Comparisons
Thinkific vs Teachable: entry price versus the fee
vs
Teachable Starter looks cheaper at $29 per month against Thinkific Basic's $40, but the 7.5% transaction fee flips it fast. Thinkific takes no platform fee with Thinkific Payments and allows unlimited courses against Teachable's product caps. If you sell more than a trickle, Thinkific wins on cost. If you sell almost nothing and value Teachable's flow, Starter's low base can hold. B2B seat selling only exists on Thinkific.
Our pick for most sellers
Unlimited courses and no platform fee with Thinkific Payments; the math beats a 7.5% Starter fee as soon as you sell steadily.
See pricing →Choose Teachable if
You want the simplest start with a 7-day trial, affiliates from Builder, and a small catalog that fits the product caps.
See pricing →Side by side
The plans that frame this decision, on annual billing. Watch the transaction-fee column: it changes the ranking faster than the subscription does.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Admins | Fees | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $54/mo | $40/mo | 1 | 5% only if you use your own Stripe or PayPal | video lessons and quizzes; 1 community; custom domain |
| Start | $109/mo | $82/mo | 2 | 2% only if you use your own Stripe or PayPal | live sessions via Zoom; completion certificates; assignments and grading |
| Grow | $219/mo | $164/mo | 6 | 1% only if you use your own Stripe or PayPal | remove Thinkific branding; group and B2B selling; invoicing |
| Plus | Custom pricing | Custom pricing | custom | No platform fee | SCORM compliance; single sign-on (SSO); CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) |
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Admins | Fees | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $39/mo | $29/mo | 1 | 7.5% transaction fee | 7-day free trial; no custom domain |
| Builder | $89/mo | $69/mo | 1 | No platform fee | custom domain; affiliate program for your school |
| Growth | $189/mo | $139/mo | 5 | No platform fee | remove Teachable branding; 5 admin users |
| Custom | Custom pricing | Custom pricing | custom | No platform fee | contact sales |
The decision lines
The fee math. Teachable Starter charges 7.5% per sale; Thinkific takes no platform fee with Thinkific Payments. The base-price gap is $40 minus $29, which is $11 per month, or $132 per year in Thinkific's disfavor. That gap disappears the moment Teachable's fee on your sales exceeds $132 a year. At a $150 course, 7.5% is $11.25 per sale, so just 12 sales a year (about $135 in fees) already erase the cheaper base. At any real sales volume, Thinkific's no-fee base is the lower total. Model your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Product caps. Teachable caps products at 5 on Starter, 10 on Builder and 50 on Growth. Thinkific allows unlimited courses on every plan from Basic up. A growing catalog runs into Teachable's caps; Thinkific does not gate course count.
Custom domain. Teachable Starter does not include a custom domain; you get it from Builder ($69 per month on annual billing). Thinkific includes a custom domain from Basic ($40 per month). If your own domain matters at the entry level, Thinkific gives it sooner.
Admin seats. Teachable gives 1 admin on Starter, 1 on Builder and 5 on Growth. Thinkific gives 1 on Basic, 2 on Start and 6 on Grow. Teachable makes you jump to Growth ($139 per month) for a second seat; Thinkific gives a second seat at Start ($82 per month).
B2B selling. Thinkific publishes group and B2B selling plus invoicing from Grow. Teachable publishes no comparable group or seat-selling workflow, so treat B2B seat sales as absent unless sales confirms otherwise. If selling seats to companies is on your roadmap, that alone points to Thinkific.
Which one for your situation
- You sell courses at any real volume: Thinkific. The 7.5% Teachable Starter fee overtakes the $132 yearly base gap after roughly 12 sales of a $150 course, and keeps climbing from there.
- You sell almost nothing yet and want the lowest base: Teachable Starter at $29 per month can hold while sales are near zero, as long as you accept no custom domain and one admin.
- You have a large or growing catalog: Thinkific. Unlimited courses beat Teachable's 5, 10 and 50 product caps.
- You plan to sell B2B seats: Thinkific, from Grow. Teachable publishes no group seat-selling workflow.
What neither publishes
Verify these in a demo, because neither vendor documents them clearly on its pricing page:
- Teachable SCORM support. It is not on the published plan grid; treat as absent unless sales confirms it. Thinkific lists SCORM on Plus only.
- Teachable public API availability per plan, not itemized. Thinkific publishes API access from Grow.
- Teachable SSO and any client-admin roles beyond seat counts, not documented.
- Exact certificate plan gating on Teachable; confirm before relying on it. Thinkific includes completion certificates from Start.
Take the next step
What the two products actually look like
Frequently asked questions
Is Teachable really cheaper than Thinkific?
How much does Teachable's 7.5% fee cost me?
Does Teachable include a custom domain?
Can I sell B2B seats on Teachable?
Keep deciding
LMS transaction fees explained
The three fee layers on course platforms: card processing, platform transaction fees, and the break-even math for when a fee-free plan beats a cheap one.
Moving from Teachable to Thinkific
Why creators leave Teachable for Thinkific, the 7.5% Starter fee, product caps, B2B selling, with plan mapping, cost math and a checklist migration.
Teachable vs Podia: what each one caps, and what it costs
Teachable caps products but stores lots of video; Podia caps email subscribers and includes a domain on every plan. Fees: 7.5% vs 5% at entry.
Course platform pricing calculator: Thinkific vs LearnWorlds vs Teachable, Podia and LearnDash
Selling courses? Compare the yearly cost of Thinkific, LearnWorlds, Teachable, Podia and LearnDash from your sales, students, admin seats and transaction fees.