Building a successful online course business comes with many challenges, but your platform shouldn’t be one of them. If you’ve used Thinkific, you may have encountered hidden fees, limited customization, and essential features locked behind higher-tier plans.
As you create courses and expand your audience, so do your costs that push you to upgrade for expanded features.
The good news? You don’t have to settle. While Thinkific is a good platform, there are better alternatives that offer more flexibility and pricing that won’t hold you back.
Whether you’re just getting started or scaling a successful online business, you deserve a platform that allows you to create courses and grow without unnecessary barriers.
In this guide, we’ll compare the best Thinkific alternatives and their advantages so you can find the perfect fit.
What’s Missing in Thinkific?
Thinkific is a widely used course platform, but many users report serious issues that impact course creation, business scalability, and user experience.
Below are some of the most common complaints from real Thinkific users, along with how they can affect your business.
Features Aren’t Customizable
Your brand is a major part of your business, and your course platform should reflect that. While Thinkific offers a clean and structured interface, you have limited options to customize key areas.
Aside from changing colors and lesson types, the course player layout follows a preset structure. You can’t modify the design to match your brand.
If you want to create a unique landing page, course catalog, or sales funnel, your options are limited unless you use an external website builder.
You also can’t adjust navigation features in the course player or create interactive learning paths beyond Thinkific’s default settings.
If you need greater control over how your courses look and function without technical complexity, CustomerHub provides a plug-and-play solution that makes customization effortless.
Outdated Interface
When running an online business, time is money. You need a platform that makes it easy to manage courses, students, and marketing efforts.
Some businesses find Thinkific’s dashboard less intuitive than other online course creation tools, which can slow down workflow. Managing multiple courses can be overwhelming because there aren’t advanced filtering options for sorting student data.
Certain features, like analytics and reporting, also require manual work, as the dashboard doesn’t provide deep insights in one place.
Limited Course Player Customization
The course player is the part students interact with the most. While Thinkific allows you to choose between different lesson types, you are mostly stuck with their standard template.
For businesses offering high-ticket coaching or interactive learning experiences, these limitations can negatively affect engagement. Platforms like CustomerHub allow more control over course design, which makes it easier to create personalized student experiences.
Heavy Dependence on Third-Party Tools
A strong marketing system helps you sell more courses, but Thinkific’s built-in tools are fairly basic.
If you rely on email automation, upsells, and funnels to grow your business, you may need to connect third-party software, which can add to your costs.
While Thinkific does support integrations, paying for multiple services can increase your expenses and require extra setup time.
If you want everything in one place, platforms like CustomerHub include built-in email automation, community features, and sales tools without requiring third-party apps.
Expensive Add-Ons and Increasing Membership Costs
Scaling a business on this platform gets expensive fast. Many advanced features require paid plugins and premium add-ons.
Unlimited courses, communities, and admins are only available on Thinkific’s higher-tier plans. If you’re on a lower-tier plan, you’ll face restrictions on how many courses or communities you can create.
One-on-one onboarding, launch support, and dedicated customer support are only premium-tier features. Basic plans don’t receive personalized guidance to help them grow.
This pricing model makes it more expensive to scale because you’ll need to upgrade your plan or purchase additional services to unlock essential features.
By comparison, CustomerHub provides all the features you need under a single, transparent pricing model. You get unlimited products, users, multimedia, and all core tools without needing to upgrade.
CustomerHub also includes unlimited chat support, access to a comprehensive help center, over 30+ certified partners for integrations, and dedicated training resources to help you launch successfully.
3 Types of Thinkific Alternatives: Which One Fits You?
Choosing the right course platform for your business depends on how you plan to deliver your courses and grow your revenue. Below are the three main types of alternatives, each catering to different business needs.
Full Course Hosting & Marketing Platforms
If you need a platform that lets you sell courses and build a full business ecosystem, an all-encompassing course platform is a great option. These platforms provide email marketing, sales funnels, landing pages, and payment processing without needing third-party tools.
Community-Centered Learning Platforms
If your business is focused on building an engaged community alongside your courses, you may need a platform that prioritizes interaction, memberships, and networking.
