Podia vs Simplero
We give Podia a 2.4 GPA and Simplero a 2.8, out of 4.0. Simplero grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features 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
Simplero
All-in-one platform for courses, community, email and coaching
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPodiaFair | 2.8GPASimpleroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CStarter is $59 a month billed yearly for 500 contacts, and Simplero takes no fee on sales, so $2,000 of sales costs $59 a month, at the top of this category's dearer quarter. Contacts push it up: Starter is $134 at 10,000. |
| 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. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with every feature, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. There's a full refund in the first 30 days after that. |
| 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. | BCourses with quizzes and certificates, memberships, communities with live events, 1:1 and group coaching with client portals, email with a CRM and automations, funnels, checkout with tax handling and AI. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job. |
| Ease of use | 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. | A4.85 from 1,256 App Store ratings, in the top band. Members get lessons, quizzes and the community in one app. |
| 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, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Zoom, Zapier, Meta Pixel and Google Analytics, and an API from Scale. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | creators selling a mix of courses and downloads | coaches who want everything in one account |
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 Simplero. 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. Simplero starts at $59 a month and scores 3.3.
Simplero scores higher, and starts $17 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 none scores higher than Simplero 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 starts at $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly). Simplero starts at $59 per month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly).
- Only Simplero lists iOS and Android apps.
- Simplero also covers forms.
At a glance
| Podia | Simplero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly) | $59 per month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card required | 14-day free trial with every feature, and a full refund in the first 30 days |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Podia Labs, Inc. | Powerful Through Grace, Inc. dba Simplero |
| Price read from | podia.com | simplero.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Simplero
- Coaches replacing separate tools for email, courses and checkout
- Course creators who want email marketing and a CRM built in
- High-ticket coaching sold through applications and sales pipelines
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.
Simplero
- Prices rise with contacts: Starter covers 500, Scale 1,000 and Skyrocket 5,000. At 10,000 contacts they are $134, $224 and $324 a month, billed annually.
- Starter stops at 10 products, 10 courses and 1 site or community; API access, affiliates, the help desk and text messages start on Scale.
- AI use is capped by a monthly allowance of $5, $15 or $30 by plan, with paid top-ups; text messages are charged per segment on top.
- A branded app in the App Store and Google Play needs your own developer accounts and an extra monthly fee.
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.
Simplero
- Courses and memberships
- Courses with modules, quizzes, certificates, drip schedules and completion tracking, plus membership tiers with subscription billing.
- Communities and coaching
- Built-in communities with posts, replies and live events, and 1:1 or group coaching programs with scheduling, session notes and client portals.
- Email, CRM and automations
- Broadcasts, sequences, newsletters and segmentation with unlimited sends, a CRM with a full contact timeline, and if-this-then-that automations.
- Funnels and checkout
- A page and funnel builder with upsells, downsells and order bumps, affiliate payouts, forms and surveys, and Stripe or PayPal checkout with tax handling.
- AI throughout
- AI builds pages, sales copy, funnels and email drafts, and an AI course assistant answers students from your content, within a monthly AI allowance.
- Mobile app
- Members use the Simplero app on iOS and Android for lessons, quizzes and community; a branded app costs an extra monthly fee.
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.
Simplero
Starter$59
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($70 monthly)
10 products, 10 courses, 1 site or community, unlimited email sends, 250 GB storage, $5 of AI use a month. $134 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
Scale$149
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($179 monthly)
Unlimited products, courses and communities, 5 domains, affiliates, help desk, upsells, certificates, texting, API. $224 a month at 10,000 contacts.
Skyrocket$249
per month for up to 5,000 contacts, billed annually ($299 monthly)
Unlimited domains and storage, sales pipelines, tasks, child accounts, split tests and paid AI bots. $324 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
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.
Simplero
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
Pay for 10 months and get 12: Starter is $59 a month billed annually against $70 monthly, Scale $149 against $179, Skyrocket $249 against $299.
- Other savings
90 days of Skyrocket for $90
The pricing page offers the top plan for 90 days for $90 plus tax, after which you keep paying for it or move to a smaller plan.
