Teachable and Thinkific are online tools designed for course creation and sales. These online options provide great assistance to anyone seeking to create courses for personal use or sale within their brand. We’ll take a look at Teachable vs. Thinkific, and help you decide which is best for you.
Don’t Want to Read 2500 Words? If you don’t want to read the entire 2500 word article, we rate Thinkific as the clear winner. Keep reading if you want to find out how we came to that decision.
| Thinkific | Teachable | |
| Course Creation Process | X | |
| Ease of Use | X | |
| Course Delivery | X | |
| Course Sales Page | X | |
| Price | X |
Breaking it down
Teachable and Thinkific both have many of the critical course creation tools that users seek to utilize; however, when deciding which one is best, it becomes apparent that they do vary in several major ways.
Some essential areas in which they vary include price, level of user-friendliness, course creation process, and how well they enable you to succeed in the sales aspect of your course.
Packages and Tiers
Online platforms for course creation and sales are often viewed as an investment by those who use them. Given their valuable tools and contributions to a brand, many course creation tools can have high price tags attached. These prices vary based on features and functionality and can make an impact on the return received on one’s investment. Therefore, it is worth taking a closer look at the price difference in Thinkific vs. Teachable.
Teachable
Teachable has several tiers available to best suit the needs of specific users; as expected, as the solution becomes more advanced, the price increases. Depending on the package, the prices range from $39 to a monthly payment of $249 per month. While Teachable offered a free plan in the past, this is no longer available on its platform. Despite the fact that they do not have this free plan, they are still quite competitive in terms of software platforms as they offer unlimited users and a litany of other features that justify their pricing.
Keeping in mind Teachable’s transaction fees, some of their package prices are a little higher than what they promote on their website – if you choose to use their Monthly Payments Gateway as your preferred method of payment. Technically the basic package contains many key features, such as custom domains and scheduled content; the user also gets the ability to integrate existing online courses into the software with a simple drag and drop. Additionally, you will receive course creator training and integrated email marketing services.
In the professional package (where transaction fees are waived), you will have access to a couple more personalized options. This plan has graded quizzes and further customizations, and it allows users to get certificates as well. This is a great option for content creators looking for a step up from the simplicity of the basic package.
The final Teachable package you might be interested in is the business package. The business version of Teachable allows for advanced administration, more user roles, and even more customization for student enrolment. This service is ideal for those in a larger system that have a large catalog of online courses; the flexibility makes it easy to track instructors and keep classes organized.
Want to know more: Read our article on the different Teachable Prices.
Thinkific
Much like Teachable, Thinkific also has distinct tiers and categories that they are pleased to offer to their users. Similarly, the more advanced packages come with a higher monthly price tag associated with them. Thinkific’s current prices range from free all the way up to $499 per month. The plans are highly customizable based on how many learners are expected in the course as well as the advanced features one might desire.
The Free plan is the most basic level that a user can get and comes with many of the sought-after features of any online course creation tool. This level allows for unlimited students, three unique classes, quizzes, surveys, content hosting, and gets the creator access to payment right away. It is a great, lighter option for those not wanting to make a huge investment just yet.
In the Basic plan, the user is granted access to everything within the free plan but allows them to go a bit beyond. This plan presents the opportunity for unlimited online courses, as opposed to the three in the free plan, and has more communication features, email options, and advanced functionality for enrolment.
Within the Pro package, users are able to gain access to a few more exclusive features. This service tier lets the user make more decisions on administrative options such as offering private or hidden courses, special bundles, advanced course pricing options, and further features.
Finally, the Premier package is a great option for those planning to teach several online courses containing a considerable amount of paying students. With access to group analysts, the ability to have 50 course admins, and use of the Single Sign On system, it should be considered by course creators with plans for expansion.
Want to know more: Read our article on How Much Does Thinkific Cost….
Winner: Thinkific.
Course Creation Process
Course Design plays a large role in selecting an online platform that will best serve not online the content creators, but the student users as well. In terms of Thinkific vs. Teachable, there are several basic similarities; for example, Teachable and Thinkific both offer surveys and quizzes.
