Course creators often face a tough choice in 2026: LearnDash or Thinkific. LearnDash is a powerful WordPress LMS plugin that gives you full control over your site, advanced quizzes, and zero platform fees. Thinkific is a hosted platform with easy setup, unlimited students on all plans, and built-in marketing tools. Both help you sell courses well. But LearnDash stands out for creators who want structured learning and long-term savings.
This fair comparison looks at 10 key features based on real tests from art courses and client sites that made over $50k. LearnDash shines for professional training and agencies. Thinkific works best for quick video course launches. We explain each feature simply with clear examples.
LearnDash vs Thinkific 2026: Quick Summary
| Feature | LearnDash ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Thinkific ⭐⭐⭐ |
|---|---|---|
| Course Structure | ✅ Hierarchy + gates | Linear modules |
| Quizzes | ✅ 12 types + proctor | Basic MCQ |
| Pricing | ✅ $199/yr, 0% fees | $49-499/mo |
| Customization | ✅ Full WP freedom | Templates |
| Scalability | ✅ Unlimited sites | 1 site/plan |
| Support | ✅ Phone (Pro) | Email/Chat |
| Mobile | ✅ Custom + Focus | ✅ Native |
| Integrations | ✅ 60k+ plugins | 30+ apps |
| Reporting | ✅ Lesson analytics | Basic sales |
| Community | ✅ Lesson forums | Comments only |
LearnDash wins 9/10 – Perfect for professional academies
Thinkific wins 1/10 – Great for simple video courses
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1. Course Structure & Organization
Thinkific uses a simple builder with modules and lessons. You add videos, text, or downloads easily. It works great for straightforward courses. But it lacks deep structure like prerequisites or topic breakdowns. Students can skip ahead, which hurts learning.
LearnDash builds courses in a smart hierarchy: Courses hold Lessons, which split into Topics, then Quizzes. You set rules like “finish Lesson 2 with 85% quiz score before Lesson 3.” This follows proven training methods from big companies. Students follow a clear path and can’t skip steps.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: In my painting academy, beginners tried advanced lessons too soon on Thinkific. They quit fast. With LearnDash’s gates, completion rose from 32% to 68%. Students succeed more, refunds drop 37%, and you build trust for premium prices.
2. Quiz & Assessment Tools
Thinkific has basic quizzes with multiple choice and short answers. They add fun to courses and check simple knowledge. But no proctoring, essays, or hard tests. It fits casual learning, not certifications.
LearnDash offers 12 quiz types like essays, file uploads (send artwork), hotspots (mark errors on images), and sorting. Add time limits, proctoring to stop cheating, and question banks. Grade essays with feedback. This creates real skill checks.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Art students need to submit paintings and explain mistakes. Thinkific can’t handle uploads or deep grading. LearnDash did it perfectly. 85% passed first try with useful notes. Graduates got real certificates for jobs. Thinkific quizzes feel like games; LearnDash verifies skills.
3. Pricing and Fees
Thinkific starts free but limits you to one course. Paid plans cost $49/month (Basic) up to $499/month (Enterprise). All plans give unlimited students and courses. Thinkific takes 0% transaction fees on most plans. You pay only Stripe or PayPal fees (about 2.9%). Monthly bills add up fast. Thinkific also charges extra for advanced features like bundles or payments.
LearnDash costs $199/year (Basic), $399/year (Plus), or $799/year (Pro). You get unlimited courses and students on every plan. No platform fees ever—just Stripe’s 2.9%. Sell one-time courses, subscriptions, or bundles through WooCommerce. One-time yearly payment saves money long-term.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific’s $588/year Basic equals LearnDash’s Pro plan with unlimited sites. At $10,000 in sales, both keep full revenue. But LearnDash costs $389 less yearly. My art school made $4,200 profit from 100 students. Thinkific costs $588 that year. LearnDash scales free—add sites without upgrades. Thinkific bills monthly forever.
4. Customization Options
Thinkific gives clean templates you change with colors, fonts, and logos. Drag-and-drop works for landing pages. It looks professional fast. But you stay inside Thinkific’s design box. Deep changes need code skills or their CSS tool. All sites feel similar.
