Thinkific vs Shopify (2024): A Comprehensive Comparison

Thinkific vs Shopify: Which platform do you have to be utilizing to develop your enterprise? On the floor, it would appear to be an odd comparability. In spite of everything, whereas each instruments are SaaS platforms designed for entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners, they serve completely different functions.

Shopify is a commerce platform, permitting firms to promote just about any product (digital or digital) by means of a variety of various channels. Thinkific is a course constructing platform, particularly supposed to help educators promoting digital sources to college students.

In fact, there are some overlaps. After experimenting with each instruments in depth, right here’s my full comparability evaluation of Shopify and Thinkific.

Shopify Professionals and Cons

Thinkific Professionals and Cons

Comparability Desk

The Total Options

Whereas Shopify and Thinkific won’t appear too related on the floor, they do have overlapping options. As an illustration, each platforms will mean you can construct your personal web site, join along with your neighborhood (or clients), course of a variety of various fee choices, and even promote subscriptions.

Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the core options of Shopify and Thinkific.

Plus, Shopify is good for omnichannel gross sales, because of its integrations with main marketplaces and social media channels. There’s even a Shopify POS resolution, which empowers firms to promote merchandise in-person, and sync their stock between on-line and brick-and-mortar shops.

The important thing options of Shopify embrace:

• A robust web site builder: Shopify has a unbelievable web site builder, with an easy-to-use editor, so you’ll be able to customise each side of your website. There are dozens of premium and free themes to select from, in addition to useful page-building instruments for particular person website parts.
• Versatile gross sales options: Whilst you can’t construct a course straight on Shopify, you’ll be able to nonetheless create neighborhood environments, and promote “subscriptions” to content material to your clients on a recurring foundation. You too can promote something you want, from digital downloads to bodily objects.
• Cost processing: Shopify has its personal devoted fee processing resolution “Shopify Funds”, which helps just about any fee possibility, from credit score and debit playing cards to on-line wallets, reward playing cards, and extra. You’ll be able to even create invoices.
• Branding instruments: If you happen to need assistance growing your personal model, you’ll be able to entry a variety of useful instruments from Shopify. You should buy your personal area, create customized belongings with Shopify’s design instruments, and even design your personal free emblem.
• CMS: The content material administration system constructed into Shopify offers you full freedom over creating several types of pages and content material. You can also make sure pages non-public to subscribers, and design a weblog with built-in search engine optimisation options.
• Buyer engagement: If you happen to need assistance connecting along with your purchasers or neighborhood, Shopify affords a variety of choices, from built-in e mail advertising and marketing to Shopify Inbox for chat. Plus, there are buyer insights instruments to assist section your viewers.
• Analytics and reporting: Shopify’s superior reporting instruments make it straightforward to trace the whole lot from stock and tax data to your hottest services. You’ll be able to even create customized dashboards, or use pre-built report templates.

Shopify additionally has an enormous app market, the “Shopify App Retailer”, the place you will discover countless integrations for the whole lot from course constructing instruments to advertising and marketing, bookkeeping, analytics, and gross sales apps. This implies you’ll be able to simply develop the performance of any website.

You too can construct web sites to assist market your enterprise, leverage automated tax instruments, and entry a variety of options for rising and scaling your organization.

Thinkific’s core options embrace:

