The Maven Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Maven in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Maven
The Insider’s Guide
Marketplace for live cohort courses and workshops taught by experts
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among course and community platforms, read from Maven’s own pages.
Made by Maven Learning, Inc. · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Maven’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Maven’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 4 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade
Maven is a marketplace where working experts sell live cohort-based courses, one-day workshops, free Lightning Lessons, resources and coaching. Maven hosts the landing page, checkout, emails, student community and Zoom scheduling, and lists courses on its own discovery site. There is no subscription: Maven keeps 10% of each sale.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Maven, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Maven handles the page, checkout and emails, but a live cohort takes a lot of running, and courses are reviewed before they're listed.
- 1
Best for live cohort courses taught by working experts
Maven is a marketplace for live cohort courses and workshops: it hosts your landing page, checkout, emails, community and Zoom sessions, and can list you on its discovery site.
- 2
It is free
Maven has no paid plan at all. No fee to teach. Maven keeps 10% of what each student pays as a platform fee, and Stripe's processing fees come out as well.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Cohort courses and workshops
Sell multi-week live courses, one-day workshops, self-paced cohorts, resources and coaching from one expert profile and landing page builder.
- 5
Free Lightning Lessons
Short free live sessions that collect sign-ups and feed them into the email list for a paid course or workshop.
- 6
Built-in email campaigns
Pre-written automated emails go to waitlisted, applying and dropped-off students, and announcements email the whole cohort.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 4 of 18
That is against the other course and community platforms we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Maven is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Maven at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Maven Learning, Inc.
- Category
- Courses & Communities
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for live cohort courses taught by working experts
Maven is a marketplace for live cohort courses and workshops: it hosts your landing page, checkout, emails, community and Zoom sessions, and can list you on its discovery site. You pay nothing up front, but it keeps 10% of every sale. Paid courses must cost $200 or more, and Maven, not you, decides refunds.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | No subscription, but Maven keeps 10% of each sale, so $2,000 of sales a month costs $200, past where this category's dearest tenth starts ($143). The fee shrinks when sales do, and it pays for a listing on Maven's marketplace and its Student Growth Program. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Nothing to pay to start: no subscription, and you can publish and sell, with free Lightning Lessons to build a list. Selling isn't free, though: the 10% is graded under value, and paid offerings start at $200. |
| Features | C | Cohort courses, workshops, self-paced cohorts, free Lightning Lessons, automated emails, a cohort community and Zoom scheduling with recordings. It does the live-cohort job fully, but that's a narrower job, with prices from $200 and refunds set by Maven. |
| Ease of use | C | No App Store rating on record. Maven handles the page, checkout and emails, but a live cohort takes a lot of running, and courses are reviewed before they're listed. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with Stripe, Zoom, Zapier, Klarna and webhooks for wiring it to other tools. No phone or desktop apps listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Maven is for
- Great if you're a working professional teaching a live course on the side
- Handy when you don't have an audience yet and want marketplace traffic
- Good for courses that companies pay for, with team and invoice purchases
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you already sell well, as 10% of a busy month is a lot to hand over
- Not for you if you sell cheap courses, since paid offerings start at $200
- Skip it if you want to set your own refund rules, as Maven decides them
Good to know
Good for
- Working professionals teaching live courses alongside a day job
- Experts without a large audience who want marketplace traffic
- Courses that companies reimburse, with team and invoice purchases
Worth knowing
- Maven keeps 10% of every sale, and Stripe fees (2.9% + $0.30 for US cards) come out too; refunds return Maven's fee but not Stripe's.
- Paid offerings must be priced at $200 or more, and courses are reviewed before they are listed on the marketplace.
- Experts are enrolled in the Student Growth Program by default, which can discount a course by up to 30%; opting out is by email.
- Maven, not the expert, decides refunds: students get a full refund up to the course's halfway point.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Maven is free to use.
The fee shrinks when sales do, and it pays for a listing on Maven's marketplace and its Student Growth Program.
Teach on Maven
$0
No subscription. Maven keeps a 10% platform fee on each sale and pays the rest to your Stripe account; paid offerings start at $200.
The free plan
No fee to teach. Maven keeps 10% of what each student pays as a platform fee, and Stripe's processing fees come out as well.
Read from help.maven.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Marketplace for live cohort courses and workshops taught by experts. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: surveys, email campaigns, online courses, community.
Web, with Stripe, Zoom, Zapier, Klarna and webhooks for wiring it to other tools.
- Cohort courses and workshops
- Sell multi-week live courses, one-day workshops, self-paced cohorts, resources and coaching from one expert profile and landing page builder.