Thinkific offers basic discussion forums. But if community engagement is central to your business model, these platforms provide a stronger sense of connection between students.
WordPress-Based LMS & Self-Hosted Options
If you want complete control over your branding, course design, and integrations, a self-hosted platform may be the best choice. These platforms allow you to host courses on your own website, customize every element, and avoid monthly subscription fees.
Thinkific provides limited customization unless you’re on a higher-tier plan. If you want more design flexibility, these platforms give you the freedom to create a fully branded learning experience.
10 Best Thinkific Alternatives
Choosing the right platform to host and sell your courses is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your business.
If you’ve been frustrated by Thinkific’s limitations, it's time to look for alternatives that offer more flexibility, better pricing, and a smoother experience for you and your students.
Here are the ten best Thinkific alternatives you might want to consider:
1. CustomerHub
If you’re looking for an easier, faster way to launch and grow your online courses or memberships, CustomerHub is the best Thinkific alternative.
Unlike Thinkific, which can feel overwhelming with its complex setup, CustomerHub provides plug-and-play simplicity with all the essential tools built in.
Plug-and-Play Simplicity
CustomerHub is designed to eliminate the technical frustrations that come with launching an online course or membership.
Getting your course or membership site up and running shouldn’t be a time-consuming or frustrating process. If you’ve ever felt stuck dealing with clunky platforms or paying extra for tech help, CustomerHub removes those barriers so you can focus on growing your business.
Comprehensive Sales Pages
A great product needs a great sales page, and CustomerHub delivers built-in, high-converting templates designed to turn visitors into paying customers.
You can easily customize layouts, highlight key selling points, and integrate payments without hiring a web designer or using third-party software. These sales pages work as part of your marketing funnel, which helps you attract and enroll more students.
Onboarding Experiences
The real challenge in selling your courses is keeping customers engaged and making sure they complete what they start.
CustomerHub’s guided onboarding experiences help members navigate your content step by step, increasing completion rates and satisfaction.
With progress tracking and structured learning paths, your audience stays motivated, gets results, and keeps coming back for more.
Plug-and-Play Product Library
CustomerHub simplifies everything by giving you one place to sell and manage courses, memberships, and digital downloads.
Instead of switching between different tools or platforms, you can organize everything under one dashboard. It's easier for you to run your business and for your customers to access their purchases.
Private Customer Feed
Your students and members are people who want connection and support.
CustomerHub’s private customer feed allows you to share updates, answer questions, and build a loyal community inside your own platform. No need to depend on social media groups or external forums.
Integration With Your Favorite Tools
Switching platforms shouldn’t mean starting from scratch. If you’ve invested in a specific workflow, you don’t have to rebuild it, as CustomerHub fits right in and helps you scale without disruption.
CustomerHub integrates with 7,000+ apps through direct and Zapier connections so you can continue using your business's existing CRM, email marketing tools, and payment processors.
Responsive Customer Support
Unlike platforms that restrict support to premium users, CustomerHub provides unlimited chat support with a dedicated, boutique-level team. Whether creators need troubleshooting assistance or best practice advice, help is always available.
The Done-for-You setup services also make the transition seamless, allowing you to move courses and memberships onto your platform without the usual stress of migration.
Transparent, Affordable Pricing
Thinkific requires you to upgrade to unlock new features. But CustomerHub bundles everything into one simple plan so you can focus on growing your business without worrying about surprise fees.
For $79 per month, CustomerHub provides a cost-effective solution that includes unlimited courses, unlimited users, and unlimited multimedia uploads.
If you’re just starting out or already running a six-figure membership business, CustomerHub gives you the flexibility to sell, scale, and manage your courses without restrictions.
Get started with a free 14-day trial and see how CustomerHub can power your online business.
2. Kajabi
Kajabi is a comprehensive platform that allows users to create, market, and sell online courses, memberships, and digital products. It offers a variety of features, including customizable templates, email marketing tools, and sales funnel capabilities.
