Overview
On-demand and self-paced learning platforms are growing in popularity among learners.
With the boom of online education, several companies have entered the course hosting platform space to seize this opportunity for their niche.
The goal is to become the largest provider of courses and education products in the market.
Kartra has gained popularity among creators and students due to its rich features and secure environment. However, Teachable is a strong competitor to consider.
Here, I will compare both platforms to help you decide which one to select, whether you are a student or an instructor.
What is Kartra?
Kartra is an all-in-one platform for course creators to host, market, and sell digital goods.
It has all the tools to build websites, create email campaigns, host webinars, upload videos, build funnels, sell memberships, and more from one place.
This platform has respectable popularity among solopreneurs, course creators, and other digital product developers because it allows them to count on a single platform for their operations.
Kartra has a minimalistic approach but multiple tools.
It helps you save some money in the long term. Because, there is no need to pay for extra software or tools like CRMs, email marketing campaign systems, membership sites, digital downloads, etc.
What is Teachable?
It is a platform to host, promote and sell courses online. Teachable also has tools for affiliate programs so you can earn an extra income (set by the school owner) while helping creators promote their content.
Remember that each school owner provides their link.
Their approach is more about taking care of all the elements you need to set up your entire business, so you can focus more on creating courses.
Comparison by Features
There are multiple comparisons you can make before deciding which one is the best. But if you want to get your money’s worth it is better to focus on the features.
A visually attractive site is fundamental to captivate and convert but it is more valuable to have the tools that can also make you more productive and make your online courses business more competitive.
Depending on the size of your operation, your business, and the number of online courses you sell, you may prefer some specific features to others.
So I decided to make a side-by-side comparison to give each product the same opportunity.
Advanced Tools and Developer Features
Experienced course creators look for advanced tools because they like to have total control when building their websites and online courses.
Some creators want access to HTML or CSS editing environments to gain access to reacher user experience and to give their personal touch and creativity to their spaces.
After all, is fundamental to create a remarkable first impression and when you sell online courses, a website equals a storefront.
Kartra
Kartra is friendly for non-tech-savvy users. It has a straightforward environment to create engaging and professional-looking websites without a degree in web design or prior experience.
But they are also inclusive, with the people that do not have knowledge and experience in web development.
When you are a tech-savvy creator, you can profit from the platform’s API, IPN, and other apps and tools to code and customize your store to your liking.
Teachable
When using Teachable, you have access to existing CSS and HTML.
The platform is for regular, non-tech-savvy users and does not allow you to import or export code.
Therefore, it is impossible to use code to upload assets, new themes, and new files to customize your store.
Teachable does not give access to API, SSO themes, or offsite editing options. That is why some experienced users discard teachable immediately and find it inappropriate for their business.
Results
Kartra wins this set because it gives more options to users (newbies and experts) to set up their online course business.
It is more inclusive and accessible for all users.
Course Creation
The ultimate goal for online course creators is to sell online courses. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each platform.
Kartra
It is the number one choice for solopreneurs, digital product sellers, and creators who want to have all they need to operate condensed in one place.
Its toolkit has all the features you need to run your business from one place.
In the long term, Kartra saves time and effort because you will not have to invest in outside tools for mail marketing, memberships, CRMs, and other operations.
They have native apps integrated for these tasks to have you running all your online course creation operations from one place.
Teachable
To be honest Teachable also has multiple tools to help you build and market your online courses, and it is a bit hard to compare them.
Teachable has a straightforward and user-friendly interface, a capable course builder, built in marketing tools, and multiple payment features for your customers.
When it comes to the course creation experience, it is fundamental to highlight that the Teachable platform allows you to offer an omnichannel user experience on every device.
The platform has a free version, so it allows you to get started without investing.
Results
As I told you before, it is not easy to decide the winner of this category.
I have to consider the perspective of the course creator for this one. I give this point to Teachable because it is perfect for beginner course creators, making the digital course market available for everyone.
Data Analytics
If you want to scale and profit from your digital business, you can not just drop the seed and walk away, it needs to be nurtured and cared for to grow and produce. It is where analytics come into the game.
Kartra
This platform has native tools to help you identify the best ways to market online businesses for better income and conversion rates.
Kartra provides data analytics on content, student performance, and lead segmentation, so you can provide relevant content for your audience and leave them wanting more.
Besides, kartra gives you access to lifetime revenue analytics to have a detailed record of your online course revenue.
