Thinkific Pricing (2026): What’s the Real Cost [Fee Calculator]

By Jeff Cobb.  Last Updated on March 27, 2026

TL;DR: Thinkific Pricing Analysis | The Real Cost Of Using It
Thinkific offers four pricing plans
Basic – $49/mo (monthly billing), $36/mo (annual billing)
Start – $99 mo (monthly billing), $74/mo (annual billing)
Grow – $199/mo (monthly billing), $149/mo (annual billing)
Plus – Custom pricing

No platform transaction fees on any plan when using Thinkific Payments. But if you use your own Stripe account, Thinkific charges an additional surcharge per transaction.

Thinkific also discontinued its free plan. However, there’s a 30-day free trial on Basic, Start, and Grow.

My quick verdict by plan:
Basic: Good for launching your first course and testing demand. You will hit its limits faster than you expect if memberships, certificates, or bundles are part of your plan.
Start: The plan most serious course creators actually need. Unlocks memberships, bundles, certificates, and payment plans at $74/month annually.
Grow: Worth it for specific needs (removing Thinkific branding, full analytics, Mass Email to your student base, Zapier actions, and B2B selling tools).
Plus: An enterprise product for organizations. Not relevant for most individual creators.

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Don’t want to do all the match? Use our free Thinkific Pricing Calculator to find out exactly how much each plan would cost you.

I have been using Thinkific for years. Right now I host six different courses on the platform across my businesses including Learning Revolution, Leading Learning, and Tagoras.

That is not a theoretical familiarity with the platform. I have been through course launches, pricing decisions, feature limitations, and plan upgrades on it.

I know where it delivers and where it does not.

My honest view is that Thinkific is among the best online course platforms for experts, coaches, and educators who care about the quality of the learning experience they deliver.

Its course builder is genuinely excellent and its assessment tools, quizzes, assignments, compliance controls, and certificates give you real control over how learners progress.

And the depth of its learner management features is difficult to match at comparable price points.

For anyone building an expertise-based business where the course itself is the product Thinkific is where I would tell them to start.

That said, pricing is where I see people make costly mistakes.

Thinkific looks affordable at $36/month until you start building the business you actually want to run, and then the plan you need is not always the one you started on. And there is a payment processing surcharge that changes the real cost significantly if you are not paying attention.

This guide is my attempt to give you the honest pricing picture before you commit. I’ll show you what each plan actually delivers, where the real costs show up, and whether the price is justified at each level.

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Thinkific Pricing Plans: Comparison Table

The features below are the ones that actually drive the decision between plans. If you are trying to choose, these are what matter.

FeatureBasicStartGrowPlus
Monthly price$49$99$199Custom
Annual price (per month)$36$74$149Custom
Annual total$432$888$1,788Custom
Stripe surcharge (own Stripe)5%2%1%None
Student cap10,00010,00010,000Unlimited
Memberships and subscriptionsNoYesYesYes
Course bundlesNoYesYesYes
Completion certificatesNoYesYesYes
Payment plans for studentsNoYesYesYes
Assignments and compliance toolsNoYesYesYes
Zoom integrationNoYesYesYes
Remove Thinkific brandingNoNoYesYes
Full analytics dashboardNoNoYesYes
Mass User Email (broadcast to students)NoNoYesYes
Group orders and invoicing (B2B)NoNoYesYes
API, webhooks, Zapier actionsNoNoYesYes
SCORM complianceNoNoNoYes
Single Sign-On (SSO)NoNoNoYes
CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce)NoNoNoYes
SupportEmail and chatEmail and chatPhone and priorityDedicated CSM

Annual billing saves 25% across all plans. There are no legitimate public coupon codes, Thinkific does not distribute them. The 30-day free trial and annual billing are the only official ways to reduce your cost.

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The Stripe Surcharge: Thinkific’s Most Misunderstood Cost

Before getting into each plan, this deserves its own section because it changes the real cost calculation significantly.

