Thinkific vs Teachable (2025): An even better alternative

We looked at how Thinkific and Teachable compare to each other (and to Esmerise) to help you decide what is the best platform for you.

Introduction

Most comparisons between Thinkific and Teachable stop at a superficial feature list. This analysis goes deeper, built on years of hands-on experience helping creators migrate from these platforms.

As the Esmerise team, we didn’t just *use* Thinkific and Teachable — we thoroughly documented transitions, pain points, and success factors for hundreds of creators who left them behind. That gives us a unique and grounded perspective on how they actually perform.

We know exactly where each platform shines, where it creates friction, and which specific creator needs each one is—or isn’t—designed for. We’ll conduct a pragmatic evaluation of Thinkific and Teachable, focusing on what truly matters for creators. Then, we’ll introduce Esmerise—the platform we engineered as a direct response to the gaps and opportunities we discovered along the way.

The goal is to give you the clarity you need to make a critical strategic decision. Your platform shapes your operational efficiency, your students’ experience, and your business success.

How easy are Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise to use?

How truly intuitive are these platforms in daily work? Beyond the marketing claims, here we examine the actual user interface and operational efficiency of Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise.

Feature	Teachable	Thinkific	Esmerise
Initial accessibility	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Day-to-day operational speed	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Learning resources	Text-based, English only	Text-based, English only	Video guide, 4 languages
Mobile management	Via mobile browser	Via mobile browser	Full functionality

Teachable

Interface

Teachable's interface is clean and pleasantly intuitive at first. Its drag-and-drop course builder allows for a quick start with an accessible learning curve. However, direct experience with many creators shows that this initial simplicity can become a limitation over time 🕰️. The internal organization is quite rigid ("static"), especially compared to more modern solutions, making more advanced customizations less straightforward. Despite being an industry pioneer, Teachable's evolution seems to have lost momentum, perhaps more so after the Hotmart acquisition.

Resources and Language

A key factor: Teachable operates exclusively in English 🇬🇧. This applies to the interface, the help center (well-stocked with text articles), and all support. While many third-party guides exist online, be cautious: always check the date, as they might be outdated.

Mobile Management

And for those managing on the go? 🤳 The mobile experience for creators on Teachable is inconsistent: some features are optimized, but many other operations still require a desktop. A significant limitation for those who often work remotely, although this is a weakness still found on several platforms.

Thinkific

Interface

Thinkific gets off to a good start: the interface is generally intuitive, especially for beginners. However, you notice that the attention to design doesn't quite seem as polished as some competitors, as we've also seen in the comparison with Kajabi. That said, the main functions remain very accessible, and the creators we've helped migrate from Thinkific rarely cited basic usability as their main reason for leaving it.

Resources and Language

Thinkific operates exclusively in English 🇬🇧. This applies to the user interface, the extensive help center (rich with text articles), and all official support channels. Although many unofficial guides exist online in other languages, it's important to check their date, as they might refer to past versions of the platform.

Mobile Management

What about managing on the go? 🤳 The experience for creators on Thinkific via mobile browser is inconsistent, similarly to Teachable. Some areas are well-optimized for smartphones, but for more complex operations or accessing all features, desktop use often remains necessary. This represents a non-negligible limitation for those who frequently work remotely.

Esmerise

Interface

Launched in 2021, Esmerise leverages newer technologies for a radically different user experience. The main innovation? No separation between backend and frontend. The view is unified and consistent for both creator and student, eliminating the need to switch between "build" and "preview" modes. ✨ The result is an extremely fluid, intuitive, and contextual workflow that reduces steps and makes the platform immediately understandable.

Resources

We chose a targeted learning approach: instead of scattered text documentation, we offer a complete video guide. It's broken into short chapters for quick, visual learning, guiding you step-by-step. Available in Italian, English, Spanish, and French 🇮🇹🇬🇧🇪🇸🇫🇷.

Mobile Management

Designed mobile-first from day one, the Esmerise interface ensures a flawless smartphone experience (as seen in the screenshot), both via browser and the dedicated app 📱. As a creator, you can manage every single feature without limitations directly from the app: a first in this industry. ✅

How do Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise handle course creation and student experience?

