In the dynamic world of online learning, choosing the right platform to host and sell your courses can make or break your success. Today, we're here to present you with an in-depth analysis of Thinkific, a leading name in the e-learning industry.
Our extensive review aims to provide you with a crystal-clear understanding of Thinkific, its features, pros, and cons, and why it stands tall among the competition.
Thinkific Review – The Good & Bad
Let's start by diving into what sets Thinkific apart from the rest of the online course providers.
Pros: Here's what we like about Thinkific
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The Only Viable and Truly Free Price Plan: Thinkific is the sole platform that offers a genuinely free plan with no transaction fees. This plan provides remarkable value, with the only limitation being a restriction to one free course.
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Phone Support: Unlike its competitors, Thinkific offers phone support, and on higher plans, it even provides priority phone support.
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Customization: Thinkific empowers you to maintain the unique branding of your business or website, ensuring your courses seamlessly integrate with your online presence.
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Custom Domain: While Thinkific hosts your course, you can set a custom domain, making it appear as a seamless part of your website.
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Voice Over PowerPoint Presentation Tool: This feature simplifies video production, making the creation of engaging content a breeze.
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Flexible Payment Options: Thinkific allows you to offer students payment options like monthly payment plans and recurring subscriptions, enhancing the flexibility of your courses.
Cons: Here are the only things we don't like about Thinkific
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No Course Marketplace: Thinkific lacks a built-in course marketplace, which might hinder your course's visibility to potential students.
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No Integrated Email Marketing: While Thinkific doesn't offer native email marketing features, it can be integrated with third-party providers like MailChimp and Aweber.
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No Integrated Sales Funnel Builder: Thinkific also lacks an integrated sales funnel builder but can be linked with third-party options like Clickfunnels and LeadPages.
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No Chat Support: Despite offering phone support, Thinkific doesn't have a live chat support option, which can be a limitation for those who prefer this communication method.
Recognizable Thinkific Customers
Thinkific boasts an impressive clientele, with over 36,000 course creators using the platform. Notable names like Lewis Howes, John Lee Dumas, and Sunny Lenarduzzi have all found success with Thinkific. But it's not just for individual entrepreneurs; Thinkific also caters to enterprise customers, including big names like Hootsuite, Samsung, Intuit, Aweber, and many more.
With over 16 million students in 164 countries and more than $200 million in generated sales, Thinkific's reach and impact on e-learning are undeniable.
Thinkific Pricing
Now, let's talk about Thinkific's pricing plans. With four different options, there's something for everyone:
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Free Plan: This plan includes 1 course, 1 community, 2 spaces per community, 1 administrator, unlimited students, 0% transaction fee, email, and chatbot support. Notably, it provides 100% ownership of content and access to essential features like the drag-and-drop course builder, easy-to-use website themes, fully integrated e-commerce, an app store, course quizzes, and surveys.
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Basic Plan: Priced at $36 per month (billed annually) or $49 per month (billed monthly), this plan offers unlimited courses, 1 community, 5 spaces per community, 1 administrator, unlimited students, 0% transaction fee, and email and live chat support. Additional features include custom domains, coupons & discounts, affiliate selling, and Thinkific Foundation Academy courses.
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Start Plan: For $74 per month (billed annually) or $99 per month (billed monthly), the Start plan provides everything in the Basic plan, along with 10 spaces per community, assignments, bundles and add-on packages, memberships & payment plans, live lessons, advanced course-building options, and advanced website code editing.
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Grow Plan: Priced at $149 per month (billed annually) or $199 per month (billed monthly), the Grow plan includes all features in the Start plan, adds 3 communities, 20 spaces per community, 2 administrators, and priority chat and email support. It also removes Thinkific branding, offers a bulk student emailer, bulk enrollments, API access, and Thinkific Advanced Academy courses.
Review of Thinkific's Best Features
- Thinkific's Free Plan is One of a Kind
Thinkific's standout feature is its free plan, a rare offering in the e-learning industry. This plan allows you to fully set up and brand your course, collect payments, and run quizzes, all with zero transaction fees. It's the only platform that truly empowers you to sell courses without upfront costs.
As your business grows, you can effortlessly upgrade to reasonably priced paid plans, taking advantage of numerous premium features.
- Thinkific's Ability to Customize and Flexibility
When it comes to customization, Thinkific outshines its competitors. You have the freedom to tailor your courses and storefront to align seamlessly with your brand and website. This includes offering quizzes, surveys, student discussions, prerequisite lessons, and completion certificates. Moreover, if you're tech-savvy, Thinkific provides access to HTML and CSS for deeper customization.