Thinkific advertises zero transaction fees. That is true — if you use Thinkific Payments, their built-in processor. The moment you use your own Stripe account instead, Thinkific charges an additional surcharge on every transaction. This is confirmed in Thinkific’s own Third-Party Payment Gateway Fee documentation.

Stripe Surcharge by Plan

PlanStripe SurchargeCombined Rate (Stripe 2.9% + Surcharge)
Basic5.0%~7.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Start2.0%~4.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Grow1.0%~3.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Expand0.5%~3.4% + $0.30 per transaction
PlusNone~2.9% + $0.30 (standard Stripe only)

This applies to creators in the US, Canada, UK, and all EU countries using their own Stripe account. Creators in countries where TCommerce is not yet available are exempt.

However, the surcharge only applies to your first $1 million in annual sales. Above that Thinkific waives it entirely.

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What the Surcharge Actually Costs at Different Revenue Levels

Monthly RevenueBasic Surcharge (5%)Start Surcharge (2%)Grow Surcharge (1%)
$1,000/month$50$20$10
$3,000/month$150$60$30
$5,000/month$250$100$50
$10,000/month$500$200$100

At $3,000/month on Basic with your own Stripe, the surcharge costs $150/month — bringing your real monthly cost to $186 before Stripe’s own per-transaction fee on top. That is a significant difference from the advertised $36/month.

The fix: use Thinkific Payments instead of your own Stripe. Thinkific Payments costs the same as Stripe for standard US and Canadian card processing at 2.9% + $0.30, with no surcharge. The trade-off is that your payment infrastructure lives inside Thinkific’s ecosystem rather than your own Stripe account. For most people building a course business this is fine.

For those who want direct control over payment data, or who have significant existing Stripe subscriptions they prefer not to migrate, it is worth thinking through before signing up.

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The Basic Plan: What $36/Month Actually Gives You

$49/month (or $36/month billed annually, $432/year)

Basic is Thinkific’s entry plan. For $36/month annually you get unlimited courses with unlimited video hosting, a site on your custom domain, the drag-and-drop course builder, drip content scheduling, basic sales tools including coupons, order bumps, and gifting, one community with five spaces, and lead capture through free digital download or webinar lead magnets.

You also get Thinkific’s native email automation — a Sales Flow sequence that automatically emails new leads who have not yet purchased a specific product — and abandoned cart emails via TCommerce. Both are genuinely useful and both run on Basic without any upgrade.

For existing student communication, you can email any student individually and send the weekly reminder — an automated Sunday email listing all incomplete courses for each enrolled student.

What Basic Includes vs What It Does Not

Included on BasicNot Included — Requires Upgrade
Unlimited courses and video hostingMemberships and subscriptions (Start)
Custom domainCompletion certificates (Start)
Drip content schedulingCourse bundles (Start)
Coupons, order bumps, giftingPayment plans (Start)
Abandoned cart emails (TCommerce)Assignments and compliance tools (Start)
Sales Flow lead sequencesZoom integration (Start)
Weekly student reminder emailPrivate and hidden courses (Start)
Individual student emailsRemove Thinkific branding (Grow)
1 community, 5 spacesFull analytics dashboard (Grow)
Basic reportingMass User Email broadcast (Grow)
Lead capture via lead magnetsPayPal for students (Grow)
Email and chat supportAPI, webhooks, Zapier actions (Grow)
1 site adminSCORM compliance (Plus)

The 10,000 student cap applies on Basic, Start, and Grow. Thinkific defines this as students with currently active access to at least one course — so students who have completed a course and retain lifetime access still count toward the cap. For the vast majority of course businesses this is not an immediate concern, but it is worth knowing if you are building toward significant scale.

Where Basic trips creators up in practice

Here is a scenario I see regularly.

A coach or consultant decides to build a recurring membership with monthly content, ongoing community access, a subscription-based model. They sign up on Basic, spend six weeks building the course structure, set up their landing page and sales funnel, and start promoting.

Then they go to configure the membership pricing and discover that memberships require Start. Mid-launch, they are upgrading plans and rebuilding pricing settings while their audience is waiting.