Kajabi also supports the creation of coaching programs and podcasts for content creators. The platform's integration with various tools and services improves its functionality.
Despite its feature set, some users have reported challenges with Kajabi's user interface, particularly when organizing plans and sorting members.
Pricing
- Kickstarter ($89/month) – Suitable for beginners who want to lay the foundation for their online business
- Basic ($149/month) – Includes all the core features needed to start selling courses and memberships
- Growth ($199/month) – The most popular plan, offering expanded tools to help businesses scale
- Pro ($399/month) – Designed for established businesses that need advanced features to maximize growth
Find out which is better: Thinkific or Kajabi.
3. Podia
Podia is an all-in-one platform that allows creators to sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads. It offers a user-friendly interface with a modern course builder for various content types and features like quizzes.
Podia also provides email marketing capabilities and supports the creation of coaching programs. Its affordability and ease of use make it appealing to many creators.
Pricing
- Mover ($39/month) – A lower-cost option with a 5% transaction fee on every sale
- Shaker ($89/month) – A premium plan with no transaction fees, allowing you to keep 100% of your earnings
Both plans include Podia Email, a built-in email marketing tool. The first 100 subscribers are free, but pricing increases as your list grows.
4. Teachable
Teachable is a platform focused on helping creators build and sell online courses and coaching services. It offers a range of customization options, including course compliance controls and drip content scheduling.
Teachable also provides integrated payment processing and supports various pricing plans.
Some users have expressed concerns about Teachable's customer support and transaction fees. They mentioned its customer assistance can be inadequate, with tickets sometimes remaining unaddressed for extended periods.
Pricing
- Basic ($69/month) – Includes essential tools but comes with a 5% transaction fee on all sales
- Pro ($159/month) – Unlocks advanced features with 0% transaction fees, allowing you to keep all your earnings
- Pro+ ($249/month) – Designed for fast-growing businesses, offering more products and custom user roles with no transaction fees
Compare Thinkific and Teachable to find the best fit for you.
5. FreshLearn
FreshLearn is an all-in-one platform designed for course creators to build, market, and sell their courses. It provides features like customizable course pages, quizzes, and course completion certificates.
FreshLearn also provides integrated affiliate marketing and supports various multimedia formats. Its competitive pricing and comprehensive feature set make it an attractive option for many educators.
However, as a relatively newer platform, FreshLearn may lack some advanced features found in more established platforms.
Pricing
- Free ($0/month) – A solid choice for new creators launching their first digital products
- Pro ($39/month) – Suitable for on-demand courses and workshops, including 3,000 free email credits per month
- No Brainer ($69/month) – Designed for growing creators, offering certifications, live cohorts, and 5,000 free email credits each month
- No Brainer+ ($149/month) – Aimed at scaling businesses that need automation, advanced customizations, and access control, with 12,000 free email credits per month
- Enterprise (Custom pricing) – Built for large businesses managing thousands of learners across different customer or employee groups
6. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks focuses on building communities alongside offering online courses and memberships. It provides tools for creating engaging community experiences, including events, live streaming, and discussion boards.
The platform supports both asynchronous and synchronous courses, catering to various teaching styles. Its emphasis on community engagement sets it apart from many traditional course platforms.
One potential drawback is that Mighty Networks lacks certain learning reinforcement features, such as quizzes and course progress checklists. These limitations might be useful for users seeking comprehensive educational tools.
Pricing
- Community plan ($49/month) – Suitable for starting or moving a community from a social media group or chat app into a dedicated platform
- Courses plan ($119/month) – Adds courses, challenges, and resource libraries to a community or membership
- Business plan ($219/month) – Provides integration with other tools, more livestreaming options, and white-labeling for branding
- Path-to-Pro plan ($430/month) – Offers advanced automation, more white-labeling, and dedicated support services
7. LearnDash
LearnDash is a WordPress plugin that transforms WordPress sites into learning management systems. It offers features like drip-feed content, quizzes, certificates, and course forums.
LearnDash also supports various monetization options, including subscriptions and memberships. Its deep integration with WordPress provides flexibility and control over course design and functionality.
