While Thinkific is a top platform for creating and selling online courses, it might not be right for every creator’s needs. Luckily, there are many Thinkific alternatives to suit different budgets and functionality requirements.
Whether you’re looking for a more affordable platform to sell online courses, an easier drag-and-drop interface for course creation, better marketing features, or just different options to sell your online courses, this article has got you covered.
Let’s take a look!
The Most Popular Thinkific Alternatives
Monetizing your knowledge is a great way to earn side hustle cash and establish your authority in a niche.
Thinkific has a lot to offer course creators (read this Thinkific review), but if you’re looking for different options, take a look at these tried and tested alternatives to Thinkific.
1. Udemy
Udemy is a marketplace where you can list and sell your online courses.
According to recent statistics, the platform has over 64 million learners, 75,000+ instructors, and 870+ million course enrollments as of June 2023, so if you have a great course to sell, Udemy is the place to be!
All you need to do is create a course title, subtitle, description, and thumbnail, and you can start selling your course on Udemy to their massive catalog of students.
Udemy course sales work on an instructor revenue share system and depend on where your sales come from. Examples include if a student buys:
- From a coupon link: You get 97% of the sale price
- From organic search: You get 37% of the sale price
- From an affiliate link: The sale price is split 3 ways between you, Udemy, and the affiliate
Benefits of Using Udemy
- No monthly cost
- Millions of active students ready to buy
- Can host your course on Udemy without the need for a separate website
Pricing
Free to create and host a course on Udemy.
Learn more about selling online courses on Udemy here.
Skillshare is one of the best Thinkific alternatives and is especially perfect for selling online courses in creative topics such as design, animation, writing, and crafts.
However, course topics are always expanding, and the platform currently has over 12 million registered students.
Skillshare sells membership plans, so courses are not available for individual purchase, like on Udemy, for example.
If you decide to sell courses on Skillshare, you’ll earn royalties, which are worked out by how many minutes students watch of your classes.
Benefits of Using Udemy
- Free platform to host your courses
- Large audience base ready to learn
- Can build your own personal brand
- Short videos are encouraged and easier to make
- Skillshare offers filming and editing tips to attract more students
Pricing
Free to host and sell online courses.
Learn more about selling courses on Skillshare here.
3. Podia
Podia is a top all-in-one platform for course creators to sell online courses and other types of digital downloads.
Using the platform, you can create courses, build landing pages, sell your products, create and send emails and newsletters, handle payments, and get a free website.
Podia also integrates seamlessly with many other applications such as Drip, Hotjar, Google Analytics, Stripe, PayPal, Zoom, Calendly, and many more.
Benefits of Using Podia
- Easy to create and launch courses quickly
- Can sell multiple product types such as courses, coaching, webinars, and digital downloads
- Sales and marketing features such as upsells, email automation, and live chat
- Affordable, all-in-one platform
Pricing
Starts at $0/month for one website, 1 download, and 1 coaching product. Paid plans start at $33/month when you pay yearly.
Learn more about selling courses on Podia here.
4. Kajabi
Another one of the best Thinkific alternatives is Kajabi, which provides an all-in-one platform for creating and selling courses online.
This course creation platform offers creators and coaches a range of features, including editable templates for creating sales pages and landing pages, a course builder for memberships, coaching, and communities, plus tools to manage payments, contacts, and analytics.
It also allows integrations with many other well-known tools such as Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier, and more.
Benefits of Using Kajabi
- Easy and simple to use
- Plenty of customizable templates
- Create, market, and sell your courses and coaching in one place
- Tools to monetize your podcast
- Has a mobile app so students can watch courses on the move
Pricing
Starts at $149/month for 3 products and 3 funnels.
Check out all the features on Kajabi here.
5. Teachable
When looking for an alternative to Thinkific, Teachable is well worth checking out.
This online course platform is a place where you can create, manage, and sell online courses, coaching, and downloadable content.
It offers a ton of great features, such as a site builder, analytics, sales and marketing, payments, memberships, AI features, and more.
And you can customize your courses with PDFs, quizzes, videos, and other multimedia content.
Additionally, you can take advantage of a ton of resources like a creator community, group coaching, and a large knowledge base.
Benefits of Using Teachable
- Advanced analytics
- Sell courses, coaching, and digital downloads
- Simple drag-and-drop builder
- Helpful integrations to add functionality
- Top support from the community
Pricing
Starts at $0/month for 1 product and no-code course builder. Paid plans start at $29.25/month when billed annually.
Check out all the features on Teachable here.
6. Teachery
Teachery is an online course creation platform that gives you all the features you need to build and sell online courses.
It provides a ton of templates and themes that can be customized to your brand, and the easy-to-use course builder allows you to add videos, text, images, and widgets, and you can adjust colors and graphics easily with the style editor.
Additionally, you get access to a range of tools to help sell your courses, such as upsells, payment pages, promo codes, affiliates, course hubs, email integrations, and more.
Benefits of Using Teachery
- Excellent customization options
- Beginner-friendly live course editor
- Host unlimited courses, lessons, and students
- Embed video, audio, and slide presentations
- Affordable plans with no fees
Pricing
Free plan for 14 days. Paid plans start at $49/month.
Learn more about creating courses on Teachery here.
7. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks is a great option to sell online courses and memberships and to build online communities.
It has a powerful community builder with a range of features, such as a member directory, multiple messaging options, subgroups, and different content types like polls, posts, and articles.
