Undoubtedly, Thinkific is among the best EdTech platforms for creating, marketing, and selling online courses.
However, not every software platform is built for everyone, and hence, there are several Thinkific alternatives in the market that cater to different purposes and needs.
This article is focused on helping educators decide which is the best online course platform for their needs.
Before we dive into the list of best Thinkific alternatives, let’s first review Thinkific to understand its key features and identify who should consider Thinkific over its alternatives.
Thinkific is an all-in-one platform for creating and selling online courses.
It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop course builder, cloud hosting, ecommerce functionality, and many other functionalities necessary for course creation, marketing, and sales.
However, two things that make Thinkific stand out from its alternatives are the customization options and free plan.
The free version offered by Thinkific supports up to 3 online courses for unlimited learners. It also facilitates tools to market and sell online courses.
Moreover, the customization features offered by Thinkific are almost unreal.
From branded site themes and landing pages to customizable courses, educators can do almost everything to tailor their online courses and websites as per their preferences.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing Plans
Thinkific offers a 14-day free trial on all its paid plans.
Image via Thinkific
Tool Level
Usability
However, every platform has its pros and cons. For you, what it means is that if the cons matter to you, you better look for Thinkific alternatives.
Here are the top Thinkific alternatives that you can consider for creating and selling online courses. Thoroughly compare their features, pros, and cons to make the best choice for yourself.
Let’s get started.
Image via LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds tops our list of Thinkfic Alternatives. What’s easier than creating a PowerPoint presentation? Creating online courses on LearnWorlds.
Yes, it’s true. The online course creation process on LearnWorlds is flawless as you can easily add sections and content to the courses using the versatile course builder, which is built keeping non-tech-savvy educators in mind.
Also, educators can set scheduled lesson delivery via the drip-feed function.
This way, the learners won’t get access to the entire course material at once. Instead, the platform will drip-feed the content to the learners as instructed by the educators.
In terms of marketing and sales for online courses, LearnWorlds has a lot to offer, including sales promotions and coupons, subscriptions, course bundles, etc.
We recently completed a detailed LearnWorlds review. Read it to find out why LearnWorlds is undoubtedly the best Thinkific alternative.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via LearnWorlds
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: LearnWorlds' AI-assisted course creation feature can help you achieve new levels of efficiency and quality. You can create and edit course content and use the feature to market your online courses.
Image via Teachable
Teachable is another one of the Thinkific alternatives that are easy to use. Similar to LearnWorlds, Teachable is a platform where educators can create courses and market them via building websites.
Where Teachable lacks in terms of being a true Thinkific alternative is corporate employees and customer training.
During our review, we found that Teachable is only suitable for standalone educators and institutions, not for corporate training.
Even for inexperienced educators, the platform might seem low on learning-focused features. The reason is that the platform focuses more on the sales and marketing side.
However, recently, Teachable introduced open APIs for third-party tool integration and student engagement features like comments, quizzes, and certifications of compilation.
This is the reason why Teachable ranks second on this ultimate list of Thinkific alternatives.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via Teachable
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: You can generate recurring revenue on Teachable by creating membership programs for your subscribers. You can easily manage memberships directly from the platform and increase customer lifetime value by 43%.
Image via Podia
Although Podia isn’t the best Thinkific alternative in terms of features, it’s one of the most budget-friendly Thinkific alternatives.
The platform has basic functionalities for course creation and learners’ engagement. The good part is that the course creation process is simple and straightforward and doesn’t overwhelm beginners.
However, Podia is exceptional with marketing and selling functionalities as compared to other Thinkific alternatives. In addition to setting the course prices, the educators can also create upsells and offer coupons for sales promotions.
One downside is that Podia has fewer integration options compared to other Thinkific alternatives. Still, it offers native integrations with Convertkit, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, MailerLite, and Drip.
Podia is an excellent Thinkific alternative for educators who are new to online content creation and want a simple tool to get started.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Podia offers a 30-day free trial.