Let's get to the core offering: how are courses built and, crucially, experienced by your students on these platforms? 🧑‍🎓

In terms of basic features for structuring content (lessons with text, video, attachments, quizzes, progressive release or drip), Thinkific and Teachable offer very similar toolsets. Unless you have specific needs, the differences here are minor and not decisive for your choice.

The real game-changer, however, lies elsewhere: the student-facing learning experience. This is where fundamental divergences emerge, directly impacting engagement, completion rates, and learning success.

Teachable

Course Creation

Teachable's course editor is basic but functional. Adding content via drag-and-drop blocks is intuitive, although customization options for quizzes, drip, and attachments are quite rudimentary. Overall, it gets the job done without major friction.

User Experience (Student)

Here, Teachable takes a minimalist approach. Courses appear as a simple sequence of content with a title and progress bar. While this eliminates distractions, this setup risks creating an isolated, almost "aseptic" experience 🧊, lacking stimulation and detached from any sense of community or shared journey.

Thinkific

Course Creation

Thinkific's course editor is functional, though it doesn't exactly shine with innovation. It adopts a classic layout: on the left, you have the course structure (modules and lessons), and on the right, you edit the individual lesson. This approach, while familiar, can make the interface feel rather full and sometimes a bit confusing, especially with complex courses. Adding content via drag-and-drop is reasonably intuitive, but the customization options for elements like quizzes or drip content remain somewhat basic. In essence: it gets the job done for creating standard courses, but without particular flair or refinement in the editing experience.

User Experience (Student)

On the student side too, Thinkific offers the classic setup with a content list on the left and the lesson player opening in the main area. It's a traditional approach that, honestly, is starting to feel rather 'outdated' and visually unappealing ('a bit plain/ugly'), especially when compared to Teachable's more polished aesthetics or, even more so, Esmerise's integrated experience. While viewing the lesson, there's no sign of integrated community or gamification; the experience is solely focused on the video or text content, making it functional but potentially isolating and unstimulating compared to more modern and engaging models. 🧊

Esmerise

Course Creation

Esmerise includes essential learning tools (text, video, quizzes, drip) but radically modifies the workflow. Creation happens directly within the academy 🪄, in the same environment as the student, eliminating the backend/frontend separation. You build seeing exactly what they'll see. The result is a noticeably faster, more intuitive, and coherent process.

User Experience (Student)

Here the difference is substantial: courses aren't isolated modules, but part of an integrated learning ecosystem. A synergy is created between content, community, and gamification, transforming the classic lesson list into a living, participatory digital academy 🎓.

This integration yields measurable results: our internal data shows completion rates up to 3x higher 📈 compared to traditional list-based platforms. As we'll explore in the Gamification & Community section, it's precisely these social and engagement dynamics that transform the student's experience and motivation.

What sales and marketing tools do Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise offer?

While the differences in course creation between Thinkific and Teachable are nuanced, it's in the realm of sales and marketing 💰 where clear strategic divergences emerge, crucial for your business.

Let's now examine the fundamental tools for monetizing and growing your business: from product and payment management, to building effective websites and sales pages, through to essential integrations with the external marketing ecosystem.

Teachable

Product and Payment Management

Teachable provides solid tools for selling digital products (courses, bundles, subscriptions, payment plans) with decent flexibility. There are two payment options:

Teachable:Pay (built-in): Quick setup for cards and PayPal, but funds are managed by Teachable with their payout schedule (no immediate access).
Custom Gateways (Stripe/PayPal): Offer more control and direct access to funds, but with significant limitations. PayPal requires Stripe active and only works for one-time USD payments (not EUR 🇪🇺😠). This is a relevant hurdle for many European creators, as we've directly observed.

Furthermore, the basic plan (currently $59/month) allows only one active membership at a time, a constraint to consider if you plan multiple tiers or private areas.

