If you're looking to build an online course, you're going to need a solid platform. And in this Teachable review, we'll explore whether or not Teachable is the right choice for you.
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- What is Teachable and what can it do for you
- The major features of Teachable's platform
- Minor features from Teachable that'll give your course that extra edge
- Is Teachable the right platform for your needs?
Table of contents
For the sake of transparency, I will be using affiliate links within this article. If you decide to use them, they won't cost you a dime. All it does help me keep my coffee percolator percolating, so I can keep bringing you high quality content week after week.
But enough about that… On to the Teachable review!
What is Teachable?
Teachable is a simple to use online course creation platform. And while there may be quite a few of them, Teachable is one of the biggest out there. Founded in 2014, they strive to provide an awesome LMS (Learning Management System) that anybody can easily pick up and use.
Teachable Review: Major Features
These areas are what I personally feel are the major features to consider when deciding whether Teachable is right for you.
Pricing
Let's start off this Teachable review with what may be the most important deciding factor for many people — pricing. When you first take a glance at Teachable's website, you'll find three paid options.
There is also a fourth free option you can use. But this free option isn't totally free.
FREE | 10% + $1 Fee/Student Unlimited Students |
Basic | 5% Fee/Student Unlimited Courses |
Pro | $119/month or $99/month billed annually 0% Fee/Student Unlimited Courses |
Business | $299/month or $249/month billed annually 0% Fee/Student Unlimited Courses 20 Admin Users |
As you can see, Teachable's free plan charges a 10% transaction fee + $1 for your paid courses per student. So not exactly free. Also, you're only allowed one course at this free tier.
And even at the most basic paid subscription level, Teachable charges a 5% transaction fee. This is a bit off-putting. I'm not too keen on paying money on top of the monthly fee. If pricing is your number concern, you might be better off going with a platform such as Thinkific.
Design and Layout: How the Course Looks to Your Students
While the pricing element of Teachable leaves something to be desired, they've done a nice job when it comes to course presentation. Their course player is actually pretty streamlined and very easy to navigate.
And if you're looking for some simple customization, Teachable can provide it. You can change up your buttons, template colors, and add a logo. For the tech savvy, it's possible to even add in custom HTML and CSS changes.
But Teachable's simplicity does come with a price. Teachable only offers one standard template. Again, you do have the ability to change it; however, that's only possible through some light coding.
So if you're alright with one simple template, then Teachable can definitely be a viable option. But if you're looking to really customize the design layout of your course, you might not be impressed.
Course Creation Process: Can You Build It?
One huge factor you need to consider when choosing a course creation platform is the creation process. Can you actually use the platform or is it too difficult?
Teachable is very intuitive to use. The program utilizes drag-and-drop technologies to simplify your course creation process. And according to many, Teachable actually has one of the easiest UIs (User Interface) to navigate.
Another neat ability Teachable has is that your lesson settings can be changed without having to dig through your curriculum.
Sales Page Customization
It's amazing just how much customization you can do to your Teachable sales pages. In fact, they're actually much more customizable than the courses themselves.
And that's pretty great from a marketing/sales standpoint. You can use a huge variety of different tactics to help you convert landing page visitors into actual clients. They keep the same drag-and-drop technology when building your sales page, but also allow you to adjust the HTML of your content blocks.
This gives you the ability to have Dynamic FAQs, featured insights, testimonials…pretty much anything you can think of. The biggest problem here is that, to maximize your results, you need to know a bit of HTML. Teachable does try to mitigate this though. They offer pre-written HTML snippets, so you can just copy and paste them in.
And if you still need some more guidance, you can always take Teachable's master class on sales page creation absolutely free.
Format Beautiful Professional Books
Easy to use, and and full of amazing features, you can quickly turn your book into a professional book.
Check It OutEU VAT MOSS Tax Processing System
This right here may seal the deal for many of you when it comes to choosing Teachable. According to EU tax laws, if you sell more than 10,000 Euros worth of digital product (i.e. your course) to the EU, you are required to pay VAT MOSS Tax.
Now this might sound simple. Just pay your taxes, right? Well… it's definitely not as simple as it seems. This is because many of the different nations that make up the EU have different tax rates. And you have to pay taxes based on where your customers purchase your course. Needless to say, this can get very confusing very quickly.
Fortunately, Teachable makes this process super easy for you. As a matter of fact, they actually handle all of the taxes for you using a system called BackOffice! This includes sending the proper documentation to the respective countries as well. Now, this means you're not going to see your sales right away. And Teachable takes a 2% cut of your sales for this service. But honestly, that 2% cut is well worth it to navigate the EU's tax laws.
This makes Teachable the absolute go-to if you're selling over 10,000 Euros.
If you're selling online courses to the EU, Teachable is the must-have course creation platform.Click To TweetTeachable Review: Minor Features to Improve Your Experience
So the major features above are the major selling points for me. But that doesn't mean you're specifically interested in those alone. Teachable offers many other features that may be important to you and your course. Let's take a look at some.
Video Import Capabilities
If you plan on using video within your courses, it's nice to note that Teachable allows video import directly from your OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox.
Course Reporting
Teachable analyzes your student demographics, video stats, play rate, and more. Then it compiles them into great in-depth reports. Detailed reports can be very advantageous. For example, you can receive data on your quiz performance and then adjust accordingly to provide a better user experience.
iOS Support
While other course creation platforms may be “mobile friendly”, Teachable actually provides iOS support through its very own app.
Lecture Commenting System
Teachable supports a native commenting system on their platform to further help the students engage with you and one another. I really like the fact that you can individually embed these comment boxes into individual lectures.
Affiliate Marketing System
You have the ability to utilize affiliate marketing when it comes to your courses. And Teachable makes that process much easier than normal. They will actually automatically payout your affiliates–which can come in handy if you have a large number of them. Also, you have the ability to custom set cookie time periods for individual affiliates.
Is Teachable the Best Course Creation Platform for You?
In this Teachable review, we went over some of the biggest selling points for the platform along with some other great features. But in the end, is Teachable the right choice for you?
If you plan on creating a free course like my AMS Ads Course, Teachable is probably not for you. The pricing system just isn't a great fit. And for those of you looking for a more customizable course creation experience (outside of simple adjustments), a platform such as Thinkific could be best for you.
But… If you plan on selling to the EU or performing hardcore affiliate marketing, Teachable makes for an excellent choice.