It’s no secret that Passion .io is a popular platform for creating and selling online courses to grow a business. And it offers cool options like templates, building tools, integration, and so on.
But it lacks in many fields, like no useful analytic reports, lack in drip content, high price, and so on. Due to this, a lot of users switch to other platforms that offer all the mission options along with better features.
Thinking of that, we’ll be covering the 10 best passion .io alternatives that have good options to run an online course business. Let’s drive in!
Overview of Passion .io Platform
Passion.io is a great platform for making mobile apps, on-demand content, courses, communities, and other stuff. It's also made to help you turn your ideas or services into a customized app. And, this gives you a lot more control compared to classic websites.
Instead of being stuck with the limits of a web-based platform, this lets you take charge of A few things. For example, you can know how your app looks, make money, and share content with your users.
This extra freedom also means you can give a more personalized experience to your followers. What’s even better? The platform makes it easy to turn your services into interactive digital products like courses.
Plus, the process of getting your app up and running is super smooth, so you don’t have to worry about the technical stuff.
It also has your back when it comes to managing your app with useful tools and integrations. In short, this might have some snags, but it works fine to make apps and grow your brand in a modern way.
Top Features of the Passion .io Platform
Based on the passion .io review, you’ll find a few good options that make this platform good. Out of all, here’s some of the top features of it:
Custom Branded Mobile App
This platform offers a great option to make your very custom-branded mobile app. It also means you can have a mobile app that feels uniquely yours for your personal or business brand.
On top of that, you can access your app right away via PassioApps (a centralized mobile app). It’s also a huge plus point if you’re eager to get started quickly.
EzyCourse offers a mobile app for iOS and Android to make your courses, communities, and content available to everyone. With this, you can make your branded app to give access to your content to your students. |
Online Course Building
Making and managing your online courses is super easy with Passion .io. With this, you’ll find around five main tabs, such as Discover (which acts as your homepage and sales page), Learn (where your courses live), Community, Tracking, and Profile.
Besides, you can add new content including drip content to keep your learners engaged. This platform also makes it easy to organize your material.
And, you can do it in two main types of modules which are Lessons (for single topics) and Sequences (to bundle lessons together in a structured flow).
Live Streaming & Trackers
The live streaming is another cool feature of Passion .io. Once you try it, you’ll see how valuable it is for interacting with your followers in real-time.
This platform also offers trackers to let you monitor your follower’s progress. And, it keeps them on track and gives you insights into how well your courses are performing.
Checkout & Payments
Selling your courses through this platform is simple and seamless. Usually, this platform integrates with different payment options so your followers can easily buy your content directly. It also includes Apple Pay, Google Pay, PassionPayment, Stripe, and Zapier.
Besides, this makes it convenient for your users and helps ensure you get paid easily. It also gives around 3 options to sell your content, such as in-app purchases, passion payments, and external checkouts.
Intuitive Design
The platform’s intuitive design is one of its greatest strengths. Its clean and straightforward interface makes navigation easier even for novices.
You’ll also get a live preview of your edits. So, you know exactly how your content will look to your users before you publish it. Plus, the mobile app that your follower uses is fast and reliable. This also ensures a smooth experience all around.
Passion .io Pros
The custom-branded app option seems useful.
It has a great course builder that lets you make or sell courses in a unique way.
The live preview editor helps you see what you have done after editing.
You’ll find a simple UI interference to navigate or use.
Passion .io Cons
You’ll find a higher platform development fee.
This platform has no free plan included.
It comes with a steep learning curve due to its features.
You won’t find an affiliate program on this platform.
Almost all the pricing plans seem too expensive compared to others.
This platform has no real or helpful email marketing tools or options.
You’ll only find the drip content option if you choose the most expensive plan.
It has no option to integrate with Zoom or organize discussions.
The custom analytic reports are only with the Passion Plus plan.
You won’t get personalized customizations on most plans.
Passion .io Pricing
Pro Plan: $119 per month
Ultimate Plan: $299 per month.
Passion Plus Plan: Customized pricing plan.