Sales Pages & Website

Teachable's page editor is quick and intuitive thanks to pre-built blocks. However, visual customization is limited 🎨. If your brand identity requires precise graphic control, you might find it lacks flexibility.

External Integrations

Teachable's approach relies heavily on external tools like Zapier for automation, rather than direct native connections. This can mean extra steps and potential additional costs. Native integrations with email marketing software, for example, are limited to a few names (Aweber, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign at the time of writing). 🔗

Thinkific

Product and Payment Management

Thinkific allows you to sell courses, communities, memberships, bundles, and coaching. Regarding payments, Thinkific offers two options:

Thinkific Payments (built-in): Available in many countries, it's still "powered by" Stripe but more integrated into the platform. For example, you can manage refunds and transactions directly from Thinkific without needing to log into Stripe.
Direct Gateways (Stripe/PayPal): Alternatively (or in addition, regarding PayPal), you can connect your Stripe or PayPal accounts to receive payments more independently and with direct access to funds.

Thinkific supports one-time payments, subscriptions, and installment plans.

Sales Pages & Website

Thinkific includes a site builder with customizable themes, useful for quickly creating a storefront site and sales pages. The templates are decent and allow for a fast setup. However, based on both direct experience and discussions with various creators who moved to Esmerise, the site editor is not a strong point.
The interface feels confusing and unintuitive, and customization is limited to working "around" the predefined templates. This makes it decidedly less flexible than the more advanced editors offered by Teachable and Esmerise.

Third-Party Integrations

Thinkific offers an excellent integration hub called the Thinkific App Store 🛒, providing direct connections with many popular services (email marketing like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign; analytics; CRMs, etc.) and additional functional extensions. For everything else, there is robust support for Zapier.

Overall, Thinkific takes a more open and flexible approach compared to Teachable, which relies heavily on external automation tools rather than native integrations. This can mean extra steps and potentially higher costs.

Esmerise

Product and Payment Management

Here Esmerise takes a noticeably simpler and more centralized approach compared to the "siloed" logic (separate products for courses, community, etc.) of Thinkific and Teachable. Everything starts from a single product definition 💡.

You decide the access type (one-time, subscription, installments, or free) and then simply associate:

the learning content (modules, lessons)
community permissions (which areas)
any gamification bonuses.

No duplication or complex configurations: the product is defined unitarily. ✅

This unified architecture shows its advantages especially with subscriptions, overcoming limitations seen elsewhere. With Esmerise you can easily:

Create memberships that combine access to content + community + gamification in one plan.
Allow a user to have multiple active subscriptions simultaneously (e.g., basic course + advanced coaching).
Manage automatic upgrades between tiered plans (e.g., Standard to Premium), with proration and deactivation handled by the platform.

For payments, we offer maximum flexibility supporting Stripe and PayPal in parallel 💳, installment payments (with 3 provider options), and recurring subscriptions. All manageable in multiple currencies within the same academy, with the option to activate an optional module for automated electronic invoicing (tax calculation included) 🧾.

Sales Pages and Website

Our page builder is designed to combine power and intuitiveness. It allows you to create visually appealing, high-converting sales pages with no code needed, featuring seamless native integration with the checkout system.

External Integrations

Unlike the limited or intermediary-based approaches seen elsewhere, Esmerise focuses on direct native connections with your marketing ecosystem. The list is constantly growing and already includes essential tools like: ActiveCampaign, Aweber, Brevo, ConvertKit, Facebook Pixel, Flodesk, GetResponse, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, HighLevel, Klaviyo, MailerLite, MailChimp, PayPal, SmsHosting, Spoki, Systeme, TrustPilot, and more.

The practical advantage? When a user purchases, their data flows automatically into your preferred CRM or email marketing software, with no need for Zapier or manual configurations. A cleaner, more reliable, and efficient workflow.

How do Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise handle community and gamification?

