Thinkific has an impressive range of course, community, and membership features for online sellers.
However, when it comes to website building, funnel creation, and marketing its features are lacking.
Therefore, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of 10 Thinkific alternatives for you to consider.
Key Takeaways:
- Kajabi is our recommended Thinkific alternative with starting plans at $149 per month
- Another great alternative is Systeme.io, which has a Free Plan available
- There are a range of other platforms designed to suit all users’ needs
| Platform | Plan Costs from | Free Trial or Plan? |
|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | $149 | 14-Day |
| Systeme.io | $0/month | Free Plan Available |
| LearnWorlds | $24/month | 30-Day Trial |
| Mighty Networks | $33/month | 14-Day Trial |
| ClickFunnels 2.0 | $127/month | 14-Day Trial |
| Kartra | $99/month | $1 14-Day Trial |
| Teachable | $0/month | Free Plan Available |
| Podia | $0/month | Free Plan Available |
| GoHighLevel | $97/month | 14-Day Trial |
| New Zenler | $67/month | Beta Plan Available |
10 Thinkific Alternatives
1. Kajabi
Kajabi is a powerful platform built for creating, hosting, and selling digital content.
The types of digital products the platform supports include:
- Online Courses
- Podcasts
- Coaching
- Memberships
- Communities
In addition, to help customers sell products, Kajabi has native builder tools for websites, funnels, pages, and emails.
Other platform tools include payment processing, contact management, analytics, and an app.
Why Choose Kajabi over Thinkific?
- More Digital Content Forms – Kajabi lets customers host podcasts and coaching using its native features. To offer these on Thinkific, you would have to use a third-party provider.
- Mobile App – Thinkific doesn’t provide users with a mobile app feature; instead, customers have to access the course and community content through their mobile or desktop browser. In contrast, Kajabi offers a premium mobile app as a native feature.
- Website Tools – Kajabi subscribers can create a complete website on the platform using its drag-and-drop builder. Although Thinkific does offer a site builder, the tools are more limited when you compare the two platforms.
- Email Tools – Kajabi also has more powerful tools that let customers create emails and flows.
- Funnels – Thinkific doesn’t support funnels, which can be very restrictive for course and community providers. On the other hand, Kajabi offers a comprehensive funnel builder.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Kajabi
- Thinkific is primarily a course and community provider and hasn’t expanded into other content forms such as podcasts and coaching as Kajabi has.
- Kajabi has more powerful selling and marketing tools like email, pages, funnels, and websites.
- Kajabi also has core features, such as memberships and native live video.
Thinkific and Kajabi Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | $149/month | $399/month | 3 | 14-Day Free Trial |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
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2. Systeme.io
Systeme.io is an all-encompassing marketing platform that lets you sell physical and digital products.
The platform’s features include:
- Funnels
- Email marketing
- Website builder
- Affiliate program manager
- Business automation
- Evergreen webinars
- Online courses
- Communities
- Blogging
- Sell products
Other advanced tools to increase sales include one-click upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, and automation rules.
Why Choose Systeme.io over Thinkific?
- Fully Integrated – For sellers looking to scale their courses business, they’ll quickly become frustrated with Thinkific’s lack of marketing tools and the need for third-party integrations. However, if you’re using Systeme.io, you will not have the same issues.
- More Features – Thinkific’s main features include its community and course tools; Systeme.io has both features and many others.
- Webinars and Funnels – Most course sellers, especially high-ticket ones, will use webinars and funnels as part of their marketing campaigns. Systeme.io has both features, whereas Thinkific doesn’t offer either.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Systeme.io
- Systeme.io was built primarily to be a full-stack marketing tool; therefore, it lacks certain advanced course and community features.
- Systeme.io also has a lot more powerful marketing and automation features, such as automated webinars, funnels, a blog, and business automation.
- Thinkific was designed as a course and community platform, whereas Systeme.io was created to be an integrated marketing platform.
- On Systeme.io, you can access almost all features and tools in a limited capacity; in contrast, Thinkific limits many features for higher-paid plans.
