Podia vs SchoolMaker (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Podia grades higher than SchoolMaker: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Podia grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
SchoolMaker
Course platform with milestones, community, coaching and AI coaches
Which one is for you
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
Pick SchoolMaker if
- Fits if you coach in steps and want a community inside the same product
- Works for course makers who want AI coaches for their students
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow, because plans cap members from 100 to 5,000 and above that you contact the vendor
- Skip it if you want no badge on the cheapest plan, as Lite keeps a SchoolMaker badge
- Watch out: Lite is only open to new customers
- Watch out: extra member packs come only with Business, and the page offers annual billing but the monthly price is the one recorded here
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPodiaFair | 2.2GPASchoolMakerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CLite is $29 a month, inside the cheaper quarter, but it has a badge, 100 members and is for new customers only. Starter is $99, Pro $165 and Business $249. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | C14-day free trial. No free plan, and the listing does not say a card is needed. |
| Features | 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. | CSteps and milestones, community, live sessions, AI coaches, checkout, referrals, an API and webhooks. Members and courses are capped on every plan. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Everything's in one account, but you still build a site, a store and your emails before selling. | CNo store rating on record. You build the school and its steps yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb only, with 8 integrations and an API on record. |
| Best for | creators selling a mix of courses and downloads | a coach selling a course with community and AI coaches |
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: Podia and SchoolMaker. How we grade
Price against what you get
Podia starts at $42 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SchoolMaker starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3.
Podia scores higher, and starts $13 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 1 scores higher than Podia for less, and 2 score higher than SchoolMaker 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
- Podia also covers marketing automation and email campaigns.
- SchoolMaker also covers webinars.
At a glance
| Podia | SchoolMaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly) | $29 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card required | 14-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Podia Labs, Inc. | SchoolMaker |
| Price read from | podia.com | schoolmaker.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SchoolMaker
- Plans cap members (100 to 5,000) and courses; above 5,000 members the vendor asks you to contact it.
- The Lite plan keeps a SchoolMaker badge on and is only open to new customers.
- The page offers annual billing with a stated saving, but the monthly price is the one recorded here.
- Business is the only plan that includes extra member packs.
Key features
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.
SchoolMaker
- Steps and milestones
- Courses are built as step-by-step journeys with milestones that students work through.
- Built-in community
- A community space for students inside the school, on every plan.
- Live sessions and coaching
- Consultations, live sessions and coaching, with Zoom or Google Meet links.
- AI coaches
- AI coaches that answer from course content: 10 on Lite, up to 30 on Business.
- Checkout and referrals
- Native checkout through Stripe, with no transaction fee from SchoolMaker.
- API, MCP and webhooks
- API, MCP server and webhooks on every plan, plus Zapier and Make.
Plans
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.
SchoolMaker
Lite$29
per month for up to 100 members, billed monthly
1 course, 1 owner account, 100 GB storage and a SchoolMaker badge that stays on. Only for new customers.
Starter$99
per month for up to 500 members, billed monthly
15 courses, 5 team accounts, unlimited storage and free migration.
Pro$165
per month for up to 2,500 members, billed monthly
30 courses, 10 team accounts, priority support and free migration.
Business$249
per month for up to 5,000 members, billed monthly
Unlimited courses and team accounts, extra member packs, priority support and free migration.
Ways to pay less
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.
SchoolMaker
- Annual discount
Annual billing saving
The page lists a saving with annual billing: $120 a year on Lite, $240 on Starter, $408 on Pro and $600 on Business.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Podia or SchoolMaker?
As of Nov 12, 2026, SchoolMaker is cheaper to start with: $29 a month, against $42 a month for Podia. Podia starts at $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly), and SchoolMaker starts at $29 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Podia or SchoolMaker?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Podia nor SchoolMaker has a free plan. Both have 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.