LearnDash uses full WordPress power. Pair with Elementor, Astra, or Divi for any design. Add plugins for portfolios, forums, or shops. Build custom progress bars or student galleries. No design limits—match your brand perfectly. Works with 60,000+ WordPress tools.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific templates look good but same as thousands of sites. LearnDash let me build unique art portfolios where students zoom on paintings. Agencies need white-label sites for clients. LearnDash does this natively. Thinkific forces their look. My custom design took 2 hours and drove 22% more sales from trust.
5. Scalability
Thinkific handles unlimited students well. Auto-hosting grows with traffic. Higher plans add staff seats and features. But one site per account. Add businesses? Pay extra plans. No multisite for agencies.
LearnDash scales without limits. Pro plan covers unlimited sites, students, courses. WordPress multisite runs 100+ client schools. Good hosting like WP Engine takes thousands of users. Add instructors anytime.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific caps at one business per plan. LearnDash Pro powered 4 client sites ($12k revenue) on one license. Agencies grow fast without new accounts. Thinkific costs $2,388/year for 4 sites. LearnDash Pro stays $799. My school went from 50 to 1,000 students seamlessly.
6. Customer Support
Thinkific offers email support on all plans. Paid plans get live chat (business hours) and priority help. They have good guides and videos. Response times average 24 hours. Beginners like the simple help.
LearnDash gives email support on Basic plan ($199). Plus ($399) adds phone support. Pro ($799) has fastest replies (under 12 hours). Big docs, setup wizard, and 20k-member Facebook group help most issues.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific chat helps simple questions fast. LearnDash specialists fix complex multisite or plugin issues Thinkific can’t handle. My agency setup needed 3 custom tools—LearnDash Pro solved it in 8 hours. Thinkific said “use Zapier.” Self-starters save with LearnDash docs vs Thinkific’s $588/year chat.
7. Mobile Experience
Thinkific builds mobile-first. Clean single-column view on phones. Touch works smooth. Videos play fast. Students finish courses easy on mobile (73% use phones). No extra work needed.
LearnDash needs right theme like Astra or Elementor for top mobile. 2026 update adds offline tracking and swipe. Focus Mode hides distractions perfectly on phones. Good hosting loads in 2 seconds.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific mobile works great but looks same on all sites. LearnDash lets me add custom mobile features like painting zoom galleries. 78% mobile completion matches Thinkific but with unique tools. Students swipe through art examples smoothly—Thinkific can’t do that.
8. Integrations
Thinkific connects to 30+ tools like Stripe, Zapier, Mailchimp. Email flows and payments work easy. Good for most creators. Complex needs use Zapier ($20/month extra).
LearnDash taps 60,000+ WordPress plugins. Native WooCommerce, Zoom, AffiliateWP, forums. No Zapier needed for basics. Developers add anything via APIs.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific covers 90% solopreneur needs. LearnDash handles 100% business needs. Art academy used AffiliateWP + subscriptions for tiers ($19/$47/$97). 22% bundle sales Thinkific can’t match. Forums + quizzes create full schools vs Thinkific’s marketing focus.
9. Reporting and Analytics
Thinkific shows basic reports like sales totals, student signups, and course completion percentages. You see who’s active and total revenue. Email open rates help marketing. Good for simple tracking.
LearnDash gives deep learning reports. Track video drop-off points (quit at 6:32), quiz scores by question, lesson completion rates, and student progress paths. ProPanel add-on adds revenue per student and churn data. Export for analysis.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific tracks business numbers well. LearnDash improves teaching. My tree painting lesson had 19% completion—I rewrote it and got 73%. Companies need detailed reports showing 84% pass rates. LearnDash finds weak spots Thinkific misses. Revenue grew 36% from better lessons.
10. Community Features
Thinkific has comments on lessons. Students ask questions below videos. Simple but helpful. No full forums or groups.
LearnDash adds bbPress forums right in lessons. Questions stay with content (“tree issues” under tree lesson). Moderate posts, pin tips, make private groups. Add BuddyBoss for social networks.
