FT Knowledge is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Thinkific-review-girl-typing

When you’re trying to decide which online learning platform to go with You’ll likely receive a long list of suggestions. It’s a standout because of its many helpful features.

There are many aspects to be aware of when it comes to online courses and Thinkific offers them all. Continue reading through the Thinkific Review below and learn more about its unique advantages and features.

thinkific-logo

A brief overview of Thinkific Review Thinkific Vs Hotmart

Thinkific is one of the most popular choices for selling and creating online courses. In addition to having an easy-to-use design, this platform comes with pre-designed templates you can build your brand site.

With just a few mouse clicks it’s possible to make and sell online courses even without prior knowledge. The drag and drop feature of the website makes it easy to begin.

Online course creators will be particularly interested in the advanced quiz elements in every course you design. These will make the lessons more appealing to the students.

The online course builder lets you upload different types of files to enrich the content of your Thinkific course.

And like most online courses, Thinkific offers email marketing tools and third-party app integration. You can send out emails either via Thinkific itself, or through external applications like MailChimp, Zapier, etc.

Continue reading through this Thinkific review to find out more about this well-known online learning platform.

Pros

  • Easy-to-use drag & drop editor
  • Efficient course site builder
  • Templates pre-made
  • Different payment options
  • Marketing and sales features
  • Student management options
  • Capacity for student feedback
  • Adequate customer support
  • Access to the plan for life. plan
  • There are no transaction fees or hidden charges

Cons

Is there anything Thinkific?

Thinkific is an online course platform that is cloud-based. It means that all content you make on it is automatically backed up online. It helps to make course creation more efficient and convenient.

Furthermore, as a Learning Management System (LMS) offers a variety of custom options for creators of courses. You can create an easy course and then upload different materials to supplement your lessons.

If you’re one of those course creators who prefer to write your course offline before uploading it to the internet, Thinkific is perfect for you. It allows you to do this and then upload the course later to the internet.

Thinkific also hosts all the web pages you make with it, so you can upload as much content you want.

You can design an online course website even with no design experience also. There’s no need to endure a lengthy learning curve using Thinkific It’s that simple.

There are many distribution and marketing options to accelerate the selling process of your Thinkific course. There is an online marketplace where you can sell courses on and collaborate with other creators of courses.

In addition, Thinkific is also a great platform for those who have their own site but just want to enhance their marketing efforts and attract more students. You can connect third-party sites to Thinkific to reach a wider market.

The Benefits and Features of Thinkific

This Thinkific review we review the most important features and advantages to make Thinkific distinguish itself.

Drag and Drop Editor

Drag-and-Drop-Editor

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

The way your courses appear on your website will significantly influence the conversion rate. This is why we are so happy the fact that Thinkific has an editor that you can drag and drop. It makes it easier to manage your website and digital products.

You are able to arrange the courses and lessons in any way you want. No need for any complicated code or methods. All you need to do is click on the object you’re looking for and drag it where you would like it to appear.

A majority of the crucial elements needed to create a website that looks professional is covered by Thinkific’s editor. From logos to the color schemes as well as fonts to find everything you need on the platform.

However, if you want to go the extra mile and personalize your site better you can still choose to input CSS and HTML codes into Thinkific. It’s up to you to make the decision.

In addition, you may utilize drag and drop to upload additional materials to your classes. Nearly every type of media file can be uploaded through the editors uploader. It is possible to upload the audio of your course, as well as quizzes as well as PDFs, to add value to your course.

Even the quiz types that you design can be easily altered with the help of the editor. Choose the assessment type you want to be under your instruction and drag it there. You can pick from types of surveys, type forms and multiple-choice forms as well as many more.

Course Site Builder

Course-Site-Builder

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Thinkific is much more than simply a drag-and-drop editor. Its site builder for the course is effective for getting everything all set up and up and running.

As we mentioned earlier, Thinkific does its own web hosting. This means that you won’t be concerned about upload limitations. The storage space you can upload online is infinite when you’re using Thinkific.

If you’re considering domains, Thinkific lets you select a unique URL you can use along with its subdomain. Your URL will look like this: .thinkific.com

So, your website will be more memorable and easier for students to remember.

If you prefer to forego your Thinkific subdomain, there’s also an option to get a unique standalone domain for your website. You’ll need to pay slightly more to get it.

Pre-Made Templates

Pre-made-templates

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

With regard to the course site builder, Thinkific has a slew of pre-designed layout and course templates that you can make use of. It will help you avoid having to design your website totally from scratch.

