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With so many online course platforms out there today, you probably feel overwhelmed by the decision over which one you should use.

Maybe you researched competitors and thought to yourself, “Well, platform A has feature X but not feature Y, and platform B has feature Y but not feature X...”

In frustration, you pull at your hair, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Sound familiar?

We want to help ease your decision and also clarify some of the real differences… because to find out which platform works for you, you need to look at more than just a comparison sheet.

You need to understand how those features work together and how they’ll fit your business needs.

So today, we’re going to look at a comparison between two all-in-one online course platforms, 51����, and Thinkific so that you can make a better, more informed decision for which platform to use.

What Are 51���� And Thinkific?

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51���� and Thinkific are both all-in-one online course platforms that allow users to create, publish, and sell online courses.

That means you can upload your content, whether it’s in the form of video, audio, text, etc. and create a full online course containing lessons and categories.

Both platforms give power to entrepreneurs because they allow them to sell these online courses; however they want and at whatever pricing they want.

Unlike Marketplace platforms like Udemy, which only let you sell your course on their site and control the price. 

Thinkific vs. 51����: Which Is Better When You Need To Grow Your Business?

Are you ready to take your business to the next level and implement more powerful marketing and sales tools? 

Then, take a look at the features 51���� and Thinkific offer to help you scale your online business.

‍Website Building

‍Both 51���� and Thinkific offer web page-building tools and templates that make it easy to get a site up and running.

51���� automatically preloads everyone’s account with the Premiere template, but users can choose from several other modern templates. Once you’ve selected a template, you can use the website builder to further customize your site so it’s in line with your brand. 

51����’s website-building capabilities make it easy to grow your business from Day 1. 

With 51����, you can: 

• Start building your email list(s) from scratch with customized landing pages.
• Continually grow your list(s) with customized forms that convert visitors from leads to subscribers to paying customers.

Thinkific’s website builder only offers three templates with three or four styles, so you have 12 templates and style combos to choose from. You’re also limited in what marketing elements you can implement on your site since you need to download and integrate separate software.

Bottom Line: Thinkific’s website builder is simple and straightforward, making it an okay option if you need something quick and already have an email marketing program installed. 51���� is a great Thinkific alternative if you want more power to customize your site and all your marketing tools under one roof.

Course Creation

51���� and Thinkific both have intuitive and easy-to-use course builders. While Thinkific has many course template options, 51���� outshines it with superior features and course delivery.

51���� also has a that allows you to connect with customers in your community no matter where you are.

Unfortunately, Thinkific does not have a mobile app at this time.

If you’re interested in creating an online course but have never done so in the past, 51���� also offers templates for:

• Mini-courses: A short and inexpensive course useful for teaching quick overviews. Limited to one module per mini-course.
• Online courses: These courses are more in-depth and have longer durations. Five categories are built into the template, so you are set up with an organized course structure from the start.
• Evergreen training: This template allows you to disperse the contents of your course over time to your customers. Evergreen training helps increase student engagement because students do not get all of the course content at once.

Bottom Line: When comparing 51����'s and Thinkific’s course creation capabilities, the race is tight: both platforms are excellent choices. However, 51����’s mobile app and template put them just a nose ahead of Thinkific.‍

Email Marketing

It’s no secret. 51���� offers a world-class email marketing system that’s second to none. 

With 51����, you can grow your business exponentially with:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) feature
• Templated email campaigns
• Automatic subject line validation
• Email automation (perfect for drip campaigns)
• Intuitive visual editor for customizing & previewing emails

Thinkific does not currently offer an email marketing feature. However, it does integrate with services like AWeber, Infusionsoft, MailChimp, and Constant Contact. All of which require an additional monthly subscription fee.

‍Bottom Line: 51���� has built-in email marketing and CRM. Thinkific does not. If you want to market and sell your courses without paying for additional software, 51���� is the Thinkific alternative you need. ‍

Integrations

51���� already has all the functions you need to create, market, and sell your online course. But it still offers native integrations with services like MailChimp, Drip, and ConvertKit.

Thinkific doesn’t offer nearly as much marketing functionality as 51����. But it makes up for it by integrating with almost every marketing tool. From Infusionsoft to ClickFunnels, you can patchwork a marketing suite with various integrations.

‍Bottom Line: Both 51���� and Thinkific support many different integrations for sales, marketing, and more. 

Support

If you’re looking for hands-on, around-the-clock support, 51���� is for you. 51���� offers 24-hour technical and customer support through chat. Thinkific only offers support through email and phone.

51���� also provides valuable advice on creating, marketing, and selling your course through . You can access all the free tutorials to start creating and selling digital products.

Thinkific also has a training site for new users. This free online course is designed to help new users confidently create, sell, and deliver online courses. The course includes 11 lessons and covers topics such as defining your audience, planning your course, creating your online course with Thinkific, and launching your course. However, it’s not as comprehensive as the 51���� University.