Feature	Teachable	Thinkific	Esmerise
Gamification features	❌	❌	✅ Yes, integrated in one space
Community features	🟡 Yes, but separate from course area	🟡 Yes, but separate from course area	✅ Yes, integrated in one space
Branded App	❌	🟡 Yes, with additional cost	✅ Yes, included

A strategic aspect often overlooked by creators is this: designing learning paths that keep students engaged all the way to completion. 🎯

The connection is direct: higher completion rates mean more satisfied students, tangible results, positive word-of-mouth, and thus, greater sustainability for your business.

Conversely, a course with extremely low completion is, effectively, an ineffective product. Unfortunately, industry statistics are alarming: estimates suggest average rates between just 5% and 15% 📉. A huge problem.

However, there are proven levers to reverse this trend: the strategic integration of community 🤝 and gamification 🎮.

Community recreates the social dynamic essential for learning: a place to interact, ask, share, and feel part of a group, drastically reducing dropout risk.
Gamification (points, badges, levels, leaderboards) transforms learning into a more interactive and motivating experience, encouraging consistent progress.

It is precisely on these elements, crucial for learning effectiveness, however, that neither Teachable nor Thinkific manage to offer truly integrated and satisfactory solutions.

Teachable

Teachable includes a community feature, but it's designed as a distinctly separate section from the courses. Students can interact there, but this lack of integration creates a fragmented experience 🧩: to discuss, they must leave the lesson context, disrupting the learning flow and reducing opportunities for contextual interaction.

On the gamification side, the situation is even clearer: Teachable offers no native features 🎮❌. To introduce elements like points or badges, resorting to external tools (e.g., Pointagram) is mandatory, which involves manual setups, potential extra costs, and a potentially less cohesive user experience.

Thinkific

Thinkific includes a community feature comparable to Teachable's: it's designed as a separate section from the courses, where students and creators can publish posts and interact in the comments. Some creators who moved from Thinkific to Esmerise described it as a 'nice' feature, but one they tended not to use because it was poorly integrated with the learning path, preferring instead specialized platforms like Telegram channels or Discord.

Regarding gamification, the situation is even more clear-cut: Thinkific offers no native features 🎮❌. To introduce elements like points or badges, it's mandatory to resort to external tools (e.g., Pointagram), which involves manual integrations, possible additional costs, and a potentially less cohesive user experience.

Esmerise

Unlike the separate features of Thinkific and Teachable, Esmerise natively fuses community and gamification into the learning experience 🤝🎮. It does this through modular tools you activate and combine as needed.

You can integrate a forum for structured discussions or a group chat for immediate interaction, all accessible directly within the learning environment, creating a cohesive space that fosters connection and active participation.

Gamification is also integrated and flexible: assign points or rewards for progress, consistency, or community interaction. You can build a real internal economy 🏆 with badges and rewards to boost engagement and motivation.

This integrated approach isn't arbitrary; it's backed by learning science research 🧠 (like studies published in academic journals such as BJET or Computers in Human Behavior) showing that the synergy between social interaction and game mechanics significantly accelerates learning and motivation.

For Esmerise, community and gamification aren't add-ons; they are foundational elements. We design academies as living digital environments ✨, crafted to deliver a superior learning experience for both your students and you.

What is the mobile experience and branded app offering like on Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise?

Feature	Teachable	Thinkific	Esmerise
App for creators	❌	❌	✅ Yes, without feature limits
App for students	🟡 Available only on iOS	🟡 Very low reviews on iOS	✅ Available
In-app community	❌	✅ Integrated into the main app	✅ Integrated into the main app
Branded app	❌	🟡 Yes, but with extra subscription	✅ Included at no additional cost

Learning (and managing online businesses) is increasingly mobile 📱. Market forecasts (e.g., Mordor Intelligence) indicate explosive growth for m-learning (+20% annually).

This means not only do your students expect to consume content conveniently via smartphone, but you, as a creator, also need the flexibility to manage your business from anywhere.

In this context, offering a native app customized with your brand (white-label) ceases to be a luxury and becomes a strategic advantage ✨: it strengthens brand identity, ensures a superior user experience, and makes accessing your content immediate.

Teachable

Let's start with a clear point: Teachable does not provide a native app for creators ❌. Management via mobile browser is possible but limited, often forcing a switch to desktop.