• Course creation instruments: Course creation instruments are on the coronary heart of Thinkific’s platforms. You’ll be able to design programs that includes a variety of various types of content material, from quizzes to movies. Plus, you’ll be able to resolve precisely the way you wish to ship classes to college students.
• Web site builder: Thinkific’s easy web site builder makes it straightforward to create an expert “storefront” to your on-line course. There aren’t any coding abilities crucial, and corporations can select from a variety of various customizable templates and themes.
• Cost processing: Thinkific ensures firms can take funds for his or her programs utilizing any methodology of their alternative. You’ll be able to settle for debit and bank card funds, and reward playing cards, ship invoices to clients, and settle for funds in a number of currencies.
• Group options: If you wish to construct an lively neighborhood round your course, Thinkific Communities affords the whole lot you want. Options vary from reside classes, to occasions, teaching choices, and members-only unique content material administration.
• Cell app builder: Whereas Shopify’s web sites are cell responsive, Thinkific goes a step additional by permitting you to really create your personal branded app. You’ll be able to even belief Thinkific to deal with creating and managing your app for you.
• Analytics and experiences: Behind-the-scenes insights and experiences on Thinkific assist you to to maintain monitor of your gross sales, your high-performing programs, and different invaluable information. You’ll be able to even monitor the efficiency of your college students.
• Enterprise LMS: Thinkific’s enterprise LMS resolution comes with entry to an revolutionary portal for creating branded studying environments, single sign-on, and API options. Plus, you get entry to limitless admin accounts and SOC2 compliance.
• TCommerce: TCommerce from Thinkific is the all-in-one gross sales processing resolution that mixes fee processing, with automated tax calculations and even order bumps, so you’ll be able to improve gross sales with “upsell” methods.
• Advertising and marketing instruments: Though there aren’t a variety of advertising and marketing instruments included as-standard with Thinkific, you’ll be able to create a customized area, and leverage affiliate promoting instruments on the premium plans. Plus, there are many advertising and marketing integrations accessible.

Like Shopify, Thinkific additionally affords a complete vary of integrations to select from to assist elevate your enterprise. You’ll be able to join the platform to e mail automation instruments, advertising and marketing apps, gross sales options, and accounting apps too.

Pricing Plans

Though it’s straightforward to get caught up on the lookout for the “least costly” resolution once you’re shopping for instruments to develop your enterprise, it’s value remembering that value isn’t the whole lot. Ensure you contemplate the precise vary of options you’re getting in alternate to your subscription.

Thinkific Pricing

Thinkific does make it easier to get started if you’re on a budget, because of its free plan. You’ll be able to create 1 course, 1 neighborhood (with 2 areas), and have 1 administrator on a free Thinkific account. This plan additionally consists of fee processing, coaching academy entry, app integrations, the drag-and-drop course builder, and web site constructing instruments.

The premium plans for Thinkific embrace:

• Fundamental: $49 per 30 days: All of the options of Free, plus limitless programs, 5 areas per neighborhood, a customized area, affiliate promoting, coupons and reductions, e mail and reside chat help, and free entry to the Accelerator program.
• Begin: $99 per 30 days: All of the options of Fundamental, plus 10 areas per neighborhood, assignments, bundles and add-on packages, memberships and fee plans, reside classes, superior course constructing choices, and web site code enhancing.
• Develop: $199 per 30 days: All of the options in Begin, plus 3 communities with 20 areas per neighborhood, 2 directors, no Thinkific branding, bulk scholar emailing, API entry, and precedence e mail and telephone help.
• Broaden: $499 per 30 days: All of the options of Develop, plus 10 communities with limitless communities, 5 directors, customizable checkout, no transaction charges, and precedence help on all channels.

There’s additionally the Thinkific Plus enterprise plan, which incorporates entry to a branded cell app (accessible for an additional price on different websites), and help for limitless directors. You additionally get a service degree settlement, 3+ separate Thinkific websites, bulk promoting instruments, e mail white-labeling, and a devoted buyer success workforce.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify offers slightly fewer plans to choose from, and there’s no free plan. You can attempt Shopify for 3 days, then entry the service for 3 months, for $1 per 30 days.

The core plans embrace:

• Fundamental: $39 per 30 days with primary experiences, as much as 1,000 stock places, SSL certificates, 2 workers accounts, fee processing, running a blog, advertising and marketing instruments, the total web site builder, and entry to apps and integrations.
• Shopify: $105 per 30 days for all of the options of Fundamental, plus skilled experiences, 5 workers accounts, multi-channel international promoting, transport reductions, and different superior instruments.
• Superior: $399 per 30 days for all of the options of Shopify, plus 15 workers accounts, a customized report builder, entry to import tax instruments, and reward playing cards.

There’s additionally the Shopify Plus plan for Enterprise customers, which comes with all of the options of Superior, plus extra customization choices, API entry, uptime ensures, and devoted buyer help and safety. Notably, all of those plans embrace fee processing charges, and it is advisable to pay an additional transaction payment should you don’t use Shopify Funds.

