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Can I code Teachable?

A course of video lessons behind a paywall, with progress tracking, is a real but bounded build — video hosting, a Stripe checkout, and a completion checklist. The polish that makes a course feel professional (drip scheduling, quizzes, certificates) adds up past a weekend.

VIBE SCORE 84/100

how this is worked out

Why CanICodeThis says Borderline

  • Video lessons organized into modules, gated behind a Stripe purchase, is a well-understood access-control pattern
  • Marking lessons complete and showing a progress bar is straightforward CRUD
  • A course landing page with a curriculum outline is standard content rendering

Read before building

  • Video hosting and delivery at reasonable quality shares Vimeo/Loom's real infrastructure concerns, not just a feature
  • Drip content (release lesson 2 a week after purchase) and quizzes with grading are real additional features
  • Their affiliate program and course marketplace for discovery doesn't come with a self-hosted build

Bill of materials

The parts this build actually needs, each rated on its own — the average is the Vibe Score above.

Landing page99
CRUD database95
Stripe checkout88
User login92
Video processing45

The build spec

Build me a course platform: modules containing video lessons, gated behind a Stripe one-time purchase, with a progress checklist (mark lessons complete) per student. A course landing page showing the curriculum. Host video through an existing video service rather than building your own transcoding pipeline. Skip drip scheduling and quizzes for v1.

Standard Parts/Free Alternatives

Don't feel like building it? These are already made, open-source, and free.

categoryeducation
time to codea weekend
Borderline
their price$39/mo · $468/yr
last checked2026-08 · source ↗

Questions

Can I code Teachable?

Borderline. A course of video lessons behind a paywall, with progress tracking, is a real but bounded build — video hosting, a Stripe checkout, and a completion checklist. The polish that makes a course feel professional (drip scheduling, quizzes, certificates) adds up past a weekend.

How much does Teachable cost?

Teachable costs $39/mo (about $468/yr) as of 2026-08. That's what a working rebuild would save you.

What do I lose by building it myself?

Video hosting and delivery at reasonable quality shares Vimeo/Loom's real infrastructure concerns, not just a feature Drip content (release lesson 2 a week after purchase) and quizzes with grading are real additional features Their affiliate program and course marketplace for discovery doesn't come with a self-hosted build

Is there a free alternative to Teachable I don't have to build?

Yes — Moodle are open-source options worth trying before you build your own. Details are in the standard parts section on this page.