--- title: "Thinkific Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Thinkific the right Course Authoring solution for you? Explore 205 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/132888/Thinkific/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Thinkific 4.4 (205) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/132888/Thinkific/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 3rd, 2026 # Reviews of Thinkific Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews MS Melina S Senior Comms ManagerNon-Profit Organization Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The platform gave me flexibility in structuring content, strong analytics to track learner progress, and reliable integrations that supported a smooth learning experience.“ September 23, 2025 LT Libby T CE DirectorHospital & Health Care, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Some functions are limiting - like the ability to delete drafts of webinars and communities.“ February 5, 2026 NB Nina B Learning Experience ManagerProfessional Training & Coaching, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “We needed a platform that could easily manage both on-demand and live courses, and the course builder in Thinkific gave us the felxibility that we needed to scale.“ September 26, 2025 KW Kirra W OwnerE-Learning, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I had to join Kit and couldn’t natively use my other platform to automate sending emails.“ March 7, 2026 RM Rachael M DietitianHealth, Wellness and Fitness, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It is a great option for creating a simple course that allows for integration of a lot of interactive tools to help facilitate user learning when taking a course that is created.“ January 29, 2026 PM Philip M OperationsNon-Profit Organization Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Tracking the progress can be a little tricky as if you don't click the continue button, it won't register that you did the video.“ December 18, 2025 MS Melina S Senior Comms ManagerNon-Profit Organization Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “What I liked most about Thinkific was its user-friendly interface and the way it allowed me to design and deliver courses without needing advanced technical skills.“ September 23, 2025 LT Libby T CE DirectorHospital & Health Care, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Doesn't make sense why they can't be deleted, as draft courses can be deleted.“ February 5, 2026 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 205 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Pamela K. President Entertainment Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "This is where I have my courses" April 21, 2020 5.0 Anytime I have a problem their tech support is great. And I haven't had any tech problems with the platform - my students are happy and use it easily. Pros When I was researching all the different software for course hosting, I liked that this had a place to upload documents in the discussions. That might be really important for people teaching code or other products. Then I'm glad I choose this one because others take a % of income AND you have to wait longer for money. Cons The layout isn't as clean and modern as others - I'm hoping that will be updated at some point. It's a little ugly. Alternatives considered [Teachable](https://www.capterra.com/p/147019/Teachable/) Reason for choosing Thinkific Thinkific had the ability to upload docs in the discussion area of courses. And doesn't charge a transaction fee. Review Source AS Avril S. ESL Coach E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Truth For all" December 13, 2025 5.0 There is a bit of reading and experimentation necessary. However it’s pretty intuitive to use once you have minimal editing skills. Pros One of the things I like is that I don’t have to know anything about coding for me to be able to make a website. Cons If I had to choose one it would be that the free option isn’t available. It gave me more options when creating courses. Switched from [Teachable](https://www.capterra.com/p/147019/Teachable/) At the time, Thinkific offered more design flexibility. Review Source FH French H. Program Director E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Covers the basics" October 10, 2025 3.0 Overall, it was a decent experience. Thinkific worked well when our needs were fairly simple — it’s reliable for basic course setup and delivery. But as things grew and we needed more advanced features and flexibility, it became clear that it wasn’t the right long-term fit for us. Pros It gets the job done if your needs are basic. It’s straightforward to use and handles core functions like organizing content, course creation and managing users, but it doesn’t go much beyond that - in my case. Cons As our needs evolved, Thinkific just couldn’t keep up. It’s fine for basic course delivery, but we eventually needed more flexibility and functionality than the platform could offer — which is why we decided to move on. