Teachable Pros and Cons
Written by Casey Botticello
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Teachable is a popular online course platform that allows creators to build and sell courses to a global audience. The platform is user-friendly, intuitive, and offers a range of features to help creators build and market their courses. However, like any platform, Teachable has its pros and cons that should be considered before deciding to use it.
One of the biggest advantages of Teachable is its built-in payment processing system that handles transactions for creators. This means that creators do not have to worry about setting up their own payment processing system, which can be time-consuming and complicated. Another advantage of Teachable is its ability to create professional-looking online schools quickly, making it an ideal platform for those who want to get their courses up and running as soon as possible. However, there are also some disadvantages to using Teachable, such as limited customization options and the lack of a free plan.
Pros of Teachable
Teachable is a popular online course creation platform that offers a range of features and tools for course creators. Here are some of the key benefits of using Teachable.
- Easy to use: Teachable is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it an ideal choice for beginners who want to create and sell online courses. The platform offers a drag-and-drop course builder that allows you to create and customize your course content with ease.
- Built-in payment processing: Teachable has a built-in payment processing system that handles transactions for you, making it easier to sell your courses and receive payments from students.
- Email marketing automation: Teachable offers an email marketing automation feature that allows you to communicate directly with your students. You can use this feature to send out course updates, promotional offers, and other important information to your students.
- Course completion certificates: Teachable offers course completion certificates that students can receive after completing your course. This is a great way to motivate your students and encourage them to complete your course.
- Mobile app: Teachable offers a mobile app that allows students to access your course content on the go. This is a convenient feature that makes it easier for students to learn and engage with your course material.
- Affiliate program: Teachable has an affiliate program that allows you to earn money by referring new students to the platform. This is a great way to increase your revenue and grow your course business.
Overall, Teachable is a powerful platform that offers a range of features and tools for course creators. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced course creator, Teachable can help you create and sell online courses with ease.
Ease of Use
Teachable is an online course platform that is easy to use, even for beginners. The platform has a user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to navigate and create courses. The drag-and-drop course builder allows you to create your course content quickly and easily.
Teachable also offers a range of customization options, allowing you to tailor the look and feel of your course to your brand. You can choose from a range of templates, customize your course pages, and add your own branding elements.
The platform also offers a variety of features that make it easy to manage your course content. For example, you can upload videos, audio files, and other multimedia content, and organize them into chapters and sections. You can also add quizzes, surveys, and other interactive elements to your course content.
Overall, Teachable is a user-friendly platform that offers a range of customization options and features that make it easy to create and manage your online courses. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced course creator, Teachable is a great platform to consider.
Customization
Teachable offers a high level of customization for course creators. With its power editor, users can create multimedia lectures, videos, homepage, and landing pages with ease. The drag-and-drop builder allows you to design attractive sales pages that are optimized for conversion.
The platform also offers a wide range of customization options for course content. You can add your own branding, including logos and colors, to your course pages. You can also customize the look and feel of your course player, including the layout, fonts, and colors.
Teachable’s list of partners is fairly extensive, which makes it possible to incorporate as many tools as you want. This allows you to create a truly unique and personalized learning experience for your students.
Overall, Teachable’s customization options make it easy to create a professional-looking course that reflects your brand. With its intuitive interface and powerful tools, you can create a course that stands out from the competition.
Payment Options
Teachable offers a variety of payment options for course creators to choose from. One of the most convenient features is the built-in payment processing system that handles transactions for you. This means that you don’t have to worry about setting up a separate payment gateway or merchant account, which can be a time-consuming process.
Another advantage of Teachable’s payment system is that it offers a monthly payment option for more expensive courses. This can be helpful for students who may not have the funds to pay for an entire course upfront. Additionally, Teachable’s payment system allows you to offer coupons and discounts to your students, which can be a great way to incentivize purchases and boost sales.
However, it’s important to note that Teachable does charge transaction fees on each sale. These fees vary depending on the pricing plan you choose, ranging from 5% to 0% per transaction. While this may seem like a disadvantage, it’s important to consider the convenience and ease of use that Teachable’s payment system provides.
Overall, Teachable’s payment options are a convenient and user-friendly way to handle transactions for your online courses. While there are some transaction fees involved, the benefits of the built-in payment processing system and monthly payment option make it a great choice for course creators looking to sell their courses online.
Marketing Tools
Teachable offers several built-in marketing tools that can help you promote your courses and reach a wider audience. Here are some of the pros and cons of Teachable’s marketing tools:
Pros
- Email Marketing Automation: Teachable’s email marketing automation feature allows you to send targeted emails to your students and subscribers. You can create automated email sequences that are triggered by specific actions, such as course enrollment or completion. This can help you stay in touch with your students and increase engagement.
- Affiliate Marketing: Teachable’s affiliate marketing program allows you to recruit affiliates who can promote your courses in exchange for a commission. This can help you reach a wider audience and increase sales. Teachable provides you with all the tools you need to manage your affiliate program, including tracking links, commission payouts, and more.
