If you have never heard of it, Teachable is an incredibly popular hosting platform and creation tool for online courses which also gives you the tools to sell online courses as well. But, is Teachable an LMS?
It has its main function in providing the tools needed for rich teaching as well as learning online and allows plenty of multimedia options, which means it can be classified as an LMS. (See ‘What Does LMS Stand For In Education? Best Examples.’)
Is Teachable An LMS?
So, yes Teachable is an LMS. It not only gives you the tools to create and host your online courses but also allows you to market and administrate it as well with plenty of data analysis options as well.
There are plenty of options when it comes to features to aid with marketing, from coupons to promotions, and even allowing you to customize the different pricing options.
The drag-and-drop style website builder is also incredibly useful and ensures that anyone who is willing to put a little time into learning how the system works, is able to make their own course, website, or other features offered by Teachable.
So, for the rest of this article, we will explain to you what an LMS is, how is Teachable an LMS, and whether Teachable will be the right LMS for you.
So, if you are considering using Teachable, but you do not know if it is an LMS, why it is an LMS, and if it is going to be the right LMS for you, then keep on reading!
What Is An LMS?
Generally speaking, an LMS stands for a learning management system and this is usually a software application that is used for the purpose of administering, documenting, tracking, automating, reporting on, and delivering education through the form of training, courses, or programs which are available, digitally.
Nowadays, the main presence of LMS’s is in e-Learning and while these systems have technically been in use since the late 90s, these systems, of course, became more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic since remote learning was not just a preference anymore, but a necessity.
There are many different forms that an LMS can come in, and each of them provides different specific tools.
For example, some LMS’s are more focused on building communication and community when it comes to learning, however, there are also LMS’s which are more focused on selling a product that is educational.
This is where we see products like Teachable. But as well as Teachable being an LMS that aids in selling, it is also an LMS that aids in creating educational material as well.
This is because Teachable provides not just selling and hosting tools, but also tools that give you the resources to create courses and the website on which they are hosted.
What Is Teachable?
As mentioned in the previous section, Teachable is an online service that is cloud-based and is an LMS that is mainly designed for use by freelancers and those with specialized skills which can be taught virtually.
The software which Teachable provides allows its users to create their own courses and share their knowledge base through using different multimedia tools like; text, images, audio, and video, as well as online multimedia lectures.
As well as this, Teachable gives you the ability to host these courses on an online platform that you create yourself, and then sell it using the tools they provide.
Students who pay for access to these courses are able to access them on any devices that have access to the internet.
This means that they are not just limited to learning on a desktop or laptop, but can also use their smartphone or tablet as well.
Teachable is so popular as an LMS for the number of interlinking tools it provides, meaning that you do not need to rely heavily on third-party tools or services that heavily.
For example, services like Udemy, are just an online market for selling courses, however, with Teachable, you are given the tools to make the course, sell it and market it yourself, as well as plenty of other synergistic features.
You can use this LMS to make features like your own quizzes, and certificates which can be given to students as proof that they have completed the course.
There is also the option to integrate Google Forms into your Teachable course which gives you the option to collect feedback on your course as well as gain other insights.
You can also use Teachable to send emails to certain targets based on specific filters which track how they have interacted with your particular course.
Teachable is so popular as an LMS for the number of interlinking tools it provides, meaning that you do not need to rely heavily on third-party integrations, tools, or services that heavily.
For example, Teachable integrates seamlessly with services like Zapier which can give you access to even more useful tools.
It is worth noting that, from our perspective, the main drawback with Teachable is how limited it can be when it comes to customization.
A lot of the native options when it comes to customizing your website, and your payment methods especially are quite restrictive, and while they can be switched, they require knowledge that is above the skill barrier which Teachable boasts.
Teachable is designed to be easy for anyone to use without coding knowledge, however, if you want to access less restrictive customization options for your website, you will need to know how to code, or hire someone who does.
However, with all the features which are offered by Teachable at such a reasonable price, and the fact that this drawback only limits certain customers, we do not see this point as that damning.
So, if you are still interested in using Teachable, and want more insight into how it works, the rest of this article will be dedicated to going in-depth on the specific features offered by Teachable which make it a great option for an LMS! (Check out ‘Kajabi vs Teachable: Similar Ideas Different Implementation.’)
Features Of Teachable
For the rest of this article, we will explore some of the more specific and stand-out features of Teachable and assess their benefits and drawbacks.
So, if your interest was piqued by a certain feature mentioned earlier in the article, keep reading to see more information on it here!
Teachable Is A Cloud Based Platform
One of the main benefits of Teachable is that it is a cloud-based LMS which means that it is specifically designed to aid with remote and digital learning.
On top of this, Teachable offers unlimited hosting options.
This means that you do not have to worry about wrangling with specific storage restrictions and can add as much or as little content and information onto your courses without having to worry.
Another benefit of Teachable being a cloud-based LMS is that it means that users of the service will not need to install any software onto their devices, and all they need is an internet connection to access the content.
This is great since again it means that you do not need to worry about any storage restrictions for you or your student data, and all you have to worry about is creating and customizing your course.
