Graphy vs Teachable

Graphy, formerly known as Spayee, is an Indian-based LMS platform backed by Unacademy, a prominent EdTech company. Launched to cater to creators globally, with a strong focus on the Indian market, Graphy is an all-in-one solution for course creation, marketing, and community building. It emphasizes affordability, robust features, and customization, particularly for creators who want branded mobile apps and seamless payment integrations.

Teachable, founded in 2013 by Ankur Nagpal, is a well-established LMS platform based in the United States. It’s known for its user-friendly interface, making it a go-to choice for beginners and experienced creators alike. Teachable focuses on simplicity, offering tools for course creation, sales, and analytics, with a strong reputation for reliability and scalability. By 2020, Teachable had enabled over 100,000 instructors to generate more than $500 million in revenue.

Both platforms are DIY solutions, meaning creators handle course creation, marketing, and sales, with the platform providing the necessary tools. However, their approaches differ in features, pricing, and target audiences. Let’s dive into a detailed comparison.

Feature Comparison

Course Creation and Content Delivery

Graphy: Graphy offers a versatile course creation process, allowing unlimited courses and lessons. Creators can upload pre-recorded lectures, conduct live classes, and incorporate multimedia elements like quizzes, assignments, and live tests. A standout feature is the ability to create white-labeled mobile apps for Android and iOS, enabling a branded experience for learners. Graphy also supports live sessions with interactive tools like raise-hand, Q&A, and whiteboards, enhancing engagement. Additionally, creators can add forms for student feedback and conduct time-bound live tests, features not available on Teachable.

Teachable: Teachable excels in simplicity, with a drag-and-drop course builder that’s ideal for beginners. It supports unlimited courses and students, with options to upload pre-recorded lectures, bulk import videos, and include quizzes and discussion forums. Teachable offers two products: Courses (pre-recorded content) and Coaching (live sessions). However, it lacks native support for live classes, requiring integration with third-party tools like Zoom for real-time interaction. Teachable also supports custom code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) for advanced customization, which Graphy does not offer.

Verdict: Graphy has an edge for creators prioritizing live classes and mobile app branding, while Teachable is better for those seeking a straightforward course builder with custom code flexibility.

Customization and Branding

Graphy: Graphy emphasizes branding with white-labeled mobile apps and websites. Creators can customize their platform with logos, colors, and SEO-optimized blogs, meta tags, and clean HTML code. The platform’s all-in-one approach includes pre-built landing pages, one-click logins, and affiliate dashboards to track conversions. This makes Graphy ideal for creators who want a seamless, professional brand experience without coding skills.

Teachable: Teachable offers a page builder for creating branded landing pages and websites, allowing creators to add logos and choose brand colors. However, customization is limited compared to Graphy, as landing pages and course designs may resemble other Teachable courses. Teachable’s domain flexibility lets creators use their own web address or Teachable’s domain, but it lacks branded mobile apps, restricting mobile access to web-based interfaces.

Verdict: Graphy wins for branding, especially with its white-labeled mobile apps and extensive customization options. Teachable is sufficient for basic branding but falls short for creators needing a unique mobile presence.

Community Building and Student Engagement

Graphy: Graphy’s Community Platform is a key differentiator, offering a college-like social experience with gamification features like points and leaderboards. These tools boost engagement, with Graphy claiming 5x retention and 50% higher spending from engaged students. Creators can host webinars for up to 5,000 attendees, conduct group discussions, and use push notifications to keep learners hooked. The platform also supports memberships and digital downloads, fostering a sense of belonging.

Teachable: Teachable’s community features are limited, focusing primarily on course delivery. It offers discussion forums and messaging tools for student-instructor interaction but lacks a built-in community platform. Teachable’s engagement relies on external tools for webinars or live Q&A sessions, which can be cumbersome. While it supports coupons and promotions, it doesn’t offer gamification or social engagement features like Graphy.

Verdict: Graphy is superior for community building and engagement, offering robust tools to keep students connected. Teachable is better suited for straightforward course delivery without extensive social features.

Marketing and Sales Tools

Graphy: Graphy provides a suite of marketing tools, including automated email campaigns, abandoned cart recovery, and smart promo codes. Creators can integrate conversion pixels to track campaigns and use AI-driven SEO tools to boost course visibility. The platform supports multiple pricing models, including subscriptions, payment plans, and memberships, with country-specific pricing for global sales. Graphy’s integration with Indian payment gateways (e.g., Razorpay, PayU) and international options (Stripe, PayPal) makes it accessible for diverse audiences.

Teachable: Teachable offers marketing tools like coupons, promotions, and advanced pricing options (e.g., one-time payments, subscriptions, and course bundles). Its sales page creation tools are user-friendly, helping convert visitors into students. However, Teachable lacks automated email marketing campaigns and abandoned cart recovery, requiring third-party integrations like Zapier, which are only available on higher-tier plans. Teachable’s payment integrations are limited to PayPal and Stripe, with Indian gateways requiring Zapier and a Pro plan ($119/month).

