When you’re trying to decide which online learning platform to use there’s a chance you’ll be presented with a variety of possibilities. It’s a standout due to its numerous useful features.
There are various criteria to watch out for when using an online course platform and Thinkific offers them all. Continue reading through the Thinkific reviews below to discover more information about its unique features and benefits.
Overview of Thinkific Review Simplero Vs Thinkific
Thinkific is among the most popular choices for creating and selling online courses. In addition to having an easy-to-use user interface, the platform also offers pre-designed templates you can build your personal website.
With just a few clicks, you’ll get to develop and market online courses, even if you have no prior knowledge. Drag and drop functionality of the website makes it easy to begin.
Online course creators will be especially interested in the advanced quiz components for each course you create. They will make the course more interesting to the students.
It is an online builder of course s. allows you to upload various types of files to enhance Your Thinkific course.
Like many online courses platforms, Thinkific offers email marketing tools and third-party app integration. It is possible to send email sequences either through Thinkific itself or via outside apps like MailChimp, Zapier, etc.
Keep reading the Thinkific review to learn more about this online course platform.
Pros
- Easy-to-use drag & drop editor
- Efficient course site builder
- Pre-made templates
- Different payment options
- Features for marketing and sales
- Student management options
- Student feedback capabilities
- Support for customers in a timely manner
- Lifetime access to the free plan
- No transaction fees or any hidden costs
Cons
- Limited quizzing features
- Insufficient email marketing tools
- There is no live chat support
How do you define Thinkific?
Thinkific is an online course platform built on cloud technology. This means that everything you create there is automatically saved online. This helps to make course creation more efficient and convenient.
Additionally that, as it is a Learning Management System (LMS) offers many customizable options for creators of courses. You can easily create a course and then upload different materials to supplement your lessons.
If you’re one of the course creators who prefer to write your course offline prior to uploading it, then Thinkific is perfect for you. It allows you to do this and then upload your course later online.
Thinkific is also the host for all of the web pages that you create on it so can basically upload as much content you’d like.
You can create a brand new online course site even with no design experience and. There’s no need to endure a lengthy learning curve using Thinkific, that’s for sure.
There are many distribution and marketing options that will accelerate the selling process of your Thinkific course. There’s an online marketplace community where you can offer courses and interact with other creators of courses.
Additionally, Thinkific is also a great alternative for individuals who already have their own website but want to improve their marketing efforts and attract more students. You can link third-party sites to Thinkific to reach a larger audience.
The benefits and features of Thinkific
This Thinkific review, we break down the key features and advantages to help Thinkific stand out.
Drag and Drop Editor
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
The way that your courses look on your website can greatly impact conversion rates. This is why we are so happy that Thinkific has an editor that you can drag and drop. It is a great way to organize your website and other digital products.
You can rearrange the courses and lessons in any you’d like. No need to be concerned with complicated codes or techniques. All you need to do is click on whatever item you’d like to display and drag it to where you would like it to appear.
Almost all of the important components needed to make your site look more professional are covered by the Thinkific editor. From logos to colors, and fonts, you’ll discover everything you require from the site.
However, if you want to go that extra mile and personalize your site better you can still choose to enter CSS and HTML code into Thinkific. It’s your choice to choose.
Plus, you can also make use of the drag and drop feature to upload additional materials for your classes. Almost every kind of media is supported through the editors uploader. It is possible to upload questions, audio file, and PDFs to enhance your course.
The quiz types you create can easily be altered with the help of the editor. Choose the assessment type you want to be under your class and then drag it to the appropriate place. You can select from surveys, type forms and multiple-choice forms among others.
Course Site Builder
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Thinkific offers more than just its drag-and-drop editor. Its general course website builder helps you get everything set up and ready.
As mentioned, Thinkific does its own web hosting. This means that you won’t need to worry about uploading limitations. The storage space you can upload online is unlimited with Thinkific.
If you’re thinking about domains, Thinkific permits you to choose a unique URL that you can use in conjunction with its subdomain. Your URL will look something like this: .thinkific.com
This way, your site is more memorable and easy for students to remember.
And if you want to forego your Thinkific subdomain, there’s an option to get a unique standalone domain for your website. You’ll just have to pay an extra amount for it.