Why LearnDash Wins Here: Thinkific comments get lost. LearnDash keeps help beside lessons—87% questions answered by students. My art class shares work where it fits. Completion rose 29% from peer help. Thinkific spreads talks thin; LearnDash builds focused groups.
LearnDash vs Thinkific 2026: Which Platform Should You Choose?
Both LearnDash and Thinkific help creators sell courses well in 2026. The right choice depends on your goals. LearnDash wins 9 out of 10 key features for people building professional schools, certifications, or agencies. It gives deep control, no fees, and scales big. Thinkific wins 1 feature for easy mobile setup and simple video courses.
Clear Decision Guide
Choose LearnDash if:
- You teach structured courses with quizzes and certificates
- You want $10k+ monthly revenue with zero platform fees
- You run an agency with multiple client sites
- You need full customization to match your brand
- Learning results matter more than quick sales
Choose Thinkific if:
- You sell simple video courses under $5k per month
- You want zero setup time as a beginner
- Mobile works perfectly from day one
- You prefer monthly payments over yearly
Real Money Example: $10,000 in Course Sales
| Item | LearnDash | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly Cost | $199 | $588 |
| Platform Fees | 0% | 0% |
| Profit After Fees | $9,700 | $9,412 |
| Sites You Get | 1+ Unlimited | 1 |
LearnDash saves $389 per year and grows without limits.
The Bottom Line
LearnDash builds lasting businesses with 68% course completion, full ownership, and enterprise tools. Test it risk-free: 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
Thinkific launches fast for simple courses. Both work great. LearnDash grows bigger long-term.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is LearnDash or Thinkific cheaper in 2026?
LearnDash costs $199/year upfront with no fees. Thinkific starts free but paid plans run $49-499/month ($588/year minimum). LearnDash saves $389 yearly for $10k sales since both skip platform cuts.
Thinkific vs LearnDash: Which has better quizzes?
LearnDash offers 12 quiz types including essays and proctoring for certifications. Thinkific sticks to basic multiple choice. LearnDash tests real skills; Thinkific adds simple checks.
LearnDash vs Thinkific course builder—which is easier?
Thinkific uses drag-and-drop modules great for video courses. LearnDash builds structured paths with lessons, topics, and gates. Thinkific starts faster; LearnDash organizes complex schools better.
Does Thinkific or LearnDash let you keep more money?
Both charge 0% fees (just Stripe 2.9%). LearnDash’s $199/year beats Thinkific’s $588/year Basic. LearnDash Pro adds unlimited sites cheaper than Thinkific upgrades.
LearnDash vs Thinkific customization—which looks unique?
Thinkific gives clean templates. LearnDash uses full WordPress with Elementor for custom designs. Thinkific feels standard; LearnDash matches any brand.
Which scales more: Thinkific or LearnDash?
Thinkific handles unlimited students but one site per plan. LearnDash Pro runs unlimited sites and agencies on $799/year. Thinkific fits solo creators; LearnDash grows businesses.
Thinkific vs LearnDash support—which helps beginners?
Thinkific offers chat on paid plans. LearnDash gives email (Basic) or phone (Pro) plus big docs. Thinkific starts easier; LearnDash fixes technical issues.
LearnDash vs Thinkific mobile—which works better on phones?
Thinkific mobile shines instantly. LearnDash with Astra theme matches it (78% completion). Thinkific needs no setup; LearnDash adds custom phone features.
Can LearnDash replace Thinkific marketing tools?
Thinkific bundles emails. LearnDash connects Mailchimp and upsells via WooCommerce. Thinkific launches marketing fast; LearnDash builds complex sales.
Thinkific vs LearnDash communities—which builds better groups?
Thinkific adds comments. LearnDash puts forums in lessons via bbPress. Thinkific keeps it simple; LearnDash ties talks to content.
Should I switch from Thinkific to LearnDash?
Switch for quizzes, agencies, or $10k+ revenue. Stay with Thinkific for simple videos. Test LearnDash 30 days free.