However, the online platforms also offer vastly different specific elements in terms of overall content creation and delivery of materials. It is important to consider this aspect in both Thinkific and Teachable before selecting which one to purchase.
Teachable
Teachable allows the easy addition of professional-grade video, audio, and other types of learning materials. This makes importing a breeze, but teachable does not yet allow importing from Captivate and Storyline, which are two other major online course creators; so, this is something to consider if you are one that uses these applications and wants to transfer that content.
However, teachable has a very user-friendly course builder that allows easy previewing of the existing online courses before the lessons are in the hands of student users. In fact, unlike Thinkific, Teachable even allows you to use bulk selections and alter their settings all at once, which makes course creation and design move a lot more quickly.
This bulk design means that instructors can make changes across the board without even having to reopen their content, which saves them a lot of time. Furthermore, it allows for consistency in the online courses and not having to worry about content matching up.
Thinkific
Thinkific mirrors Teachable in the sense that it strives to be user-friendly in terms of course creation. Much like Teachable, there are a variety of drag and drop options that make importing various types of media much easier. In fact, this is an area where Thinkific excels over Teachable given that it can import materials directly from Captivate and Storyline, which can speed up the process and help users get started.
Once media is added into the course, it is stored into the course image library, and videos can remain here as well. This makes it great to have content on hand, which may be reused in a later lecture or course. This is a great time saver for Thinkific users who do not have to re-upload and get caught up in searching for media they already have in their library.
Moreover, Thinkific is a great platform for those wanting to receive feedback on courses as it has a built-in survey option for users to offer feedback. Instructors can take notes on their students’ preferences and alter their courses accordingly. Given this customization in combination with the advanced importing capabilities, Thinkific earns a real leg up over the competition.
Winner: Thinkific
Course Delivery
Course Delivery is a critical component in the information being retained by the students and maintaining credibility as an instructor/content creator in the use of both Thinkific and Teachable. The delivery has a direct impact on the sales of the courses and the success of the courses as well. Choosing a delivery method and plan that accentuates the material of the courses and is easy to use makes a huge difference in having a successful online course.
Teachable
As previously mentioned, Teachable allows you to have multiple types of media in your lecture, which encourages students to stay engaged in courses and experience multiple forms of learning.
These media formats are put through a sleek and modern looking course player that enhances student engagement as well given its easy-to-navigate nature and clearly organized lesson tabs and comment section.
In comparison to Thinkific, Teachable‘s course player is remarkably up-to-date in its appearance with bright colors and easy to read and follow organization cues.
Furthermore, Teachable offers a customizable theme for colors and newer template designs to help you plan out your courses. Some of these options can get complicated to master at first, but they will pay off in creating a course that is aesthetically pleasing and will increase engagement among end-users.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Teachable takes the cake in terms of mobile delivery. Their iOS app allows users to enjoy mobile viewing and get access to offline courses, which is a huge advantage in terms of Thinkific vs. Teachable course delivery overall.
Thinkific
For many years, the largest issue for many content creators and end-users with Thinkific was their outdated web player. However, over time Thinkific has worked hard to offer a better end-user experience from the initial plan to the delivery. For example, they have updated graphics and eliminated some pointless features such as unsightly transition scenes that had a bad habit of appearing for no reason.
Now, the course player looks a lot sleeker overall. However, it still does not have a modern and customizable color scheme and graphics that get users excited about Teachable.
Thinkific also offers enhanced searching features and created a full-screen viewing mode so that the sidebars do not distract from the lesson at hand.
A unique advantage of Thinkific is that you can create custom pages for your users and modify each user’s viewing abilities and privacy settings. This allows for further customization and is a benefit over Teachable. However, the fact that Thinkific still lacks a mobile app holds them back slightly in terms of delivery.
Winner: Teachable
Course Sales Page
The course sales page is an integral part of having a successful course that offers a key return on your investment and plays a large role for users of Thinkific and Teachable. It can be difficult to know what to expect with your course sales page, otherwise knowing as the landing pages.
