How Next Pillar Academy compares
Next Pillar Academy is a paid AI community and school for business owners: a classroom that starts at the beginning, a live call every week with the hosts and a community of other owners, for $97 a month or $970 a year. Compared with free courses and course libraries, it adds live time with the hosts every week. Compared with a cohort course, it is ongoing and you can start any day. Compared with many AI communities, it is built for people who run a business rather than for people selling AI automation.
Written by Next Pillar Academy · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
At a glance
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Option | What you get | Live time with people | Cost | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next Pillar Academy | A classroom that starts at the beginning, a live call every week, AI News, a weekly report and a community of business owners | A live call every week with the hosts, recorded with chapters, captions and a searchable transcript | $97 a month or $970 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee; seats for staff on one bill | You run a business and want to learn AI properly, in order, with people to ask |
| Free AI coursesfor example OpenAI Academy | Self-paced lessons on the basics, often built around one company's own tools | Usually none | Free | You want to try the basics at no cost first |
| Self-paced course librariessuch as LinkedIn Learning, Udemy Business and Coursera | Thousands of recorded courses across many subjects, usually with certificates of completion | Usually none; some team plans add office hours | A subscription per person, or per seat for a team | You want many subjects beyond AI, or a dashboard to assign courses to staff and track them today |
| Cohort coursessuch as those on Maven | One topic in depth over a few weeks, with a fixed start date, live sessions and classmates | Live sessions while the cohort runs | One fee per course, often $1,000 or more | You want a deep, time-boxed push on one topic |
| Other online AI communitiesmany run on platforms such as Skool or Circle | A feed, courses and calls; the focus varies widely, from AI automation and starting an AI agency to tools and prompts | Varies by community | From free to a monthly membership | You want to build AI automations for clients, or join a large, busy feed |
| A consultant or agency | Someone builds AI into your business for you | Direct time, by the hour or by the project | Hourly or per project | You want it done for you rather than learning it yourself |
| YouTube, newsletters and podcasts | Current and free, with no set path through it | None | Free | You want to keep up with the news alongside a structured way to learn |
Next Pillar Academy and free AI courses
Free courses are a good way to try the basics, and many are made by the companies whose tools they teach. Next Pillar Academy is paid, teaches ideas that work in any assistant, and adds a live call every week where you can ask about your own business.
If cost decides it, start with a free course. Foundations starts at the beginning whenever you are ready.
Next Pillar Academy and course libraries
Course libraries win on breadth: thousands of courses across many subjects, and team plans where a manager can assign courses and follow progress. Next Pillar Academy is narrower on purpose: one path for business owners, taught by its hosts, with a live call every week and replays you can search word by word.
Team seats put your staff in the same classroom and on the same calls, with one bill for you.
Next Pillar Academy and cohort courses
A cohort course is a deep, time-boxed push on one topic, with a fixed start date and classmates, often for $1,000 or more. Next Pillar Academy is ongoing: you start any day, go at your own pace, and keep coming to the weekly call for as long as you are a member.
Next Pillar Academy and other AI communities
Many AI communities teach AI automation, or how to start and sell an AI agency, and they vary widely in who teaches and what is included. Next Pillar Academy is for people who run a business and want AI working in it.
It starts at the beginning, follows one order, and is taught by Will Taubenheim, an AI engineer with four NASA awards, with co-host Joe Staiber. It runs on its own platform, built by Next Pillar, rather than on a community platform.
Next Pillar Academy and hiring a consultant
A consultant builds it for you; the Academy teaches you and your team to do it yourselves. If you want both, Next Pillar also offers a one-hour consulting call, a done-for-you month and a full installation: see Work with Next Pillar.
What is different about the Academy
- Built for owners. You own or run a business and want AI doing real work in it.
- It starts at the beginning and goes in order: how AI works, why it costs money, how to talk to it, how to check what it says, and what never goes in the chat.
- A live call every week with the hosts. Every call is recorded, with chapters, captions and a searchable transcript.
- Taught by an AI engineer. Will Taubenheim has four NASA awards in NASA's LunaRecycle Challenge, won on the Terasynth team, and has done AI work for the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Who teaches
- One price with everything included: every course, every call and every replay, with no tiers and nothing behind a credit.
- Your team can join on the same bill. Each person gets their own seat with every course, the weekly call and the replays.
Choose something else if
- You want it built for you. Hire a consultant, or see Work with Next Pillar.
- You only want the basics, for free. Start with a free course.
- You need many subjects beyond AI, or a dashboard to assign and track staff training today. A course library fits better.
- You want an accredited certificate or a university course. Look at a university program or a cohort course.
- You are after a get-rich-quick system. There isn't one here.
- You expect AI tools or accounts included. You bring your own; Start here helps you pick one.
What the Academy does not have yet
- Member reviews and a member count. The Academy opened in October 2026, and it shows only real numbers.
- A dashboard for assigning and tracking staff training. Team seats give each person every course, the weekly call and the replays, on one bill.
- An app in the App Store. The Academy runs in your browser, and on a phone you can add it to your home screen.
How we compared
This page compares kinds of options, not every provider. The providers named are examples of each kind, described from their own public pages as read in October 2026. Prices and features change, so check a provider's current page before you decide. Next Pillar Academy is not affiliated with any of them, and this page is written by Next Pillar Academy. Last reviewed October 17, 2026.