Teachable vs Thinkific (2026): Which Course Platform Wins?

Teachable and Thinkific are the two classic course platforms, and they've grown apart. Teachable has stayed cheaper to start, with student apps on every plan and tax handled on its own payments. Thinkific has moved up-market: unlimited courses, communities and live lessons on every plan, an enterprise tier, and a higher entry price.

This comparison uses only what each company publishes on its own pricing and help pages, checked in October 2026.

The short answer

Choose Teachable if you're starting out or watching costs: it's $39 a month (or $89 to drop the 7.5% fee), every plan has student apps, and Teachable Payments remits sales tax for you. Choose Thinkific if you're established and want unlimited courses, communities, Zoom lessons and certificates on every plan, from $109 a month.

Key takeaways

• Teachable costs $39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 billed yearly); Thinkific costs $109, $219 or $499 ($82, $164 or $374 billed yearly).
• Teachable limits products to 5, 10 or 50 and keeps certificates for Growth; Thinkific has unlimited courses and certificates on every plan.
• Teachable includes iOS and Android student apps on every plan; Thinkific sells a branded app as a $199-a-month add-on.
• Both take 0% on their own payment systems (Teachable above Starter); Thinkific adds a gateway fee if you connect your own Stripe or PayPal.

Disclosure: we make Klasira, one of the platforms on this list. Every other product's details come from its own public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end. We include each one's real strengths, and say who it suits better than us.

How we compared them

We read both vendors' pricing pages and help articles in October 2026 and compared price, fees, limits, teaching and community features, apps, tax and payouts. We make Klasira, a competing course platform; it isn't one of the two being compared, so it appears once, at the end, as a third option.

At a glance

Teachable and Thinkific, one at a time

1. Teachable

Best for: Creators who want student apps and tax handled for them
Price: $39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 yearly). Fee: 7.5% on Starter; 0% above.

Teachable sells courses, coaching and downloads, with student apps on every plan and its own payment system that calculates, collects and remits sales tax and VAT. Certificates need the Growth plan, and affiliates and built-in email start on Builder.

Teachable's plans differ in products, admins and features. Starter allows 5 products and 1 admin with a 7.5% fee per sale; Builder raises that to 10 products, removes the fee on Teachable Payments and adds affiliates; Growth allows 50 products and 5 admins and adds certificates.

Its biggest practical advantage is tax: on Teachable Payments it calculates, collects and remits sales tax and VAT in the US, the EU and UK and more than 20 other markets where the law requires it. If you connect your own gateway instead, collecting and remitting tax becomes your job.

Where it shines: Student apps, tax remitted on Teachable Payments, a large creator base, payment plans up to 36 months.

Watch out for: 7.5% fee on Starter; certificates only on Growth; product limits of 5, 10 or 50 by plan.

2. Thinkific

Best for: Established course businesses that want unlimited courses and deep commerce tools
Price: $109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 yearly). Fee: 0% on Thinkific Payments; 0.5% to 2% on direct Stripe.

Thinkific offers unlimited courses on every plan, quizzes, assignments, certificates, communities, Zoom sessions inside courses, and commerce tools such as order bumps, payment plans, bundles and gifting. Thinkific Payments remits US and Canadian sales tax. Plus adds SSO, SCORM and learning paths.

Every Thinkific plan includes unlimited courses, completion certificates, payment plans, affiliate reporting, paid memberships, communities (1 on Start, 3 on Grow, 10 on Expand) and Zoom meetings and webinars. Grow adds bulk CSV import, branding removal, bulk email and an API with webhooks; Plus adds SCORM, exams, single sign-on and advanced reporting.

On Thinkific Payments there's no gateway fee, and Thinkific puts its standard processing at 2.9%; it notes extra fees on Apple Pay, Google Pay and in some countries. Connect your own Stripe or PayPal and a third-party gateway fee applies, varying by plan.

Where it shines: Unlimited courses, mature commerce, live sessions in courses, an enterprise tier.

Watch out for: Highest entry price here; a gateway fee if you connect your own Stripe; 0.7% extra on Thinkific Payments for subscriptions and payment plans.

