A reliable course-hosting platform that excels at offloading back-office tasks like global tax compliance and affiliate payouts, though it lacks the design flexibility of a dedicated website builder.
Excellent for creators who want to focus on content rather than tax law, but weaker for those requiring advanced marketing automation or deep site customization.
Analysis based on product data, pricing structure, traffic signals, and public user sentiment.
Who Should Use Teachable?
Typical users
Solo creators, subject matter experts, and small training teams who need a hosted solution to sell digital products without managing a complex tech stack.
Maturity fit
beginner to scaling
Choose this if…
- You want to offload EU VAT and global sales tax collection to the platform
- Your priority is a fast setup over a highly customized website design
- You need integrated coaching and course delivery in one dashboard
- You plan to use an affiliate program to drive sales and want automated payouts
Skip this if…
- You need a full-featured CRM and advanced email marketing (Kajabi is better)
- You want total control over the checkout CSS and user flow
- You are highly price-sensitive regarding transaction fees on entry-level plans
- You need a community-first platform with high engagement features (Skool or Circle are better)
About Teachable
Teachable is a hosted Learning Management System (LMS) that allows creators to build, market, and sell online courses and coaching services. It removes the need for separate hosting, video players, or payment gateways by providing an integrated infrastructure for knowledge-based businesses.
What it actually does
The platform provides a structured environment to upload video, text, and PDF content into organized modules. It handles the entire transaction process, gates content behind paywalls, and provides a student portal for consuming materials and tracking progress.
What makes it different
Teachable's primary differentiator is its 'Merchant of Record' functionality through Teachable Pay. Unlike competitors that just link to Stripe, Teachable can handle the messy reality of global tax compliance, fraud, and automated payouts to collaborators, acting as the financial middleman for the creator.
Ratings across the web
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms.
Key Features
Teachable Pay
Handles global tax compliance and automated payouts to your team.
Curriculum Builder
A drag-and-drop interface for organizing lessons and multimedia content.
Native Coaching Tool
Allows you to sell and manage 1-on-1 sessions alongside digital courses.
Affiliate Program
Built-in system to track sales from partners and automate their commissions.
TaxJar Integration
Automates the calculation and filing of sales tax for US-based sellers.
Quizzes and Assessments
Tools to check student comprehension and gate progress.
Bulk Student Import
Simplifies the process of migrating students from other platforms.
Custom Domain Support
Allows you to host your school on your own URL.
Pricing
Free
- 1 course or coaching product
- Transaction fee: $1 + 10%
- Teachable Pay
- Integrated email marketing
Basic
- 5 courses
- Transaction fee: 5%
- Custom domain support
- Direct integrations
- Creator training
Pro
- Unlimited courses
- 0% transaction fees
- Affiliate marketing
- Live chat support
- Public API access
Pro+
- Unlimited courses
- 0% transaction fees
- Custom user roles
- Advanced reporting
- Priority support
Business
- Unlimited courses
- 0% transaction fees
- Up to 20 admin users
- Bulk student enrollments
- Advanced theme customization
Pricing checked 6 months ago
Pricing guidance
- When your monthly sales exceed $1,600 (at which point the 5% fee on Basic costs more than the Pro plan)
- When you need to launch an affiliate program
- When you need to remove Teachable branding from your site
- The 'Unlimited' courses on Pro are subject to fair use
- Payout speeds vary based on whether you use Teachable Pay or a custom gateway
- Back-office tax services are only available if using Teachable Pay
Mid-market pricing that becomes more competitive as your volume increases and you move to the 0% fee tiers.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
-
Hands-off tax compliance
By acting as the Merchant of Record, Teachable handles EU VAT and other global taxes, saving creators from significant legal and accounting overhead.
-
Simplified affiliate management
The platform tracks affiliate sales and can automatically pay out commissions, which is a major time-saver for growing schools.
-
Low technical barrier
You can go from zero to a live, paid course in a few hours without touching code or managing server hosting.
