Finding the perfect place to sell your products or online lessons is super hard. The list of options is endless and most of them don’t offer half of what you need.
But fear not because in this post we’re going to cover two amazing platforms.
They have super UX-friendly interfaces, come with simplistic modern website design and offer some very great tools.
Today, we’re going to review and compare two ecommerce platforms: Payhip and Podia.
Before getting started let’s just pause a minute to talk about who can benefit from Payhip or Podia.
When we talk about ecommerce platforms, we often think of selling goods, either physical or digital. And of course, these places are excellent for that. However, that’s not the only thing they have to offer.
With the rise of creative content and online teaching, ecommerce sites have also become a place where you can monetize your knowledge and creativity. We’re talking about building online courses, offering coaching sessions on whatever your topic of expertise is, and even have a place to gather your fans and receive their support.
Moreover, these services usually have free plans and you don’t even need to have a website, you can use their storefront to sell your work.
So at the end of the day, either as a full-time job or just a side gig, these sites have the power to help basically anyone.
And they are so fun to use that they might even spark in beginners the desire to dive into the wonderful world of ecommerce!
Payhip vs Podia Comparison
Payhip
Payhip is an ecommerce platform where you can sell digital and physical products, courses, and memberships.
It started back in 2011 and it’s based in the UK. The co-founders, Abs Farah and Kahin Farah are engineers and designers.
The project is self-funded and profitable. Currently, it’s trusted by over 130,000 sellers from across the world. The team is very user-focused and open to all feedback!
You can read our Payhip tutorial, where we show you how to create and sell online courses, here.
Podia
Podia is a platform where you can sell digital goods as well as courses and build your online community. It started in 2014 and since then has been building creator-friendly tools that are super fun to use.
Unlike Payhip, which is mainly focused on products and courses, when you sign up on Podia you can start by simply setting up an email list or opening an affiliate program.
Podia also has a demo site where you can check out what the Podia experience will look like for both you and your customers.
Courses
Payhip and Podia have several cool features for your online course: coupons, bundles, a drip schedule, and, of course, a custom website.
They’ve both also gone the extra mile by letting users sell coaching sessions. Unlike with courses, these are live one-on-one consulting sessions. Any teacher or someone that wants to sell their knowledge can benefit from it. And you can integrate them with Calendly and Zoom to assist with scheduling meetings and video calls!
Podia especially mentions more scheduling apps like Acuity Scheduling and YouCanBook.Me, however, Payhip also lets you connect with other apps.
Digital products
Both platforms let you upload any type of file to sell: ebooks, videos, audio, etc. You can also launch your own affiliate program!
As to where they differ, well, Payhip lets you sell software licenses. They manage the generation, storage, and issuing of keys to protect your software.
This feature isn’t available in Podia. You can sell keys in something like a text document the customer could download. However, it wouldn’t be possible to generate a unique key each time.
Payhip also has a Pay-what-you-want pricing option. This means you give customers the freedom to name their price and you can, of course, set a minimum.
Finally, another advantage for Payhip is you can sell clothes and other physical products, track their inventory, and more. With Podia you can’t offer physical goods.
Selling
Both Payhip and Podia let you connect your account with PayPal and Stripe to receive payments. They also have customizable embed button codes you can paste on your site.
Additionally, Payhip handles the hassle of the 2015 EU VAT law, which is important not only for European citizens but everyone.
Both platforms come with several features to help you keep engaged your audiences such as certificates of completion and quizzes.
Email marketing
Payhip offers email marketing with 11 popular email service providers including MailChimp, GetResponse, and ConvertKit.
Although Podia also lets you connect with MailChimp, they also offer their own email marketing service. So forget about paying extra money to launch campaigns. With them, you can capture emails, automate campaigns, embed forms, and more!
Other features
Payhip and Podia have built-in affiliate programs. But while Payhip requires you to share a signup code with your affiliates, Podia has the option to keep it public for everyone.
Podia can be used as a Patreon alternative because it helps you build online communities. You can make a free group that’s open to all or create private groups and masterminds.
This feature is great for creators looking to connect directly with their fans and/or get paid by their supporters. You don’t need to keep fighting with the algorithm anymore!
Integrations
Podia lets you connect your website with tons of tools. For example, you can embed Spotify to your website and show your playlists, connect with GoogleAds and Zapier!
Payhip also has several integrations like the ones we’ve been mentioning already, but Podia beats it by far.
Pricing
Payhip and Podia have different types of plans.
Payhip has a free forever plan with a 5% transactional fee, a plan for $29 per month and a 2% transaction fee, and finally one for $99 per month and no transactional fee at all.
Podia, on the other hand, has a free plan with an 8% transactional fee, and all its paid plans have no transaction fees at all:
- Mover: $33 per month if paid annually. Includes unlimited emails per campaign and advanced integrations.
- Shaker: $75 per month. Turn off Podia branding and offer affiliate marketing.
- Earthquaker: $166 per month. Access priority support and onboarding calls.
You can also add teammates to your Podia account for $20 per user per month.
Podia used to offer a 14-day free trial for its paid plans, however, it was replaced by the free plan.
But unlike Payhip, this plan is super limited and doesn’t let you sell unlimited products. In fact, you can only sell 1 download and 1 coaching product.
They do have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Languages and currencies
Currently, Podia supports 11 languages, including English, Russian, Dutch and Italian. However, they are planning to add more languages. They also support 20 global currencies but can add more as long as Stripe also supports it. PayPal currency support is more limited.
Payhip also translates your site to multiple languages. However, they only support 8 languages. If you don’t see yours, you can reach out to them. They support 24 international currencies.
Keep in mind, that your dashboard on both sites will always be in English.
Support and Resources
Payhip has a Help Center and a blog full of tutorials. You can contact them via email and they’re usually quite quick to reply.
Podia, on the other hand, has a Help Center, webinars, a Youtube channel full of tutorials and a Creator community with exclusive courses. You can also contact them via email or chat and they answer inmediately. You won’t ever feel lost with them.
Payhip Pros and Cons
Pros
- It lets you sell physical products and software licenses.
- Handles VAT.
- Free plan.
Cons
- Doesn’t have too many resources.
- Not as many integrations as Podia.
Podia Pros and Cons
Pros
- Build online communities.
- No transactional fee in paid plans.
- Email marketing service.
- Full of learning resources.
Cons
- Limited free plan.
Verdict
Both Payhip and Podia are excellent ecommerce solutions. They have tons of tools that help you sell a whole range of different things: products, coaching sessions, affiliate programs, etc.
However, which one is a better option for you?
Well, with Payhip you can sell physical products and offer unlimited products even in the free plan. It also has cheaper plans so it’s a really good option if you’re just starting.
However, if you’re looking for a super complete service where you can do anything you want, then Podia is the one for you. They have their own email service and they are equipped with an incredible amount of free learning resources to start your journey as smooth and effortlessly as possible.
So what do you think?
Tell us in the comments!
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