Teachable vs Thinkific
Verdict. Teachable wins for most solo course creators on price. Builder costs $89 a month and Thinkific Start $109, both with 0% platform fees on their own payment systems, so Teachable comes out $20 cheaper from $1,000 a month up in our math. At $300 a month, Teachable Starter costs about $88 all in against Thinkific's $136. Thinkific's answer is limits. It gives you unlimited courses, downloads and coaching products on every plan, while Teachable caps Builder at 10 products. Past 10 products, Teachable needs Growth at $189, and Thinkific becomes the cheaper home.
Pick Teachable if
you sell 10 products or fewer and want the cheaper 0% plan, with sales tax and VAT handled for you.
Pick Thinkific if
you have more than 10 products, want a community and certificates on the same site, or want a 30-day trial instead of 7 days.
Side by side
| Compared | Teachable | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 6.6 / 10 | 6.3 / 10 |
| Best for | Solo course creators who want simple setup and checkout | Course businesses that want a polished learner experience |
| What it costs | Plans cost $39 to $189 a month billed monthly, Starter takes 7.5% of each sale, Builder and Growth take 0% on Teachable Payments, and US cards cost 2.9% + 30¢ to process. | Public plans cost $109 to $499 a month billed monthly, Thinkific takes 0% on Thinkific Payments at 2.9% + 30¢ per US card, and using Stripe adds 0.5% to 2%. |
| Keep from $1,000 | $852 (Builder) | $832 (Start) |
| Plans from | $39/month | $109/month |
| Payouts | Teachable Payments pays daily, weekly or monthly, and daily payouts run on a 2 business day rolling delay. Instant payouts are offered. You must file a W-9 or W-8 once you pass $100 in earnings, and payouts are held at $500 if the form is missing. | Thinkific Payments schedules payouts daily. Each sale clears in 2 business days in the US and Australia, 3 in Canada, the UK and the EEA, and 7 in Hong Kong and Singapore. Minimum payouts vary by country, and accounts with instant payouts can switch to weekly or monthly. |
| Who can join | Open to anyone who pays for a plan after a 7-day free trial. Teachable Payments covers creators in 41 countries, and schools elsewhere use a custom payment gateway. | Open to anyone after a 30-day free trial. Thinkific Payments works for businesses in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong. |
| Founded | 2013 | 2012 |
Scorecards
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$148 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 1.38 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.40 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.20 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.40 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.20 |
| Total | 10.0 | 6.6 |
| Criterion | Possible | Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fees$168 on $1,000 a month | 3.0 | 1.08 |
| FeaturesDepth for its category | 2.0 | 1.60 |
| EaseSignup to first sale | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| OwnershipExport, domain, own payments | 2.0 | 1.40 |
| PayoutsSpeed, methods, countries | 1.5 | 1.20 |
| Total | 10.0 | 6.3 |
Where Teachable falls short
- Starter keeps 7.5% of every sale, which beats the Builder upgrade only below about $670 a month.
- Product caps are tight. Starter allows 5 products and Builder 10.
- No free plan anymore, only a 7-day trial.
- Removing Teachable branding needs Growth at $189 a month.
- Teachable Payments works in only 41 countries.
Where Thinkific falls short
- Prices rose about 10% on August 13, 2026, and Start is now $109 a month.
- Selling through your own Stripe account costs up to 5% extra per sale.
- No free plan for new signups, only a 30-day trial.
- Start limits you to 1 community and 2 admins, with no PayPal.
- The branded mobile app costs another $199 a month.
Still deciding? See every option in course and community platforms.