-
Reliable video infrastructure
Native video hosting is included, meaning you don't need to pay for external services like Wistia or Vimeo.
Weaknesses
-
High transaction fees on low tiers
The Free and Basic plans carry significant transaction fees (up to 10% + $1), which can eat into margins quickly as you scale.
Affects: New creators and low-margin digital product sellers
-
Rigid site customization
The page builder is functional but limited. If you want a unique, highly branded website, you will find the templates restrictive.
Affects: Design-conscious brands and professional agencies
-
Basic email marketing
The internal email tool is only suitable for basic announcements. For automated funnels or segmentation, you must pay for an external ESP.
Affects: Advanced marketers running complex sales sequences
Real User Sentiment
Generally positive regarding ease of use and payment reliability, but increasingly frustrated by pricing tier changes and transaction fees.
Users tend to like
- The 'set it and forget it' nature of tax handling
- Clean, professional-looking student interface
- Reliable video playback and hosting
- Ease of setting up an affiliate program
Users commonly complain about
- Recent price hikes and feature reshuffling
- High transaction fees on the Basic plan
- Limited flexibility in the page builder
- Slow customer support response times on lower tiers
Recurring tradeoffs
- You trade design flexibility for a faster, more stable launch
- You trade a percentage of your revenue for automated tax compliance
Happiest users
Solo experts who want to sell courses globally without hiring an accountant or a web developer.
Often frustrated
High-volume sellers who feel the feature set hasn't kept pace with the rising subscription costs.
Use Cases
Solo Educator
Moving from YouTube to a paid, structured course environment.
Professional Coach
Selling 1-on-1 sessions alongside a library of recorded resources.
B2B Trainer
Providing onboarding materials to corporate clients with progress tracking.
Digital Product Seller
Using the platform to sell simple downloads and templates with automated delivery.
Influencer
Monetizing an existing audience via a link-in-bio course offering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Teachable take a percentage of my sales?
Yes, depending on your plan. The Free plan takes $1 + 10%, the Basic plan takes 5%, and the Pro plan and above take 0%. Note that standard credit card processing fees (typically 2.9% + 30c) still apply regardless of the plan.
How does Teachable compare to Kajabi?
Kajabi is a true 'all-in-one' that includes a robust CRM, advanced email automation, and a better website builder, but it starts at $149/mo. Teachable is more focused on the course delivery itself and is generally more affordable for those who already have an email tool like ConvertKit.
Can I use my own domain with Teachable?
Yes, but only on the Basic plan and above. Free plan users must use a '.teachable.com' subdomain.
Does Teachable handle EU VAT?
Yes, if you use Teachable Pay. They act as the Merchant of Record, meaning they calculate, collect, and remit the VAT to the appropriate authorities so you don't have to.
Is there a limit to how many students I can have?
No, all paid Teachable plans allow for unlimited students. The limits are typically placed on the number of products (courses/coaching) you can create.
Can I host my videos on Teachable?
Yes, Teachable includes unlimited video hosting on all paid plans, powered by Wistia, so you don't need a separate video hosting subscription.
Why trust this page?
This evaluation combines product positioning, pricing analysis, traffic and market signals, and public user sentiment into a single decision-support page. Content is generated editorially — not copied from the vendor's website.
Funding & Company
Founded
2013
Stage
Acquired
Total Raised
$12.5M
Latest Round
Series A (Apr 2018)
Notable Investors
Teachable raised a total of $12.5M over 5 rounds before being acquired by Hotmart in March 2020 for a reported $250M. This acquisition provides significant stability and resources, ending its chapter as a venture-backed startup and integrating it into a larger, profitable global entity in the creator economy space.
Market Signals & Traffic
Estimated visits, global rank, geography, traffic sources, monthly visit trends, and organic search keywords (Similarweb)—on a dedicated page built for depth and search.
- Estimated visits
- 0
- Global rank
- —
- Snapshot
- May 2026
- Traffic trend
- Cooling
Estimated monthly visits
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