Why Do You Need Passion .io Alternatives
There are a few reasons for people to look for an alternative to the Passion.io platform. Surely, it has some amazing features like templates, live streaming, and a community builder. But, it lacks in many sides which causes its users to go for another alternative. This includes:
1. Expensive Price Range
One of the main reasons people look for Passion .io alternatives is its price. Well, this platform can cost a lot if you compare it to others.
While there’s a hidden discount on the Ultimate plan, it can still be a big investment for some. However, if you’re on a tight budget, it’s good to choose cheaper alternatives.
2. No Built-In Email Marketing
This platform doesn’t come with an email marketing tool. If you want to send emails to your customers or students, you’ll have to use another service like MailChimp. And, you can connect Passion.io to MailChimp via Zapier.
But, some people prefer having a platform where everything is in one place. If that’s vital to you, you might want to consider other platforms that offer email marketing options.
3. No Free Forever Plan
It offers a 14-day free trial for anyone to try it out. But, this platform doesn’t have a free forever plan. Many other platforms do come with this option even if their free plans are often limited in features.
While the trial period gives you a good chance to explore Passion.io, some users may still prefer a platform with a permanent free option. And, if you are one of them, it’s good to explore other platforms.
4. No Built-In Affiliate Program
An affiliate program helps you make more money by letting others promote your course for a commission. But this platform doesn’t have this feature built-in. In fact, you can set one up using Zapier to connect with a service like Tapfiliate.
So, if you are looking for a place that has an affiliate program to go without extra work, you might want to look for platforms that include this feature.
5. More Features on Costly Plans
It’s true that this platform has great features. But most of them are only available on the more expensive plans. For instance, the drip content (where lessons are cast over time) isn’t included in the cheaper options.
Plus, there’s no direct integration with Zoom for live discussions. And, it can be a bit complicated for beginners. If you need these features or want something easier to use, it’s better to look for an alternative.
How to Select the Right Passion.io Alternative for Your Needs
To pick the right alternative to Passion .io, you’ll need to focus on a few things to avoid making a bad choice. Here are a few points to consider when choosing an online course platform for your needs:
Look for platforms with features that improve your educational content, like quizzes and discussion forums.
Ensure the platform is frequently updated with new tools.
You should choose a platform that is highly customizable to fit your brand and teaching style.
Look for good security to protect both your data and your user's information.
Go for a platform that has a clean UI interface for easy navigation for both you and your students.
Choose a platform that works well on various devices such as phones, laptops, and tablets.
Check for private messaging and chat options to enhance interaction with your learners.
If you want to earn money, look for platforms that offer subscriptions and in-app purchases.
You should look for a streaming option if you plan to engage your followers in live sessions.
Choose a platform that offers push notifications to keep students informed and engaged.
Read reviews to find a platform with responsive customer support for assistance with technical issues.
Look for platforms within your budget and take advantage of free trials to test features.
Think of long-term costs that include transaction fees and subscriptions to avoid surprises.
The Research and Markets report shows that the MOOC market will reach $411.6 billion worldwide by 2030. So, it’s good to select a good platform when looking for one to ensure growth and income. |
10 Best Passion.io Alternatives for Online Course Business
Let's find out the top 10 platforms that you can use as an alternative to Passion .io to make apps or do other stuff as a creator:
#1 EzyCourse (Best All-in-one Passion.io Alternatives)
EzyCourse is an all-in-one platform to make courses, sites, and so on that you can go with instead of Passion.io. It is also great for online teachers, coaches, and digital creators.
In fact, this platform allows you to have a branded mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. Thanks to that, you’ll find the app neat and professional, with chapters or lessons to find at ease.
Plus, it has a smooth video or audio library that stops buffering or interruptions. You can also add options to change the video quality and speed to fit your needs.
On top of that, this platform lets you build a community. Plus, it lets you control how your users post, comment, and react from any device. You can also send real-time notifications to your audience so they stay connected and engaged.
Not to mention that you can change the chat in groups or privately. And it lets you get instant notifications for every message, text, image, or gif.
And, another cool feature is the ability to share different types of content like images, videos, and files. You can also make polls to get your followers involved.