This feature is so powerful that it lets you filter to see all the purchases from a customer since he registered.
Teachable
Teachable analytics is also remarkable, enables you to track your student’s progress to find new strategies to keep them motivated and learning in the long run.
You can even monitor your students’ sign-ups for a specific period, so you can reach out to try to help them keep their motivation high.
It is a good idea to export all your course data and student information to discover valuable data and new strategies to boost your online course business.
Results
The price in this category goes for teachable. Its unique tools offer you valuable insight to track and accompany your customer’s learning path and enhance your strategies.
Instructor Support
As an instructor, you are a leader. You will have to answer questions and also solve technical issues related to your content from time to time.
It is fundamental to choose a platform with professional and responsive customer support.
Kartra
Kartra takes customer support seriously, so they have put together a support ticketing system and a live chat.
They also have a comprehensive learning center to help you navigate some common issues, provide straightforward answers, and help you make the best of the product.
They have divided their guides into digestible categories to help you navigate and learn at your pace.
This platform finds value in your ideas. You can always request new features to include in the platform. Let the development team know about your fantastic idea, and help improve the product for you and the community.
Teachable
Similar to Kartra, Teachable offers multiple channels to support and enhance users’ experience. Learn through podcasts, downloads, and supportive articles.
Their ticket system is good, but the response time is about 24 hours or more, which is a bit disappointing. However, when you are in a hurry, you can get quick and accurate answers from their active Facebook community.
Results
My vote goes for kartra on this one. They have great resources, a ticketing system, and an active Facebook community, but the response time is not ideal.
When you use Kartra, you can get answers faster. They have more channels to help you and extensive documentation to help course creators navigate the software with ease and comfort.
Pricing
As a creator and entrepreneur, you must consider multiple factors when selecting your tools. Pricing is one of them. Sometimes, it is the number one factor. It is time to take a look at the numbers.
Kartra
They offer four different levels to suit your needs. You can decide to pay monthly or yearly, if you decide to pay yearly you can save 25%.
- Starter Plan: For $99 monthly, you access a custom domain, up to 2,500 leads, and up to 15,000 emails.
- Silver Plan: For $199 monthly, grants you up to 3 custom domains and unlimited emails.
- Gold Plan: For $299 monthly gets you 25,000 leads and 5 custom domains.
- Platinum Plan: The price is $499 per month and gives you 50,000 leads, 10 custom domains, and unlimited everything else.
Kartra includes the following features for all its plans:
- Kartra Checkouts
- Kartra Pages
- Kartra Leads
- Kartra Forms
- Kartra Mail
- Kartra Funnels and Campaigns
- Kartra Memberships
- Kartra Marketplace
- Kartra Affiliate Management
- Kartra Surveys and Quizzes
- Kartra Videos
- Kartra Calendars
- Kartra Helpdesks
When you buy the annual subscription, you save 25%.
Teachable
Likewise, Teachable has multiple pricing plans, so they can adapt to your business and scale and improve your plan as you grow.
- Free Plan: When you start for free, you get access to unlimited students, courses, and coaching.
- Basic Plan: For $29 per month, you can grow your business using more advanced features. The transaction fee per transaction on this plan is 5%.
- Pro Plan: It costs $99 per month and comes with advanced features to take your student engagement to the next level. Unlike the basic plan, it has no transaction fees.
- Business Plan: Costs $249 per month and gives you access to all the features on the pro plan. Includes some additional features, the most remarkable is that you can have up to 20 admin-level users.
Results
For this category, teachable is our absolute winner. It has a free plan to get started with all the basic tools you need to get your business going.
Their vision supports the beginner digital entrepreneur who needs a little help to get started and grow as the business grows.
School and Course Customization
The market is fierce, and we must work harder and smarter to gain and maintain a place for our courses and brand.
One way to achieve this uniqueness and visibility is to make your course different, engaging, and unique, and this is where customization is fundamental. Time to evaluate School and Course Customization for both platforms.
Kartra
Creating with Kartra you can build an intuitive online learning environment that helps engage and motivate your students.
- Customize your welcome emails, set multiple membership tiers, and make your courses stand out.
- Use categories and subcategories to structure your lessons for smooth and intuitive navigation.
- You can deliver your content subject by subject, or all at once. The decision is yours.
- Deliver your content in multiple formats (video, audio, or written forms).