However, being a WordPress plugin, LearnDash requires users to manage their hosting and may involve a steeper learning curve. It might not be as user-friendly for those unfamiliar with WordPress.
Pricing
- LearnDash LMS (from $199/year) – WordPress plugin that lets you create and sell courses directly from your own website
- LearnDash Cloud (from $29/month) – Fully hosted WordPress solution that lets you skip the setup process and start building courses
8. Systeme
Systeme is an all-in-one marketing platform that includes course creation capabilities. It offers features like sales funnels, email marketing, and membership sites.
It aims to provide a comprehensive solution for entrepreneurs looking to manage various aspects of their online business from a single platform.
Some users have noted that while Systeme offers a broad range of features, its course creation tools are less advanced compared to dedicated LMS platforms.
Pricing
- Free ($0/month) – Suitable for beginners, allowing up to 2,000 contacts
- Startup ($27/month) – Supports growing businesses with up to 5,000 contacts and additional features
- Webinar ($47/month) – Made for those running webinars and email marketing, with space for 10,000 contacts
- Unlimited ($97/month) – Offers unlimited contacts and full access to all platform features
9. TalentLMS
TalentLMS is a modern learning management system (LMS) designed to simplify training processes for organizations. It offers features such as course management, learner portals, and certification management, allowing businesses to create and deliver training programs.
Users frequently commend TalentLMS for its ease of use and comprehensive feature set. However, some have expressed concerns about limited customization options and feature constraints.
Pricing
- Core (From $139/month) – Supports 1 to 40 users, making it a good starting point for small teams
- Grow (From $299/month) – Expands access to 1 to 70 users, adequate for growing businesses
- Pro (From $519/month) – Designed for 1 to 100 users, offering more advanced learning management tools
- Enterprise (custom pricing) – Built for large organizations, starting at 1,000 users with tailored features
10. LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is an all-in-one platform for creating, selling, and promoting online courses. It provides interactive video tools, customizable course catalogs, and a built-in social community to enhance learner engagement.
The platform also offers an advanced website builder with various templates for educators to create branded learning environments. It supports multiple assessment methods, including quizzes and assignments, to evaluate learner progress.
Pricing
- Starter ($29/month) – Budget-friendly option with a $5 fee per course enrollment
- Pro Trainer ($99/month) – Removes transaction fees and includes advanced course-building tools
- Learning Center ($299/month) – Suitable for growing businesses, with no transaction fees and more customization options
- High Volume & Corporate (custom pricing) – Tailored for large organizations needing scalable learning solutions
Free vs. Paid Thinkific Alternatives: What’s Best for You?
When choosing an online course platform, one of the biggest decisions you’ll face is whether to go with a free or paid Thinkific alternative.
Free platforms are appealing because they provide a low-risk way to get started but often come with restrictions that can slow down growth. Paid platforms, on the other hand, offer greater flexibility and sales and marketing tools but at a higher cost.
The right choice depends on where you are in your business journey. If you're just testing the waters, a free alternative might be enough to launch your first course.
However, if you’re serious about scaling a profitable course business, you may find that the limitations of free plans force you to upgrade sooner than expected.
What Free Alternatives Offer
Free course platforms provide the basics: a simple course builder, student enrollment tools, and basic hosting for videos and lessons. These platforms are great for testing a concept or launching a small course but typically have strict limitations.
One major drawback of free plans is the restriction on how many courses or students you can have. Many platforms only allow a single course on their free tier, making it difficult to expand your business.
Some also charge transaction fees on every sale, which means you lose a percentage of your revenue. Free plans also often lack branding control, so your course pages may display the platform’s logo instead of your own.
Benefits of Paid Alternatives
Paid course platforms give you complete control over your business and remove the restrictions that free plans impose. You gain access to unlimited courses, students, and multimedia uploads, allowing you to scale without worrying about hitting a limit.
Branding is also fully customizable, so your course pages reflect your business identity rather than promoting the platform you’re using.
Another advantage of paid platforms is that there are no transaction fees, and you get to keep 100% of your earnings. Free platforms often take a cut from each sale, which makes it harder to maximize your profits.
