Thinkific Pricing Plans: Which Thinkific Plan Is Best For You?

Are you thinking about creating and selling online courses but aren’t sure which Thinkific pricing plan to choose? You’re not alone! With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is right for your business. But don’t worry, in this review, I’ll break down all the details you need to make an informed decision about Thinkific’s pricing plans, key features, and what might work best for you.

Pricing Plans

Thinkific offers four main pricing plans, each tailored to different business needs. Here’s a breakdown of each:

1. Free Plan – $0/month
   • Ideal for individuals just starting out.
   • Limited to 3 courses and 1 admin user.
   • Basic features like course creation, quizzes, and email notifications.
2. Basic Plan – $39/month
   • Best for those who want more control and customization.
   • Includes everything in the Free plan, plus advanced integrations, email marketing, and the ability to offer coupons and discounts.
   • 1 admin user, 5 course admin users.
3. Pro Plan – $79/month
   • Aimed at growing businesses needing more tools.
   • Includes everything in the Basic plan, plus private course groups, priority support, and up to 5 admin users.
   • Ability to add more customizations with advanced integrations.
4. Premier Plan – $399/month
   • For large businesses or course creators with high-volume students.
   • Includes everything in the Pro plan, plus the option for up to 50 admin users and additional advanced features like bulk student imports and VIP support.

Key Features and Benefits

Thinkific is packed with features that make it easy for anyone to create, manage, and sell online courses. Let’s look at some of the highlights:

• Course Creation: Thinkific provides a simple drag-and-drop builder that makes creating online courses a breeze. You can add videos, quizzes, assignments, and more.
• Customization Options: With the higher-tier plans, you can fully customize your course site and branding.
• Student Management: You get tools for tracking student progress, managing enrollments, and offering certificates.
• Payment Processing: Thinkific integrates with Stripe and PayPal, allowing you to accept payments from anywhere.
• Community Building: From community forums to group discussions, Thinkific makes it easy to engage with your students.

Real User Experience

I started using Thinkific when I wanted to create an online course for my niche. Initially, I tried the Free Plan and quickly realized it was a bit too limited for what I needed. The ability to add only 3 courses wasn’t enough as I wanted to grow my offerings. When I switched to the Basic Plan, things improved. The integrations with email marketing tools like Mailchimp really helped me keep in touch with my students and potential customers.

However, I eventually moved to the Pro Plan to enjoy advanced features like private course groups and priority support. It made managing multiple courses much smoother and allowed me to scale effectively.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• User-friendly interface: Thinkific’s drag-and-drop course builder is extremely easy to use.
• Scalable plans: Whether you’re just starting or scaling a business, Thinkific offers a plan to meet your needs.
• Great customer support: Thinkific provides support via email, live chat, and even one-on-one consultations (on the higher-tier plans).
• Flexible pricing: From the Free Plan to the Premier Plan, there’s an option for every type of creator.

Cons:

• Limited features on the Free Plan: While great for beginners, the Free Plan lacks features like email marketing and advanced integrations.
• Expensive higher-tier plans: The Premier Plan, in particular, is quite costly, making it less suitable for smaller creators or those just starting out.
• Transaction fees on lower plans: Thinkific takes a cut of your sales on the Free and Basic plans, which can be frustrating for those with a lot of transactions.

Comparison With Alternatives

When it comes to online course platforms, there are several alternatives to Thinkific, including Teachable and Kajabi.

• Teachable: Their pricing plans are similar to Thinkific, with a Free Plan and paid options starting at $39/month. Teachable, however, charges transaction fees on the lower plans, which can be a dealbreaker for some. Thinkific’s no-fee structure on paid plans is an advantage here.
• Kajabi: A more premium option, Kajabi starts at $149/month, but it provides more advanced marketing automation tools and a more extensive set of features. If you’re focused on growing your online business with lots of automation and marketing features, Kajabi might be worth considering, but for simpler course creators, Thinkific is a more affordable and sufficient option.

Ideal User Profile

So, who is Thinkific best suited for?

• Beginners: If you’re just starting out and want to dip your toes into creating courses, Thinkific’s Free Plan is perfect. You can easily upgrade as your needs grow.
• Growing Businesses: The Basic and Pro Plans are perfect for those who want to expand their course offerings and gain more control over their business.
• Large Enterprises: If you’re running a high-volume course business or need extensive admin support, the Premier Plan offers the tools to scale your business efficiently.

Final Verdict

Overall, Thinkific is a solid option for anyone looking to create and sell online courses. Its user-friendly interface, robust features, and scalability make it a great choice for both beginners and growing businesses. While the higher-tier plans might feel pricey, they offer plenty of advanced tools that can help take your course business to the next level.

If you’re just starting and don’t mind limited features, the Free Plan is a good place to begin. But if you plan on growing your course library or need advanced features like community-building tools, email marketing, and integrations, the Basic or Pro plans are more suitable.

Where to Buy: You can sign up and purchase Thinkific plans directly from their official website.

