COMPARE
HighLevel or Podia: agency CRM or a simple storefront?
vs
HighLevel and Podia aren't sized for the same job. HighLevel is an agency CRM with client sub-accounts, unlimited contacts and users, and usage fees for SMS, calls and AI on top of every plan. Podia is a simple storefront for courses, downloads, coaching and community, with its entry plan starting well below HighLevel's and carrying a Podia transaction fee only on that entry tier. Selling one straightforward knowledge product without managing client accounts: Podia fits and HighLevel is overbuilt.
Our pick for most readersHighLevel
Pick it for: Agencies running funnels for several clients; Client separation with their own logins
From $97/mo · 14-day trialStart the HighLevel trialPick it ifPodia
Pick it for: A creator who wants a simple storefront over a funnel builder; Digital downloads and courses without complexity
From $42/mo · paid plansSee Podia plansMost people landing on this comparison only need one of them
HighLevel and Podia rarely compete for the same buyer once you look past the fact both can host a course. HighLevel is built for agencies running CRM, calendars, payments and funnels across several separated client sub-accounts. Podia is built for one creator selling a course, coaching, a community or downloads through a simple storefront and website. If you're not managing other businesses' accounts, HighLevel's sub-account structure is complexity and cost you don't need. See the funnel builder guide for coaches for the simpler-tool case directly.
HighLevel: sub-accounts, unlimited contacts, usage billed on top
HighLevel is an agency-oriented CRM and funnel platform where each client lives in its own sub-account. Every paid plan includes unlimited contacts and unlimited users, per the official pricing page, $97 per month includes 3 sub-accounts and Unlimited removes that cap. Telecom usage (SMS, calls) and AI features are billed separately from the plan price, on top of an entry price already well above Podia's.
| HighLevel | Starter | Unlimited | Agency Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $97/mo | $297/mo | $497/mo | custom |
| Billed annually | $970/yr | $2,970/yr | $4,970/yr | · |
| Sub-accounts | 3 | unlimited | unlimited | · |
| Contacts | unlimited | unlimited | · | · |
| Users | unlimited | unlimited | · | · |
| Api access | · | basic | advanced | · |
| Rebilling | · | phone and email at cost | with markup | · |
| Saas mode | · | · | included | · |
| Pricing | · | · | · | custom |
| White label mobile app | · | · | · | included |
| Hipaa compliance | · | · | · | available |
Annual billing equals 10x the monthly price (2 months free). Telecom (SMS, calls) and AI usage are billed separately on top of every plan. Current amounts: the official HighLevel pricing page.
Full detail: HighLevel plans.
Podia: courses, downloads, coaching and community in one storefront
Podia is a simple storefront for courses, downloads, coaching and community with a website and email built in. All plans include community, courses, downloads, coaching, events, website, custom domain, blog and landing pages, tiers differ by subscriber, product and video limits and by the transaction fee. $42 per month carries a 5% Podia transaction fee on top of standard payment processing, while Shaker and Earthquaker drop the Podia fee entirely.
| Podia | Mover | Shaker | Earthquaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $42/mo | $84/mo | $150/mo |
| Billed annually | $504/yr | $1,008/yr | $1,800/yr |
| Transaction fee | 5% | none from Podia | none from Podia |
| Email subscribers | 100 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Products | 50 | 150 | unlimited |
| Videos | 500 | 1,000 | unlimited |
| Spaces | 25 | 100 | unlimited |
Annual billing is cheaper than 12 monthly payments. Stripe or PayPal processing fees (about 2.9% + 30¢, varies by country) apply on top on every plan. 30-day free trial. Current amounts: the official Podia pricing page.
Full detail: Podia plans.
Total cost: plan price, transaction fees and usage fees
| At a glance | HighLevel | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Agency-oriented CRM and funnel platform with sub-accounts per client, white label options and a SaaS resale mode. | Simple storefront for courses, downloads, coaching and community with a website and email built in. |
| Plans | Starter: $97/mo Unlimited: $297/mo Agency Pro: $497/mo Enterprise: custom | Mover: $42/mo Shaker: $84/mo Earthquaker: $150/mo |
| Entry price | from $97/mo | from $42/mo |
| Billing notes | Annual billing equals 10x the monthly price (2 months free). Telecom (SMS, calls) and AI usage are billed separately on top of every plan. | Annual billing is cheaper than 12 monthly payments. Stripe or PayPal processing fees (about 2.9% + 30¢, varies by country) apply on top on every plan. 30-day free trial. |
Amounts come from each provider's official pricing page and can change: the official HighLevel pricing page · the official Podia pricing page.
Podia's cost has two parts: the plan price and, on the Mover plan only, a 5% transaction fee on top of the roughly 2.9% + 30¢ standard card processing rate that applies on every plan. HighLevel's cost has a different shape: a higher plan floor plus metered SMS, call and AI usage that depends on client volume. For a single low-to-mid-volume knowledge product, Podia's fee structure is usually easier to predict than HighLevel's usage billing. Run both scenarios through the cost calculator before deciding.
When HighLevel is still the right call over Podia
Podia loses the comparison the moment client sub-accounts enter the picture: it has no structure for separating several businesses' contacts, pipelines or calendars from each other, that's specifically what HighLevel's sub-accounts solve. An agency, consultant or freelancer managing marketing operations for multiple client businesses should read the agency funnel builder guide rather than trying to make a single-creator storefront do that job.
Verdict by profile
Creator, coach or educator selling a course, downloads, coaching or a community as a single straightforward offer: Podia, starting at $42 per month with no sub-account overhead to pay for. Agency, consultant or freelancer running separated funnels and CRM for several client businesses: HighLevel, because sub-account isolation and rebilling exist specifically for that job. If both apply, run client work on HighLevel and keep your own knowledge product on a dedicated tool like Podia rather than forcing one account to do both.
What the two products actually look like
Questions people also ask
Can Podia handle client work for an agency the way HighLevel does?
No. Podia has no sub-account structure for separating several client businesses' contacts, pages or courses from each other. It's built for one creator or business selling their own products, not for agency client management.
Does Podia charge extra fees the way HighLevel bills SMS and AI separately?
Podia's extra cost is a transaction fee, 5% on the Mover plan, none on Shaker or Earthquaker, plus standard card processing fees that apply on every plan. That's a different mechanism from HighLevel's metered SMS, call and AI usage, which applies regardless of plan tier.
Is HighLevel ever worth it for someone selling just one course?
Rarely. Its price and structure pay for sub-account infrastructure and unlimited contacts and users you won't use for a single offer. $42 per month covers courses, downloads, coaching and community for one business at a fraction of HighLevel's entry cost.
Why does Podia's Mover plan carry a transaction fee when higher tiers don't?
Per the official pricing page, the 5% Podia fee applies only to the Mover plan; upgrading to Shaker or Earthquaker removes the Podia-side fee, leaving only standard payment processor fees on transactions.