I have expertise in both Thinkific and Teachable and experience using them to create courses for international users. In this article, I will provide an overview of the two platforms, compare their features, and analyze which offers better course creation tools for international users.
Thinkific is a Canadian cloud-based software that enables businesses and entrepreneurs to create online courses quickly without having any technical knowledge or coding skills.
Teachable is another popular platform for creating online courses with similar features to those offered by Thinkific.
Both offer similar features, from course-building to marketing, as well as extra perks like custom domain support, affiliate sales, and even integrations with Zapier. But what sets each other apart? And most of all, which platform is more worth trying? This article aims to compare the key features offered by each platform in terms of course creation tools for international users and analyze which provides better options for creating courses targeted at global audiences.
Thinkific vs. Teachable: Course Creation Tools
Design and Customization Options
Both Thinkific and Teachable offer a range of customization options when designing your course. With Thinkific, you can customize your courses’ layout, color scheme, and fonts with pre-made themes or by using HTML/CSS code.
Similarly, Teachable offers custom themes and an easy drag-and-drop editor for creating courses quickly. Both platforms also offer integrations with popular email services like MailChimp and Constant Contact for customizing emails sent to students.
Course and Content Management
Thinkific allows users to easily manage their course content by adding lessons, quizzes, surveys, downloads, etc., while offering tools like auto-grading for assessments and automated notifications to track student progress.
Teachable also provides similar features but on a more organized level. It has an easy-to-use interface makes managing content much simpler than Thinkific’s system.
Course Selling and Marketing Features
Regarding selling courses online, both Thinkific and Teachable provide the necessary tools to create landing pages where users can sign up for the course or pay directly via PayPal or Stripe payment gateways.
However, Teachable’s marketing features are more advanced than Thinkific. It allows users to create coupon codes to attract customers and track sales analytics to measure performance over time.
Payment and Pricing Options
Thinkific offers three pricing plans:
- Basic ($39 per month)
- Pro ($79 per month)
- Premier ($399 per month)
All plans allow users to accept payments from major credit cards (Visa/MasterCard) and PayPal without additional fees charged – though there may be some processing fees from payment gateway providers used on each plan, depending on which the user chooses.
On the other hand, Teachable charges a transaction fee of 5% plus $1 for every sale made through its platform, regardless of what pricing plan is selected (Basic/Pro/Business). The Basic plan costs $29 monthly, while the Pro costs $99. Business is priced differently based on monthly volume requirements starting at a $499 monthly subscription fee.
Affiliate Marketing Programs
Both platforms offer affiliate programs that enable instructors to reward affiliates who help promote their courses within their respective networks – meaning they will receive commissions when someone purchases a course through an affiliate link associated with them in either network.
However, Teachable’s program is slightly more advanced in terms of tracking affiliates’ performance thanks to its sophisticated analytics dashboard, which shows detailed information about each affiliate’s contributions towards driving sales compared with those offered through Thinkific’s program.
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Thinkific vs. Teachable: Internationalization Capabilities
Language Support
Regarding language support, both Thinkific and Teachable offer various languages. Thinkific supports more than 40 languages, while Teachable supports more than 25. This makes it easy for international users to create courses in their native language or one they are comfortable with.
Both platforms also allow you to set the default language for your course so that all content is automatically translated into the chosen language when someone visits your course page.
Currency and Payment Options
Both Thinkific and Teachable provide options for accepting payments in multiple currencies, making it easier for international customers who may not be using the same currency as you.
Thinkific offers payment support in over 100 different currencies, while Teachable offers support in around 50. Additionally, both platforms offer integrated payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, enabling users to process payments without additional setup or configuration.
Tax and VAT Handling
Thinkific provides an automated tax calculator that allows you to easily add taxes such as VAT (Value Added Tax) based on your customer’s location. You can also set up custom tax rates or exclude certain countries from taxation altogether.
On the other hand, Teachable does not currently have an automated tax calculator but provides detailed instructions on manually calculating taxes based on each customer’s location.
Compliance with International Laws and Regulations
Both Thinkific and Teachable comply with international laws and regulations related to online course sales. These include the below so that you don’t have to worry about running afoul of local laws when selling courses internationally.:
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
- CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)
- PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act)
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Thinkific vs. Teachable: User Experience and Support
Ease of Use and Navigation
Both Thinkific and Teachable offer intuitive platforms with simple navigation, making it easy for users to create courses without technical knowledge or coding skills.
On Thinkific, users can easily customize the look of their course website using an intuitive drag-and-drop builder. The platform also offers a range of built-in themes and the ability to customize each page with HTML/CSS code.
