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Podia vs Skool
Priced at four sizes on whatever each one charges by, the features checked against both pricing pages, and my own verdict on each.
Take Podia if you want the least admin to get a course on sale. Take Skool if you want a community with courses inside it and the cheapest way to sell something today. Podia charges by products and Skool by members, so there is no single crossover. At a typical setup Podia is $73 a month cheaper ($84 at 10 products against $157 at 500 members).
What each one actually costs
The real monthly figure at four sizes with the add-ons each platform forces on you included, from the same engine the shortlist quiz uses. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row. Podia charges by products and Skool by members, so each column is priced at its own sizes, smallest to largest.
| Podia | Skool | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size 1 of 4 | $84 at 3 products | $157 at 100 members | $73 |
| Size 2 of 4 | $84 at 10 products | $157 at 500 members | $73 |
| Size 3 of 4 | $84 at 25 products | $157 at 2,000 members | $73 |
| Size 4 of 4 | $84 at 100 products | $157 at 10,000 members | $73 |
What is actually different
- Podia lists certificates, digital downloads, email marketing, quizzes and assessments and a website builder where Skool does not, which is their own wording rather than something we verified.
- Skool lists live events and cohorts where Podia does not, which is their own wording rather than something we verified.
I have used both
Condensed from my own reviews. Every line links to the second I said it, so you can check any of it. Prices in the table above are from this week; the videos are older and the figures in them are not.
Podia
Podia was the cheapest of the platforms I compared, very simple to set up, but it lacks AI features, which holds it back.
- This was the cheapest of the platforms I compared, which makes it very affordable to get started. 27:32
- Really easy to use and pretty simple if you're looking to set something up quickly. 29:43
- Free to get started with a 30-day free trial so you can build something out and test it. 29:51
- It doesn't look like there's any AI features here to help generate content. 29:03
- It's not got any of those AI features so it doesn't get bonus points for that. 30:23
From my review, March 2025. Watch it
Skool
A simple, distraction-free community and course platform that brings everything together in one place, though video hosting requires external tools.
- I love the simplicity of Skool and the user interface, how easy it is to use. 2:11
- What I like versus a Facebook group is it's all in one place, you control the members, and it's distraction-free. 3:06
- The classroom is linked all in one place with the community, so people can come back and interact with each other. 4:14
- You can't upload videos directly to Skool; you have to host them on Loom, Vimeo, Wistia or YouTube first. 5:10
- Members have to create a username, profile and bio to join, which adds a bit more friction. 3:43
- You can't live stream directly into Skool; you have to use Zoom or Google Meet which takes people out of the platform. 6:07
From my review, March 2024. Watch it
Before you sign up to either
| Podia | Skool | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days | None published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Contract | Annual billing is the published price | Monthly, or yearly with two months free |
| Payment fee | None on top | None on top |
Reading further
The full price ladder, every plan and the add-ons charged on top are on each platform's own page. If neither of these two is quite it, each page also has the alternatives ranked against it.
People search for this comparison as: podia vs skool.
Neither, or not sure?
A head to head only helps once you have picked the two. The shortlist asks 8 questions about what you sell and how many students you have, and gives you four picks priced at your own numbers, from all 19.
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