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Client Services Director Information Technology and Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Fills a gap in this space with enthusiasm!" December 10, 2019 5.0 Blackboard Course sites, Moodle, and Instructure Canvas are great products, but you have to invest in additional solutions to collect payments, etc. for selling the online courses. Thinkific does all this in 1 system with more options for site design than the big education players do. Some of the features could be more well-thought-out, but for a non-LMS company, it is incredibly easy to set up and allows you to design instructional sound materials. Pros I liked that you could design the access portal, the courses, and the payment methods all in 1 interface without any needs for additional products. I particularly enjoy how easy it is to set the courses up if you have your curriculum designed. Cons I wish there was an option to be able to have access to all the course features without fees. We are a startup and just are not in a position to charge for courses yet, meaning this would be a huge investment for us that we are not willing to make. It would be great if you could get a 6month burn-in period to test and market before going live. Alternatives considered [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/)[Blackboard](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/)[BRIDGE](https://www.capterra.com/p/145699/Bridge/) Reason for choosing Thinkific Payment portal and customization features. Switched from [Moodle](https://www.capterra.com/p/80691/Moodle/) Easier to configure and set up and did not require additional setup or management. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CEO Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Think About Using Thinkific" February 8, 2022 5.0 Pros For me is it was the user friendly features of the program. I was able to train myself on the features in a few hours. Cons Our company has enjoyed using Thinkific and in comparison to to other programs we don't find any negative issued with Thinkific. Alternatives considered [Teachable](https://www.capterra.com/p/147019/Teachable/)[WebinarNinja](https://www.capterra.com/p/191881/WebinarNinja/)[Kajabi](https://www.capterra.com/p/154682/Kajabi/) Reason for choosing Thinkific Thinkific was the first program we tried and once we tested others we just never found another program that was better for our needs. Review Source Jeremy D. Creative Lead Media Production Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Fun and Flexible Course Platform" December 8, 2021 5.0 I found Thinkific to be very satisfying. I had everything I needed to launch a single course on the free plan (one free single course), but I was looking for a fully-integrate funnel solution, so I went with a competitor that had that feature. But this will be very good for most users. Pros It is very easy to get up and running with Thinkific. The course templates are a breeze to edit; users can easily see how to add and edit content, and the presentation is slick and professional. Cons Thinkific does not have an integrated email marketing feature, but users can connect MailChimp, et al., with Zapier. The design templates look okay until the user starts to change fonts and adds more content, then they start to look like a Wordpress template. Not bad, but not slick. Alternatives considered [Teachable](https://www.capterra.com/p/147019/Teachable/)[Systeme.io](https://www.capterra.com/p/198994/Systeme/)[Kajabi](https://www.capterra.com/p/154682/Kajabi/) Reason for choosing Thinkific Teachable takes too big a cut from sales, while Kajabi is very expensive. Review Source Joe G. VP of Marketing & International Business Development Financial Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The Best Online Course Creator" September 7, 2019 5.0 We started with an idea to help colleagues and turned it into a course. Thinkific allowed us to get our idea out of our heads and into reality, and a usable product people could buy & use. Pros Thinkific made it easy to create & host our digital course for financial advisors. With any platform there is a learning curve at the beginning. Thinkific's support team was always quick to reply and help us learn the ropes. Cons I don't really have any complaints. It would be nice if the WYSIWYG editor were as good as Apple Pages, and turned out prettier text layouts in the templates. But, it's good enough. Switched from [Teachable](https://www.capterra.com/p/147019/Teachable/) Because Teachable's support was terrible during the initial "learning the ropes" phase. Review Source KW Kirra W. Owner E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Satisfied digital creator " March 7, 2026 5.0 It’s been a very easy tool to get started with and use. I appreciate all the different types of digital products I can create. Pros Thinkific makes it super easy to launch your store and start selling digital products. I love the student facing part of the platform as well. It is very user friendly. Cons I do wish that it natively integrated with more email marketing platforms. I had to join Kit and couldn’t natively use my other platform to automate sending emails. Switched from [heartbeat](https://www.capterra.com/p/181309/heartbeat/) I needed a system that served me better. Review Source MS Melina S. Senior Comms Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A Reliable and User-Friendly Platform for Online Learning" September 23, 2025 5.0 My overall experience with Thinkific has been very positive. The platform is intuitive and reliable, making it easy to design, host, and deliver courses to a wide range of learners. I appreciated the flexibility it offered in structuring content, tracking learner progress, and integrating with other tools, which helped create a smooth learning experience. While there are areas that could benefit from more advanced customization and deeper analytics, I found Thinkific to be a strong, user-friendly solution that made online course delivery both accessible and effective. Pros What I liked most about Thinkific was its user-friendly interface and the way it allowed me to design and deliver