For students, an official app exists, but it has several drawbacks:

Available only for iOS (Android users are left out 🍎).
Not white-label: it displays the Teachable brand, not yours 🏷️.
Limited to course consumption: no Community access from the app 🔗❌.

Conclusion: Teachable offers an incomplete and unoptimized mobile experience, both for creators and a significant portion of students 🚫📱.

Thinkific

Thinkific also does not provide a native app for creators ❌. In this case as well, business management happens via mobile browser, with all the associated limitations.

An official app exists for students (iOS/Android), but be aware:

Reviews on iOS are particularly critical 📉. Users complain about frequent crashes, video playback freezes, and a general user experience that is not up to par.
The standard app is not white-label: it shows the Thinkific brand everywhere, diluting your brand identity 🏷️.

Thinkific does offer the possibility of a custom white-label app for students, published under your name. However, it is a premium add-on 💸, tied to an extra subscription to be paid on top of the one for the platform, costing a hefty $199/month (the same philosophy we saw in the comparison with Kajabi), representing a significant investment accessible to few.

In summary: the creator cannot manage anything from a dedicated app. For students, the branded app is a powerful solution but requires a considerable budget; otherwise, the free standard app suffers from issues (especially on iOS) and imposes Thinkific's branding.

Esmerise

Esmerise takes a revolutionary approach: it’s the only platform on the market offering a single native app (PWA) for everything ✨. Easily installable from the browser, it includes all the features for creators and students, without limitations.

As a creator, you can manage your entire business directly from your smartphone ✅ - you don't even need a computer. Students access courses, forums, chats, gamification, and notifications in a single, coherent and seamless environment, a clearly superior experience compared to the fragmented setup of Thinkific and Teachable.

The Esmerise app also comes at no additional cost and is fully customizable with your brand (logo, colors, fonts), reinforcing your professional identity.

The feedback we constantly receive: the app is one of the most appreciated features ❤️. In an increasingly mobile-first world, Esmerise’s unified approach is a significant competitive advantage.

How much do Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise cost?

Teachable vs Thinkific: Pricing Strategies & Value

Both Teachable and Thinkific provide entry points that are more accessible than premium platforms like Kajabi, although their pricing structures demand careful scrutiny as costs escalate with professional features.

Teachable begins with its Basic plan at $59/month, offering 5 products per type, useful for initial market testing. However, unlocking important features such as affiliate marketing and, significantly, removing Teachable's branding requires upgrading to the Pro plan, costing $159/month.

Thinkific enters the market with its Basic plan at $48/month, featuring the distinct advantage of unlimited courses. To sell subscriptions, an upgrade to the "Start" plan at $97/month is required. The most significant cost barrier arises with branding: removing the Thinkific logo from your site necessitates the "Grow" plan, which costs a substantial $195/month 💸. Additionally, securing a white-label mobile app requires a separate add-on subscription costing $199/month.

In summary, both platforms offer accessible entry points but require a significant investment for a fully professional, white-label experience. They deliver solid value and similar features overall, with a few key differences that may tip the scale depending on your specific needs. Our advice: choose the one that "feels" more right to you when testing them out.

Esmerise's Positioning: Value and Accessibility

Our mission has always been radical: making the creation of extraordinary learning experiences accessible to everyone ✨. This is reflected in our plans:

The Basic Plan is designed for growth: it includes unlimited products ♾️ and many features that elsewhere require an upgrade, with no artificial limits for beginners.
The Intermediate Plan offers exceptional value: it includes a fully brandable mobile app (with your icon and colors), a feature that comes at a high extra cost on Thinkific.

How can we offer more at competitive prices?

Modern Technology 💡: Built later, we use a more efficient and scalable architecture, reducing infrastructure costs compared to older platforms.
No "Brand Tax": Our price reflects the value of the product, not a hyped brand. A direct benefit for you.
European Focus 🇪🇺: We understand the needs and often different budgets of European creators, and the platform is built with this in mind.

What kind of support and localization do Thinkific, Teachable, and Esmerise offer?

