If you have a deep knowledge of a topic or have a knack for creating content, you’re likely sitting on a gold mine! The demand for online courses and engaging content has skyrocketed, opening up lucrative income streams for digital entrepreneurs everywhere.
This boom has sparked a wave of innovative services, including app-building platforms. These empower creators to monetize their expertise by launching custom apps – no coding skills required.
Passion.io is one of the standout platforms in this sector. With its sleek design and intuitive features, it certainly looks the part. But does it have the substance to match its style? Read on to discover our in-depth review as we explore Passion.io’s pros and cons and see how it stacks up against the competition.
What is Passion.io?
Passion.io is an app creation platform designed to help online creators and coaches sell courses and digital products online.
The platform streamlines the app creation process, kitting users out with fully functioning apps in under 30 days. Impressive considering Forbes suggests that app creation usually takes between six to 18 months.
It is a company on the rise, with Passion.io forecasting that over 60,000 apps will have been made using their software by 2025. Passion.io's developers aren’t afraid of making bold claims, suggesting that these apps will help over 20 million people to “lead more confident and passionate lives”.
Why Does Your Business Need an App?
Most people would associate the word ‘app’ with highly addictive games, mobile banking, or global ecommerce sites selling physical products.
For a long time, apps were exclusive to large companies with big technology budgets, but this is no longer the case. Now, small businesses and creators can, and should, utilize the tools available to them to achieve the revenue their ideas deserve.
The benefits of having an app include:
- Customers see apps as official, even more so than websites. Having an app will instantly boost the reputation of your business, as you won’t get lost in a sea of open internet tabs.
- Having your own app is the digital equivalent of owning a physical store. You can have all your digital products in a single space, designed with the aesthetic you want to portray.
- Having all your products and brand information in one place will make you and your customers’ lives easier. You’ll have access to important user-generated data, while they’ll be able to find what they want and pay for it seamlessly.
- Unlike websites on internet browsers, apps can send out push notifications. These alert customers about any upcoming deals and ensure the business stays on their minds.
App creation has traditionally been a cumbersome, time-consuming process, requiring an in-depth knowledge of coding to achieve results. This is no longer the case, largely because of app-building platforms like Passion.io.
Now, that all sounds great, but does the software have the features to back up the claims of its creators? Let’s take a closer look.
Key Features of Passion.io
Here are some of the top features of Passion.io.
Templates
Passion.io has hundreds of pre-made app templates designed with all sorts of industries in mind, helping you to craft an app that suits you. Users don’t require any coding knowledge to make an app look great and work smoothly, so you don't have to spend hours, or even weeks, trying to get your app looking great.
Access to multiple marketplaces
Apps created using Passion.io will be subject to global distribution, going live on both iOS and Android. This is a great selling point as you will be able to reach more customers by having your app live on Apple Store, Google Play, and more.
Sales options
Selling with Passion.io is versatile, with three different payment options on offer (sit tight - we will expand on this further down in the review).
Interactive course creation
Leveling up your courses is made easy with Passion.io’s interactive course creation features. With Passion.io you can add in images, videos, and articles, as well as downloadable worksheets, typeform quizzes, and calculators. You can even add goal tracking, Calendly embeds, and YouTube Live. Plus, courses can be complemented with built-in community channels.
Community creation
As mentioned, you create your own communities within your app, allowing users to connect, and strengthening your creation’s presence within their lives. Creating a community for your online course is a great way to keep loyal members and make more sales.
Drag and drop
For all of these features, Passion.io is designed to be used by those with minimal app creation experience, allowing users to drag and drop images and graphics. This means that you don't need any technical knowledge to create an app with Passion.io - it is completely beginner friendly.
How Passion.io Helps Creators and Coaches
Now we've explored the key features of Passion.io, let's take a look at how it helps course creators and coaches alike. While Passion.io isn’t exclusively aimed toward online creators and coaches, there are a handful of features that appeal specifically to both groups.
| Online Creators | Coaches |
|---|---|
| Ability to host live streams with fans | Ability to bring students together in a community group chat |
| Ability to sell paid memberships in the style of Patreon or Memberful | Interactive features such as goal tracking |
| Ability to chat directly to the community | Send videos out to paid members to eradicate the risk of no-show one-on-ones |
This is just a handful of the features that Passion.io offers its users, with much of the company’s interface designed around streamlining the user experience. However, these features don’t come free, nor do they come cheap, with users paying a minimum of $119 a month to get the ball rolling.
How Much Does Passion.io Cost? Scaling the Paywalls
After laying down your initial $119 payment, you’ll be met with the painful realization that your money hasn’t gone as far as you’d initially expected. Unfortunately, $119 per month, known as the Pro plan, only covers the basics, with the best of Passion.io being hidden behind paywalls.
There are three main plans available for Passion.io customers with different pricing structures and features available.
- Pro: $119 per month billed annually/$149 per month billed monthly
- Growth: $159 per month billed annually/$199 per month billed monthly
- Ultimate: $319 per month billed annually/$399 per month billed monthly
The brand also offers a Passion Plus service, which allows you to hand off the technical and marketing aspects of your app to industry professionals. This service requires an application process with prices revealed if your application is successful.
While the Pro plan is the most appealing offer for Passion.io newbies, it is missing many features. Here are some of the features that you do not get if you use the Passion Pro plan:
- Custom domains: Having a custom domain for your site is vital, as it oozes professionalism and makes you appear trustworthy. It acts as a digital address and a unique space for your brand name to exist in. Unfortunately, Pro plan users won’t be offered this feature.
- Branding: Unfortunately, you’ll have to subscribe to Passion.io’s third most expensive plan if you want to remove the company’s branding from your site. The Ultimate plan will cost you an eye-watering $319 per month, making it a risky investment, especially if you pay an entire year upfront.