courses without needing advanced technical skills. The platform gave me flexibility in structuring content, strong analytics to track learner progress, and reliable integrations that supported a smooth learning experience. I particularly appreciated how easy it was to customize the learner journey and maintain a professional brand look. Cons What I liked least about Thinkific was that, as with any growing company, there were times when priorities shifted quickly, which could make long-term planning a bit challenging. Still, I valued the open communication within teams, which helped us adapt and keep moving forward effectively. Review Source PM Philip M. Operations Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great Platform with Many Options" December 18, 2025 4.0 I like the system overall and am pleased to use it. I like how it gives you different options of how to organize the programs depending on your needs. It's nice to have documents for download imbedded in the system. Pros It's great to be able to create your own course on the platform. There is a lot of flexibility to have quizzes, summaries, or even upload documents that can be downlaoded. Cons Tracking the progress can be a little tricky as if you don't click the continue button, it won't register that you did the video. Also, there are a few times the video would lag. Review Source LM Lucas M. Owner Management Consulting Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Thinkific Rocks!" March 19, 2021 5.0 Excellent! I appreciate the outstanding product, fair prices, ease of interface and ability to easily build and delivery QUALITY courses. I haven't required customer service (that's a good sign!). I love the product and will definitely stay here! Pros The intuitive nature of your interface is extremely helpful for both course designers and students. As a site and course administrator, I'm exceptionally impressed with the ease of use. Thank you for incorporating finance management functions. Sleek design, ease of use, great price point. Don't change the price, it's one of your best market differentiators. I switched to Thinkific for the Pro Growth plan which was the key difference for me from other providers like Matrix. Cons I really need to market courses via social media with the least number of accounts and steps. It would be awesome if you could integrate some social media marketing tools into the site rather than link accompanying providers. The more I can do WITHIN thinkific, the better. The same applies for business functions like website management, sales of non-course materials (e.g., printed books, e-books), and perhaps QuickBooks Alternatives considered [CYPHER Learning](https://www.capterra.com/p/172471/Cypher-Learning/)[Blackboard](https://www.capterra.com/p/14500/Blackboard-LMS-for-Business/) Reason for choosing Thinkific Price and ability to scale my costs via the Pro Growth plan. I really liked the Matrix site itself but couldn't justify the price as soon as I saw the Thinkific plans and the product. Your site is excellent! Switched from [CYPHER Learning](https://www.capterra.com/p/172471/Cypher-Learning/) Price and ability to scale my costs via the Pro Growth plan. I really liked the Matrix site itself but couldn't justify the price as soon as I saw the Thinkific plans and the product. Your site is excellent! Review Source BM Becky M. Accountability Coach Professional Training & Coaching Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A great platform, but not as robust as others" June 12, 2023 4.0 Thinkific was fine for when I started selling courses, but ultimately it wasn't the right tool for my business and needs. Pros This is a platform built for courses, and as such, it does that incredibly well. If you are only looking for somewhere to sell courses and are most concerned with those looking great and being well built for your customers, then this is a great program. Cons I really wanted a platform that could handle more than just courses (ie, also selling digital downloads, memberships, and 1:1 coaching programs). Thinkific isn't made to do everything because they focus on doing one thing really well. If you're looking for a jack of all trades rather than a master of one, this probably isn't for you. Alternatives considered [Teachable](https://www.capterra.com/p/147019/Teachable/) Reason for choosing Thinkific I chose Thinkific because I had heard good reviews from some of my peers using it and it was easy to set up for someone who wasn't well versed in course management platforms. Review Source CE Chad E. Owner E-Learning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Unfortunately a big disappointment and wasted investment" February 19, 2025 1.0 Their sales team is great at what they do, but that actual service and platform are unfortunately not good. Pros Easy to get set up and upload a course. It offers a wide range of features. Cons The features aren't customizable and some don't even work. Also terrible customer service. There has been a bug in one of their core features for almost a full month now, and customer service only sends templated responses with no details about when it will be fixed. Many of their features also don't allow for any customization, and the dashboard is not very easy to navigate. Review Source DT Duncan T. Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Easy to use course creator." October 31, 2024 4.0 I did set up a course and everything worked as it should. I didn't feel it looked the way I wanted and so looked at other software. Pros They offered a generous trial period to try it out. Cons I found it hard to get something that looked professional in terms of design. Possibly didn't spend long enough or get the proper support, so may be my fault. Review Source Wendy F. Retirement Coach E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Thinkific works for me!" April 8, 2019 5.0 No benefits realized yet as I just got my first course up and published. I have several courses written but finding the right software for me and my students was my Catch 22... never considered that would hold me back. I kept working on the courses... and finally, the solution was presented to me. I have tried so many different teaching platforms already and never actually published. Just wasn't confident in knowing the site well enough -- but in no time at all, I am published on Thinkific and so thrilled I made the leap. Finally! Pure FUN! Pros Thinkific is easy to use. Add a new Module, one click to add content, module after module. So easy! Better yet, I LIKE how it looks to the user. I LIKE how the site can look like mine -- not another platform. It does look different, but MY site name is on top, visible, so users know where they are immediately. I've tried others and never quite liked the look as I work with seniors who have retired... and wanted simplicity. This time I found just that. AND YET -- very functional, with every content option I'd like to add. Thinkific has a great Facebook group too. Very active and helpful, learned how others are doing their classes so gives me new ideas. Some groups were full of people whining about what the software didn't do or needed to be corrected... that didn't work for me either, yeah, picky picky! :) Cons I only had to ask Support one question while adding my first course. My only question was: how to add a manual student who paid me privately (or complimentary class) if they didn't purchase through Thinkific itself. I know its there, just chose to ask instead of searching! :) I didn't even use HELP pages to learn how to use it... it was pretty intuitive for me and I love that! Please don't think that means its not a fully integrated teaching service, it really is. They simply "got it" where the user (me, the instructor) and the other user (student) is concerned. Someone did the work to think about how both users will interact with the software. Kudos! Review Source LH Linda H. Diversity Educator E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Thinkific is a fantastic online learning platform" August 14, 2019 5.0 We are growing into an international learning community with the help of Thinkific. Pros Versatile, well organized, easy to learn. Free until you get going. Cons \- Terrible discussion forum (we wish they would link up with website tool box). - Their pricing plans have changed in ways that don't work well for us and they have not been responsive to our feedback. Review Source KL Korinne L. Founder Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Customer Service Very Disappointing" October 22, 2019 3.0 Very frustrating! Not a customer-friendly service. While they are friendly and say they hope you are having a nice day, they do not answer questions (or apparently read email chains). There is no support for European customers I fed this back to them when I first signed up around 2 years ago and nothing has changed. I have given them all of the feed back given here but they do not take any action. Waiting at least a day for an answer is totally unacceptable. What makes it even more frustrating is that, after waiting for a reply, they ask for information that was already included in your original email (and then you have to wait another day for a response). It just seems as though they work at their convenience, not the customer's. And yet they are happy to take the subscriptions when they are not providing an adequate service. Pros I was so excited to find this product and thought it would be ideal for my needs Cons The software is not user-friendly. I was hoping that it would be more straightforward and my staff have also commented that is it not user-friendly. There is nobody to call when you have a query and can only email. It takes them a day to get back to you. And we are based in the UK and with the time difference, we have to wait at least a day for an answer. What makes it even more frustrating is that, after waiting for a reply, they ask for information that was already included in your original email (and then you have to wait another day for a response). I sent a query on Monday asking how to do something and the reply said 'see instructions below' and there were no instructions there. In the same email, they asked me to confirm the email address (which I had emailed them on and they had clearly not tried this). I responded right away and just got an email asking how they could help me! (They clearly had not read the email chain). It is now 9pm at night on Tuesday and will be at least Wednesday afternoon with the time difference until I may get a reply and actually proceed. Review Source AH Alex H. Director E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Only use if you never want to close account " September 14, 2023 3.0 Ended very badly, we are having our reputation damaged Pros Easy to set up. Seems reasonably priced Cons Only use if you never (and I mean never) want to close accountI have been trying to close our thinkific account for a year, it is impossible! It will let you downgrade to a free account but there you are stuck! You might think, that’s ok, they’re now charging you. Well, the problem is that every time you disable a course another one is reactivated. I have just had to refund a load of learners who have managed