Podia review: the one-stop digital shop you are looking for?

My Podia review explores a platform that aims to eliminate the technical headaches of running an online business.

At its core, Podia aims to be your digital headquarters, consolidating your blog, newsletter, and product sales into one platform.

And after spending some time exploring it, I found things that are both impressive and limiting, so here's my full analysis.

Podia review summary

Podia is an all-in-one platform that lets creators sell courses, downloads, and memberships while hosting their website and newsletter all in one place.

What makes Podia stand out is its hassle-free approach. You can set up everything without touching code or dealing with complex tech. Plus, they have a plan with 0% transaction fees, which is rare.

The Good things about Podia:

• Super intuitive interface that anyone can use.
• Course creation and digital product tools.
• Built-in email marketing and community features.
• Website builder with drag-and-drop editing.
• Handles all the technical stuff (hosting, payments, delivery).

The Not-So-Good of Podia:

• Limited customization options.
• Basic email marketing capabilities.
• No mobile app for community engagement.
• SEO features need improvement.
• No ability to add custom code on most parts of the tool.

Price-wise, Podia keeps it simple with two main plans: $39/month for the basic plan (with 5% transaction fees) or $89/month for the premium plan (no fees). This puts it in the sweet spot between budget platforms like Teachable and pricier options like Kajabi or Mighty Networks.

I'm impressed by how Podia makes it incredibly easy to start selling digital products online. While it might not have all the bells and whistles of some competitors, it nails the essentials. If you're a creator who values simplicity over advanced features, Podia is worth considering.

Podia Newsletter/ Email marketing features

Podia introduced its newsletter capabilities in July 2023, and while it's still a relatively new addition to its platform, it has a solid foundation for creators looking to build and nurture their email lists.

The platform offers all the essential features you need to run a newsletter, with decent customization options that surprised me with how easy they were to use.

Another thing I liked was the built-in welcome emails and automated sequences (which Podia calls 'campaigns'). These allow you to create email flows without leaving the platform or needing technical knowledge.

I also found the email templates to be a time saver. You can use their pre-built templates or create a custom template and save it for future use.

The drag-and-drop editor delivers a clean, friction-free writing experience that reminds me of MailerLite, and the customization options are surprisingly robust, allowing you to create professional-looking newsletters without touching a line of code.

You can also use tag segmentation to target subscriber groups, track basic analytics like open rates and clicks, and even send blog posts via email.

However, not everything is perfect with Podia's newsletter functionality.

The most significant limitation is the lack of a direct way to create a paid newsletter. While you can work around this by sending exclusive newsletter content to paid community members, it's not as easy as a dedicated newsletter platform.

Some other noteworthy drawbacks include the inability to use custom HTML in emails, which limits complete creative control, and the absence of A/B testing for subject lines.

There's also the minor inconvenience of having to provide a physical address to send emails, although this is actually a legal requirement for all email service providers.

The Podia still has room for growth in areas like version history for drafts and newsletter discovery features. Unlike platforms such as beehiiv or Kit, Podia doesn't offer network effects or newsletter recommendations, which could help with audience growth. However, these limitations are relatively minor compared to the solid core functionality the platform provides.

Podia website features

Podia makes it easy to build a website. Their drag & drop editor lets me customize the homepage and blog pages without any technical knowledge, and I love that there's nothing to install.

For example, it can work as the online home for all kinds of content you make: the blog, newsletter, and private community.

Other use cases include using it as a Link in Bio tool, or a landing page for the newsletter.

On the SEO side, Podia has the main and essential features, like custom domains, URL customization, and image alt text.

But Podia falls short on the advanced stuff. They don't allow setting up redirects, there is no control over canonical tags, and there is no sitemap management. This isn't great if you're serious about blogging and need to move content around.

The customization capabilities of Podia are interesting. While Podia doesn't have pre-built website themes, their page builder lets me control layouts and design pretty well. I like how the color palettes update everything at once (backgrounds, buttons, text, you name it). The newsletter templates look good, but I wish they had website ones too.

There are tons of settings and sliders to play with, which is nice for flexibility but takes time to learn. One thing that annoys me is not being able to add custom CSS or upload my own theme.

For third-party stuff, Podia does okay. On the positive side, it allows me to embed tweets and YouTube videos without issues, and it works with popular tools like Zapier. It also looks to support some JavaScript embeds seem (Adsense is 1 example).

But here's what drives me nuts is they don't let me add custom code in the header section. That really limits what I can do with custom code.

Here's my take: Podia's website builder is great if you want something that just works without getting technical. But if you need solid SEO features or want to customize everything with code, you'll hit walls pretty fast.

Podia Community features

Podia's community platform is built around a topic-based discussion system, similar to Reddit's approach. Each topic maintains its own dedicated feed with threaded discussions, setting it apart from the continuous message streams found in platforms like Discord or Slack. This structured approach helps keep conversations more focused and organized within specific threads.

The posting system features comprehensive formatting options, allowing users to create rich content with:

• Formatted text with styling options.
• Custom titles.
• Image uploads.
• Videos.

The platform provides two main channels for community interaction. The primary method is through thread-based discussions, which offer a clean and organized interface with hierarchical comment structures for easy-to-follow conversation flows.

Additionally, a messaging system allows creators to send direct messages to community members, which appear in a chat widget at the bottom corner of the screen.

For community organization, Podia offers flexible features including the ability to create both paid and free communities with adjustable visibility settings. User profiles display recent activities and joined topics, though payment provider integration is required for paid communities.

