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Teachable vs Thinkific: Which is right for you? (1970)

TL;DR

  • Choose Teachable if your stack already leans in that direction.
  • Choose Thinkific if keeping fees low matters most.
  • Both work for: courses, coaching, creators, memberships.

Teachable

Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo.

Established course platform with a simple no-code builder. Free plan has transaction fees; paid plans are more cost-effective at volume. Owned by Hotmart.

Thinkific

No free plan. Basic $49/mo ($36/mo annual). Start $74/mo. Grow $149/mo. 0% transaction fee.

One of the most popular course platforms. 0% transaction fee on all plans including free. Strong for course creators who want control without Kajabi's price tag.

Pricing comparison

Pricing model
freemium
freemium
Detail
Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo.
No free plan. Basic $49/mo ($36/mo annual). Start $74/mo. Grow $149/mo. 0% transaction fee.

Feature comparison

Teachable
Thinkific
Merchant of record
No
No
Paywalls
Yes
Yes
A/B testing
No
No
Tax handled
No
No
No-code
Yes
Yes
Open source
No
No
Ease of setup
4/5
4/5
Fee competitiveness
3/5
4/5
Conversion tooling
3/5
3/5
Advanced billing
2/5
2/5

Best for

Teachable is best for Courses, coaching, Creators, Memberships, Communities, Digital products. Thinkific is best for Courses, Memberships, Creators, coaching, e-learning, Communities.

FAQ

Is Teachable better than Thinkific?

Neither is universally better. Teachable is the right pick if your stack already leans in that direction; Thinkific wins if keeping fees low matters most.

Which is cheaper, Teachable or Thinkific?

Thinkific ranks higher on fee competitiveness (4/5). Teachable pricing: Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo.. Thinkific pricing: No free plan. Basic $49/mo ($36/mo annual). Start $74/mo. Grow $149/mo. 0% transaction fee..

Can I switch from Teachable to Thinkific?

Yes — most subscription and billing tools support migration via CSV import or API. Expect to reconfigure webhooks, paywalls, and entitlements. Check both vendors' migration docs before committing.

Does Teachable handle sales tax?

No. Teachable does not handle tax registrations — you handle those yourself or via a separate tool.

All Teachable alternatives →All Thinkific alternatives →

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