As a creator, you can enjoy community features for just $35 a month with the Basic plan. It is also a good deal for the value you get.
This platform includes a site builder to let you design and customize your learning site. It also means you can easily combine your courses, communities, memberships, and other content.
Besides, you can earn money by offering both free and paid memberships. It also lets you create special content for paying members and even use email marketing and affiliate programs.
In brief, EzyCourse is an excellent option for anyone who wants to make a custom mobile app and manage courses or communities.
Top Features of the EzyCourse Platform
Offers 20+ revenue streams
Comes with over 250+ ready-made blocks and templates.
Offers more than 13 types of lessons.
Includes video analytics for learning on the go.
Use Dark Mode to help reduce eye strain.
Make & design websites with the site builder.
Get easy customization and drag-and-drop tools with the form builder.
Unlimited options for selling digital and physical products.
Simple checkout process with helpful upsells.
Supports translation in over 170+ languages.
Works with apps like Pabbly, Zapier, and others.
Select from more than 7 different pricing plans.
Find grade systems, quizzes, tests, and assignments.
Create or design certificates to include in lessons.
Make a personalized landing page.
EzyCourse Pros
The branded mobile app lets you host your content, courses, and communities inside.
You can sell subscriptions with the help of membership sites to earn income.
All the pricing plans have no hidden cost or transaction fee involved.
It lets you make courses in single or bundle form and you can make it free or private.
This platform lets you choose different pricing options for your courses like one-time payments, subscriptions, free access, and more.
You can easily host events, webhooks, or bonuses using this platform.
This platform lets you make use of email marketing tools to send and schedule emails to your followers.
You can add a revenue partner in which you can assign your tasks to teachers or offer a percentage to them.
It comes with the appointment booking option to take control of your schedule with no hassle.
EzyCourse Cons
No free plan except for 14-day trial options.
It has features updates that might overwhelm you.
EzyCourse Pricing
Basic Plan: $35 per month.
Pro Plan: $119 per month.
Unlimited Plan: $199 per month.
Elite Plan: $299 per month.
#2 Kajabi
Kajabi is a decent platform that allows you to create, market, and sell your courses while giving access to both the app and the web.
Apart from that, you can give coaching programs, membership sites, podcasts, and so on with this. It is also pretty simple to navigate and works fine as an alternative to Passion.io.
And, you can integrate Shopify or other tools to sell your digital or physical items which makes it versatile. With this platform, you can make a website to sell your products.
On top of that, this platform comes with Kajabi app options to let you get a separate space with your users.
However, this app doesn’t allow you to customize the branded mobile app and lacks storage options. So, if it seems like an issue, you should consider looking for an alternative.
Top Features of the Kajabi Platform
Sell courses, websites, and all sorts of other products.
Attract followers by offering cool coupons and free trials.
Mix things up by adding different types of content like drip content, courses, PDFs, and images.
Keep learners engaged with fun quizzes.
Easily create and manage your courses with handy tools.
Set up forums and chat options for easy discussions.
Connect with your followers using email marketing and automation tools.
Kajabi Pros
It’s simple to switch to this platform and you can start selling your courses fast.
This platform gives you great course templates that are easy to customize.
It’s perfect for e-learning, coaching, paid podcasts, and other online businesses.
It replaces many other tools, so you don’t have to worry about complex setups or connecting different apps.
You’ll find a special Creator.io AI assistant to answer all the queries.
Kajabi Cons
No customization option for the app.
Comes with poor storage options.
Kajabi Pricing
Kickstarter Plan: $69 per month.
Basic Plan: $149 per month.
Growth Plan: $199 per month.
Pro Plan: $399 per month.
#3 Thinkific
Thinkific is a popular and highly-rated platform for building online courses. And, you don't need any technical skills to get started thanks to its drag-and-drop course builder.
If you're unsure how to design your course or content, this platform offers professional templates and blocks to let you do it. And, the quality of them is pretty standard.
You can also add quizzes, exams, and certificates to keep your learners motivated. Besides the courses, this platform lets you create a website, build online communities, and offer paid memberships. Plus, you’ll find the branded mobile app option.
