Teachable & Stripe Integration Guide

Overview

Teachable is a learning management platform that lets creators build and sell online courses, coaching programs, and digital products. Stripe is a payment processor that handles credit card transactions, subscriptions, and payouts. Together, they form a complete monetization pipeline: when a student purchases a course on Teachable, Stripe processes the payment and Teachable automatically enrolls them in the course.

This integration is particularly valuable for course creators who want to avoid manual enrollment steps and reduce payment processing friction. Since Teachable uses Stripe as its primary payment processor, the connection is built into the platform—no third-party middleware required.

How the Integration Works

• Payment Processing: Stripe handles all credit card processing, including one-time purchases and recurring subscription charges. Teachable sends payment requests to Stripe, which returns confirmation or decline responses.
• Automatic Enrollment: When a Stripe payment succeeds, Teachable instantly grants the student access to the purchased course or product. No manual intervention needed.
• Subscription Management: For recurring courses or memberships, Stripe manages billing cycles, renewal reminders, and failed payment retries. Teachable maintains student access as long as the subscription remains active.
• Revenue Reporting: Both platforms track transaction history. You can view sales in Teachable’s dashboard and detailed payment records in your Stripe account.
• Refund Handling: Refunds initiated in Teachable trigger corresponding reversals in Stripe, and vice versa. Student access is revoked when a refund is processed.

Setup Difficulty

Easy (5–10 minutes, no coding required)

Connecting Teachable to Stripe is straightforward. You’ll need an active Stripe account (or create one during Teachable setup). In Teachable’s payment settings, select Stripe as your payment processor, then authenticate your Stripe account using OAuth. Teachable will request permission to access your Stripe account and create charges on your behalf. Once approved, your courses are immediately ready to accept payments. No API keys to manually copy, no webhook configuration—Teachable handles the plumbing.

Key Features & Capabilities

• One-Click Course Purchases: Students enter payment details once and complete checkout in seconds. Stripe’s fraud detection runs automatically, reducing chargebacks and disputes.
• Recurring Subscriptions: Offer monthly or annual memberships. Stripe automatically bills students on the renewal date and handles failed payment recovery (e.g., retrying a declined card).
• Coupon & Discount Codes: Create discount codes in Teachable that apply at checkout. Stripe processes the reduced amount and Teachable tracks discount usage for reporting.
• Multi-Currency Support: Stripe accepts payments in 135+ currencies. Students in different countries can pay in their local currency, and funds settle to your account in your preferred currency.
• Detailed Financial Reporting: Track revenue by course, student cohort, or date range in Teachable. Export transaction data for accounting or tax preparation. Stripe provides itemized settlement reports.
• Dunning & Retry Logic: Stripe automatically retries failed subscription charges over several days, reducing involuntary churn from expired cards or temporary payment issues.

Common Use Cases

Course Creators & Educators: Launch a paid online course and start accepting payments immediately without building custom payment infrastructure.

Membership & Subscription Models: Offer tiered access (e.g., basic, pro, premium) with recurring billing. Students are automatically enrolled in the tier they purchased and lose access if their subscription lapses.

Coaching & Group Programs: Bundle courses with live coaching sessions and charge a monthly fee. Stripe handles billing while Teachable manages access to course materials and community features.

Digital Product Sales: Sell downloadable resources, templates, or certificates alongside courses. Stripe processes the payment and Teachable delivers the product via email or course access.

Limitations & Considerations

Stripe Account Requirements: You must be eligible for a Stripe account. Stripe has underwriting requirements and may decline applications in certain industries (e.g., high-risk gambling, weapons) or regions.

Transaction Fees: Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for standard card payments (rates vary by country and payment method). Teachable does not add an additional fee on top of Stripe’s charges, but these costs reduce your net revenue.

Payout Schedule: Stripe typically deposits funds to your bank account every 2 business days. Teachable does not control this timing; it’s determined by Stripe’s settlement schedule.

Limited Customization: While you can customize the course landing page and checkout messaging in Teachable, the checkout form itself is hosted by Stripe. You cannot fully white-label the payment experience or use an alternative payment processor directly through Teachable’s native integration.

Alternatives & Workarounds

If the native Teachable–Stripe integration doesn’t meet your needs, consider these options:

• Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat): Use automation workflows to sync Teachable student data with external systems (e.g., email marketing, CRM) triggered by Stripe payment events. This doesn’t replace the payment integration but enhances downstream workflows.
• Teachable’s Alternative Payment Processors: Teachable also supports PayPal and 2Checkout (Verifone). If Stripe’s fees or underwriting are problematic, you can switch to one of these processors, though Stripe typically offers better rates and features for course creators.
• Custom API Integration: For advanced use cases (e.g., integrating Teachable with a custom enrollment system or third-party accounting software), use Teachable’s REST API and Stripe’s API directly. This requires developer resources but offers maximum flexibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a separate Stripe account, or does Teachable provide one?

You need your own Stripe account. During Teachable setup, you’ll be prompted to create a Stripe account or connect an existing one. Stripe is free to sign up for; you only pay fees when you process a payment. Teachable does not create or manage your Stripe account on your behalf.

What happens if a student’s subscription payment fails?

Stripe automatically retries the charge over several days (typically 3–4 attempts). If all retries fail, the subscription is canceled and the student loses access to the course. Teachable will send the student a notification, and you can manually re-enable access if the payment issue is resolved. Stripe’s dunning management reduces involuntary churn by catching temporary card issues before they become permanent cancellations.

Can I offer a free trial before charging?

Yes. In Teachable, you can set a free trial period (e.g., 7 days) before the first charge. Stripe will not charge the student’s card until the trial ends. If the student cancels during the trial, they’re not charged. This is useful for reducing purchase hesitation and increasing course completion rates.

How do refunds work?

You can issue a refund from Teachable’s dashboard. The refund is automatically processed through Stripe and returned to the student’s original payment method within 5–10 business days. The student’s course access is revoked immediately. You can also issue partial refunds (e.g., 50% of the course price) if needed.

Disclaimer

Integration features and capabilities are subject to change. Teachable and Stripe regularly update their platforms, which may affect how the integration functions. Always verify current integration capabilities and pricing on Teachable’s official payment settings page and Stripe’s documentation before making purchasing decisions.