Software · head to head
Thinkific vs Teachable
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only; Teachable starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee, significantly higher than other plans
- They diverge on capability: Thinkific covers Website builder, Teachable covers Coaching products.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Thinkific and Teachable actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), free tier (No), 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 Thinkific
- Website builder
- Communities
- Memberships
- Marketing tools
- Stripe
- PayPal
Only in Teachable
- Coaching products
- Payment processing
- Affiliate marketing
- Email marketing
- Google Analytics
- Facebook Pixel
Both cover
- Course builder
- Quizzes
- Certificates
- Analytics
- Zapier
- Mailchimp
- ConvertKit
- Web support
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Thinkific
- Course creation
- Membership sites
- Coaching programsnot Teachable
- Corporate trainingnot Teachable
Teachable
- Course creation
- Coaching servicesnot Thinkific
- Digital productsnot Thinkific
- Membership sites
Both are used for course creation, membership sites, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
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)
Teachable
- Starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee, significantly higher than other plans
- Student limits lift only at $10k+ annual sales for higher plans
- No free tier, only 7-day trial
- Custom plan requires sales contact with minimum $30k/year revenue
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)
Teachable
$29/month- Starter$39/month
- 5 products
- 100 active students
- 7.5% transaction fee
- Builder$89/month
- 10 products
- 1000 active students
- 0% transaction fee
- Growth$189/month
- 50 products
- 5000 active students
- 0% transaction fee
- Custom$null/month
- Unlimited products
- Dedicated success manager
- Custom pricing
Which should you pick?
Choose Thinkific if
- You need website builder.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want communities.
Questions people ask
- Is Thinkific or Teachable better?
- Neither clearly leads. Thinkific starts at $36/month and Teachable at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Thinkific or Teachable?
- Thinkific starts at $36/month and Teachable at $29/month.
- Does Thinkific or Teachable run on more platforms?
- Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile. Teachable runs on Web.
- What is Thinkific best used for?
- Thinkific is most often used for course creation, membership sites, coaching programs, corporate training. Of those, coaching programs and corporate training are not what Teachable is typically brought in for.
- What can Thinkific do that Teachable cannot?
- Thinkific covers Website builder, Communities, Memberships, Marketing tools. Teachable covers Coaching products, Payment processing, Affiliate marketing, Email marketing. Both handle Course builder, Quizzes, Certificates, Analytics.
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).
SourceTeachable: Does Teachable have a free plan?
Teachable offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but no permanent free plan. The Starter plan costs $39/month (or $29/month annually).
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.
SourceTeachable: What are the transaction fees?
Starter plan charges 7.5% transaction fee. Builder, Growth, and Advanced plans charge 0% transaction fees. Additional payment processing fees of 2.9%-4.99% plus per-transaction charges apply depending on payment method.
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.
SourceTeachable: What integrations are available?
Teachable integrates with Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Google Analytics, Calendly, Zoom, and other tools via the App Hub.
SourceTeachable: How many courses can I create?
Starter plan allows 5 products, Builder allows 10, Growth allows 50, and Advanced allows 100 courses.
SourceTeachable: What is included in certificate features?
Course certificates are available starting on the Growth plan ($139/month annually). Certificates can be customized with branding and are generated automatically when students complete courses.
Source