Learning Management · head to head
Thinkific vs Absorb LMS
Thinkific
Learning Management
Create and sell online courses your way
- From
- $36/month
- Rated
- -
Absorb LMS
Learning Management
Enterprise LMS for measurable business impact
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only; Absorb LMS pricing not transparently listed on website
- They diverge on capability: Thinkific covers Course builder, Absorb LMS covers Course management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Thinkific and Absorb LMS actually diverge.
| Attribute | Thinkific | Absorb LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $36/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web, Cloud-based |
| Founded | 2012 | 2003 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Learning Management).
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 Thinkific
- Course builder
- Website builder
- Quizzes
- Certificates
- Communities
- Memberships
- Marketing tools
- Analytics
Only in Absorb LMS
- Course management
- AI-powered learning
- Compliance tracking
- Mobile learning
- E-commerce
- Reporting
- Gamification
- Social learning
Both cover
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Thinkific
- Course creationnot Absorb LMS
- Membership sitesnot Absorb LMS
- Coaching programsnot Absorb LMS
- Corporate trainingnot Absorb LMS
Absorb LMS
- Employee onboarding and professional developmentnot Thinkific
- Compliance training with automated updatesnot Thinkific
- Customer education and product trainingnot Thinkific
- Partner enablement and sales trainingnot Thinkific
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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)
Absorb LMS
- Pricing not transparently listed on website
- Requires implementation and setup time
Pricing, plan by plan
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$149/month
- Unlimited courses
- Unlimited students
- Third-party payment (0% fees)
Absorb LMS
On request- Core$undefined/month
- Course management
- Reporting
- Mobile app
- Professional$undefined/month
- All Core
- E-commerce
- Custom branding
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- All Professional
- AI features
- SSO
Which should you pick?
Choose Thinkific if
- You need course builder.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want website builder.
Choose Absorb LMS if
- You need course management.
- You work on Web, Cloud-based.
- You also want ai-powered learning.
Questions people ask
- Is Thinkific or Absorb LMS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Thinkific starts at $36/month and Absorb LMS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Thinkific or Absorb LMS?
- Thinkific starts at $36/month and Absorb LMS at On request.
- Does Thinkific or Absorb LMS run on more platforms?
- Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile. Absorb LMS runs on Web, Cloud-based.
- What is Thinkific best used for?
- Thinkific is most often used for course creation, membership sites, coaching programs, corporate training. Of those, course creation and membership sites are not what Absorb LMS is typically brought in for.
- What can Thinkific do that Absorb LMS cannot?
- Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates. Absorb LMS covers Course management, AI-powered learning, Compliance tracking, Mobile learning. Both handle 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).
SourceThinkific: 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.
SourceThinkific: 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