When it comes to choosing the right platform to create and sell your online courses, Thinkific and Skool are two popular options worth considering. Both platforms offer a range of features and tools to help you create, market, and sell your courses online.
Thinkific is a business-friendly course creation solution that enables businesses and individuals to easily and fully sell, create, and deliver fully customizable courses online through their creative functionalities. With over 40,000 course creators and over 30 million online classes, Thinkific allows anyone to sell courses and membership sites all in one place. It has around 100 dedicated employees and provides its services in over 15 countries. Through its video and assignment-based learning tools, the platform offers a user-friendly experience for both instructors and students.
On the other hand, Skool is a newer platform that aims to make online course creation and delivery more accessible and affordable for everyone. It offers a range of features such as customizable course templates, a drag-and-drop course builder, and a built-in payment gateway. Skool also provides a unique feature called “Skoolies,” which allows course creators to collaborate with other instructors and share their knowledge and expertise.
When comparing Thinkific vs Skool, there are some key differences to consider. Thinkific is a more established platform with a larger user base and more extensive features. Skool, on the other hand, is a newer platform with a more affordable pricing model and a focus on community building and collaboration.
Both platforms offer a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. Thinkific offers a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans starting at $49 per month. Skool offers a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans starting at $29 per month.
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Features Comparison
When it comes to comparing Skool and Thinkific, it is important to take a closer look at their features to determine which platform is the better choice for your needs. Here is a breakdown of some of the key features of both platforms:
Course Creation: Both Skool and Thinkific offer easy-to-use course creation tools that allow you to create and publish your courses quickly and easily.
Content Design: Skool offers more design customization options than Thinkific, making it easier for you to create a unique look and feel for your courses.
Notifications: Both platforms offer notifications for new course content and announcements, but Thinkific also offers notifications for student progress and completion.
Unlimited Courses: Skool allows you to create an unlimited number of courses, while Thinkific limits you to a certain number based on your pricing plan.
Integrations: Thinkific offers more integrations with third-party tools, making it easier to connect your course with other tools you may already be using.
Analytics: Both platforms offer robust analytics and reporting tools, but Thinkific’s analytics are more detailed and customizable.
Commerce: Thinkific offers more advanced e-commerce features, including the ability to sell subscriptions and bundles, while Skool’s e-commerce tools are more basic.
Engagement: Skool offers more engagement features, such as discussion forums and quizzes, while Thinkific’s engagement tools are more focused on student progress and completion.
Ease of Use: Both platforms are user-friendly and easy to navigate, but Skool may be slightly more intuitive for beginners.
Teaching Code: Skool offers more support for teaching code, with built-in code editors and syntax highlighting.
Existing Students: Skool makes it easy to manage existing students and their progress, while Thinkific focuses more on attracting new students.
Remove/Archive Past Offerings: Both platforms allow you to remove or archive past course offerings, but Skool makes it easier to do so.
Creating Courses: Skool offers more guidance and support for creating courses, while Thinkific is more hands-off.
Reporting: Thinkific offers more detailed reporting and analytics, while Skool’s reporting tools are more basic.
Email Functionality: Both platforms offer email functionality for student communication, but Thinkific’s email tools are more advanced.
Additional Admins: Skool allows you to add additional admins to your account, while Thinkific limits you based on your pricing plan.
Platform Usability
When it comes to online course platforms, usability is a crucial factor to consider. Both Skool and Thinkific offer user-friendly interfaces that are easy to navigate, making it simple for course creators to set up and manage their courses.
Skool has a unique set of features that are geared towards community-centered programs, and its user experience is outstanding. The platform is very easy to learn, and it has an active community, which makes it a fast-growing platform. However, Skool lacks certain necessary features right now, such as video hosting and checkout, which may be a deal-breaker for some course creators. Additionally, the price could be expensive considering what other tools are needed for course creators.
On the other hand, Thinkific is a platform that focuses on getting individuals up and running to have an online presence with a website, and then to provide their content to learners. The platform offers useful tools, including templates, which make it easy for course creators to create and customize their courses. Thinkific provides a user-friendly interface for course creators, allowing them to quickly set up their courses and start selling them online. With the help of advanced marketing tools from Thinkific, you can effectively promote your courses and reach potential students in no time.
Pricing
When choosing an online course platform, pricing and plans are important factors to consider. In this section, we will compare the pricing and plans of Skool and Thinkific to help you make an informed decision.
Skool offers a paid plan with unlimited courses, students, and storage. This plan costs $99 a month and that is it. There are no transaction costs or any hidden fees.
Thinkific also offers a free plan with unlimited courses and students, but with limited features. Their paid plans start at $48 per month, and they offer a 30-day free trial. Thinkific’s paid plans come with more advanced features such as memberships, certificates, and the ability to create and sell bundles.
