If you’re comparing platforms to sell a course or digital downloads, Buy Me a Coffee and Podia are almost always at the top of the list. Both have built a reputation of being simple, with intuitive setups that are extremely beginner friendly. However, there are a few differences worth noting, ranging from pricing to how much room you have to grow.<\/p>\n
The first difference you’ll notice is the pricing model. And, there’s two sides to it.<\/p>\n
For one, you don’t stay free for long. Podia offers a trial, but once that’s over, you need to commit to a payment plan to keep using the platform. If you’re experimenting and uncertain of what course would sell, this is a slippery slope, and you may end up learning your lesson the hard way. By the time you do narrow down on what sells, you would’ve already burned a hole in your pocket.<\/p>\n
On the other side is the actual cost to start. The cheapest Podia plan costs $42 monthly and goes up to $150 depending on what’s included. The plans aren’t all-inclusive, so the features and limits you get depend on which one you’re paying for.<\/p>\n
Buy Me a Coffee doesn’t follow a subscription based model. You only pay a cut when you’re making money. In the duration that you’re experimenting, there’s no cost you run into.<\/p>\n
As I hinted before, when you pay for a plan, you don’t get access to everything at any scale, even at their most expensive plan. There’s a cap on products, email subscribers, videos, spaces and more. They can be increasingly relevant as your business starts growing.<\/p>\n
If you’re selling a course, your email list is probably going to become one of your most useful assets. It’s where you announce your launch, send course updates, share new products, and stay connected with people who have already shown interest in your work.<\/p>\n
Podia includes email marketing, but there’s a limit to how many subscribers are included with your plan. As your list grows, you’ll need to account for additional costs or move to a plan that accommodates it.<\/p>\n
Every plan caps how many subscribers you can email. 100 on Mover, 500 on Shaker, 1,000 on Earthquaker. Anything above that, and it’s a paid add-on, priced the same regardless of which plan you’re on.<\/p>\n
That might be plenty when you’re starting out. But email lists have a habit of growing, especially once you start promoting a course.<\/p>\n
With Buy Me a Coffee, you don’t have to upgrade your plan because your audience has grown. You can collect your supporters’ email addresses and export your list without having to pay a monthly subscription for the privilege of having more people on it.<\/p>\n
The same thing applies to the products you sell. Podia puts a limit on how many products you can have depending on your plan. That might not be a problem if you’re only planning to sell one course. You’ll need to keep an eye on how many products your plan allows. There’s another catch here. Unlike emails, product, video, and community-space caps can’t be raised with an add-on at any price. You’ll need a full plan upgrade. Say you have a 51st product on Mover’s 50-product cap, you can’t just bump up the cap. You move to Shaker at roughly double the price.<\/p>\n
Buy Me a Coffee doesn’t put a limit on the number of products you can add. Everything on the platform is yours to use, for free, at any scale.<\/p>\n