The online learning world keeps growing, and more creators are turning their knowledge into digital products, online courses, and memberships. Platforms like Thinkific, Payhip, and Teachable make it easier than ever to launch, sell, and grow your business without needing to code or hire a developer.
But here’s the real question: Which one should you pick?
While these platforms may seem similar at first glance, each one has a different focus and caters to slightly different audiences. In this guide, we’ll break down their features, ease of use, pricing, and who each one is best for.
By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of whether Thinkific, Payhip, or Teachable fits your needs best.
Brief Overview
Thinkific
Thinkific is a well-known online course platform designed for creators who want control over their student experience. It offers strong course-building tools, customization options, and is great for educators, trainers, and coaches.
Payhip
Payhip is a flexible platform that lets you sell not just courses, but also digital downloads, memberships, and even physical products. It is simple to set up and includes a generous free plan, making it ideal for creators on a budget or those selling a variety of product types.
Teachable
Teachable is one of the most popular course platforms for beginners. It focuses on making it quick and easy to launch online courses and coaching programs. You don’t get as much customization as Thinkific, but it’s very beginner-friendly.
Comparison Table
User Experience
Thinkific
Thinkific’s dashboard is clean but a bit more advanced than Teachable or Payhip. It has a drag-and-drop course builder that makes structuring lessons easy, and you can customize your site with your own branding. The trade-off is that it takes a little longer to learn. If your priority is creating a professional learning experience for students, Thinkific is a great choice.
Payhip
Payhip is probably the simplest of the three. You can set up a store in minutes, upload your course or digital products, and start selling. It is not as feature-rich for course-specific needs (like quizzes or advanced assessments), but it makes up for that by being incredibly flexible. If you want to sell courses alongside eBooks, templates, or even merch, Payhip is built for that.
Teachable
Teachable shines for beginners who just want to get a course online fast. The process is straightforward: upload your content, set a price, and publish. The downside is limited customization, you won’t be able to fully control the look and feel of your site. Still, it’s a smooth entry point into online teaching.
Types of Products You Can Sell
- Thinkific: Courses, memberships, bundles, and communities. Great if your focus is purely education.
- Payhip: Courses, digital downloads (eBooks, templates, music, etc.), memberships, and even physical products. Perfect if you want to run a mixed business.
- Teachable: Courses, coaching, and digital downloads. Strong for knowledge-based products, but not as broad as Payhip.
Winner: Payhip
Marketing & Automation
- Thinkific; Includes coupons, promotions, and integrates with tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit. Doesn’t have deep built-in marketing automation.
- Payhip: Offers coupons, discounts, upsells, affiliate marketing, and even built-in email updates to customers. While not as advanced as dedicated marketing software, it’s a lot for the price.
- Teachable; Basic checkout features, upsells, and coupons. For email marketing, you’ll likely need third-party tools.
Winner: Payhip
Course Building & Delivery
- Thinkific: The strongest here. It includes assignments, quizzes, surveys, drip content, and student engagement tools.
- Payhip: Solid for basic course delivery, but lacks advanced education tools like assessments or detailed progress tracking.
- Teachable; Covers the basics (video, text, quizzes, drip scheduling), but not as advanced as Thinkific.
Winner: Thinkific
Pricing
- Thinkific: Starts at $49/month, No transaction fees on any plan
- Payhip: Free plan with 5% transaction fee. Paid plans start at $29/month (2% fee) and $99/month (0% fee).
- Teachable: Starts at $39/month (with 7.5% fee), 0% fees on higher plans.
Winner: Payhip
Community Features
- Thinkific: Built-in communities where students can connect, post, and interact. Works well for group learning.
- Payhip; Has a membership feature that allows creators to build communities and recurring content hubs, though it’s simpler than Thinkific or Teachable’s options.
- Teachable; Offers a community feature you can enable for student interaction, though it’s not as robust as a standalone community platform.
Winner: Tie
Analytics & Reporting
- Thinkific: Detailed analytics for student engagement, quiz results, and course progress.
- Payhip: Basic sales and revenue reports, good enough for small businesses.
- Teachable: Simple student progress tracking and revenue reports.
Winner: Thinkific
Final Verdict: Which Platform Should You Choose?
All three platforms are strong options, but the right choice depends on your goals.
- Choose Thinkific if: You’re an educator or coach who wants to build structured, interactive courses with professional features.
- Choose Payhip if: You’re selling a mix of courses, downloads, or even physical products and want an affordable, beginner-friendly platform.
- Choose Teachable if: You’re new to online teaching and want the simplest way to get a course online quickly.
If you’re unsure, the good news is that all three platforms offer free trials or free plans, so you can test them out and see which one feels right for your business.
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