Top 5 Best Thinkific Alternatives: Find out which platform suit best for you!

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Fact-checked by Layla Varela
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Updated on: June 23, 2023

Main Image Thinkific alternatives

This 5 Thinkific Alternatives article will help you to determine which platform suits you best, as not all digital tools can meet your particular needs in a world full of platforms and courses! 

Looking for the right platform can be annoying, especially when you want to create and launch your own courses. And after knowing and reading about Thinkific, you want to be sure whether invest in this platform or keep researching.

Keep reading because this article will give you all the critical points related to Thinkific and other competitors. Are you ready to start?

Thinkific Recap

Thinkific is a renowned online course creation platform that empowers people and businesses to monetize their knowledge by creating, selling, and marketing online courses. Therefore Thinkific aims to equip people with the necessary tools to build successful businesses that benefit them and their audience.

Main Thinkific features

As Thinkific is an online platform where you can build courses, these are the main features you would get with this platform:

  • Create and Sell Online Courses,
  • Deliver Content in a Variety of Formats,
  • Manage Students and Enrollments,
  • Integrate with Third-Party Tools,
  • Students will have a Mobile-friendly experience,
  • Offer Course Certificates,
  • Course Reviews and Ratings,
  • Multilingual Support,
  • Landing pages creator,
  • And so much more!
Image 1 features thinkific

Thinkific Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Easy to use The charge for transaction fees on some pricing plans.
Robust feature set.
Scalability. Limited design flexibility
Sturdy marketing features. Advanced integrations require higher plans,
Seamless payment integration. Limited language support.
Active community and support for the signed students. No built-in video hosting.
Offer certificates.
The challenging learning curve for advanced features.
Integration with various third-party tools and platforms.

It's important to note that the pros and cons can vary based on individual needs and preferences, so evaluating them in the context of your specific requirements before choosing a platform is advisable.

Thinkific Alternatives

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Now it’s time to get down to business. So, let’s see 

Udemy

Udemy is one of the most valuable thinkific alternatives you can find on the internet and is also one of the largest online learning marketplaces that allows instructors to create and sell courses. It offers a wide range of topics and has a large student base, providing significant exposure for course creators.

Features. 

  • The marketing features for courses encompass external partner promotion, targeted and retargeted ads, email campaigns, and discovery; 
  • Support several lecture formats, including auto, video, audio, and text lectures; 
  • You can always integrate subtitles into your content; 
  • Quizzes and assessments for student learning; 
  • Students can leave reviews to provide feedback on the course. 
  • And the direct messaging functionality between course creators and students.

Pricing

Course creators can access Udemy utterly free of charge. Simply register on the platform and begin posting the courses you wish to offer. 

However, Udemy operates on a revenue-sharing model, which makes it an attractive thinkific alternative. So, when a course is sold, Udemy retains a percentage of the revenue as a transaction fee. The specific revenue share depends on whether the sale is made through an instructor's promotional efforts or Udemy's marketplace.

In addition to the transaction fees, Udemy offers optional services that instructors can utilize. These services may include marketing support, course promotion, and additional resources to enhance the visibility and reach of their courses. These services typically involve additional costs but are not mandatory for course creators.

It's vital to review Udemy's instructor policies and pricing structure for the most up-to-date information regarding any fees or charges associated with using specific features or availing of optional services on the platform.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
It is a vast marketplace where your courses are sure to receive visibility Instructors receive a smaller percentage of course revenue.
It provides access to a significantly large pool of students. It has limited control over course design and pricing.
It has already established a solid reputation among students Courses may face price competitiveness
Udemy offers a broad audience for your courses. Limited access to detailed student data.
It has a trusted reputation among students. Lack of branding opportunities for instructors.

LearnWords

LearnWorlds is another Thinkific alternative that creates interactive and engaging online courses you can sell within the platform.

Features 

  • Course builder with synchronized transcript, interactions, and interaction statistics.
  • Marketing and sales tools like coupons, promotions, memberships, subscriptions, and affiliate marketing
  • Website builder with templates and customization options.
  • Mobile app builder for creating a branded, white-labeled mobile app
  • Gamification and interactive video options to enhance engagement
  • Assessment and survey builder tools for evaluating student progress

Pricing

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  • The Starter plan ranges from $24 to $29, depending on the subscription (monthly or yearly). This plan suits beginners and includes one admin, a custom domain, unlimited paid courses, 1-on-1 and group sessions, an SSL certificate, and basic integrations. It's an ideal choice for those starting in the industry.
  • The Pro Trainer plan ranges from $79 to $99 for professionals. It offers advanced features beyond the Starter plan.
  • The Learning Center plan provides essential features such as up to 20 pre-defined/custom user roles, bulk actions, multiple accounts for Zoom & Webex, insights and reports on courses, and 24/7 premium support.
  • Lastly, the High Volume & Corporate pricing plan is personalized and tailored to specific requirements. It includes all the features from the Learning Center plan, an account manager, bulk enrollments, tailored prices, flexible invoicing, and premium support options.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Improved course authoring tools Learning and adapting to the platform's complex features may take some time
Advanced assessment capabilities
Flexible customization options for the course player to enhance the learner's experience The platform lacks built-in email marketing functionality
Support for SCORM & HTML5 formats
There is no multi-tenancy support available
Enhanced reporting and analytics for better insights into learning progress

Podia

This platform enables users to create and sell online courses, digital downloads, and memberships.

Features. 