There’s additionally a useful “Starter” plan for $5 per 30 days if you wish to simply add ecommerce performance to an current web site, or promote by means of social media and messaging apps.

Web site Design and Templates

Although Shopify and Thinkific may serve barely completely different audiences, they do each permit firms to construct their very own distinctive web sites.

Thinkific

Thinkific’s web site constructing instruments are a bit of primary, however they’re simple and user-friendly, wonderful for inexperienced persons.

You’ll be able to entry a variety of customizable web site themes, and even add your personal HTML and CSS code into the combination. There are instruments for creating a variety of gross sales pages, and implementing your personal area. Plus, you’ll be able to add distinctive performance to your website with the Thinkific app retailer.

The general web site builder may be very straightforward to make use of, with the whole lot it is advisable to succeed included, similar to weblog performance, so you’ll be able to increase your on-line presence.

Shopify

Shopify’s web site constructing instruments are additionally very simple, however they’re much more complete. There are tons of choices for customizing the whole lot on each web page, whether or not you’re experimenting with sections, including buttons to gross sales pages, or embedding movies and different content material.

You’ll be able to design nearly any sort of web site, from a portfolio to a subscription-based web site. Plus, running a blog instruments come built-in into the expertise, together with search engine optimisation options, so you’ll be able to make sure you stand out on-line. Plus, Shopify affords instruments that can assist you construct branded belongings to your web site too.

As an illustration, you’ll be able to create a free emblem, purchase a customized area, and extra. On the subject of themes, there are countless choices to select from, starting from free themes to premium choices.

Shopify Theme Preview
Shopify Theme Retailer

Shopify Theme Preview


Shopify Theme Retailer

Ecommerce Options

Fast Verdict: Shopify comes out on high when it comes to ecommerce options, just because it permits firms to promote a wider vary of merchandise, in quite a lot of other ways. You’ll be able to combine Shopify with a number of gross sales channels, and even promote in-person with POS instruments.

Each Thinkific and Shopify provide creators and entrepreneurs the chance to promote their merchandise on-line. Thinkific solely focuses on the sale of digital services, similar to teaching, programs, and webinars. Shopify permits firms to promote something, on just about any channel.

Thinkific

Thinkific’s ecommerce instruments are comparatively straightforward to make use of, and fairly complete. You’ll be able to create coupons and reward playing cards for patrons, in addition to particular offers and bundles for various teams. There’s additionally the choice to create touchdown pages to spice up your probabilities of gross sales.

The “TCommerce” service from Thinkific is on the coronary heart of its ecommerce resolution. This resolution permits firms to take funds from credit score and debit playing cards, in addition to instruments like Apple Pay and Google Pay. There’s additionally purchase now pay later choices accessible.

You’ll be able to upsell clients with order bumps, course of funds shortly and securely, and even robotically calculate taxes on your whole gross sales.

Shopify

As a devoted commerce platform, Shopify does provide much more performance for ecommerce. You’ll be able to promote any product you want; nonetheless you want. Shopify’s in-built fee processor helps all types of funds, from debit and bank cards to reward playing cards and cell wallets.

Plus, you’ll be able to promote offline with the Shopify POS system, and combine your whole on-line and in-store stock data in seconds. Shopify helps the sale of digital and bodily merchandise, in addition to recurring subscriptions.

Plus, there are numerous instruments that can assist you run your retailer extra successfully, from tax and VAT calculation instruments, to built-in transport and achievement providers. There’s even the choice to ship deserted cart emails from Shopify to cut back your probabilities of misplaced gross sales.

Course Creation

Fast Verdict: Thinkific is the clear alternative for course creation, with its devoted templates and artistic instruments. You’ll be capable of create assignments, drip programs, quizzes, and even complete communities the place college students can join with their friends.

Thinkific

If you happen to’re on the lookout for course creation, Thinkific is clearly the best way to go. Not solely does it provide an internet course platform, full with user-friendly templates and customization instruments, however it makes it straightforward to create highly effective programs from scratch.

You’ll be able to drag and drop parts into your programs, check college students with assignments and quizzes, and even monitor their progress.