The platform provides you with template choices, depending on the type of Thinkific course it is that you’re creating. If, for instance, you’re making an introduction course, you can choose a mini course-type template. For assessment and culminating for your course, you could pick a review template.

As for layout and theme templates, there are also many to pick from. After you’ve selected one which is appropriate for your style, Thinkific offers settings to customize the fonts, colors, and layout of the elements in the template.

There is no need for you to input complicated codes or text. You simply have to click on the content you wish to put on your website and drag it onto the layout.

If you’re still interested in using HTML and CSS There’s the option of doing so.

You can also rearrange and reorganize the elements of your site at times. The various sections can be arranged chronologically so that your students know which lesson to prioritize.

Payment Options

Payment-Options

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

For payment, Thinkific offers options to incorporate Stripe and PayPal on your website. With these third-party payment processors, you can easily access your earnings as quickly as 1 – 2 days.

This is in stark contrast with other online courses with a payment time of 30 days. With Thinkific you can make cash withdrawals more quickly.

Payment-Options

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Students they have the option of choosing between one-time payment plans or an installment plan. And you can offer discounts, bundles coupons, and bundles with the payment option they choose.

Just note that for the one-time payment scheme, your subscribers will pay an one-time transaction fee in addition. Similar to the installment subscription scheme, except that the transaction fees will be divided over the period of installment.

Sales and Marketing Features

Sales-and-Marketing-Features

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Beyond being an online course creator, Thinkific is also effective in promoting online courses. It comes with features that allow you to create and sell courses with just a few clicks.

After you have published your class, you can immediately place it for sale through Market and Sell. Market and Sell choice on the menu on your Dashboard.

From there, you are able to alter your website’s design to improve the conversion rate of your visitors. You can improve how your checkout and sign up pages appear to users. That way, they’ll be more encouraged to check out the online course.

You can also enhance how your courses are presented on your site. Enhance their visual appeal by filtering them into categories that users can easily explore.

As we mentioned earlier it is possible to bundle your courses using discounts coupons or freebies. That way, your users will be more motivated to commit more often for your program.

A sales widget can also be created through Thinkific. It’s basically a button that you can embed to other websites that connect directly to your platform for courses. You can customize the buttons to use a particular color scheme and logo to ensure 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 that you’ll send to affiliate partners. They’ll use these links in order to bring their followers to your platform and enroll in a course.

When the affiliate program is running you’ll be able to view the progress of the program right on the Thinkific site. You’ll get to monitor the revenue, sales, and other commissions.

In the end, you have the option to add other programs to Thinkific. If you’re considering email marketing campaigns, Aweber is an excellent tool that can be synced directly with the account you have.

Student Management

Student-Management

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

An LMS can not be successful if it doesn’t cover all aspects of online education. This includes keeping the track of students’ development.

Thinkific has a convenient student management system for managing students. It lets you easily pull up your students’ contact details and other basic details.

You can also customize the form to sign-up your subscribers, asking them for specific information. The template from Thinkific asks for names as well as email addresses and contact numbers. If you’re looking for specific information, simply switch your settings to add an extra field to the sign-up sheet.

Student-Management-2

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

After you’ve got your subscribers pooled, you can classify them, depending on which courses they signed up to. This way, you’ll be able to keep track of them for each course more easily.

And with the Premier and Pro plans, you can look up a particular user based on their enrollment date, subscribed courses as well as job-type. There are many additional categories available when you explore the page.

Student Feedback

Student-Feedback

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Thinkific places a high value on not only the course creators, but also the students. That’s why student feedback is encouraged when enrolling in a course.

Discussions that are open between students and their instructors can greatly reduce the learning curve associated with lessons.

There is a discussion area on Thinkific wherein students can post questions about their online classes. The course instructors can reply and clarify their answers.

Students can also choose to rate and evaluate the courses they’ve taken. The rating will include the quality of the instructor online as well. So, instructors can establish their credibility on Thinkific.

These reviews can also assist students to decide whether or not a particular course is right for them. This reduces the chance of a student dropping out within the middle of a lesson all of a abruptly.

And if creators of courses are concerned that the reviews might impact them negatively, they don’t have to. They’re the ones who’ll get to decide whether they’d like a review published or not. Thinkific will not publish any reviews without permission.

