Thinkific vs Teachable: Prices, Fees and Limits (2026)
Thinkific vs Teachable on 2026 prices, the 7.5% Starter fee, product limits and features, with when each plan pays off for course creators.
Thinkific vs Teachable: Teachable is cheaper to start, at $39 a month, but its Starter plan takes a 7.5% transaction fee and limits you to 5 products. Thinkific starts at $109 a month with no transaction fee and unlimited courses on every plan. If you are launching your first course, Teachable costs less. If you are building a bigger academy or a community, Thinkific gives more room.
Photo: Nick Morrison on Unsplash
We checked both pricing pages on 30 October 2026 and worked out where each plan starts to pay off. We did not create accounts, so we only compare what each company states publicly. "Teachable vs Thinkific" is the same comparison, so it is answered here too.
Thinkific vs Teachable: the quick answer
- Your first course, small budget: Teachable Starter at $39 a month ($29 billed yearly), but watch the 7.5% fee.
- Selling more than about $670 a month on Teachable: move to Teachable Builder, where the fee is 0%.
- Many courses, a community or a branded app: Thinkific, from $109 a month ($82 billed yearly).
| Tool | Price | Ads and pop-ups | Limits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | Starter $39 a month ($29 yearly); Builder $89; Growth $189 | โ | 7.5% fee on Starter; 5 / 10 / 50 products | A first course on a small budget |
| Thinkific | Start $109 a month ($82 yearly); Grow $219 ($164 yearly) | โ | Unlimited courses; Thinkific Payments 2.9% | Bigger academies and communities |
Teachable
Best for: A first course on a small budget- Price
- Starter $39 a month ($29 yearly); Builder $89; Growth $189
- Limits
- 7.5% fee on Starter; 5 / 10 / 50 products
- Low entry price
- Student apps and AI course creation
- Upsells and cart recovery on every plan
- 7.5% fee on Starter
- Product limits per plan
- No free plan
Thinkific
Best for: Bigger academies and communities- Price
- Start $109 a month ($82 yearly); Grow $219 ($164 yearly)
- Limits
- Unlimited courses; Thinkific Payments 2.9%
- No transaction fee
- Unlimited courses from the first plan
- Communities and an AI teaching assistant
- Higher entry price
- Branded app is a paid add-on
- Extra gateway fee with Stripe or PayPal directly
Pricing compared
| Teachable | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Starter: $39 a month ($29 yearly) | Start: $109 a month ($82 yearly) |
| Next plan | Builder: $89 a month | Grow: $219 a month ($164 yearly) |
| Top listed plan | Growth: $189 a month | Expand, and Plus for enterprises |
| Transaction fee | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and up | None |
| Payment processing | Standard processing applies | 2.9% with Thinkific Payments |
| Products | 5 / 10 / 50 by plan | Unlimited courses |
| Free plan | No: 7-day trial, 30-day money-back guarantee | No: free trial |
Thinkific raised prices by about 10% in 2026; the figures above are the current ones from its pricing page.
The 7.5% fee: when Teachable Builder pays off
Teachable Starter costs $50 a month less than Builder but takes 7.5% of every sale. That 7.5% equals $50 at $667 in monthly sales ($50 รท 0.075). Below that, Starter is cheaper; above it, Builder is. At $2,000 a month, the Starter fee is $150, three times the price difference.
Teachable Builder vs Thinkific Start
Once you are past the first course, the real choice is usually Teachable Builder at $89 a month against Thinkific Start at $109 a month. Both have no transaction fee, so the difference is $20 a month, or $240 a year. For that, Thinkific gives unlimited courses where Builder stops at 10 products, plus communities. If you plan to stay under 10 products and want student apps, Builder costs less. If your catalogue will keep growing, Start avoids the next upgrade, which on Teachable is Growth at $189.
Products and limits
Teachable counts products: 5 on Starter, 10 on Builder and 50 on Growth. One course counts as one product however many lessons it has, and memberships and bundles don't count toward the limit. Thinkific's plans include unlimited courses from the first plan, so a growing catalogue does not force an upgrade.
Features that set them apart
Teachable lists AI course creation, iOS and Android student apps, global payments and taxes, upsells and cart recovery on every plan, and an affiliate program from Builder up.
Thinkific adds communities and an AI teaching assistant, and offers a fully branded mobile app as an add-on on select plans. Its built-in Thinkific Payments charges 2.9%; with Stripe or PayPal directly, an extra gateway fee applies that varies by plan.
Which one should you choose?
- Testing your first course: Teachable Starter, and plan to move to Builder once sales pass about $670 a month.
- Several courses, with more on the way: Thinkific Start, since courses are unlimited.
- A learning community around your courses: Thinkific.
- Selling courses next to downloads, coaching or memberships from one store: an all-in-one creator store, below.
Where Sellwares fits
If courses are one part of what you sell, next to digital downloads, coaching calls or memberships, Sellwares keeps them in one store with a 0% transaction fee on every plan. Buyers pay you directly through your own Stripe or PayPal, and the migration tool imports from both Teachable and Thinkific. See how to sell digital products, or create a sales funnel for your course.
What we found in the top results
We reviewed the pages Google ranks first for "thinkific vs teachable" on 30 October 2026. Thinkific's own comparison ranks high, next to course-creator blogs and a Reddit thread. Many still quote prices from before Thinkific's 2026 increase, and few work out when Teachable's 7.5% fee makes the bigger plan cheaper, so we did both.
Start a free store and sell your first course alongside everything else you make.
Questions
Is Thinkific better than Teachable?
For many courses and communities, yes: unlimited courses and no transaction fee. For a first course on a small budget, Teachable Starter is cheaper as long as sales stay under about $670 a month.
Does Teachable charge a transaction fee?
Yes on Starter: 7.5% per sale. Builder ($89) and Growth ($189) have a 0% transaction fee.
Does Thinkific have a free plan?
Thinkific's pricing page lists paid plans with a free trial. Teachable also has no free plan, only a 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How much does Thinkific cost in 2026?
Start is $109 a month or $82 billed yearly, and Grow is $219 a month or $164 yearly, after a price rise of about 10% in 2026.