Video Transcript
A note on the video above: it was made in March 2026, and three things in it are out of date. It says Thinkific takes nothing extra on Thinkific Payments. In fact Thinkific charges 0.5% on every sale to a buyer in the US or Canada, for handling their sales tax. And LearnWorlds Starter is now $44 a month on annual billing, not $24. Once Thinkific's fees are counted, LearnWorlds costs less in platform fees at every revenue level in the table below, for sales to US and Canadian buyers. And the video says our completion figures come from thirty-two thousand courses. They come from 26,632 courses and 1.3 million enrollments. Prices and fees on this page were checked on November 1, 2026.
LearnWorlds Pro Trainer is $79 a month on annual billing and takes no fee from your sales. Thinkific Start is $82 a month on annual billing, and Thinkific also takes a percentage of each sale: 0.5% of sales to US and Canadian buyers on Thinkific Payments, or 2% on your own Stripe. Short answer: once fees on sales to US and Canadian buyers are counted, LearnWorlds costs less in platform fees, and it wins on interactive video and SCORM support. Thinkific wins on a simpler builder and built-in marketing tools, and its 0.5% pays for sales tax handled for your US and Canadian buyers.
What Does Each Platform Actually Cost?
Both pricing pages look straightforward, but they ask very different things of you. LearnWorlds' entry plan charges a fee on every enrollment. Thinkific's Start plan is $82/month annual and includes certificates, graded assignments, live cohorts and memberships. The thing to watch there is a percentage on every sale, which depends on how you take payments.
| LearnWorlds | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Starter: $49/mo ($44 annual) | No equivalent |
| Mid plan | Pro Trainer: $99/mo ($79 annual) | Start: $109/mo ($82 annual) |
| Upper plan | Learning Center: $299/mo ($249 annual) | Grow: $219/mo ($164 annual) |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Plus: custom pricing |
| Hidden fee (entry) | $5 per enrollment on Starter | 2% on Start if you use your own Stripe, or 0.5% on US and Canadian sales through Thinkific Payments |
| Free trial | 30 days, no CC | 30 days, no CC |
| Student limit | 1,000 active learners a month on Starter; 2,000 on Pro Trainer and Learning Center | 10,000 current students (Start, Grow) |
| Annual discount | ~10-20% | ~25% |
Prices checked November 1, 2026. See our full LearnWorlds pricing breakdown and Thinkific pricing breakdown for complete details.
The $5-per-enrollment trap (LearnWorlds)
LearnWorlds Starter is $44/month on annual billing, and it charges $5 for every paid enrollment. If 20 students buy in a month, that's $100 in fees on top of your plan cost, making the effective price $144/month. At 50 enrollments, you're paying $294. Starter also has no payment plans or certificates. The Pro Trainer plan at $79/month removes the enrollment fee, so past seven sales a month it costs less than Starter. That's why it's the realistic starting point for anyone planning to sell courses.
Thinkific's per-sale fees
Thinkific takes a percentage of each sale either way. Run sales through your own Stripe and Thinkific adds a third-party payment gateway fee: 2% on Start, 1% on Grow, and none on a custom Plus contract. That fee is live in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU, and Thinkific waives it once you pass $1M in sales for the calendar year. Sell through Thinkific Payments instead and there's no gateway fee, but Thinkific adds 0.5% to every sale to a buyer in the US or Canada. That fee pays for Thinkific working out, collecting and filing their sales tax, and it applies even when the tax comes to zero. Subscriptions and payment plans cost another 0.7%, the same rate Stripe charges for recurring billing, according to Thinkific's fee page (checked November 1, 2026). Standard card processing, about 2.9% + $0.30, applies either way, as it does on any platform. There's also no permanent free plan: once the 30-day trial ends you're on a paid plan, with Start at $82/month annual.
How Do the Hidden Costs Compare at Revenue Levels?
