What it is
Thinkific is a course platform: hosting, video delivery, payments, student management and certificates, on your own branded site.
It takes no revenue share on paid plans, which distinguishes it from marketplaces and from some competitors' cheaper tiers.
It is one of the two platforms I would consider for a course business, alongside Teachable, and the differences between them are modest.
What it does
Course building with video, text, quizzes, downloads and drip scheduling, organised into modules students work through.
Student management with progress tracking, completion certificates and communities on higher tiers.
Payments including one-off, subscription and payment plans, with no revenue share on paid tiers.
Site building for the course landing pages and checkout, adequate rather than beautiful, and improved by connecting your own domain.
Who it's for
Features
Pros and cons
Pricing
| PLAN | WHAT YOU GET | WORTH IT FOR |
|---|---|---|
| Free | One course, core features, no revenue share. | Launching a first course. |
| Basic | More courses, coupons, custom domain. | Established creators. |
| Start | Communities, assignments, memberships. | The usual tier. |
| Grow and Plus | Higher limits, more admins, advanced features. | Larger course businesses. |
No revenue share on paid tiers, which matters considerably at volume. The free tier takes a transaction fee instead.
Free to launch and validate your first course, then Basic or Start once it sells. Pair it with a proper email platform, because the built-in email is thin.
Alternatives
My verdict
Thinkific is a sound choice for selling courses, and the no-revenue-share pricing is the clearest argument for it. At any real volume, a percentage of revenue costs far more than a monthly fee.
Its weakness is marketing. The site builder and email features are adequate rather than good, so you will want a proper email platform alongside, and that is the normal arrangement anyway.
Launch on the free tier. Validating that people will pay for your course matters far more than which platform hosts it, and you can move later without much pain.
Try Thinkific →Who should use it
Who should avoid it
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Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the price you pay. It also does not decide what appears on this page: I recommend tools with no affiliate programme just as readily, and leave off tools with generous ones when they do not deserve the space.