- Offline content: Another useful feature hidden behind an extra charge is the ability to offer your customers downloadable content they can watch while offline. If you stick with the Pro plan, your users won’t be able to access your content without a stable internet connection.
- Push notifications: As every business owner knows, keeping your customers coming back is more difficult than getting them through the door in the first place. Sending them push notifications is a clever way of reminding your previous customers that you still exist and have offers that will interest them. Unfortunately, they can only be accessed on the Growth and Ultimate plans.
- Multiple apps: The Pro plan only allows you to work on one app at a time. This will feel restrictive for those who are interested in generating income in multiple niches.
Try Before You Buy With Passion.io's Free Trial
Thankfully, if you’re unsure whether spending upwards of $159 a month would suit you and your business, Passion.io does offer a 14-day free trial option. This is pretty standard practice for most software providers, allowing you to access their paid features for a limited amount of time.
Passion.io also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not happy with the product, putting even more control back in your hands. So, while it may be expensive if you want access to its best features, Passion.io offers a risk-free signing-up process.
Monetizing With Passion.io: Collecting Payments
With the ultimate goal of using Passion.io being to generate income, it’s important to consider whether the company’s methods of payment collection suit you. You can monetize your product by selling subscriptions to communities and your app itself (set to weekly, monthly, or annually), and also by selling high-ticket offerings (such as coaching calls) with a one-off payment.
Passion.io offers three methods of payment collection, with each commanding different transaction fees.
- PassionPayments: This is the easiest and most popular method, allowing your users to make payments directly from within your web app. While straightforward, it comes with transaction fees and requires the connection of a Stripe account, which isn’t possible in some countries.
Passion.io charges a transaction fee of 3.9% in addition to a minimum 2.9% fee charged by Stripe. This is an inflated fee in comparison to Passion.io’s main competitors. - In-app purchases: Instead of collecting payments in-app via Passion.io, you can opt to use a third-party payment method such as Apple Pay or Google Pay. Bear in mind that opting for this route will result in a 30% transaction fee. However, if you earn less than $1 million a year from your store, you can apply for a fee reduction, lowering it to 15%.
- External checkout: Using an external checkout service will likely be the most cost-effective checkout option, as Passion.io won’t command a transaction fee. But it is also the least user-friendly, as people will have to exit your app to make a payment. The overall transaction fee will depend on the payment service you opt for.
Overall, collecting payments is versatile and straightforward when using Passion.io, but other companies offer lower transaction fees when people buy within the app.
With a smooth user experience often being the catalyst for purchase, direct in-app purchases are the way to go, reducing Passion.io’s appeal.
The Verdict: Pros and Cons of Passion.io
In summary, Passion.io does have a lot going for it. Easy-to-use features and no prior experience in app building required are without doubt two of its strongest features. However, it's the extraordinary cost of membership that lets Passion.io down.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Distributes to iOS and Android | Multiple paywalls |
| Packed with easy-to-modify templates | Expensive monthly payment plans |
| No coding required | High transaction fees |
| Good course creation features | Stripe is required for PassionPayments |
| Pro plan lacks enough professional features | |
| Pro and Growth plans only accommodate one app at a time |
While the Pro plan allows its users to create a simplified app, there are too many vital features hidden behind paywalls and more expensive payment options. Even the company’s transaction fees rank higher than their competition. Thankfully, there are better, and more cost-friendly, alternatives out there.
What are the Alternatives to Passion.io?
Passion.io isn't the only platform providing you with a professional app creation service.
Creating a smooth, well-designed app for your business has never been easier, with plenty of different platforms out there for you to choose from. Here are three alternatives to Passion.io for you to consider:
1. Whop
Whop is ideal if you’re a creator, coach, or literally anyone else making money online, as it allows you to start selling digital products and services for free. The opportunities presented by Whop are endless, as they support the sale of a wide array of digital products.
With Whop, you create your whop hub which is accessed through the Whop app. The features that you offer in your whop hub are entirely up to you - you add a bunch of Whop apps (features) to your own whop, including apps that allow you to add a community chat, host video calls, run events and giveaways, create and sell courses, sell ebooks, host forums - you really can do everything with Whop. Yes, technically it isn't your own app - but it is your own private space within an existing app, and it has all the features that you need to create a thriving business.
Your whop hub is completely free to create, and your customers can access it through the Whop app on their phone or online. Whop only takes a 3% cut of payments and there are no ongoing platform fees. Plus, no whop app features are paywalled - everything is available for every creator to use. Simply add what you want to your whop, rename it to fit your brand, and design your business, your way.
2. Softr
Softr prides itself on allowing users to create their own app in minutes, without the need for any coding skills. While it may be a little simplistic when compared to other direct competitors, it is a useful tool for beginners. The company allows you to start building your app for free, but later introduces plans starting at $49 a month.
3. Glide
Glide aims to take the entire workload of creating a code-free app out of your hands, using AI to power the build. Like Softr, Glide allows you to start for free, before revealing its monthly price plans, which start at $99, and finish at a whopping $499.
Why Choose Whop?
Unlike other app builders, we celebrate the sellers. Our pleasure comes in seeing our users succeed, not from taking large portions of their profits in transaction fees or from charging extortionate monthly prices. While Passion.io will cost you a minimum of $119 a month, all the way up to $319 (or more if you're making over $40k a month, which is true for many creators on Whop), Whop will not cost you anything until you start to make money.
If you’re looking to build a bespoke, professional online hub for your course, content, or digital products, there’s no better place to start. Whop is home to some of the finest digital products, with our users experiencing success in industries such as online learning, ecommerce, reselling, SaaS, and much more.
When it comes to online success, there are no boundaries. Start selling on Whop today.
