Stefan SchulzIf you are in the market for the best platform for your online course and are struggling to choose between Thinkific and Teachable, read my in-depth analysis. I'll provide a side-by-side comparison of each, including the biggest pros and cons, so you can make the best decision for your business.
The short answer: Thinkific is the better choice for most creators: 0% transaction fees on all paid plans, more customization, and phone support. Teachable is the better choice if you want the fastest setup and need flexible lesson builders that mix multiple content types in one lesson.
Both platforms changed significantly in 2025 and 2026. Thinkific removed its free plan. Teachable overhauled its entire plan structure. Here's what's current.
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Table of Contents
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Thinkific is one of the most customizable and flexible course creation platforms, with 0% transaction fees on all paid plans and phone support on the Grow plan. It removed its free plan in 2025 and now starts at $49/month.
Teachable is an intuitive course platform with a flexible lesson builder and fast setup. It technically still has a free tier, but it's capped at 10 students with a 10%+$1 fee per sale. Its Starter plan ($39/month) also carries a 7.5% transaction fee. Fees drop to 0% on the Builder plan ($89/month) and above.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Teachable
Pricing Comparison (2026)
| Thinkific | Teachable | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Basic $49/mo ($36/mo annual) | Starter $39/mo ($29/mo annual) |
| First 0% fee plan | Basic (0% on all paid plans) | Builder $89/mo ($69/mo annual) |
| Mid plan | Start $99/mo ($74/mo annual) | Growth $189/mo ($139/mo annual) |
| Top plan | Grow $199/mo ($149/mo annual) | Advanced $399/mo ($309/mo annual) |
| Transaction fees | 0% on all paid plans* | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder+ |
| Free plan | No (14-day trial, no credit card) | Limited (10 students, 10%+$1 fee) |
| Phone support | Yes, on Grow plan | No |
*If you use your own Stripe account instead of Thinkific's TCommerce processor, a surcharge applies: 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, 1% on Grow.
For a full breakdown of every plan, see our course platform pricing comparison guide.
Who Has the Better Features?
| Feature | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fees | 0% on all paid plans | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder+ |
| Lesson builder | Strong. Video library lets you reuse content across courses. | More flexible. Mix video, text, audio, quizzes in one lesson. Bulk upload supported. |
| Customization | Multiple site themes, HTML/CSS access, per-course branding | Clean default template, changes apply at the school level only |
| Completion certificates | Start plan and above | All paid plans |
| Payment processing | TCommerce (native), Stripe, PayPal | Teachable:pay (native), handles EU VAT |
| Affiliate tools | Basic plan and above | Builder plan and above |
| Student notes | Not available | Private in-video notes for students |
| Mobile app (students) | iOS and Android (white-label add-on available) | iOS and Android |
| Phone support | Yes, on Grow plan | No |
| Course marketplace | No | No |
Course Creation and Engagement
Course Builder
Both Thinkific and Teachable offer solid drag-and-drop course builders. Thinkific stands out with its video library, allowing you to reuse videos across multiple courses, a real time-saver for creators who produce a lot of video content. The course builder is also known for its clean, streamlined interface.
Teachable's lesson builder is more flexible in terms of content mixing. You can add multiple content types (video, text, audio, quizzes, custom code) to the same lesson in any order, and bulk upload entire content folders at once. If your courses require complex lesson structures, Teachable handles this more gracefully than Thinkific.
Learning and Engagement
Thinkific's course player lets students hide the sidebar for a distraction-free environment and includes a lesson title search bar for easy navigation. Thinkific also offers more customization options for the course player itself.
Teachable offers a unique feature where students can take private notes directly within the video player, useful for learners who want to annotate as they go. Both platforms support quizzes, surveys, and completion tracking.
Site Design and Customization
Website Themes
Thinkific has the clear advantage here. It offers a theme library with multiple site themes and styles, and gives users access to modify theme code in the backend for full HTML and CSS customization. This makes it possible to build a course storefront that looks exactly like your existing website.
Teachable provides a clean default template that's well-organized and easy to use, but customization is applied at the school level rather than per-course. You get less design control, though the tradeoff is a faster, simpler setup.
Pros and Cons Overview
Thinkific Pros
- 0% transaction fees on all paid plans
- Unlimited courses on every paid plan
- Extremely customizable designs, themes, and HTML/CSS access
- Custom domain on all paid plans
- Voice-over PowerPoint presentation tool for easier video production
- Phone support on Grow plan (unique among course platforms at this price)
- Student payment options including installment plans and subscriptions
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
Thinkific Cons
- No free plan (removed in 2025). Entry price is $49/month ($36/month annually).
- Stripe surcharge of 1-5% if not using Thinkific's TCommerce processor
- No integrated email marketing or sales funnel builder
- Completion certificates locked to Start plan and above
- 10,000 student cap on all standard plans
- No course marketplace
Teachable Pros
- Fastest setup of any platform. Courses go live quickly with minimal configuration
- Flexible lesson builder with mixed content types in one lesson
- Bulk content upload for large courses
- Native payment processing with EU VAT handling
- Completion certificates on all paid plans
- iOS and Android mobile apps for students
- Private in-video student notes
- Cheaper entry price than Thinkific ($39/month vs $49/month)
Teachable Cons
- 7.5% transaction fee on Starter plan ($39/month)
- Free plan is very limited, capped at 10 students with a 10%+$1 fee per sale
- No native email marketing or sales funnel builder
- Less design customization than Thinkific
- No phone support on any plan
- No course marketplace
Who Is Each Platform Best For?
Choose Thinkific if:
- You want 0% transaction fees from day one without paying extra
- Customization matters. You want your course site to look like your own brand
- You value phone support and want a reliable way to get help
- You plan to grow a larger catalog of courses and want unlimited courses on the entry plan
Choose Teachable if:
- You want the fastest possible setup with minimal configuration
- Your lessons mix multiple content types (video, text, quizzes) in one place
- Budget is tight and you're okay with the 7.5% fee on the Starter plan while you're getting started
- EU VAT handling matters for your audience
Overall Winner
Thinkific. While both platforms offer solid course creation tools, Thinkific wins on 0% transaction fees across all paid plans, more customization options, and phone support on the Grow plan. For most creators who plan to sell consistently, the lack of transaction fees alone makes Thinkific the better long-term investment.
That said, Teachable has a real edge for creators who want faster setup and more flexible lesson builders. If you know you'll upgrade to the Builder plan ($89/month) fairly quickly and don't need deep customization, Teachable is a solid choice.
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Start Free TrialAlternatives to Thinkific and Teachable
Both are strong options, but they're not the only ones. Check out our reviews of the best online course platforms, see how Teachable compares to Kajabi, or browse our full course platform pricing guide.
