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In the world of online education, course creators have a myriad of goals and aspirations. Whether you want to train new hires, offer remote learning options for universities, share your knowledge with a wider audience, or promote your products and services through courses, finding the best online course creation tool is crucial.
This article will explore three popular course creation platforms: Thinkific, Teachable, and Udemy. We will explore their features, pricing, support, and other important details to help you make an informed decision. So, let’s dive in!
Thinkific
Thinkific is an excellent platform for course creators who want to replicate a classroom experience in an online setting. It offers scalability for multiple instructors, admins, and support staff, making it ideal for building an education empire.
With Thinkific, you can create and sell online courses using your company or personal brand. The platform provides hosting, allowing you to scale your courses as you attract more students.
Features
Thinkific offers a wide range of features designed to enhance the learning experience for students. These features include goal setting, tracking, and customized environments, allowing students to learn in the way that suits them best.
Progress indicators help students track their progress, and they can replay course material as often as needed. Thinkific also supports various multimedia types, including videos, audio, images, PDFs, and presentations, providing a dynamic learning experience.
Other notable features of Thinkific include:
- Quizzes and assessments to test students’ knowledge
- Drag-and-drop course builder for easy organization of content
- Automation of content delivery for a seamless learning experience
- Affiliate program to boost marketing efforts
- Integration with thousands of business tools for streamlined operations
- Mobile-friendly design for on-the-go learning
- Multiple instructor profiles for collaborative teaching
- Upsell offers to increase revenue potential
Support and Examples
Thinkific offers excellent support for course creators. You can access personal email and phone support and a knowledge base, training area, and webinar support.
The Thinkific community on Facebook allows you to connect with thousands of other creators, fostering idea-sharing and providing a platform for asking questions.
Check out their examples and success stories to see what’s possible with Thinkific. These real-world examples showcase the platform’s capabilities and inspire you to create engaging and impactful courses.
Pricing: Choose a Plan That Fits Your Needs
Thinkific offers several pricing plans to cater to different needs. The free Starter plan is excellent if you’re starting and want to test the platform without any financial commitment.
The Essentials plan, priced at $49 per month, offers core features for course creation. The Business plan, priced at $99 per month, provides advanced marketing and automation features.
For more extensive needs, the Advanced plan, priced at $279 per month, offers additional customization options and premium support. Thinkific also offers an Enterprise plan for large-scale operations.
Teachable
Teachable is a platform that simplifies creating and selling online courses. Their mission is to empower individuals to share their valuable knowledge and skills with others.
Teachable provides a course-optimized website and takes care of the technical aspects, allowing you to focus on creating great content.
Features
Teachable offers a range of features to help you customize and personalize your courses. You can add assignments, exercises, and quizzes to your curriculum to encourage student interaction.
The platform also provides messaging tools, question-and-answer sessions, and course announcements to facilitate communication with your students.
Other notable features of Teachable include:
- Affiliate marketing and reward program to boost course promotion
- Customizations to reflect your branding and create a unique learning environment
- Drag-and-drop builder for easy course creation and organization
- Integration with marketing tools like MailChimp for effective promotion
- Support for multiple instructors, allowing collaborative teaching
- Payment gateway integration for seamless transactions
- Responsive design for optimal viewing on different devices
Teachable also allows you to create blog posts within the platform, providing an additional channel for sharing valuable content with your audience.
Support and Pricing
Teachers provide support through various channels. Their pop-up book, available for download on their homepage, guides you through the course creation process.
The Teachable library offers many resources to help you create and optimize your courses. The support team is available 24/7 to address any inquiries or issues.
Teachable offers several pricing plans to suit different needs. The free plan allows you to create and launch your school without any setup fees. The Basic plan, priced at $39 per month, offers core features for course creation.
The Professional plan, priced at $99 monthly, provides advanced customization options and marketing features. For large-scale operations, the Business plan, priced at $499 per month, offers additional support and customization options. Teachable also offers an Enterprise plan for organizations with unique needs.
Udemy
Udemy is a popular online learning marketplace that allows course creators to share their knowledge with a vast audience.
Unlike Thinkific and Teachable, Udemy is primarily focused on the student experience. It provides a platform for instructors to host their courses and reach a global audience.
Features
Udemy allows you to plan and create courses using your preferred tools, such as Google Docs or Microsoft products. Once you’ve submitted your course for review, you can track and manage your content on the instructor’s dashboard.
Other notable features of Udemy include:
- Assignments, exercises, and quizzes for engaging student interaction
- Direct messaging and Q&A sessions for effective communication
- Emailing tools for promotional announcements
- Support for multiple instructors to facilitate collaborative teaching
- Payment processing through Payoneer or PayPal
Udemy provides a revenue share program for instructors, allowing you to earn income from your courses. The revenue share varies depending on instructor promotions, organic Udemy traffic, and paid acquisition channels.
Support and Pricing
Udemy offers support through its community of instructors and the Instructor Support Team, available 24/7. The Instructor Support Team can assist with any questions or issues during the course creation.
Creating and hosting a course on Udemy is free, with no limit on the number of courses you can host. However, Udemy does have a revenue share program, which determines the percentage of revenue you earn based on various factors.
If you need Udemy for business purposes or want to involve a team, they offer a Team Plan and an Enterprise plan.
Comparing Thinkific, Teachable, and Udemy
When comparing Thinkific, Teachable, and Udemy, it’s important to consider your specific needs and goals as a course creator.
Thinkific vs Teachable
Thinkific and Teachable have many similarities in terms of pricing and core features. Both platforms offer free plans and paid plans with varying degrees of customization and marketing tools. However, there are some differences worth considering.
Thinkific provides a more robust theme library and customizable options, making it an attractive choice for those who want to create visually appealing courses. Thinkific offers more advanced marketing features, such as upsell offers and complete hosting services.
On the other hand, Teachable offers a simpler interface and more effortless checkout flow, making it a user-friendly option. Teachable has a stronger focus on sales and marketing tools, including affiliate marketing and one-click upsells.
Ultimately, the choice between Thinkific and Teachable depends on your specific needs and preferences. It is recommended to use their free plans to test the platforms and see which one aligns better with your goals.
Udemy: A Global Marketplace
Udemy stands out from Thinkific and Teachable because it is primarily a global course marketplace. Udemy offers a vast audience of students and a platform to host and sell your courses.
While Udemy provides less customization and course creation tools than Thinkific and Teachable, it offers a ready-made platform to reach a large audience.
Udemy’s revenue share program allows you to earn income from your courses. Still, it’s important to note that competition may be higher on Udemy due to the many courses available.
If you can create courses on your own and need a platform to host them, Udemy is a cost-effective option.
Conclusion
choosing the best course creation platform depends on your specific needs as a course creator. If you’re looking to replicate a classroom experience online and want advanced marketing features, Thinkific is an excellent choice.
If you prefer a user-friendly interface and strong sales and marketing tools, Teachable may be the right fit. For those who want to tap into a global marketplace and reach a wide audience, Udemy provides a ready-made platform.
We recommend thoroughly exploring each platform’s features, support, and pricing to make an informed decision. Consider your goals, target audience, and desired level of customization to find the platform that aligns best with your needs.
Remember, success in course creation ultimately depends on the quality of your content and your ability to engage and inspire your students. Good luck on your course creation journey!