Here's what each platform actually costs at three revenue levels, assuming you're on the most common plan for that stage. I'm including only platform fees — Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30) applies equally to both. Thinkific Payments' 0.5% sales tax fee is included, assuming your buyers are in the US or Canada and pay in full.
| Monthly revenue | LearnWorlds | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000/mo (new creator) | Pro Trainer: $79/mo $948/year | Start: $82/mo $978/year, plus $5/mo on Thinkific Payments or $20/mo on your own Stripe |
| $5,000/mo (growing) | Pro Trainer: $79/mo $948/year | Start: $82/mo $978/year, plus $25/mo on Thinkific Payments or $100/mo on your own Stripe |
| $20,000/mo (established) | Learning Center: $249/mo $2,988/year | Grow: $164/mo $1,968/year, plus $100/mo on Thinkific Payments or $200/mo on your own Stripe |
Once you count fees on sales to US and Canadian buyers, LearnWorlds costs less in platform fees at all three levels. On subscription alone, the mid rungs are close: Start at $82/month annual against Pro Trainer at $79. Thinkific's subscription is cheaper at the top, with Grow at $164 against Learning Center at $249. On Thinkific Payments, the 0.5% sales tax fee adds $25 a month at $5,000 in sales, putting Start at $107 against Pro Trainer's $79. At $20,000 a month it adds $100, putting Grow at $264 against Learning Center's $249. On your own Stripe, the 2% and 1% gateway fees make those $182 and $364.
This counts platform fees only, and Thinkific's 0.5% buys something. Thinkific works out, collects and files sales tax for your US and Canadian buyers. LearnWorlds doesn't do that itself. It connects to Stripe Tax or Quaderno, which you set up and pay for separately. If you need sales tax handled, add that cost to the LearnWorlds column before you compare. If you don't, you pay Thinkific's 0.5% anyway, because it applies even when the tax comes to zero.
Where Does LearnWorlds Win?
Interactive video
LearnWorlds' interactive video tools are its biggest differentiator. You can add in-video quizzes, clickable hotspots, branching paths, and auto-generated transcriptions directly inside lesson videos. Thinkific has no equivalent — its video lessons are play-and-watch only. One caveat: Pro Trainer includes only basic interactive video. The advanced version, with AI features, needs the Learning Center plan ($249/month annual). If your teaching relies on active learning during video, check which features you need are in each version.
SCORM and xAPI at an accessible price
LearnWorlds supports SCORM 1.2 and xAPI on its Pro Trainer plan ($79/month annual) — up to 20 SCORM packages. Thinkific only offers SCORM support on its custom-priced Plus plan. For corporate trainers, compliance teams, or anyone selling to organizations that require SCORM — LearnWorlds is dramatically more accessible.
Lower running cost
LearnWorlds Pro Trainer runs $79/month annual, takes no fee on sales, and includes SCORM, basic interactive video, certificates and payment plans. Thinkific's comparable rung is Start at $82/month. The subscriptions are close, but Thinkific's per-sale fees put Start at $107 a month at $5,000 in sales on Thinkific Payments. Below Pro Trainer, LearnWorlds keeps Starter at $44/month annual, with a catch: it charges $5 per enrollment and has no payment plans or certificates. It only makes sense for a handful of sales a month.
Where Does Thinkific Win?
Simpler course creation
Thinkific's course builder is more intuitive out of the box. Drag-and-drop content, bulk upload videos, and a cleaner interface make it faster to go from idea to published course. LearnWorlds' builder is more powerful but has a steeper learning curve — multiple reviewers describe the interface as "cluttered" compared to Thinkific's streamlined approach.
Sales tax handled for you
On Thinkific Payments, Thinkific works out, collects and files sales tax for your US and Canadian buyers, and charges 0.5% of those sales for it. LearnWorlds leaves that to Stripe Tax or Quaderno, which you set up and pay for separately. If you need sales tax collected and don't want to manage it, this is Thinkific's clearest advantage. Two caveats on the Thinkific side. Keeping your own Stripe costs 2% on Start and 1% on Grow, and you lose the sales tax handling. And every named plan caps you at 10,000 current students. LearnWorlds counts monthly active learners instead: 1,000 on Starter and 2,000 on Pro Trainer and Learning Center.
A well-stocked Start plan
Thinkific's Start plan ($82/month annual) covers certificates, graded assignments, payment plans, memberships, bundles, upsells, and live cohorts — the things most course creators reach for within their first year. Above it, Grow at $164/month adds a third community and six admin seats, and SCORM, SSO, learning paths, the AI assistant and a branded app all require a custom-priced Plus contract.