  • Website builder with templates and some other characteristics;
  • Course builder in different formats, such as bundles, single courses, or drip content; 
  • Supports pre-sale options;
  • Digital downloads;
  • Organize webinars and workshops;
  • Affiliate and email marketing tools;
  • Community features to foster engagement and interaction among users;
  • Setting up coaching sessions and consultations;
  • Integrations with external tools and services.

Pricing

  • The Free plan provides essential features. However, the only plan includes an 8% transaction fee, but the other subscriptions are fee-free. This plan allows you to access email marketing, live chat, one coaching product, drafts, and a community.
  • The Mover plan, which costs $39 per month, offers everything available in the Free plan, along with unlimited downloads, courses, coaching, and drafted webinars.
  • The Shaker plan, with $89 per month, builds upon the features of the Mover plan, adding unlimited webinars, third-party code integration, and affiliate support.

However, from time to time, Podia offers some discounts on its website, so you only need to check it constantly!

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Image form: Podia.com

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Easily track and monitor student progress for effective feedback Primitive marketing tools lack advanced automation
Enjoy a user-friendly interface that is beginner-friendly Limited membership features compared to dedicated platforms
Podia offers affordable pricing plans No built-in blogging functionality
Provide constructive feedback to students based on their progress No support for creating courses in multiple languages

Kajabi

You can characterize Kajabi as a Thinkific alternative, an all-in-one platform for online course creation, marketing, and sales, and very well-known worldwide!

Features

  • Easily build websites.
  • Generate marketing sequence templates for efficient campaign creation.
  • Ensure search engine optimization (SEO) with crawlable websites.
  • Enhance learning experiences with quizzes and course insights.
  • Utilize email broadcasts and sequences for effective communication.

Pricing

The first thing to know about Kajabi is that it does not have a free version but offers a 14-day free trial to experience its platform. However, you can also access the priced plans that can offer you many features you can use!

On the one hand, the Basic plan is priced at $149/month and allows you to have three products and three pipelines. It includes unlimited landing pages, emails, and 10,000 contacts.

The popular Growth plan, priced at $199/month, enables you to publish and sell up to 15 products and 15 funnels. It offers the same features as the Basic plan, up to 25,000 contacts, 10,000 active members, and 10 admins for a single website.

The Pro plan, costing $399/month, allows you to upload up to 100 products and pipelines. It offers 100.000 contacts, 20.000 active members, and the ability to manage three websites with up to 25 admins.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
It’s very secure. Exporting courses, files, and materials is time-consuming and requires manual work.
Unlimited Storage. High-cost.
Option to offer coupons and discounts for products. Creating memberships requires significant effort, time, and attention to detail.

Teachable:

Finally, Teachable is a platform known among students and instructors that offers features. This can be the most similar Thinkific alternative regarding features and certificate offerings. But let’s delve into its features to know its difference.

Features

  • Build professional courses and websites with ease.
  • Recognize student achievements with customizable certificates.
  • Gain insights into student behavior for course improvement.
  • Manage your team efficiently with custom roles and automated payouts.
  • Simplify tax management for your online business.

Pricing

  • The Free plan offers basic features but is often perceived as limited by users.
  • The Basic plan costs $39 monthly and includes more features than the free plan. It offers unlimited coaching and downloads, custom domains, and integrated email marketing.
  • The Pro plan is priced at $119 per month. It builds upon the Basic plan, providing additional advantages such as advanced reporting, live chat support, group coaching capabilities, and access to the public API.
  • Teachable also offers a Business plan, which encompasses all the features of the Pro plan. Additionally, the Business plan offers advanced theme customization options and allows up to 20 admins to manage the platform.

Pros & Cons

ProsCons
Professional-looking course delivery
The initial two plans incur transaction fees as part of their pricing structure
Compelling marketing features to promote and sell courses
Tools for student management and Engagement
Teachable lacks a built-in course marketplace, requiring you to market your courses actively
Flexible pricing and revenue options

Final Thoughts

After all this information, you are ready to judge which thinkific alternative can suit you better. Of course, the recommendation always will be to meditate and reflect on your particular needs and which platform can suit you!

Do you want your course to have a built-in community? Try Udemy. Do you need SEO optimization? Check Kajabi! Good luck!

Frequent Thinkific Q&A

Do people need to register in Thinkific to access one of your courses?

Yes. Once registered, users can browse the available courses and enroll in the ones they are interested in.

How can I customize the appearance of my Thinkific course website?

You can choose from various pre-designed templates, customize colors and fonts, upload your logo, and add branding elements to match your desired look and feel.

How can I track student progress and engagement on Thinkific?

Thinkific offers robust analytics and reporting features that allow you to track student progress, completion rates, and engagement with course materials. You can access these insights through your Thinkific dashboard, helping you understand student behavior and optimize your course content accordingly.

How does Thinkific handle student support and communication?

Thinkific provides built-in communication tools, such as discussion forums, where you can engage with your students and address their questions or concerns. Additionally, you can utilize email notifications and announcements within the platform to keep your students informed about course updates or essential information.

How does Thinkific handle student payments and transactions?

When students enroll in your course and pay, Thinkific processes the transaction through the chosen payment gateway, such as Stripe and Paypal, ensuring the funds are securely transferred to your account.

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Lorena M. Rodas leverages her experience across film, writing, and production to make complex tech concepts accessible through storytelling. With a background spanning sci-fi, AI, and emerging tech, Lorena translates her depth of knowledge into engaging, educational content. She is an expert at decoding high-level topics to reach broad audiences.
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