Both platforms have help forums that can help answer general and frequently asked questions.

‍Bottom Line: In terms of 51���� vs. Thinkific customer support, 51���� is the clear leader. With real-time support and access to free tutorials, users are set up for success from the start.

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Marketing

When it comes to marketing, 51���� and Thinkific differ significantly in their capabilities, with 51���� clearly taking the lead.

If you’re serious about growing your online course business, the marketing tools available can make a difference, and 51����'s offerings are much more advanced.

Marketing Automation And Sales Funnels

51���� excels in providing comprehensive marketing automation tools that allow you to create fully automated sales funnels. These funnels can guide potential customers from their first interaction with your content all the way to purchasing your course. 

With 51����, you can automate everything from lead capture to nurturing and follow-up emails, ensuring no missed opportunity.

In contrast, Thinkific’s marketing capabilities are more limited. It does not offer built-in sales funnels or advanced marketing automation tools. To achieve similar functionality, you would need to integrate Thinkific with third-party software, which could complicate your setup and increase costs.​

Email Marketing

51���� includes a powerful built-in email marketing system, allowing you to create and send marketing emails directly from the platform. This feature is essential for nurturing leads and keeping your audience engaged. 

You can also segment your email list, schedule campaigns, and use pre-built templates for faster execution.

Thinkific, on the other hand, lacks native email marketing capabilities. You’ll need to use an external service like MailChimp or AWeber to send marketing emails or set up automated campaigns. This means additional subscription fees and the hassle of integrating these tools with your Thinkific account.

Customization And Branding

51����’s marketing tools also extend to customization and branding. You can create landing pages, opt-in forms, and promotional materials that align perfectly with your brand.

Thinkific offers basic customization options but falls short of building a comprehensive, branded marketing experience without additional tools​.

Bottom Line: If marketing is a priority for you—particularly if you’re looking to automate and streamline your sales processes—51���� is the clear winner. Its robust built-in tools allow you to manage all your marketing efforts from one platform, saving time and potentially lowering overall costs. 

Thinkific, while excellent for course creation, requires you to cobble together a marketing stack from various third-party tools, which might not be ideal for those looking for an all-in-one solution.

Monetization

Both 51���� and Thinkific offer solid capabilities when monetizing your online courses, but they cater to slightly different needs and preferences.

51���� shines as an all-in-one platform with a comprehensive set of monetization tools. It supports course sales, memberships, coaching programs, and digital products like eBooks or webinars. 

51����’s robust features allow you to create multiple membership tiers with varying access levels, which can be an effective strategy to maximize revenue. 

Additionally, you can easily set up upsells, cross-sells, and order bumps to boost your average transaction value.

Moreover, 51���� includes built-in affiliate management tools, which allow you to create and manage an affiliate program directly from the platform. This can help you expand your reach and increase sales without needing third-party software.

Thinkific, on the other hand, is more focused on simplicity and flexibility. It supports course sales, memberships, and bundled course packages. Thinkific allows you to create free or paid courses, set up one-time payments, or offer subscription-based pricing. 

While it doesn't offer as many advanced monetization features as 51����, it does integrate well with external e-commerce tools like Shopify, which can extend its monetization capabilities.

One notable difference is that Thinkific doesn’t charge transaction fees on your sales, making it a potentially more cost-effective option if you have a smaller sales volume or are just starting. Additionally, Thinkific supports over 100 currencies, making it a versatile choice for creators with a global audience.

Bottom Line: 51���� is the better choice. It’s especially powerful if you plan to scale your business with advanced sales strategies like upsells, memberships, and affiliate marketing.

Customization

When it comes to customization, 51���� and Thinkific both offer robust options, but 51���� tends to have the edge, especially for those seeking more control over the design and functionality of their online courses and websites.

51���� offers a more extensive selection of website themes with 12 different options that can be applied with a single click.

These modern, clean, and highly customizable themes allow you to adjust settings to fit your brand seamlessly. 51����’s page builder is more powerful than Thinkific's, offering greater flexibility with design options.

You can customize section layouts, add new blocks, and modify the size and order of elements, giving you almost complete control over your site's look and feel. 51���� also supports advanced customization, such as padding adjustments, animations, and visibility settings tailored for desktop or mobile views.

While Thinkific offers three well-designed themes with multiple sub-styles, customization is more limited. The platform’s page builder, though user-friendly, is more restrictive, only allowing customization within predefined layouts. This can be a drawback if you want to create a highly personalized site. 

However, Thinkific does allow theme code editing for those with coding skills, providing some level of deeper customization.

Bottom Line: 51���� offers a more flexible and comprehensive tool suite that allows you to create a fully branded, engaging online course experience. Thinkific, while user-friendly and affordable, is better suited for those who prefer a straightforward setup without needing extensive customization options.