For functionalities not built into the platform, Thinkific boasts an array of integrations with platforms like MailChimp, Infusionsoft, and Brillium Exams. And if you can't find a direct integration, the versatile Zapier integration allows you to connect with nearly any third-party platform.
Collaborative learning is facilitated with Thinkific's newly introduced Community feature, enabling students to interact, share knowledge, and build relationships. This fosters a sense of belonging while keeping the focus on your brand.
You can either create a community around an existing course or offer it as a standalone, paid feature. Options include a subscription service or one-time payment for memberships. Thinkific's user-friendly approach extends even to this new feature, making it a valuable addition to their arsenal.
Other Thinkific Features
Apart from these highlights, Thinkific offers a comprehensive set of features:
Course Creation Tools
- Course Builder: Templates and easy course creation tools.
- Self-Paced and Scheduled Classes: Offer flexibility with self-paced or time-structured classes.
- Live Lessons and Coaching: Provide live classes and virtual coaching.
- Completion Certificates: Recognize students' achievements with quizzes, tests, and certificates.
- Multimedia Lessons: Engage students with visual elements like photos, PDFs, audio, and video.
- Communities: Encourage interaction through forums.
- Thinkific App Store: Access 80+ apps to enhance the learning experience.
- White-Labeled Mobile App: Create and manage a custom, white-labeled app for your courses and communities.
Website Building
- Customizable Website Themes: Use pre-made templates with robust customization tools.
- Multiple Pages: Build a multi-page website.
- Custom Domains: Maintain a strong brand presence with a custom domain.
- Thinkific App Store: Access website apps for added functionality.
Selling Tools
- Promotion Tools: Connect with webinars and blog apps in the app store to find more students.
- Product Packages: Create bundles and subscriptions to generate income.
- Optimized Checkout: Streamline the course purchasing process.
Grow & Scale Your Business
- White-Labeled Environments: Sell custom academies to diverse audiences on a single platform.
- Plus Portal: Manage multiple learning environments in one portal.
- Single Sign On OpenID Connect: Simplify the user experience with single sign-on via your existing system.
- Plus API: Integrate other software for improved courses.
- Unlimited Admins: Grant your entire team access to edit classes.
- SOC2 Compliant: Ensure the highest level of security and compliance.
- Expert Marketplace: Learn from experienced professionals in course building, design, marketing, and development.
Thinkific Coupon Code
If you're looking for the best deals and discounts on Thinkific, you're in luck! We've negotiated an exclusive offer for our visitors. Get your Thinkific discount code for one month free here.
How to Create Your Thinkific Course
Creating your first Thinkific course is a straightforward process. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:
1. Create Your Account
- Visit thinkific.com and create your Thinkific account.
- Choose between a new free account or a free trial of a paid plan.
- Customize your school name and site URL (note that the free plan retains "Thinkific" in the URL).
2. Design Your Site
- Under "Design Your Site," build your courses, select themes, and preview your pages.
- Manage financial information under "Market & Sell," including coupons, orders, and marketing integrations.
- Track revenue, enrollments, and student engagements with "Advanced Reporting."
3. Create Your Theme
- Utilize Thinkific's theme library to select your preferred theme.
- Customize your chosen theme using the Site Builder.
- Ensure you save your changes to reflect them.
4. Add Pages
- Under "Site Builder," go to "Pages," click "Custom Page," and provide a title.
- Add advanced sections to your pages, such as CTAs, social proof sections, logos, and testimonials.
5. Create Your About Page
- As a starting point, create an "About" page to familiarize yourself with the format.
- Complete your instructor profile under "Manage Learning Content."
6. Set Up Payments
- Under "Market & Sell," enter your Stripe or Paypal information to facilitate course monetization.
7. Create Your First Course
- Choose your course templates, whether pre-made or starting from scratch.
- Name your course and create chapters as needed.
- Within each chapter, add lessons. You can upload multimedia lessons and link to additional resources.
8. Create Quizzes
- If you want to include quizzes, return to your lessons and select "Add Lesson." Choose "Quiz" and customize questions and answers.
In conclusion, Thinkific is a versatile, feature-rich platform that offers exceptional value to both novice and experienced course creators. With its free plan, unmatched customization, and a broad range of features, it provides the tools you need to succeed in the competitive world of online education.
So, if you're ready to embark on your e-learning journey, Thinkific is a name you should strongly consider. Harness the power of this platform to create, customize, and deliver top-tier online courses, and watch your educational endeavors soar to new heights.