Thinkific and Systeme.io Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | $0/month | $97/month | 4 | Free Plan Available |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
3. LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is a platform designed to create, host, and sell online courses.
Some of LearnWorlds’ powerful course features and tools include:
- Interactive video
- Live sessions
- Assessment builder
- Survey builderÂ
- Course insights reporting
- SCORM
- API integrations
In addition to the course tools, LearnWorlds also provides users with features to promote and sell their content, which includes the landing page and website builders.
Why Choose LearnWorlds over Thinkific?
- LearnWorlds also supports coaching programs, which can be sold to course members to improve their results. Thinkific doesn’t offer any specific coaching features. Instead, you have to use a few different tools together to cobble together a similar coaching product.
- LearnWorlds can also be used by professional institutions, as it’s SCORM compliant.
- The platform supports the selling of courses on other platforms, such as Shopify. This means businesses looking to sell a course to complement a physical product can use LearnWorlds.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and LearnWorlds
- Thinkific has community features for creators to sell access to; in contrast, LearnWorlds doesn’t offer any. If you want to incorporate a community, you will have to use a third-party provider.
- LearnWorlds is SCORM compliant; moreover, SCORM courses can be uploaded directly to the platform – Thinkific is not SCORM compliant.
- LearnWorlds has more powerful course features when compared to Thinkific. Examples of this include mixing e-books and videos into course evaluations, SCORM packages, and 1:1 meetings.
- The LearnWorlds platform also lets users host courses on their native iOS and Android Apps. In contrast, all Thinkific content is limited to a web browser.
Thinkific and LearnWorlds Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LearnWorlds | $24/month | Not Disclosed | 4 | Free 30-Day Trial |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
Mighty Networks is a platform focused on courses and communities. They let users create, host, and sell them through the platform.
To help creators scale their businesses, Mighty Networks offers the following features and tools:
- Mobile apps
- Branded apps
- Messaging and chat
- Native live streaming
- Online and in-person events
- API integration
Why Choose Mighty Networks over Thinkific?
- Mighty Networks supports payment and management of in-person events; this feature is not currently available on Thinkific.
- Another feature only available on Mighty Networks is the member chat feature, which allows for direct messages between community members.
- For full API access, you must opt for Mighty Networks’ Business Plan, which costs $99 monthly. However, to use this feature on Thinkific, customers would have to subscribe to the $149 monthly plan, which is much more expensive.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Mighty Networks
- Native Live Streaming – On Mighty Networks, users can live stream using its native feature. On the other hand, Thinkific customers have to use Zoom direct integration or another third-party platform.
- Apps – Mighty Networks offers iOS and Android apps to all customers, and if they want their own branded app, they can also upgrade to create one.
- Number of Plans – Thinkific offers six subscription plans for their customers to pick from; in contrast, Mighty Networks only offers three.
- Pricing – Thinkific’s entry-level offering is its Free plan, whereas Mighty Networks’ lowest-priced plan costs $33 per month.
- NFT Token Access – A feature unique to Mighty Networks is that they let creators offer course, community, and membership access to crypto token owners.
Thinkific and Mighty Networks Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Networks | $33/month | Not Disclosed | 3 | Free 14-Day Trial |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
ClickFunnels 2.0 is an online platform used to market, host, and sell digital and physical products.
Why Choose ClickFunnels 2.0 over Thinkific?
- If you want to sell and market your courses, you’ll likely want to build a comprehensive funnel and maybe include a webinar. ClickFunnels 2.0 has both funnel and workflow features for users.
- For businesses that sell other digital and physical products in addition to their course, ClickFunnels 2.0 can handle the fulfillment.
- ClickFunnels 2.0 has a Workflows feature, which offers more advanced marketing automation than Thinkific has.
- Another feature the platform has is a Membership Area. Each customer can create an account and access their own personal dashboard containing all their products. This makes it very easy for customers to locate and consume their purchases.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and ClickFunnels 2.0
- Native Community – ClickFunnels 2.0 does not offer a native community feature. Customers who want to build a community will have to use a third-party platform.