Finally, a good way to keep students motivated is to keep them informed with constant updates. The Thinkific platform lets instructors send notifications via push to their students when they update their materials or lessons through the site.

Customer Support

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 even sign up You can look up cases studies and articles on the official website. There are also readily available videos and product demonstrations to browse through.

And once you’re already subscribed, you can access Thinkific’s Help Center. Thereare tools to assist you in learning how to sell online courses.

Thinkific offers guides as well as training videos to guide you through the interface. Additionally, as I stated earlier, there are also forums where you can discuss your issues. Instructors and other users can assist you.

If you have more serious problems You can submit a ticket to ask for assistance from the customer service team. And if you’re subscribed to an Enterprise plan, or higher you get priority responses.

One catch is that Thinkific doesn’t have a live chat feature though. You’ll have to wait patiently for the ticket response.

How Does Thinkific Works

As with any other platform review of course This Thinkific review will help you understand how to begin using Thinkific. You just have to follow these six simple steps.

Step 1: Create an Account

Step-1-Create-An-Account

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

It’s the first thing to do is register and create your Thinkific account. You’ll be automatically subscribed to the free trial upon registration.

Step 2: Customize Your Course Player

Step-2-Customize

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Once you have a login and you have it, you can begin to customize your course player. You can choose a particular color scheme that corresponds with your company’s logo and the theme.

Step-2-Customize-2

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

The course player is the tool your customers will be using to access your course’s content. Videos, audio files and quizzes will be available through your course’s player.

Step 3: Design Your Course

Step-3-Build-Your-Course

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

The next step is to create your online course. Using the Course Builder tool, you are able to create a new course by adding modules, lessons and other files to it.

Step-3-Build-your-course-2

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

The course material can be divided into sections and categories. You may also assign your online courses custom labels that make them easier to search.

Step 4: Personalize Your Website

Step-4-Customize

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

When your content is set, you can finalize the design and layout of your website. With Thinkific, you have the option of customizing each landing page for each course you’ve got.

The Thinkific Site Builder lets you create a color scheme and theme for your home page. This is where your courses will be put up. Students will be able to browse through the course and select which one interests them from there.

You can also personalize those landing pages to suit each class. It’s recommended to create an entirely different design for each course, so that they’re easy to differentiate but still fit in with your overall branding.

Step 5 Step 5: Name Your Website

Step-5-Name-Your-Site

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

What you have to do once the content, course player and customizing are completed is to decide on a name for your website. Make sure the name is memorable and still appropriate to your brand.

Step 6: Publish Your Course

Step-6-Publish

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

When everything is set, you can publish the course. To publish, you simply have to set a price and provide specific payment information.

A course card must be designed. The course card is the one that appears on your students’ dashboards. If they view it they’ll get a quick overview of your online course and the content.

A well-designed course card can prove invaluable when marketing courses through Thinkific.

What Needs Improvement on Thinkific

And while there’s so much to be awed by about Thinkific but it’s not without flaws. For this Thinkific review, we’ve listed below what we believe can be improved.

Limited Quizzing Features

We think Thinkific does an excellent job of creating courses and uploading content, we think that quiz features could be enhanced.

The assessment form on Thinkific is very basic. Though it’s enough to get a general grasp of how well your pupils are aware of, it’s not enough for asking more complex questions.

If you’re happy with short check-up style quizzes at the end of each course, then that’s what Thinkific can provide you with. If your questions require longer and more specific results, you might want to try another platform.

Lack of Email Marketing Tools

As we’ve mentioned earlier, Thinkific can be integrated with third-party applications and these include email marketing tools. However, it doesn’t have email marketing tools of its own.

Though there are many third-party tools that work, it still would be nice to have Thinkific already had the software by itself. It would have accelerated the process.

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 lack of a 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 signed up to paid plans.

Thinkific Pricing

FTK-Pricing-Plans_THINKIFIC

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Thinkific offers three paid plans that you can subscribe to. After signing up, you’ll be able to sign up for an unpaid plan, without transaction fees or hidden charges.

Thinkific Free

Thinkific Vs Hotmart

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

The free plan offered by Thinkific is unique in that, unlike other plans, it doesn’t expire. You can use the free plan for the duration you wish to keep using Thinkific. Thinkific Vs Hotmart

In addition to being completely free, it does not have any hidden charges or transaction costs even when you offer courses. It’s perfect for course designers who wish to cut down on expenses or for small-scale business owners that are just beginning their journey.

