7 Best Thinkific Alternatives in 2026 (Cheaper Options Too)
Thinkific starts at $109 a month. Seven alternatives compared on price, transaction fees, payouts and apps, with a year of costs worked out for each.
Thinkific is a capable course platform: unlimited courses, certificates, payment plans, communities and Zoom lessons on every plan. It also has the highest entry price of the mainstream course platforms, $109 a month or $82 billed yearly, and no free plan.
Creators look elsewhere when that price outruns their sales, when they want to sell through their own Stripe account without a gateway fee, or when they want a student app without Thinkific's $199-a-month branded app add-on. Here are seven alternatives and what each one costs over a year.
The short answer
The best Thinkific alternative depends on what you need to keep. For a cheaper start with student apps, Teachable. For 0% fees and payouts to your own Stripe with quizzes, certificates and a community, Klasira. For an all-in-one with marketing, Kajabi. For a simple site with events, Podia. For SCORM and corporate training, LearnWorlds. For the lowest cost, systeme.io or Payhip.
Key takeaways
- Thinkific costs $109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 billed yearly), with a 30-day free trial and no free plan.
- On Thinkific Payments there's no gateway fee; connect your own Stripe or PayPal and a third-party gateway fee applies, varying by plan.
- Teachable, Podia, LearnWorlds, systeme.io and Payhip all start lower; systeme.io and Payhip have free plans.
- Few alternatives match Thinkific's unlimited courses, communities and Zoom lessons on the entry plan, so list what you use before you move.
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 picked the platforms Thinkific users most often compare it with, plus two low-cost options, and checked each one's pricing and help pages in October 2026. We compared monthly and yearly price, fees per sale, payouts, student apps, and the Thinkific features each one can and can't replace.
At a glance
| Platform | Price | Transaction fee | How you're paid | Student app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific | $109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 yearly) | 0% on Thinkific Payments; 0.5% to 2% on direct Stripe | Thinkific Payments daily (2 business days in the US), or your own Stripe | Branded app as a $199/month add-on |
| Klasira | See Klasira's pricing; 0% transaction fees | 0% | Your own Stripe account, on Stripe's schedule | No |
| Teachable | $39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 yearly) | 7.5% on Starter; 0% above | Teachable Payments, daily (about 2 business days after a sale) | Yes, iOS and Android |
| Kajabi | $179, $249 or $499 a month ($143, $199 or $399 yearly) | 0% on Kajabi Payments or PayPal; 0.5% to 2% on other processors | Kajabi Payments, monthly with a 7-business-day delay for new accounts | Yes; branded app on Pro |
| Podia | $49, $99 or $179 a month ($42, $84 or $150 yearly) | 5% on Mover; 0% above | Your own Stripe or PayPal (PayPal on Shaker and up) | No |
| LearnWorlds | $49, $99 or $299 a month ($44, $79 or $249 yearly) | $5 per paid enrollment on Starter; none above | Your own Stripe, PayPal or Shopify | Branded app as an add-on |
| systeme.io | Free, $17, $47 or $97 a month | 0% on every plan | Your own Stripe or PayPal (other gateways too) | None found |
| Payhip | Free, $29 or $99 a month | 5% on Free; 2% on Plus; 0% on Pro | Straight to your PayPal or Stripe after each sale | No student app found |
The platforms, one by one
1. Klasira
Best for: Creators who want a designed school, 0% transaction fees and every sale paid into their own Stripe account
Price: See Klasira's pricing; 0% transaction fees. Fee: 0%.
Klasira is a new course platform. Against Thinkific, it keeps the teaching tools course creators use most: quizzes graded automatically with pass marks and attempt limits, assignments with feedback, certificates with a public verification link and an Add to LinkedIn button, drip schedules and course insights that show where students stop.
Selling covers one-time prices, subscriptions, bundles, payment plans, coupons, an order bump and one-click upsells, and an affiliate program, in your school's own currency (one of 19). You pick one of 15 designed themes and edit it as real pages. Every sale goes into your own Stripe account and Klasira takes 0%, so there's no gateway fee for using your own Stripe.
What it lacks against Thinkific: no Zoom or live lessons, no app (not even as an add-on), no SCORM, no importer for Thinkific courses (students move by CSV, courses are rebuilt), few integrations so far, and no long track record.
Where it shines: 0% fees with your own Stripe, quizzes, assignments and certificates, designed themes.
