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Thinkific alternatives come up for two reasons: the free plan is gone from the pricing page, and Basic now costs $54 a month, or $40 billed yearly. If you want to host a course free with a checkout and an email list, systeme.io’s free plan does it with one course and 500 students. If you need the Thinkific player, graded quizzes, or certificates, Teachable and LearnWorlds are the closer tools, and both are paid.
Thinkific vs the alternatives: side-by-side comparison
| systeme.io | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free, then $17/mo | $54/mo ($40 annual) |
| Free plan | Yes, no end date | No, 30-day trial |
| Courses | 1 free / 5 on $17 / 20 on $47 | Unlimited |
| Students | 500 free / unlimited on paid | 10,000 on self-serve plans |
| Communities | 1 free / 5 on $17 | 1 until Grow |
| Digital downloads | Not capped | 5 on Basic |
| Email marketing | Unlimited sends | Basic |
| Funnels and checkout | Included | Checkout only |
| Transaction fee | 0% | 2.9% via Thinkific Payments; extra on third-party gateways |
| Admin seats | Not plan-limited | 1 on Basic |
| Certificates | No | Yes |
Other alternatives, priced today:
| Alternative | Price | Pick it if |
|---|---|---|
| Teachable | $39/mo with a 7.5% fee, $89 at 0% | You want a dedicated course tool with certificates |
| Podia | $42/mo with a 5% fee | Simplicity; 100 email subscribers on that plan |
| Kajabi | $179/mo ($143 annual) | Trading up to the app and coaching tools |
| LearnWorlds, FreshLearn | Not verified today | Interactive video, SCORM, gamification |
Prices checked September 17, 2026.
Is there still a free Thinkific plan?
Not on the pricing page. It was removed in May 2024, and what remains is a 30-day trial that converts to Basic. Reviews since then lead with billing after cancellation, so if you are on the trial, cancel from the account before day 30 and keep the confirmation.
Free on systeme.io means no card, no end date, one course, 500 students, 3 funnels, and 2,000 contacts. That is a smaller course ceiling than Thinkific’s 10,000, so a free-plan refugee with a large audience lands on the $17 plan, which lifts students to unlimited.
What you give up leaving Thinkific
The course player is the reason to be on Thinkific. Graded quizzes, certificates, a student app, and SCORM on higher plans do not exist on systeme.io. Its player is lessons, drip, right-or-wrong quizzes, and a forum-style community. Fine for a coach’s program, not for training that needs a certificate at the end.
Getting your content out
Thinkific: download your own videos and copy the lesson text before the plan ends, and export the student CSV. Reviewers describe losing access to their own materials after cancelling, so do this first. systeme.io: contacts export as a CSV, videos stay yours, and pages have to be rebuilt if you ever leave.
Cheaper alternative to Thinkific: what the same setup costs
Free plan, no card. Affiliate link; we earn a commission on paid plans.
Frequently asked questions
Does Thinkific have a free plan?
Not any more. It was removed from the pricing page in May 2024. Thinkific offers a 30-day free trial that converts to the $54 Basic plan.
What is the cheapest Thinkific alternative?
systeme.io at $0 for one course and 500 students, then $17 a month for 5 courses and unlimited students.
Is Teachable cheaper than Thinkific?
Teachable Starter is $39 against Thinkific Basic at $54, but Starter takes 7.5% of sales and caps products at 5. Above a few hundred dollars a month, Thinkific is cheaper.
Does systeme.io charge transaction fees?
No. 0% on every plan including free. You pay only Stripe or PayPal processing.
Related: systeme.io pricing, systeme.io review, systeme.io tutorial.