An Honest, Side-by-Side Comparison to Help You Choose the Right Online Course Platform
Discover the Key Features, Pricing, and Usability of the Top Platforms.
Explore how Thinkific and Teachable measure up in terms of features and user experience. Whether you’re focused on pricing, usability, or standout features, find out what each platform offers.
Explore the standout features that each platform brings to the table to elevate the overall user experience.
Discover which platform offers a more seamless and intuitive course creation experience.
Evaluate the usability of each platform to guarantee a seamless and effortless course creation experience.
The right tool helps you create and sell exceptional learning experiences. Here's how Thinkific and Teachable compare:
| Top Features | ThinkificStarts at $36/month | TeachableStarts at $29/month |
|---|---|---|
| Create courses with any content type | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learning communities | ✓ | ✓ |
| Host coaching sessions or webinars | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offer digital downloads (free or paid) | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-powered landing pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email automation tools | ✓ | ✓ |
| App integrations | 2400+ | 1000+ |
| Mobile app | ✓ | iOS only |
| Automated tax collection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email & chat support | ✓ | ✓ |
An intuitive course builder is a key feature for any online learning platform. Both Thinkific and Teachable aim to make course creation simple, allowing you to design engaging and memorable learning experiences for your students without unnecessary complexity.
Thinkific is designed for creators and businesses that want to scale. Its drag-and-drop course builder makes it easy to design complete courses, from multimedia lessons to quizzes and assignments, all without a steep learning curve. Thinkific delivers a flexible, professional, and engaging course-building experience that keeps learners coming back.
Teachable provides the basic tools needed to create a standard course. It works well for solopreneurs or small-scale training programs, but creators seeking advanced features to craft highly interactive learning experiences may quickly run into limitations.
| Feature | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| No design or technical experience required | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited courses | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create courses with any content type | ✓ | ✓ |
| Downloadable content | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assignments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recurring live lessons with Zoom | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI course outline generator | Free tool, separate from backend | AI Assistant available |
| Embed many types of multimedia content | ✓ | ✓ |
A strong learning experience is key to the success of any online course. When learners find your content engaging and easy to follow, they not only absorb it more effectively but are also more likely to share it with others, helping your business grow organically.
Thinkific provides a more flexible approach to learning experiences. Beyond basic course delivery, it includes options for creating communities, offering digital downloads, and hosting live events or coaching sessions. These features allow learners to engage in multiple ways, fostering deeper interaction and connection with both the content and the instructor.
Teachable offers a straightforward learning experience that covers all the essentials. Learners can access courses, complete lessons, and track their progress without distractions. While it provides the core features expected in an online learning platform, the experience tends to focus on simplicity rather than advanced interactive or community features.
| Feature | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Video Lessons | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quizzes & Assessments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Certificates of Completion | ✓ | ✓ |
| Community & Discussion Forums | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gamification (Badges & Points) | – | – |
| Mobile Learning Experience | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customizable Course Player | ✓ | ✓ |
Once your course is published, reaching the right audience is essential. Sales and marketing tools help increase visibility and drive revenue.
Thinkific offers built-in sales and marketing tools designed to help course creators grow their business. It supports a wide range of integrations with email marketing, automation, CRM, and e-commerce tools, allowing you to build a customized marketing strategy. Apps like ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Shopify, and Salesforce can be connected with just a few clicks, giving you flexibility and scalability without any coding.
Teachable provides the essential sales tools and some basic marketing features to help you promote and monetize your courses. It allows you to set up checkout pages, offer discounts, and manage affiliates. However, depending on your plan, transaction fees may apply, which is important to consider when estimating your potential revenue.
| Sales Features | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Create free, paid, and time-limited courses | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customizable payment plans and offers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subscriptions | ✓ | – |
| Bundle multiple products | ✓ | ✓ |
| Order bumps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coupons and promotions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Abandon cart emails | ✓ | – |
| Built-in payment processor | ✓ | – |
| Integration with e-commerce tools | ✓ | ✓ |
| Affiliate marketing capabilities | ✓ | ✓ |
| Marketing Features | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing tools | – | ✓ |
| Automated email campaigns | – | ✓ |
| Landing page builder | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom branding & white-labeling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Affiliate marketing system | ✓ | ✓ |
| SEO-friendly course pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Blog creation & management | – | – |
| Integrated analytics dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom domains & SSL | ✓ | ✓ |
| Facebook Pixel & Google Tag Manager integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Design Customization | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Compatible with existing websites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customizable landing pages | ✓ | ✓ |
A mobile app lets your learners access and engage with your courses anytime, anywhere.
Thinkific provides two mobile app options to help learners access your content anytime, anywhere. Thinkific Mobile (included with Start plans and higher) allows students to view and complete courses conveniently, though it includes Thinkific branding. For creators looking for a fully white-labeled experience, Branded Mobile ($199/month) offers a custom app with your logo and App Store listing, giving your brand full visibility while delivering flexible, on-the-go learning.
Teachable offers an iOS app designed to complement desktop courses. While it enables students to view and complete lessons on the go, it does not currently support custom branding, in-app purchases, content management, or student interactions. The app provides a basic mobile experience, focused primarily on course consumption rather than a fully integrated mobile learning environment.
| Mobile App | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Available on iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Available on Android | ✓ | – |
| Support for communities | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-labeled app | ✓ | – |
| In-app purchases | – | – |
| Price |
Thinkific Mobile included in Start plans and above $199/month for Branded Mobile |
iOS app included in all paid plans |
Ensuring your platform offers reliable support and keeps your data safe is essential when making a choice.
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| Support | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple support options | ✓ | ✓ |
| Private instructor community | ✓ | ✓ |
| Access to experts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dedicated customer support team | ✓ | ✓ |
| Human support availability | Paid plans only | Paid plans only |
| Security | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| 99.9% uptime and 24/7 monitoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Secure cloud hosting and daily backups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dedicated sandbox site | – | – |
| Site Administration | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Single sign-on (SSO) | ✓ | – |
| Multi-factor authentication | ✓ | ✓ |
| Archive courses and bundles | ✓ | ✓ |
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