Thinkific vs Teachable? Why Thinkific is the Best Choice.
Choosing a course platform can be overwhelming. To help you in your research, we’ve broken down the key differences between the most important features and functionality for you.
Trusted by over 35,000 customers
Thinkific vs. Teachable
| Top Features | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Create courses with any content type | ||
| Learning Communities | ||
| Host Coaching sessions or Webinars (free and paid) | ||
| Offer Digital Downloads (free or paid) | ||
| Easy to use landing pages, powered by AI | – | |
| Advanced Sales and Marketing Tools (e.g. order bumps, custom pricing, email marketing) | ||
| Branded mobile app for Courses and Communities | $199/mo add-on | – |
| Email and chat support | ||
| Live phone support | Available on Grow Plan | |
| Student course reviews | – | |
| App integrations | 90+ in the Thinkific App Store | 20 |
| Automated tax collection |
Why Thinkific? Watch Diamond’s Story.
“I started selling courses two years ago and have tried many platforms – LearnWorlds, Kajabi, Kartra – but when I found Thinkific, it completely transformed my entire business.
The day I signed up for Thinkific, I reached out to support and received a response in less than 30 minutes – something I never experienced with other platforms.
The Bulk Import feature made transitioning from Kartra a breeze. With just a click, I was able to upload all my content seamlessly, saving me time and hassle.”
What’s important to online learning educators?
The right tool can help you build, market, and sell an unforgettable course experience worth paying for. Let’s take a look at some of the differences between Thinkific and Teachable.
Course Creation
A user-friendly course builder is key to delivering engaging learning experiences. While Teachable covers the basics, it can fall short for training teams seeking more advanced tools to boost student engagement.
Thinkific is built for growing education businesses and corporate teams. It’s easy to use and is designed to drive student engagement and retention without a steep learning curve.
| Course Creation | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| No design or technical experience required | ||
| Create courses with any content type | ||
| Downloadable content | ||
| Built-in presentation creator | – | |
| Assignments | – | |
| Recurring Live Lessons with Zoom | ||
| Embed many types of multimedia content, including Storyline, Captivate & More | – | |
| Access to courses anytime, anywhere with a Branded Mobile app. | $199/mo add-on | – |
| Student engagement features (surveys, advanced quiz features) | – |
Learning Experience
A great learning experience is vital to your success as a training business. It helps students learn more effectively and encourages them to share it with others, helping you grow.
Teachable provides a basic, no-frills experience typical of most online course platforms.
Thinkific offers advanced features and a seamless experience across all devices, turning student learning from exciting to extraordinary.
| Teaching and Student Experience | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Sell memberships to a learning community | ||
| Easy course navigation | ||
| Optimized for all devices | ||
| Student progress tracking | ||
| Student course reviews | – | |
| Student social sharing | – | |
| 3rd-party app integrations | 90+ on the Thinkific App Store including apps for student engagement and assessment | 20 |
| On-the-go learning experience with a native mobile app | Only supports courses (not communities) |
Sales and Marketing
Once your course is live, you need the right tools to reach your audience and drive revenue.
Teachable offers essential sales tools and basic marketing features, but lower-tier plans come with steep transaction fees.
Thinkific equips training educators with robust marketing and sales features from the start. Build high-converting landing pages with AI, grow and engage your email list with automation tools, and expand your capabilities with 90+ no-code integrations – including ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Shopify, Salesforce, and more. Plus, use Thinkific Funnels to attract leads, nurture prospects, and close sales – all in one platform.
| Sales | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Create free, paid, and time-limited courses | ||
| Personalized pricing | – | |
| Coupons and promotions | ||
| Subscriptions | ||
| Bundling | ||
| Order Bumps | ||
| Abandoned cart emails | – | |
| Streamlined checkout | ||
| Built-in payment processor | ||
| B2B selling options | ||
| Promo kits (widgets, countdown timers, pop-ups, sticky bars) | – |
| Marketing | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | ||
| AI-Powered Landing Pages | – | |
| Email Automation | Basic email functionality | |
| 3rd-party app integration | 90+ on the Thinkific App Store for analytics, email automation, student engagement, and sales conversion | 20 |
| AI Powered Funnels | – | |
| Affiliate marketing capabilities |
| Design Customization | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Compatible with existing websites | ||
| Customizable course landing pages |
Support
Choosing a reliable course platform is essential. You should have easy access to support and confidence that your data is secure.
Teachable offers email support, with live chat and group coaching available only on higher-tier plans.
Thinkific supports training businesses with a responsive support team, a community of peers, and a network of experts. As your business grows, Thinkific scales with you, offering advanced security and support to match your needs.
| Customer Support | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple support options | ||
| Private instructor community | ||
| Access to experts | Experts Marketplace & Thinkific Store on Fiverr | |
| Dedicated Customer Support team |
| Security | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| 99.5% uptime & 24/7 monitoring | ||
| Secure cloud hosting & daily backups | ||
| Dedicated sandbox site | – |
| Site Administration | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Single Sign On (SSO) | – | |
| Multi-Factor Authentication | – |
Payments
These powerful yet easy-to-use features were designed to help you sell more and save time on demanding accounting and admin tasks so you can focus on what you do best: creating content and growing your business.
| Payments | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Tax Solution | We’ll automatically calculate, collect, and remit taxes on all sales from your US and Canadian customers. | |
| Buy Now, Pay Later | Flexible payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later, CashApp, Link by Stripe, and Bank Redirects make it easier to buy from you. |
1M+
courses published
35K+
businesses supported
$3.7B
earned by customers
Start selling quickly & easily with your free trial
Increase your impact and revenue through courses, communities, and digital downloads.
