Thinkific vs Teachable: fee math and mobile apps

For a Thinkific vs Teachable decision, separate the subscription, sales-related platform fees, and payment processing before comparing costs. In FreshLearn’s worked example, 100 course sales at $99 each, with a stated card rate of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, produce $317.10 in processing charges. Mobile access is a separate decision: Thinkific describes both Thinkific Mobile and a creator-branded option called Branded Mobile.

Two components of FreshLearn’s card-fee example

What the 100-sale example actually costs

FreshLearn’s comparison, marked updated July 21, 2026, uses $9,900 in gross sales: 100 transactions at $99 each. Applying both parts of its stated processing rate gives:

100 × [($99 × 0.029) + $0.30] = $317.10

The percentage component contributes $287.10. The fixed component adds $30 across the 100 transactions. Both belong in the calculation.

These figures apply to FreshLearn’s illustrative US-dollar scenario, using the rate printed in that example. For a course-business budget, enter the processing terms applicable to the account being evaluated rather than adopting the example’s rate as a merchant quote.

The practical distinction is between revenue and transaction count. The percentage charge follows the dollar value processed; the fixed charge follows the number of transactions. A budget that models gross sales alone can leave out the second component.

For creators selling lower-priced products, that fixed component deserves particular attention: a fixed charge represents a larger share of a smaller purchase. That is a consequence of the fee structure, rather than an advantage established for either platform.

Keep three course-platform cost lines separate

A useful cost model gives each charge its own place:

• Platform subscription: the recurring charge for the selected plan.
• Platform fee on sales: a sales-related charge under the applicable platform terms.
• Card processing: the charge for processing a payment, including any percentage and fixed transaction components.

FreshLearn discusses these as separate cost categories. Their presence in a comparison does not make every category a charge on every plan.

For budgeting, the relationship is straightforward: subscription charges + applicable platform fees + applicable processing charges. Match the billing period before adding them. A monthly subscription belongs alongside a month’s modeled sales and transactions; an annual subscription belongs alongside the corresponding annual activity.

This separation also makes upgrade decisions more useful. If a higher subscription replaces a sales-related fee with a lower one, the commercial question is whether the modeled fee savings exceed the additional subscription cost. Use the exact plans and payment route for that calculation. A lower subscription price alone does not answer the total-cost question.

Mobile access and mobile branding serve different needs

Thinkific describes Thinkific Mobile and Branded Mobile as distinct options. Its comparison page says Thinkific Mobile is included with Start plans and higher. It describes Branded Mobile as an app using the creator’s branding, with its own App Store listing.

For a course creator, those descriptions point to two different purchasing priorities. One is giving learners a mobile route into the course. The other is presenting that route under the education business’s own brand. Decide which problem the business needs to solve before assigning value to a branded app.

Thinkific’s comparison also describes Teachable’s iOS app as supporting viewing and completing course lectures. That description comes from Thinkific, the competing provider.

For a solo creator, learner access may be the main mobile requirement. For an academy building a distinct customer-facing identity, branding may warrant separate consideration. Neither priority supplies a reason to assume that an app replaces the creator’s course-building or sales workflow.

Marketing Island’s comparison was published on March 27, 2025. The creator discloses affiliate links to both platforms.

Include video delivery and completion records in the evaluation

For customer and partner training, the platform decision extends beyond checkout and mobile branding. In a customer-and-partner-training discussion, Reddit commenter u/yahyamdev recommended asking how future video delivery would work and where completion records would be stored and exported.

That is a useful operational distinction: delivering course content and retrieving a learner’s completion history are separate requirements. A business planning to add video should include that delivery workflow in its evaluation. A training operator that needs completion records outside the platform should request a sample export and assess it against the records the business needs to retain.