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Thinkific

Thinkific

All-in-one platform for building, marketing, and selling online courses, coaching, and communities.

softwareOnline Learningonline coursescourse builderlearning commerce
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Our Verdict

Best for

Creators and coaches who want courses, payments, community, and mobile delivery in one subscription.

Skip if

You want a free-forever plan or need deep customization beyond Thinkific's built-in templates.

What is Thinkific?

Thinkific is a learning commerce platform that lets entrepreneurs, educators, and companies build and sell online courses without needing separate hosting, video, or payment tools. Its drag-and-drop course builder supports video lessons, quizzes, assignments, certificates, and SCORM content, and pairs with built-in commerce features like hosted checkout, subscriptions, payment plans, and automated tax/VAT handling. Beyond course delivery, Thinkific includes community spaces linked to specific lessons, live Zoom-based coaching, branded iOS/Android apps, and an AI teaching assistant ('Thinker AI') for content creation. A separate Thinkific Plus tier adds enterprise features like SSO, custom user roles, and dedicated support for larger training organizations.

SpecificationsAI-estimated

deploymentCloud/SaaS
open source❌ No
api available✅ Yes
support optionsEmail, chat, phone (higher tiers)
key integrationsZoom, Mailchimp, Zapier, Stripe, PayPal

Key Features of Thinkific

Drag-and-drop course builder supports video, text, downloads, quizzes, and graded assignments without any coding.
Built-in checkout handles one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, and automatic sales tax/VAT calculation.
Community spaces can be linked directly to specific lessons so discussion happens alongside the content.
Live Zoom integration lets creators run cohort-based coaching or office hours from inside their course.
Branded iOS and Android apps let creators deliver content under their own brand on mobile.
Thinker AI assists with course outlines, quiz generation, and content drafting.
Supports learning paths, completion certificates, and SCORM packages for compliance-style training.

Use Cases for Thinkific

1

Solo creator selling a flagship course

An expert packages their knowledge into a video course with quizzes and certificates, selling directly through Thinkific's hosted checkout.

2

Cohort-based coaching program

A coach runs a paid cohort program combining pre-recorded lessons with live Zoom sessions and a linked community space.

3

Company training academy

A business uses Thinkific Plus to deliver SSO-gated internal or partner training at scale with custom user roles.

4

Membership-based recurring content

A creator sells ongoing access to a content library via subscription and payment-plan billing instead of one-off purchases.

Pros & Cons of Thinkific

Pros

  • No transaction fees on course sales on any paid plan
  • Strong all-in-one toolset (courses, community, payments, email) reduces need for separate tools
  • Reliable uptime and SOC 2 Type II compliance for security-conscious buyers
  • Active user base with strong G2 reviews (4.5/5 from 400+ reviews)

Cons

  • No free-forever plan; even the entry Basic tier costs $40-54/mo
  • Pricing climbs quickly for features like removing branding or adding communities (Grow tier)
  • Advanced enterprise features (SSO, CRM integration) are locked behind custom Plus pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Thinkific take a cut of course sales?

No, Thinkific does not charge transaction fees on sales made through its own checkout on any paid plan.

Is there a free plan?

Thinkific offers a 30-day free trial rather than a permanent free tier; the cheapest paid plan (Basic) starts around $40/mo billed annually.

Can I remove Thinkific branding from my course site?

Branding removal is included starting on the Grow plan ($164/mo annually) and above.

Does Thinkific support live/cohort-based courses?

Yes, the Start plan and above include live Zoom session integration for coaching and cohort delivery.

Pricing Overview

View full pricing →
Paid (Subscription)

Basic

$40/mo billed annually ($54/mo month-to-month)

Start

$82/mo billed annually ($109/mo month-to-month)

Grow

$164/mo billed annually ($219/mo month-to-month)

Plus

Custom

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About the Product

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Platforms
WebiOSAndroid
Target AudienceCourse creators, coaches, and companies selling online education

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