Image via Podia
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: You can use Podia’s email marketing feature to market your courses and nurture your leads for free if you have fewer than 100 subscribers.
Image via LearnDash
LearnDash is a very different LMS solution than the Thinkific alternatives discussed in this article previously. It is a WordPress plugin that enables websites to offer Thinkific-like learning features.
Many educators already have their own websites and want to integrate the LMS functionality into them. However, integrating LMS into an existing website requires deep knowledge and experience in LMS development.
LearnDash mitigates this challenge for educators by providing an easy-to-integrate WordPress plugin for websites. The platform also provides a boot camp where educators can learn how to create online courses effectively.
Unlike many other Thinkific alternatives, LearnDash offers integration with an endless number of third-party services in the EdTech ecosystem These include Zapier, BuddyPress, Mailchimp, WooCommerce, Slack, and Stripe.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via LearnDash
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: LearnDash integrates with several third-party add-ons that help you add premium features to your courses. These integrations allow you to enjoy enhanced protection, reward learners, gather insights, and do much more.
Image via Kajabi
Kajabi is one of the most expensive Thinkific alternatives on the market. Also, it’s more complex than most other Thinkific alternatives.
However, Kajabi offers a dedicated assistant to help educators get the best out of the platform.
The website builder and some of the marketing features Kajabi offers are on par with the top Thinkific alternatives, making selling online courses a breeze.
The in-built email marketing feature is fabulous, as it comes with cart abandonment emails and email automation capabilities.
Similar to Podia, Kajabi offers unlimited hosting support to enable educators to upload an endless amount of course content, including videos, files, and photos.
In terms of integration, Kajabi seamlessly integrates with email marketing platforms, membership sites, and payment gateways and processors.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via Kajabi
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Use Kajabi to build a customized mobile app for your business. This app allows you to share content, market your courses, and sell them.
Image via SendPulse
SendPulse is another one of the Thinkific alternatives popular for creating and selling online courses. It offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop course builder, reliable cloud hosting, and a convenient mobile app for students.
What particularly distinguishes SendPulse from its competitors is its extensive multichannel marketing features, customization options, and the availability of a free plan.
The free tier of SendPulse’s course builder allows educators to create and host one online course for up to 200 students.
The platform is also useful for HR specialists and agencies working with upskilling of employees and corporate training programs.
SendPulse has an LMS functionality that can help in designing onboarding programs for new employees or courses for existing company staff.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via SendPulse
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Communicate with your followers using live chat, WhatsApp chat, Facebook chat, Instagram chat, Telegram chat, and Viber chat. The platform offers AI assistance to streamline your communication.
Image via Teachery
If you want to kick off your online tutoring business and sell online courses, Teachery is one of the most affordable Thinkific alternatives for you.
What makes this learning management system builder a great pick for creating courses is its powerful customization engine.
Educators can easily customize the look and feel of their courses to make their courses look more appealing and engaging.
Another thing that astonishes users is Teachery’s easy-to-use user interface. For instance, a sidebar provides access to all the features and sub-features of the platform.
However, Teachery doesn’t offer a video hosting service. So, you’ll have to invest in third-party video hosting services like Vimeo, YouTube, or Wistia to upload your course material.
Still, it offers decent features for the cost and is one of the top budget-friendly Thinkific alternatives for small businesses.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
It offers a 14-day free trial and a single plan with the following prices:
Image via Teachery
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Utilize pre-loaded landing pages to add sales pages to your online courses. This allows you to sell your products directly from Teachery.
Image via Udemy
As of December 2021, more than 9,500 businesses and their employees were using Udemy to upskill and reskill.
You might wonder if Udemy is that popular; why isn’t it on the top of our list of Thinkific alternatives?
It is because Udemy doesn’t offer white-labeled LMS building services. It’s just a marketplace like Amazon where creators/educators can sell the courses.