In the end, Thinkific offers something for everyone. Whether you’re creating your first course or scaling a full-fledged online academy, there’s a plan that’s right for you.

FAQs

1. What’s included in the Thinkific Free Plan?

The Thinkific Free Plan is an excellent starting point for beginners who are just exploring online course creation. This plan includes the ability to create up to 3 courses, basic course creation tools, quizzes, and email notifications. However, it comes with limited features compared to paid plans. For instance, you won’t have access to advanced integrations, marketing tools like email campaigns, or customizable themes. Thinkific does not charge transaction fees on the Free Plan, but you won’t be able to use custom domains or remove Thinkific branding.

While the Free Plan is a great way to get started, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan as your course offerings expand, or if you want more advanced features like integration with email marketing tools or automated workflows.

2. How does Thinkific pricing compare to other course platforms like Teachable or Kajabi?

When comparing Thinkific pricing to competitors like Teachable and Kajabi, Thinkific tends to be a more affordable option, especially for those just starting out. For example, Thinkific’s Free Plan is a significant advantage if you’re testing the waters with online courses. Teachable and Kajabi, on the other hand, do not offer free plans and typically have higher starting prices.

Teachable starts at $39/month with transaction fees on its basic plan, which can eat into your revenue. Kajabi, a more premium option, starts at $149/month and offers more advanced features but at a much higher price. Thinkific, with its $39/month Basic Plan, includes a broad range of features without taking a cut of your course sales, which makes it a cost-effective option for growing businesses.

3. Are there any hidden fees with Thinkific’s paid plans?

One of the standout features of Thinkific pricing is its transparency. There are no hidden fees with any of the paid plans. Whether you choose the Basic, Pro, or Premier Plan, Thinkific doesn’t charge additional fees on top of the monthly subscription.

However, it’s important to note that you may incur transaction fees if you use Thinkific’s payment processor (Stripe or PayPal) to accept payments from students. These fees are set by the payment processors and not by Thinkific itself. The platform’s paid plans come with no transaction fees on sales, but payment processing fees from Stripe and PayPal typically range from 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.

4. What features are available on Thinkific’s Pro Plan that aren’t included in the Basic Plan?

The Pro Plan on Thinkific offers several features that aren’t available in the Basic Plan, making it an ideal choice for those looking to grow their course business.

• Private course groups: Create exclusive communities for students within specific courses.
• Advanced customizations: More options for branding and theme customization.
• 5 admin users: More team members can manage your courses and students.
• Priority support: You’ll get faster response times for customer support queries.
• Bulk student import: Easily upload a large number of students at once.

For those who are serious about scaling their online course business, the Pro Plan is a significant step up from the Basic Plan, offering essential tools to engage and manage students more effectively.

5. Can I sell memberships or subscription-based courses with Thinkific?

Yes, Thinkific supports both one-time course sales and subscription-based courses. If you’re looking to create a membership site or a recurring revenue model, Thinkific’s Pro and Premier plans allow you to set up subscription-based pricing.

You can set your course as a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription and automatically charge your students at regular intervals. You’ll also have access to features like advanced reporting and customer management tools that make it easier to handle recurring billing and membership sites.

6. Does Thinkific allow me to create a custom domain for my course site?

Yes, Thinkific allows you to use a custom domain on its Paid Plans (Basic, Pro, and Premier). This feature is not available on the Free Plan, where you are restricted to using the Thinkific subdomain (e.g., yourcourse.thinkific.com). With a custom domain, you can give your online course business a professional and branded look.

Using your own domain is important for building trust with students and improving your SEO ranking. Thinkific makes it easy to set up your custom domain by providing step-by-step instructions, and it works seamlessly with domains purchased from third-party registrars like GoDaddy or Namecheap.

7. Can I offer discounts and coupons with Thinkific?

Thinkific offers the ability to create coupons and discounts on its Basic Plan and above. You can create fixed-value or percentage-based discount codes and apply them to one or more courses. This is an excellent feature for running promotions, offering limited-time deals, or incentivizing potential students to purchase your courses.

Additionally, you can set expiration dates and restrictions on the discount codes to create urgency or limit access to special deals.

8. What is the cancellation policy for Thinkific pricing plans?

Thinkific offers a no-commitment pricing structure, meaning you can cancel your subscription at any time without facing cancellation fees. If you’re on a monthly plan, you can cancel your subscription directly from your account settings.

If you’ve pre-paid for a yearly plan, you’ll be able to get a refund for the remaining months, minus a small processing fee. This flexibility is great if you want to test out the platform before committing long-term. However, Thinkific does not offer refunds for any unused portion of your monthly subscription.

9. Can I upgrade or downgrade my Thinkific plan?

Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your Thinkific pricing plan at any time. This is a great feature for users who are growing their course business and need more features, as well as for those who want to scale back if they find that certain features aren’t necessary for their current stage.

When you upgrade to a higher plan, your new billing cycle will begin immediately, and you’ll be charged for the next period accordingly. If you downgrade, your previous plan’s features and pricing will apply once the new billing cycle begins.