Thinkific and Teachable are two of the most-recommended platforms for selling online courses, but they are not the same product. Thinkific skips transaction fees entirely, gives you a solid free plan, and focuses on flexible course structure. Teachable is the older name in the space, gets you selling fast, and handles quizzes and certificates well, though it takes a cut of revenue on its cheaper plans. I built and published real courses on both, tested checkouts, and compared payouts. Here is exactly which one earns your business.
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Quick verdict
Pick Thinkific if you want zero transaction fees from day one, need the free plan to last while you find your audience, or care about flexible course customization. Pick Teachable if you prioritize a quick launch, value its quiz and certificate toolset, and are willing to pay transaction fees on lower tiers until you upgrade. For pure economics, Thinkific is the better starting point; for creators who want more assessment depth out of the box, Teachable holds its own.
Thinkific vs Teachable at a glance
The short version before the detail.
| Feature | Thinkific | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fees | None on any plan | 5% on Basic plan |
| Free plan | Yes, unlimited students | Free plan (limited) |
| Starting paid price | ~$36/mo | ~$39/mo |
| Quizzes and certificates | Good | Stronger, more configurable |
| Course builder flexibility | High | Moderate |
| Memberships and bundles | Built-in | Available, some limits by tier |
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Fee-conscious creators, free starters | Fast launchers, assessment-heavy courses |
Thinkific leads on economics; Teachable leads on assessment depth.
Pricing and transaction fees: the number that actually matters
This is where the two platforms separate most visibly. Teachable charges a 5% transaction fee on every sale made through its Basic plan. Sell a $200 course and you hand back $10 before any payment processor fees. That feels small until you multiply it across a few hundred students.
Thinkific takes no transaction fee on any plan, including its free tier. You pay the payment processor (Stripe or PayPal), and the rest is yours.
- Free plan: Thinkific’s free tier lets you list unlimited courses with no per-sale cut, which is rare. Teachable’s free plan is more limited.
- Paid plans: Both start in the $36-$39/mo range at current pricing, so the gap at the plan level is small.
- Revenue math: On $2,000/mo in course sales, Teachable’s 5% fee costs you $100 every month on the Basic plan. Thinkific costs nothing extra.
If you take the economics seriously, Thinkific is the clear choice at the lower plan tiers.
Course builder and content flexibility
Thinkific’s course builder is its strongest feature. You can arrange any mix of video, text, audio, PDFs, assignments, and quizzes in whatever order fits the learning path. Drag-and-drop reordering is reliable, and the course player looks clean on desktop and mobile without extra configuration.
Teachable’s builder is solid and fast to use. You upload, reorder, and publish quickly. Where it falls slightly behind is in layout flexibility: the course page templates have less room to customize than Thinkific’s. For a clean, standard course page, Teachable is fine; for a creator who has a specific look in mind, Thinkific gives more control.
Both platforms support drip scheduling, which releases lessons on a set timeline after enrollment. That is a standard feature at this point rather than a differentiator.
Quizzes, certificates, and student progress
This section belongs to Teachable. Its quiz engine supports multiple question formats, pass/fail grading with custom thresholds, and lesson gating so a student cannot skip ahead until they demonstrate understanding. Certificates are auto-generated on completion and look professional without extra design work.
Thinkific has quizzes and completion certificates too, but the configurability is lighter. You can ask questions and track completion, but the controls over grading rules and conditional progress are less granular. For a coaching course or personal skills class, Thinkific’s quizzes are enough. For any course where compliance, certification, or structured skill assessment matters, Teachable pulls ahead.
Who should pick which
- Choose Thinkific if: you want zero transaction fees from the start, plan to use the free plan to validate your idea before paying, need flexible course layouts, or run memberships and bundles as a core part of your business.
- Choose Teachable if: you want a fast, guided launch experience, need strong quiz and certificate tools for structured learning, or you are already on a paid plan where the transaction fee disappears.
The verdict
For most creators starting out, Thinkific is the financially smarter platform. No transaction fees, a genuinely useful free plan, and a flexible course builder make it the default recommendation. Teachable is not a bad platform, and its assessment tools are genuinely better for educators who need real quiz depth and polished auto-certificates. The best fit comes down to what you sell: pure video courses favor Thinkific; assessment-driven or certification courses favor Teachable.