On Teachable, users can use its Course Builder tool to create courses quickly and easily and have access to customizing pages through HTML/CSS coding if necessary.
Customer Support and Resources
Regarding customer support, both Thinkific and Teachable offer comprehensive resources in blogs, video tutorials, FAQs, forums, etc., making finding answers easy.
However, when getting support from customer service representatives or instructors directly via phone or email inquiries, Thinkific provides more options than Teachable does. For example, Thinkific offers 24/7 live chat support, while Teachable only offers limited email support during certain times of the day (9 am–5 pm EST).
User Reviews and Testimonials
Finally, user reviews are essential when deciding which platform is best for creating online courses targeting international audiences.
Generally speaking, both platforms have positive reviews from customers who are satisfied with their experience using either one for creating courses for global audiences. However, some users report that Thinkific has a better user interface than Teachable’s dashboard, which can initially be overwhelming due to its complexity. This instance could benefit those who prefer simpler navigation over extensive features offered by the latter platform.
Additionally, many reviewers on both platforms attest that customer service helps provide prompt responses when help is needed on either platform.
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Thinkific vs. Teachable: Pricing and Plans
When comparing Thinkific and Teachable in terms of pricing and plans, it’s important to consider each platform’s features and the pros and cons associated with them.
Comparison of Pricing and Features for Each Plan
Thinkific offers various plans catering to different course creators, from hobbyists to professional entrepreneurs. Its basic plan is free, offering unlimited students, a 5% transaction fee, payments via Stripe or Paypal, 0% commission on sales, drag-and-drop course builder, customizable themes, email marketing integrations with MailChimp & Drip, automated drip content delivery system for courses as well as other features.
Teachable also has four different plans: Free plan (limited to 10 students), Basic ($39/monthly), Professional ($119/monthly), and Business ($249/monthly). Along with features like unlimited courses & students (except Free plan), 0% transaction fees (except the Basic plan, which charges 5%), payment processing through Stripe or PayPal (Business Plan only), etc., Teachable also provides an affiliate tracking system on all paid plans except the Free one.
Pros and Cons of Each Plan
The pros of Thinkific include the following:
- Its free plan lets users try out the platform before deciding whether they want to upgrade or not
- Exclusive features, such as its advanced analytics dashboard
- No commissions on sales
- Customization options for branding & design
- Integrations with popular marketing automation tools
- Automated drip content delivery system for courses
The cons are that no affiliate tracking system is available unless you pay for one of their more expensive plans. Some users have experienced technical difficulties when using the platform.
Teachable’s pros include an easy setup process due to its intuitive user interface, as well as the other following upsides:
- Access to the affiliate tracking feature even in its basic plan (which is lacking in Thinkific)
- Wide variety of customization options, including custom domains & templates
- Integration capabilities with Zapier & Google Tag Manager (only available on Business Plan)
Aside from the cons, Teachable has gained some notorious cons, including the following:
- There’s a 5% transaction fee on all paid plans besides the Business one.
- Limited customer service support compared to Thinkific’s 24×7 live chat availability
- Lack of some advanced analytics functions like A/B testing reports & engagement metrics
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Thinkific vs. Teachable: Final Verdict
In this article, I have compared the key features of both Thinkific and Teachable for creating courses targeting international users.
Thinkific is ideal for users looking to create courses quickly without technical knowledge or coding skills. It offers customizable templates that are easy to use and features such as course building, marketing, custom domain support, affiliate sales, and integrations with Zapier. It also has an extensive library of resources such as videos, tutorials, and webinars to help create courses.
Teachable is another popular platform for creating online courses with similar features offered by Thinkific. One of its main advantages over Thinkific is its comprehensive set of course analytics that allows users to track student progress in real-time. Additionally, it offers a wide range of payment options, making monetizing courses created on the platform easier.
Each platform has different strengths and weaknesses when creating courses aimed at global audiences. However, based on user needs and priorities, either one can be chosen as the better option depending on their specific requirements. Therefore, I recommend that potential users study each platform carefully before selecting the most suitable one.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, each platform, Thinkific and Teachable, offers a range of features for creating courses targeting international users. However, they have different strengths and weaknesses.
Thinkific is ideal for users who need to create courses quickly without technical knowledge or coding skills. It has customizable templates that are easy to use and an extensive library of resources such as videos, tutorials, and webinars to help with course creation. On the other hand, Teachable offers comprehensive analytics for tracking student progress in real time and a wide range of payment options, making monetizing courses created on the platform easier.
Ultimately, potential users must study each platform carefully before selecting the most suitable one based on their specific requirements and priorities. Additionally, many additional resources are available online that can be used for further research into both platforms, such as blog posts, reviews, and user forums.