Last updated: September 5, 2026. Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you sign up through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
How we know: we tested Systeme.io hands-on in our own free-plan account. Everything here about Podia comes from its published pricing page and documentation, checked on the date shown — we have not run a Podia account ourselves, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
Our verdict
If you’ve read that Podia has a free plan, that’s out of date — Podia now only offers a 30-day free trial, no permanent free tier. Systeme.io’s free plan is still permanent and includes 0% transaction fees. Podia’s entry paid tier also charges a 5% transaction fee; that drops to 0% only from its $99/mo tier up.
Try Systeme.io freeFree plan, no credit card required. Affiliate link — see our disclosure.
Podia and Systeme.io both target creators selling courses, digital products, and memberships. Older reviews and comparison posts describe a Podia free plan — we checked Podia’s current pricing page directly, and that plan is gone. Here’s what’s actually there now.
Pricing, side by side
List prices as of September 5, 2026, monthly billing, checked directly on each company’s pricing page.
| Tier | Systeme.io | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Free / trial | $0, permanent — 3 funnels, 2,000 contacts, 0% fees | 30-day free trial only, no permanent free tier |
| Entry | $17/mo — 10 funnels, 5,000 contacts, 0% fees | $49/mo (Mover) — 100 email subscribers, 50 products, 5% transaction fee |
| Mid | $47/mo — 50 funnels, 10,000 contacts | $99/mo (Shaker) — 500 email subscribers, 150 products, 0% fees, affiliate marketing included |
| Top | $97/mo — unlimited everything | $179/mo (Earthquaker) — 1,000 email subscribers, unlimited products, 0% fees |
The detail worth knowing before you sign up: Podia’s cheapest paid tier, Mover at $49/mo, charges a 5% transaction fee on every sale — the fee only drops to 0% once you’re on Shaker at $99/mo. Systeme.io charges 0% transaction fees on every tier, including free.
Create a free Systeme.io account — no card requiredAffiliate link — see our disclosure.
Where the money actually goes
What Podia has that Systeme.io does not
- Unlimited “assistants” (team seats) from the Shaker tier up — Systeme.io doesn’t publish an equivalent named seat allowance in the same way.
- Built-in Zapier and PayPal support called out as standard features across all paid tiers.
- Community “spaces” scale generously by tier — 25 on Mover up to unlimited on Earthquaker.
What Systeme.io has that Podia does not
- A permanent free plan. Podia’s cheapest option today is a 30-day trial; after that, you’re on a paid plan or you don’t have an account.
- 0% transaction fees at every tier, including free. Podia’s Mover tier charges 5% until you upgrade to Shaker.
- Sales funnels and landing pages as a core feature, not just a course/product host with checkout attached.
- Unlimited sub-accounts on every plan, including free — isolated workspaces for multiple brands or clients.
Two questions that decide it
1. Is your business mainly courses and community, or funnels and email?
Podia is built around hosting and selling content — courses, downloads, communities — with email and marketing as supporting features. Systeme.io is built funnel-first, with courses as one of several modules. If courses and community are the center of your business, Podia’s tools are more purpose-built for that; if funnels and email sequences drive most of your revenue, Systeme.io covers more of that natively.
2. How many transactions will you process before you can afford 0% fees?
On Podia’s $49/mo Mover tier, the 5% fee compounds with every sale. On a $2,000 launch month, that’s $100 Podia keeps that Systeme.io wouldn’t at any tier. Run the math on your expected volume before assuming $49/mo is the real starting cost.
Frequently asked questions
Does Podia still have a free plan?
No. As of this check (September 2026), Podia offers a 30-day free trial, not a permanent free tier. Older reviews describing a Podia free plan are out of date. Systeme.io’s free plan never expires and needs no credit card.
Does Podia charge transaction fees?
Yes, on the Mover tier ($49/mo) — 5% per sale. The fee drops to 0% starting on the Shaker tier ($99/mo). Systeme.io charges 0% on every tier, including free.
Is Systeme.io cheaper than Podia?
Yes, at every comparable tier — and Systeme.io has a genuinely permanent free plan where Podia’s cheapest option is a time-limited trial.
Which is better for selling online courses, Systeme.io or Podia?
Podia’s course and community tools are more purpose-built if content hosting is your whole business. Systeme.io includes course hosting alongside funnels and email marketing in one plan, which is more cost-effective if you need all three.
I’ve been building and maintaining websites for about ten years. The first one is still online a decade later, and I still fix it when something breaks — which is how I learned that the interesting part of any platform is not the launch, it’s year three. I co-owned that site’s business, though I am not a co-owner today; the business itself has since closed. Separately, I have also run an online store on Shopify, until the fees pushed me onto a different payment system. Today I choose the host, the theme and write the plugins that run this site, and I pay for the tools I test out of my own pocket. More on the About page, and exactly what we did and did not test in how we test.
Prices verified against each company’s public pricing page on September 5, 2026. Vendors change pricing without notice — check before you buy, and tell us if you find something out of date.
Try it yourself: Systeme.io’s free plan is permanent, not a trial — 3 funnels, 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 0% transaction fees. Start on the free plan and find out in a weekend whether it covers what you need. (Affiliate link — see our disclosure.)