Features like email sequences, sales funnels, and upsell options help you sell more courses without requiring third-party tools.
CustomerHub includes unlimited users, unlimited products, and a built-in community feature for $79. This makes it a strong alternative to Thinkific without expensive add-ons.
If you’re launching your first course and want to minimize upfront costs, a free plan might be a good starting point.
However, as your business grows, the hidden costs of transaction fees, feature restrictions, and branding limitations can make free platforms more expensive in the long run.
Why CustomerHub Is the Best Alternative to Thinkific
If you’re ready to build a long-term course business, choosing a platform that supports growth without costly upgrades is essential.
Here’s how CustomerHub solves Thinkific’s biggest pain points and helps you scale with ease.
Stress-Free Integration With Your Business Tools
If you already have a CRM, email marketing system, or automation tools in place, you don’t want a course platform that makes integration complicated. Thinkific often requires third-party apps to sync data and automate workflows, which adds extra costs and complexity.
With CustomerHub, you can easily connect your existing business tools and keep everything running smoothly. The Keap connector lets you sync new or existing contacts so your audience stays updated across platforms.
You can also trigger automations based on user activity, such as course completion or membership upgrades, which makes it easier to nurture leads and engage students.
Customizable Themes That Match Your Brand
Brand consistency is key when creating an online course or membership. Thinkific limits how much you can customize the look and feel of your course pages.
With CustomerHub, you get complete control over your course branding. Choose from different themes and customize layouts to fit your business.
The Motivate theme offers a clean, modern look with a horizontal navigation bar, perfect for keeping users engaged. The Foundation theme provides a sidebar navigation and a futuristic layout, designed to simplify the user experience.
CustomerHub
No matter which theme you choose, you can fully adjust colors, fonts, and page layouts without needing a developer. Your courses will look and feel like a natural extension of your brand.
Pre-Built Course and Product Pages
Building out your courses shouldn’t require piecing together different tools just to get the right structure. Thinkific provides limited customization for course pages, often requiring workarounds to create a unique experience.
CustomerHub makes course setup effortless with pre-built templates that are ready to go. The Course Overview page gives students a breakdown of the curriculum, instructor details, and what they’ll learn.
The Product Library page allows users to browse, filter, and search through your available courses, memberships, and digital products.
If you're offering bundled products or memberships, CustomerHub tracks user progress across all products in a collection. If a user is part of a membership or multi-course bundle, their progress is automatically updated so they can easily pick up where they left off.
Drive Sales With the All Access Pass Feature
If you offer multiple products, bundling them into a high-value All Access Pass can be a powerful way to increase sales and maximize customer lifetime value.
Thinkific doesn’t offer a built-in way to structure all-inclusive memberships. You have to manually grant access to multiple courses or rely on external tools to manage bundles.
With CustomerHub’s All Access Pass, you can automatically grant access to all content for new and existing members. You can create a premium membership option that encourages customers to upgrade and track progress across multiple products in a collection.
This feature provides a natural upsell path for your students. Every product they purchase brings them one step closer to unlocking everything your membership site has to offer.
5 Big Mistakes Course Creators Make When Choosing a Platform
If you’re in the process of choosing an alternative to Thinkific, avoid these five common mistakes that can hurt your business in the long run.
Mistake #1: Picking a Platform Based on Popularity
Thinkific, Kajabi, and Teachable are big names in the course creation world, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best fit for your business model. Many creators make the mistake of signing up for a platform just because they’ve heard about it, instead of considering the following:
- What kind of courses do you want to sell? (Self-paced? Membership-based? High-ticket coaching?)
- How do you plan to market and sell? (Organic content? Paid ads? Email funnels?)
- Do you need community features, coaching tools, or live events?
A fitness coach selling monthly membership access to workout videos needs a different platform than a business consultant selling a $5,000 coaching program.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Hidden Costs That Eat Into Profits
Many course platforms advertise a low monthly fee. But once you start adding features, the real cost skyrockets.
