About 17; min
Learning management systems (LMS) power online courses, employee training, and certification programs. Teachable and Thinkific are the two most popular platforms for independent course creators and small businesses selling educational content. Teachable emphasizes simplicity and built-in payment processing. Thinkific offers more customization and recently added community features that turn courses into membership experiences.
Both platforms host your courses, process payments, and deliver content to students. The pricing, transaction fees, and feature depth at each tier make the choice less obvious than it looks.
Quick Pricing Overview
| Plan | Teachable | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free (1 course, $1 + 10% fee) | Free (1 course, no transaction fee) |
| Basic | $59/mo (5% transaction fee) | $49/mo (no transaction fee) |
| Pro | $159/mo (no transaction fee) | $99/mo (no transaction fee) |
| Business+ | $665/mo | Custom (Thinkific Plus) |
Teachable Pricing Breakdown
Teachable’s free plan includes 1 course with a $1 flat fee plus 10% transaction fee on every sale — this adds up quickly and is really a trial tier. The Basic plan at $59 per month supports unlimited courses but carries a 5% transaction fee. The Pro plan at $159 per month eliminates transaction fees and adds graded quizzes, course completion certificates, advanced reports, and affiliate marketing tools. The Business+ plan at $665 per month includes everything in Pro plus custom user roles, group coaching calls, advanced customization, and priority support. All paid plans include a course builder, student management, basic quizzes, email integrations, and a payment processing system that handles both one-time and subscription pricing. Teachable processes payments through its own gateway (Teachable Payments) or Stripe.
Thinkific Pricing Breakdown
Thinkific’s free plan includes 1 course with no transaction fees — a genuinely useful starting point. The Basic plan at $49 per month adds unlimited courses, students, and content with custom domain support, coupons, and email integrations. The Start plan at $99 per month includes memberships, bundles, assignments, live lessons, and communities — turning your course into a fuller learning experience. Thinkific Plus is custom-priced for enterprises with SSO, API access, bulk enrollment, dedicated support, and white-label options. No Thinkific plan charges transaction fees — the only payment processing cost is Stripe’s standard 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Thinkific recently added Communities and AI course building tools across all paid plans.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Teachable | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Fees | $1+10% (free), 5% (Basic), 0% (Pro+) | 0% on all plans (Stripe fees only) |
| Course Builder | Block-based editor | Drag-and-drop curriculum builder |
| Quizzes | Basic (all), graded (Pro+) | All plans (including graded) |
| Certificates | Pro plan and above | Basic plan and above |
| Communities | Not built-in | Start plan and above |
| Memberships | All paid plans | Start plan and above |
| Live Lessons | Coaching products (Pro+) | Start plan and above |
| Assignments | Not available | Start plan and above |
| Affiliate Marketing | Pro plan and above | Basic plan and above (Thinkific App) |
| Custom Domain | All paid plans | All paid plans |
| Email Marketing | Basic email tools | Basic + integrations |
| AI Course Builder | Not available | AI-powered course outline generation |
| Mobile App | Teachable iOS app | Thinkific branded mobile app (Plus) |
| Payment Options | Teachable Payments or Stripe | Stripe, PayPal |
| Multi-Language | Limited | Multi-language site support |
Cost Scenarios
New course creator ($2,000/month revenue)
Teachable Basic at $59 per month with 5% transaction fee costs $59 + $100 (5% of $2,000) = $159 per month total. Thinkific Basic at $49 per month with no platform fee costs $49 plus Stripe’s 2.9% ($58) = $107 per month. Teachable: $159/mo. Thinkific: $107/mo. Thinkific saves $52 monthly.
Established creator ($10,000/month revenue)
Teachable Pro at $159 per month (no transaction fee) plus Stripe processing ($290) = $449 per month. Thinkific Start at $99 per month plus Stripe ($290) = $389 per month. Teachable: $449/mo. Thinkific: $389/mo. Thinkific saves $720 annually.
Course business ($50,000/month revenue)
Teachable Business+ at $665 per month plus Stripe ($1,450) = $2,115 per month. Thinkific Start at $99 per month (still no platform transaction fees) plus Stripe ($1,450) = $1,549 per month. Even at this scale, Thinkific’s pricing advantage holds because it never adds platform fees. Teachable: $2,115/mo. Thinkific: $1,549/mo.
Student Experience
Teachable’s student experience is clean and focused on course consumption. The course player presents lessons in a linear sequence with progress tracking. The built-in checkout flow handles payments, upsells, and order bumps without students leaving the page. Coaching products let creators offer one-on-one or group sessions alongside courses. For creators who want a straightforward “buy the course, take the course” experience, Teachable keeps it simple.
Thinkific’s student experience extends beyond course consumption. Communities let students interact with each other and the instructor in discussion spaces tied to specific courses or open to all members. Live lessons integrate video sessions into the curriculum. Assignments let instructors collect and review student work. These features transform a course from a passive video library into an active learning environment — which translates to higher completion rates and stronger justification for premium pricing.
Who Should Pick What
Pick Teachable if:
- Built-in payment processing without Stripe setup appeals to your workflow
- Coaching products (one-on-one, group calls) are part of your offering
- Simple course delivery without community features matches your teaching style
- The iOS student app gives your learners mobile access
Pick Thinkific if:
- Zero platform transaction fees save you money at every revenue level
- Community features and live lessons create a richer student experience
- Assignments and graded quizzes on lower tiers support interactive learning
- AI course building tools and multi-language support speed up content creation
Thinkific wins on both value and features. Zero transaction fees at every tier, built-in communities, live lessons, and assignments create a more complete course platform at a lower price. Teachable’s simpler approach and built-in payment processing appeal to creators who want the fastest path from course creation to first sale. For creators who plan to grow — building communities, offering live content, and scaling revenue — Thinkific’s economics and feature set provide a better foundation.
FAQ
Does Thinkific really have no transaction fees?
Correct. Thinkific charges zero platform transaction fees on all plans. You only pay standard payment processor fees (Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢, PayPal: similar). Teachable charges platform fees on Free and Basic plans.
Can I migrate courses between platforms?
Yes, but manually. Neither platform offers automated migration from the other. You’d need to re-upload videos, recreate curriculum structure, and re-enroll students. Most creators export their content and rebuild on the new platform.
Which is better for corporate training?
Thinkific Plus is designed for corporate and enterprise training with SSO, bulk enrollment, and white-label branding. Teachable Business+ offers similar capabilities but at higher per-seat costs. For internal training at scale, Thinkific Plus is the more commonly chosen option.
Do students need to create accounts?
Yes on both platforms. Students create accounts to access purchased courses, track progress, and receive certificates. Both support social login (Google, Facebook) to simplify the sign-up process.
