Teachable vs Thinkific
Quick verdict
As of 2026-07-11, Thinkific is the cheaper online course platforms tool, starting at $54/mo versus Teachable at $59/mo. That's $5/mo less on the entry plan. Neither offers a free plan. Teachable has 3 paid plans; Thinkific has 3 paid plans.
Teachable starts at $59/mo and has no free plan. Thinkific starts at $54/mo and has no free plan.
ToolFit may earn a commission when you sign up through some links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This never affects our rankings — those come straight from the dataset. Full affiliate disclosure.
Against the $54/mo median entry price across the 6 tools we track, Teachable's $59/mo is 9% above and Thinkific's $54/mo is right at. 0 of 6 online course platforms tools include a free plan.
| Teachable | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $59/mo | $54/mo |
| Free plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| Paid plans | 3 | 3 |
| Pricing model | flat monthly per plan + a transaction fee on the entry tier only; Enterprise Core is custom per-seat, contact sales | flat monthly per plan (0% course transaction fees) |
| Transaction fee (entry plan) | 7.5% per sale | No fee |
| Own Stripe/PayPal surcharge (entry plan) | Not published | +5% per sale |
| Automation | Basic (email sequences) | Higher tiers (Start+) |
| Ecommerce | Native course/coaching/digital-download sales, order bumps, upsells; transaction fee on the entry tier only | Native course/bundle/membership sales, coupons, order bumps; 0% transaction fees |
| Memberships & community | Native Community add-on (Basic+ plan); Teachable paused further investment in it in 2026 and now recommends a third-party tool (e.g. Discord/Slack) for new discussion needs | Native Community spaces (posts, groups) with mobile-app support |
| Course cap | 5 products, unlimited students | Unlimited courses, 1 admin |
| Landing pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations | 20+ native (Zapier bridges more) | 100+ |
| Visit site | Visit site → | Visit site → |
Sources: teachable.com/pricing, verified · thinkific.com/pricing, verified
Teachable — pros & cons
Pros
- Very easy on-ramp for first-time creators
- Built-in coaching product type
- AI-assisted course creation on every paid tier
- Solid native checkout (upsells, order bumps)
Cons
- 7.5% transaction fee on the entry Starter tier (0% from Builder up)
- Lighter automation than Kajabi
- Fewer native integrations
- No more free plan (Teachable retired it; entry is now the $59/mo Starter tier)
Thinkific — pros & cons
Pros
- 0% transaction fees at every tier
- 30-day free trial to launch a first course
- Strong course-builder and student experience
- Best affiliate economics (30% lifetime)
Cons
- No permanent free plan (retired 2026)
- Marketing/email tools are lighter than Kajabi
- Automation gated to higher tiers
- No native CRM
ToolFit Score: Teachable
Teachable scores 40/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 12.22/30 | entry $59/mo is 9% above the $54/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 12.5/25 | supports 3 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (3 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 15/20 | tagged as a best fit for 3 use cases. |
| Integrations | 0.6/15 | lists 20+ integrations. |
| Free-tier availability | 0/10 | has no free plan. |
Computed deterministically from our gold dataset — pricing, features, fit, and integrations. Third-party review ratings are not an input. Weights v1.0.0 — how we score.
ToolFit Score: Thinkific
Thinkific scores 47/100 on the ToolFit Score, computed from our maintained pricing, feature, and fit dataset.
| What we scored | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price competitiveness | 15/30 | entry $54/mo is right at the $54/mo category median. |
| Feature breadth | 13.89/25 | supports 3 of the 9 feature flags the ToolFit Score tracks natively (4 more on a higher tier). |
| Best-for coverage | 15/20 | tagged as a best fit for 3 use cases. |
| Integrations | 3/15 | lists 100+ integrations. |
| Free-tier availability | 0/10 | has no free plan. |
Computed deterministically from our gold dataset — pricing, features, fit, and integrations. Third-party review ratings are not an input. Weights v1.0.0 — how we score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Teachable or Thinkific cheaper?
Thinkific is cheaper to start. Teachable begins at $59/mo and Thinkific at $54/mo on their entry paid plans, a gap of $5/mo per month. Both usually bill less on an annual plan, so weigh yearly pricing before deciding. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-07-11.
Does Teachable or Thinkific have a free plan?
Teachable has no free plan and Thinkific has no free plan. Neither is free, though both typically offer a limited free trial before you subscribe. Every figure comes straight from our maintained, dated dataset, verified on 2026-07-11. We source it from each vendor's own pricing page, not a paid placement.
Which has more features, Teachable or Thinkific?
Teachable supports 1 of the 3 features we compare on this page and Thinkific supports 1, so the two are evenly matched on breadth. Choose on the specific capabilities — automation, ecommerce, or landing pages — that matter most for how you plan to build and sell your courses.
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