With the Thinkific Free plan you are able to create three courses that you can customize by incorporating your personal branding. It is possible to enhance your courses with quizzes and other resources as well.

You are able to enroll an unlimited quantity of pupils, streamline the sign-up process, follow their progress. Surveys can also be sent to them so that you can determine what they think about the courses they’re taking. Thinkific Vs Hotmart

Thinkific’s free plans also allow 1 authorized site administrator, multiple instructor profiles, and access to all students’ data. It also allows you to keep track of the click rate and conversion rates of your students.

Finally, the free plan allows search engine optimization for your content. That way, your courses are more easily found by potential customers. You can even embed third-party applications and websites to your site to improve the user experience.

Thinkific Basic

basic-pricing

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Thinkific Basic costs $49 a month. However, if you decide to make your payments annually it’ll only cost you $39 per month.

You get 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. Thinkific Vs Hotmart

Another benefit you wouldn’t get on your free subscription is the option to drip your content, to send out coupons, and accessing analytics.

To simplify in two steps, firstly, drip content means to release data to your students at regular intervals over time. The second option is to send out coupons for discounts and other freebies for students who may need a boost in incentive to keep them connected. And third, the analytics that you have access to are marketing conversion and affiliate reporting rates.

With this plan, you can easily integrate the third-party tools that you’d like to use. These include Zapier, Aweber, and MailChimp as well as others.

Additionally, you can create a custom domain for your website with the basic plan. There is no need to use the Thinkific domain for your URL now.

Thinkific Pro

pro-pricing

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Thinkific Pro costs $99 per month but if you get annual billing, it’s $79 per month.

This plan have the same benefits as you would with the Free Basic and Basic plans. The only difference is that there are greater options for setting up and benefits.

Thinkific’s Pro plan will let you have two site administrators and 5 course admin accounts. It will also include advanced pricing options for your courses as well as editing HTML/CSS codes. Thinkific Vs Hotmart

You’ll be able create private courses that only a specific number of people can access. Additionally, you can provide membership bundles and freebies to your users.

Course creators can also use the more sophisticated quiz, assignment and assessment tools.

Growth Package

growth-package

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

And with it being the Pro plan, there’s something called a Growth Plan that is available. The best part is that once you get more than 100 subscribers to your plan, Thinkific will automatically charge you an extra fee in addition to the $99 per month.

But don’t fret because the fee entitles you to extra features. It is possible to send mass emails, incorporate third-party tools, and group your users according to different requirements.

Thinkific Premier

thinkific-premier

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

The Thinkific Premier is the least expensive plan. It is priced at $499 per month. However, when it’s billed annually, it is $399 per month. Thinkific Vs Hotmart

If you’re a subscriber for this package, you’ll have access to all of the same features available to the Basic, Free and Pro plans. The reason it has a distinct advantage and higher price point is that it’s geared towards larger companies that have more members.

This Thinkific Premier plan lets you have 5 site admin and 50 account admins for courses. It also allows for something called a Single Sign-On (SSO). This is useful if you have a huge bulk of customers who will need access to the same website.

Additionally, this plan comes with an onboarding package which is an onboarding call lasting 30 minutes, as well as an onboarding review of preparations and an online training guides.

Additionally, you’ll have an access Growth package for a lower fee. There will be a flat fee that you will only need to pay.

Thinkific Reviews

cat-and-woman

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Reviewers and users of Thinkific especially appreciate how affordable it is. Even when using it on a free basis, you’ll have access to helpful features. And there are no fees hidden, so you don’t be spending more than you originally planned to.

Other users also adored the white-labeling feature of Thinkific. It allows you to enhance your brand’s image even if it’s a small-sized company.

Finally, many educators love using Thinkific because it’s ideal for children. The interface is easy to use and explore.

“I found it interesting that this site had the option to upload files in the discussions. I’m happy I chose this option because other sites take the % of income, and you have to wait longer to receive money. There are no transaction fees!” -Anonymous

“I enjoyed the ability to create your access platform, courses, and the payment options all within one interface without having to purchase additional products. I particularly enjoy how easy you can set up the courses up if you have your own curriculum and has white-labeling.” – Anonymous

“Thinkific lets you begin producing courses for free and will keep them for free for the rest of your life. Really, this is an excellent way to get started with how to create courses without spending a dime.” -Anonymous

“Thinkific made it simple to develop and run our online course for financial advisors. The support team at Thinkific was always quick to get back to us and helped us to understand the process. I also love the fact the ability to white-label and use the domain of your choice.” – Anonymous

“Classes were more fun engaging, enjoyable, and simple especially for our older learners. Teachers enjoyed using it to create their classes and to share their ideas.” -Anonymous

Alternatives to Thinkific

If the Thinkific review still hasn’t convinced you of its potential as an online course platform If you’re still not convinced, check out these two alternatives:

Kajabi

Kajabi is one of the first online course platforms that will probably be recommended to you once you begin asking questions. It’s an all-in-one system that lets you create and promote your online courses. Thinkific is like Kajabi in that way.