- Pricing – ClickFunnels 2.0 pricing starts at $147 per month when paid monthly. Compared to Thinkific, which offers a Free Plan, this is much more costly.
- Physical Products – By using ClickFunnels 2.0’s e-commerce feature, users can also sell physical products to customers; Thinkific doesn’t allow the sale and fulfillment of physical products.
- CRM – ClickFunnels 2.0 has a CRM platform, which makes contact organization and management easy. Thinkific doesn’t offer any CRM features.
- Blog – Thinkific offers no native blogging feature; as a workaround, users have to either use pages or link to their blog on a third-party platform.
Thinkific and ClickFunnels 2.0 Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClickFunnels 2.0 | $127/month | $208 | 3 | Free 14-Day Trial |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
6. Kartra
Kartra is an all-in-one website and funnel builder, checkout provider, and online sales platform.
The primary products sold through Kartra are courses and memberships.
Other features and tools available on the platform:
- Pages
- Lead forms
- Help desks
- Survey and quizzes
- Affiliates
- Agency
Why Choose Kartra over Thinkific?
- Kartra has many lead-generation features that let users build pages and funnels to collect potential clients’ information. The platform can support you if you run a lead generation funnel to sell your course or community access.
- The platform also has an agency feature, which allows customers to run marketing campaigns on behalf of clients. Â
- Kartra has a calendar schedule for you to arrange calls with potential clients. For high-ticket products, such as courses, a sales call may increase sales.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Kartra
- Kartra is more focused on being a marketing and checkout solution that also enables customers to sell courses. Thinkific is focused on courses and communities.
- Most of the platform’s features are also geared towards lead generation using email. Course creators can also use these tools to market and sell their products.
- Although Kartra does offer limited community features through its membership site tool, its capabilities are less extensive.
- Kartra’s pricing starts a lot higher at $99 per month, whereas Thinkific offers a Free subscription plan.
Thinkific and Kartra Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kartra | $99/month | $499 | 4 | $1, 14-Day Trial |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
7. Teachable
Teachable has been designed to empower digital creators to monetize their skills.
Creators can create, host, and sell online courses, coaching, digital downloadables, and physical products.
Why Choose Teachable over Thinkific?
- Teachable has a better UX and design than Thinkific. For example, its course builder is cleaner and easier to use.
- There are several products that can be created, hosted, and sold on Teachable that can’t be on Thinkific – for example, coaching, audio, and templates.
- Teachable has a Tax Handling feature, which aids creators in configuring and applying the correct sales tax brackets to each order; Thinkific doesn’t currently offer this.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Teachable
- Coaching – On Teachable, customers can create, sell, and host online coaching programs, which can increase revenue.
- Physical Products – Teachable also lets users list and sell physical products.
- Community Pricing – Thinkific offers a community as a core feature on all subscription plans, whereas on Teachable, you have to subscribe to a paid plan to create one.
- Max Students – Thinkific’s free plan allows for unlimited student course enrollment, whereas Teachable caps the free plan’s capacity at 100 students.
Thinkific and Teachable Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | $0/month | $375/month | 4 | Free Plan Available |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
8. Podia
Podia is an online platform designed to sell digital products. It lets you create a website, sell digital and physical products, and sell community access.
Some of Podia’s features and tools:
- Online courses
- Digital downloadables
- Webinars and workshops
- Coaching and consultation
- Affiliate marketing
- Email marketing
Why Choose Podia over Thinkific?
- Podia lets users create and sell a wider range of products, including webinars, workshops, coaching, and consultation.
- The platform offers direct integration with Zoom and YouTube, whereas Thinkific is limited to Zoom.
- Webinars are a Podia feature, allowing customers to host, record, and sell access.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and Podia
- Transaction Fees – Podia’s free plan charges an 8% transaction fee, whereas Thinkific’s Free Plan charges 0% in transaction fees.