For beginners selling digital products, it offers a free plan to let you know if it’s good for you or not. With this plan, you can create one course, one community, and teach unlimited students.
However, you can’t connect your content with email automation or design your community. If you can’t compromise on these factors, it’s better to look for Thinkific alternatives.
Top Features of the Thinkific Platform
Sell your content under your brand with white-label branding.
A drag-and-drop interface.
Get live lessons and webinar options.
Create courses in a branded mobile app.
Access to third-party tools via the Thinkific App Store.
Make use of Thinkific Community, membership programs, and TCommerce.
Thinkific Pros
You can separately sell courses or other content using their webinars or coaching.
It gives you an easy and quick payment gateway of its own with Thinkific Payments.
This platform lets you add an in-purchase option with its branded app.
It is quite affordable compared to other platforms.
You’ll get free AI tools to generate names, posts, and other things.
Thinkific Cons
Missing the options to connect with email marketing.
Fewer design options.
Thinkific Pricing
Free Plan: $0 per month.
Basic Plan: $49 per month.
Start Plan: $99 per month.
Grow Plan: $199 per month.
Expand Plan: $499 per month.
Plus Plan: Personalized pricing plan.
#4 Uscreen
Uscreen is a wonderful platform as an alternative to Passion.io for course creators who are ready to take their online business to the next level.
It’s also packed with features that allow you to host on-demand content, run live events, and even create a full membership site in one place.
Thanks to its flexibility, you can make video courses, offer downloadable resources, or mix in some text-based lessons. In other words, it supports a wide range of content types.
Plus, this platform offers more advanced tools to manage branded apps, memberships, or communities. Another huge plus of it is the variety of ways you can monetize your content.
And, it has transaction costs of around 5% on on-time or rental sales. Apart from this, it’s a good platform for small businesses. But if you want a platform that has no fees and works well for big businesses, you can go with its alternative.
Top Features of the Uscreen Platform
Create your own mobile and TV apps with no codes.
Get live streaming on any device.
Make your content the focus of your membership.
Build a strong connection with your audience using community features.
Access all your marketing, analytics and management tools.
Find a Netflix-style video library.
Uscreen Pros
It lets you see how your videos and followers react with statistics and analytics.
This platform gives credit cards or PayPal payment options.
You can make a professional brand using your branded apps and websites.
It gives the in-purchase option to boost revenue with its branded app.
You’ll get customizable playlists, offline viewing, and content calendars.
Uscreen Cons
Charges 5% transaction fees for each pricing plan.
It's better suited for small creators or businesses.
Uscreen Pricing
Growth Plan: $149 per month.
Pro Plan: $499 per month.
Plus Plan: Personalized pricing plan.
#5 Mighty Networks
If you’re looking for an alternative to Passion.io, Mighty Networks is a powerful platform worth considering. And it offers a full suite of features like community, courses, content, and commerce all in one place.
Besides, this platform provides a live-streaming option. With this, you can teach courses live in one session and spread out over weeks or months. And, it lets you record these live streams and turn them into individual lessons for your course platforms.
But, this platform comes with built-in events which is a feature that Passion lacks. You can also schedule Zoom calls with one click, create custom events, and allow members to RSVP.
With this platform, you can get a fully branded white-label app to make your own content, community, and other stuff in an app.
However, it offers 1% to 3% transaction fees on each plan and has no PayPal payment option. If you want more than these downsides, it’s good to think of an alternative.
Top Features of the Mighty Networks Platform
Supports up to 135+ local currencies.
Use your domain name for your website.
Make fun content, live-stream videos, and host events.
Get a 14-day free trial.
Build a custom app for your online courses.
Includes a chat and community feed feature.
Mighty Networks Pros
It offers Mighty Co-Host AI to add, design, or generate community-related activities.
This platform lets you sell courses, memberships, and so on with no hassle.
You can make your iOS & Android apps and connect your content.
It lets you add quizzes, tests, course community, courses, and so on.
Mighty Networks Cons
Comes with around 1% to 3% of transaction fees.
Missing PayPal payment method.
Mighty Networks Pricing
The Community Plan: $49 per month.
