Thinkific review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Thinkific suits small course businesses and beginner creators who want sites and landing pages in one place, and its cost score is 4.2. The trade-off is entry cost: the Basic plan starts at €53 and there is no free plan, so the first payment comes early.
Key facts
- Best for
- Small course sellers who want unlimited courses on Basic and help by phone.
- Price from
- €53 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- E-commerce plan price
- €53 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Transaction fee
- 1.7% to 3.4% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 30 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Builder type
- Site, Landing (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Thinkific Labs Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free trial
- Official website
- thinkific.com
Business tools
- Price from
- €53 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Usage limits
- Unlimited courses on Basic (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 30 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Thinkific Labs Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free trial
Pros and cons
Pros
- Unlimited courses on Basic on the entry plan, so the bill does not grow with the number of courses.
- Support covers email, chat and phone, with phone and chat alongside email and a help centre.
- The free trial runs 30 days, longer than the 14 common in this group.
Cons
- There is no free plan, so €53 on the Basic plan is the floor for anyone starting out.
- Transaction fees run 1.7% to 3.4% on customer payments, where the typical listing on the site shows 0%.
- The Basic plan's €53 entry price ranks 180 of 199, at the expensive end of the field.
Who it suits
- Course sellers at the beginner and small-business end, matching the beginners, small business and enterprise the platform names.
- Teams that want phone and chat help, both inside email, chat and phone.
- Creators who publish many courses, since Unlimited courses on Basic.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers on the smallest budget: Ko-fi lists from $12 against the Basic plan at €53.
- Shops priced in other markets: Mitienda Uruguay starts at UYU 400 and Shafrik at XOF 9,900.
- Anyone wanting a no-cost plan rather than a trial, since there is no free plan here.
How it compares on our data
On price from, Thinkific sits at 180 out of 199 brands tracked, which places it among the higher entry prices. On e-commerce plan price it ranks 138 of 160, the same picture. Because both figures land high, the cost of getting in, not the cost of selling, is what separates it from cheaper builders.
The company behind it
Thinkific is operated by Thinkific Labs Inc., headquartered in Canada, and trading since 2012. Buyers reach the company on email, chat and phone, so phone and chat sit alongside email and a help centre. The entity name is the one listed in the terms of service, which is what to check on an invoice.
How Thinkific compares
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2- 9.0 vs 9.1
- 9.0 vs 9.3
9.0 vs 8.6- 9.0 vs 9.4
- 9.0 vs 9.2
- 9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.4- 9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 8.5- 9.0 vs 8.7
- 9.0 vs 8.0
9.0 vs 8.7
9.0 vs 9.3- 9.0 vs 9.5
9.0 vs 9.4- 9.0 vs 9.3
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.1- 9.0 vs 9.0
- 9.0 vs 8.9
9.0 vs 8.9
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 8.0
Where Thinkific is available
- Available
- Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does Thinkific cost to start?+
The Basic plan starts at €53, and the e-commerce plan price is the same figure at €53. There is no free plan, so both numbers point to the same starting cost whether the plan is used for courses or for a shop build.
Is there a free plan or a trial?+
There is no free plan. The only way in is the free trial, which runs 30 days before a plan starts, and free trial is the single entry model Thinkific lists. Support on email, chat and phone is reachable during that window.
What is included on the entry plan?+
Unlimited courses on Basic, so the number of courses is not billed as a separate line on the entry tier. Support runs across email, chat and phone, and the builder covers site and landing, which means a course site and a landing page can sit on the same plan.
What fees apply when a student pays?+
Thinkific Payments takes a transaction fee of 1.7% to 3.4% on each payment, and that is the part that scales with volume. Across the site the typical listing shows 0%, so this cost sits well above what most of the field charges.
Who is Thinkific built for?+
The listed audience is beginners, small business and enterprise, so the product is pitched at course sellers rather than general web work. Beginners and small businesses sit at the centre of that list, and because the Basic plan carries Unlimited courses on Basic the bill does not move with the catalogue size.
How do I get help if a course breaks?+
Support runs on email, chat and phone, one of the wider channel sets among the builders compared. A stuck enrolment can go to phone or chat instead of a ticket, and the help centre covers routine questions without a wait, which matters for cohorts that start on a fixed date.
Who runs Thinkific and where is it based?+
The company is Thinkific Labs Inc., headquartered in Canada, and trading since 2012. That legal name is the one listed in the terms of service, so it is the name to check against an invoice or a payout record from Thinkific Payments.
Sources
- support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500012376321-Thi... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Transaction fee
“Card Transaction Fees ... Transaction Fee, Variable Portion ... 1.7% (EU/EEA, UK) to 3.4% (Hong Kong, Singapore), plus a fixed portion per country”
- thinkific.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Builder type, E-commerce plan price, Founded, Free plan, Free trial length, Headquarters, Pricing model, Price from, Support channels, Usage limits
“Our platform supports businesses of all stages but is built to scale alongside you. It's straightforward and AI-enable so anyone can use it and launch quickly, but it also offers advanced features,...”
- thinkific.com/terms-of-service checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity
“Your contract and Account is with Thinkific Labs Inc. (if you register from within Canada and the rest of the world), or with its subsidiary, Thinkific.com Inc. (if you register from within the...”
Compiled from 3 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Thinkific
Small course sellers who want unlimited courses on Basic and help by phone.