Where users complain and no one leads
1 theme raised about 2 or more companies; every one shares a word with something a company declares.
- Transaction fees on entry planraised about 2 of 7
Raised about Teachable, Podia · what users wrote
- checkout & payments (0% platform fee claim)1 of 7 declare · via “fee”
A theme enters when users raised it about 2 or more companies — one company’s complaint is about that company. The pairing is word overlap between the theme and what companies declare on their own pages, with the shared words shown; a theme with no match is unanswered in the declared names, not missing from every product. Nothing here is scored or ranked.
What was read
7 companies placed · 7 read in the last seven days
Most recent reading Sep 30, 2026.
The last seven days
31 observed claims across 7 of 7 companies.
- FACT · 10
- COMPANY CLAIM · 8
- USER OPINION · 13
5 further entries are tagged inference — a reading between the facts, counted apart from them and in no total above.
What these companies declare
- 1-day workshops1 of 7 declare it
- Abandoned cart recovery1 of 7 declare it
- affiliate management1 of 7 declare it
- Affiliate marketing (Shaker+)1 of 7 declare it
- Affiliate marketing program1 of 7 declare it
- AI assistant (Cofounder)1 of 7 declare it
- AI course creation tools1 of 7 declare it
- AI curriculum/quiz generation1 of 7 declare it
- AI-powered course creation1 of 7 declare it
- all-in-one course & membership hosting1 of 7 declare it
Showing 10 of 56 names.
Counted from what each company says on its own pages, as the reading listed it. Never what a product has.
What users report
- Transaction fees on entry plan2 of 7 saw it raised
- 10,000-student cap on named plans1 of 7 saw it raised
- Account lockouts without warning1 of 7 saw it raised
- Basic/restrictive website customization1 of 7 saw it raised
- cannot remove Kajabi branding on lower tiers1 of 7 saw it raised
- Checkout/payment outages during live launches1 of 7 saw it raised
- Confusing billing and cancellation process1 of 7 saw it raised
- email automation limited to student-side only1 of 7 saw it raised
- fixed cohort schedules causing enrollment delays1 of 7 saw it raised
- hidden transaction surcharges despite '0% fee' claim1 of 7 saw it raised
Showing 10 of 36 names.
Complaint themes the reading found raised about these companies. What people said, not a verdict on the product.
What these companies charge, as they state it
4 of 7 read companies have a pricing entry on record; 10 pricing changes recorded across 4 companies in the last 90 days.
- TeachableFACTSep 30, 2026 · 2 pricing entries on record
Teachable currently offers four core paid plans: Starter ($39/mo monthly, $29/mo annual) with a 7.5% transaction fee; Builder ($89/mo monthly, $69/mo annual) with 0% fee; Growth ($189/mo monthly, $139/mo annual); and Advanced ($399/mo monthly, $309/mo annual), plus a Custom enterprise tier priced on request.
Baseline pricing structure for tracking future changes; affects buyers choosing between Teachable tiers.
ddiy.co/teachable-pricing/ - KajabiUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026 · 3 pricing entries on record
One analysis characterized the change as Kajabi having raised monthly prices roughly 20-25% across all plans, eliminating the lower-cost Kickstarter tier and cutting the Basic plan's contact limit from 10,000 to 2,500.
Entry-level and Basic-tier customers get less for more money, a competitive opening for lower-priced alternatives.
www.ruzuku.com/learn/articles/kajabi-2025-price-increase - MavenCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026 · 3 pricing entries on record
Maven's guidance sets course prices in tiers based on live hours and project intensity: 6-8 live hours with 1+ project runs $800-$1,200; 8-12 hours with multiple projects/capstone runs $1,200-$1,800; 12-20 hours with multiple projects and capstone runs $1,800-$2,450, with a stated minimum price option of $200.
Establishes the baseline per-course pricing band buyers and competing platforms should benchmark against.
help.maven.com/en/articles/6732396-pricing-your-course - Experts packaging what they knowCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026 · 2 pricing entries on record
Maven operates a revenue-sharing model that removes upfront costs for experts creating cohort-based courses, unlike most self-paced platforms that charge a monthly subscription fee.
Lowers the barrier for experts to test cohort-based course packaging without committing to subscription costs.
www.group.app/blog/cohort-learning-platforms/
No pricing entry recorded for Course completion, Podia, Thinkific — they were read, and the reading recorded no pricing change. Not the same as free, and not the same as unchanged.
