Teachable is a pure course platform with more customisation and no transaction fees on paid plans. Virgoul combines course hosting with live lessons and student discovery, making it better for teachers who want lessons and courses in one ecosystem.
Teachable is one of the most widely used course hosting platforms globally, trusted by over 100,000 creators. For music teachers specifically, the choice between Teachable and Virgoul depends on whether your business is primarily course-based or whether you combine courses with live lessons and ongoing student relationships.
Teachable's core strength is flexibility and course-specific customisation. You can create branded course pages, landing pages, and student portals that look completely separate from any marketplace. There is no discovery marketplace — students find you through your own marketing. On Teachable's paid plans ($59-299/month), transaction fees are 0-2%, which is lower than Virgoul's commission tiers. The trade-off is that Teachable provides zero discovery — every student must come from your own marketing.
Virgoul's strength is ecosystem integration. A student who finds your teacher profile through Virgoul's search can enrol in your course without leaving the platform. Live lesson students see your course offerings. Course students can book lessons for personalised guidance. This integration creates natural upsell pathways that a standalone Teachable school cannot replicate without complex third-party tool stacking.
For music teachers who already have an audience (email list, YouTube subscribers, social media following), Teachable's zero-transaction-fee model maximises income from courses. For teachers without an existing audience who need discovery to find course students, Virgoul's marketplace exposure justifies its commission cost.
The combined approach many teachers use: host on Virgoul for discovery and ecosystem integration, and consider Teachable or Kajabi for a premium branded course experience once their audience is large enough to drive their own traffic.
| Factor | Virgoul | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 5-20% (includes discovery) | 0-2% (paid plans, no discovery) |
| Monthly platform cost | £0-£49 | $0-$299 |
| Student discovery | Yes — marketplace search | No — bring your own audience |
| Live lesson integration | Yes | No |
| Course customisation | Standard | Advanced (custom branding) |
| Best for | Teachers combining lessons + courses | Course-only creators with own audience |
Virgoul's course hosting is designed for music teachers who want lessons and courses to work together — not as separate products on separate platforms. When a student books a lesson and sees your course, or completes a course and wants live guidance, the journey stays seamless on one platform.
Join VirgoulIf you have your own audience: Teachable's lower transaction fees (0-2% on paid plans) maximise course income. If you need discovery: Virgoul's marketplace brings students who would never find your Teachable school, justifying the higher commission.
No. Teachable is a general course platform without music-specific audio features, instrument teaching tools, or music community. Virgoul is built specifically for music teachers and musicians.
Teachable Basic ($59/month) charges 5% transaction fees. Pro ($159/month) and Pro+ ($249/month) charge 0%. The free plan charges 10%. For high-volume course sales, Pro tier minimises fees but requires consistent monthly sales to justify the subscription.
Technically yes, but it creates confusion for students and duplicates your content management. Better to choose one primary course platform and use the other for a specific purpose (e.g., Virgoul for lesson-integrated courses, Teachable for a standalone flagship course brand).
Students do not have a strong platform preference — they care about the course content and their teacher. The platform matters more to the teacher from an income and tool perspective than to the student from a learning perspective.