LearnWorlds vs Thinkific
Both are course platforms aimed at creators, coaches and educators. They differ most on low transaction fees, ease of use and breadth of features.
At a glance
| LearnWorlds | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 75/100 | 77/100 Higher |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Paid from | €29/mo (about £24.19) monthly; €24/mo billed annually; plus €5 per paid enrolment | £46/mo (about €55.14) monthly; £34/mo billed annually; unlimited courses, 1 community |
| Positioning | academy platform | course first |
| Launched | — | 2012 |
| Best for | Course businesses and training teams that want an interactive, branded academy with community built in. | Creators who want courses and a community together without paying top-tier prices. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | LearnWorlds | Thinkific | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 3/5 | 4/5 | Thinkific |
| Value for money | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
| Course hosting | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Low transaction fees | 3/5 | 4/5 | Thinkific |
| Breadth of features | 4/5 | 3/5 | LearnWorlds |
| Built-in email | 2/5 | 2/5 | Tie |
| Selling products | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
| Community features | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. LearnWorlds leads on 1 dimension, Thinkific on 2. The overall figure weights these for course platforms generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| LearnWorlds | Starter | €29 | monthly; €24/mo billed annually; plus €5 per paid enrolment |
| Pro Trainer | €99 | monthly; €79/mo billed annually; no enrolment fees | |
| Learning Center | €299 | monthly; €249/mo billed annually | |
| Thinkific | Basic | £46 | monthly; £34/mo billed annually; unlimited courses, 1 community |
| Start | £92 | monthly; £69/mo billed annually; adds live cohorts and memberships | |
| Grow | £186 | monthly; £139/mo billed annually; removes branding, 3 communities |
Pricing checked 24 September 2026 and 23 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. LearnWorlds: Shown to UK visitors in euros, excluding VAT. Annual billing saves about 20%. Thinkific: Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves 25%. Where the two bill in different currencies, conversions use the European Central Bank reference rate.
Verdict
LearnWorlds
- +Every plan includes an AI course builder, unlimited video hosting, a built-in community and selling on your own domain.
- +Pro Trainer, at €99 a month, removes enrolment fees and allows 5 admins and 2,000 active learners a month.
- +Coupons, discounts and order bumps on every plan.
- −Starter charges €5 on every paid enrolment on top of the €29 monthly fee.
- −Prices are in euros and exclude VAT.
Thinkific
- +Unlimited courses on every plan, including the entry Basic plan.
- +A private community with a feed and direct messages is included from Basic upwards.
- +Start adds live cohorts with unlimited Zoom sessions, memberships and payment plans.
- −Basic limits digital downloads to five and has no certificates, memberships or payment plans.
- −Thinkific branding is only removed on the £186 Grow plan.
Common questions
Is LearnWorlds cheaper than Thinkific?
LearnWorlds starts at €29/mo (about £24.19; monthly; €24/mo billed annually; plus €5 per paid enrolment), and Thinkific starts at £46/mo (about €55.14; monthly; £34/mo billed annually; unlimited courses, 1 community) — so LearnWorlds is the cheaper entry point. Converted at the European Central Bank reference rate. Compare what each includes at that tier, and what it renews at, rather than the headline figure alone.
Which is better, LearnWorlds or Thinkific?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, Thinkific comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- api.frankfurter.app — checked 6 November 2026European Central Bank reference rate, published via Frankfurter.
- learnworlds.com — checked 24 September 2026No free plan; a free trial.
- thinkific.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed; a free trial on every paid plan.