Stronger marketing and email automation
Thinkific includes abandoned cart recovery, built-in email automation triggers, and a landing page builder on all plans. LearnWorlds has a website builder but less sophisticated marketing automation. Neither platform includes full email marketing (you'll want ConvertKit or similar), but Thinkific's checkout-to-email workflow is smoother.
A bigger app ecosystem
Thinkific's App Store has more third-party integrations than LearnWorlds. If you rely heavily on connecting your course platform to other tools — CRM, webinar platforms, accounting software — Thinkific has more native options. LearnWorlds supports integrations too, but the selection is smaller.
Feature Comparison: LearnWorlds vs Thinkific
| Feature | LearnWorlds | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive video | In-video quizzes, branching, hotspots | Not available |
| SCORM support | Pro Trainer ($79/mo) | Plus only (custom pricing) |
| Student limit | 1,000 active learners a month on Starter, 2,000 on Pro Trainer and Learning Center | 10,000 current students on Start and Grow |
| Transaction fees | $5/enrollment on Starter; 0% above | 0.5% on US and Canadian sales on Thinkific Payments; 2% / 1% on Start / Grow with your own gateway |
| Course builder UX | Powerful but complex | Clean and intuitive |
| Website builder | Full site builder included | Basic site tools |
| Certificates | Pro Trainer ($79/mo) and up | On Start ($82/mo) and up |
| Marketing automation | Basic | Abandoned cart, email triggers |
| App ecosystem | Growing | Larger selection |
| Free trial | 30 days, no CC | 30 days, no CC |
| White-labeling | Learning Center ($249/mo) | Plus contracts only (custom pricing) |
| Community features | Basic | 1 community on Start, 3 on Grow |
| Live sessions (Zoom) | Third-party only | Third-party only |
| Student tech support | Not included | Not included |
What About the Student Experience?
One thing worth noting before we get to the teaching question: user satisfaction data tells a story. On Trustpilot, Thinkific scored 1.8/5 from 868 reviews on October 31, 2026 — with billing complaints and cancellation friction as the dominant themes. LearnWorlds fares better with generally positive reviews across G2 and Capterra, though some users flag interface complexity. It's worth noting that Trustpilot reviews skew negative (people with problems are more likely to post), but the pattern of billing-related complaints on Thinkific is consistent enough to be a signal.
But here's a more fundamental point both platforms miss. LearnWorlds and Thinkific are both strong course creation tools. But course completion — the thing that actually determines whether your students get results — depends more on how students interact with each other and with you than on how many features the platform has.
Who Should Consider LearnWorlds?
- Corporate trainers and compliance teams. If you sell to organizations that require SCORM-compliant content, LearnWorlds at $79/month is one of the most affordable options. Thinkific locks SCORM behind custom pricing.
- Video-heavy educators who want interactivity. If your courses rely on students engaging with video content (not just watching it), LearnWorlds' interactive video tools are unique in this price range.
- Creators building a branded learning academy. LearnWorlds' white-label options and full website builder make it a good fit for organizations that want their learning platform to look like their own product.
- Creators who want the lowest running cost. Pro Trainer is $79/month annual with no fee on sales, and it includes payment plans. Once Thinkific's per-sale fees are counted, it costs less than Thinkific at every revenue level in our table. If you need sales tax collected, add the cost of a tax service such as Stripe Tax.
Who Should Consider Thinkific?
- First-time course creators. If you've never built an online course and want the simplest path to launch, Thinkific's interface is more forgiving. You can publish a course in a day without a tutorial.
- Creators who want sales tax handled for them. Sell through Thinkific Payments and Thinkific works out, collects and files sales tax for your US and Canadian buyers, for 0.5% of those sales. If you'd otherwise pay for a tax service, compare the two costs. If you'd rather keep your own Stripe, price in 2% on Start or 1% on Grow instead, and handle sales tax yourself.
- Creators who want marketing tools included. Abandoned cart recovery, email triggers, and landing pages are built into Thinkific's workflow. LearnWorlds has a website builder but less marketing automation.
- Integration-heavy setups. If you need to connect your course platform to a CRM, webinar tool, and accounting software, Thinkific's larger app ecosystem reduces the need for custom Zapier work.
The Third Option: When Neither Fits
There's a pattern in both platforms that's worth naming: they're both built around content delivery. You create videos, organize them into modules, set a price, and hope students finish. Neither platform is designed around the teaching model that actually drives completion — where discussion is woven into every lesson, live sessions are scheduled alongside self-paced content, and students have someone to email when they get stuck.
