Thinkific Plus is a powerful solution for enterprises to scale their business. But, it comes with a high price mark. If youâre considering Thinkific Plus to host your online course platform, itâs time to take a deeper look at what youâre getting and if it is worth the jaw-dropping $33,000 annual price tag.
While Thinkific Plus markets itself as a premium option for enterprise-level course creators, what is the reality? Does the high price guarantee a superior experience, especially compared to other competitive platforms?
In this article, we will dive into the features and pricing of Thinkific Plus while trying to understand the justification of the cost. We will also delve into how it competes with the competitive platform, more specifically EzyCourse Unlimited. So, without any further ado, let's jump in!
What is Thinkific Plus?
Thinkific Plus is a custom solution by Thinkific, branded for enterprise-level creators, businesses, and educational organizations. This solution offers advanced features and scalability for managing high-volume online learning programs.
Under Thinkific Plus, they offer multiple plans based on the budget and needs of different enterprises. Notably, these plans provide customization options, advanced analytics, and dedicated customer support to help larger enterprises. It has positive user reviews and earned 4.5 stars out of 5.00 in G2.
But, Thinkific Plus has a few limitations that might bother you.
Without the platinum plan, you cannot get unlimited students and unlimited communities. Plus, if you need to manage multiple sites with a "sandbox" setup you have to pay additional fees. Also, the branded mobile app doesn't come with the plans rather it comes as an expensive add-on.
Thinkific Plus: What Youâre Paying For
Thinkific has distinguished and labeled the special service âThinkific Plusâ as their business-level solution. It does sound like the plans under the Plus program are quite powerful and compatible with large-scale businesses. And why wouldnât it be when you pay at least $26k per year for a platform? Aimed at large-scale course creators, it promises advanced features, scalability, and customization options. Let's see the pricing list for different plans available under Thinkific Plus.
Thinkific Plus Pricing
Before going for Thinkific Plus, you should know how much it costs. Thinkific Plus offers custom pricing plans based on your business needs. It comes with a significant investment that can cost between $27,000 and $56,000 annually**. On top of this, there are additional charges for features such as extra sites and white-label branded apps. Low-tier plans under Thinkific Plus lack higher student limits, higher community access, and one-on-one dedicated customer support. Here is an idea of different pricing plans available under Thinkific Plus.
Thinkific Plus Lite: This plan might cost approximately $26,000 per year. This is an entry-level plan that offers email support, up to 20 user roles, and a limit of 10,000 monthly active students.
Thinkific Plus Silver: Costs around $33,000 annually. This tier includes Customer Success Scale support, 40 user roles, and up to 20,000 monthly active students.
Thinkific Plus Gold: Something around $46,000 per year, youâll get a dedicated 1:1 Customer Success Manager (CSM), 60 user roles, and a capacity of 50,000 monthly active students.
Thinkific Plus Platinum: At $56,000+ annually, this plan offers unlimited user roles and active students, along with a 1:1 CSM
[Note**: Pricing may vary from user to user based on specific needs]
What You Are Receiving with Thinkific Plus
Here is a summary of what you are getting with Thinkific Plus.
Unlimited Courses: Thinkific Plus offers unlimited course hosting for its Plus members. This is an essential feature for any enterprise-level educator.
One free sandbox site: Thinkific Plus offers a free sandbox site for its users. This site can be used for testing purposes.
AI Integration: Thinkific Plus offers an AI-assisted content creation process. It allows the users to create and manage courses more efficiently. From generating course names, and course outlines to formulating quizzes, AI from Thinkific can help you craft content and save a lot of your valuable time.
Active students number: The Plus Lite, Silver, and Gold plans allow you to have 10,000 to 50,000 active students depending on the plan. Only their Platinum plan allows you to have Unlimited active students.
Customer support: This is where it gets really interesting. Although the Thinkific Plus is aimed at large-scale businesses, the Plus-Lite members only get support through Email, even after paying $26k+ yearly!! The Silver plan at $33k/year also doesn't have 1:1 CSM support. Only the Gold and Platinum members get 1:1 CSM support.
Add-Ons: Some useful features such as branded mobile apps, extended roles, and extra sandbox sites come as expensive add-ons. It might push the total cost even higher.
Feature Limitations
Although Thinkific Plus offers a strong suite of features, we found some limitations that could be deal breakers for some people. These are:
Capped Student Capacity: Even the Silver Plan restricts you to 20,000 active students. Growth beyond this requires an upgrade to pricier plans. It can get really frustrating to pay $33k annually and still get a cap on active student numbers on an enterprise-grade plan.
Costly Customization: Branded mobile apps and other customization options are available, but only as high-cost add-ons. Isn't that disappointing? To be honest, if I were paying $33k a year, I would expect features like these to be included as complimentary.
No Dedicated Support (Until Platinum): Unless youâre willing to pay $46,000+ annually, dedicated one-on-one support is off the table. You are either stuck with customer service at scale or even worse, only email support.
Extra Charges for Sandbox Sites: Do you need extra sandbox sites for testing? Thatâll cost you an extra $500 per site. That just makes it harder to justify the already high price tag.
[Also read: 10 Best Online Quiz Makers]
How EzyCourse Competes with Thinkific Plus
EzyCourse is a modern all-in-one LMS platform made for course creators, digital creators, building communities, marketplace, and membership businesses. It provides a wide range of tools to support the needs of all types of creators and businesses. The users absolutely love EzyCourse and helped them to earn 5.0 out of 5.0 stars on G2.
EzyCourse can be defined as:
Feature-rich
Budget-friendly
Easy-to-use
For enterprises, the platform has a plan called âEzyCourse Enterpriseâ which is specially designed to prioritize the needs of enterprise-level creators.
