Podia vs Zenler (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Podia and Zenler share a 2.4 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Podia starts cheaper, at $42 a month against $47 a month.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
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.
Podia
Website, store, courses, community and email for creators in one place
Zenler
Course platform with funnels, email, live classes and a branded app
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 Zenler if
- Fits if you want courses and email marketing from one account
- Works for creators who plan to offer a branded app to students
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you start on Starter, with 5 courses, 500 people, 1 site and no custom domain
- Skip it if you want memberships cheaply, as they need Pro at $97
- Watch out: AI agents, support-agent messages and AI credits are only on Pro and Premium
- Watch out: the page's social tags mention a $217 Premium price but its table shows $277 annual, and a launch discount can show a crossed-out price
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPodiaFair | 2.4GPAZenlerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 $47 a month on annual billing, in the middle of courses tools at $49. Pro is $97 and Premium $277. |
| 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. | C30-day free trial with full access to all features. 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. | BCourses and memberships, live sessions, funnels, email, community and chat, a branded app and payments with no platform fee. Memberships and AI need the higher plans. |
| 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 courses, funnels and emails 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, iOS and Android, with 4 integrations on record. |
| Best for | creators selling a mix of courses and downloads | a course maker wanting funnels, email and an app |
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 Zenler. 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. Zenler starts at $47 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Podia starts $5 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 1 scores higher than Podia for less, and 1 scores higher than Zenler 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
- Zenler also covers digital downloads and webinars.
At a glance
| Podia | Zenler | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly) | $47 per month, billed annually ($57 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card required | 30-day free trial with full access to all features |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Podia Labs, Inc. | Zenler |
| Price read from | podia.com | zenler.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.
Zenler
- Starter allows 5 courses, 500 people, 1 site and no custom domain; memberships need Pro.
- AI agents, support-agent messages and AI credits are in Pro and Premium only (2,000 and 4,000 credits).
- The page's social tags mention a $217 Premium price, but its pricing table shows $277 annually and $347 monthly; the table is recorded here.
- A launch discount may display a crossed-out price and an 'after 3 months' price on some visits.
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.
Zenler
- Courses and memberships
- Build courses with drip content and quizzes; memberships and bundles start on Pro.
- Live sessions
- Sell live classes and run webinars with built-in Zoom; plans cap live sessions at 10, 100 or 300.
- Funnels and email
- Lead magnet, video series and survey funnels, plus automations and scheduled broadcasts.
- Community and chat
- Communities on every plan (1, 20 or unlimited); live chat starts on Pro.
- Branded mobile app
- The vendor lists an app under your own name on the App Store and Google Play.
- Payments with no platform fee
- One-off and subscription sales through Stripe, PayPal or Razorpay, with no transaction fees from Zenler.
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.
Zenler
Starter$47
per month, billed annually ($57 billed monthly)
1 site, 5 courses, 1 community, 500 people, 5,000 emails a month, 2 funnels, 10 live sessions and 1 site admin.
Pro$97
per month, billed annually ($117 billed monthly)
3 sites and 3 custom domains, unlimited courses and people, 20 communities, 100,000 emails a month, 100 funnels, live chat, API support and AI agents.
Premium$277
per month, billed annually ($347 billed monthly)
10 sites and 10 domains, unlimited communities and funnels, 500,000 emails a month, 300 live sessions, 20 site admins, single sign-on and priority support.
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.
Zenler
- Annual discount
Annual billing
Annual billing lists $47, $97 and $277 a month against $57, $117 and $347 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Podia or Zenler?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Podia is cheaper to start with: $42 a month, against $47 a month for Zenler. Podia starts at $42 per month for up to 100 subscribers, billed annually ($49 monthly), and Zenler starts at $47 per month, billed annually ($57 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Podia or Zenler?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Podia nor Zenler has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Podia and Zenler run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zenler lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.