Courses
Sell showstopping courses that boost business growth
- No design or technical experience required
- Engage your audience with quizzes and surveys
- Upload video and other file formats to create an exciting course
- Save time and sell more with fully integrated e-commerce
Communities
Complement your course with an interactive learning community that your students will stay for, and pay for – all in one place.
- Create dedicated Spaces (virtual rooms) to host discussions, post updates and more
- Engage your community members through live events, Q&A, office hours, coaching and more
- Drive community engagement with in-app and mobile push notifications
- Access 2 Spaces with your Free Trial
Digital Downloads
Offer eBooks, PDFs, guides, templates, and more to attract new leads and quickly boost your revenue
- Upload your content in a few easy clicks
- Offer your digital download as a free lead magnet or as a sellable resource
- Create an enticing landing page with our AI-powered builder
- Launch once and sell repeatedly, maximizing your income with minimal effort
Scalable solutions to drive business growth
Thinkific plans give experts, academies, and companies the tools and features they need to grow their business end-to-end.
Basic
Get the foundational features and support to start your learning business.
$49/mo
Save $156
by billing annually
$36/mo
$49/mo
Save $156
by billing annually
Key Features
Unlimited Courses
1 community
5 Digital Downloads
5 Coaching & Webinar sessions
Sales tools
Abandoned Cart
Most Popular!
Start
Unlock features to drive customer engagement and grow revenue, for those ready to scale up.
$99/mo
Save $300
by billing annually
$74/mo
$99/mo
Save $300
by billing annually
Key Features
Unlimited Live Lessons
Unlimited Memberships
Unlimited Digital Downloads
Unlimited Coaching & Webinar sessions
Edit HTML & CSS
Sell Bundles and Add-ons
Grow
Level up your learning business with more support, pro-level limits, and advanced commerce features to help you sell more.
$199/mo
Save $600
by billing annually
$149/mo
$199/mo
Save $600
by billing annually
Key Features
3 communities
Remove Thinkific branding
Thinkific Analytics
Group Orders
All prices are in USD and charged per site with applicable taxes added at checkout.
Curious how Thinkific compares to alternative platforms?
We’ve broken down the key differences and features below to help guide your research.
Thinkific vs. Kajabi
Thinkific vs. Learnworlds
Thinkific vs. Podia
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel or change my account at any time?
Yes. You can cancel, upgrade or downgrade your account at any time from within your site dashboard.
Do I need a web host?
Your site is fully hosted with Thinkific; you don’t need anything else. Secure hosting and e-commerce are included.
Do I own my own content?
Absolutely! You always own your student data and your content. We’ll never market to your students, and you can export your data at any time.
How are payments processed?
Full e-commerce payment processing is included. Accept all major credit cards with a simple and secure checkout, and receive instant access to your funds in your account. We provide an SSL certificate to help ensure that all your data and customer information is secure. Note that transaction fees may apply if third party payment processors are used.
What is a Community?
A Thinkific Community is an online learning environment where students can engage in an interactive, communal learning experience. It shifts learning from a ‘one-sided’ experience to a collaborative, ‘two-way’ exchange.
Thinkific Communities allow you and your audience to connect globally, build trust and loyalty, and collaborate socially. You can build a community around your existing content to add even more value to your online courses, or create a community as a stand-alone, sellable product!
You can create a dedicated space for students to share knowledge and foster relationships while keeping the focus on your brand. Each community is a dedicated page on your Thinkific site where students and instructors can interact through posts and comments.
What are Digital Downloads?
Build a new lead and revenue stream with Digital Downloads! Drive leads or launch a new revenue stream by showcasing your unique genius and expertise. Upload or repurpose existing content – common digital downloads include eBooks, PDFs, templates, workbooks, guides, and spreadsheets.
Digital Downloads can also help you get started and earn more, faster. Whether you are just starting with Thinkific or already have existing products, setting up digital downloads is quick and easy – upload your file, price your product, and create a beautiful landing page using AI within minutes, not hours or days.
What are Coaching & Webinars?
Forge deeper connections and drive leads and revenue with Coaching & Webinars! Elevate engagement with your audience while boosting your bottom line.
With Coaching & Webinars, you can create and offer access for your 1:1 or 1:many live offerings for your leads and existing customers. Coaching sessions, webinars, or office hours – it can be just about anything you can think of!
“Thinkific offers exceptional scalability, enabling businesses to grow their course offerings and student base without any limitations. It can handle unlimited courses, students, and bandwidth, ensuring businesses can expand their e-learning offerings without worrying about technical constraints.”
Guy Marion
Chief Marketing Officer
Ready to create exceptional courses that scale?
Join thousands of professional educators who trust Thinkific to power their online businesses.