Watch out for: New; no live lessons, app, SCORM or course importer; you handle tax registration and filing yourself.
2. 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.
Against Thinkific: Teachable costs less at every level and includes iOS and Android student apps on every plan, where Thinkific charges $199 a month for a branded app. In return you get product limits (5, 10 or 50) and certificates only on Growth.
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.
3. Kajabi
Best for: Creators who want the most complete all-in-one and have the budget
Price: $179, $249 or $499 a month ($143, $199 or $399 yearly). Fee: 0% on Kajabi Payments or PayPal; 0.5% to 2% on other processors.
Kajabi covers courses, coaching with built-in live video, communities, newsletters and podcasts, with unlimited marketing emails, funnels and landing pages on every plan and an AI assistant called Cofounder. Affiliates and cohort courses start on Growth.
Against Thinkific: Kajabi costs more, but it also replaces your email tool, funnel builder and landing pages. If you pay for those separately next to Thinkific, compare the totals rather than the plan prices.
Where it shines: The broadest toolkit, live video coaching, a student app, unlimited marketing email.
Watch out for: Expensive; 5 products and 2,500 contacts on Basic; monthly payouts for new Kajabi Payments accounts.
4. Podia
Best for: Creators who sell courses, downloads, coaching and webinars from one simple site
Price: $49, $99 or $179 a month ($42, $84 or $150 yearly). Fee: 5% on Mover; 0% above.
Podia is an approachable all-in-one: courses, downloads, coaching, webinars and live events, a community, email marketing, and a website with a blog. Payments go to your own Stripe or PayPal, and Podia offers free migration help.
Against Thinkific: Podia is simpler and cheaper; Shaker costs less than Thinkific Start and charges no fee. The catch is email: 100, 500 or 1,000 subscribers are included, and bigger lists cost extra.
Where it shines: Simple to use, events and webinars, a website and blog, free migration help.
Watch out for: 5% fee on Mover; affiliates and upsells only from Shaker; 100, 500 or 1,000 email subscribers included by plan, more as a paid add-on; no app.
5. LearnWorlds
Best for: Training businesses that need SCORM, interactive video or white-labelling
Price: $49, $99 or $299 a month ($44, $79 or $249 yearly). Fee: $5 per paid enrollment on Starter; none above.
LearnWorlds combines a creator course platform with corporate learning features: interactive video, SCORM and HTML5 packages, learning paths, assessments, a community and, on higher plans, white-labelling, SSO and LTI. Certificates, subscriptions, payment plans and affiliates start on Pro Trainer.
Against Thinkific: LearnWorlds includes SCORM from Pro Trainer (up to 20 packages), where Thinkific keeps SCORM for Plus. Starter's $5 per enrollment makes Pro Trainer the fair comparison with Thinkific Start.
Where it shines: Corporate learning depth, interactive video, a 30-day trial, 24/7 support from Pro Trainer.
Watch out for: $5 per sale on Starter; key selling tools need Pro Trainer; more complex than creators may need.
6. systeme.io
Best for: Budget-minded creators who want funnels, email and courses on a free or cheap plan
Price: Free, $17, $47 or $97 a month. Fee: 0% on every plan.
systeme.io bundles sales funnels, email marketing, courses, a blog and an affiliate program, with 0% transaction fees. The free plan allows 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course and 500 students with unlimited email sends; Startup ($17) raises that to 5,000 contacts, 10 funnels and 5 courses, Webinar ($47) to 10,000, 50 and 20, and Unlimited ($97) removes the limits. It connects to Stripe and PayPal at no extra cost.
Against Thinkific: systeme.io costs a fraction of Thinkific and adds funnels and email automation. Its course and site design are plainer, and its limits on courses and contacts apply below Unlimited.
Where it shines: The cheapest way to get funnels, email and courses together; a usable free plan.
Watch out for: Plain course and site design; limits on contacts, funnels and courses below Unlimited; no student app found.
7. Payhip
Best for: Low-cost selling of downloads and courses, paying as you grow
Price: Free, $29 or $99 a month. Fee: 5% on Free; 2% on Plus; 0% on Pro.
Payhip gives every plan the same features and unlimited products; you choose between a higher transaction fee and a monthly price: 5% on the free plan, 2% on Plus and 0% on Pro. Payhip says it collects, reports and remits EU and UK VAT on digital sales for you.
Against Thinkific: Payhip suits creators whose course is one product among downloads and memberships. Every plan has the same features, so you choose on fees alone.