However, comparisons between Thinkific vs. Teachable show that they differ in this regard significantly, and each has its own benefits and drawbacks in terms of the sales assistance they can offer.
Teachable
Teachable has something unique to offer in terms of their sales/landing page. Not only does Teachable have easy to use Drag and Drop features and customization, they also offer modification of the HTML content blocks, which opens many doors for your sales page creation and can help you get started with the plan for your sales process.
The Teachable sales page can be completely personalized for users, and all you need to make this happen is knowledge of the unique HTML that has been altered; from there, you just need to paste the link into the search bar and go to town. Customizations of this HTML do not require advanced coding experience and could be based on something as simple as the end user’s initials or email address.
Furthermore, if you are feeling on the fence about the investment and want more confidence in your sales, Teachable actually offers a masterclass to help you get started. This class is completely free to brush up on your sales page/landing page creation skills and ensure that the investment is worth your while in the long run. This is a testament to Teachable‘s customer support and desire for online courses to succeed
Thinkific
Thinkific has a clean and easy to use landing page for their course content sales that can help even the most apprehensive user get started. The clear to read design is accompanied by drag and drop motions that make customization of your sales plan a breeze.
Thinkific also boasts an easy to use landing page makes for a clean and customized landing page that allows for multiple administrative users, a personal biography. And customization of banners and course content. There is also an easy to see segment for pending tasks and advertisement of key course features and links to customer support assistance.
However, when looking at Thinkific vs. Teachable, one cannot help but feel that Teachable takes all of the features that Thinkific has and elevates them with advanced graphics and customization features plus the added customer support and informational classes.
Winner: Thinkific
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thinkific Mobile Friendly?
Thinkific offers a mobile browser that can allow for limited course access on the mobile phone. However, at this point, there is still not a specific mobile application that users can get for this course platform. Therefore, the mobile-friendly nature is still limited in comparison to other options.
Is Teachable mobile friendly?
In terms of Thinkific vs. Teachable, Teachable comes out on top in terms of being the most mobile-friendly. Not only does Teachable have a mobile-friendly site, it also offers an iOS platform for instructor and student use of the online courses.
Is Thinkific better than teachable?
The Thinkific Teachable debate is certainly a close one. While preference on a course creator is unique to the end-user and their specific needs, in terms of the Thinkific vs. Teachable components reviewed above, Thinkific is not better than Teachable.
Teachable courses seem to build upon Thinkific. It offers features like Thinkific courses but with more customization and flexibility for their users from the initial plan all the way to delivery, which gets it the winning spot overall.
Results
Thinkific: 3/4
Teachable: 1/4
So, time to celebrate for Teachable!
Pros and Cons
Here we’ll look at the pros and cons for each option.
Teachable
Pros:
- Bright modern design enhances course delivery
- Bulk editing option allows you to make changes without entering course content
- The mobile app allows for 100% user capability on the go
- Overall better value in terms of features/functionality in comparison to Thinkific
Cons:
- Free Teachable pricing plan no longer offered
- No cohesive video/media library like Thinkific offers
- Lacks full-screen viewing option to hide the toolbar
Thinkific:
Pros:
- Free option available
- Thinkific offers importing from major course creation tools like Captivate and Storyline
- Enhanced media library allows easy access and speedy creation
Cons:
- Delivery themes are slightly outdated and less aesthetically pleasing
- No bulk editing option exists
- No mobile app currently
- The sales page is less customizable in comparison to Teachable
Final Verdict
When all is said and done for these two platforms, the Thinkific vs. Teachable debate comes to a clear resolution with Teachable as the winner.
Teachable has advanced capabilities and an overall better user experience. When you factor in the price tag, start to finish process, and outcome, the decision becomes clear for many users.
While Thinkific and Teachable are both clearly competitive options, the course creation, delivery, sales, and price are all solid for both platforms, but Teachable takes a noticeable lead in many of these categories, thus garnering the top spot overall.
| Thinkific | Teachable | |
| Course Creation Process | X | |
| Ease of Use | X | |
| Course Delivery | X | |
| Course Sales Page | X | |
| Price | X |