- Subscription to Sell Courses – Customers must be subscribed to the Mover or Shaker plans to sell a course.
- Three Plans – Podia only has three subscription plans that range between $0-$75 per month. In contrast, Thinkific has seven, which start at $0 and the highest reportedly costing hundreds per month.
Thinkific and Podia Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Podia | $0/month | $75/month | 3 | Free Plan Available |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
9. GoHighLevel
GoHighLevel is an online platform primarily designed for marketing agencies to run lead-generation campaigns for clients.
The platform’s features make capturing, nurturing, and closing leads easy.
Despite being predominantly used as a lead-generation platform, GoHighLevel also lets users sell courses in its membership site area.
Why Choose GoHighLevel over Thinkific?
- If you’re looking to sell high-ticket courses or to businesses, then the lead generation and marketing features will make it easier to manage the sales cycle.
- GoHighLevel also lets you set up and create communities for clients inside of the membership site area. If an agency wanted to set up a new community on Thinkific, it would need to purchase another account.
- GoHighLevel allows customers to sell white-labeled access to the platform, which is unavailable on Thinkific.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and GoHighLevel
- Thinkific was designed for courses, communities, and membership businesses, whereas GoHighLevel was designed for lead generation agencies.
- GoHighLevel has a white-label app feature, meaning your clients can download it on their mobile devices.
- The platform also has a sales pipeline, which allows you to track each prospective client.
Thinkific and GoHighLevel Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoHighLevel | $97/month | $297/month | 2 | 14-Day Free Trial |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
10. New Zenler
New Zenler is a course platform built around sales and marketing.
This means that they offer funnel building, email marketing, and automation in addition to powerful course creation features.
Why Choose New Zenler over Thinkific?
- New Zenler has more marketing tools to help promote and sell courses. For example, you can design multi-step funnels, design landing pages, and set up email campaigns.
- Moreover, if you want to customize your pages fully, then New Zenler offers more options.
Key Differences Between Thinkific and New Zenler
- Marketing Focus – New Zenler is focused on making the best course marketing tools. Thinkific is more centered around the course and community building.
- Blog – The platform also has a blogging feature, which course creators can use to generate traffic and sales. Thinkific does not have any blogging tools.
- Plans and Pricing – New Zenler only has two subscription plans; the lowest is priced at $67 per month. In contrast, Thinkific has six plans which include a Free option.
Thinkific and New Zenler Cost Comparison
| Platform | Lowest-Tier Plan | Highest-Tier Plan | No. of Plans Available | Free Plan or Trial? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zenler | $67/month | $197/month | 2 | Beta Plan |
| Thinkific | $0/month | Not Disclosed | 6 | Free Plan Available |
Considerations when Picking a Thinkific Alternative
Before picking a Thinkific alternative platform, there are four things you must consider:
- Features – The most important consideration is the features that your business needs. You should consider your needs and ensure the prospective platform meets or exceeds them.
- Pricing – Thinkific has a Free plan and a few subscription offerings that cost less than $100 per month. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether the new platform can compete on price.
- Marketing Tools – The Thinkific platform has only basic marketing tools and automation; therefore, when choosing another platform, you should look for one with many options.
- Website and Funnel Builder – Two weak areas for Thinkific are the website builder and the absence of funnels. Therefore, if these are essential tools for you, review the new platform to ensure they have them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Thinkific Alternative?
Our best-rated Thinkific alternative is Kajabi. In addition to having almost all the same features as Thinkific, it also has coaching, podcasting, and a funnel builder tool.
Is There a Free Thinkific Alternative?
Yes, several Thinkific alternatives with free plans exist, such as Systeme.io, Teachable, Podia, and New Zenler.
Is There a Cheaper Thinkific Alternative?
Thinkific’s entry-level plan costs $0 per month; therefore, there isn’t a cheaper plan. However, regarding value for money, platforms such as LearnWorlds, Teachable, and Podia have similar and, in some cases, more features for around the same price.
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