to sign up and pay for courses that we no longer run.. Not good for business!!!! There are other, better and more cost effective platforms out there.Impossible to speak to a person, Help pages are a joke Review Source VR Verified Reviewer owner Photography Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Thinific delivers" October 3, 2023 4.0 Overall it is goo. The product delivers what it sets out to deliver. I am happy to receive payment immediately unlike other online course options who hold on to payment for weeks. Pros Payment is received immediately when someone purchases my course. Cons It is expensive compared to Systeme.io. They use Stripe as the payment gateway. South Africa and Stripe are not compatible so I'm forced to use Paypal. This leads to lost sales. Reason for choosing Thinkific More cost effective. Review Source KB Kitti B. Customer Success Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy to use, overall great course provider platform" September 1, 2024 5.0 Pros Ease of use, option to share certificates with students Cons Managing students is a little complex from the admin dashboard Review Source TD Thomas D. Kickboxing Instructor Sports Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great product but there are cheaper options coming through." November 4, 2022 4.0 Overall, a great experience and will continue to use it if updates are made. I've had emails from fresh learn as of late which are half the price for what seems to be the same features that Thinkific give. Pros I do really like Thinkific although the price seems a bit higher than some new online platforms that are coming through. I like the course layout and the amount that you can edit. It's a bit more tech-savvy than some which I don't mind. I've built fast courses with Thinkific and enjoyed being a user on a weekly basis. I do just hope that Thinkfics features get more modernised as time goes on as it can seem a little outdated at times. Just my opinion :) Cons It's a bit more tech-savvy than some which I don't mind, but even a tech-savvy person wouldn't mind more convenience every day. This could come from more drag and drop and more templates to use as there doesn't seem to be any help in building your courses. There may be tutorials that I haven't come across the mind. I would like to see the price drop down before I go elsewhere. Review Source CM Cheryl M. Owner E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great Option" November 20, 2019 5.0 I enjoyed Thinkific and may yet return to it when my current contract is up with the LMS I moved to earlier this year. It's certainly as easy to use, and the sales page option is better designed. Everything else is about the same, but Thinkific is slightly more expensive and the pricing model is confusing. Pros I liked most that there was a free option to get started and that there is a front end option that shows all courses owned by an account native to the program. Thinkific is easy to use and now that it has added a community feature it's almost perfect. Cons At the time I switched from Thinkific, I did so to get a native community feature so my students wouldn't have to go to Facebook for community. Now that Thinkific has added it, there's only one complaint I have, and that is that I need another layer of complexity for my courses. Unfortunately, I haven't found an LMS that has that, so Thinkific is no worse in that regard than any other LMS I've explored. I do have an issue with the pricing model, which is too complex and confusing. That makes it hard to compare with other options. Reason for choosing Thinkific In the end, I didn't. I switched FROM Thinkific, for the reasons stated above. If Thinkific had already had the community feature at the time, I might not have done so. Review Source TK Talila K. GM Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Terrible experience and terrible customer service" June 12, 2023 3.0 Average platform, with awful service, would recommend anything else, have moved to LearnWorlds for now. Pros We thought Thinkific would be a great solution for internal and client LMS for onboarding. We invested a lot into a high plan. Cons It had some poor features, poor UI and UX, and customer experience. Once we went down to a lower plan, service went from average to absolutely terrible. We had multiple accounts and were unable to cancel one, it kept billing us and they would neither assist us to remove the subscription nor refund us. They also over-billed several of the clients we introduced to the software and those clients had similar terrible customer service issues. Review Source Ron M. President Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great tool for building and deploying educational courses and content" November 16, 2020 2.0 Pros The ease of use of the software is definitely the best aspect of Thinkific. Cons I found numerous bugs and availability issues during my use of the software. Hopefully over time this will improve greatly. There are a few growing pains with all of the recent changes to the way our nation delivers learning. Review Source AK Aleksandra K. President E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Basic yet satisfactory" December 8, 2023 3.0 It is ok for basic needs, easy to work with. But if you need more elaborated fancy designs and funcions look for Learnworlds. Pros Thinkific was the first elearning platform I worked on. It was quite easy to manage but also ugly as hell. Cons No adjustable themes, no colors to choose from. No updates to the interface throughout the year I worked on. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.