Learning Experience

Thinkific is often praised for its intuitive and powerful course-creation tools. It allows instructors to include various content types, such as videos, quizzes, surveys, and even live streams, all integrated within a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface.

Thinkific also excels in student assessment capabilities, offering features like randomized question banks and the ability to import quiz questions in bulk. These options are useful for educators who need robust assessment tools to track and measure student progress.

51����, while providing a solid course creation experience, focuses more on enhancing student engagement through additional features like live video sessions, coaching programs, and community-building tools.

51����’s platform includes native support for live classes and the ability to create engaging communities with challenges and group activities, which can significantly enrich the learning experience.

51���� also supports advanced content delivery options, such as drip courses and evergreen training, which help maintain student engagement over time.

Thinkific's course creation tools provide a solid learning experience, but they lack some of the advanced features that make 51���� stand out. 

For example, Thinkific provides various tools to keep students engaged, including drip lesson release notifications and push notifications on community activity. However, these features are part of the Thinkific Mobile app, which is not as highly customized as 51����'s.

Bottom Line: Both platforms deliver solid course creation tools, but 51����’s additional features, like an advanced mobile app and community-building options, give it the edge. For a more engaging and flexible learning experience, 51���� is the platform to choose.

Security

51���� takes security seriously, offering SSL encryption for all websites hosted on the platform.

This ensures that any data transmitted between your users and your site is protected. Additionally, 51���� includes built-in protection against unauthorized access to your course content. 

This is crucial for creators who want to ensure that their premium content is only accessible to paying customers.

51���� also regularly updates its platform to address potential security vulnerabilities and offers two-factor authentication (2FA) for added account protection. Additionally, 51���� also includes secure payment processing and GDPR compliance.

Thinkific also provides SSL encryption across all its hosted sites, ensuring secure data transmission. One of Thinkific's strengths is its robust content protection features, which prevent unauthorized downloads of course materials. 

Like 51����, Thinkific allows you to control access to your content, ensuring that only enrolled students can view your courses. However, Thinkific lacks some advanced security features, such as built-in 2FA, which could be a consideration for users with heightened security needs.

Bottom Line: While both 51���� and Thinkific provide fundamental security features like SSL encryption and content access control, 51���� edges out slightly with its inclusion of two-factor authentication. However, both platforms are generally reliable in protecting your content and user data, making them solid choices depending on your specific security needs.

Pricing

51����’s pricing structure is designed to scale with your business, offering more features as you upgrade through the tiers. Here's a summary of the available plans:

• Kickstarter ($55/month billed annually, $69/month billed monthly): This entry-level plan is perfect for getting your business off the ground. It includes 50 landing pages, 1,250 marketing emails, 1 product, 1 funnel, 250 contacts, 50 active customers, and 1 website. 51���� AI features and Creator Studio are included, with a 0% transaction fee.
• Basic ($119/month billed annually, $149/month billed monthly): This plan includes everything you need to start running your business, with unlimited landing pages, unlimited marketing emails, 3 products, 3 funnels, 10,000 contacts, 1,000 active customers, and 1 website. 51���� AI features and Creator Studio are included, with a 0% transaction fee.
• Growth ($159/month billed annually, $199/month billed monthly): Designed for those serious about expanding their business, this plan offers unlimited landing pages, unlimited marketing emails, 15 products, 15 funnels, 25,000 contacts, 10,000 active customers, and 1 website. Additional features include advanced automations, an affiliate program, custom branding, and 24/7 support.
• Pro ($319/month billed annually, $399/month billed monthly): Ideal for scaling your business, this plan includes 100 products, 100 funnels, 100,000 contacts, 20,000 active customers, 3 websites, and all features from the Growth plan. It also adds custom code editor access for more advanced customization.
• Enterprise (Custom pricing starting at $10,000/year): This plan is tailored for large businesses and offers personalized assistance, premium services, white-glove onboarding, dedicated customer success management, and a branded mobile app.

All 51���� plans offer a 14-day free trial, allowing you to explore its features before committing.

Thinkific offers a more flexible pricing structure, with options that range from a free plan to advanced enterprise solutions:

• Basic ($36/month billed annually, $49/month billed monthly): This plan provides access to essential tools, including unlimited courses, 1 community, 5 spaces per community, 5 digital downloads, 5 coaching & webinar sessions, and support for 1 administrator. Additional features include email and live chat support, a drag-and-drop course builder, easy-to-use website themes, and affiliate selling.
• Start ($74/month billed annually, $99/month billed monthly): Aimed at enhancing student engagement, this plan includes everything from the Basic plan, plus assignments, bundles and add-on packages, memberships and payment plans, live lessons, advanced course-building options, and advanced website code editing.
• Grow ($149/month billed annually, $199/month billed monthly): This plan is designed for growing businesses and includes everything in the Start plan, plus 3 communities, 20 spaces per community, phone and priority email support, branded mobile app (add-on), bulk student emailer, bulk enrollments, API access, randomized quiz question bank, and exams integration.
• Thinkific Plus (Custom pricing): This enterprise plan offers unlimited products, unlimited administrators, Single Sign-On (SSO), advanced analytics, dedicated customer success team, CRM integration, multiple separate Thinkific sites, SCORM compliance, enhanced student engagement functionality, additional sales tools, and more.

