PLATFORM
What does Podia include, and when does its transaction fee disappear?
A simple storefront for courses, downloads, coaching and community
Podia is a simple storefront for courses, downloads, coaching and community, with a website, blog and landing pages included on every plan. The entry Mover plan carries a 5% Podia transaction fee on top of the usual payment processor fee; Shaker and Earthquaker drop the Podia fee entirely. Email subscriber limits, not core features, are what separate the three tiers.
Choose Podia for
- A creator who wants a simple storefront over a funnel builder
- Digital downloads and courses without complexity
Look elsewhere if
- Multi-step funnels with order bumps and upsells
- Client work
Who Podia is built for
Podia is built for creators selling courses, downloads, coaching or community access who want a simple storefront with a website, blog and landing pages already attached, per the official pricing page. It is not a full CRM or agency tool; it fits one creator or a small team running one brand.
Compare it against a heavier knowledge-commerce platform in Kajabi vs Podia if your catalog or contact list is larger than a single-creator storefront needs.
What Podia actually does
Per the official pricing page, every plan, including the entry Mover tier, includes the same core toolkit: community, courses, downloads, coaching, events, a website, a custom domain, a blog and landing pages. Nothing in that list is gated behind a higher tier; what changes is the volume you can push through it and, on Mover, an added transaction fee.
The transaction fee that disappears after Mover
The Mover plan carries a 5% Podia transaction fee on every sale, on top of the payment processor's own fee. Shaker and Earthquaker charge no Podia fee at all, per the official pricing page. For a creator doing meaningful sales volume, that 5% often outweighs the price difference between Mover and Shaker within a few sales a month; run your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Processor fees apply on every plan, including the higher tiers
Independently of Podia's own fee, Stripe or PayPal processing fees, commonly cited around 2.9% plus 30 cents in the US and varying by country, apply on every sale regardless of plan, per the official pricing page. Dropping the Podia fee by moving to Shaker or Earthquaker does not remove the payment processor's cut; budget for both when pricing a product.
The plan ladder
| 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.
Email subscriber limits are the clearest ladder: 100 on Mover, 500 on Shaker, 1,000 on Earthquaker. Product and video caps follow the same pattern, unlimited only on Earthquaker, while spaces, the community areas, scale from 25 to unlimited across the three tiers.
Limits that bite
A list that grows past 100 email subscribers forces an upgrade off Mover regardless of sales volume, which combines with the 5% transaction fee to make Mover a short-term starting point rather than a long-term home for an active list. Video count, 500 on Mover, can also bind for a course-heavy catalog before contacts do.
Best alternative and next step
If your catalog, contact list or team is bigger than a single-creator storefront needs, compare the Kajabi guide or Systeme.io vs Podia for a lower entry price with a similar all-in-one shape. Otherwise, estimate subscriber growth and sales volume, weigh Mover's transaction fee against Shaker's flat price, and check current terms on the official Podia pricing page.
Ready to try Podia?
See the plans · from $42/mo. Compare the whole stack first with the cost calculator if you run other tools.
Questions people also ask
Does Podia charge a transaction fee on every plan?
Only on Mover, the entry plan, which carries a 5% Podia transaction fee per the official pricing page. Shaker and Earthquaker charge no Podia fee. A separate payment processor fee applies on every plan regardless of tier.
How many email subscribers can I have on Podia?
Per the official pricing page, Mover allows 100 email subscribers, Shaker 500 and Earthquaker 1,000. This is the clearest limit separating the three tiers.
Are courses, coaching and community included on every Podia plan?
Yes. Per the official pricing page, community, courses, downloads, coaching, events, a website, a custom domain, a blog and landing pages are included on every plan, including Mover. Tiers differ by volume limits and the Mover transaction fee, not by which tools are available.
Is Mover still worth it if I'm selling actively?
It depends on volume. Mover's 5% Podia transaction fee, on top of standard payment processing fees, can outweigh Shaker's higher flat price once sales reach meaningful volume; run both scenarios in the cost calculator before deciding.