The Courses Plan: $119 per month.
The Business Plan: $219 per month.
The Path to Pro Plan: $360 per month.
Mighty Pro: Personalized pricing plan.
#6 Teachable
As an alternative to Passion.io, Teachable is a super user-friendly platform that's perfect for anyone new to creating online courses. With this, you can whip up or sell courses and even provide digital downloads right from your own site.
It’s also a solid choice for individuals and small businesses looking to get their content out there. Plus, one of the coolest things about this platform is its free plan.
Thanks to this, you can connect to Meta, PayPal, Stripe, WordPress, and other tools with no hassle. And, if you want more features like email marketing and detailed analytics, you’ll need to integrate some third-party tools like Zapier.
And, while this platform does have an app, it’s not custom-branded like Passion.io. To use that, you’ll need to let your followers download this app and enjoy your content.
But, the bad side of this platform is that it takes around a $1 fee along with a 5% cut on all sales with the free plan. In that case, you might want to go with other options.
Top Features of the Teachable Platform
Supports payment in 130+ currencies.
Integrate with various marketing and sales tools.
Add awesome upsell and coupons.
Countless options to host videos on paid plans.
Get one-time payments, subscriptions, and so on payment methods.
Share content including videos, audio, PDFs, and quizzes.
Teachable Pros
The pricing of this platform is pretty reasonable.
It comes with a one-click checkout.
You’ll get a user-friendly drag-and-drop course builder.
This platform offers analytics and reporting tools to detect your follower’s activities.
Teachable Cons
Needs $1 with 5% transaction fees on a free plan.
Lacking pre-built templates.
Teachable Pricing
Free Plan: $0 per month.
Basic Plan: $59 per month.
Pro Plan: $159 per month.
Pro+ Plan: $249 per month.
Business Plan: $665 per month.
#7 LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is an impressive e-learning platform that works great for creating and selling courses while managing your online business. If you’re looking for something different from Passion.io, it has a lot of helpful tools.
With this, you can build websites, apps, pop-ups, and more to customize your online presence. And, it has tools for making surveys and assessments.
Plus, it lets you add feedback forms, guidebooks, and other helpful resources to improve the course experience.
This platform also offers advanced testing features, customizable course players, live classes, and everything you need for effective online education. Besides, it works well with payment options like Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify.
However, the mobile app can be quite expensive, and it doesn’t have built-in email marketing tools. And it’s worth checking out other platforms based on what you need to get those missing options.
Top Features of the LearnWorlds Platform
Access ready-to-use marketing and sales tools.
Get detailed insights and analytics.
Integrate with apps like Zoom, Webex, and so on to host live meetings.
Make videos to include in your course bundles or subscriptions.
Use AI assistants to help come up with ideas.
Share SCORM/HTML5 files and activities.
LearnWorlds Pros
This platform offers around 50+ pre-made templates.
It lets you make mono-format courses.
You’ll find webinars, eBooks, and so on options as individual online products.
It gives you a chance to make the course private or free.
LearnWorlds Cons
The mobile app is expensive.
Missing built-in email marketing options.
LearnWorlds Pricing
Starter Plan: $24 per month.
Pro Trainer Plan: $79 per month.
Learning Center Plan: $249 per month.
High Volume & Corporate Plan: Personalized pricing plan.
#8 Podia
Podia is a good platform that can replace the need for Passion.io, especially if you want to make a course in a web-based format to run your business. It also ensures a user-friendly experience with its clear and easy-to-use navigable UI.
Furthermore, this platform lets you create all kinds of courses online, live, or cohort-based. Plus, the live course and community features are impressive enough to work smoothly.
If you're focused on offering your course on the web rather than through a mobile app, Podia is a solid option. It’s also perfect for those on a tight budget.
In fact, you’ll find a free plan which is awesome and even its paid plans won’t break the bank. It also lets you add upsells, certificates, coupons, and other options.
Then again, you won’t find some options like a video library and pre-made templates for the course. If you don’t want these missing features, it’s good to look for other options.
Top Features of the Podia Platform
Sell digital downloads, including courses.