Also, educators (known as instructors on the Udemy platform) only receive 37% of the course price unless the learners buy from the instructor’s coupons or referral links.
We recommend using Udemyonly as a marketplace where you get exposure to a larger audience.
You can list your introductory courses on Udemy and the rest of the advanced courses on your own hosted platform. This way, you can upsell to the huge audience you get on Udemy.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
It’s free to create courses on Udemy, but it charges the following prices per sale:
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Udemy has a course quality checklist for instructors. Review the checklist and its helpful resources to understand the requirements and meet the standards.
Image via Ruzuku
Ruzuku is one of the simple yet effective Thinkific alternatives that enables creators to offer online courses and set up affiliate programs to market them.
Although Ruzuku isn’t the least expensive Thinkific alternative available in the market, it’s still budget-friendly. However, the platform doesn't offer a free plan.
Given its price, Ruzuku offers only the basic features for online course creation, marketing, and sales. Still, there are some exclusive features like learners’ social integration and teleconferences that other Thinkific alternatives don’t offer.
Note that Ruzuku does not include a built-in webinar software solution. Therefore, you will need to integrate Webex or Zoom with the platform to host webinars.
Still, Ruzuku is one of the most budget-friendly Thinkific alternatives in the market.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via Ruzuku
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Ruzuku offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on the paid plans. So go ahead and try their features. If you are unsatisfied, you can always request a complete refund.
Image via Skillshare
If you were to compare Skillshare and other Thinkific alternatives, you would discover the former is not the best for creating courses from the ground up.
However, Skillshare is excellent for courses on artistry, drawing, and writing. If your online course focuses on ‘creativity', then Skillshare has the audience, features, and support/assistance to make it valuable.
Also, Skillshare offers a community and a marketplace (much like Udemy), making it a great alternative for Thinkific for selling courses.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Skillshare offers a royalty based on the number of minutes watched on your courses. You will also be paid 20% of the subscription and a referral bonus for every student you’ve referred.
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Check out Skillshare’s new initiative — Teach Lab program. Here, teachers gain access to specialized support for creating professional courses and effectively launching their online teaching businesses.
Image via Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks is one of the best Thinkific alternatives for creating online courses paired with community engagement features.
With versatile course creation options and a top-ranked community platform, it offers exceptional member-led growth and long-term value.
If you're looking for a Thinkific alternative that offers more than just a course platform, you might want to check out Mighty Networks. As a cultural software, this platform brings together courses, community, content, and commerce.
Might Networks offers three delivery options: content-only online courses, courses with a dedicated course community, and courses delivered “live.”
The last option is the most interesting one, especially for instructors creating their first online course. A live course lets you build deep connections with members, pivoting and growing as you teach, and testing the waters with a pre-sale.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Mighty Networks offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Other plans are:
Image via Mighty Networks
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Enroll in Mighty Networks’ free masterclass to understand how the platform works and how to leverage the features. Leverage expert support to create top-class courses that will generate great revenue for your business.
Image via TalentLMS
TalentLMS is one of the top Thinkific alternatives that enables online course creation for individual and corporate training. This platform leverages intuitive generative AI to build professional courses at a quick pace.
The platform has advanced features for mixing text, media, and assignments to help you create courses effortlessly. You can also host live sessions, manage permissions, and track learner growth hassle-free.
The platform allows you to automate communication to stay in touch with your followers and promote courses periodically. Custom reports are generated to help educators identify areas for improvement and scale up their performance.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
This Thinkific competitor provides a free plan with basic features. Here are the paid plans:
Image via TalentLMS
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Use the TalentLMS white labeling feature to add your logo and domain name. This helps customize your course material and enhance authenticity.
Image via 360Learning
360Learning is one of the advanced Thinkific alternatives best suited for institutions and corporate teams. If you are looking to close skill gaps in your organization, this end-to-end platform is the right choice for you.
While Thinkific is open for individual educators to create courses for anyone who wants to learn from them, 360Learning is for organizations. With the help of collaborative learning and generative AI, experts within a corporation can create courses and coach multiple teams seamlessly.
