Teachable vs Thinkific (2026): Which Pays Better?

Both are popular course & cohort platforms. Here is how Teachable and Thinkific stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.

Teachable

Course, coaching and digital product platform with checkout, drip and affiliates; plans from $39/mo, no free tier since 2025.

8.2 /10

Pricing: Paid from $39/mo

Pros

Built-in affiliate program, tax handling (VAT/US sales tax) and support for coaching, bundles and certificates
Daily payouts via Teachable Payments

Cons

No free plan since the 2025 pricing overhaul — entry price is $29-39/mo
7.5% transaction fee on the entry Starter plan; design flexibility is limited

Visit Teachable ↗

Thinkific

Course, membership and community platform: no free plan, 30-day trial, plans from $40/mo (annual) plus a 2.9% payment-processing fee.

7.8 /10

Pricing: Paid from $40/mo

Pros

Communities, memberships, live Zoom sessions, quizzes and certificates as you move up tiers
30-day free trial with full feature access before paying

Cons

No permanent free plan, and a 2.9% Thinkific Payments processing fee applies at every tier
Memberships, live sessions and payment plans only unlock from the $82+/mo Start plan

Visit Thinkific ↗

Teachable vs Thinkific at a glance

	Teachable	Thinkific
Editor score	8.2 / 10	7.8 / 10
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$39/mo	$40/mo
Web rank	#6.9k	#5.8k
Minimum traffic	None	None
Revenue share / fee	7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan ($39/mo); 0% transaction fee on Builder ($89/mo) and Growth ($189/mo) plans, plus standard card processing fees	No free plan; 30-day trial. Basic $40/mo (annual) / $54 (monthly); Start $82/$109; Grow $164/$219; Plus custom — plus a 2.9% Thinkific Payments processing fee on every plan
Commission	–	–
Payout	Daily payouts via Teachable Payments; monthly via the alternative payment gateway	Via Stripe / Thinkific Payments
Methods served	online courses, memberships subscriptions, digital products, coaching services	online courses, memberships subscriptions, digital products, coaching services
Niches accepted	General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail	General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	courses, coaching, affiliates	courses, communities, no transaction fee

Our pick

Teachable edges it with a score of 8.2 versus 7.8. Teachable is the better fit if you value: built-in affiliate program, tax handling (vat/us sales tax) and support for coaching, bundles and certificates, daily payouts via teachable payments. Choose Thinkific instead if you need: communities, memberships, live zoom sessions, quizzes and certificates as you move up tiers, 30-day free trial with full feature access before paying.