Podia vs systeme.io
We give Podia a 2.4 GPA and systeme.io a 2.8, out of 4.0. Podia grades higher on features. systeme.io grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
systeme.io
All-in-one marketing suite with funnels, email, courses and community
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPodiaFair | 2.8GPAsysteme.ioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | ANo plan takes a fee on sales. One course sells on the free plan, and Startup, with 5 courses, is $17 a month or about $14 billed yearly with 2 months free. So $2,000 of sales costs $0 on Free or about $14 a month on Startup, under 60% of this category's cheaper quarter ($29). |
| 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. | BA free plan with no card and no end date: 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 3 funnels and 1 course for 500 students. One person selling one course could live on it; 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign is where it pinches. |
| 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. | CFunnels with upsells, email automations, courses, a community, an affiliate program, a store, bookings, a CRM and webinars. A lot. The course side is the gap: video, PDFs, drip and locking, with no quizzes or certificates in the listing. |
| 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. | CNo App Store rating on record. Templates help, but it's a funnel builder first, so you're building pages, emails and automations before the course sells. |
| 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 Stripe, PayPal, Zoom, Google Meet, Sheets and Calendar, ActiveCampaign and Twilio, plus a public API. No phone or desktop apps listed. |
| Best for | creators selling a mix of courses and downloads | selling a first course without paying anything |
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 systeme.io. 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. systeme.io starts at $17 a month and scores 2.3.
Podia scores higher, and starts $25 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 systeme.io 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). systeme.io starts at $17 per month for up to 5,000 contacts, billed monthly.
- systeme.io has a free plan. Podia does not, though it has a free trial.
- systeme.io also covers booking links and sales pipeline.
At a glance
| Podia | systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly) | $17 per month for up to 5,000 contacts, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 3 funnels, 1 course with 500 students, 1 community, 1 blog, 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign. No card needed. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Podia Labs, Inc. | systeme.io |
| Price read from | podia.com | systeme.io |
| 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
systeme.io
- New creators who want funnels, email and a course without paying yet
- Sellers who want no transaction fee on any plan
- Agencies or owners of several brands, using unlimited sub-accounts
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.
systeme.io
- The free plan stops at 2,000 contacts, 1 course with 500 students, 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign.
- Evergreen webinars start on the Webinar plan at $47 a month.
- No plan charges a transaction fee; Stripe, PayPal and other processors still charge their own.
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.
systeme.io
- Sales funnels
- A drag-and-drop funnel builder with templates, A/B tests, one-click upsells, order bumps, countdown timers and evergreen webinars.
- Email marketing and automations
- Unlimited email sends on every plan, with broadcasts, sequences, tags, segments and automation rules triggered by purchases or sign-ups.
- Online courses
- Video lessons, PDF downloads, drip schedules, module locking and student progress, sold through your funnels.
- Communities
- Free or paid members-only spaces with posts and comments, tied to courses and funnels: 1 on the free plan, 5 on Startup.
- Affiliate program
- Run your own affiliate program with custom commissions, referral tracking and payouts, on every plan including Free.
- Store, bookings and CRM
- Sell digital and physical products, take bookings with deposits through a built-in calendar, and track leads in CRM pipelines.
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.
systeme.io
Free$0
2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course for up to 500 students, 1 community, 1 website, 1 custom domain, 1 automation rule.
Startup$17
per month for up to 5,000 contacts, billed monthly
10 funnels, 5 courses with unlimited students, 5 communities, 5 websites, 10 automation rules, 10 email campaigns, 3 custom domains.
Webinar$47
per month for up to 10,000 contacts, billed monthly
Adds 10 evergreen webinars, 50 funnels, 20 courses and communities, 100 automation rules and 10 custom domains. The plan for 10,000 contacts.
Unlimited$97
per month for unlimited contacts, billed monthly
Unlimited contacts, funnels, courses, communities, automation rules and custom domains, plus early access to new features.
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.
systeme.io
- Annual discount
2 months free with annual billing
systeme.io's pricing page has a monthly and annual switch and says annual billing gives 2 months free on paid plans.