The upgrade is easy and takes minutes. But the timing is painful and entirely avoidable. If recurring revenue is part of your plan from day one — and for most coaches and educators it should be — start on Start, not Basic.

Who should actually be on Basic

Creators genuinely testing an idea with no existing audience, who expect modest initial enrollment, and who do not need recurring revenue, certificates, or bundles in their first few months. Basic is a legitimate starting point. It is just not where a serious course business stays.

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The Start Plan: Where Thinkific Becomes a Real Business Tool

$99/month (or $74/month annually, $888/year)

Start is the plan that unlocks the features you actually need to run a course business rather than just host a course. At $74/month annually that is $456 more per year than Basic — and in my view, anyone actively selling on the platform earns that back within their first membership month.

What Start Adds Over Basic

FeatureWhat It Means in Practice
Memberships and subscriptionsCharge recurring monthly or annual fees for access
Completion certificatesAutomatically issued when students meet your requirements
Course bundlesPackage multiple courses together at a combined price
Payment plansSplit a $500 or $1,000 course across multiple installments
Private and hidden coursesCourses not publicly listed — for specific clients or internal use
AssignmentsStudents submit work for your review or feedback
Course compliance toolsPrevent students from skipping content before advancing
Post-purchase upsellsOffer additional products immediately after a purchase
After-purchase flowsCustom redirect and thank-you page experiences
Zoom integrationLive sessions built directly into course delivery
Free trials on subscriptionsLet students sample before committing to a recurring fee
Members-only website sectionsGated pages accessible only to enrolled students
Advanced CSS and HTML editingDeeper visual customisation of your site
2 course admin accountsBring in an instructor or manager for specific courses
1 revenue-sharing partnerSplit course revenue with an instructor or partner
10 community spacesUp from 5 on Basic

Annual Cost Comparison: Basic vs Start

BasicStart
Annual cost$432$888
Annual difference+$456/year
Features gainedMemberships, certificates, bundles, payment plans, compliance, Zoom

What Email Marketing Features Does Thinkific Start Offer?

Start includes everything Basic does — Sales Flow lead sequences, abandoned cart recovery, individual student emails, and the weekly reminder. What it does not include is Mass User Email — the ability to broadcast to your full student base. That requires Grow. On Start, if you want to email all your students about a new course launch or a promotion, you need either an external email tool or to do it individually from the admin dashboard.

What Start Still Does Not Include

Missing FeatureRequires
Remove Thinkific brandingGrow ($149/month annual)
Full Thinkific analytics dashboardGrow
Mass User Email to studentsGrow
PayPal for studentsGrow
Bulk enrollmentGrow
Group orders and invoicingGrow
API and webhooksGrow
Zapier actionsGrow
Phone supportGrow
SCORMPlus (custom pricing)

Start is the right home for most active course creators. $74/month annually is strong value for what it unlocks. Most course businesses run on Start for years without hitting a meaningful limit that justifies Grow.

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The Grow Plan: What You Are Really Paying $149/Month For

$199/month (or $149/month annually, $1,788/year)

At $149/month annually you are paying double what Start costs — an extra $900 per year. The features you gain are meaningful, but they apply to a specific type of business. If you need them, Grow is clearly worth it. If you do not have a specific use for what Grow uniquely unlocks, staying on Start is the better financial decision.

What Grow Adds Over Start

FeatureWhat It Means in Practice
Remove Thinkific brandingNo Thinkific references on your site, products, or emails
Full Thinkific analytics dashboardEnrollment trends, revenue breakdown, learner behaviour, engagement by course
Mass User EmailManual broadcast to filtered segments of your student base
Bulk enrollmentEnroll large groups at once via CSV upload
Group ordersSell bulk course access to organisations in one transaction
InvoicingSend, track, and manage invoices for business clients
3 communities, 20 spacesUp from 1 community and 10 spaces on Start
API and webhooksBuild custom integrations with your tech stack
Zapier actionsAutomate enrollments and workflows into Thinkific from other tools
PayPal for studentsStudents can choose PayPal at checkout
2 site admins, 5 course adminsBigger team management
3 revenue-sharing partnersShare revenue with multiple instructors
Phone and priority chat supportFaster, more accessible help
Brillium Exams integrationAdvanced formal exam environment
1% Stripe surchargeDown from 2% on Start

