Simplero vs. Thinkific: Which Platform to Use?

Here’s my honest Simplero vs. Thinkific comparison guide.

Since 2019, online courses have experienced explosive growth, driven by increasing demand for remote learning and upskilling.

Simplero and Thinkific play crucial roles in this expansion by empowering course creators. They offer intuitive platforms for designing, marketing, and selling courses, facilitating the seamless delivery of educational content.

These platforms streamline the process for solo entrepreneurs, businesses, and educational institutions, allowing them to tap into the thriving online education market.

The main difference is that Simplero prioritizes robust customization and scalability for diverse businesses, while Thinkific focuses on a user-friendly approach, making it particularly suitable for beginners. Simplero caters to advanced course structures, whereas Thinkific emphasizes straightforward course creation with versatile customization options, meeting varying needs in the online education landscape.

In this guide, we’ll explore the key features, customization capabilities, scalability, pricing transparency, and the pros and cons.

Simplero vs. Thinkific: Key Features Compared

This table provides an overview of the main features of these tools.

What is Simplero? Does it Work?

Simplero is a versatile online course platform designed for users of all levels. It integrates course creation, marketing, and sales tools into a unified solution.

With a user-friendly interface, Simplero enables creators to easily navigate and customize their courses.

The platform supports diverse multimedia content and offers scalability for businesses at various stages. Simplero’s comprehensive approach makes it suitable for both beginners and experienced course creators.

Pros:

• Intuitive Interface: Simplero boasts a user-friendly design, ensuring easy navigation.
• Robust Customization: The platform allows extensive customization for creating unique courses.
• Diverse Integrations: Simplero offers a wide range of integrations to enhance course functionalities.
• Scalability: It is scalable, accommodating the growth of businesses and courses.
• Membership Features: Simplero includes features for managing memberships and communities.

Cons:

• Learning Curve: Some users may experience a learning curve for advanced features.
• Limited Built-in Marketing: Simplero’s built-in marketing features might be considered basic.
• Pricing Structure: The custom pricing for larger enterprises may lack transparency.
• Interface Complexity: The abundance of features may lead to a slightly complex interface.

What is Thinkific? Who Should Use it?

Thinkific is a user-friendly online course platform designed for simplicity and effectiveness. It allows users to effortlessly create, market, and sell courses. Thinkific’s intuitive interface caters to beginners, making it easy to navigate.

The platform supports versatile customization, enabling course creators to brand their courses effectively.

With transparent pricing structures and a growing app marketplace, Thinkific provides a well-rounded solution for individuals and businesses entering the online education space.

Pros:

• Beginner-Friendly: Thinkific’s interface is designed for easy use, making it ideal for beginners.
• Versatile Customization: The platform offers customization options to brand courses effectively.
• Transparent Pricing: Thinkific provides clear pricing structures for various business needs.
• Robust Multimedia Support: It supports various multimedia formats for engaging course content.
• Growing App Marketplace: Thinkific’s app marketplace continues to expand, offering additional functionalities.

Cons:

• Limited Marketing Features: Thinkific’s built-in marketing tools might be considered basic.
• Free Plan Limitations: The free plan has limitations on advanced features.
• Transaction Fees: Transaction fees may apply, depending on the chosen payment gateway.
• Advanced Customization: Advanced customization options might be limited compared to other platforms.

Simplero vs. Thinkific: Detailed Feature Comparison Guide

Let’s explore further into the main feature and compare them side by side.

1. User-Friendly Experience:

Simplero offers an exceptionally user-friendly experience with an intuitive interface that caters to users of all skill levels. Navigating through the platform is a breeze, and its well-organized dashboard ensures that course creators can effortlessly access the tools needed for course creation, marketing, and management.

The simplicity of Simplero’s design contributes to a positive user experience, fostering efficiency and making it an ideal choice for beginners and experienced users alike.

Thinkific is renowned for its user-friendly approach, providing an interface designed for ease of use. The platform ensures that even those new to online course creation can navigate effortlessly through the process.

Thinkific’s emphasis on simplicity aligns with its commitment to making online education accessible to a broad audience. The platform’s straightforward design contributes to a smooth learning curve, creating a positive environment for course creators.

Verdict: Simplero takes the lead in user-friendliness, offering an intuitive interface that caters to users of all skill levels.

2. Customization Capabilities:

Simplero excels in customization capabilities, providing course creators with robust features to tailor their courses to unique specifications. The platform allows for extensive customization of sales pages, membership sites, and course content.

Simplero’s commitment to offering a wide array of customization options empowers course creators to deliver a personalized and branded learning experience, ensuring their courses stand out.

Thinkific offers versatile customization options, allowing course creators to design their course sites to align with their brand.

While not as extensive as Simplero, Thinkific ensures that users can create visually appealing and branded course content. The platform provides flexibility in course design, allowing creators to showcase their unique style while maintaining a user-friendly experience.

Verdict: Simplero secures the lead in customization capabilities, offering a broader range of features for creating personalized and branded online courses.

3. Scalability:

Simplero is designed to be scalable, accommodating business growth seamlessly. Whether you’re an individual course creator or a growing enterprise, Simplero’s infrastructure ensures that your online courses can evolve to meet increasing demands.

The platform’s scalability features make it a strategic choice for those with long-term expansion goals.

Thinkific is adaptable for evolving courses, making it suitable for businesses at various stages.

