Which choice is right for you? Thinkific or Podia?
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.
No developer experience needed
Drag-and-drop course builder
AI-powered course outline generator
Built-in selling and payment solutions
Advanced analytics
Trusted by over 35,000 customers
Thinkific vs. Podia
| Top Features | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Create courses with any content type | ||
| Host Coaching sessions or Webinars (free and paid) | On Mover or Shaker plan | |
| Build and deliver Digital Downloads | – | |
| Learning Communities | ||
| Easy to use landing pages, powered by AI | ||
| Email and chat support | Email and Live chat only | |
| Student course reviews | – | |
| App integrations | 90+ in the Thinkific App Store | |
| Automated tax collection |
Pricing & plans
Thinkific plans give experts, academies, and companies the tools and features they need to grow their business end-to-end.
| Plans | Thinkific | Podia | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific Basic vs. Podia Mover | $36/mo $432 billed annually | $33/mo $396 billed annually | -8.33% |
| Thinkific Start vs. Podia Shaker | $74/mo $888 billed annually | $75/mo $900 billed annually | 1.33% |
| Thinkific Grow vs. Podia Earthquaker | $149/mo $1,788 billed annually | $166/mo $1992 billed annually | 10.24% |
Turn your expertise into an online course that sells
Watch our demo video to see how you can get started.
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 Podia.
Course Creation
A user-friendly course builder is key to delivering engaging learning experiences.
Podia is built for solopreneurs and small teams, offering the basics to create a standard course. However, those seeking more advanced tools to build and sustain engaging learning experiences may hit limitations.
Thinkific is designed for growing education businesses and corporate teams. It’s simple to use and offers the ability to build, launch, and sell an entire course without a big learning curve.
| Course Creation | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| No design or technical experience required | ||
| Create courses with any content type | ||
| Downloadable content | ||
| Embed 3rd party tools and sites | ||
| Student surveys | – | |
| Embed many types of multimedia content, including Storyline, Captivate & More | – |
Learning Experience
A great learning experience is vital to your success as a training business. It helps learners learn more effectively and encourages them to share it with others, helping you grow.
Podia delivers a basic learning experience typical of most online course platforms.
Thinkific goes beyond with advanced features that elevate the learner’s experience from standard to exceptional. Plus, learners can leave reviews that you can share publicly, helping attract more buyers to your offering.
| Teaching and Learner Experience | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Sell memberships to a learning community | – | |
| Easy course navigation | ||
| Multiple Instructors | $20/mo per user | |
| Learner progress tracking | At the individual learner level, but don’t offer aggregate reporting. | |
| Learner course reviews | – | |
| Learner engagement survey | – | |
| Quizzes | Limited |
Sales and Marketing
Once your course is live, you need the right tools to reach your audience and drive revenue.
Podia provides a number of sales tools needed and a few basic marketing features to help you earn revenue from your course.
Thinkific provides everything you need to grow: build high-converting landing pages with AI, automate email marketing, and choose from 90+ no-code integrations – including ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Shopify, and Salesforce.
Thinkific also provides access to an expert marketplace where you can hire marketing consultants who are experts on the Thinkific platform to help you launch your course and generate more sales.
| Sales & Marketing | Thinkific | Podia |
|---|---|---|
| Create free, paid, and time-limited courses | ||
| Email automation | Priced as an add-on | |
| Coupons and promotions | ||
| Subscriptions | ||
| Advanced Marketing Integrations (ie: Mixpanel, InfusionSoft, Segment.io etc.) | – | |
| Abandoned cart emails | – | |
| Currencies | 135+ | 29 |
| Affiliate program |
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”
Build high-quality learning experiences
From online communities to engaging courses, you have the tools and support you need to customize and sell powerful learning experiences exactly the way you want — no developer experience needed.
Unlimited courses and digital downloads
Unlimited websites, landing pages, and custom domains
AI-powered content creation
SCORM-compliant LMS
Customized learning paths
Selling tools: Sell more with ease
Earn more revenue with smart selling features on TCommerce, our built-in selling and payment solution designed for maximum conversion. TCommerce users sell up to 31% more!
B2B selling features like Group Orders and Invoicing
Multiple payment options
Upsell tools like coupons and order bumps
Sale recovery features like failed payment and abandoned cart emails
Automatic tax collection and remittance for U.S. and Canadian sales
Simplified tax management for your sales in the EU and UK
Analytics: Measure performance that matters
Our advanced analytics tools underpin your learning business, surfacing important, actionable insights that allow you and your customers to drive more meaningful results. Track learner value, marketing strategies, and revenue growth to see where you can deliver more relevant offerings.
Advanced analytics
Custom dashboards to track student engagement and revenue
Automatically scheduled reports to stakeholders
Unlimited roles and permissions
1M+
courses published
35K+
businesses supported
$3.7B
earned by customers
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.
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
Start Includes:
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
Everything in Start, plus:
3 communities
Remove Thinkific branding
Thinkific Analytics
Group Orders
Invoicing
Gifting
API Access
Pro-level features and premium services, designed for high-growth businesses and teams. Schedule a call with our team to explore our platform, and receive a custom quote that unlocks enterprise-level features, advanced integrations, and tailored support to scale your online learning business.
Everything in Grow, plus:
Unlimited Everything
CRM Integrations (Hubspot, Salesforce)
Single Sign On (SSO)
SCORM Compliant
Custom Reports
Student Learning Paths
Dedicated Onboarding and Customer Support
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. Teachable
Thinkific vs. Learnworlds
Thinkific vs. Kajabi
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.
