The course platform serious creators end up using. $36/month Basic annual, $74/month Start. The big change in 2026: the permanent free plan was discontinued. Now it's a 30-day trial. Plus a Stripe surcharge most reviews miss.
Thinkific has the deepest course-building feature set in the market: course structure, assessments, compliance controls, and learner management are genuinely better than Teachable or Kajabi at comparable price points. The 0% transaction fees on Thinkific Payments is the killer differentiator versus Teachable's 5% on Free and Basic plans. The 2026 changes matter: the permanent Free plan was discontinued in favor of a 30-day free trial, and there's a 5% Stripe surcharge on Basic if you use your own payment processor (drops to 2% on Start, 1% on Grow). Basic at $36/month annual ($49 monthly) is functional but limited — no certificates, no payment plans, no memberships, no Zoom. Start at $74/month annual ($99 monthly) is the right tier for most active course creators. Grow at $149/month annual is for course businesses that have outgrown Start specifically for branding removal, mass email, B2B selling, or full analytics.
The 0% transaction fee story only works if you use Thinkific Payments. Using your own Stripe triggers 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, 1% on Grow — which can cost more than the subscription itself at meaningful revenue. Either commit to Thinkific Payments for the cleanest math, or upgrade to Start ($74/mo) where the surcharge is manageable. The 5% surcharge on Basic is the single biggest hidden cost most creators discover after committing.
Two changes to Thinkific's pricing model in 2026 are worth understanding before you commit:
1. The permanent Free plan was discontinued. Until late 2025, Thinkific offered a free plan that let you build and sell 1 course indefinitely with 0% transaction fees. As of 2026, that's gone — replaced by a 30-day free trial on Basic, Start, or Grow. After the trial, you must commit to a paid plan to keep your school active.
For creators who were using the free plan as a permanent low-volume hosting option, this is a meaningful change. The cheapest way to start selling on Thinkific is now $36/month annual ($49 monthly).
2. Stripe surcharge on third-party payment processors. Thinkific charges an additional surcharge per transaction if you use your own Stripe or PayPal instead of Thinkific Payments: 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Expand. This is documented in Thinkific's Third-Party Payment Gateway Fee documentation but isn't prominent on the pricing page.
Practical impact: if you earn $1,000/month using your own Stripe on Basic, the surcharge alone is $50/month — more than the $36 plan cost. Either commit to Thinkific Payments (0% additional fees) or upgrade to Start ($74/mo) where the surcharge drops to 2%.
0% transaction fees on Thinkific Payments — across every plan. This is the single biggest financial differentiator versus Teachable. At $5,000/month in course revenue:
You save $260/month on Thinkific at that revenue level. The savings scale with revenue, which is why creators producing at scale move to Thinkific.
Course structure depth is unmatched. Drag-and-drop builder with multiple lesson types: video, audio, PDFs, downloadable files, quizzes, assignments, surveys, live lessons, text. Compliance features (certificates, course completion gates, prerequisites, drip content) are genuinely better than Teachable or Kajabi. For courses that need to feel like real education rather than just video bundles, this depth matters.
Unlimited courses on every paid plan. Basic includes unlimited courses with unlimited students. Many competitors gate course count behind tiers.
Strong analytics and learner management. Track student progress, completion rates, engagement metrics, and revenue per course. The data depth is sufficient to optimize content based on real student behavior.
Strong app store and integrations. ConvertKit, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Zapier, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Stripe, PayPal — all native integrations. The Thinkific App Store has 100+ third-party tools for marketing, analytics, gamification, and accessibility.
Basic plan is genuinely limited. No certificates, no payment plans, no memberships, no Zoom integration, no assignments. For anything beyond a single video course with one-time payment, you need Start ($74/mo annual). The $36 Basic price is a marketing anchor more than a usable plan for most course creators.
Stripe surcharge undermines the 0% fee story. The 'no transaction fees' marketing only applies to Thinkific Payments. Using your own Stripe (which many creators prefer for established processor relationships, dispute history, or accounting integration) triggers 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, 1% on Grow. For high-volume creators on Basic, this changes the math substantially.
Marketing tools are weaker than Kajabi. Thinkific is course-first; Kajabi is course + email + funnels + community. If you want all-in-one marketing, Kajabi ($149+/month) does more out of the box. Thinkific requires third-party integrations (ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign) for serious email marketing — total stack cost can exceed Kajabi.
Custom-branded mobile apps cost extra. Branded iOS/Android apps for your courses are available on Grow ($149/mo) and above, plus implementation involvement. For solo creators, the additional cost is hard to justify versus browser-based access.
SCORM is gated to Plus. For organizations needing full LMS compliance with SCORM 1.2 or xAPI, Thinkific's standard plans don't suffice. Enterprise LMS platforms (Docebo, TalentLMS) offer more comprehensive compliance.