Each row is the last pricing change the reading recorded for that company, with its date, its tag and its source — a company’s own page is its claim about itself. Forge keeps no price list and computes no price: there is no average, no cheapest and no ranking here.
Money into this sector
Withheld: something was read in 1 of the last 8 quarters. A series needs at least 2 to say anything a single reading does not.
How big this market is, as its publishers state it
No market-size figure has been recorded for this level yet. Not read is not zero.
Research-house estimates for this sector, carried side by side under each house’s own name. Estimates of one market can differ several-fold; none is averaged, and none is Forge’s.
No publisher is named for this level yet, so there is nothing to read from. Publishers are authored in the taxonomy and arrive with a deploy.
What each week held
Withheld: something was read in 1 week of the last 12. A series needs at least 2 to say anything a single reading does not.
Who is watched
Ordered by how much each said in the last seven days. A company Forge has not read yet says so — it is not a quiet one.
- Kajabikajabi.comCompetitor7 this weekread Sep 30, 2026
- Teachableteachable.comCompetitor6 this weekread Sep 30, 2026
- Mavenmaven.comCompetitor5 this weekread Sep 30, 2026
- 5 this weekread Sep 30, 2026
- Course completionArgument4 this weekread Sep 30, 2026
- Podiapodia.comCompetitor2 this weeka source did not answerread Sep 30, 2026
- Thinkificthinkific.comCompetitor2 this weeka source did not answerread Sep 30, 2026
The ledger
Newest first. A fact, a company’s own claim about itself and a user’s opinion are all here, and the tag on each row is which one you are reading.
- ThinkificPRODUCTCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Thinkific markets AI-powered course creation tools that let a user describe their product and have Thinkific generate the outline, content, and landing page, alongside its drag-and-drop course and site builder.
Baseline positioning note on AI as a lead capability for course creation speed.
www.learningrevolution.net/thinkific-review/ - ThinkificPRODUCTCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Thinkific has rolled out a new Course Builder (available by default on sites created on or after January 28, 2026) offering a blank-canvas lesson format mixing text, images, video, PDFs, and quizzes, plus live preview of the learner view.
Baseline product capability note; affects how new vs. existing sites build course content.
support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/37547732533655-Introducing-Thinkific-s-New-Course-Builder - ThinkificPRICINGINFERENCESep 30, 2026
Thinkific no longer offers a permanent free plan as of 2026, replacing it with a free trial (cited as 14 or 30 days depending on the source) on paid plans.
Removes the free entry point that previously let creators test the platform without payment, a baseline packaging fact.
www.gappsy.com/tools/thinkific/ - ThinkificPRICINGINFERENCESep 30, 2026
Reports converge that Thinkific charges a transaction fee on paid tiers unless creators use Thinkific's own payment system (Thinkific Payments/TCommerce), with figures cited variably as a flat ~2.9% or as a tiered 5%/2%/1% by plan when using Stripe/PayPal, while Thinkific Payments carries 0% platform fee.
Affects total cost calculus for creators depending on payment processor choice; figures conflict across sources and could not be confirmed against Thinkific's own live pricing page directly.
casrai.org/guides/thinkific-pricing - ThinkificPRICINGINFERENCESep 30, 2026
Multiple third-party pricing trackers report Thinkific raised its Basic, Start, and Grow subscription prices by roughly 10% effective August 13, 2026, moving annual-billing rates from $36/$74/$149 to about $40/$82/$164 per month (and monthly-billing rates to $54/$109/$219), with the increase applying to new customers immediately and to existing customers at renewal.
Raises cost for prospects and existing customers comparing Thinkific against Podia, Kajabi, Circle, and similar platforms; this is a baseline observation since no prior pricing was on record.
freshlearn.com/blog/thinkific-pricing/ - KajabiCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
A pricing breakdown site noted that Kajabi's Basic-tier surcharge adds roughly 2% on top of standard Stripe processing fees, with lower surcharges (1% and 0.5%) on Growth and Pro tiers respectively.
Contradicts the 'zero transaction fee' marketing claim for customers using Kajabi Payments on lower tiers and is a recurring point of buyer confusion.
kourses.com/kajabi-pricing/ - KajabiPRODUCTFACTSep 30, 2026
An August 2026 Kajabi cycle preview describes an upcoming in-app Notification Center and 'Link by Stripe' checkout integration allowing returning Stripe Link customers to buy without re-entering card details.