Annual Cost Comparison: Start vs Grow

StartGrow
Annual cost$888$1,788
Annual difference+$900/year
Core features gainedWhite-label, analytics, Mass Email, API, Zapier actions, B2B tools

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The Kajabi Comparison at This Price Point

At $149/month annually Thinkific Grow is actually more expensive than Kajabi’s entry plan. This is the comparison worth taking seriously.

DimensionThinkific Grow ($149/mo)Kajabi Basic (~$143/mo)
Course builderDeep — compliance, assessments, granular learner managementStandard
AssessmentsQuizzes, assignments, compliance, Brillium examsBasic
Community3 communities, 20 spacesIncluded
Email marketingMass Email to existing students only — cannot reach external listsFull platform — any contact list, funnels, automations
AnalyticsFull dashboardIncluded
White-label brandingYesNo
SCORMNo (Plus only)No
Sales funnelsNoYes
Stripe surcharge1% on own StripeNone
Best forLearning-depth businessesMarketing-first businesses

Thinkific is the better learning platform. The course structure, assessment depth, compliance tools, and learner management are genuinely stronger than what Kajabi offers at the same price. If you care about the quality of the learning experience — and as someone who has built and sold courses for over two decades, I think you should — Thinkific gives you more to work with.

But Kajabi’s email marketing is a full platform. You can reach any contact list, build multi-step funnels, and run sophisticated automations with no restrictions on who you email.

Thinkific’s email at Grow adds Mass Email to your existing students only — it cannot reach people outside your school.

If your revenue depends primarily on marketing-driven sales rather than on the learning experience itself, Kajabi at the same price point earns a direct comparison before you commit to Grow.

Who Should Be on Grow

SituationGrow Justified?
Need white-label branding for corporate or B2B clientsYes
Want full analytics to make data-driven course decisionsYes
Sell bulk licenses or group enrollment to organisationsYes
Need to invoice business clientsYes
Want to broadcast emails to your student baseYes
Need Zapier actions to automate workflows into ThinkificYes
Just want more features without a specific needNo — stay on Start and save $900/year

Thinkific Plus: Who It Is Actually For

Custom pricing — requires a sales conversation

Plus is an enterprise product, not a bigger version of Grow. Different infrastructure, different support model, different integration depth.

What Plus Adds Over Grow

FeatureDetail
SCORM complianceImport content built in Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and similar tools
Single Sign-On (SSO)Employees log in using existing corporate credentials
HubSpot and Salesforce integrationNative CRM connection
Learning pathsStructured curriculum progression across multiple courses
Built-in AI teaching assistantLearner support trained on your content
Unlimited students10,000 cap lifted
Unlimited communitiesUp from 3 on Grow
Advanced analyticsCustom dashboards and automated exports
Dedicated customer success managerActive ongoing guidance, not reactive support
Formal SLA and MSAEnterprise-grade commitments
Dedicated sandboxTest changes without affecting live students
No Stripe surchargePlus is explicitly exempt
Branded mobile appIncluded on select Plus plans

SCORM is the most significant differentiator for Plus. If your training content was built in a professional authoring tool for compliance training, certification programs, or regulated industries, SCORM support is often non-negotiable — and Plus is the only Thinkific plan that delivers it.

If you are evaluating Plus, also look at LearnWorlds Learning Center at $249/month. It includes white-label branding, unlimited SCORM, API access, and advanced reporting at a publicly listed price — worth comparing before committing to a custom Plus contract.

