. Everything's in one account, but you still build a site, a store and your emails before selling. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on the listing, with no integrations on record. | 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 | selling a course or digital product with no monthly fee | 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: Hotmart and Podia. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hotmart has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Podia starts at $42 a month and scores 2.7.
Podia scores higher, and starts $42 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Hotmart 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
- Hotmart also covers affiliate tracking, digital downloads and webinars.
- Podia also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| Hotmart | Podia | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly) |
| Free plan | No monthly or annual fee and no limit on products. Hotmart charges a fee on each approved sale; the home page gives 9.9% + R$1 for revenue up to five figures. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Launch Pad Technology, Services and Payments Ltd. | Podia Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | hotmart.com | podia.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hotmart
- The fee is quoted in Brazilian reais (9.9% + R$1 per sale) for revenue up to five figures; check the fees page for your currency.
- Withdrawing earnings costs a fee; in Brazilian reais the minimum is R$2.00 plus R$1.99.
- Payout timing depends on the sale currency and the buyer's payment method.
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
Hotmart
- Members area
- A customizable area for courses and other content, where you can also promote your other products to buyers.
- Checkout and payments
- Its own payment system with local payment methods and a checkout builder with order bumps, localized to the buyer's language and currency.
- Affiliate program
- Affiliates can promote your products, and Hotmart automates their payouts.
- Events and webinars
- Host webinars or online events and sell with one-click buying during them.
- Funnels and email automation
- Upsells and downsells, plus automated emails for abandoned carts and sales recovery.
- Co-creation and analytics
- Add partners to a product and split profits automatically, with sales reports and tracking pixels.
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
Hotmart
Free account$0
No subscription. The fee is 9.9% + R$1 per approved sale for revenue up to five figures, and it falls as earnings rise. The page states the rate in Brazilian reais.
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
Hotmart
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hotmart or Podia?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hotmart is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $42 a month for Podia. Hotmart is free, and Podia starts at $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly).
Which has a free plan, Hotmart or Podia?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Hotmart has a free plan. Podia does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.