Pre-Made Templates
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
In relation to the course site builder, Thinkific has a slew of pre-designed layout and course templates you can use. This will save you from having to design your website entirely from scratch.
The platform gives you templates, based on what type of Thinkific course it is that you’re making. For instance, if you’re creating an introduction course, you can choose a mini course-type template. For assessments and culmination, you can choose a review-type template.
For layout and theme templates There’s also a bunch that you can choose from. Once you’ve picked one that fits your course, Thinkific offers settings to customize the colors, fonts, and design of the elements of the template.
There is no need for you to enter complex codes or text. All you have to do is select what you would like to include on your site and drag it into the layout.
If you’re still interested in using HTML and CSS There’s an option.
It is also possible to alter the arrangement and layout of your site from time to time. The different sections can be arranged in a chronological order so that your students are aware of which lessons to focus on.
Payment Options
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
For payment, Thinkific offers options to integrate Stripe and PayPal into your website. With these third-party processors, you can easily access your earnings in as soon as 1 to 2 days.
This is in stark contrast with other online courses with a payment schedule of 30-day intervals. With Thinkific you can cash out more easily.
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
For your students you can offer them a one-time payment scheme or an installment plan. You can also provide discounts, bundles, and coupons with any payment option they choose.
Take note that when you use the one-time payment plan the subscribers will be charged one-time transaction fees too. The same goes for the installment subscription plan, only that the transaction fees will be divided over the duration of the installment.
Sales and Marketing Highlights
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
More than being just an online course creation tool, Thinkific is also effective in marketing online courses. It includes features that let you develop and sell courses in just a few clicks.
When you’ve published your course, you are able to immediately make it available for sale through Market and Sell. Market and Sell choice on the menu on your Dashboard.
From there, you are able to modify your website in order to increase the conversion rates of your customers. You can change the way that your checkout and sign up pages will look like to users. So users will be more inclined to sign up for an online course.
You can also improve how your courses are presented on your site. They can be more attractive by categorizing the courses in categories the users are able to easily navigate.
As we mentioned earlier it is possible to bundle your courses with discounts coupons or freebies. So, your customers will be enticed to sign up more often in your class.
A sales widget can also be created through Thinkific. It’s basically a button that you can embed to other third-party sites that will link straight to your platform for courses. You can personalize them to have a specific design and color scheme so they appear more consistent with your brand as well.
Thinkific can also allow you to create an affiliate program to assist you in reaching more people. Through the website you can design affiliate links which you can transmit to the affiliates you have. These links will be used in order to bring their followers to your platform and enroll in a course.
When the affiliate program has been running, you can access its progress on the Thinkific website. You’ll get to monitor the revenue, sales, and other commissions.
You can also choose to incorporate other apps into Thinkific. If you’re considering emails for marketing, Aweber is a good tool that you can sync with your account.
Student Management
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
An LMS can not be effective if it doesn’t cover all aspects of online teaching. It’s also important to keep the track of students’ progress.
Thinkific provides a simple student management system for students. With it, you can easily access your students’ contact details and other basic details.
You can also customize the form to sign-up your subscribers by asking for specific details. The template by Thinkific requires names emails, names, as well as contact phone numbers. If you’re looking for more particular details, just switch your settings to add an extra field to the form to sign up.
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Once you have your subscribers pooled you can classify them according to the courses they signed up to. That way, you can track them by course more easily.
And with the Pro and Premier plans, you can also look up a particular user based on their enrollment date, subscribed courses as well as job-type. There are additional categories available when you explore the page.
Student Feedback
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Thinkific places a high value on not only the course creators, but also students. That’s why student feedback is encouraged whenever you’re taking the course.
An open discussion between the students and the instructors can greatly reduce the learning curve of lessons.
There is a discussion area on Thinkific where students can ask questions they have regarding their online courses. From there, the instructors of the course can respond and clarify their answers.
Students also have the option to review and rate the courses they’ve completed. The score will also include the quality of the instructor online as well. So, instructors can demonstrate their authority on Thinkific.
These reviews can also assist other students determine whether or not a course would be right for them. It decreases the chances of a student being dropped out within the middle of a lesson all of a abruptly.
And if course creators are worried the reviews might impact them negatively but they don’t have to. They’ll be the ones to decide whether they’d like reviews published or not. Thinkific will not publish any reviews without permission.
