Teachable vs Thinkific
Pick Teachable if you sell courses and coaching to individuals and want the lower bill: Builder is $89 a month with no transaction fee. Pick Thinkific if you need certificates, assessments, live cohorts, or B2B seat sales on the entry plan and can pay $109 a month.
| Teachable | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan, monthly billing | $39 Starter | $109 Start |
| Cheapest plan with no transaction fee | $89 Builder | $109 Start |
| Platform fee on sales | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and up | 0% with Thinkific Payments |
| US card processing | 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.5% on sales where tax is assessed | 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.5% on every paid US or Canadian sale, even at $0 tax |
| Recurring charge surcharge | 0.7% with the Standard bundle | 0.7% on subscriptions and payment plans |
| Fee for using your own Stripe | 2% integration fee for US schools | 2% on Start, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Expand |
| Certificates | Growth at $189 and up | Every plan |
| Bulk email to students | Built-in email marketing on Builder and up | Grow at $219 and up |
| Student limits | Unlimited paid students. $0.50 a month each for free or imported students above 100 | 10,000 current students on Start, Grow, and Expand |
| Payouts | Daily, about 2 business days after each sale, in 41 countries | 2 business days in the US, 3 in Canada, the UK, and the EU, in 36 countries |
| Custom domain | Builder and up | Every plan |
| Free trial | Free trial plus 30-day money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| You keep on $1,000 a month | $880 | $855 |
| You keep on $10,000 a month | $9,601 | $9,531 |
| Our score | 7.5 out of 10 | 7.4 out of 10 |
What you keep on $1,000 a month
Both platforms paid in $150 payments by US cards, each on whichever plan leaves you the most. The blue is yours. The hatched part is fees.
| Platform and plan | Share kept versus fees | You keep | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| TeachableBuilder | $880 | −$120 | |
| ThinkificStart | $855 | −$145 |
On $10,000 a month: Teachable $9,601, Thinkific $9,531. How we calculate this.
Pick Teachable if
- you want the cheapest fee-free plan, at $89 a month.
- you want sales tax and VAT calculated, collected, and remitted for you in 45+ markets.
- you need built-in email marketing without paying $219 a month.
Pick Thinkific if
- you issue certificates or grade assignments and do not want to pay $189 for them.
- you sell seats to companies and need B2B invoicing.
- you give away free courses at scale, since its plans include up to 10,000 current students while Teachable charges $0.50 a month per free student above 100.
Which is cheaper, Teachable or Thinkific?
Teachable is cheaper. Builder costs $89 a month and Thinkific Start costs $109, both with no platform fee and a 2.9% + $0.30 US card rate. Thinkific also adds a 0.5% sales tax fee to every paid US sale, even when the tax works out to $0.
From one-time US card sales of $150 each, Teachable Builder leaves $880 of $1,000 and Thinkific Start leaves $855. At $10,000 a month, the figures are $9,601 and $9,531. Billed annually, the gap is $13 a month: $69 against $82.
The exception is free students. Teachable charges $0.50 a month for each student above 100 who holds a free, imported, or manual enrollment. If you run a free course with thousands of signups, Thinkific's 10,000 current student allowance is the cheaper deal.
Which has better course tools?
Thinkific does. Its $109 Start plan includes quizzes, assignments, branded certificates, and live cohorts with Zoom sessions, bookable calendars, and attendance tracking. Grow adds exams and question banks.
Teachable includes quizzes, short answer assessments, and drip content on every plan, but certificates wait until the $189 Growth plan. Read the full Teachable review and Thinkific review for plan details.
Which is better for email?
Teachable is better on a budget. Built-in email marketing starts on the $89 Builder plan, while Thinkific holds bulk email to students until the $219 Grow plan.
Thinkific Start does include email automation with ready-made templates and pre-built sequences, plus abandoned cart emails. For newsletters and launch broadcasts on Start, you will need a separate email tool.
Frequently asked questions
Does Teachable or Thinkific take a cut of sales?
Thinkific takes no cut through Thinkific Payments. Teachable takes 7.5% on Starter and nothing on Builder and up. Both charge 2.9% + $0.30 per US card sale on their built-in payments, and Thinkific adds a 0.5% sales tax fee on paid US sales.
Do Teachable and Thinkific have free plans?
No. Neither has a free plan as of October 2026. Thinkific offers a 30-day free trial, and Teachable offers a free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Which pays out faster, Teachable or Thinkific?
They are close for US sellers. Teachable Payments pays daily, about 2 business days after each sale. Thinkific Payments pays US businesses on a 2-business-day schedule and Canada, the UK, and the EU in 3.