Podia review

How much does Podia take?

Podia takes 5% of each sale on Mover and nothing on Shaker or Earthquaker. Plans cost $49, $99, or $179 a month on monthly billing, or $42, $84, or $150 a month billed annually.

Card processing is charged by Stripe or PayPal, not Podia. Podia's pricing FAQ puts the standard rate at 2.9% + $0.30 and says it varies by location. Podia adds no surcharge on top.

Shaker costs $50 a month more than Mover, and 5% of $1,000 is $50. So Mover is cheaper below $1,000 in monthly sales and Shaker is cheaper above it.

Here is what you keep from US card sales of $150 each, after the subscription and standard Stripe processing. Run your own numbers on our fee table.

• $600 a month: Mover leaves about $502, Shaker about $482.
• $1,000 a month: both leave $870.
• $3,000 a month: Mover leaves $2,708, Shaker leaves $2,808.
• $10,000 a month: Mover leaves $9,141, Shaker leaves $9,591.

Is Podia's built-in email enough?

Only for small lists. Podia Email covers newsletters, welcome sequences, and automations, and it is included free up to 100 subscribers on Mover, 500 on Shaker, and 1,000 on Earthquaker.

Podia says you can add more subscribers at any time and that it never upgrades you automatically, but the pricing page does not list the price for extra subscribers. Ask before your list grows.

For comparison, Kajabi Basic includes 2,500 contacts. If email already drives your sales and your list is past 1,000 people, budget for a separate tool such as Kit or pick a platform with a bigger contact allowance.

What can you sell on Podia?

Every Podia plan lets you sell online courses, digital downloads, coaching, community access, and live or in-person events. Each plan also includes a website, blog, landing pages, built-in checkout, a custom domain, and Podia's AI tools.

Courses support drip lessons, quizzes, and certificates, and every plan allows unlimited customers. Podia also lists sales tax support for 230 countries and more than 20 currencies on all plans.

Shaker adds affiliate marketing, upsells, PayPal, Zapier, and 1 assistant seat. Earthquaker removes the caps on products, videos, and community spaces and allows unlimited assistants.

Mover's 50-product limit is generous next to the 5 products on Teachable Starter and Kajabi Basic. That makes Podia a better fit if you sell many small products, such as templates or mini-courses, alongside a flagship course.

How do Podia payouts work?

Podia never holds your money. Card sales go to your connected Stripe account and PayPal sales go to your PayPal account, and you withdraw from there.

Podia's help center says Stripe or PayPal usually deposits funds within about 5 business days. Stripe typically schedules your first payout 7 to 14 days after your first successful transaction.

PayPal is available only on Shaker and Earthquaker, and it cannot be used for payment plans, which run through Stripe. The upside of this setup is ownership: your payment records sit in a processor account you control, so leaving Podia does not disrupt how you get paid. Kajabi's own migration guide notes that Podia runs every recurring payment through your Stripe account, which is why active subscriptions can sometimes move with you.

Who should skip Podia?

Skip Podia if email is your main sales channel and your list is already in the thousands. The included 500 or 1,000 subscribers will not cover you, and the overage price is not published.

Skip it too if you sell training to companies or need graded exams, question banks, and bulk seat sales. Thinkific is built for that, with B2B invoicing on its Grow plan.

Everyone else should start with the 14-day trial. It needs no card, and Podia offers migration help on every plan, moving up to 50 products on Mover and up to 150 on Shaker or Earthquaker.