Another way to keep students engaged is to keep them informed with constant updates. Thinkific lets course instructors send push notifications to their students when they update their content or other resources via the website.
Customer Support
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
As one would expect from learning management systems, Thinkific does quite a great job with its customer service.
Before you sign-up You can look up cases studies and articles on the official site. There are also readily available videos and product demonstrations which you can browse.
And once you’re already subscribed, you can access Thinkific’s Help Center. There, you’ll find resources that will assist you in learning how to market online courses.
Thinkific has guide articles and instructional videos that help you navigate the interface. Plus, as mentioned, there are user discussions wherein you can voice out your concerns. Other users and instructors are able to respond to help you out.
For more severe issues You can submit a ticket to ask for assistance from the customer service team. And if you’re subscribed to business plan and above, you’ll receive priority responses.
One issue is that Thinkific does not have live chat, but it does have. You’ll have to wait patiently for the ticket response.
How Does Thinkific Work
Similar to every other review of course platforms This Thinkific review will teach you how to start using Thinkific. You just have to follow these steps.
Step 1: Create an account
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
It’s the first thing to do is sign-up and then create an account on Thinkific account. The account will automatically be subscribed to the trial trial that is free after registration.
Step 2: Customize Your Course Player
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Once you have a login then you can begin to personalize the course players. You can choose a particular color scheme that is in line with your logo and theme.
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Your course player is what your subscribers will utilize to access your course’s content. Audio files, videos, and quizzes will be accessible via your course’s player.
Step 3: Design Your Course
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
After that, you can design the online class. Using the Course Builder tool, you can create the course by adding lessons, modules and other documents to it.
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
The content of the course is divided into categories and sections. It is also possible to give your online courses customized labels that make them easier to search.
Step 4: Personalize Your Site
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
When your content is set, you can finalize the design of your site. With Thinkific You have the option to customize every landing page to suit each course you offer.
It is the Thinkific Site Builder lets you create a color scheme and the theme of our homepage. This is where all the courses you have created will be set up. Students can go through it and choose which one interests them from there.
You can also personalize your landing page for every course. It’s best to set an entirely different design for each course, so that they’re easy to differentiate but still be consistent with the overall brand.
Step 5 Step 5: Name Your Website
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
What you need to do after the content, course player, and customization are done is to identify the name of your website. Make sure your name is memorable, but still appropriate to your brand.
Step 6: Create Your Course
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
And lastly, when everything is set then you can launch the course. To publish, you simply need to decide on a price and specific payment details.
A course card is required to be developed. The course card will be the thing that students see on their’ dashboards. If they view it they’ll look up quick information about your online course as well as the content.
A good course card will prove invaluable when marketing courses through Thinkific.
What Needs Improvement on Thinkific
There’s a lot to be awed by about Thinkific however, it’s not without flaws. This Thinkific review we’ve listed the areas we believe can be improved.
Limited Quizzing Features
Although we believe that Thinkific is doing a great job in creating courses and uploading content but we feel that the quiz features could still be enhanced.
The assessment template on Thinkific is extremely basic. While it’s adequate to get an idea of what your students are aware of, it’s not enough for asking more complex questions.
If you’re happy with the short, check-up-style exams at the conclusion of every course, then that’s what Thinkific can offer you. If your questions require longer and more specific results, you might want to look at a different platform.
The absence of Email Marketing Tools
As mentioned, Thinkific can be integrated with third-party applications and these include tools for marketing via email. However, it doesn’t provide email marketing tools of its own.
Though there are many third-party tools that work but it would still be great to know that Thinkific already had this by itself. It would have speeded up the process.
There is no live chat support
And even though we think that the response from customer service is quick, it still isn’t enough to make up for fact that there is no live chat option.
Users with more urgent issues aren’t likely to get the issue resolved in a hurry. They’ll be forced to sit and wait for the response in particular if they’re not paying for the paid plans.
Thinkific Pricing
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Thinkific offers three paid plans are available to sign up for. And upon signing up, you’ll have access to an unpaid plan, without transaction fees or hidden charges.
Thinkific Free
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
The Thinkific free plan is distinctive in that, unlike other plans the plan doesn’t expire. You can avail of the free plan for as long as you want to use Thinkific. Simplero Vs Thinkific
Apart from being free, it doesn’t charge any hidden fees or transaction costs regardless of whether you sell courses. It’s ideal for course creators who want to cut down on expenses or for small-scale entrepreneurs just getting started.
