Thinkific vs Teachable
Thinkific's no-transaction-fee model and advanced course features make it the better choice for serious course creators.
Why Thinkific wins
💰 No Transaction Fees
Teachable charges $1 + 10% on Basic ($39) and 5% on Pro ($119). On a $500 course, that's $50-60 per sale. Thinkific takes 0% on all paid plans.
📝 Better Course Builder
Thinkific has native quizzes, assignments, prerequisites, and SCORM. Teachable lacks these core learning features.
🏢 Enterprise Ready
Thinkific Plus offers SSO, SCORM, multi-tenant portals, and dedicated support. Teachable has no enterprise tier.
🤖 Superior AI Features
Thinker AI provides comprehensive teaching assistant capabilities. Teachable's AI is more limited in scope.
When Teachable might fit
💵 Lower Entry Price
Teachable Basic starts at $39 vs Thinkific's $49. If you're just testing the waters and don't mind 10%+ fees.
🔧 Simpler Interface
Some users find Teachable's interface more streamlined for very basic course setups.
📚 Digital Downloads
If your primary product is digital downloads rather than structured courses.
The real cost of transaction fees
On a $500 course, here's what you actually pay per sale:
Sell just 10 courses at $500 and Thinkific saves you $300-600.
Detailed Comparison
| Feature | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $49/mo | $39/mo (Basic) |
| Transaction Fees | 0% | $1 + 10% on Basic, 5% on Pro |
| AI Features | ✓ Thinker AI | ✓ Limited |
| Course Builder | ✓ Advanced | ✓ Basic |
| Quizzes/Assessments | ✓ All plans | ✗ No native quizzes |
| Assignments | ✓ Start+ | ✗ No |
| Prerequisites | ✓ Start+ | ✗ No |
| SCORM | ✓ Plus | ✗ No |
| Multi-tenant | ✓ Plus | ✗ No |
| Communities | ✓ Grow | ✓ Pro+ |
| Built-in Payments | ✓ TCommerce (no fees) | ✗ Uses Teachable:Pay (extra fees) |
| White-Label | ✓ Grow+ | ✓ Pro+ |
Start your course business without transaction fees
Thinkific: $0 in transaction fees. Better course features. Enterprise-ready when you grow.