Checkout-conversion improvements directly affect creators' sales funnels and are a comparison point against competing checkout/commerce features.
www.kajabi.com/updates/cycles/laguna/ - KajabiPRODUCTCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Between May 19 and June 1, 2026, Kajabi released five new products: Cofounder (AI business partner), Backstage (private coaching portal), Amplify (peer-to-peer ad network), Kajabi MCP (AI platform control), and Expert Agents (AI sales and teaching assistants).
Expands Kajabi's footprint beyond course/membership hosting into AI agents and coaching-portal territory, broadening competitive surface against niche coaching and ad-tech tools.
create.mykajabi.com/blog/kajabi-out-visions-me-every-time-the-compounding-logic-of-a-platform-that-won-t-sit-still - KajabiPRODUCTCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Kajabi's product update log shows active development cycles in 2026 (named Seaside, Timberline, and Laguna), including a Seaside cycle described as 22 features launched plus a major reveal, and 'doubling down on two things: making Cofounder smarter, and leveling up commerce.'
Indicates sustained investment in AI assistant and commerce/checkout tooling as the product's current focus areas.
www.kajabi.com/updates - KajabiPRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Current third-party pricing trackers report no platform transaction fees across all Kajabi plans, with only standard Stripe/PayPal processing fees applying.
Zero-transaction-fee positioning is a key differentiator versus competitors that charge platform fees on lower tiers.
www.artofher.com/kajabi-pricing/ - KajabiPRICINGUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
One analysis characterized the change as Kajabi having raised monthly prices roughly 20-25% across all plans, eliminating the lower-cost Kickstarter tier and cutting the Basic plan's contact limit from 10,000 to 2,500.
Entry-level and Basic-tier customers get less for more money, a competitive opening for lower-priced alternatives.
www.ruzuku.com/learn/articles/kajabi-2025-price-increase - KajabiPRICINGCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Kajabi restructured its pricing under a program called "Kajabi Evolved," beginning September 16, 2025, with new signups going straight onto new plans/pricing, and existing customers facing the new pricing on their first billing date on or after January 13, 2026.
Existing subscribers face a price increase regardless of whether they migrate plans, affecting retention and churn risk.
www.diannekelysmith.com/blog/kajabi-pricing-update-2026 - Experts packaging what they knowCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
A creator using Udemy for exposure noted that when someone buys a course there, the creator only receives the buyer's first name, with no email address or ability to follow up or sell a next course directly.
Highlights a recurring concern among experts that marketplace platforms limit their ability to own the customer relationship and build a repeatable knowledge business.
www.learningrevolution.net/best-online-course-platforms/ - Experts packaging what they knowPRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Kajabi introduced an own-Stripe surcharge as a new fee structure change in 2026, while still offering 0% platform transaction fees on its plans.
Experts using their own Stripe account with Kajabi now incur additional costs not previously levied, affecting net take-home from course sales.
circle.so/blog/best-online-course-platforms - Experts packaging what they knowPRICINGCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Maven operates a revenue-sharing model that removes upfront costs for experts creating cohort-based courses, unlike most self-paced platforms that charge a monthly subscription fee.
Lowers the barrier for experts to test cohort-based course packaging without committing to subscription costs.
www.group.app/blog/cohort-learning-platforms/ - Experts packaging what they knowFUNDINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Maven, a startup founded by Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani that helps professionals teach cohort-based classes, raised a $20 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz, following an earlier $4.3 million round led by First Round Capital and a $750,000 equity crowdfunding round.
Signals institutional investor confidence in the cohort-based course model as a distinct, fundable category separate from legacy self-paced platforms.
techcrunch.com/?p=2155328 - Experts packaging what they knowPRODUCTFACTSep 30, 2026
The online course platform category has bifurcated into two distinct segments: traditional self-paced platforms (Udemy, Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi, Podia) and cohort-based platforms (Maven, Disco, Circle, Teachfloor, GroupApp) that emphasize live sessions, peer review, and completion rates over static self-paced video.
Experts choosing a platform must now decide between self-paced scale/audience reach versus cohort-based engagement/completion, a positioning split that affects pricing and feature expectations.
www.teachfloor.com/cohort-based-learning - TeachableCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
Users report unexpected charges after trials, confusing cancellation processes, and in one case being charged $500 across repeated cancellation attempts before involving their bank.
Billing/cancellation friction is a trust and churn risk for prospective and current customers.
www.ruzuku.com/learn/articles/is-teachable-any-good - TeachableCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
Teachable's shift to Stripe Express moved control of payment processing away from instructors, who previously managed their own Stripe accounts directly.
