Last updated: September 5, 2026. Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you sign up through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
How we know: we tested Systeme.io hands-on in our own free-plan account. Everything here about Thinkific comes from its published pricing page and documentation, checked on the date shown — we have not run a Thinkific account ourselves, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
Our verdict
Thinkific is the deepest course-and-community platform of the tools we’ve compared in this series — and, unlike Kartra, Podia, and Teachable, its pricing page doesn’t list a percentage-based transaction fee on any tier. It costs more than Systeme.io at every level, but if courses and community are the whole business, that price buys real depth: live cohorts, memberships, and B2B group sales.
Try Systeme.io freeFree plan, no credit card required. Affiliate link — see our disclosure.
Thinkific has gone deeper into courses and community than most tools in this series — live cohorts, coaching calendars, memberships, B2B group sales. Systeme.io still covers courses, but as one module among funnels and email. Here’s what each actually costs and includes.
Pricing, side by side
List prices as of September 5, 2026, annual billing (Thinkific’s headline rate), checked directly on each company’s pricing page.
| Tier | Systeme.io | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Free / trial | $0, permanent — 3 funnels, 2,000 contacts, 0% fees | Free trial only, no permanent free tier |
| Entry | $17/mo — 10 funnels, 5,000 contacts | $40/mo (Basic) — unlimited courses, 1 community, 5 digital downloads, custom domain |
| Mid | $47/mo — 50 funnels, 10,000 contacts | $82/mo (Start) — adds live cohorts, certificates, memberships/subscriptions |
| Top | $97/mo — unlimited everything | $164/mo (Grow) — removes Thinkific branding, 3 communities, B2B group sales, API access |
The detail worth noting: unlike Kartra, Podia, and Teachable — each of which charges a percentage transaction fee on their cheapest tier — Thinkific’s pricing page doesn’t list a platform transaction fee on any plan. Standard payment processor fees (Stripe, PayPal) still apply regardless of platform, as they do everywhere.
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Where the money actually goes
What Thinkific has that Systeme.io does not
- Live cohorts and coaching tools — bookable calendars, Zoom sessions, attendance tracking, from the Start tier ($82/mo) up.
- Memberships and recurring subscriptions for ongoing access to a course library, also from Start.
- B2B group orders and invoicing for selling bulk course seats to companies, on the Grow tier ($164/mo).
- API access, webhooks, and SSO for teams that need to connect Thinkific to an existing tool stack.
What Systeme.io has that Thinkific does not
- A permanent free plan. Thinkific’s cheapest option is a free trial, not a lasting free tier.
- Sales funnels and email marketing as core, built-in features — Thinkific is a course/community platform first, with basic email automation, not a funnel builder.
- Roughly half the price at every comparable tier — Systeme.io’s $97/mo unlimited plan costs less than Thinkific’s $82/mo Start tier’s next step up (Grow, $164/mo).
- Unlimited sub-accounts on every plan, including free.
Two questions that decide it
1. Do you run live cohorts, coaching, or memberships alongside courses?
If your course business also involves scheduled coaching calls, recurring membership access, or selling seats to companies in bulk, Thinkific’s Start and Grow tiers are built specifically for that. Systeme.io’s course module is more basic — solid for a straightforward course, not built for live cohort delivery.
2. Do you need funnels and email marketing, or just a place to host courses?
Thinkific includes basic site-builder and email automation tools, but it isn’t built as a funnel platform the way Systeme.io is. If most of your traffic comes from paid or organic funnels rather than an existing audience, Systeme.io’s funnel-first design does more of that work natively.
Frequently asked questions
Does Thinkific have a free plan?
No — Thinkific offers a free trial, not a permanent free tier. Systeme.io’s free plan never expires and needs no credit card.
Does Thinkific charge transaction fees?
Thinkific’s pricing page doesn’t list a percentage-based platform transaction fee on any tier, unlike Kartra, Podia, or Teachable’s entry tiers. Standard payment processor fees (Stripe, PayPal) still apply as they would on any platform.
Is Systeme.io cheaper than Thinkific?
Yes, at every tier. Systeme.io’s $97/mo unlimited plan costs less than Thinkific’s mid-tier Start plan ($82/mo) once you add Systeme.io’s included funnels and email marketing, which Thinkific doesn’t offer to the same degree.
Which is better for live coaching and cohort-based courses?
Thinkific, clearly — its Start tier ($82/mo) includes bookable calendars, Zoom session tools, and attendance tracking built specifically for live delivery. Systeme.io’s course module doesn’t have equivalent live-cohort tooling.
I’ve been building and maintaining websites for about ten years. The first one is still online a decade later, and I still fix it when something breaks — which is how I learned that the interesting part of any platform is not the launch, it’s year three. I co-owned that site’s business, though I am not a co-owner today; the business itself has since closed. Separately, I have also run an online store on Shopify, until the fees pushed me onto a different payment system. Today I choose the host, the theme and write the plugins that run this site, and I pay for the tools I test out of my own pocket. More on the About page, and exactly what we did and did not test in how we test.
Prices verified against each company’s public pricing page on September 5, 2026. Vendors change pricing without notice — check before you buy, and tell us if you find something out of date.
Try it yourself: Systeme.io’s free plan is permanent, not a trial — 3 funnels, 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 0% transaction fees. Start on the free plan and find out in a weekend whether it covers what you need. (Affiliate link — see our disclosure.)