10,000 student cap on standard plans. Beyond 10,000 enrolled students, you need custom Plus pricing. For most creators this is a 'good problem,' but it's worth knowing exists.
Basic ($36/mo annual, $49 monthly): Functional only for very simple use cases — single video course, one-time payment, no certificates needed, willing to use Thinkific Payments. Most active course creators outgrow Basic in the first 60 days. The lack of payment plans and memberships is the most common upgrade trigger.
Start ($74/mo annual, $99 monthly): The right home for most active course creators. Unlocks certificates, assignments, payment plans, memberships, Zoom integration. Stripe surcharge drops to 2%. For typical solopreneur course businesses producing 1-3 courses with payment plans and engagement features, this is the correct tier.
Grow ($149/mo annual, $199 monthly): Worth it for specific needs only — branded mobile apps, mass email to all students, removal of Thinkific branding, advanced analytics, B2B bulk selling, Zapier actions. If you can't articulate why you need one of those specifically, stay on Start.
Plus (custom): Enterprise plan for organizations with multi-site needs, SCORM compliance requirements, or 10,000+ students.
The honest reality: most active course creators land on Start and stay there for years. The features in Grow are nice-to-haves rather than business-critical for most solo creators.
vs Teachable: Teachable still has a Free plan and lower-priced Basic ($59 vs Thinkific's $49 monthly), but charges 5% transaction fees on Free and Basic — only 0% on Pro ($159+/mo). At any meaningful revenue level, Thinkific is dramatically cheaper after fees. Teachable's UI is slightly cleaner; Thinkific's course structure is deeper.
vs Kajabi ($149-$399/month): Kajabi is all-in-one — course hosting, email marketing, website builder, funnel builder, community. If you'd otherwise pay for those tools separately, Kajabi can be cheaper at the bundled level. Thinkific Start ($74/mo) + ConvertKit ($79/mo) + Webflow ($23/mo) = $176/mo. Kajabi Basic ($149/mo) is comparable. Pick Kajabi for marketing-led businesses; Thinkific for education-led businesses.
vs Podia ($33-$89/mo): Podia is cheaper at every tier and includes email marketing. Course-building features are simpler — fewer assessment types, weaker compliance tools. Best for creators who want simplicity over depth. Thinkific is the upgrade when you outgrow Podia.
vs Skool, Circle, and Mighty Networks (community-first): If your business is primarily a paid community with courses as a secondary product, community-first tools are better. Thinkific has communities but isn't community-first. For pure course businesses, Thinkific.
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Yes for active course creators producing real curriculum. Start unlocks the features most courses actually need: certificates, payment plans, memberships, Zoom integration. The 0% transaction fees on Thinkific Payments alone often cover the subscription cost at $1,000-$2,000/month in revenue. For very simple single-course operations, Basic at $36 may suffice — but most creators upgrade within 60 days.
No. The permanent Free plan was discontinued in 2026. Thinkific now offers a 30-day free trial on Basic, Start, or Grow plans (no credit card required to start). After the trial, you need a paid plan starting at $36/month annual ($49 monthly) to keep your school active.
Thinkific charges an additional surcharge per transaction if you use your own Stripe or PayPal account instead of Thinkific Payments: 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Expand. None on Plus. This is documented in Thinkific's Third-Party Payment Gateway Fee policy. To avoid the surcharge entirely, use Thinkific Payments (0% on all plans).
Depends on revenue. Teachable's Free and Basic plans charge 5% transaction fees; Thinkific charges 0% on Thinkific Payments across every plan. At $5,000/month in revenue, Thinkific Basic costs ~$49 total versus Teachable Basic ~$309 total ($59 + $250 in fees). At low revenue (under $500/month), Teachable's free plan can be cheaper than Thinkific's $36 minimum. Above that, Thinkific wins on fees.
Partial migration is possible. Thinkific allows full content export of your video files, course materials, and student data via CSV. Re-creating course structure on a new platform is manual work. Student data (progress, completions) doesn't always migrate cleanly. Plan for 1-2 weeks of work per course on a platform migration. This is meaningful lock-in once you've built substantial content.
Functional but not best-in-class. Thinkific includes community features (discussion spaces, monetized memberships) on Start and above, but they're not as polished as community-first tools like Skool, Circle, or Mighty Networks. For businesses where the community is the primary product, use community-first tools. For course businesses with a community as a secondary engagement layer, Thinkific works.
The course platform serious creators end up using. $36/month Basic annual, $74/month Start. The big change in 2026: the permanent free plan was discontinued. Now it's a 30-day trial. Plus a Stripe surcharge most reviews miss.