If you sign up to Kajabi the platform, you’ll be able to quickly create a course and add content. The platform offers built-in templates and themes that you can use to customize your site right from the beginning. The editor for your website allows you to add several sections and sales pages to your courses. Thinkific Vs Hotmart

For quiz functions, it has an edge against Thinkific because it has more sophisticated settings. It allows you to create more customized quizzes and assessment types. Plus, you can conduct webinars and video tutorials for better clarity in teaching.

A lot of teachers love the fact the idea of rewarding their students with certificates for every accomplished course. And they can also choose to send content out to their subscribers, much like Thinkific.

Another difference Kajabi is different in comparison to Thinkific is that it has better marketing features. Although Thinkific lets you easily market classes online, it doesn’t let you make a sales funnel builder which will help keep your process efficient.

Kajabi also has email marketing tools and automated email, in contrast to Thinkific. You won’t have to integrate with a third-party program to send out broadcasts and email sequences to your subscribers.

It is worth noting though that Kajabi is much pricier than Thinkific.

READ: Kajabi Review – All-in-One Online Course Platform

Teachable

learning-platform

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

Next to Kajabi, Teachable is Thinkific’s other closest competitor. This is because they share a lot of similarities in their online course platforms.

Teachable’s interface is easy to use and comes with useful features to assist you in making your own content. There are themes pre-designed which you can use to make your site look attractive, even if you have no prior web design experience.

Like Thinkific, instructors can choose to drip content they share to their subscribers.

What sets Teachable different from Thinkific is the quiz features. Instead of just basic templates, Teachable lets you customize your tests and quizzes.

Like Kajabi You can also create webinars and videos in order to increase engagement with your subscribers. There’s also an option to include a sales page to your online course for higher conversion rates.

One last thing that we love about Teachable is that you can also offer your subscribers certificates after each course they complete. And unlike Thinkific, Teachable has email marketing tools that you can use to send mass emails to our users.

READ: Teachable Review – Unlimited Course Creation Features

Please read: Kajabi vs. Teachable

Final Report on Thinkific Review

Thinkific Vs Hotmart

Thinkific has plenty of features which make it worthy of a subscription. For one, it’s extremely easy to use. It’s possible to create an original online course and then market it, even if you’re new to the market.

It also comes with pre-made layouts and templates that simplify setting up your website. It isn’t necessary to enter complicated CSS or HTML code to get professional-looking websites.

If you choose any of these paid options, you’ll have access to the latest features that will enhance your brand. You can opt out of your Thinkific subdomain and opt for Advanced users to set up their own domain names with hosting and develop the majority of the pages of their website using the domain’s own address.

You can also connect third-party software to Thinkific in particular because it doesn’t come with its own integrated marketing tools for email.

Students can also interact with instructors online via a discussion forum on Thinkific. They can ask for help with lessons or post questions about their classes. Teachers will be able to answer them directly.

Support for customers isn’t bad as well. You get prioritized for responses when you’re subscribed to the other paid plans. However, keep in mind that it has no live chat option.

Overall though, our verdict on the Thinkific Review is it’s worth a try. Particularly if you’re just beginning to become a author, Thinkific seems to be a good starting point for developing courses.

The free plan is also available forever, unlike other platforms. If you’re tight on money, then it’s a good option since you’ll have access to incredible features at zero cost.

We strongly suggest to try Thinkific out.

If you liked reading this Thinkific reviews, you can take a look at our review of one of the Best Online Course Platforms available right now here.

girl-in-laptop

> > Click Here to Start Thinkific for Free < <

About the author

jack_morris

Jack has worked on the video production, audio mastery, and physical coursework for over one-hundred popular online courses to date. He’s here to share his experiences with you, as well as show you what tools are worth your time, how to spot those that aren’t worth a penny, and above all else, how to keep yourself informed about how to navigate online course creation efficiently and effectively.