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Thinkific vs uBlock Origin

Thinkific logo

Thinkific

Software

Create and sell online courses your way

From
$36/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
uBlock Origin logo

uBlock Origin

Software

Free, open-source ad content blocker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only uBlock Origin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only; uBlock Origin cNAME uncloaking of third-party trackers disguised as first-party is only available on Firefox, because the required DNS API does not exist in Chromium
  • They diverge on capability: Thinkific covers Course builder, uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Thinkific and uBlock Origin actually diverge.

Attributes where Thinkific and uBlock Origin differ
AttributeThinkificuBlock Origin
Starting price$36/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, MobileChrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera
Founded20122014

Identical on both: 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

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

Only in uBlock Origin

  • Ad blocking
  • Tracker blocking
  • Malware domain blocking
  • Custom filter lists
  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Opera support

What people use each for

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

Thinkific

  • Course creationnot uBlock Origin
  • Membership sitesnot uBlock Origin
  • Coaching programsnot uBlock Origin
  • Corporate trainingnot uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin

  • Blocking advertisements and third-party trackers in the browsernot Thinkific
  • Running a default-deny policy on third-party scripts and resourcesnot Thinkific
  • Element picking and cosmetic filtering of unwanted page contentnot 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)

uBlock Origin

  • CNAME uncloaking of third-party trackers disguised as first-party is only available on Firefox, because the required DNS API does not exist in Chromium
  • HTML filtering of response bodies requires the webRequest.filterResponseData API, which is only available in Firefox
  • On Chromium-based browsers uBO is not reliably ready at browser launch, so tracker and advertisement payloads can reach already-open tabs before filtering starts
  • Pre-fetch blocking is not reliable on Chromium-based browsers because they give websites precedence over user settings
  • The Chromium build does not use the WebAssembly filtering code paths, because the extra manifest permission would create friction publishing to the Chrome Web Store
  • LZ4 storage compression is Firefox only, and on Chromium in incognito mode IndexedDB resets, so uBO launches with out-of-date filter lists

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)

uBlock Origin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Ad blocking
    • Tracker blocking
    • Custom filter lists

Which should you pick?

Choose Thinkific if

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

Choose uBlock Origin if

  • You need ad blocking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
  • You also want tracker blocking.
uBlock Origin review

Questions people ask

Is Thinkific or uBlock Origin better?
Neither clearly leads. Thinkific starts at $36/month and uBlock Origin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Thinkific or uBlock Origin?
uBlock Origin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $36/month for Thinkific and Free for uBlock Origin.
Does Thinkific or uBlock Origin run on more platforms?
Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile. uBlock Origin runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
Can I use uBlock Origin for free?
Yes. uBlock Origin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Thinkific starts at $36/month.
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 uBlock Origin is typically brought in for.
What can Thinkific do that uBlock Origin cannot?
Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates. uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking, Tracker blocking, Malware domain blocking, Custom filter lists.

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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