The honest answer in one paragraph
Thinkific wins for most creators starting out in 2026. The reason: 0% transaction fees on every paid plan vs Teachable’s 7.5% Starter fee. Since Teachable eliminated its free plan in 2025, the first-mover advantage on onboarding ease matters less — both platforms require a paid subscription from day one on the same plan tier. At £39/mo (Thinkific Basic) vs £31/mo (Teachable Starter, with the 7.5% fee), Thinkific is actually cheaper once you cross £533/mo in revenue. Which happens fast if you’re executing.
Teachable is better if you’re already on the Builder plan (£71/mo, 0% fees) and find the course creation UX marginally faster. That’s a real advantage — but it’s not the £8/mo argument most Teachable reviews make it.
Transaction fee comparison: where the real money is
The Teachable vs Thinkific decision is primarily a transaction fee decision. At £5,000/mo in course revenue: Thinkific Basic adds £0 in platform fees. Teachable Starter adds £375/mo. Over 12 months at that revenue level, Teachable Starter costs £4,500 more in platform fees alone — equal to almost four years of Thinkific Basic subscriptions. Teachable Builder (0% fees) at £71/mo narrowing the gap — but Thinkific Basic at £39/mo with the same 0% structure wins on price until you need Teachable Builder's specific features.
Head-to-head: 8 dimensions
1. Pricing (real first-year cost)
| Scenario | Teachable Starter | Thinkific Basic |
|---|---|---|
| £0 revenue | £372/yr subscription | £468/yr subscription |
| £2K/mo revenue | £372 + £1,800 in fees = £2,172/yr | £468/yr |
| £5K/mo revenue | £372 + £4,500 in fees = £4,872/yr | £468/yr |
At £2K/mo revenue, Thinkific Basic saves you £1,704/yr. The decision is not ambiguous.
2. Course builder
Teachable’s builder is slightly more intuitive for beginners — the add-content interface is faster to navigate on first use. Thinkific’s tree-structure sidebar is more powerful once learned. Both support video, audio, PDF, text blocks, and quizzes.
Edge: Teachable (marginally), for the first 48 hours of use. Thinkific after that.
3. Video hosting
Both platforms host video natively. Thinkific’s video upload is more reliable at large file sizes — we uploaded a 2.4GB file without errors. Teachable’s crashed twice on a 3.4GB file before processing.
Edge: Thinkific
4. Free plan (2026)
Teachable: No free plan. Removed in 2025. Thinkific: Yes. One published course, three sections, 0% transaction fees.
Edge: Thinkific (decisively)
5. Email and marketing
Both platforms require external email tools for serious automations. Teachable integrates with ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, and Mailchimp. Thinkific has the same integrations plus slightly better Zapier triggers.
Edge: Draw
6. Community
Teachable: Community exists but is minimal. Thinkific: Communities product available as add-on (£49/mo). Better than Teachable’s but below Circle or Kajabi.
Edge: Thinkific (marginally)
7. Affiliate management
Teachable: Built-in affiliate programme on Builder+ (30% commission for creator referrals). Thinkific: Built-in affiliate on Grow plan+ (20% commission for creator referrals).
Edge: Teachable (available on a lower paid tier)
8. Migration / lock-in
Both platforms export student data via CSV and allow content export. Neither has severe lock-in in the Kajabi sense. The main migration cost is recreating drip schedules and quiz configurations — approximately one week of work.
Edge: Draw
Verdict by segment
| Segment | Winner | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| S1 Coach / consultant (under £5K MRR) | Thinkific | 0% fees + free plan to validate |
| S1 Coach (£5K–£15K MRR) | Teachable Builder or Thinkific Start | Roughly equivalent; choose on UX preference |
| S2 Fitness trainer | Thinkific | More reliable video at large file sizes |
| S6 Developer creator | Thinkific | Better API access; Teachable’s is thin |
| S8 Free-tier hunter | Thinkific | Only option with a real free plan in 2026 |
Real cost math at 12 months
Starting from £0 revenue, growing to £5K/mo by month 6:
- Teachable Starter: £372 subscription + £4,500+ in fees over the growth period = £4,872+/yr
- Thinkific Basic: £468 subscription, 0% fees = £468/yr
At the point where Thinkific costs you more, you’re spending £8/mo extra (£468 vs £372). The fee delta alone covers 4.5 years of that subscription premium.
The realism caveat
Most creators comparing Teachable vs Thinkific are doing it before they’ve launched. Neither platform will make a bad course sell. The revenue you earn in year one is a function of your audience, your product quality, and your launch execution — not your choice between these two platforms. Pick the one with lower fees (Thinkific) and spend the energy on your course content.
Final verdict
Start on Thinkific Basic (£39/mo). Migrate to Teachable Builder if you find the course UX materially better after 90 days — the migration costs one weekend. Or stay on Thinkific. Neither decision is irreversible until you hit £5K MRR.
At £5K+ MRR, both platforms point you toward Kajabi Growth (£127/mo) if you need email + community bundling, or Thinkific Start (£99/mo) if you want to stay in the Thinkific ecosystem.
Prices shown are as of the last tested date and may have changed. Always verify on the vendor's official pricing page before purchasing. All prices converted to GBP at approximate exchange rates. Annual billing assumed unless stated otherwise.