Teachable vs Thinkific pricing, plan by plan

What each costs on real sales

Here's a month at $1,000 and at $5,000 of course sales, on monthly billing: the plan price plus each platform's own fee. Card processing (about 2.9% + 30¢ per US card on either) comes on top.

On price alone, Teachable Builder and Thinkific Start are close; the choice comes down to limits and features. Builder caps you at 10 products and leaves out certificates, while Start has unlimited courses, certificates and a community but no student app.

Where Teachable is the better choice

• Getting started: $39 a month to test an idea, and $89 for 0% fees.
• Student apps: iOS and Android apps on every plan, at no extra cost.
• Tax: sales tax and VAT remitted for you in many more markets on Teachable Payments.

Where Thinkific is the better choice

• Catalog size: unlimited courses on every plan, against Teachable's 5, 10 or 50 products.
• Teaching and community: certificates, communities and Zoom lessons on the entry plan.
• Training teams: Plus adds SCORM, exams and single sign-on.
• A longer trial: 30 days to build a real course before you pay.

Which one for your situation?

• Testing a first course: Teachable Starter, or Thinkific's 30-day trial if you'd rather build the whole course before paying anything.
• A catalog of more than 10 courses: Thinkific. Teachable Builder stops at 10 products and Growth at 50.
• Cohorts with live calls: Thinkific, with Zoom meetings and webinars on every plan.
• Students who learn on their phones: Teachable, with apps on every plan; Thinkific's branded app costs $199 a month extra.
• Selling into the EU and UK: Teachable on Teachable Payments, which remits VAT; Thinkific Payments remits US and Canadian sales tax.

A third option: Klasira

If neither fits, Klasira (the platform we make) is a newer option. It takes 0% of each sale on every plan, pays into your own Stripe account with no gateway fee, and includes quizzes, assignments, certificates, drip schedules, a community, affiliates and order bumps. Against these two it has real gaps: no mobile app, no live classes or webinars, no SCORM, no importer for Teachable or Thinkific courses and a short track record, and tax registration and filing stay with you. We compare it with each in Klasira vs Teachable and Klasira vs Thinkific.

How to choose

• First course, tight budget: Teachable Starter to test, then Builder.
• Students learn on their phones: Teachable, for apps on every plan.
• Selling worldwide and want tax handled: Teachable, on Teachable Payments.
• More than 10 courses, or certificates on a mid-priced plan: Thinkific.
• Corporate training with SCORM: Thinkific Plus.

Frequently asked questions

Is Teachable or Thinkific better for beginners?

Teachable is usually easier on the budget: $39 a month to start and student apps included. Thinkific's 30-day trial gives you longer to build, but its cheapest plan is $109 a month.

Which is cheaper, Teachable or Thinkific?

Teachable. Its plans cost $39, $89 or $189 a month against Thinkific's $109, $219 or $499. Teachable Starter adds 7.5% per sale, so compare Builder ($89) with Thinkific Start ($109).

Does Thinkific have a mobile app?

Thinkific sells a branded mobile app as an add-on at $199 a month, included on select Plus plans. Teachable includes iOS and Android student apps on every plan.

Does Teachable or Thinkific charge transaction fees?

Teachable charges 7.5% on Starter and 0% on Builder and Growth with Teachable Payments. Thinkific charges no gateway fee on Thinkific Payments but adds one, varying by plan, if you use your own Stripe or PayPal.

Can I move from Teachable to Thinkific?

Yes. Export your students as a CSV and import them; Thinkific's bulk CSV import starts on Grow. Course content is uploaded again and rebuilt.

Try Klasira with your own course

If you'd rather keep every sale in your own Stripe and can do without an app, try Klasira as a third option. Pick a theme, add one course and connect Stripe, then judge it on your own material. Start your school or see pricing.

Related: Kajabi vs Teachable, Thinkific alternatives, Teachable alternatives, all course platform comparisons.

Sources

Details about other companies in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products, prices and rules change, so confirm with each source before you decide.

• Teachable pricing
• Teachable: how Teachable handles tax
• Thinkific pricing
• Thinkific: accept payments with Stripe
• Teachable: get paid with Teachable Payments