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LMS · head to head

Skillshare vs Thought Industries

Skillshare logo

Skillshare

LMS

Online learning community for creative skills

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thought Industries logo

Thought Industries

LMS

External learning platform for companies that sell training to customers and partners as a product

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Skillshare has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Skillshare limited language support available compared to Udemy which offers 75 languages; Thought Industries the annual floor is an enterprise number, so organisations with modest training revenue pay more in platform fees than a revenue share would have cost them.
  • They diverge on capability: Skillshare covers Video classes, Thought Industries covers Commerce engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Skillshare and Thought Industries actually diverge.

Attributes where Skillshare and Thought Industries differ
AttributeSkillshareThought Industries
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).

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 Skillshare

  • Video classes
  • Class projects
  • Discussions
  • Offline viewing
  • Mobile learning
  • Workshops
  • Curated paths
  • Teacher studio

Only in Thought Industries

  • Commerce engine
  • Licence and seat management
  • Multi-tenant panorama delivery
  • Certification programmes
  • Learning path personalisation
  • Analytics on revenue and consumption

What people use each for

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

Skillshare

  • Skill developmentnot Thought Industries
  • Creative projectsnot Thought Industries
  • Career growthnot Thought Industries
  • Side hustlesnot Thought Industries

Thought Industries

  • A software company whose customer certification programme has grown past what a creator platform can administernot Skillshare
  • Professional bodies selling continuing education with certification renewal cyclesnot Skillshare
  • Manufacturers training distributor and dealer networks who each need their own branded environmentnot Skillshare
  • Any training business where a percentage of revenue model has become more expensive than a flat platform feenot Skillshare

Where each one falls short

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

Skillshare

  • Limited language support available compared to Udemy which offers 75 languages
  • Focus on creative skills means limited technical or professional development courses
  • Video quality and instructor expertise varies across courses

Thought Industries

  • The annual floor is an enterprise number, so organisations with modest training revenue pay more in platform fees than a revenue share would have cost them.
  • Implementation is measured in months and needs an internal owner, so the platform sits unused and paid for during a slow rollout.
  • It is designed for external audiences, so using it for internal employee compliance training means paying for commerce and multi-tenancy capability that internal training does not need.
  • Configuration depth for commerce and tenancy means the administrator role is a real job, and organisations that assign it as a fraction of someone else's role underuse the system.
  • Content authoring is not the strength, so most customers pair it with a separate authoring tool and manage two vendors and two content workflows.

Pricing, plan by plan

Skillshare

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Select free classes
    • Class projects
  • Premium$13.99/month
    • All classes
    • Offline viewing
    • No ads
  • Teams$undefined/month
    • Team management
    • Analytics
    • Custom content

Thought Industries

On request
  • Thought Industries$undefined/year
    • Annual platform fee, quoted
    • No percentage taken of course revenue
    • Implementation and success services quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Skillshare if

  • You need video classes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want class projects.
Skillshare review

Choose Thought Industries if

  • You need commerce engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want licence and seat management.
Thought Industries review

Questions people ask

Is Skillshare or Thought Industries better?
Neither clearly leads. Skillshare starts at Free and Thought Industries at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Skillshare or Thought Industries?
Skillshare has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Skillshare and On request for Thought Industries.
Does Skillshare or Thought Industries run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Skillshare for free?
Yes. Skillshare has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Thought Industries starts at On request.
What is Skillshare best used for?
Skillshare is most often used for skill development, creative projects, career growth, side hustles. Of those, skill development and creative projects are not what Thought Industries is typically brought in for.
What can Skillshare do that Thought Industries cannot?
Skillshare covers Video classes, Class projects, Discussions, Offline viewing. Thought Industries covers Commerce engine, Licence and seat management, Multi-tenant panorama delivery, Certification programmes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Skillshare: How much does Skillshare cost?

Skillshare Premium membership costs $167.88 per year (about $13.99 per month) when billed annually, or $17.99 to $32 per month when paying month-to-month. New members receive a free trial before billing begins.

Source
Thought Industries: Does Thought Industries take a percentage of course sales?

No. It charges an annual platform fee. That is more expensive than a revenue share at low volume and considerably cheaper once training revenue grows.

Skillshare: What topics does Skillshare cover?

Skillshare offers more than 30,000 project-based classes in design, illustration, photography, video, writing, marketing, and productivity. Courses often include downloadable resources like templates, brushes, and design files.

Source
Thought Industries: Can one platform serve several corporate customers separately?

Yes. Multi-tenant delivery gives each business customer its own branded environment and administrator while content stays centrally managed.

Skillshare: Can I download Skillshare classes for offline viewing?

Yes, Skillshare Premium members can download classes for offline viewing, allowing you to watch content anywhere without an internet connection.

Source
Thought Industries: Is it suitable for internal employee training?

It can do it, but you would be paying for commerce and tenancy features that internal compliance training does not use. A corporate learning platform is usually the better fit.

Skillshare: Does Skillshare offer certificates?

Yes, Skillshare classes include certificates of completion as part of the project-based learning model, allowing you to track and share your learning progress.

Source
Skillshare: Is there a free tier on Skillshare?

Skillshare offers a free one-month trial to new users who provide card details. After the trial, a paid subscription is required for continued access.

Source
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