If you’re about to launch an online course, you’ve probably opened about fifteen comparison tabs already. Most of them are affiliate lists that rank whoever pays the highest commission.
This isn’t that. We build and fix course websites for a living, and we’ve worked inside all three of these platforms. Here’s how we actually think about them.
The short version
- **Pick Thinkific** if your courses are the main product and you want a lot of control over the learning experience.
- **Pick Kajabi** if you want one tool for courses, email, funnels and community, and you’d rather not connect five apps.
- **Pick Teachable** if you want to start simple and fast, and you mostly sell a few courses or coaching.
Now the longer version.
Thinkific
Thinkific is built around courses first. The course player is solid, you get good control over lessons, quizzes and certificates, and there’s an app store for extras.
What we like: it’s flexible, it handles bigger academies well, and it plays nicely with tools like Zapier, ActiveCampaign or HubSpot.
What can be annoying: the site builder is limited if you want a really custom marketing site. Page speed also needs attention, because themes and added scripts can slow things down. (We’ve spent a lot of time fixing that for clients.)
Kajabi
Kajabi is the “all-in-one” option. Courses, email marketing, landing pages, funnels, community and coaching live in one place.
What we like: fewer moving parts. For a solo creator or small team, not having to glue tools together is a real time saver.
What can be annoying: it usually costs more, and if you outgrow its built-in email or page builder, moving out is harder because everything is tied together.
Teachable
Teachable is the easiest to get started with. You can have a course live quickly, and it handles payments and the basics without much setup.
What we like: very beginner-friendly, and good for testing an idea before investing a lot.
What can be annoying: you have less design and marketing control, and depending on the plan, fees can eat into your margins. Always check the current plan details before you commit.
A few questions to ask yourself
- **Do I already use an email tool I like?** If yes, Thinkific or Teachable plus your current tool may be best. If not, Kajabi’s built-in email is a plus.
- **How custom does my website need to be?** If your brand matters a lot, consider a WordPress or Webflow marketing site that sends people to the course platform for checkout and learning.
- **Will I have a community?** All three now offer some community features, but test them. Some people still prefer Circle or a separate tool.
- **What’s my budget for year two, not just month one?** Platform costs grow as you add students and features.
Our honest take: the platform matters less than the funnel. A great sales page and a good email sequence on any of these will beat a perfect platform with no marketing.
Already picked one and it’s not working?
That’s common. Sometimes the fix is a migration, but often it’s just better design, speed and automation on the platform you have. If you want a second opinion, here’s how we help course creators, or send us your site and we’ll take a look.