However, EzyCourseâs regular plans are also suitable for large businesses. For example, you can get access to the most advanced features in the Unlimited and Elite plans. Let's see some of the top features of EzyCourse which is included in the Unlimited Plan.
Some Top Features of EzyCourse Unlimited
EzyCourse introduces this plan as âA True Unlimited Plan!â. Letâs see what we are getting from the plan:
Free Branded Android & iOS mobile app
Zoom premium licence
SCORM supported
170+ languages supported
Native certificate builder
Facebook-like community feed
Premium memberships tools
Events and Appointments
Group and private chat
Real-time push & popup notifications
Complete white-label branding
Built-in email marketing
Dedicated customer support through phone, chat, and 1:1 meetings
[Also read: Best GoHighLevel Alternatives]
Why You Might Choose EzyCourse Unlimited
EzyCourse Unlimited holds some strong upper grounds which can be a deciding factor for you to choose it. Some of them areâ
1. Unbeatable Pricing
Thinkificâs pricing model traps you with high recurring fees. On the other hand, EzyCourse flips the scenario by offering lifetime access to the Unlimited Plan for just $6,190. Yes, you heard it rightâno hidden costs, monthly renewal headaches, or budget-breaking upgrades. Just pay $6,190 and get the EzyCourse Unlimited plan for a lifetime.
In comparison,
Thinkific Plus Silver: $165,000 (for five years)
EzyCourse Unlimited: $6,190 (lifetime access)
In this comparison, it seems like EzyCourse is literally giving away everything for free while Thinkific Plus just charges an absurd amount of money. But we still need to consider what we are getting in return. Let's see that.
2. Unlimited Everything
Well, it might sound like a clickbait at first. But trust me on this. It feels like EzyCourse has no limit in any service you name in comparison to Thinkific Plus. Let's have a breakdown.
Unlimited Students/Customers with Basic: Unlike Thinkific, EzyCourse does not impose a cap on the number of students. Even with their most affordable plan, EzyCourse Basic which is priced at $540/year only, you can enroll as many students as you want!
Communities: Community is another strong feature of EzyCourse. Their Facebook-like learning community is also unlimited for the users. Host as many communities as you want, with no added fees.
Admin Roles: Enjoy flexible role management without additional restrictions or expensive add-ons.
3. Branded Mobile Apps at No Extra Cost
Thinkific Plus charges a premium price for branded apps. But, EzyCourse includes branded mobile apps in its affordable plans, ensuring your audience can access your content seamlessly on the go. You can get the Unlimited Lifetime deal at around $6k and you will get the white-label mobile app for free!! How awesome is that?
The Apps providesâ
A smooth learning experience on the go.
Real-time private/group chat.
In-app purchase.
Real-time notification and custom popups.
Download option to access content offline.
On the other hand, even with the most expensive plan Thinkific Plus Platinum for almost $56k per year, you don't get the white-label app complimentary. Why is that? We really have no answers!
4. Native Zoom Integration
EzyCourse offers native Zoom integration for arranging meetings, live classes, webinars, and more. It lets you create, schedule, and join meetings natively within EzyCourse. The meeting feature is integrated in live lessons, events, appointments, and communities!!
You can get a premium Zoom License with 300 attendants by getting the Unlimited Lifetime plan, and no more recurring fees! It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?
5. Includes all the awesome Features
EzyCourse offers everything Thinkific Plus doesâand moreâwithout the absurd price tag. From course builders, marketing, and eCommerce integrations to strong analytics and SCORM support, EzyCourse delivers all the tools you need to succeed. With the Unlimited plan, you are getting the following add-ons for absolutely free!
Digital rights management (DRM)
Gamification and coins system
Web push notification
Advanced Analytics and Reports
Private Chat
EzyCourse Redirect Tool For Root Domain
Complete Migration Service for Free
Complete Website Design Service
6. Superior Customer Support
EzyCourse prioritizes its users above all else, ensuring a seamless and supportive experience for every creator. One of its standout features is its responsive, one-on-one customer support, which is available across all tier plans.
Unlike Thinkific Plus which reserves personalized assistance for their most expensive plans, EzyCourse believes in providing every user with the help they deserveâwithout requiring them to pay a fortune. Whether youâre just starting or scaling your business, EzyCourse's dedicated support team is there to guide you every step of the way, ensuring your success without hidden costs or unnecessary hurdles.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Final Verdict: Is $33k per year for Thinkific Plus worth it?
Well, the exact answer actually depends on you and what your business needs. While Thinkific Plus tries to sell itself as a premium solution for businesses and offers some nice features, we didn't exactly find the proper justification for its high price tag against the restrictive features. It really leaves much to be desired for business owners especially those who are on a budget.
The upsides of Thinkific Plus are their AI integration, 100+ third-party app integration, SCORM support, 1 free Sandbox site for testing, unlimited courses, etc. If you want to go for Thinkific for your enterprise to scale your business and everything, it is clearly a safe option.
But if you are tight on budget, then you should look for alternatives that charge less without compromising the features. Competitors like EzyCourse prove that you donât need to spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to access enterprise-level tools and scalability. With EzyCourse Unlimited, you are getting all enterprise-level features at a fraction of the cost.
Thinkific Plus promises enterprise-level features, but when you dig deeper, itâs quite clear that the costs far outweigh the benefits especially when you compare them with the competitors. EzyCourse offers a better solution at a significantly lower price, with no compromises on functionality or support whatsoever. And for those who are still confused, you can take the free 14-day trial of EzyCourse anytime and then decide for yourself! Nothing can go wrong with a free trial, right?