Host webinars, community, and live sessions.
Get multiple email marketing tools.
Share countless files and videos.
Connect with scheduling platforms to sell live coaching sessions.
No transaction fees on paid plans.
Podia Pros
You’ll get affiliate plans and website builder options.
It lets you host one-to-one sessions to use in your online course business.
This platform offers good payment methods like Stripe, PayPal, and so on.
It can integrate with 1900+ apps.
Podia Cons
Missing pre-made course templates.
No video library options.
Podia Pricing
Free Plan: $0 per month.
Starter Plan: $9 per month.
Mover Plan: $39 per month.
Shaker Plan: $89 per month.
#9 SamCart
To sell digital products like e-books, courses, memberships, or coaching sessions, SamCart is a fantastic platform to consider as an alternative to Passion.io. It’s also super user-friendly, which makes it easy to navigate without any hiccups.
Plus, it comes with the ability to create your own sales pages using a simple drag-and-drop tool. There are also tons of pre-made templates specifically made for online course businesses.
What really sets SamCart apart is how it focuses on making the buying process smooth for your followers. It also offers plenty of payment options like payment plans, bundles, subscriptions, and even donations.
Besides, you can boost your earnings by adding order bumps or upsells during the checkout process. And if you’re creating courses, it lets you set up as many as you want on a single webpage.
On the other hand, it lacks website builder tools and offers no mobile app to get a separate space for your followers. If you can’t sacrifice these, it’s good to look for an alternative.
Top Features of the SamCart Platform
Upload countless videos for the course.
Includes checkout automation
Get order bumps and add-ons with a one-click upsell
Find tons of pre-made templates.
Integrate with payment methods like SamPay, PayPal, Stripe, and so on.
Need no coding to make a sales page.
SamCart Pros
It comes with no transaction fees with any pricing plans.
This platform offers A/B split test pages.
You’ll find decent reporting and insight analytics to track performance.
Making and selling online courses and digital or physical items is pretty simple with this platform.
SamCart Cons
No option for a mobile app (but offers a Course App).
Missing website builder tools.
SamCart Pricing
Launch Plan: $79 per month.
Grow Plan: $159 per month.
Scale Plan: $319 per month.
#10 Kartra
Kartra is a perfect platform for online course businesses that outshines Passion.io. It also comes with tools to manage or automate your marketing, sales, and customer engagement.
And this platform has powerful automation to make personalized customer journeys, tag leads, and respond to user behavior dynamically. Furthermore, you’ll get analytics that gives all the insights and metrics on your online course business.
It also lets you build multi-page sales funnels with over 50 ready-made widgets. This also makes it easier to capture leads and drive sales based on user actions.
Other than this, you’ll find email and SMS marketing tools. Plus, it offers advanced features like recipient tagging, A/B testing, and so on.
Sadly, you’ll find no mobile app on this platform and it has pretty basic course creation tools that might look outdated. In general, it is a good platform with some hitches.
Top Features of the Kartra Platform
Build courses, landing pages, and websites.
Includes form builder, webinars, and membership site.
Make use of Kartra AI to make good content.
Find email, video, and affiliate marketing.
Track and improve your sales in real time.
Get surveys, quizzes, feedback, and help desks.
Kartra Pros
This platform is pretty simple to navigate thanks to its simple UI.
It lets you make a live or automated email marketing campaign.
You’ll find the Calendars option to schedule appointments quickly.
It includes great funnels, checkouts, and other options that you’ll need to grow your online course business.
Kartra Cons
No mobile app option is added.
Contains average course creation tools.
Kartra Pricing
Free Plan: $0 per month.
Starter Plan: $99 per month.
Growth Plan: $189 per month.
Professional Plan: $429 per month.
Final Thoughts: Which Is the Best Passion.io Alternatives?
That’s all you should know to find the right alternative to Passion.io! You only need to select the right one based on what you want on the platform.
And, if you prefer to have good options that will help your online course business with easy course creation, engaging community feed, membership features, mobile app, email marketing features, and other options, it’s good to go with EzyCourse. For that, you can start here to test its 14-day trial to decide if it’s working for you or not.
