Top 5 Thinkific Alternative 

 Updated: January 5, 2023

thinkific alternative

Why Look For Thinkific Alternative

Thinkific is one of our top online course platforms and offers one of the best free plans in the industry.

That being said, it has its limits and anyone still in the decision making phase of their creators journey should look at other options!

Whether you’re looking for a more integrated platform or simply something that will fulfill your needs better.

We’ve also pointed out in our Thinkific review that the price increase to get access to everything the platform has to offer is steep…

So let’s take a look at some of the best competitors and briefly how they compare to Thinkific.

1. Teachable

teachable

Pros of Teachable
  • Affordable for a standalone platform
  • Simple to use for beginners
  • Large community of users
Cons of Teachable
  • Limited customization throughout all features
  • Poor support

Pricing: From $29/mo

Trial: Free plan

Teachable might be the most recognized name in the online course industry. It was one of the first platforms to really make headways and attract people to create their own programs online.

It’s also always been the most direct competitor to Thinkific, because it offers a similar range of features and caters to the same audience.

teachable feature 1

Teachable offers a better checkout experience than Thinkific and also a Coaching product.

It doesn’t have as robust of a website builder however, but if you’re using an external platform for that part of your business, this might not be a deal breaker.

Pricing

Teachable still offers a free plan to get you started, but it doesn’t compare well to Thinkific.

When it comes to the paid plans, we’re roughly in the same range for both platforms.

Note that when on the Basic plan ($29/mo) you’re still having to pay a 5% transaction fee. Only from the Pro plan onward will you get rid of it.

2. Kajabi

Kajabi

Pros of Kajabi
  • The Apple of online course platform: you can't really go wrong
  • Outstanding UX and course delivery/design
  • Probably the best community and support in the industry
Cons of Kajabi
  • Page builder lacks a bit of flexibility and easy-to-use templates
  • Small premium on pricing

Pricing: $119/mo

Trial: 30 Days

Kajabi is the preferred online course platform of over 100,000 course creators online.

It’s also been recommended for years by prominent influencers such and Brendon Burchard, Amy Porterfield or Graham Cochrane.

kajabi coaching template

The biggest difference between Kajabi and Thinkific is that Kajabi is an all-in-one platform and therefore offers a larger range of features.

Namely: email marketing, a more robust community feature, a coaching feature, a podcast hosting and more advanced automations among other things.

If you’re just looking for a platform for the online course delivery, Thinkific might still be a good option but if you want an all integrated tool, then Kajabi would be a great consideration.

Pricing

With all of these bells and whistles, Kajabi does come at a higher price tag.

You can get started on any plans with a 30 days trial:

kajabi pricing top

One of the biggest things people are looking for when going onto the paid plans and upgrading is the increase in Product allowance.

If you plan to create an affiliate program, you’ll also need to upgrade to the Growth plan ($159/mo).

3. Systeme.io

systeme io new logo

Pros of Systeme.io
  • Features: There is really not much more you might need as a course creator to sell your products.
  • A powerful selling system including customizable checkout, sell physical products and robust affiliate system.
  • An affordable all-in-one
Cons of Systeme.io
  • Limited learning tools (no quiz, assessment, or a community feature)
  • Contact limits: can be a problem if you have a big list

Pricing: From $27/mo

Trial: Free plan

Systeme.io is also a popular all in one platform that’s been gaining a lot of traction in the past few years.

It’s counting a little over 30,000 users and growing fast.

system.io user experience

Just like other all in ones, Systeme.io offers a few more features a course-only platform like Thinkfic won’t.

Email marketing, advanced funnel and automations, but also a deadline feature, blog and A/B testing.

A lot of these are also available on all plans and without any limits.

Pricing

Systeme.io offers the #1 free plan in the industry, no questions!

You can get access to almost all of the features the platforms offers at no cost:

If you have a lot of funnels, courses or a bigger email list, then you will want to get into the paid plans which remain very affordable.

Note that the webinar feature also starts from the Webinar plan onwards ($47/mo).

4. New Zenler


Pros of New Zenler
  • Feature-rich and keeps improving
  • Very affordable all-in-one in its beta phase
  • Innovative and fast moving
Cons of New Zenler
  • Not the easiest to use
  • Still in beta and can get buggy

Pricing: $67/mo

Trial: Free plan

New Zenler is another great all in one, comparable to Thinkific for new course creators.

The platform has attracted a lot of new users with some very affordable options.

new zenler selling point

It has everything you could want including funnel building, email automation and even its very own webinar feature.

New Zenler won’t have as many learning tools as Thinkific but will still provide a decent student experience.

Another big point of interest for New Zenler has been how fast they roll out new features and improve their product.

This is something you don’t get as much with mature platforms like Thinkific or Teachable.

Pricing

New Zenler is accessible on a free plan and will allow you to test drive the platform freely.

But if you want to unlock all of its features, you can get started from $67 per month:

new zenler yearly pricing

Even on that entry Pro plan you will get up to 25k contacts in your list, which should be enough for most creators.

The only other reason to upgrade would be if you’re sending a lot of emails and the 100k per month is an issue.

5. HighLevel


Pros of HighLevel
  • Great self paced course feature
  • Built-in conference/webinar tool
  • Blog feature
Cons of HighLevel
  • May be lacking in analytics/reporting
  • Might not be suitable for some industries

Pricing: $97/mo

Trial: 14 Days

HighLevel is a lesser recognized platform that deserves to be mentioned and put in the spotlight more often!

It’s used mostly by agencies as a SaaS platform for their clients to be incorporated into, but can easily be used by solo creators too.

It boast an impressive set of features:

  • Advanced Funnel & Site Building
  • Advanced Emails, Text & Automations
  • Unlimited File Hosting
  • Online Course Builder
  • Payment, Invoicing & Tax
  • CRM & Pipelines Management
  • Scheduler & Appointment Booking
  • Reputation Management
  • White Label mobile app (extra cost)

It’s really taken the best part of a few different platforms and built it into one.

The only warning here might be that this is an advanced tool and could be a little too complex for beginner creators.

Pricing

You can get started with HighLevel on a 14 days free trial.

This will give you access to any plans you choose:

Highlevel backend pricing

The most used plan by solo creators is the Starter plan which includes access to a single account (yours).

The other plans won’t be very relevant as it pertains more to agencies and people using HighLevel as a SaaS.

Note that you will still need to pay for an SMTP provider such as Mailgun on top of HighLevel if you want to use its email marketing system.

Joey Mazars

Online Course Platform Expert

Hi, there! I've literally spent thousands of hours helping clients build their online courses on these platforms through my marketing services.

I've become obsessed with helping them find the right fit for their needs and decided to guide other creators through their decision process with these detailed reviews.

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