7 Teachable Alternatives for Creators in 2026 (With Live Video, Lower Fees, and More)

This guide covers seven alternatives that fit how creators actually make money in 2026.

Why Creators Are Leaving Teachable

Teachable is not a bad product. It is a product built for a specific era of the creator economy: the era of pre-recorded courses.

Here is why that model no longer fits many creators:

Live sessions earn more per hour than courses. A coach charging $150/hour for live sessions earns more from five clients than from selling a $49 course to 100 people. And the live session requires less upfront work (no filming, editing, or production).

Courses have a completion problem. The average online course completion rate is under 5%. Students buy and never finish. Live sessions have near-100% "completion" because the session happens in real time.

No built-in video. Teachable has no way to host a live video call. You need Zoom ($13/month), Google Meet, or another tool. That means separate logins, separate links, and a fragmented client experience.

No scheduling. You cannot book a coaching session on Teachable. You need Calendly ($8-$16/month) or Acuity ($16-$49/month) on top of your Teachable subscription.

Monthly cost adds up. Teachable Basic costs $39/month ($468/year). The Pro plan is $119/month ($1,428/year). Add Zoom and Calendly and you are spending $720-$1,800/year before you have earned a dollar.

Transaction fees on lower plans. Teachable's free plan charges a 10% + $1 transaction fee. The Basic plan charges 5%. You are paying a subscription AND a transaction fee.

The 7 Best Teachable Alternatives for Creators

1. Talkspresso (Best for Live Video Sessions)

Talkspresso is purpose-built for creators, coaches, and consultants who deliver value through live interaction. Scheduling, payments, HD video, automatic recording, and AI-powered session summaries are all integrated into one platform.

Where Teachable is a course platform that does not do live video, Talkspresso is a live session platform that also sells digital products. If your revenue comes from coaching calls, workshops, masterclasses, or group sessions, the tool difference is significant.

Pricing: Free. 10% platform fee on paid sessions only.

What you get:

• Built-in HD video for 1:1 and group sessions (up to 500 attendees)
• Automatic session recording with AI summaries and action items
• Scheduling with Google Calendar sync
• Payment collection at booking
• Professional branded booking page
• Client management with full session history
• Digital product sales (PDFs, templates, recordings)
• Workshop and webinar hosting
• Customizable intake questions

What you don't get: Pre-recorded course builder, email marketing, website builder, sales funnels.

Best for: Creators who earn through live video sessions (coaching, consulting, workshops, masterclasses) and want everything in one tool with no monthly fee.

2. Thinkific (Best Course Design Flexibility)

Thinkific is Teachable's closest competitor. Both are course platforms, but Thinkific offers more flexibility in how you design and deliver courses. You can build complex learning paths, drip content, create quizzes and certificates, and customize the student experience more deeply.

Like Teachable, Thinkific does not include live video, scheduling, or session recording.

Pricing: Free plan available. Basic at $36/month. Start at $74/month. Grow at $149/month.

Best for: Course creators who want more design control than Teachable offers, especially for structured, self-paced learning programs.

3. Kajabi (Best All-in-One for Established Creators)

Kajabi is the premium all-in-one platform: website builder, course hosting, email marketing, community, funnels, scheduling, and payments. If you want one platform for everything and you have the budget, Kajabi delivers.

The tradeoff is cost. Kajabi starts at $149/month, making it the most expensive option on this list. For a detailed breakdown, see our Kajabi alternatives guide.

Pricing: Basic at $149/month. Growth at $199/month. Pro at $399/month.

Best for: Established creators earning $5,000+/month who want a single platform for courses, email, community, and website.

4. Podia (Simplest All-in-One)

Podia is the friendly alternative for creators who want simplicity. Courses, digital downloads, coaching, and memberships in one clean dashboard. The interface is intuitive and the learning curve is minimal.

Coaching features exist but are basic. You can sell coaching packages, but there is no built-in video, no recording, and no AI tools.

Pricing: Free plan (8% transaction fee). Mover at $39/month. Shaker at $89/month.

Best for: Creators who sell a mix of digital products and basic coaching packages and want the simplest possible interface.

5. Stan Store (Best Link-in-Bio Storefront)

Stan Store is a mobile-optimized storefront designed for social media creators. Sell digital products, bookings, courses, and memberships from a single link in your bio.

Stan Store does not include built-in video for live sessions. For coaching calls, you connect Zoom or Google Meet. But the booking and checkout flow is excellent for creators who drive traffic from Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. For more details, read our Stan Store alternatives comparison.

Pricing: Creator at $29/month. Creator Pro at $99/month. 0% transaction fees.

Best for: Social media creators who drive traffic from bio links and want a clean, mobile-first storefront.

6. Skool (Best for Community + Courses)

Skool combines community and courses in a gamified environment. Members earn points, level up, and unlock content. The community feed looks like a simplified Facebook group with course modules attached.

Skool is strong for cohort-based programs and group coaching where community interaction is part of the value. It is not designed for 1:1 coaching or session delivery.

Pricing: $99/month flat. No transaction fees.

Best for: Creators who run paid communities with courses attached, especially cohort-based programs where member interaction drives value.

