Empyria vs. Podia
A Podia alternative in Spanish, with Mercado Pago and everything an academy needs.
Podia is simple and complete for selling courses in dollars. Empyria adds what an academy in Latin America needs: payments with Mercado Pago, live classes with attendance, assessments, certificates with QR and support in Spanish.
The difference in a nutshell
Podia brings together courses, community, website and email. It costs USD 42 to 150 per month paying yearly, with a 5% commission on the cheapest plan, and charges with Stripe and PayPal.
Empyria is your academy with your brand: campus, a website with 15 designs and payments with Mercado Pago, PayPal or the gateway you use, with no commission and in Spanish.
You also get what an institution does: attendance, assessments with a time window, live classes with Zoom inside the campus and certificates with QR.
Empyria and Podia, point by point
| What you need | Empyria | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Subscription from USD 99 per month, no commission per sale. | USD 42, 84 or 150 per month paying yearly. 5% commission on the Mover plan. |
| Products | Courses, memberships, podcasts, 1:1 sessions and downloads, unlimited. | 50, 150 or unlimited depending on the plan. |
| Payments | Mercado Pago in each country's currency, PayPal or the gateway you use. | Stripe and PayPal (PayPal from the Shaker plan). It does not publish Mercado Pago. |
| Your brand and your website | Your domain and your website with 15 designs. Empyria does not appear. | Custom domain and 10 themes. The Podia brand can be removed. |
| Assessments | Automatic grading, graded activities and opening time. | Quizzes with a minimum grade to move forward. |
| Attendance | Class by class, also automatic, with a report per student. | It does not publish attendance. |
| Certificates | With a QR and a public page to verify them. | On completing the course. It does not publish verification. |
| Live classes | Zoom inside the campus. | Live events with Zoom. |
| Release by date | By a fixed date, or month by month in memberships. | By days since purchase. |
| Marketing | CRM, automations, emails with opens and clicks, and Instagram. | Email marketing. |
| App with your brand | On the Full plan: your app on the App Store and Play Store. | It has no app. |
| Language | In Spanish, with direct support. | It does not publish a Spanish version. |
Podia details taken from its public website and documentation, reviewed in October 2026. They may change: if something is out of date, let us know and we will fix it.
Which one is right for you?
It depends on how you work. We will tell you straight, even when the answer is not Empyria.
Choose Empyria if…
- Your students pay with Mercado Pago or in their currency.
- You teach live classes and take attendance.
- You need certificates that can be verified.
- You want the platform and the support in Spanish.
- You want your academy set up for you, with what you already have brought over.
Choose Podia if…
- You charge in dollars to customers in the United States or Europe.
- You sell downloads and simple courses, with no live classes.
- You prefer to build everything yourself and pay for the year upfront.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to have your own academy?
Create your account in two minutes and your campus is live in 72 hours, under your brand.