An important factor, especially if you are outside the English-speaking world: both Thinkific and Teachable operate entirely in English 🇬🇧❌ (interface, resources, support). For many creators and students, this represents a concrete obstacle that complicates daily use and requesting assistance.

Thinkific offers support via chat and email on all plans, even adding phone support on the $199/month plan. Their support has been described as "precise and reliable" by creators who moved from this platform to Esmerise.

Teachable, conversely, limits live chat support only to plans above $159/month, relegating other users to an email ticket system. Regarding the latter, we have encountered some reports – both from creators who moved to Esmerise and from public reviews on TrustPilot– of non-optimal experiences 🤔.

Final comparison: Thinkific vs Teachable vs Esmerise

Key aspect	Thinkific	Teachable	Esmerise
Usability	✅ Generally intuitive ⚠️ Design less polished vs others 📱 Limited mobile mgmt (browser only)	✅ Generally intuitive ⚠️ Can become limiting 📱 Limited mobile mgmt (browser only)	✅ Intuitive & fluid ✨ In-context interface 📱 Full mobile creator app
Language & resources	🇬🇧 English only 📚 Text help center	🇬🇧 English only 📚 Text help center	🇮🇹🇬🇧🇪🇸🇫🇷 4 Languages (UI & support) 🎬 Video guide
Course (management + student UX)	⚙️ Traditional course editor 👴 Dated student experience 🧊 Course & community features isolated	⚙️ Traditional course editor 👴 Dated student experience 🧊 Course & community features isolated	🪄 In-context course editor 🎓 Integrated student UX 🤝 Course + community + gamification
Marketing & sales	📄 OK page builder (least flexible) 💸 Thinkific Pay + Stripe / Paypal 🔗 Thinkific App Store + Zapier	📄 Intuitive page builder 💸 Teachable Pay + Stripe / Paypal 🔗 Native integrations + Zapier	📄 Intuitive & powerful page builder 💸 Stripe (standard accounts) + Paypal 🔗 Native integrations (all plans)
Community & gamification	🧩 Community separate from courses ❌ No native gamification	🧩 Community separate from courses ❌ No native gamification	✅ Community integrated into courses 🏆 Advanced integrated gamification
Mobile & white-label app	❌ No creator app (browser only) 📱 Poor iOS student app reviews 💸 White-label app: $199/month extra sub.	❌ No creator app 📱 Student app iOS only ❌ No white-label app	✅ Full creator management via app 📱 Unified app (courses + community) 🎁 White-label app included (Pro+)
Pricing & value	💲 Accessible start ($48/month) 💸 Branding removal: $195/month! 💸 App adds $199/month extra!	💲 Accessible start ($59+) 💸 Branding removal: $159/month!	💲 Best value for money ✅ You don't pay for the brand 🎁 White-label app included (Pro+)
Support & localization	🇬🇧 English only ✅ Chat/Email all plans ✅ Reliable support	🇬🇧 English only ⚠️ Chat high-tier only 🤔 Support (mixed reviews.)	🇮🇹🇬🇧🇪🇸🇫🇷 4 Languages ✅ Email & WhatsApp 7/7 (all plans) 👩‍💻 Fast, human support (no bots)

Why is Esmerise built around creators?

At the end of this analysis, it should be clear not only how Thinkific and Teachable compare, but above all what to look for in a platform truly built for the needs of modern creators.

Esmerise was born from this listening. We didn’t just create a tool, but a truly integrated ecosystem where courses, community, and gamification work in synergy to deliver effective and engaging learning experiences (with significantly higher completion rates). All supported by a native, brandable app, an interface designed to be intuitive, multilingual human support 🇮🇹🇬🇧🇪🇸🇫🇷 always available, and fair pricing plans that support your growth.

If you feel that traditional platforms are too complex, expensive, or limiting for your vision, maybe it’s time to consider an alternative designed specifically for you.

We invite you to try Esmerise. It’s free, no credit card required, and our team is ready to answer any questions you have.

Start building your business today.

Discover Esmerise