Skool Vs Teachable 

Skool and Teachable are platforms appealing to a similar audience of course creators.

The former being a much more recent player in the industry, but rapidly growing with the support of people like Alex Hormozi.

Let’s deep dive into what makes these platforms different and which one may be the best option for you.

Starting with what makes Skool and Teachable similar or not.

Teachable was started in 2014 and has been one of the most recognizable names in the online course industry.

It focuses mostly on the online course delivery side of things, although its feature list has grown over time.

Skool also has a very intensive focus, but on the community part of the learning experience.

That being said, both platforms are meant to help content creators monetize their audience.

Both platforms are also not meant to be used on their own and are not a substitute for a funnel and website builder or CRM system for instance.

Tools & Feature Comparison

Online Courses

This is an important feature for any course creators or membership owner and something both platforms offer.

As we mentioned before, this is something Teachable put a higher priority on and it shows.

You can build your curriculum in the back-end with a simple block-builder.

Video hosting is included and you can also add learning tools like quizzes to gamify the learning experience.

You can also have downloadables for each lesson and even Assignments through the Coaching products.

This is not something Skool delivers on very well.

Video hosting is also unlimited but you’ll have no learning tools access.

There is also no way to change the layout of the course or customize it for the front-end user.

It’s pretty much a playlist of lessons.

That being said, if you’re just looking to deliver a very simple self-paced program or set of resources, then it might do the job.

But for anyone wanting to offer a proper learning experience, Teachable does stand out here between the two platforms.

Online Community Building

Now that we’ve seen where Teachable shines, let’s see where Skool outperforms.

To build a private Community online you’ll have several options, the most popular being a Facebook group.

But having one that you fully control and directly inside of your member’s area is better!

That’s what Skool is mainly focused on offering and does a great job at:

You can set up different Topics and allow users to create multimedia Posts.

Each member will have a profile they can customize and use to network with other members.

There are also a lot of opportunities to foster engagement in your community with the reward system.

Members can get points as they interact with each other (comment, like, post,etc.).

Points help them level up and you can unlock content based on levels.

There is also a Leaderboard for members to build some authority in your group and become leaders.

This is the kind of thing that creates a vibrant community that lives on its own without you having to constantly post.

Teachable does also offer a Community feature but it’s a lot more limited.

It looks more like a forum or Slack channel than anything else:

Members can still create posts and interact with each other but without all the bells and whistles Skool offers.

This might be more a way to have an open conversation with you as the creator or to keep people up to date with what you’re doing, rather than a bustling group.

Again, if that aspect of your program isn’t important then this might just do what you need.

Payment & Checkout

Online course platforms often act as middle-men when it comes to payment.

They allow you to connect a payment gateway, usually Stripe and Paypal, to handle payments and then give access to the digital products.

Teachable has a fairly advanced checkout system and you’ll be able to charge in different currencies and with many payment options.

One-time payment, subscription, split pay, trials,etc.

This is also connected to an affiliate program you can use to ask your audience to refer someone and earn a commission themselves.

Teachable also helps you charge VAT based on the user’s location.

Skool certainly doesn’t offer this level of flexibility.

It only allows for its native payment processor to be used and only to charge members on a subscription basis. (which has lower fees than Stripe)

You’ll also have no option to customize the checkout’s design however.

Again this might not be a deal breaker if you’re just planning on running a community membership.

But most creators will probably prefer the convenience of Teachable for this feature.

Mobile App

One thing that’s rare about both platforms is that they offer a mobile app. These come at no extra cost on any plan you’re on.

Note that neither of these are custom branded apps.

Meaning that your members will have to download the Skool app or the Teachable app, then find your school in it.

That being said, it’s still offering a very convenient way for them to consume your content on the go or simply stay updated.

Both platforms are relatively on-par for this feature.

The mobile app is available on both iOS and Android phones (Google Play).

Push notifications are not available and this isn’t a way for you to manage your course content or check analytics.

These should mostly be used in addition to the browser version of your program and community rather than a substitute.

Others Features

Finally, let’s explore some of the unique features Skool and Teachable have of their own:

Pages/Blog: Although Teachable is not a substitute for a real website and funnel builder, you can technically build landing pages on the platform.

This will be done through a fairly basic page builder but can still look aesthetically pleasing.

You can also set up a blog on your Teachable site to post articles and content to get some traction.

Calendar: Skool offers a handy visual calendar for your members to see everything that’s coming up.

This can be to announce live events, new updates or anything else. It’s conveniently located right into the platform on a separate tab.

The next most important thing to consider, after understanding what each platform does best, is pricing.

Skool has a 14 days free trial while Teachable offers a forever-free plan.

From there, Skool has a very straightforward pricing structure.

You’ll just pay a $9/month or $99/month subscription for 1 Community and full access.

Meaning that you can’t have separate member groups on the same Community, or partial access.

Teachable has a bit more flexibility here depending on your needs.

You’ll pay a transaction fee until you upgrade to the Pro plan, which is where most features will be unblocked and probably where most creators should land.

The Pro plan is relatively close to Skool’s base pricing, making the two platforms almost on par when it comes to pricing.

But again if you need the flexibility, Teachable might be more appealing here.

Skool VS Teachable: The Bottom Line

Skool is a better choice if you’re mainly looking for a community platform that can also help with course hosting and already have other parts of your online tech stack handled.

Teachable is a better choice if you mainly plan on offering digital courses or coaching and want to make the learning experience better, while community isn’t a central part of it.