If you’re reviewing your options for the top online Online Course platforms or Learning Management Systems, you’ve undoubtedly shortlisted Thinkific and Moodle. You might also be wondering how these platforms compare.
Thinkific is a well-known all-in-one platform that aids you in creating and marketing your specific online courses.
On the other hand, Moodle is a Learning Management System (LMS) that supports training and learning requirements.
It’s crucial to note that these two platforms, while both exceptional in their own right, are very different. Deciding the right one depends on your aspirations for building your online courses.
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Thinkific
Thinkific platform has four pricing plans ranging from free to $499 per month. Features include website builder customization, the drag and drop editor for creating great curriculum content, and integrated marketing and business tools to help sell your online courses.
Launching of membership sites is available when signing up for the Pro Plan upwards. Additional subscription fees are applicable with the Growth package add-on feature for Pro Plan users.
Moodle
Moodle offers educators and learners a secure system to create customized learning environments for different types of organizations.
As an LMS platform, Moodle offers ease of integration as well as effective reporting and tracking. With a free 45 day trial period, users can utilize the system and determine their requirements before selecting an affordable package.
Thinkific vs. Moodle at a Glance
| Thinkific | Moodle | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Yes, 14 days. | Yes, 45 days for all of Moodle’s paid plans. |
| Pricing Range | Free – $0/month Basic Plan – $49/month Pro Plan – $99/month Premier Plan – $499/month *Save 20% when you pay annually ** Growth Package add-on with Pro Plan (costs based on active students) | Free to start, with minimal features. Paid plans include hosting and no-coding features. Starter – 50 users Mini – 100 users Small – 200 users Medium – 500 users Large – 1000 users |
| Best For | Small businesses, consultants, coaches, authors, speakers, trainers, schooling programs | Schools, Universities, Non-profit organizations, Enterprise organizations, Vocational Education |
| User Interface Features | Personalized dashboard Live to-date progress tracker Standardized design Easy to read/analyze reports Content easy to locate | Personalized dashboard All-in-one calendar Notifications Progress tracker Collaborative tools |
| Online Courses | White/black course theme options Course category option to organize courses Download & audio content types SSO & segment | ntuitive text editor Customizable design options Mass enrolment options Multilingual capability Bulk course creation Supports open standards |
| Student Experience Features | Course bundles Course reviews Custom domains Course categories Analytics and reporting | Open Source Mobile learning Easy Integration Flexible learning Security Privacy |
As an overview of these two products, it’s important to consider the following:
- The Thinkific interface is currently more user-friendly than Moodle’s, with easy navigation and customizable dashboards.
- While the Moodle platform might be cheaper, it has limited features.
- Thinkific specifically aims at small businesses and consultants who provide training. Moodle aims at schools or universities.
- When it comes to course content, Thinkific offers audiovisual additions in the form of images and videos.
- Both platforms offer free trial periods, Thinkific with 14 days and Moodle with 45 days. Both free trial periods allow users to familiarise themselves with the platform and determine which purchase plan will suit their requirements.
- Moodle has a limit for active users allowed on each plan. Thinkific, however, has no limits on student numbers.
Thinkific vs. Moodle: Pricing Comparison
Thinkific Pricing:
- Free plan includes audio, video, and PDF hosting, unlimited students, and limited courses. Doesn’t support custom domain or membership sites.
- Basic Plan is$49 per month or $39 per month if paid annually and includes coupons, bulk emailing, affiliate reporting, custom domain, and allows unlimited courses and students. Doesn’t support membership sites.
- Pro Plan is $99 per month or $89 per month if paid annually and includes site and admin course accounts, flexible pricing, and membership sites, allows unlimited students and courses.
- Premier Plan is $499 per month or $399 per month if paid annually and includes group analysts, SSO, onboarding packages, and no limits on students or courses.