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The Hidden Costs: What Thinkific Actually Costs at Each Plan Level

Real Monthly Cost Scenarios (Annual Billing)

PlanPlan FeeUsing Thinkific PaymentsUsing Own Stripe at $3K/mo RevenueWith Mobile App Add-on
Basic$36/month$36/month~$186/month$235/month
Start$74/month$74/month~$134/month$273/month
Grow$149/month$149/month~$179/month$348/month
Grow + external email tool$149/month~$174/month~$204/month$373/month

Hidden Cost Summary

Hidden CostAmountWho It Affects
Stripe surcharge on Basic5% per transactionAnyone using own Stripe in US, Canada, UK, EU
Stripe surcharge on Start2% per transactionSame
Stripe surcharge on Grow1% per transactionSame
Branded mobile app$199/month add-onAnyone who wants a native iOS and Android app
External email tool for non-student contacts$25-$50/monthCreators needing to reach contacts outside their school
Mass Email to studentsRequires Grow ($149/mo)Basic and Start creators who want to broadcast to students
Zapier actionsRequires GrowAnyone automating workflows into Thinkific below Grow

How Thinkific Pricing Compares to Alternatives

To help you understand the value you get with Thinkific, let me show you what some of its main alternatives and competitors charge for their services.

Full Platform Comparison Table

PlatformAnnual PricePlatform FeeStripe SurchargeNative EmailSCORMWhite-Label
Thinkific Basic$36/month0% (TCommerce)5%Lead sequences + cart recoveryNoNo
Thinkific Start$74/month0% (TCommerce)2%Lead sequences + cart recoveryNoNo
Thinkific Grow$149/month0% (TCommerce)1%Above + Mass Email to studentsNoYes
Kajabi Basic~$143/month0%NoneFull marketing platformNoNo
LearnWorlds Pro Trainer$79/month0%NoneNoneLimited (20)No
LearnWorlds Learning Center$249/month0%NoneNoneUnlimitedYes
Teachable Pro$119/month0%NoneNoneNoNo
Podia Mover$89/month0%NoneFull (included)NoNo

Value at Each Price Point

Monthly Budget (Annual)Best Thinkific OptionBest AlternativeWhen to Pick the Alternative
~$36-74/monthBasic or StartLearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($79)If you need interactive video and deeper learning features
~$89/monthStart ($74, saves $15/month)Podia ($89)If full email marketing to any contact list is central to your business
~$119/monthStart ($74, saves $45/month)Teachable Pro ($119)Rarely — Thinkific Start is stronger at a lower price
~$149/monthGrowKajabi Basic (~$143)If your business is marketing-first rather than learning-first
~$249/monthN/A — gap in lineupLearnWorlds Learning Center ($249)If you need unlimited SCORM, white-label, and API at a public price

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Is Thinkific Worth the Price? My Verdict

I have six courses on Thinkific right now across Learning Revolution, Leading Learning, and Tagoras. I am not switching platforms. But let me give you a straight answer on each plan rather than a general endorsement.

Basic at $36/month is worth it for one specific situation: you are launching your first paid course, you have no existing audience, and you want to test whether people will pay for what you teach before investing in a full business setup. That is it. The moment you want recurring revenue, certificates, or bundled pricing, Basic runs out of room. If any of those things are part of your plan — and they should be if you are serious about building an expertise business — start on Start. The $38/month difference is trivial compared to the cost of a botched launch because you hit a feature wall mid-momentum.

Start at $74/month annually is where you get real value. For $888 a year you get a professional course school with memberships, bundles, payment plans, certificates, compliance tools, live sessions via Zoom, and Thinkific’s lead nurture email sequences. That covers the full stack of what most coaches, consultants, and subject matter experts need to build and sell structured learning programs. My courses run on Start-level features. It handles everything I need for course delivery, learner management, and monetisation without friction. If you are an expert building a course-based business and you are trying to decide whether Thinkific is worth paying for — yes, at this plan and this price, it is.

