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LMS · head to head

Thinkific vs Uscreen

Thinkific logo

Thinkific

LMS

Create and sell online courses your way

From
$36/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Uscreen logo

Uscreen

Video Production

Membership video platform with branded mobile and TV apps for independent creators

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Thinkific no free plan, 14-day trial only; Uscreen the per-subscriber fee means the bill grows with the audience, so a creator with several thousand members pays far more in subscriber charges than in plan fees, and the published plan price badly understates the real monthly cost.
  • They diverge on capability: Thinkific covers Course builder, Uscreen covers Branded apps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Thinkific and Uscreen actually diverge.

Attributes where Thinkific and Uscreen differ
AttributeThinkificUscreen
Starting price$36/month$49/month
Pricing modelUnknownPer month plus a per-subscriber fee
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV
CategoryLMSVideo Production
Founded2012Unknown

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 Thinkific

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

Only in Uscreen

  • Branded apps
  • Membership paywall
  • Live streaming
  • Community
  • Marketing site
  • Email and automation
  • App store submission

Both cover

  • Analytics

What people use each for

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

Thinkific

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

Uscreen

  • A fitness or yoga instructor with a paying membership who needs an Apple TV and Roku app because members watch on a television, not a laptop.not Thinkific
  • A niche documentary or enthusiast channel moving off advertising revenue to a direct subscription because the platform algorithm stopped delivering.not Thinkific
  • A dance or martial arts studio selling on-demand classes plus scheduled live sessions to the same members under one login.not Thinkific
  • A faith organisation or membership body distributing recorded talks to a paying congregation with its own branded app rather than a public video channel.not 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)

Uscreen

  • The per-subscriber fee means the bill grows with the audience, so a creator with several thousand members pays far more in subscriber charges than in plan fees, and the published plan price badly understates the real monthly cost.
  • Video storage is capped in hours, 20 on Starter and 100 above it, which a creator with a large back catalogue exhausts quickly and then pays to extend.
  • Branded apps only appear on the 449 dollar plan and above, so the tier that makes the product distinct from a generic video host is out of reach for a small membership.
  • One-off sales carry a transaction fee of 10 per cent on Starter and 5 per cent on higher plans, on top of payment processing, which materially changes the maths for creators selling courses rather than subscriptions.
  • PSG Equity took a majority investment in 2025, so the platform whose revenue already scales with your subscriber count is now controlled by an investor with a return horizon, and pricing structure changes should be planned for rather than assumed away.

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)

Uscreen

$49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • Up to 100 subscribers
    • 20 hours of video storage
    • 1 admin seat
  • Growth$149/month
    • Unlimited subscribers
    • 1.99 USD per subscriber per month
    • 100 hours of video storage
  • App Essentials$449/month
    • Unlimited subscribers
    • 0.99 USD per subscriber per month
    • Two branded mobile apps for iOS and Android
  • Custom$undefined/month
    • 0.99 USD per subscriber per month
    • Five TV apps
    • Community features

Which should you pick?

Choose Thinkific if

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

Choose Uscreen if

  • You need branded apps.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV.
  • You also want membership paywall.
Uscreen review

Questions people ask

Is Thinkific or Uscreen better?
Neither clearly leads. Thinkific starts at $36/month and Uscreen at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Thinkific or Uscreen?
Thinkific starts at $36/month and Uscreen at $49/month.
Does Thinkific or Uscreen run on more platforms?
Thinkific runs on Web, Mobile. Uscreen runs on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV.
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 Uscreen is typically brought in for.
What can Thinkific do that Uscreen cannot?
Thinkific covers Course builder, Website builder, Quizzes, Certificates. Uscreen covers Branded apps, Membership paywall, Live streaming, Community. Both handle 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).

Source
Uscreen: What does Uscreen actually cost per month?

The plan price plus a per-subscriber fee: 1.99 US dollars per subscriber on Growth, 0.99 on App Essentials and Custom. Budget on your member count, not the tier.

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
Uscreen: Do I get real apps in the app stores?

Yes, branded apps published under your own name, with Uscreen handling submission. They start on the App Essentials plan at 449 US dollars per month.

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
Uscreen: Is there a storage limit?

Yes, 20 hours on Starter and 100 hours on Growth and App Essentials, with more available on request.

Uscreen: Is there a transaction fee?

Yes on one-off sales: 10 per cent on Starter, 5 per cent on higher plans, separate from payment processing charges.

Uscreen: Who owns Uscreen?

PSG Equity took a 150 million dollar majority investment in 2025, so it is private-equity controlled.

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