7. Systeme.io (Best Budget All-in-One)

Systeme.io is the budget Kajabi. Website builder, email marketing, sales funnels, course hosting, and automation at a fraction of the cost. The free plan is surprisingly capable.

The tradeoff is polish. Systeme.io is functional but not beautiful. Templates are basic. The interface gets the job done without impressing anyone.

Pricing: Free plan (up to 2,000 contacts, 3 courses). Startup at $27/month. Webinar at $47/month. Unlimited at $97/month.

Best for: Budget-conscious creators who want course hosting plus email marketing plus funnels at the lowest possible price.

Comparison Table: Teachable vs. All 7 Alternatives

How to Choose the Right Teachable Alternative

If you deliver coaching or consulting over live video:

Choose Talkspresso. Built-in HD video, automatic recording, AI summaries, scheduling, and payments in one tool. No monthly fee. This is not a course platform trying to bolt on video. It is a live session platform built from the ground up.

If you primarily sell self-paced courses:

Choose Thinkific. It gives you more course design flexibility than Teachable (learning paths, certificates, drip content) at a similar price point. If budget is a concern, Systeme.io offers basic course hosting for free.

If you want everything in one place and have the budget:

Choose Kajabi ($149+/month). Website, courses, email, community, funnels, scheduling. It is expensive, but it eliminates the need for other tools.

If you sell from social media:

Choose Stan Store. The link-in-bio format converts well from Instagram and TikTok. Mobile-first checkout is smooth. $29/month with no transaction fees.

If community is your core product:

Choose Skool. The gamified community plus courses model works well for cohort programs and masterminds. $99/month flat.

If you do both courses and live sessions:

Pair Teachable (courses) with Talkspresso (live sessions). This gives you the best course builder plus the best live session tools. Together they cost less than Kajabi and deliver better results for each job.

The Shift from Courses to Live Sessions

Here is the trend driving this entire conversation: the creator economy is moving from pre-recorded content to live interaction.

Pre-recorded courses had a golden era from 2015 to 2022. Create once, sell forever. Passive income. The dream.

But the reality in 2026 is different:

• Course completion rates average 3-5%. Students buy and never finish.
• The market is saturated. Every topic has dozens of competing courses.
• AI can generate course content. The barrier to course creation has collapsed, flooding the market.
• Live interaction is scarce and valuable. Nobody can replicate your live coaching session. It is inherently unique.

Creators who earn the most in 2026 use a layered model:

1. Free content (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) to build audience
2. Low-cost digital products ($10-50) for accessible entry points
3. Live video sessions ($100-500) for premium, personalized service
4. Workshops and group sessions ($25-75/seat) for scalable live events

Teachable handles step 2. Talkspresso handles steps 2, 3, and 4. The question is which steps drive your revenue.

The Real Cost Comparison

Let's look at what a creator actually pays across platforms for a typical year.

Scenario: A creator earning $2,000/month from a mix of sessions and digital products.

At $2,000/month revenue, Teachable's subscription model is cheaper than Talkspresso's transaction fee. But Teachable does not include video or scheduling, so the real comparison is Teachable + Zoom + Calendly ($744/year) vs. Talkspresso ($2,400/year).

The breakeven is around $7,440/year in revenue. Below that, Talkspresso costs less. Above that, subscription models become cheaper per dollar earned.

But cost is only half the equation. Talkspresso includes HD video, recording, and AI summaries that Teachable + Zoom + Calendly do not. That is three tools in one, which also means one login, one booking link, and one client experience.

Making the Switch

If you are moving from Teachable, here is a practical transition plan:

Step 1: Identify your revenue mix. How much comes from courses versus live sessions versus digital products? This determines which alternative fits best.

Step 2: Export your content. Download course videos, PDFs, and worksheets from Teachable. Export your student email list.

Step 3: Set up your new platform. Create your services, set your pricing, configure your availability (if using Talkspresso), or upload your courses (if using Thinkific).

Step 4: Update your links. Change your bio links, website buttons, and any embedded booking or purchase links to point to your new platform.

Step 5: Notify your audience. Send an email explaining the switch. Frame it as an upgrade: "I'm now offering live sessions and workshops in addition to my courses."

Step 6: Keep Teachable active during transition. Don't cancel until existing students have finished their courses or you have migrated their access.

Most creators complete the switch in under two weeks.

Bottom Line

Teachable is a solid course platform. If pre-recorded courses are your entire business and you are happy with the model, Teachable or Thinkific are the right tools.

But if you have outgrown the course-only model and want to monetize through live video (coaching, workshops, masterclasses, group sessions), you need a platform built for that.

Talkspresso gives you scheduling, HD video, automatic recording, AI summaries, and payments with no monthly fee. It is what Teachable would be if Teachable were built for live sessions instead of pre-recorded courses.

The creator economy is moving toward live interaction. The platforms that win in 2026 are the ones built for how creators actually work today, not how they worked in 2018.

For a full breakdown, see our 9 best platforms for paid video calls or read how creators sell paid video calls to their followers.

For a full breakdown, see our 9 best platforms for paid video calls or read how creators sell paid video calls to their followers.

Start free on Talkspresso

Trauma informed cultural language tutor & Art Life Coach