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Education & E-Learning · head to head

Pluralsight vs Thinkific

Pluralsight logo

Pluralsight

Education & E-Learning

Technology skills platform for IT professionals

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thinkific logo

Thinkific

Learning Management

Create and sell online courses your way

From
$36/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Pluralsight core Tech plan lists at $49/month while the broader Complete plan across all domains lists lower at $29/month on the same pricing page; Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only
  • They diverge on capability: Pluralsight covers Video courses, Thinkific covers Course builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pluralsight and Thinkific actually diverge.

Attributes where Pluralsight and Thinkific differ
AttributePluralsightThinkific
Starting priceOn request$36/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, IOS, Android, Apple TVWeb, Mobile
CategoryEducation & E-LearningLearning Management
Founded20042012

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Pluralsight

  • Video courses
  • Skill assessments
  • Learning paths
  • Hands-on labs
  • Certifications
  • Mobile learning
  • Offline viewing
  • Slack

Only in Thinkific

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

Both cover

  • Analytics
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Pluralsight

  • Technology teams building structured skill development and certification prep programsnot Thinkific

Thinkific

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

Where each one falls short

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

Pluralsight

  • Core Tech plan lists at $49/month while the broader Complete plan across all domains lists lower at $29/month on the same pricing page
  • Free trial is limited to 10 days

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

Pluralsight

On request
  • Standard$29/month
    • Core library
    • Learning paths
    • Skill assessments
  • Premium$45/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Hands-on labs
    • Exams
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • All content
    • Analytics
    • SSO

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 Pluralsight if

  • You need video courses.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, Apple TV.
  • You also want skill assessments.
Pluralsight review

Choose Thinkific if

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

Questions people ask

Is Pluralsight or Thinkific better?
Neither clearly leads. Pluralsight starts at On request and Thinkific at $36/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pluralsight or Thinkific?
Pluralsight starts at On request and Thinkific at $36/month.
Does Pluralsight or Thinkific run on more platforms?
Pluralsight runs on Web, IOS, Android, Apple TV. Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile.
What is Pluralsight best used for?
Pluralsight is most often used for technology teams building structured skill development and certification prep programs. Of those, technology teams building structured skill development and certification prep programs is not what Thinkific is typically brought in for.
What can Pluralsight do that Thinkific cannot?
Pluralsight covers Video courses, Skill assessments, Learning paths, Hands-on labs. Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates. Both handle Analytics, Web support, IOS support, Android support.

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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