Grow at $149/month annually is worth it when you have a specific reason to be there. If you are selling training to corporate clients and need to remove Thinkific’s branding from your school, Grow is the minimum plan you need — there is no workaround. If you want Thinkific’s full analytics dashboard to understand where learners drop off and which courses are worth expanding, Grow is justified. If you want to broadcast a campaign email to your entire student base to promote a new course, that requires Grow. Those are real business needs with a real dollar value attached. But if you are eyeing Grow because it feels like progression, run the honest comparison against Kajabi first. Both platforms are competing for the same budget. Thinkific wins on learning depth. Kajabi wins on marketing capability. Know which one your business actually depends on before you commit.

My bottom line: Thinkific is the best online course platform I know for experts who take the learning experience seriously. The course builder, the assessment tools, and the learner management depth are what set it apart. Start at the right plan, use Thinkific Payments, and you are paying a fair price for a genuinely strong product.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Thinkific have a free plan?

No. Thinkific discontinued its permanent free plan. It now offers a 30-day free trial on Basic, Start, and Grow — no credit card required to start. After the trial you need a paid plan to keep your school active. Plus does not include a trial.

What is the real cost of Thinkific if I use my own Stripe account?

Thinkific charges an additional surcharge per transaction if you use your own Stripe instead of Thinkific Payments: 5% on Basic, 2% on Start, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Expand, none on Plus. This is confirmed in Thinkific’s own Third-Party Payment Gateway Fee documentation. It applies to creators in the US, Canada, UK, and EU and covers your first $1 million in annual sales, after which it is waived. Use Thinkific Payments to avoid it at no additional processing cost.

Which plan do most course creators actually land on?

In my experience, people who are actively selling land on Start. Basic works for testing and early validation. Start covers what a real course business needs — memberships, certificates, bundles, and payment plans. Grow becomes relevant when white-label branding, full analytics, Mass Email, or B2B selling tools are specifically needed.

What is the 10,000 student cap?

Basic, Start, and Grow all cap you at 10,000 currently enrolled students — students with active access to at least one course. Students who have completed a course but retain lifetime access still count toward the cap. Unlimited students requires Plus.

Does Thinkific include email marketing?

Thinkific includes native email tools on all plans: Sales Flow automated sequences for lead nurture, abandoned cart emails via TCommerce, individual student emails, and a weekly reminder to students with incomplete courses. Mass User Email — manually broadcasting to your student base — requires Grow. Thinkific’s email only reaches people already in your school. You cannot import external contact lists or reach subscribers who have no relationship with your school. For that, a dedicated tool like Kit or ActiveCampaign is needed alongside Thinkific.

Does Thinkific support SCORM?

Yes, but only on Thinkific Plus. SCORM is not available on Basic, Start, or Grow. If you have training content built in Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate, Plus is the minimum plan you need.

Can you switch Thinkific plans at any time?

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade between Basic, Start, and Grow at any time. Upgrading takes effect immediately. Downgrading takes effect at the next billing cycle. Plus requires a separate sales contract.

How does Thinkific compare to Kajabi at the Grow price point?

Both cost around $149/month annually. Kajabi includes a full email marketing platform — you can reach any contact list, build funnels, and run automations without restriction. Thinkific Grow’s email broadcasts to existing students only. Thinkific is the better learning platform. Kajabi is the better marketing platform. Your business model determines the right choice.

Does Thinkific offer nonprofit discounts?

Yes — 50% off for eligible registered nonprofits. Apply through Thinkific’s dedicated nonprofit form and they respond within 72 hours. Check their eligibility criteria before applying.

What happens to my courses if I cancel Thinkific?

Your school goes offline and students lose access. You can export student data as a CSV. Course content does not export in a portable format. Active TCommerce subscriptions cannot be migrated. This lock-in is worth factoring into your decision before you build a large course library on the platform.

What is the cheapest way to get started with Thinkific?

Start the 30-day free trial — no credit card required. When it ends, go to Start on annual billing at $74/month if you need memberships, certificates, or bundles. Go to Basic at $36/month if you are still testing. Either way, use Thinkific Payments rather than your own Stripe to avoid the surcharge.

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