Where it shines: A real free plan, all features on every plan, instant payouts to PayPal or Stripe.
Watch out for: Simpler course and site tools than course-first platforms.
What Thinkific does better
Thinkific's entry plan is generous: unlimited courses, completion certificates, payment plans, affiliate reporting, paid memberships, a community and Zoom meetings and webinars are all on Start. Grow adds bulk CSV import, branding removal, bulk email and an API with webhooks, and Plus adds SCORM, exams and single sign-on for training teams. The 30-day trial is also one of the longest here. If you use most of that, the price may be fair.
A year on each entry plan, with $24,000 of sales
Here's a year of selling 240 courses at $100 ($24,000). The table adds the plan price for the year to what each platform takes from those sales. Card processing (about 2.9% + 30¢ per US card sale) comes on top of every row, and Thinkific notes extra fees on some payment methods and countries.
| Platform and plan | Plan cost a year | Platform fee on $24,000 | Total before processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific Start, billed yearly | $984 | $0 on Thinkific Payments | $984 |
| Teachable Starter, billed yearly | $348 | $1,800 (7.5%) | $2,148 |
| Teachable Builder, billed yearly | $828 | $0 on Teachable Payments | $828 |
| Kajabi Basic, billed yearly | $1,716 | $0 on Kajabi Payments | $1,716 |
| Podia Mover, billed yearly | $504 | $1,200 (5%) | $1,704 |
| Podia Shaker, billed yearly | $1,008 | $0 | $1,008 |
| LearnWorlds Starter, billed yearly | $528 | $1,200 ($5 x 240 enrollments) | $1,728 |
| LearnWorlds Pro Trainer, billed yearly | $948 | $0 | $948 |
| systeme.io Startup, monthly | $204 | $0 | $204 |
| Payhip Plus, monthly | $348 | $480 (2%) | $828 |
| Klasira | See pricing | $0 | Plan price only |
At this volume the cheapest options are systeme.io, then Payhip Plus and Teachable Builder, with LearnWorlds Pro Trainer and Thinkific Start close behind. The plans with a per-sale fee (Teachable Starter, Podia Mover, LearnWorlds Starter) are cheapest only while sales are small.
How to choose
- Leaving over price: Teachable Builder, systeme.io or Payhip cost less a year at most sales levels.
- Want your own Stripe with no gateway fee: Klasira, Podia, Payhip, systeme.io, or LearnWorlds from Pro Trainer.
- Want a student app without a $199 add-on: Teachable or Kajabi.
- Need SCORM or corporate training: LearnWorlds.
- Need live lessons inside courses: stay on Thinkific, or look at Kajabi or Podia.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Thinkific?
For a cheaper course platform with student apps, Teachable. For 0% fees with your own Stripe, Klasira or Podia. For an all-in-one, Kajabi. For corporate training, LearnWorlds.
What is cheaper than Thinkific?
Teachable, Podia, LearnWorlds, systeme.io and Payhip all start lower than Thinkific's $82 a month billed yearly, and systeme.io and Payhip have free plans. Add the per-sale fee before you compare: some cheap plans cost more once you sell.
Does Thinkific charge transaction fees?
Not on Thinkific Payments, where you pay the processing fee only. If you connect your own Stripe or PayPal, Thinkific adds a third-party gateway fee that varies by plan.
Is Teachable better than Thinkific?
Teachable is cheaper and includes student apps; Thinkific has unlimited courses, communities and certificates on every plan. See our Teachable vs Thinkific comparison for the detail.
Can I move my courses and students off Thinkific?
Students can come over as a CSV file on most platforms, including Klasira. Course videos and files have to be uploaded again; no platform here imports a Thinkific course directly as far as we found.
Try Klasira with your own course
If Thinkific's price is why you're looking, rebuild one course in Klasira and compare. Pick a theme, add one course and connect Stripe, then judge it on your own material. Start your school or see pricing.
Related: Thinkific pricing, Teachable vs Thinkific, Klasira vs Thinkific, course platform pricing and alternatives.
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.
More on course platform pricing and alternatives
Thinkific Pricing 2026: Plans, Fees and What It Really Costs
Teachable Pricing 2026: How Much Teachable Really Costs
7 Best Kajabi Alternatives in 2026 (Cheaper and Leaner)
Systeme.io Pricing (2026): Is the Free Plan Really Free?
7 Best Teachable Alternatives in 2026, Compared
