Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
If you have Teachable’s checkout page open right now, here are the real numbers, verified against Teachable’s own live pricing page as of August 2026: four tiers running roughly $39–$189/month billed monthly (less if you pay annually), a 7.5% transaction fee that applies only on the cheapest plan and disappears entirely once you move up, and a built-in affiliate marketplace on the two higher tiers that most competitors don’t offer at all. None of that makes Teachable a bad choice for a straightforward course business. It does change the math the moment the course is supposed to feed an ongoing paid community rather than stand alone as a one-time purchase.
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This guide breaks down every Teachable pricing plan, the exact point at which its transaction fee stops applying, what its affiliate marketplace actually does, and the specific case — a course meant to anchor a recurring paid community people keep coming back to between cohorts — where Circle‘s bundled courses-plus-community pricing is the better buy instead.
Teachable Pricing Plans in 2026: What Each Tier Actually Costs
Teachable publishes four plans. Prices below are the current monthly rate, with the lower annual-billing rate in parentheses — verified against Teachable’s live pricing page, August 2026.
| Plan | Monthly price | Billed annually | Transaction fee | Affiliate marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $39/mo | $29/mo (save $120/yr) | 7.5% | Not included |
| Builder | $89/mo | $69/mo (save $240/yr) | 0% | Included |
| Growth | $189/mo | $139/mo (save $600/yr) | 0% | Included |
| Custom (Enterprise-tier) | Contact sales | Contact sales | 0% | Included |
All four plans carry a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. There is no permanent free plan as of August 2026 — Teachable phased that out some time ago, so budget for at least the Starter tier from day one.
The Teachable Transaction Fee: What Applies Below the Higher Plans
This is the line most comparison pages bury. Teachable’s 7.5% transaction fee applies only on the Starter plan — it is charged on top of whatever payment-processor fee (Stripe/PayPal) you’re already paying, on every single sale. Move up to Builder ($89/mo) or Growth ($189/mo) and that 7.5% disappears entirely; you pay processor fees only.
Do the math before picking a tier by sticker price alone: at $30,000/year in course sales, Starter’s 7.5% fee costs roughly $2,250/year on top of the $39/month subscription — more than the $600/year difference between Starter and Builder. Past a fairly low revenue threshold, Builder is cheaper in total cost than Starter, even though its listed price is more than double.
Teachable’s Built-In Affiliate Marketplace
Builder and Growth both include Teachable’s integrated affiliate program: a built-in way to recruit promoters to sell your course for a commission you set, without bolting on a separate affiliate-management tool. For a creator running a single flagship course who wants a marketplace of promoters doing the selling, this is a genuine, real feature — and it’s one Circle does not attempt to replicate; Circle has no built-in affiliate-recruitment marketplace of its own.
Teachable Pricing Plan: Picking the Right One for a Course-Only Business
If the course is genuinely the whole product — no ongoing community, no discussion layer, no reason for a buyer to come back after finishing the material — Teachable’s own tiers are the right frame to compare, not Circle’s. Starter suits testing whether one course sells at all, accepting the 7.5% fee as the cost of deferring commitment. Builder is the tier most creators with real sales settle on once the fee math above stops favoring Starter. Growth adds course bundles, higher completion-certificate limits and priority support, and is worth it mainly once you’re running multiple courses rather than one.
When a Course Alone Isn’t Enough: The Case for Circle
The gap in Teachable’s model is structural, not a pricing quirk: it is built to sell a course to someone who then leaves. Nothing in any Teachable tier gives that buyer a reason to keep opening the platform after they finish the last lesson. Circle starts from the opposite premise — courses are one feature bundled alongside spaces, discussions, events and a member directory, on every paid tier, so the same person who bought the course also has an ongoing reason to stay: the community around it.
Circle’s pricing, verified against its live pricing page, August 2026: Professional at $89/month, Business at $199/month, and a custom-priced Circle Plus tier for larger operations. Courses and community are bundled together at every level — you are not paying extra to unlock the discussion layer once you’ve paid for the course tool, the way you effectively would by pairing Teachable with a separate community platform.
Circle vs Teachable Pricing at a Glance
| Dimension | Teachable | Circle |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $39/mo (Starter) | $89/mo (Professional) |
| Mid tier | $89/mo (Builder) | $199/mo (Business) |
| Top tier | $189/mo (Growth) / custom (Custom) | Custom (Circle Plus) |
| Transaction fee | 7.5% on Starter, 0% above it | Applies at every tier, scaling down at higher plans |
| Built-in affiliate marketplace | Yes, on Builder and above | No |
| Community/discussion layer | Not a core feature | Core feature, every tier |
| Best fit | Selling a course catalog, nothing more | A course meant to anchor an ongoing paid community |
Circle is not simply “more expensive Teachable.” It is a different product category — a community platform that happens to include courses, priced accordingly. Comparing the two on sticker price alone misses what each one is actually built to do.
Who Should Stay on Teachable (the Honest Tradeoff)
Circle is not the right buy for everyone reading this. Stay on Teachable if either of the following is true:
- You are purely selling a course catalog with no need for an ongoing discussion layer between customers — the course is the entire product, start to finish, and you have no plan to build a community around it.
- You specifically want Teachable’s built-in affiliate marketplace to recruit promoters to sell the course for you. That is a real, differentiated feature Teachable offers on Builder and Growth that Circle does not replicate.
Circle becomes the better buy once the course is meant to feed a paid community people keep coming back to between cohorts — an ongoing membership, not a one-time transaction. That is a genuinely different buying decision than “which platform has the cheaper course tool,” and it’s worth being honest about which one you’re actually making before you commit a budget line to either.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Teachable’s pricing plans?
As of August 2026, Teachable offers four pricing plans: Starter at $39/month ($29/month billed annually), Builder at $89/month ($69/month annually), Growth at $189/month ($139/month annually), and a custom-priced Custom tier for larger operations. All four include a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What is Teachable’s cheapest pricing plan?
Starter, at $39/month ($29/month billed annually), is Teachable’s cheapest paid plan. It is also the only tier that charges the 7.5% transaction fee — factor that into the real cost before assuming it’s the cheapest option at any real sales volume.
Does every Teachable pricing plan charge a transaction fee?
No. Only the Starter plan carries Teachable’s 7.5% transaction fee. Builder, Growth and Custom all drop it to 0% — you pay standard payment-processor fees only, with no additional Teachable-side cut.
Does Teachable have a built-in affiliate marketplace?
Yes, on the Builder and Growth plans (and Custom). It lets creators recruit affiliates to promote and sell their course for a commission, built into the platform rather than requiring a separate affiliate tool. It is not available on the Starter plan.
Is Circle cheaper than Teachable?
Not on sticker price — Circle’s entry tier ($89/month) costs the same as Teachable’s Builder plan and more than Teachable’s Starter plan. Circle isn’t competing on being the cheaper course tool; it’s priced as a community platform that includes courses, which is a different product than a course-only tool at any tier.
When should I choose Circle over Teachable for pricing purposes?
When the course is meant to anchor an ongoing paid community rather than stand alone. If you need a discussion layer, member directory, events and renewing engagement built in alongside the course — not bolted on with a second subscription — Circle’s bundled pricing is the better buy. If you’re purely selling a course catalog, or specifically want Teachable’s built-in affiliate marketplace, stay on Teachable.