Thinkific also offers a 14-day free trial on all paid plans and a freemium plan that provides ongoing access to core features at no cost.

Bottom Line: Regarding pricing, 51���� offers more comprehensive features but at a higher cost, making it suitable for businesses ready to invest in advanced tools and scalability.

Thinkific, on the other hand, provides a more affordable entry point with essential features ideal for creators just starting or those who prefer a more budget-friendly option. 51����’s plans include all-in-one marketing, sales, and course creation tools with no transaction fees.

At the same time, Thinkific offers scalability and a freemium plan, but you may need additional tools for advanced marketing and automation.

51���� vs. Thinkific: The Biggest Difference You Need To Know About

When comparing 51���� vs. Thinkific, the biggest difference is that 51���� is an all-in-one platform for creating and marketing digital products. Thinkific simply does not have the same sales and marketing functionalities as 51����.

Let’s take a closer look at Thinkific. This platform comes with a course builder tool and offers you the ability to host your videos on the platform immediately.

Unlike 51����, Thinkific is focused more on educators and new business owners than coaches and entrepreneurs. It is designed to do one thing very well: create online courses.

Thinkific is easy to use. The course-building tool is intuitive, and platform use doesn’t require much tech experience. The platform is also updated regularly (unlike some others we won't mention). That means you’ll always receive the most up-to-date software features, which is always a plus!

Thinkific’s course creation tools are great. But that’s where the platform’s most robust capabilities start and end.

While Thinkific is fairly inexpensive and even offers a free plan, it lacks critical tools to grow your business. With limited marketing capabilities, you’ll end up paying for various third-party integrations every month.  

With Thinkific, you cannot:

• Create a blog. You need to use the Custom Pages feature as a workaround to create something like a traditional blog.
• Use email marketing. If you want to set up an autoresponder or send messages to potential customers, you’ll need an additional service like Infusionsoft, AWeber, MailChimp, or Constant Contact. All come at a cost.
• ‍Build out sales funnels that connect different touchpoints and tools within the platform. You need to download and pay for additional software (e.g. email marketing, webinar).

Bottom Line: While Thinkific might initially seem inexpensive, you’ll need additional marketing software to grow your business. Your monthly add-ons could cost four to five times what the plan alone costs. Plus, you still have to deal with the hassle of integrating multiple systems.

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51���� vs. Thinkific: The Final Word

When comparing 51���� and Thinkific, it’s clear that 51���� offers a more comprehensive solution for those looking to build, market, and scale their online courses and communities.

With advanced LMS features, integrated community-building tools, and a wide range of built-in apps, 51���� provides everything you need to create a seamless and professional online learning experience. Its customizable landing pages, native live streaming, and white-label options make it attractive for entrepreneurs serious about maintaining brand consistency and delivering high-quality content.

On the other hand, Thinkific is a strong contender for those who are just starting or prefer a more straightforward platform. It’s more affordable and offers solid basic features, but it requires numerous third-party integrations to match the functionality that 51���� provides out of the box.

While Thinkific is a great choice for budget-conscious creators, those looking to scale their business may find 51����’s all-in-one solution more efficient and powerful.

Ultimately, if you’re ready to take your online course business to the next level, 51���� is the clear winner.

Its advanced features, ease of use, and scalability make it an investment that can grow with your business. 

Get started with 51����’s 14-day free trial today and experience firsthand how its powerful tools can help you create, market, and sell your courses more effectively than ever before.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Main Difference Between 51���� And Thinkific?

51���� offers an all-in-one solution with advanced marketing, sales, and community-building tools built into the platform. Thinkific focuses more on course creation and requires third-party integrations for advanced marketing and automation.

Does 51���� Offer A Free Plan?

No, 51���� does not offer a free plan, but it provides a 14-day free trial that gives you full access to its features.

Can I Use Thinkific To Build A Fully Customized Website?

Thinkific offers basic website-building tools with limited customization options. You'll need to use external tools or third-party integrations for more advanced customization.

Is 51���� Or Thinkific Better For Community Building?

51���� is better for community building as it includes built-in tools like discussion boards, live events, and group challenges, while Thinkific’s community features are more basic and may require additional tools for a comprehensive experience.

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