When it comes to managing your community, Podia gives you some nice flexibility. You can set up either a paid or free community (though you'll need to connect a payment provider first for the paid option). And I like how we can control who sees your community: you can make it visible or keep it hidden from your Podia site.

Now, here's where things get a bit frustrating: Podia doesn't have a mobile app. This is a pretty big downside compared to platforms like Patreon, Reddit, Discord, or Slack, where you can easily interact through their apps. Instead, you're stuck using your browser for everything, which isn't ideal for community engagement.

The moderation tools also left me wanting more. I tried looking for ways to add moderators or set up post-approval systems but came up empty-handed.

Every test post I made went live immediately, and while I could delete posts after they're published, that's about it, besides being able to cancel someone's account. For larger communities, this could become a real headache.

For course creators and digital product sellers already using Podia, the community features provide a serviceable solution for building engagement.

But I can't ignore the lack of a mobile app, and basic/non-existent moderation tools might be deal-breakers. The messaging system could definitely use some improvements, too.

Digital products

Podia is fantastic for selling digital products, and it's not surprising since online courses were one of their first offerings.

You can sell various digital products on Podia, like:

• Online courses and webinars
• Coaching sessions
• Digital downloads (ebooks, templates)
• Access to private communities
• Pretty much any type of file.

The course creation features are impressive and super easy to use. You can create lessons, add text content, embed videos, create quizzes, and even include coaching sessions. I like that you can control access by making content visible/hidden or delaying access for cohort-based courses.

For pricing your products, you have flexibility with free, waitlist, and paid options. The Paid products can be one-time payments or have payment plans.

You can also set signup limits, which is perfect for coaching. For example, if you only have time for 10 coaching sessions, you can make the product unavailable for sale anymore after the 10th purchase.

Podia uses Stripe and PayPal for payments, and they handle VAT/sales tax calculations during checkout. However, you're responsible for tax reporting since Podia isn't a merchant of record.

The platform handles all technical aspects, from checkout to product delivery, and you just need to focus on creating and pricing your products.

In my opinion, Podia strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and functionality for selling digital products. The platform is incredibly user-friendly, requiring zero coding skills.

However, this simplicity means you can't make custom modifications beyond the default options. While this might limit advanced users, it's perfect for creators who want a straightforward solution for selling digital products online.

Regarding fees, I'll cover those in the pricing section since they vary based on your plan.

Podia pricing

When it comes to Podia pricing, you're looking at two main plans that won't break the bank. The entry-level "Mover" plan starts at $39 per month (or $33 if you pay annually), while the more advanced "Shaker" plan comes in at $89 per month ($75 with annual billing).

One of the standout features of Podia's pricing structure is how it handles transaction fees. While the Mover plan includes a 5% fee on sales, upgrading to the Shaker plan eliminates these fees entirely. This can make a huge difference in your bottom line, especially as your sales grow. Think of it as removing a tax on your success.

Compared to competitors, Podia offers excellent value for money. Teachable's basic plan starts at a higher $59 monthly with 5% fees, while Kajabi begins at $69 monthly. Circle and Mighty Networks are even pricier, starting at $49 (with 4% fees) and $119 respectively.

Both Podia plans include essential features like website building, online course hosting, community, and digital download capabilities. The Shaker plan adds valuable extras like PayPal integration and affiliate marketing tools.

There's also an email marketing add-on that starts free for up to 100 subscribers and scales reasonably as your list grows.

I like Podia's pricing, especially the ability to remove transaction fees. And when you factor in the included features like website builder and course hosting, it's a compelling package that offers better value than most alternatives in the market.

Reviews around the web

Podia maintains a strong 4.6 out of 5-star rating across major platforms like G2, Capterra, and GetApp, though its TrustPilot score sits lower at 3.3/5.

The praise around Podia is usually around:

• Intuitive platform for non-technical users.
• All-in-one functionality for digital product sales, community, or building a course.
• Zero transaction fees on premium plans

As one creator notes on TrustPilot: "Everything you need to run an online business, in one place... It's all-round great!"

However, customer feedback reveals some limitations. The most common concerns focus on restricted customization options for course creation and basic email marketing capabilities.

A Reddit user explains this best: "I really want to like Podia.. and on the surface it has all of the features, usability, and pricing I want. But then I get inside and start building my course and just feel underwhelmed by the actual course module functionality, limited testing, knowledge comprehension, etc..."

The platform appears best suited for content creators seeking simplicity over advanced features, making it ideal for selling digital downloads, webinars, and basic courses.

Final thoughts

Here's my take from this Podia review.

Podia gets the job done if you want to sell digital stuff without the technical headaches. I love how everything just works out of the box, from courses to community features.

At $39/month (or $89 if you want to ditch transaction fees), it's a pretty sweet deal for creators who'd rather focus on making content than dealing with the technical side of things.

What really stands out to me:

• The platform is user-friendly: I didn't need to touch a line of code to got everything up and running.
• You can run your whole business here: courses, downloads, community, and even newsletters.
• The pricing is actually reasonable compared to Kajabi or Mighty Networks, especially with no transaction fees on the Shaker plan.

However, Podia isn't perfect. The lack of a mobile app drives me nuts. And if you're looking to get fancy with course customization or need serious email marketing capabilities, you might feel a bit limited.

But honestly, if you just want something that works without overthinking it, Podia may be it!

And before you jump in, just make sure you're cool with the things mentioned, including the lack of essential SEO tools or the ability to tweak every little detail with custom code.

That said, most creators and reviews around the web seem pretty happy with what they get from Podia.

If you're ready to start selling digital products or tired of juggling multiple platforms, Podia is a solid choice.