In a nutshell, Kartra provides what you need to customize your course or school.
Teachable
Their focus is on course creation. They offer an unrivaled set and tools for customization. Their tools let you build your course pages without previous experience or technical knowledge.
Create intuitive quizzes, build a community, and enjoy powerful email marketing and comment features.
Results
Kartra is also a very powerful tool. But Teachable lets you fully customize every aspect of your creation. So it is fair to say that Teachable is our winner.
School and Course Marketing Tools
Developing a good product is not enough to succeed when selling online courses. You need to find the proper strategies and the proper set of tools to succeed in your marketing efforts. A quick comparison will help us discover who stands out for its school and marketing tools.
Kartra
Kartra takes marketing seriously. You can set up and operate an entire online business using Kartra. With its comprehensive dashboard you can create checkout pages, and webinars and connect payment processors from a single dashboard.
The best part is that the platform also lets you sell digital products.
Teachable
As I have said before, Teachable focuses on course creation. It has tools to help you grow your business, but it is not a funnel-building tool.
For example, you can run profitable email marketing campaigns and create promotional offers, such as discounts and coupons, as a way to incentivize sign-ups for your course.
Teachable lets you use affiliate marketing, so others can promote your courses. It is also perfect to customize pricing plans like one-time fees, bundled course offerings, subscriptions, etc. Increasing conversion is a no-brainer when you use Teachable.
Results
Both platforms have powerful features to help with your marketing efforts. But the game changer here is sales funnels because they are ideal to increase your sales and your business revenue. Kartra is our Winner.
Security for Your Online Business
Cybersecurity is still a concern, and it is a factor you must consider when you choose the platform for your online courses and products. Now we are going to determine which platform takes security more seriously.
Kartra
Your payment information and student data are always safe with Kartra. The platform follows the payment card industry’s standards seriously when handling and processing credit cards.
Kartra issues SSL certificates for all course websites and gives course creators total control and ownership over data.
Receive automatic security upgrades regularly, and you will have one less thing to take care of.
Teachable
As professionals, they also take security seriously. Teachable integrates with PCI Level-I payment providers like PayPal and Stripe for the total security of your online transactions.
Teachable also gives you full ownership of your data like Kartra. They monitor the platform 24/7 to ensure the best experience for students and course creators.
Results
Both platforms have excellent payment security measures. But Teachable provides more security measures for the protection of your data, like round-the-clock monitoring for security breaches.
Student Experience and Retention Tools
What does an instructor need above all? Students. You need to build an efficient and engaging learning experience, so your students learn and retain what you teach and promote you as the great instructor we know you are. Both platforms have considered this factor and have solutions to help you, let’s discover who has the best student experience and retention tools.
Kartra
When you create your courses with Kartra you can access the following features:
- Engaging surveys and quizzes
- Membership portal administration
- Embedded videos for an enhanced user experience
- Email integrations
- Calendars and other forms
Use them wisely and create an engaging learning experience for your students.
Teachable
With Teachable, functionalities are a bit more limited. They do not offer welcome emails or course completion emails.
Consider also that they lack white-labeled URLs and dashboards. On the other hand, the platform has an iOS app and offers multiple languages for your website.
Results
The advantage is for Kartra. With its tools, you can engage your students and maintain their motivation, so they can profit from your course and help you grow your audience.
Final Results
It is time for the final verdict, we have analyzed all the features and strengths of both platforms and these are the results. It was a close competition, but the winner of this showdown is Teachable. Its rich features, customizable experience, and accessible features make it a great choice for creators.
Why Are Online Courses So Popular?
Several factors make online courses so popular, first, we live in the digital era. We are constantly looking at screens everywhere, our phone is part of our professional and social lives. So it’s only natural to make our education digital too.
Second, our schedules are busier and busier, packed with activities for every moment of our lives. Finding time to assist to a conventional school is almost impossible for some people. Online courses offer a solution by letting you learn at your own pace.
Finally, Online education is in general more accessible than traditional education, this is key for many people that rely on online courses to learn new skills or update the ones they already have.
Which Is the Best Platform for Your Online Course?
This is a democracy, there is no absolute best platform for everyone because every case is different. Take the time to find out what works best for you, do not rush.
It is ok to test different platforms before making your final decision. Do not be ashamed to use the free version or free trials to test all the features.
Your business is important, and you can take as much time as you consider before you find what works best for you.