If you teach live cohort programs, run guided workshops, or want your students to have tech support handled by a team that isn't you — Ruzuku is built for that model. Zero transaction fees on every plan. Unlimited courses, and unlimited students on paid plans. Discussion threads inside every lesson. Built-in video meetings, so students don't need a Zoom account, plus a Zoom integration if you prefer Zoom. And student tech support included: our support team answers your students' technical questions directly, such as logging in or reaching a lesson, on every plan including Free.
If you're still deciding between LearnWorlds and Thinkific, both have free trials — use them. But if you want to see what a teaching-first platform looks like alongside your comparison, you can set up a free Ruzuku account and build a course in an afternoon. No credit card required. It's a useful benchmark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is LearnWorlds better than Thinkific?
It depends on what you need. LearnWorlds has deeper course creation tools — interactive video, SCORM support, and a full website builder — takes no cut of sales above Starter, and costs less once fees on US and Canadian sales are counted. Thinkific is simpler to use, has stronger marketing automation, and has a cheaper upper-tier subscription, but it caps you at 10,000 current students. It also charges 0.5% on US and Canadian sales through Thinkific Payments, which covers sales tax handling for those buyers, or a gateway fee if you keep your own Stripe. Neither is better for everyone. They suit different course creators.
Which is cheaper, LearnWorlds or Thinkific?
LearnWorlds, if your buyers are in the US or Canada and you count fees. Pro Trainer is $79 a month on annual billing and takes nothing from your sales. Thinkific Start is $82 a month on annual billing. On Thinkific Payments, Thinkific adds 0.5% of sales to US and Canadian buyers, so at $5,000 a month in sales Start costs $107. On your own Stripe, Thinkific charges 2% on Start instead, which makes it $182. Thinkific's 0.5% does include sales tax handling for US and Canadian buyers. If you'd pay for a tax service on LearnWorlds, add that cost before you compare.
How much does LearnWorlds actually cost?
LearnWorlds Starter is $44/month (annual) but adds $5 per enrollment. The realistic starting plan for most creators is Pro Trainer at $79/month (annual), which removes the per-enrollment fee and adds SCORM, basic interactive video, certificates and payment plans.
Does Thinkific charge transaction fees?
It depends on how you take payments. Through Thinkific Payments there's no gateway fee, but Thinkific charges 0.5% on every sale to a buyer in the US or Canada for handling their sales tax, and 0.7% more on subscriptions and payment plans. If you run sales through your own Stripe or another third-party gateway, Thinkific adds a gateway fee: 2% on Start, 1% on Grow, none on Plus. It applies in the US, Canada, the UK and the EU, and Thinkific waives it once you pass $1M in sales for the year. Standard card processing (~2.9% + $0.30) applies on top either way.
Does Thinkific have a student limit?
Yes. Start and Grow each cap you at 10,000 current students — students holding unexpired access to at least one course. Past that you need a custom Plus contract, which Thinkific sells in seats. Courses are unlimited on every plan. LearnWorlds counts monthly active learners instead: 1,000 on Starter and 2,000 on Pro Trainer and Learning Center.
Which is better for SCORM courses?
LearnWorlds, by a wide margin. SCORM 1.2 and xAPI are available on Pro Trainer ($79/month annual). Thinkific only supports SCORM on its custom-priced Plus plan. If SCORM compliance matters to your business, LearnWorlds is the affordable choice.
Can I switch from Thinkific to LearnWorlds?
Yes. There's no direct migration tool, so you either re-upload content, rebuild your course structure and re-invite students yourself, or use the done-for-you migration service LearnWorlds offers, which names Thinkific among the platforms it moves courses from.
Related Resources
- How Ruzuku Works — see how a teaching-first platform handles courses, community, and live sessions
- LearnWorlds Pricing Breakdown — full plan details, hidden costs, and real-world scenarios
- Thinkific Pricing Breakdown — plans, fees, feature gating, and what it actually costs in 2026
- Is Thinkific Any Good? (Honest Review) — Trustpilot data, user complaints, and what 289 Help Scout conversations reveal
- Compare All Course Platforms — side-by-side comparisons of every major platform