Reduces payout control and flexibility for established creators.
www.ruzuku.com/learn/articles/is-teachable-any-good - TeachableCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
Unresponsive customer support is described as Teachable's most systemic weakness, appearing in the large majority of negative reviews across review platforms.
Support quality is a recurring purchase-decision factor for creators evaluating platforms.
checkthat.ai/brands/teachable/reviews - TeachableCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
Users report platform reliability failures during live sales/launch events, including checkout and payment processing outages with no advance communication from Teachable.
Directly threatens revenue for creators running time-limited promotions.
www.ruzuku.com/learn/articles/is-teachable-any-good - TeachablePRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Teachable has eliminated its free plan; new users only get a 7-day free trial requiring a credit card before selecting a paid plan.
Removes a low-cost entry option, affecting budget-conscious first-time creators.
www.ruzuku.com/compare/teachable-pricing - TeachablePRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Teachable currently offers four core paid plans: Starter ($39/mo monthly, $29/mo annual) with a 7.5% transaction fee; Builder ($89/mo monthly, $69/mo annual) with 0% fee; Growth ($189/mo monthly, $139/mo annual); and Advanced ($399/mo monthly, $309/mo annual), plus a Custom enterprise tier priced on request.
Baseline pricing structure for tracking future changes; affects buyers choosing between Teachable tiers.
ddiy.co/teachable-pricing/ - MavenFUNDINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Maven is recorded on Crunchbase as a private company at Series A stage, founded by Gagan Biyani (Udemy co-founder), Wes Kao (co-founder of altMBA), and Shreyans Bhansali (co-founder of Socratic).
Establishes baseline funding stage and founder team for future comparison if a new round or leadership change occurs.
www.crunchbase.com/organization/didactic-8ea9 - MavenPRODUCTCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Maven's homepage organizes its offering into three formats: cohort-based courses ('Guided programs to get real results'), 1-day workshops ('Hands-on sprints to practice new skills'), and free Lightning Lessons ('Interactive sessions to explore new topics'), spanning categories including AI, Product, Leadership, Design, Data & engineering, Marketing & sales, and Business & finance.
Baseline capture of Maven's current homepage positioning and product taxonomy.
maven.com/ - MavenPRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
As of Q4 2025, Maven is beta testing a business-to-business (B2B) sales engine offering partners up to 40% of enrollment price in addition to Maven's standard 10% platform fee, and is also experimenting with bulk-purchase 'bundles' for companies and a possible 'unlimited access' subscription price for select companies; a permanent pricing system is planned for 2027 once beta testing ends.
Signals Maven is actively experimenting with new B2B monetization and packaging beyond its historical per-course/10%-fee model, which could reshape competitive positioning against corporate-focused cohort platforms.
help.maven.com/en/articles/11888621-expert-guide-to-the-student-growth-program - MavenPRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Maven's core model takes a platform fee from instructor revenue rather than charging learners a subscription; a documented example shows a 10% platform fee applied to enrollment revenue.
Confirms the revenue-share economics instructors face, a key differentiator from subscription-based cohort tools.
help.maven.com/en/articles/11888621-expert-guide-to-the-student-growth-program - MavenPRICINGCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Maven's guidance sets course prices in tiers based on live hours and project intensity: 6-8 live hours with 1+ project runs $800-$1,200; 8-12 hours with multiple projects/capstone runs $1,200-$1,800; 12-20 hours with multiple projects and capstone runs $1,800-$2,450, with a stated minimum price option of $200.
Establishes the baseline per-course pricing band buyers and competing platforms should benchmark against.
help.maven.com/en/articles/6732396-pricing-your-course - PodiaCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
Multiple reviewers separately report weak or slow customer/technical support experiences, including unhelpful chatbots, long response times, and unresolved technical issues.
Support quality is a recurring complaint across independent reviewers, which a competitor could target in positioning around reliability/support.
www.g2.com/products/podia/reviews - PodiaCOMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
A recurring complaint theme across multiple review platforms (Trustpilot, G2, Capterra) is that Podia changes platform rules, limits, or pricing without adequate notice, causing disruption for existing sellers.
This is a third-plus independent sighting of a 'surprise changes/bait-and-switch' complaint theme, relevant to churn risk and trust positioning against competitors.
www.trustpilot.com/review/podia.com?page=3