Before committing to a platform, take the time to evaluate what’s included in each plan and what you’ll actually need to scale your business.
You must look beyond just the base subscription cost and consider transaction fees, add-ons, required third-party tools, and whether customer support is free or paid.
Mistake #3: Choosing a Marketplace Instead of a Self-Hosted Platform
When you’re looking to create and sell courses, it’s easy to be tempted by online marketplaces like Udemy or Skillshare. These platforms promise instant exposure to a large audience but come with major trade-offs that can limit your long-term success.
But here’s the problem: you don’t own your students, and you have limited marketing control. Therefore, you can’t build long-term relationships with customers.
You give up control over pricing, branding, and customer relationships, which can seriously impact your business growth.
If you want to build a brand and scale your revenue, you need a self-hosted platform like CustomerHub that lets you own your student data and email list.
Rather than competing with thousands of other instructors on a marketplace, you can build a direct connection with your audience, increase retention, and scale on your terms.
Mistake #4: Underestimating the Importance of Marketing and Automation
Many course creators focus on content but forget about marketing. A course won’t sell itself, especially if your platform lacks:
- Email automation (welcome sequences, abandoned cart recovery)
- Sales funnels to upsell, cross-sell, and nurture leads
- Landing pages optimized for conversions
Thinkific is great for course hosting, but its marketing tools are basic. If you rely on Thinkific alone, you might miss out on recurring sales from leads who didn’t buy on their first visit.
Mistake #5: Not Planning for Long-Term Growth
What works for your first 100 students may not work when you scale to 5,000+ students. Many course creators pick platforms based on short-term needs, only to outgrow them later.
Consider if your platform can handle large student numbers without performance issues. Does it offer advanced reporting and analytics? Will you need more advanced integrations as you scale?
If you start on a limited platform, switching later can be a technical nightmare, especially when migrating student accounts, payment history, and course materials.
Don’t Let Pricing Tiers Limit Your Growth—Switch to CustomerHub!
Have you felt frustrated by hidden fees, restrictive pricing tiers, or the need for third-party add-ons just to access essential tools with other course platforms?
You don't have to pay more for features that should be standard. Instead of locking key features behind expensive pricing tiers, CustomerHub gives you everything in one simple plan.
You get unlimited courses, unlimited members, and unlimited multimedia without having to upgrade to access the tools you need. With built-in automation, seamless integrations, and a fully customizable course experience, you can create, sell, and scale.
Whether you’re launching a new membership program or expanding your digital products, CustomerHub provides the flexibility and control that Thinkific may lack.
If Thinkific’s pricing structure and feature restrictions have been slowing you down, it’s time to switch to a platform that grows with your business.
Start your free 14-day trial with CustomerHub today and experience a better way to build and sell your courses.
FAQs About Thinkific Alternatives
What platforms are similar to Thinkific?
Some of the best alternatives to Thinkific include Teachable, Kajabi, Podia, LearnWorlds, and CustomerHub.
- Teachable is easy to use but charges transaction fees on lower plans
- Kajabi includes built-in marketing and automation tools
- Podia allows memberships and digital downloads with no transaction fees
- CustomerHub offers unlimited products, users, and multimedia in one simple plan
These platforms let you create, host, and sell courses, but they vary in pricing, customization, and marketing tools.
Which is better, Teachable or Thinkific?
Both are solid choices, but it depends on what you need. Thinkific offers more customization, while Teachable is easier to use but charges transaction fees on lower plans. If branding control is important, Thinkific is better. If you want built-in payment processing, Teachable might be a better fit.
Which is better, Thinkific or Kajabi?
Thinkific is mainly for course creation, while Kajabi is a complete business platform that includes email marketing, sales funnels, and automation.
If you need more than just a course builder, Kajabi is the better option. If you only need structured courses without advanced marketing tools, Thinkific works fine.
Does Thinkific have a free plan?
No, Thinkific does not have a free plan. Their lowest-tier Basic plan starts at $49/month, but they offer a free trial, allowing you to test the platform before committing to a paid plan. If you're looking for a completely free alternative, you may need to explore other platforms.