With the Thinkific free plan, you can create three courses and then customize them using your own brand. You can enrich your courses with quizzes and other resources as well.
You are able to enroll in a quantity of pupils, streamline their signup process, and then also track their performance. Surveys can be also distributed to them so that you can gauge their opinions about the course they’re studying. Simplero Vs Thinkific
Thinkific’s free plan also allows one administrator for your site as well as multiple instructor profiles and 24/7 access to students’ data. You can even monitor the click rate and conversion rates of your students.
Finally, the free plan allows search engine optimization for your content. So, your course will be easier to find by customers. You can even embed websites and applications from third parties on your site to improve the user experience.
Thinkific Basic
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Thinkific Basic costs $49 a month, but if you choose for a payment plan that is annual, it’ll only cost you $39 per month.
It comes with all the same features that the free plan provides along with additional benefits that are premium. First, you are able to create unlimited courses. That way, selling courses is also easier. Simplero Vs Thinkific
Another thing you wouldn’t get on the free plan is the option to drip your content, mail coupons to customers, and gain access to analytics.
To simplify, first, to drip content is to provide data to your students at a set and gradual intervals. Additionally, you can mail coupons for discounts and other freebies for students who might need extra incentive to remain subscribed. And third, the analytics that you have access to are marketing conversion and affiliate reporting rates.
And with this plan it is easy to integrate third-party tools you would like to utilize. They include Zapier, Aweber, and MailChimp, among others.
In addition, you could create a custom domain for your site using the base plan. You don’t need the Thinkific domain for your URL now.
Thinkific Pro
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Thinkific Pro costs $99 per month but if you get the service annually, it’s $79 per month.
With this plan, you get all the same features as you would with the Free and Basic plans. The only difference is that you get higher-end settings as well as benefits.
The Thinkific Pro plan lets you manage 2 sites and 5 course admin accounts. It will also include advanced pricing options for your courses as well as HTML/CSS code editing. Simplero Vs Thinkific
You’ll be able to create individual courses only accessible to a specific number of users can access as well. Plus, you can offer membership bundles and freebies to your customers.
Course creators also have access to the more advanced assignments, quizzes and assessment features.
Growth Package
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
And with The Pro plan, there’s something called a Growth Plan that is available. The thing about it is that once you have more than 100 people subscribed to your plan, Thinkific will automatically charge an additional fee on top of the $99 per month.
Don’t be concerned, as the cost of your subscription grants you access to additional features. It is possible to send bulk emails, integrate third-party toolsand groups your users according to different requirements.
Thinkific Premier
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Thinkific Premier is the most expensive plan. It is priced at $499 per month. However, when it is billed annually, it will cost $399 per month. Simplero Vs Thinkific
If you’re subscribed to this plan, you’ll access all of the same features available to the Basic, Free, and Pro plans. What gives it its edge and higher price point is the fact that it’s targeted at bigger companies with more members.
Its Thinkific Premier plan lets you have five site admin accounts and 50 course admin accounts. You can also have something known as a Single Sign-On (SSO). This is helpful when you have a lot of users who need access to the same website.
The plan also includes an onboarding plan that’s an onboarding call lasting 30 minutes and an overview of the launch process and online training guide.
Additionally, you’ll have an access Growth package for a much lesser cost. There’ll be a fixed rate that you just have to pay.
Thinkific Reviews
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Users who have reviewed and used Thinkific particularly love how cost-efficient it is. Even with the free plan, you get access to helpful features. There aren’t any fees hidden, so you don’t end up spending more than you originally planned to.
And other users also loved the white-labeling option of Thinkific. It allows you to enhance the branding of your company even if it’s a small company.
Many educators also love the use of Thinkific because it’s great for children. The interface is easy to navigate and explore.
