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Software · head to head

Instapaper vs Thinkific

Instapaper logo

Instapaper

Software

Save anything for reading later

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thinkific logo

Thinkific

Software

Create and sell online courses your way

From
$36/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Instapaper has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Instapaper full text search across saved articles is Premium only, at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year; Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only
  • They diverge on capability: Instapaper covers Save for later, Thinkific covers Course builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Instapaper and Thinkific actually diverge.

Attributes where Instapaper and Thinkific differ
AttributeInstapaperThinkific
Starting priceFree$36/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX)Web, Mobile
Founded20082012

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Instapaper

  • Save for later
  • Clean reading
  • Highlighting
  • Full-text search
  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Safari support

Only in Thinkific

  • Course builder
  • Website builder
  • Quizzes
  • Certificates
  • Communities
  • Memberships
  • Marketing tools
  • Analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Instapaper

  • Saving articles to read later with the clutter stripped outnot Thinkific
  • Building a searchable personal archive of things worth keepingnot Thinkific

Thinkific

  • Course creationnot Instapaper
  • Membership sitesnot Instapaper
  • Coaching programsnot Instapaper
  • Corporate trainingnot Instapaper

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Instapaper

  • Full text search across saved articles is Premium only, at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year
  • Free accounts are limited to 5 notes a month, against unlimited on Premium
  • Text to speech, speed reading and the permanent archive are all Premium only
  • The free web experience carries advertising

Thinkific

  • No free plan, 14-day trial only
  • Transaction fees on third-party payment processors (5% on Basic tier)
  • PayPal only available on Grow plan ($199/month), not on Basic or Start
  • Limited customization on lower-tier plans
  • Cannot embed courses in external domains or iframes
  • Limited number of spaces per plan
  • Less interactive community features compared to alternatives
  • Features continuously moved to higher-priced tiers
  • Payment processing delays reported (up to 90 days)

Pricing, plan by plan

Instapaper

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Instapaper review.

Thinkific

$36/month
  • Basic$36/month
    • 1 course
    • Up to 500 students
    • Thinkific Payments (0% fees)
  • Start$74/month
    • Up to 3 courses
    • Up to 2,000 students
    • Third-party payment (3% fees)
  • Grow$149/month
    • Unlimited courses
    • Unlimited students
    • Third-party payment (0% fees)

Which should you pick?

Choose Instapaper if

  • You need save for later.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX).
  • You also want clean reading.
Instapaper review

Choose Thinkific if

  • You need course builder.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want website builder.
Thinkific review

Questions people ask

Is Instapaper or Thinkific better?
Neither clearly leads. Instapaper starts at Free and Thinkific at $36/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Instapaper or Thinkific?
Instapaper has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Instapaper and $36/month for Thinkific.
Does Instapaper or Thinkific run on more platforms?
Instapaper runs on Web, iOS, Android, Kindle, E-readers (BOOX). Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use Instapaper for free?
Yes. Instapaper has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Thinkific starts at $36/month.
What is Instapaper best used for?
Instapaper is most often used for saving articles to read later with the clutter stripped out, building a searchable personal archive of things worth keeping. Of those, saving articles to read later with the clutter stripped out and building a searchable personal archive of things worth keeping are not what Thinkific is typically brought in for.
What can Instapaper do that Thinkific cannot?
Instapaper covers Save for later, Clean reading, Highlighting, Full-text search. Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Thinkific: Does Thinkific have a free plan?

No. Thinkific does not offer a free plan but provides a 14-day free trial. Paid plans start at $36/month (Basic tier).

Source
Thinkific: Are there transaction fees on Thinkific?

Thinkific charges no transaction fees when using their built-in Thinkific Payments. Third-party payment processors incur 5% fees (Basic) down to 0% (Plus), plus 3.6% for Stripe with subscriptions.

Source
Thinkific: What payment methods does Thinkific support?

PayPal is locked to Grow plan ($199/month). Basic and Start plans do not support PayPal, limiting payment options for international creators and potentially reducing conversions.

Source
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Related pages

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