360Learning offers robust automation to cater to larger teams and facilitate extensive learning. You can automate everything from enrollment to assigning courses, knowledge checks, and feedback sharing.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via 360Learning
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Use the AI assistant to author course material at lightning speed. To ensure accuracy and compliance, you can use AI Prompt control.
Image via WizIQ
WizIQ is one of the leading Thinkific alternatives that offers robust features to educators. It is a user-friendly LMS and a virtual classroom platform. The software allows you to create interactive courses that learners can take at their own pace and acquire new skills.
Educators can create courses for various verticals, including K-12, higher education, government examinations, corporate courses, and vocational training. WizIQ LMS and virtual class plugins can be integrated into your website to facilitate web-based learning.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Image via WizIQ
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: To deliver an enhanced learning experience, integrate different plugins with WizIQ.
Image via Xperiencify
Xperiencify is one of the top Thinkific alternatives that offers the perfect blend of learning and fun. If you are an educator looking to create impactful courses that your learners will enjoy, consider this platform. Gamification is the core USP of Xperiencify, which the company claims will lead users to complete more courses and thus boost your revenue generation.
The platform offers seven different gamification triggers, such as rewards, social proof, and celebrations to maintain excitement throughout the course. With more than 10,000 users, the platform is a popular choice for teachers, coaches, and corporate trainers.
Xperiencify useful AI tools like AI Name Generator, AI Topic Generator, and AI Course Outliner. You can try all the features for free and create a course of your choice. You only have to pay when you publish your course.
Key Features
Pros
Cons
Pricing
Image via Xperiencify
Tool Level
Usability
Pro Tip: Use Xperiencify’s AI tools to generate an effective course outline and an impressive title for your course. The AI bot can provide expert assistance while you create your course and suggest how to improve it.
Q1. What are the top Thinkific alternatives in the market?
A. Following are the nine best Thinkific alternatives you can opt for in 2025:
All these Thinkific alternatives are meant for different purposes. So pick the one that suits your specific needs.
Q2. What are the most highlighted features of Thinkific you should look for in its alternatives?
A. Following are the important features of Thinkific you should look for in its alternatives:
Q3. What are the challenges educators face with Thinkific?
A. Due to the following challenges with Thinkific, people look for its alternatives:
Q4. What top 10 features should an online course creation platform ideally have?
A. An online course creation platform should boast the following features:
Q5. What are the top budget-friendly online course platforms?
A. The most suitable budget-friendly online course platform will have necessary features offered at a much lower price compared to other Thinkific alternatives.
Following are the best online course platforms, in terms of cost effectiveness:
Q6. What marketing features should you look for in Thinkific alternatives?
A. An online course platform should have the following marketing tools to help educators sell online courses:
Q7. Which is better: Thinkific or LearnWorlds?
A. Thinkific is an awesome platform for creating online courses, but the challenge comes in selling. The platform doesn’t offer a marketplace as well as advanced features like email automation and sales funnels.
LearnWorlds offers lots of features to help educators create, market, sell, and manage online courses. It wins the comparison with Thinkific in almost every segment except corporate training, which is the expertise of Thinkific.
Q8. Which is better: Thinkific or Kajabi?
A. Thinkific is a great platform for educators to create online courses. It also facilitates corporate training, which most Thinkific alternatives lack.
On the other hand, Kajabi outshines Thinkific in terms of features and functionalities. However, with Kajabi, the costs are higher than Thinkific. If budget is your concern, better go with Thinkific.
Thinkific is undoubtedly an incredible platform for individual educators as well as corporations. It has many useful features that help educators create and sell online courses.
However, Thinkific has its limitations.
This is where the Thinkific alternatives come into play. The Thinkific alternatives that we’ve listed offer a wide range of options for different budgets and purposes.
Which of these Thinkific alternatives will you pick? Comment below.
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