“I found it interesting that this site had an option to upload documents within the discussion. Then I’m glad I choose this one because others take a % of income AND it takes longer to wait to receive money. There are no transaction costs!” -Anonymous
“I loved the fact that you can create an access gateway, the course as well as the payment methods in one interface without any needs for additional software. I especially like how simple setting up up the courses up , if you’ve got your curriculum designed and white-labeling is enabled.” – Anonymous
“Thinkific will let you start creating courses for free and allow them to remain free for as long as you want. This is truly a great way to learn the art of course creation without having to pay a cent.” -Anonymous
“Thinkific made it easy to develop and offer our online course to financial advisors. The Thinkific support team was quick to reply and help us to understand the process. I also love the fact the possibility of white-labeling and use an individual domain.” – Anonymous
“Classes were more fun engaging, enjoyable, and simple particularly for our students who were older. Teachers enjoyed using it to build their classes and then share their work.” -Anonymous
Alternatives to Thinkific
In case this Thinkific review still hasn’t convinced you of its capabilities as an online course platform, then check out the following alternatives:
Kajabi
Kajabi is one of the first online course platforms that is likely to be recommended to you once you begin asking questions. It’s an all-in-one platform that allows you to create and market your courses online. Thinkific is similar to Kajabi in this way.
If you sign up to Kajabi, you’ll be able to create your own course and add content. Kajabi has built-in templates and themes you can use to customize your site immediately. The site editor lets you add multiple sections and sales pages to your courses. Simplero Vs Thinkific
As for quiz features It has an advantage against Thinkific because it comes with more advanced options. You can make more personalized quizzes and assessment types. In addition, you can hold webinars and video tutorials to ensure greater clarity in teaching.
Many educators particularly love that they can reward their students with certificates after every accomplished course. And they can also choose to deliver content to their subscribers, just like Thinkific.
Another distinction that Kajabi differs over Thinkific is the fact that Kajabi comes with better marketing features. Though Thinkific does let you easily market your online courses, it doesn’t permit you to build an automated sales funnel which will help keep your process organized.
Kajabi also provides email marketing tools as well as email automation, unlike Thinkific. It isn’t necessary to incorporate a third-party application to send broadcasts and email sequences to your customers.
You do have to note though that Kajabi is much costlier than Thinkific.
READ: Kajabi Review – The All-in-One online course platform
Teachable
> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <
Next to Kajabi, Teachable is Thinkific’s second closest rival. It’s because they have plenty of resemblances as online learning platforms.
Teachable’s interface is easy to use and includes useful features that can assist you in creating your content. There are pre-made theme templates which you can use to make your site look nice even without previous web design experience.
Like Thinkific, instructors can choose to distribute the content they release to their subscribers.
What sets Teachable different from Thinkific is the quiz features. Instead of using templates that are basic, Teachable lets you customize your tests and quizzes.
Similar to Kajabi You can also host webinars and videos to increase engagement with your subscribers. It is also possible to create a sales page for your online course for better conversion rates.
One more thing we like about Teachable is the ability to give your subscribers certificates for each course they take. In contrast to Thinkific, Teachable has email marketing tools that allow you to send out bulk emails to your users.
READ: Teachable Review – Unlimited Course Creation Features
Please read: Kajabi vs. Teachable
Final Verdict on Thinkific Review
Simplero Vs Thinkific
Thinkific has plenty of strengths which make it worthy of a subscription. It’s easy to use. You can create a unique online course and then market it, even if you’re an aspiring seller.
Additionally, it comes with pre-designed layouts and templates that help you set up your site. You don’t need to input complicated CSS or HTML-related codes in order to create a professional-looking site.
And if you opt for one of the plans that are paid, you will have access to more advanced features that will enhance your brand. You can opt out of the Thinkific subdomain and instead use Advanced users to set up their own domain names using hosting and build out most of the pages on their website using their own URL.
You can also incorporate third-party apps to Thinkific, especially because it doesn’t come with its own built-in marketing tools for email.
Students can also interact with their instructors via online discussion on Thinkific. They can conveniently seek assistance with lessons and post queries on their modules. In turn, the teachers can assist them directly.
Support for customers isn’t bad also. Prioritization of responses is given when you’re subscribed to the other plans that are paid. Be aware that it has no live chat feature.
Overall though, our verdict for our Thinkific evaluation is worth a shot. Particularly if you’re just beginning to become a author, Thinkific seems to be the ideal place to start creating courses.
The free plan also lasts for the duration of time unlike other platforms. If you’re strapped for cash this is a great option since you’ll have access to amazing features for absolutely no cost.
We strongly recommend to try Thinkific out.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this Thinkific Review, then you may take a look at our review of one of the Best Online Course Platforms available right now here.