You can create simple courses and membership sites, plus simple web pages rich with content, graphics, and videos.
Benefits of Using Mighty Networks
- Top tools and features for community building and engagement
- Can use native live streaming for live sessions inside your community
- Ability to create events, event series, and simple courses
Pricing
14-day free plan. Starts at $33/month for 1 community.
Learn more about the Mighty Networks platform here.
8. TalentLMS
TalentLMS is a feature-rich alternative to Thinkific that enables users to create courses and manage courses.
It’s used by a variety of industries for offering training, such as:
- Employee training
- Sales training
- Onboarding training
- Compliance training
- Partner training
- Cybersecurity training
You can customize the platform with your own logos and branding, track student progress, and communicate messages and announcements.
You can even get access to a library of ready-made courses teaching soft skills that new employees need to succeed at work.
Benefits of Using TalentLMS
- Easily customizable to your brand
- Easy to create quizzes and tests
- Can create an unlimited number of courses
- Unlimited email support
Pricing
Starts at $89/month for unlimited courses.
Take a closer look at all the features on TalentLMS here.
9. LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is a course platform that allows you to create and sell your own online courses.
The many features on offer include a website builder, app builder, survey builder, analytics, marketing tools, checkouts and payments, affiliate programs, integrations, and more.
You get access to a drag-and-drop course creation builder that’s extremely easy to use, even for complete beginners.
Using this, you can create unique course lessons, assignments, and chapters and easily add multimedia content such as images, videos, and audio files.
Benefits of Using LearnWorlds
- Easy-to-use course builder
- Track learners’ performance with the reporting system
- Create student engagement with live chat, forums, and live videos
- Build your own website, mobile app, popups, and surveys
- Build personalized exams and self-assessments
Pricing
Start for free. Plans start at $24/month for unlimited paid courses and an added transaction fee.
Take a look at the advanced features of LearnWorlds here.
10. FreshLearn
FreshLearn is a leading alternative to Thinkific that allows you to create, grow, and manage your online courses.
Create your own website with the simple drag-and-drop, no-code builder. Plus, you can easily build sales pages, checkout pages, email campaigns, coupons, and your own affiliate marketing program to get more sign-ups for your courses.
The intuitive course creation tools allow you to design, build, and start selling your courses in minutes without having to worry about difficult technology.
Alongside this, you can create assignments, completion certificates, and quizzes to keep your students engaged.
Benefits of Using FreshLearn
- Create courses quickly with the drag-and-drop builder
- Sell various content types such as courses, cohorts, and digital downloads
- Grow your student base with email campaigns, coupons, and affiliates
- Use extra resources such as a knowledge base, pre-made course templates, the Academy, and the AI course validator
Pricing
Starts at $0/month for the core features. Paid plans start at $29 per month when billed annually.
Take a closer look at the FreshLearn online course platform here.
11. Zenler
Zenler is an all-in-one platform for course creation, delivery, and promotion.
One of the best alternatives to Thinkific, Zenler offers a range of advanced features to create customized courses, build funnels and lead magnets, and schedule emails right from your site.
The page designer is extremely easy to use, even with zero design and coding skills, and you can drag and drop elements around the page, such as videos, countdowns, or anything else.
Benefits of Using Zenler
- All tools needed for course creation, delivery, and marketing in one place
- Create courses, membership sites, quizzes, and communities
- Create powerful email automation sequences to target subscribers at the right time
- Run live classes and webinars and broadcast live to social media channels
Pricing
Starts at $67/month for the Pro plan.
Learn more about the Zenler course creation platform here.
12. Xperiencify
Xperiencify is a top Thinkific alternative for course creators that offers interactive learning tools, such as gamification.
By gamifying your courses, you can keep students engaged and increase your course completion rates.
Advanced gamification features include badges, leaderboards, award points, and an automation engine where you can create unique welcome and celebration of achievement experiences.
Benefits of Using Xperiencify
- Enhance course completion rates
- Offer students a unique way to learn
- Powerful page builder with many pre-designed blocks
- Feature-rich community builder with excellent organization features
- Range of free resources to help boost course profits
Pricing
Plans start at $49/month for up to 50 students.
Take a closer look at Xperiencify here.
Why Look at Thinkific Alternatives?
While Thinkific is a great platform for course creators, it might not be right for everyone. For example, you might require more advanced learning tools. Other reasons to look at Thinkific alternatives include:
You Want Something More Affordable
While Thinkific pricing is affordable at $36/month, there are more budget-friendly options where you can even get started for free.
You Want an All-in-One Suite of Tools
Thinkific is great for creating courses and selling courses, but it may lack some of the tools you might need, such as sales funnels and email marketing options.
You Need Specific Features
Thinkific does come with a decent range of features, but you may need to look somewhere else if you need more specific features, such as the ability to sell coaching programs or better design options.
You Want to Make More Money Selling Your Online Courses
If you want to sell unlimited courses, it pays to diversify where you sell your courses, and e-learning marketplaces such as Udemy and Skillshare are great options.
Final Thoughts on the Best Thinkific Alternatives
Those are the best Thinkific alternatives worth exploring, which offer a range of different features and functionalities.
Whether you’re a full-time course creator, a side hustler, a business owner, or someone looking to create their first course, the course platforms mentioned will all help you on the road to success.
So, if you’re looking for a top Thinkific alternative, explore the recommended course platforms to see if you find what you’re looking for.
Who knows, one of these Thinkific alternatives could be the platform that takes your course business plan to new heights!
