Teachable vs SamCart: Which One Should You Use?
Teachable and SamCart both let you sell an online course, but they start from opposite ends. Teachable is a course platform that added sales tools. SamCart is a checkout that added a course area. Which one fits depends on whether your problem is delivering the course or selling it.
The short answer
- Pick Teachable if the course itself is the product and you want quizzes, certificates, student apps and tax handling in one place.
- Pick SamCart if you sell several kinds of products (ebooks, services, subscriptions, physical goods) and care most about the checkout page.
Pricing compared
Prices are from each company’s pricing page, checked October 2026.
| Teachable | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Starter, $39/mo ($29 billed yearly) | Core, $79/mo |
| Mid plan | Builder, $89/mo ($69 billed yearly) | Pro, $199/mo |
| Top listed plan | Growth, $189/mo ($139 billed yearly) | Done For You, custom price |
| Yearly discount | 22% | 25% |
| Platform transaction fee | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and up | None added on SamPay |
| Product limit | 5, 10 or 50 published products | Unlimited |
| Free trial | 7 days, plus 30-day guarantee | 7 days |
| Free plan | No | No |
Two things stand out. Teachable is cheaper to start, but the Starter plan takes 7.5% of every sale, so the $89 Builder plan becomes the better deal once you sell more than about $670 a month. SamCart costs more up front and does not cap products, but its growth tools sit on the $199 plan. Card processing fees apply on both; SamCart lists its SamPay rate as 2.9% plus 30 cents.
Course features
Teachable is the stronger course builder. Every plan includes drip content, auto-graded quizzes, lesson comments and iOS and Android student apps. Certificates and removing Teachable branding start on the Growth plan. Video storage is listed as up to 1TB.
SamCart includes a Courses App and members area on every plan, so you can host a course without a second tool. Video hosting is limited on Core and unlimited on Pro. It is a simpler course area than Teachable’s.
Selling features
This is where SamCart is built to win, with one catch: the features it is known for are on Pro.
| Feature | Teachable | SamCart |
|---|---|---|
| Upsells and order bumps | All plans | Pro only |
| Abandoned cart emails | All plans | All plans |
| Affiliate program | Builder and up | Pro only |
| A/B testing of checkout | Not listed | Pro only |
| Sales tax and VAT handling | All plans | Tax collection for a fee (0.5% on Core, 0.35% on Pro) |
| Third-party payment processors | Not listed | Pro only |
| Buy now, pay later and digital wallets | Not listed on the pricing page | Yes |
If you want upsells and an affiliate program at the lowest price, Teachable’s $89 Builder plan includes both. SamCart needs the $199 Pro plan for the same pair, and adds A/B testing and subscription recovery on top.
Support
Teachable offers email support on Starter and real-time support from Builder up. SamCart lists email and chat support on both plans, with dedicated live support as a $19 a month add-on.
Can you use both?
Yes. Some course sellers keep the course in Teachable and send buyers through a SamCart checkout. That means paying for two tools, so it only makes sense if SamCart’s checkout features earn back the extra cost.
Which should you choose?
Choose Teachable if you are launching your first course or your business is mostly courses and coaching. It costs less and the teaching tools are deeper.
Choose SamCart if you already have an audience, sell more than courses, and plan to use the Pro plan’s upsells and testing.
Related: Teachable competitors, Thinkific alternatives, SamCart vs ClickFunnels, Teachable affiliate program.