There’s additionally the choice to create scheduled, cohort, and self-paced programs, host reside classes and webinars by means of your neighborhood channels, and ship completion certificates to college students. Plus, for an additional payment, you’ll be able to create a devoted cell app to your college students.

Thinkific additionally has unbelievable neighborhood instruments, so you’ll be able to have interaction your college students continuously and improve potential gross sales.

Shopify

Sadly, Shopify doesn’t provide any of those options straight.

You’ll be able to create non-public pages, and promote entry to website content material to clients by means of subscriptions. There’s the choice to create pages and weblog posts which may embrace video and audio recordsdata. You’ll be able to’t design quizzes or assignments.

One factor you are able to do with Shopify, is entry integrations and add-ons that supply their very own course-building instruments. There are tons of choices on the Shopify app retailer, though utilizing a few of these options might incur an extra payment.

Apps & Integrations

Fast Verdict: Shopify affords the widest number of add-ons, apps, and integrations by means of its app retailer. There are lots of of choices to select from. Plus, Shopify permits firms to attach their retailer and website to social media and different instruments in a few clicks.

Thinkific Apps

If you happen to’re on the lookout for a strategy to align your whole digital instruments, each Thinkific and Shopify provide extremely versatile platforms. Thinkific’s apps and integrations cowl the whole lot from e mail advertising and marketing instruments like ActiveCampaign, to promoting and conversion apps.

Shopify Apps

Shopify does provide much more integrations to select from, starting from revolutionary instruments for accounting and bookkeeping, to web page builders and even course creators.

Plus, the platform robotically integrates with Google Analytics and Meta Pixel, in addition to numerous social media platforms and marketplaces for omnichannel promoting.

Buyer Assist

Fast Verdict: The customer support choices for Thinkific are extra intensive. There are academic sources such because the Accelerator program, on-line assist facilities, and choices to contact the workforce through telephone, reside chat, and e mail.

If you happen to need assistance constructing your on-line presence, each Shopify and Thinkific provide a variety of choices. With Shopify, you’ll be able to contact the workforce straight by means of chat or e mail, however there’s no telephone help possibility. There are numerous invaluable on-line sources accessible, similar to guides, movies, and blogs. Plus, you’ll be able to rent a Shopify Professional for additional assist.

Thinkific affords a wider vary of instruments to select from. There’s the Accelerator program to get you began (included in most plans), in addition to numerous FAQs, guides, movies, and on-line sources. You’ll be able to entry Thinkific’s Fb neighborhood, or discuss on to a options professional too.

Plus, on high of chat and e mail help, Thinkific affords telephone help too. Though that is solely accessible on sure paid plans.

Thinkific vs Shopify: The Verdict

Finally, Thinkific and Shopify are each extraordinarily highly effective platforms with a number of invaluable instruments to supply enterprise leaders. They each permit firms to promote merchandise on-line, create subscriptions, and even design web sites and distinctive pages.

Thinkific is meant primarily for on-line educators, trying to promote digital merchandise and construct on-line communities of scholars. Shopify, alternatively, is a complete commerce platform, permitting companies to promote any sort of product on a number of channels.

The best possibility for you in the end depends upon your enterprise mannequin.

FAQs

Does Shopify Combine with Thinkific?

Sure, you’ll be able to combine Thinkific with Shopify by means of the Shopify app retailer. This lets you promote programs straight by means of Shopify, whereas accessing the entire course creation and neighborhood instruments supplied by the Thinkific model.

Can I promote a course on Shopify?

The one methods to promote programs on Shopify is to supply subscriptions to premium, gated content material, or you’ll be able to add a course creation instrument to your Shopify retailer, like Thinkific. Shopify doesn’t have its personal native course creation platform.

How do I hyperlink a Thinkific Course on Shopify

After you join your Thinkific account to Shopify by means of the Shopify app retailer, you’ll be capable of entry the entire programs in your Thinkific platform by means of Shopify. You’ll be able to then listing these programs in your ecommerce web site, like some other digital product.

Is it value Beginning a Shopify Retailer?

If you happen to’re trying to get began on the planet of ecommerce, beginning a Shopify retailer might be a superb possibility. Shopify is straightforward to make use of, and it helps a variety of omnichannel promoting options, so you’ll be able to improve your income over time.