- Course Bundles: Teachable allows you to create course bundles, which are collections of courses that are sold together at a discounted price. This can help you increase sales and provide more value to your students.
Cons
- Limited Customization: While Teachable’s marketing tools are easy to use, they are somewhat limited in terms of customization. For example, you can’t customize the design of your email templates or landing pages to match your brand. This can make it difficult to create a consistent brand experience for your students.
- No Built-in Sales Funnels: Teachable does not offer built-in sales funnels, which can be a disadvantage if you’re looking to create a more complex marketing campaign. However, you can integrate Teachable with third-party tools like ClickFunnels or Leadpages to create more advanced sales funnels.
- Limited Reporting: Teachable’s reporting tools are somewhat limited, which can make it difficult to track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. For example, you can’t track the performance of individual emails or landing pages. However, you can integrate Teachable with third-party analytics tools like Google Analytics to get more detailed insights.
Cons of Teachable
Despite its many benefits, Teachable also has some drawbacks that you should consider before deciding if it’s the right platform for you. Here are some of the cons of using Teachable:
- Limited customization options: While Teachable offers some customization options for your course pages, the platform is still somewhat limited in terms of design and layout. You may not be able to fully customize your course pages to match your brand or desired aesthetic.
- Limited marketing features: Teachable does offer some basic marketing features, such as email marketing and affiliate marketing, but these features may not be as robust as some other course platforms. If you’re looking for more advanced marketing tools, you may need to integrate Teachable with other platforms or use a different course platform altogether.
- Transaction fees: Teachable charges transaction fees on all sales, in addition to any payment processing fees charged by your payment gateway. While these fees are relatively low, they can add up over time and eat into your profits.
- Limited course types: Teachable is primarily designed for creating and selling video-based courses. While you can also create text-based courses, quizzes, and surveys, the platform may not be as suitable for interactive or live courses.
- Limited customer support: While Teachable does offer customer support, some users have reported that the support can be slow or unresponsive at times. Additionally, Teachable’s help center may not always have the answers you need, which can be frustrating if you’re experiencing technical issues or other problems.
Overall, Teachable is a powerful and user-friendly course platform that can help you create and sell online courses with ease. However, it’s important to consider these cons before making a decision, to ensure that Teachable is the right fit for your needs and goals.
Limited Control over Design
One of the drawbacks of using Teachable is the limited control over the design of your course. While Teachable offers a range of customizable templates, you may find that they are not flexible enough to meet your specific requirements.
For instance, you have limited options when it comes to changing the layout of your course. You can only choose from a set of pre-designed templates and cannot modify them beyond a certain point. This can be frustrating if you have a specific vision for your course and want to create a unique look and feel.
Additionally, Teachable does not offer advanced design features, such as the ability to add custom CSS or HTML code. This means that if you want to make any significant changes to the design of your course, you may need to hire a developer or use a different platform.
Overall, while Teachable offers a range of customizable templates, it may not provide the level of design control that some users require. If you are looking for a platform that offers more flexibility and advanced design features, you may want to consider other options.
Pricing
Teachable offers three pricing plans: Basic, Pro, and Business. The Basic plan costs $39 per month, or $29 per month if paid yearly, and includes unlimited students, unlimited courses, and basic quizzes. The Pro plan costs $199 per month, or $99 per month if paid yearly, and includes everything in the Basic plan plus graded quizzes, advanced reports, and course completion certificates. The Business plan costs $299 per month, or $249 per month if paid yearly, and includes everything in the Pro plan plus bulk student enrollments, custom user roles, and manual student imports.
While Teachable’s pricing may seem steep compared to other online course platforms, it’s important to consider the value it provides. Teachable’s drag-and-drop course builder, customizable sales pages, and built-in payment processing system make it easy to create and sell professional-looking courses. Additionally, Teachable’s email marketing automation feature allows for direct communication with students, and the platform offers integrations with popular tools like Zapier and Mailchimp.
One potential downside to Teachable’s pricing is that it charges transaction fees on top of its monthly subscription fees. The fees vary depending on the payment processor used, but can be as high as 5% per transaction. This can add up quickly, especially for course creators with high sales volume. Another potential downside is that Teachable’s pricing plans are geared towards businesses and entrepreneurs, and may be too expensive for hobbyists or those just starting out in the online course space.
Overall, Teachable’s pricing is competitive for the value it provides, but course creators should carefully consider their budget and sales volume before committing to a plan.
Limited Integrations
Teachable offers its users an assortment of useful integrations, but it has limited native integrations. This means that it may not be compatible with some of the other tools and software that you use to run your business.
However, Teachable does offer integrations with some of the most popular third-party tools, including Calendly, Zoom, Zapier, Zendesk, Olark, Intercom, MailChimp, ConvertKit, Vizia, and Webhooks. These integrations can help you automate your marketing, sales, and customer support processes, which can save you time and increase your revenue.
It’s important to note that Teachable does not offer a direct integration with PayPal. If you want to use PayPal as a payment gateway, you’ll need to sign up for