Verdict: Graphy outperforms Teachable in marketing, with built-in automation and broader payment gateway support. Teachable’s marketing tools are solid but less comprehensive.

Analytics and Reporting

Graphy: Graphy provides real-time data analytics accessible from the dashboard, covering content performance, student data, and sales metrics. These insights help creators optimize their courses and outpace competitors. The platform’s analytics are particularly valuable for Indian creators, offering GST-compliant invoices and local payment tracking.

Teachable: Teachable’s analytics include student progress, course completion rates, and sales data. While sufficient for basic tracking, its analytics are less robust than Graphy’s, lacking real-time insights or advanced competitive metrics. Teachable’s focus is on usability rather than deep data analysis.

Verdict: Graphy’s real-time analytics give it an advantage, especially for data-driven creators. Teachable’s analytics are functional but less detailed.

Pricing Comparison

Graphy

Graphy offers a 14-day free trial, after which creators must choose a paid plan. Pricing starts at ₹2,999/month (~$36) for monthly billing or ₹2,749/month (~$33) for annual billing. All plans include comprehensive features like unlimited courses, branded apps, and Indian payment gateways. Graphy’s pricing is notably affordable, with no transaction fees on sales. A lifetime deal is also available, making it cost-effective for long-term use. However, some users report a revenue-sharing model (10% of earnings) for certain plans, which may deter creators who prefer fixed costs.

Teachable

Teachable has a free plan with limited features and a 10% transaction fee. Paid plans start at $39/month (Basic, monthly billing) or $29/month (Basic, annual billing), with a 5% transaction fee. Higher tiers include Pro ($119/month) and Business ($299/month), offering zero transaction fees and advanced features like Zapier integration. Teachable’s pricing can become expensive as sales grow due to transaction fees on lower plans, and Indian creators may face additional costs for payment gateway integrations.

Verdict: Graphy is more affordable, especially for Indian creators, with lower starting costs and no transaction fees. Teachable’s free plan is attractive for beginners, but its transaction fees and higher-tier costs can add up.

Ease of Use

Graphy: Graphy’s interface is decent but has a slight learning curve compared to Teachable. The admin panel is well-organized, with controls for courses, reports, and marketing accessible from a left sidebar. While versatile, it may feel less intuitive for beginners.

Teachable: Teachable is renowned for its beginner-friendly interface, with an easy-to-navigate course builder and clear documentation. Its “inline” help (question mark icons) provides contextual guidance, though it’s inconsistent. The platform’s simplicity makes it ideal for creators new to LMS platforms.

Verdict: Teachable wins for ease of use, particularly for beginners. Graphy’s interface is functional but requires more familiarity.

Customer Support

Graphy: Graphy offers consistent support across all plans, including live chat, email, and webinars. Creators can schedule demos with experts, and the platform provides a knowledge base, blogs, and a product roadmap. However, some users report slow onboarding and limited phone support.

Teachable: Teachable’s support varies by plan. Basic plan users get email support only, while higher plans include live chat and priority assistance. Teachable’s knowledge base, tutorials, and social media community are robust, but live chat restrictions for lower-tier users can be frustrating.

Verdict: Graphy’s uniform support across plans gives it an edge, though Teachable’s resources are extensive for higher-tier users.

Pros and Cons

Graphy

Pros:

Affordable pricing with no transaction fees
White-labeled mobile apps and extensive branding options
Robust community and engagement tools (gamification, webinars)
Real-time analytics and Indian payment gateway support
Live tests and feedback forms for enhanced learning

Cons:

Slight learning curve for beginners
Revenue-sharing model for some plans
Limited phone support and occasional onboarding delays

Teachable

Pros:

Beginner-friendly interface and free plan
Reliable and scalable platform
Custom code support for advanced customization
Strong community and knowledge base
Flexible pricing options (one-time, subscriptions, bundles)

Cons:

Transaction fees on lower plans
Limited community and live class features
No branded mobile apps
Restricted payment gateway support for Indian creators
Less comprehensive marketing tools

Who Should Choose Graphy?

Graphy is ideal for:

Indian creators or those targeting Indian audiences, due to local payment integrations and GST support
Creators prioritizing branded mobile apps and community engagement
Educators who want live classes, gamification, and real-time analytics
Budget-conscious creators seeking affordable, feature-rich plans

Who Should Choose Teachable?

Teachable is best for:

Beginners or creators who value simplicity and ease of use
Those comfortable with pre-recorded courses and minimal live interaction
Creators who need custom code flexibility
Users who want a free plan to test the platform before committing

Conclusion

Both Graphy and Teachable are powerful LMS platforms, but their strengths cater to different needs. Graphy shines as an all-in-one solution with branded apps, live class support, and robust marketing tools, making it a top choice for creators focused on engagement and scalability, especially in India. Teachable, with its beginner-friendly interface and reliability, is perfect for those starting out or prioritizing simplicity over advanced features.

Ultimately, your choice depends on your priorities. If branding, live interaction, and affordability are key, Graphy is the better pick. If ease of use and a proven track record matter most, Teachable is a solid option.