Customer Support and Service
When it comes to customer support, both Skool and Thinkific offer a range of options to their customers. Skool provides phone support to its customers, which can be helpful for those who prefer to speak to a representative over the phone. Thinkific, on the other hand, offers email support with a standard response time of within 24 hours or even sooner.
Both platforms also offer extensive knowledge bases with articles and tutorials that can help customers troubleshoot issues on their own. Additionally, they both have active communities where users can connect with one another to share tips and best practices.
In terms of training and support, both platforms offer resources to help customers get started with creating and selling courses. Skool provides a dedicated onboarding specialist to help customers navigate the platform and get set up. Thinkific offers a comprehensive training program called Thinkific Plus that provides personalized onboarding, priority support, and additional features and integrations.
Marketing and Sales Capabilities
When it comes to marketing and sales capabilities, both Skool and Thinkific offer a range of features to help entrepreneurs promote and sell their courses. Here are some of the key marketing and sales capabilities of each platform:
Skool
Skool offers several features to help you market and sell your courses. These include:
- Customizable sales pages: Skool allows you to create customized sales pages for each of your courses, which can help you to showcase the benefits of your course and encourage potential students to enrol.
- Affiliate marketing: Skool allows you to set up an affiliate program, which can help you to promote your courses to a wider audience and increase your sales.
Thinkific
Thinkific also offers a range of marketing and sales capabilities, including:
- Customizable sales pages: Like Skool, Thinkific allows you to create customized sales pages for each of your courses.
- Email marketing: Thinkific includes built-in email marketing tools, which you can use to send promotional emails to your subscribers and encourage them to enroll in your courses.
- Affiliate marketing: Thinkific also allows you to set up an affiliate program to promote your courses to a wider audience.
- One-click upsells: Thinkific offers the ability to add one-click upsells to your sales pages, which can help you to increase your revenue by offering additional products or services to your students.
- Coupons and promotions: Thinkific allows you to create coupons and promotions to incentivize students to enroll in your courses.
Community and User Engagement
When it comes to building an online course, community and user engagement are crucial factors to consider. Both Skool and Thinkific offer community features that allow creators to build online groups for their students. However, the two platforms have different approaches to community engagement.
Skool is a community and course hosting platform that was founded by the online entrepreneur Sam Ovens. The platform has grown rapidly through the large audience of its creator, and it was started to fill some of the gaps in the online course platform market. Skool’s community feature allows course creators to interact with their students through discussion boards, messaging, and live events. The platform also offers a rating system that allows students to rate courses and instructors, which can help boost engagement and retention.
Thinkific’s community feature, on the other hand, is designed to build a strong and engaged community of like-minded people. The platform believes that the first key to creator success is the power of community, and every successful business has engaged, happy customers. Thinkific’s community feature allows creators to engage with their students through discussion forums, messaging, and live events. The platform also offers a user rating system that allows students to rate courses and instructors, which can help to increase engagement and retention.
In terms of community engagement, both Skool and Thinkific offer robust features that allow creators to build online communities for their students. However, Skool’s community feature is more focused on course engagement, while Thinkific’s community feature is more focused on building a strong and engaged community of like-minded people.
When it comes to user engagement, both Skool and Thinkific offer user rating systems that allow students to rate courses and instructors. These rating systems can help to increase engagement and retention by providing feedback to course creators and instructors. Additionally, both platforms offer messaging and discussion board features that allow creators to interact with their students and build a sense of community.
Reviews and Recommendations
When it comes to choosing between Skool and Thinkific, it is important to consider the reviews and recommendations from real users. Both platforms have their pros and cons, and what works for one person may not work for another.
One of the main advantages of Skool is its personalized recommendations feature, which uses data to suggest courses and resources tailored to each individual user. This can be a valuable tool for learners who want to maximize their learning experience. Thinkific does not currently offer a similar feature.
Both Skool and Thinkific have received positive reviews from users, with many praising the platforms for their user-friendly interfaces and helpful support teams. However, some users have reported issues with bugs and glitches on both platforms, particularly when it comes to uploading and organizing course content.
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In terms of advisor recommendations, Skool has been endorsed by online entrepreneur and maverick Sam Ovens, who founded the platform in 2019. Thinkific, meanwhile, has received praise from industry experts such as Neil Patel and Pat Flynn.
Ultimately, the choice between Skool and Thinkific will depend on your individual needs and preferences. If you value personalized recommendations and are willing to pay a higher price for additional features, Skool may be the better choice for you. If affordability and ease of use are your top priorities, Thinkific may be the way to go.
Thinkific Alternatives
If you’re looking for alternatives to Thinkific, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are some of the most popular software options:
Teachable
Teachable is a popular alternative to Thinkific that offers a similar set of features. It’s an all-in-one platform that allows you to create and sell online courses, and it offers a range of customization options to help you create a unique course experience for your students. Teachable also offers a range of marketing and analytics tools to help you promote and track your courses.
LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds is another popular alternative to Thinkific. It offers a range of features to help you create and sell online courses, including a drag-and-drop course builder, customizable templates, and a range of marketing and analytics tools. LearnWorlds also offers a range of integrations with other software platforms, making it easy to connect your course to other tools you use.
Kajabi
Kajabi is another all-in-one platform that offers a range of features to help you create and sell online courses. It offers a drag-and-drop course builder, customizable templates, and a range of marketing and analytics tools. Kajabi also offers a range of integrations with other software platforms, making it easy to connect your course to other tools you use.
Other Thinkific Alternatives
In addition to these options, there are plenty of other software platforms that offer similar features to Thinkific. Some popular options include Podia, LearnDash, and Udemy. When choosing a platform, it’s important to consider your specific needs and budget, as well as the features and integrations that are most important to you.
Additional Features and Options
When it comes to additional features and options, both Skool and Thinkific offer a range of tools to help you build and manage your online course business. Here are some of the key features to consider:
Custom Domain
Both Skool and Thinkific allow you to use your own custom domain name for your online course website. This is an important feature if you want to create a professional-looking website that reflects your brand.
Website Builder
Skool and Thinkific both offer website builders that allow you to create a custom website for your online course business. These builders are designed to be easy to use, even if you don’t have any coding or design experience.
Coupons
Both Skool and Thinkific allow you to create and distribute coupons to your students. This is a great way to incentivize sales and reward your loyal customers.
Online Business
Both platforms are designed to help you build and grow your online course business. They offer a range of tools and features to help you create, market, and sell your courses.
WordPress Plugin
Thinkific offers a WordPress plugin that allows you to integrate your online course website with your WordPress site. This is a great option if you already have an established WordPress site and want to add online courses to your offerings.
Chat
Skool offers a chat feature that allows you to communicate with your students in real-time. This can be a great way to provide support and answer questions quickly.
Fees for Additional Admins
Both Skool and Thinkific charge additional fees if you want to add additional admins to your account. This is something to consider if you plan to have a team of people working on your online course business.
Frontrunners
Both Skool and Thinkific are considered frontrunners in the online course industry. They have a strong reputation for providing reliable and effective tools for building and managing online courses.
Customer Satisfaction
Both platforms have high customer satisfaction ratings, with many users praising their ease of use and customer support.
Industry-Specific Advisors
Thinkific offers industry-specific advisors that can provide guidance and support for creating courses in specific niches, such as health and wellness or finance.
Free Trials
Both Skool and Thinkific offer free trials that allow you to test out their platforms before committing to a paid plan. This is a great way to see if the platform is right for you before investing any money.
Learning Center
Both platforms offer extensive learning centers that provide resources and tutorials for building and managing online courses. These can be a great resource for new users.
Product Demo
Both platforms offer product demos that allow you to see the platform in action before signing up for a paid plan.
Screenshots
Both platforms offer screenshots and videos that provide a detailed look at their features and functionality. This can be a great way to get a sense of what the platform can do before signing up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the pros and cons of using Thinkific compared to Skool?
Thinkific and Skool are both popular online course platforms that offer similar features. However, there are some differences to consider when choosing between the two.
Some pros of using Thinkific include its easy-to-use interface, customizable design options, and built-in marketing tools. On the other hand, Skool offers a more comprehensive course creation process and more advanced features such as gamification and personalized learning paths.
Cons of Thinkific include limited customization options for course pages and a lack of built-in community features. Sk
What are the differences between Skool and Kajabi?
Skool and Kajabi are both online course platforms that offer similar features, but there are some differences to consider.
One key difference is that Skool offers more advanced features for course creation, such as gamification and personalized learning paths. Kajabi, on the other hand, offers more built-in marketing and sales tools.
What are the differences between Skool and Circle?
Skool and Circle are both online course platforms, but they serve different purposes.
Skool is primarily focused on course creation and offers advanced features for creating engaging and personalized courses. Circle, on the other hand, is focused on building online communities and offers tools for creating forums, chat rooms, and other community features.
While Skool offers some community features, it is not as comprehensive as Circle in this regard.
What are the main differences between LearnWorlds, Teachable, and Thinkific?
LearnWorlds, Teachable, and Thinkific are all popular online course platforms that offer similar features. However, there are some differences to consider when choosing between them.
LearnWorlds offers more advanced features for course creation, such as gamification and interactive video. Teachable offers more built-in marketing and sales tools, while Thinkific offers more customization options for course pages and design.
Additionally, LearnWorlds and Teachable have steeper learning curves than Thinkific, which may make them less accessible for some users.
Why should someone choose to use Thinkific over other online course platforms?
Thinkific offers a number of benefits that make it a great choice for online course creators.
Some of the key advantages of Thinkific include its easy-to-use interface, customizable design options, and built-in marketing tools. Additionally, Thinkific offers a range of integrations with other tools and platforms, making it easy to connect with your existing workflow.