Its scalability features allow course creators to expand their offerings and student base without compromising on performance. Thinkific’s commitment to adaptability ensures that users can scale their courses according to changing needs.

Verdict: Tie – Both Simplero and Thinkific excel in scalability, providing platforms that adapt effortlessly to evolving business and course requirements.

4. Pricing Transparency:

Simplero stands out with a clear and transparent pricing structure, allowing course creators to understand and plan their expenses effectively.

The straightforward approach ensures that users can select the plan that aligns with their budget and business needs. Simplero’s commitment to pricing transparency contributes to a positive user experience.

Thinkific provides transparent pricing with flexibility. The platform’s pricing structure is clear and allows users to choose plans based on their specific requirements, ensuring transparency in understanding and planning expenses.

Thinkific’s straightforward approach to pricing enhances the user experience, providing clarity for budget planning.

Verdict: Tie – Both Simplero and Thinkific offer transparent pricing structures, providing users with clarity in planning their expenses effectively.

5. App Ecosystem:

Simplero boasts a diverse range of integrations, providing users with a wide array of tools to enhance their online course creation and marketing efforts.

The platform’s app ecosystem ensures that course creators can expand their capabilities by integrating seamlessly with third-party applications.

Simplero’s commitment to a comprehensive app ecosystem enhances the overall functionality of the platform.

Thinkific features a growing app marketplace, offering additional tools and integrations to enhance the course creation experience.

While not as extensive as Simplero’s ecosystem, Thinkific ensures that users have access to essential integrations. Thinkific’s dedication to expanding its app marketplace contributes to the platform’s versatility.

Verdict: Simplero takes the lead in the app ecosystem category, offering users a comprehensive marketplace with a broader range of tools and integrations.

Use Cases for Simplero and Thinkific

1. Solo Entrepreneurs: Simplero is an ideal choice for solo entrepreneurs looking to create and sell online courses. Its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features empower individuals to launch and manage courses independently.
2. Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: Simplero caters to the needs of small to medium-sized businesses seeking scalable solutions. Whether it’s a single course or a suite of offerings, Simplero adapts to evolving business requirements.
3. Coaches and Consultants: Coaches and consultants benefit from Simplero’s customization capabilities. The platform allows them to deliver tailored content, manage memberships, and streamline their coaching services.

Thinkific Use Case Examples:

1. Educational Institutions: Thinkific is suitable for educational institutions seeking to deliver courses online. Its versatility allows institutions to create a branded and user-friendly online learning environment.
2. Professional Development: Thinkific serves professionals and businesses focusing on professional development. The platform enables the creation of courses that enhance skills and knowledge for career growth.
3. Branding Courses: Thinkific is a go-to choice for those wanting to maintain a strong brand presence. Customization options allow users to showcase courses with a branded look and feel.

Simplero Pricing Breakdown

Simplero offers three pricing plans:

1. Launch: Starting at $29 per month, ideal for those starting with one course.
2. Grow: Priced at $119 per month, suitable for growing businesses with multiple courses.
3. Scale: Custom pricing for larger enterprises with advanced needs.

Thinkific Pricing Breakdown

Thinkific provides four pricing plans:

1. Free: Basic features for those starting out.
2. Basic: Starting at $39 per month, offering core features for building a foundation.
3. Pro: Priced at $79 per month, suitable for professionals seeking advanced customization.
4. Premier: Custom pricing for businesses with high-volume needs.

Factors to Consider

1. Course Complexity: Simplero is favored for its robust features, making it suitable for complex course structures. Thinkific, while versatile, may be preferred for straightforward courses.
2. Budget and Scaling: Both platforms offer scalability, but Simplero’s custom pricing in the “Scale” plan caters to larger enterprises. Thinkific’s transparent pricing is ideal for those with specific budget constraints.
3. Technical Proficiency: Simplero may require a steeper learning curve due to its advanced features. Thinkific, with its user-friendly approach, suits those with varying technical proficiencies.

FAQs

1. Can I migrate courses between platforms?
   • Simplero: Yes, Simplero facilitates course migration with import/export options.
   • Thinkific: Yes, Thinkific offers easy course migration through import/export features.
2. Do both platforms support multimedia content?
   • Simplero: Yes, Simplero allows the integration of multimedia content seamlessly.
   • Thinkific: Yes, Thinkific supports various multimedia formats for engaging courses.
3. Are there transaction fees for course sales?
   • Simplero: Transaction fees are applicable, depending on the chosen payment gateway.
   • Thinkific: Transaction fees are waived on higher-tier Thinkific plans.
4. Can I create branded course sites?
   • Simplero: Yes, Simplero provides extensive customization for creating branded course sites.
   • Thinkific: Yes, Thinkific allows users to brand their course sites for a cohesive look.
5. Which platform is better for a beginner course creator?
   • Simplero: It offers a user-friendly experience but may have a steeper learning curve for beginners.
   • Thinkific: Thinkific is renowned for its beginner-friendly approach, making it ideal for those new to online course creation.

Conclusion

In summary, both Simplero and Thinkific cater to a diverse range of users, offering flexibility in customization, scalability, and pricing.

The choice ultimately depends on individual preferences, the complexity of courses, and specific business needs.

Whether you prioritize advanced features in Simplero or user-friendly simplicity of Thinkific, each platform provides a robust solution for creating and selling online courses.