Teachable Supports Multiple File Formats
Compared to some more restrictive LMS’s, Teachable allows you to use quite a wide variety of different file formats, this means that your course can use a wide variety of different resources to keep your course engaging and diverse.
This includes Teachable being compatible with the majority of mainstream video files, as well as different audio options, different image file types, as well as standard text and PDF files.
It is also worth noting that Teachable natively supports importing content from different third-party services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Teachable Uses A Drag And Drop Style Builder
One of the features of Teachable which makes it particularly useful as well as accessible is just how useful the builder tools are on the website.
You are not just given a builder for your course, but also for building the website, as well as customizing more specific elements like certificates.
It is worth noting that while this drag-and-drop builder is well known and liked for how simple it is, the main drawback of this is the slightly limited option.
For example, in the previous section we mentioned that the website builder for Teachable can actually be quite limited especially aesthetically when it comes to customization, and you will need coding knowledge to be able to customize it further.
Teachable Uses Advanced Editing Tools
While some of the customization options featured on Teachable are quite limited, this does not mean that a lot of the editing tools it uses are not quite advanced.
While there is no advanced theme customization, these are tools that are used to make it so learning on your course can be done as efficiently and effectively as possible.
These tools are quite extensive, they do not require any coding skills or programming experience to ensure you get your full use out of them.
The templates which are offered by the platform are simple to use, and uploading and editing your content is made easy.
Teachable Sales Pages
If you have experience with web design, you likely know that having proper landing pages is quite important, especially if you are running a marketing campaign.
So, if you are looking to make money while working with Teachable, you will want to ensure that your sales and landing pages all look presentable.
Again, there are plenty of different templates available for you to work with to ensure they look good. All you really have to do is customize your landing and checkout page to match your branding.
Benefits Of Teachable
As mentioned in the introduction, Teachable is intended to be used mainly by professionals and specialists who are looking to spread their skill set.
This includes people like bloggers, coaches, consultants, agency workers, educators, as well as SMBs.
This is a tool that is able to make it easy to share your knowledge and make some financial gain from this as well. In this section, we will go over the specific benefits of working with Teachable.
Teachable Is Incredibly User Friendly
The main thing we love about Teachable is just how easy it is to work with. A lot of LMS’s are not the most user-friendly and can be quite difficult to set up.
This is why we love how simple the designs used on Teachable are and how you do not have to worry about having any coding experience or anything similar to this.
The main goal of Teachable is to ensure that professionals who are not particularly skilled in web design have the simple tools, but a variety of features needed to share expertise and knowledge without having to worry about the technicalities.
Teachable Has High-Quality Customer Support
Something which is often overlooked when it comes to LMS’s but will be quite important once you start using the service is how high quality the customer support is.
Does Teachable offer customer support? Luckily, the customer support on Teachable is very good and you will receive plenty of tutorials that show you exactly how to work with this service.
Teachable support also has answers to common questions easily accessible, and if you need to talk to a consultant, the main method of communication will be through email.
Teachable Is Both Viewable And Responsive On Different Devices
The design of Teachable is designed to ensure that you will get high-quality service no matter if you are working on a desktop, laptop, or a smaller device.
The service is able to match all different screen sizes as well as device orientations like portrait or landscape.
This means that Teachable will always maintain a layout and navigation that will work well no matter what device you are working with.
Teachable Lets You Control Your Different Payment Options
One quite unique feature of Teachable is how many options you have when it comes to accepting payments.
You can choose when and how often you will receive payments from your customers. You can even choose what currency you will be receiving your payments in.
Pricing On Teachable
Before finishing off this deep dive into Teachable, it is worth looking at all the different payment options which are available to users of the service.
Luckily there are plenty of different options which make this a very accessible option with the inclusion of monthly and annual payment options, as well as a high-quality free version.
Teachable Free Plan
Firstly, there is the free plan which actually lets you try out most of the features which are included with the paid versions.
However, if you sell any courses when using the free version of Teachable, you will need to pay a 10% fee to Teachable, and you will also be charged a 2.9% credit card fee with each sale as well as $0.30.
Other than this, if you just want to trial the service, or if you are working with a strict budget, this is a great option to try out.
Teachable Basic Plan
The cheapest payment option is the basic plan which is $39 every month, but if you choose the annual payment, it is discounted to a price that is equivalent to $29 monthly.
This payment plan will give you all the features and options which are in the free plan, but you will also get unlimited courses, as well as the option to have unlimited students.
You can use an unlimited amount of videos, as well as automate your sign-ups too.
There is still going to be a transaction fee with this plan, however, it is lowered to 5%, but you still have the same credit card processing fee too.
Teachable Professional Plan
With the professional plan you will of course get everything from the basic plan, but of course, there are some extra features added as well.
One of the main bonuses is integrating payment options with Stripe or PayPal which is great for getting instant pay from selling your courses.
You will also not be charged any transaction fees with this version of Teachable if you are using PayPal or Stripe, however, these companies usually have their own transaction fees.
This plan costs $119 every month, but it is also discounted with an annual payment plan which takes it down to about $99 a month.
Teachable Business Plan
Generally speaking the business plan for Teachable will cost between $249 and $299 depending on the payment plan, however, this price can be scalable depending