Moodle Pricing:
Moodle offers the same features across all of its platforms. The main differences stem from data storage options and maximum user limits. The top features offered across all platforms include web conferencing, automated back-ups, and document converters. Look at the prices and storage differences below:
- The Starter plan sells for $80 per year, can accommodate 50 users, and provides 200MB of storage.
- The Mini plan accommodates 100 users, costs $250 per year, and offers 200MB storage.
- The Small plan costs $500 per year with 400MB storage and 200 maximum users.
- The Medium plan will allow 200 users, offering 400MB of storage for $500 per year.
With the options available, Thinkific would be a more cost-effective option.
The unlimited courses and students on the Essential, Business, and Advanced Thinkific plans allow for the growth and expansion of your courses.
Thinkific’s affordable pricing plans offer a range of core features compared to AccessAlly’s three pricing plans at slightly higher costs but with more advanced features.
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Thinkific vs. Moodle: A Comparison of Features and Tools
When choosing the perfect platform to host your training courses, it’s important to consider certain features. These features, including online courses, analytics, and user experience, will make a difference to your courses.
The two platforms assist you in providing training material and skills throughout your organization, so they need to be productive and user-friendly. The features offered by each platform could be the deciding factor between the two.
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Online Courses
The success of a learning platform is measured by how easily its online courses are designed and received by students. Thinkific online courses allow users to educate an unlimited number of students with simple automation and effective customization.
The reach of Moodle’s online courses depends on the plan purchased. The huge drawback with Moodle’s online courses is that the platform may struggle to cope with much larger projects.
Which Platform Offers a Better Solution for Hosting Online Courses?
Thinkific outperforms Moodle when hosting online courses. It features an intuitive drag-and-drop visual course creator that allows the designer to create interactive and engaging courses.
Sales & Marketing Features
It might be challenging for you to choose a clear winner between these two platforms on sales and marketing features. Both platforms offer coupons with discount codes and promotional options, but Thinkific takes the edge.
Which Platform Offers Better Sales & Marketing Solutions?
Despite both platform sales and marketing features, Thinkific goes a step further by offering a guide to attracting students before creating courses. This knowledge is available on the Thinkific blog in the form of a 55-tip guide. Pointers include promoting your courses on social media and using keyword searches to create engaging course titles.
Student Experience Features
A student’s experience on your platform will determine if they stay on the platform or look for something else. The student experience feature on both Moodle and Thinkific aims to give students the best interactive experience.
Which Platform Offers Better Student Experience?
Moodle released its new interface in May 2021, with a promise to streamline the process of planning and working on its platform. Thinkific, however, has had the student experience at the forefront from the onset. Given its host of features such as purchasing multiple courses, quizzes, and a user-friendly dashboard, Thinkific just performs better.
Analytics Features
Analytics features provide you with information on page views and the progress of students on the courses. Moodle’s Learning Analytics API provides indicators that a teacher uses to keep the course on track. Thinkific makes use of their own native analytics system as well as Google Analytics to track visitor activity on your different course pages.
Which Platform Offers Better Analytics Features?
While Google Analytics is a powerful and popular tool on its own, the Moodle Learning API feature is impressive. Several indicators and reports available make it easy for teachers to track student progress. Indicators tell instructors which students are at risk of failing.
Final Thoughts
- Choose Thinkific if: you’re simply basing your training toward coaching, membership, or smaller commercial courses. Thinkific focuses on an extensive teacher and student experience. The platform’s free plan is a very helpful way to test the system and determine what plan will suit your course requirements the best.
- Choose Moodle if: you plan to grow your courses into an extensive online school because it’s potentially more scalable (at higher levels) than Thinkific. The blended learning features and ease of access might be more beneficial to a bulk course requirement.
Based on my comprehensive research, I’ve found that Thinkific generally meets the needs of businesses better than the options offered by Moodle. Despite being more expensive, Thinkific offers more features with its plans. Since Thinkific offers unlimited courses and students on most of its plans, this makes it a clear winner!
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