Are you looking to create and sell online courses? If so, you have probably come across several course platforms, such as Thinkific, Kajabi, and Teachable. These three are among the most popular options for anyone wanting to create and sell online courses. But with so many options available, it can be challenging to decide which platform to go with.
In this article, we will compare Thinkific, Kajabi, and Teachable to help you make an informed decision on which one is best for your online course business.
What to Consider When Choosing an Online Course Platform
Before we dive into the comparison, let’s first take a look at some important factors to consider when choosing an online course platform.
Course Creation Features
The primary purpose of these platforms is to help you create and sell online courses. Therefore, it’s essential to consider the course creation features each platform offers. Look out for features like video hosting, course customization options, multimedia support, and course completion certificates.
Marketing and Sales Tools
To sell your online course successfully, you need effective marketing and sales tools. These include email marketing, landing pages, sales funnels, and affiliate programs. Make sure the platform you choose offers these tools to help you promote and sell your courses effectively.
Pricing and Payment Options
Another crucial factor to consider is the pricing and payment options offered by the platform. Some platforms charge a monthly or annual fee, while others take a percentage of your course sales. Additionally, see if the platform supports various payment gateways so that you can easily receive payments from your students.
Customer Support
As with any online service, it’s vital to have reliable customer support when using an online course platform. Look for platforms that offer 24/7 support and various channels of communication, such as live chat, email, or phone.
User-Friendliness
Lastly, you want to choose a platform that is easy to use and navigate. As a course creator, you don’t want to spend too much time figuring out how to use the platform instead of creating and selling your courses. Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces and user-friendly features.
Now that we have covered the essential factors let’s compare Thinkific, Kajabi, and Teachable in detail.
Course Creation Features
All three platforms offer robust course creation features, including video hosting, course customization options, multimedia support, and course completion certificates. However, there are some differences worth noting.
Thinkific
Thinkific offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop course builder, making it easy to create and customize your courses. You can upload videos, audio files, documents, and images to create engaging course content. Additionally, Thinkific allows you to create quizzes, surveys, and assignments for your students, providing an interactive learning experience.
One unique feature of Thinkific is the ability to create multiple instructors for a single course. This is useful if you have guest lecturers or want to collaborate with other course creators.
Kajabi
Kajabi also has a drag-and-drop course builder, but it goes a step further by offering pre-designed templates for course creation. This makes it easier and quicker to create professional-looking courses. Kajabi also supports the upload of various course materials, including videos, audios, PDFs, and images.
Another notable feature of Kajabi is its “pipelines” tool, which allows you to create automated sales funnels for your courses. This can save you time and effort in promoting and selling your courses.
Teachable
Teachable’s course builder is not as advanced as Thinkific or Kajabi, but it still offers essential customization options. You can upload videos, add text and images, and create quizzes and assessments for your students. Teachable also has a bulk import feature, making it easy to upload multiple course materials at once.
Additionally, Teachable recently launched a new feature called “Teachable Quizzes,” which allows you to create interactive quizzes for your courses.
Marketing and Sales Tools
All three platforms offer various marketing and sales tools, but there are some differences in the features they offer.
Thinkific
Thinkific has a built-in email marketing tool that allows you to send automated emails to your students. It also offers advanced drip content options, allowing you to schedule when each module or lesson becomes available to your students.
Thinkific’s affiliate program feature allows you to recruit affiliates to promote your courses and earn a commission on each sale. You can also create coupons and promotions to incentivize sales.
Kajabi
Kajabi’s email marketing tool is more robust than Thinkific’s, with more customization options and the ability to segment your email list. The platform also has a built-in CRM (customer relationship management) system, making it easier to manage your student interactions and data.
One unique feature of Kajabi is its membership site feature, which allows you to create a subscription-based model for your courses. This can be useful if you want to offer ongoing courses or have a membership community for your students.
Teachable
Teachable’s marketing and sales features are not as comprehensive as Thinkific or Kajabi. However, it does offer email marketing, affiliate program, and coupon creation options. One advantage of Teachable is its integration with popular email marketing services like Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
Pricing and Payment Options
Thinkific, Kajabi, and Teachable offer various pricing plans and payment options. Here’s a breakdown of what each platform offers.
Thinkific
Thinkific has four pricing plans: Free, Basic ($49/month), Pro ($99/month), and Premier ($499/month). All plans allow you to create unlimited courses, students, and content. The main difference is in the features offered, such as advanced customization options, email marketing, and affiliate programs.
Thinkific also offers payment gateway integrations with PayPal and Stripe, with no transaction fees.
Kajabi
Kajabi has three pricing plans: Basic ($149/month), Growth ($199/month), and Pro ($399/month). All plans include unlimited courses and students, but the higher-priced plans offer more advanced marketing and sales tools, such as membership sites and pipelines.
Kajabi also offers payment gateway integrations with PayPal and Stripe, but it charges a 2% transaction fee on all transactions.
Teachable
Teachable has three pricing plans: Basic ($39/month), Professional ($119/month), and Business ($299/month). All plans include unlimited courses and students, but the higher-priced plans offer more customization options and marketing features.
Teachable does not charge any transaction fees, but it only supports PayPal and Stripe as payment gateways.
Customer Support
All three platforms offer customer support through various channels. Let’s take a look at what each platform offers.
Thinkific
Thinkific offers 24/7 customer support through email, live chat, and phone. They also have a knowledge base and community forum for additional support and resources.
Kajabi
Kajabi offers 24/7 customer support through email and live chat. They also have a help center with articles and tutorials to assist users.
Teachable
Teachable offers 24/7 customer support through email and live chat. They also have a knowledge base and community forum for additional support and resources.
User-Friendliness
All three platforms are user-friendly, but each has its own unique interface and features.
Thinkific
Thinkific has a simple and intuitive course builder with drag-and-drop functionality. The platform is easy to navigate, and the course creation process is straightforward.
Kajabi
Kajabi’s interface is more visually appealing than Thinkific or Teachable. It also offers pre-designed templates, making it easy for users to create professional-looking courses.
Teachable
Teachable’s interface is clean and easy to navigate. However, some users have found the course builder to be less intuitive compared to Thinkific or Kajabi.
FAQs
Which platform is best for beginners?
All three platforms are beginner-friendly, but Thinkific and Teachable may be more suitable for first-time course creators due to their simpler interfaces.
Does any platform offer a trial period?
Yes, all three platforms offer a free trial period for users to test out the platform before committing to a paid plan.
Can I sell my courses on multiple platforms?
Yes, you can sell your courses on multiple platforms, but keep in mind that each platform may have different pricing and payment options.
Do these platforms offer a mobile app?
Only Teachable has a mobile app for its users.
Can I import content from other platforms?
Yes, all three platforms allow you to import content from other platforms such as Udemy or Coursera.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best online course platform for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Thinkific, Kajabi, and Teachable all offer quality features and tools for creating and selling online courses. Consider the factors mentioned in this article and take advantage of the free trials to find the right platform for your online course business.