- Free Lightning Lessons
- Short free live sessions that collect sign-ups and feed them into the email list for a paid course or workshop.
- Built-in email campaigns
- Pre-written automated emails go to waitlisted, applying and dropped-off students, and announcements email the whole cohort.
- Cohort community
- Each course comes with channels for announcements, discussion, intros and questions, plus project submissions and course content in one place.
- Zoom and calendar scheduling
- Connect a Zoom account to create meeting links for every session, auto-record them and publish recordings to students.
- Marketplace listing and promotion
- Reviewed courses appear on Maven's discovery site, and the Student Growth Program runs sales, referrals, affiliates and ads for a share of revenue.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Stripe
- Zoom
- Zapier
- Klarna
Maven is made by Maven Learning, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
4/18
Other course and community platforms it is graded above
Maven's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 4 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 17 of 18) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Maven has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. Maven’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 18
- BFree plan and trialAbove 17 of 18
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 18
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 18
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 18
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 19 course and community platforms. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Maven is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Maven is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 11 of the 18 other course and community platforms grade higher.
What you could make
- Online courses and surveys: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- People on the other end: coaches and live sessions. No app builder makes those.
What this rests on. Maven’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Disco, Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi and Podia
The 5 tools Maven is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Disco
Free trial · from $399/mo
Branded learning academy for cohort courses, community and AI help.
- Maven has a free plan. Disco does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Disco lists iOS and Android apps.
- Maven also covers email campaigns.
- 2.4GPA
Teachable
Free trial · from $29/mo
Online course, coaching and membership platform with its own checkout.
- Maven has a free plan. Teachable does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Teachable lists iOS and Android apps.
- Maven also covers surveys and community.
- 2.4GPA
Thinkific
Free trial · from $40/mo
Course, community and membership platform for experts and academies.
- Maven has a free plan. Thinkific does not, though it has a free trial.
- Maven also covers surveys and email campaigns.
- Thinkific also covers invoicing.
- 2.0GPA
Kajabi
Free trial · from $143/mo
All-in-one platform for selling courses, coaching and communities.
- Maven has a free plan. Kajabi does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Kajabi lists iOS and Android apps.
- Maven also covers surveys.
- 2.4GPA
Podia
Free trial · from $42/mo
Website, store, courses, community and email for creators in one place.
- Maven has a free plan. Podia does not, though it has a free trial.
- Maven also covers surveys.
- Podia also covers marketing automation.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Maven free?
Yes. Maven is free to use.
How much does Maven cost?
Maven lists one plan. Teach on Maven: $0.
What platforms does Maven work on?
Maven is available on Web.
Does Maven have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Maven is listed for Web.
Does Maven have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Maven is listed for Web.
Is Maven open source?
Maven is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Maven integrate with?
Maven's listing names Stripe, Zoom, Zapier and Klarna. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Maven?
Maven is made by Maven Learning, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Maven?
The closest alternatives to Maven in our directory are Disco, Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi and Podia.
How does Maven compare with other course and community platforms?
Maven's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 4 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 3.
Is Maven good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Maven D for value for money. Maven has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Maven?
Maven is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Maven’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Maven's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Maven Learning, Inc. Prices change, so check maven.com before you buy.
- help.maven.com/en/articles/12240853-maven-expert-policy-guidebook
- maven.com
- maven.com/teach
- maven.com/about
- help.maven.com/en/articles/6732396-pricing-your-course-workshop-or-self-paced-offering
- help.maven.com/en/articles/6813971-6-ways-to-convert-students-with-email-campaigns
- help.maven.com/en/articles/5597349-end-of-course-survey
- help.maven.com/en/articles/6289166-community-overview
- help.maven.com/en/articles/5905981-zoom-integration
- help.maven.com/en/articles/5597266-webhooks-api-integrations
- help.maven.com/en/articles/5624937-how-to-offer-a-payment-plan
- help.maven.com/en/articles/16220073-designing-your-self-paced-cohort
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Maven, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/maven
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Maven: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/maven
Know someone choosing between course and community platforms?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/maven/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded course and community platforms after Maven, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Courses & Communities Insider's GuideEvery one of the 19 course and community platforms we grade, compared
- Circle Insider's GuideCommunity platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps2.8 GPA
- Simplero Insider's GuideAll-in-one platform for courses, community, email and coaching2.8 GPA
- systeme.io Insider's GuideAll-in-one marketing suite with funnels, email, courses and community2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Maven’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Maven is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Maven Learning, Inc. Prices and plans change: check maven.com before you buy.