Thinkific alternative
Course Catalyst vs Thinkific: a practical comparison
Thinkific is built around courses and training, and it is strong on communities and enterprise needs. It also costs more per month than Course Catalyst at every tier. Here is the side-by-side.
Side by side
Course Catalyst vs Thinkific
Thinkific is a course platform with communities, memberships and plans for professional training.
| Topic | Thinkific | Course Catalyst |
|---|---|---|
| Plans and price | Start $109/month, Grow $219/month, Expand $499/month. Billed annually that is $82, $164 and $374 per month. Plus is quote-based. | Lite $27/month ($270/year). Pro $97/month ($970/year). 14-day free trial. |
| Fees on your sales | Thinkific Payments charges a 2.9% processing fee. Using Stripe or PayPal adds a gateway fee that varies by plan, on top of Stripe or PayPal's own fees. | Lite 10% platform fee on sales. Pro 0%. Stripe processing fees are separate. |
| Courses, products and contacts | Unlimited published courses. 10,000 current students on Start, Grow and Expand. | Unlimited courses, products, contacts, landing pages and funnels on both plans. Video storage: 50 GB on Lite, unlimited on Pro. |
| Email marketing | Bulk email to students is not included on Start. Included on Grow and above with no monthly sending limit. | Broadcasts and email sequences built in. 5,000 marketing emails per month on Lite, 150,000 on Pro. |
| Custom domain | Included on every plan. | Your own domain on Pro. Lite sites run on a Course Catalyst address. |
| Community | 1 community on Start, 3 on Grow, 10 on Expand, unlimited on Plus. Live events in communities: 5 on Start, unlimited above. | Community channels and threads on both plans. |
| API and MCP | API and webhooks on Grow and above. Not on Start. | Public API and MCP access on both plans, so you can run your site from Claude or your own scripts. |
Thinkific details come from Thinkific's pricing page, read October 30, 2026. Prices and limits change, so confirm on their site before you decide. Annual prices shown per month are as they state them.
When Thinkific is the better choice
- You run professional or company training and need a platform with a Plus tier built for it.
- You want multiple separate communities (3 to 10 on higher plans).
- You want a custom domain on the cheapest plan.
When Course Catalyst is the better choice
- You want to pay $27 or $97 a month instead of $109 or more.
- You want email sequences and broadcasts from your first day, not a plan upgrade.
- You want API and MCP access on every plan.
Before you decide
Do the fee math on your own numbers
Monthly price is only part of it. On Course Catalyst, Pro costs $70 more per month than Lite and drops the platform fee from 10% to 0%. That pays for itself once you sell about $700 a month. Below that, Lite is cheaper. Thinkific's Start plan has no bulk email or API, so the realistic comparison is often its Grow plan at $219/month ($164 billed annually).
Run the same test in both
Build one short course, a sales page and a welcome email in each product, then buy it yourself. Ten minutes in each tells you more than any feature list, including this one.
Moving over
If you are moving from Thinkific, send us your course and audience requirements first. Our import help covers Kajabi and Kit today. We will tell you honestly what we can move and what you will rebuild by hand.
See the actual course player
Our public docs run on Course Catalyst. This is the published docs course, captured from the product.
What Course Catalyst costs
Lite: $27/month
Or $270/year, billed annually. 10% platform fee on sales. Payment processing fees are separate.
Everything you need to launch and sell your first course.
Pro: $97/month
Or $970/year, billed annually. 0% platform fee on sales. Payment processing fees are separate.
For creators who sell and email at scale.
Questions before you choose
Is Course Catalyst a good Thinkific alternative?
It is if you want courses, a site builder, checkout, email and community in one place with simple pricing and no limit on courses or contacts. It is not the right fit for everyone, so read the section on when Thinkific is the better choice.
Does Thinkific limit the number of students?
Per Thinkific's public pricing page on October 30, 2026, Start, Grow and Expand each list 10,000 current students. Plus is custom. Course Catalyst has no limit on contacts on either plan.
How much does Thinkific cost compared to Course Catalyst?
Thinkific's prices are in the table above, taken from their public pricing page on October 30, 2026. Course Catalyst is $27/month on Lite and $97/month on Pro, with a 10% platform fee on Lite and none on Pro. Prices change, so confirm on their site.
Can you help me migrate?
We help import from Kajabi and Kit. Email caleb@calebcurry.com with what you want to move. We will review your courses, pages, contacts and emails with you and agree on the scope before starting. This is hands-on help, not a promise that every setting or subscription transfers automatically.