Teachable vs Thinkific: which entry plan, and when to move up

Teachable has four plans, all billed annually and with no free plan. Starter is $29 a month with a 7.5% transaction fee. Builder is $69 a month, Growth is $139 and Advanced is $309, and those three charge no transaction fee. Stripe processing of 2.9% plus $0.30 applies on every plan.

Thinkific has Basic at $49 a month with one community, Start at $99 with one community and ten spaces, Grow at $199, Expand at $499 and Plus on custom pricing. With Thinkific Payments there is no transaction fee. If you connect your own Stripe account instead, Thinkific adds a surcharge of 0.5% to 5% depending on tier, so the 0% headline assumes you use its payments.

Teachable Starter costs $40 a month less than Builder but takes 7.5% of every sale. That 7.5% equals $40 when your monthly sales reach about $533. Below $533 a month, Starter is cheaper. Above it, Builder is cheaper, and the gap widens with every sale. At $2,000 a month, Starter costs $29 plus $150, or $179, while Builder costs $69. Math example, not a customer outcome.

The rule worth screenshotting: if you expect more than about $533 a month in course sales within the year, skip Teachable Starter and start on Builder. Because both plans are billed annually, guessing low on Starter means paying the 7.5% for months before you can justify switching.

At $1,000 a month in course sales, Teachable Starter costs $29 plus $75 in transaction fees, or $104, and Teachable Builder costs $69. Thinkific Basic costs $49 with no transaction fee on Thinkific Payments. Processing is a separate line on all three. Thinkific is the cheapest platform line here by $20. Math example, not a customer outcome.

At $5,000 a month, Teachable Starter would cost $29 plus $375, or $404, which nobody should pay. Teachable Builder stays at $69 and Thinkific Basic stays at $49. Neither charges a percentage, so the decision at this level is features, not fees. Math example, not a customer outcome.

At $20,000 a month, both platforms are still flat. Teachable Builder is $69 and Growth $139; Thinkific Basic is $49 and Start $99. Most creators at this level upgrade for features rather than fees, so the realistic comparison is $139 against $99 or $199. Either way the platform bill is under 1% of revenue, which is why neither platform's pricing is the main reason to choose it at scale. Math example, not a customer outcome.

Thinkific is the deeper learning platform. Quizzes, certificates, drip schedules and completion tracking are its core, and the course player is mature. For a course where students are assessed and receive a certificate, Thinkific is the safer pick on learning features alone.

Teachable covers the core course-host jobs well: lessons, quizzes, sales pages and checkout. It has historically leaned toward the selling side of the business. Check its current plan pages for which tier includes certificates and coaching products before you commit, because those details move between plans.

Neither is a community platform first. Thinkific includes a community on every plan, one on Basic and ten spaces on Start, but live events and gamification are gaps. Teachable is lighter still on community. If your students need a place to talk daily, plan on either a second tool or a platform built around community.

This matters more than it looks. When the course lives on one platform and the conversation on another, students need two logins, and the community rarely becomes part of finishing the course.

On Teachable, the first move is from Starter to Builder at about $533 a month in sales. After that, upgrade for features, not fees, because Builder and above all charge 0%. On Thinkific, Basic is enough until you need more than one community or more spaces, at which point Start makes sense. Higher Thinkific tiers are about features and team size.

One trap applies to Thinkific: if you insist on your own Stripe account, the 0.5% to 5% surcharge can change the math, especially on the lower tiers. Price that in before you choose.

Pick Thinkific if your course is the product, assessment and certificates matter, and you want the lowest monthly bill with no transaction fee. Pick Teachable if you like its sales flow, you are confident enough in sales to start on Builder, and community is handled elsewhere. Do not pick Teachable Starter if you expect to cross $533 a month soon.

HiveLearn is for the creator who wants a course host and a community in the same login. The LMS has quizzes with six question types graded on the server, question banks, drip lessons, assignments with a gradebook, and certificates with a public verification page. Around it sit discussions, direct messages, events with RSVPs and paid tickets, and points, levels and leaderboards. That puts courses, community, events and payments in one place, instead of a separate course host plus a community tool.

Starter is $0 a month with a 6% revenue share, so there is no monthly fee until you monetize. Growth is $39 a month with 4%, rev share capped at $2,000/month; Pro is $99 with 2%, capped at $3,000/month; Scale is $249 with 1%, capped at $4,000/month. Growth, Pro and Scale have a 14-day free trial, no credit card, and Stripe processing applies on top. If you only sell courses and never want a community, a flat-fee course host like Thinkific Basic may be the cheaper and simpler choice.