LearnWorlds vs. Thinkific: Which One Is More Suitable for You? |

Mar 27, 2025

LearnWorlds was founded in 2014 and has grown into a strong educational platform that is geared toward institutions of learning. Thinkific was launched in 2014 and is renowned for pre-recorded courses for online entrepreneurs and creators. owners.

In this article in this article, we'll look at the differences between LearnWorlds as well as Thinkific in the creation and delivery of online classes. We'll explore what each gives users, and rank their strengths and weaknesses in the following areas:


 

  • Online course platform        
  • Communities and engagement tools        
  • Features for marketing and business        
  • Access and apps        


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LearnWorlds in comparison to. Thinkific: Comparison Table


LearnWorlds

Thinkific

Asynchronous Courses

Exam Questions Types

16

1 (multiple choice quiz)

AI Quiz Generator

Website Templates

50

12

Community Forums

Basic

Basic

All-In-One Communities

Livestreaming Native

Integrated Basic Email

AI Email Marketing

App Included

White-Label Apps

The cost is Y (Additional Cost)

It's Y (Additional Cost)


Pricing


    Thinkific


 

  • $49/mo - Basic        
  • $74/mo - Start        
  • $149/mo - Grow        


    LearnWorlds


 

  • $34/mo plus $5 per course - - Starter        
  • $79/mo - Pro Trainer        
  • $249/mo - Learning Center        


Thinkific in comparison to LearnWorlds


Course Platform


LearnWorlds


LearnWorlds earned a name as a solid course platform. It offers a SCORM-compliant Learning Management System (LMS) and the option to stream information, create learning pathways that are customized, and integrate a few AI features. At the time of writing, AI functions are focused on making and editing your content for websites and courses. The features really shine for videos, as they bring to AI transcripts as well as interactive elements in course videos, and-of course-the ability to organise the lessons and add them to a table of contents.


LearnWorlds - Course Manager


One of the best functions offered by LearnWorld is its assignment creator, which is able to build assessments using sixteen types of questions. It also has banks for reusable questions, custom summary screens for feedback and test results, and the integration of SCORM assessments. It even has an instrument for surveying feedback from students.


Thinkific


It is a platform for courses. Thinkific provides a drag-and-drop course creator that includes videos, audio as well as PDF and interactivity for your courses. Like LearnWorlds, you can add quizzes, assignments, and exams. Thinkific has added AI capabilities in the field of assessment, which means you can generate quiz questions-which is quite an innovative idea.


Thinkific- Course Builder


Thinkific courses can include courses that are self-paced or scheduled, as well as certificates that you can issue. Course-builders also have AI tools integrated into it for generating course content, as well as the ability to integrate externally hosted content, or upload bulk content. In addition, Thinkific has unlimited video hosting.


Which one is superior?


Both platforms are strongest on their LMS features-specifically for asynchronous courses. So it's difficult to pick a clear winner in this category. You'll need to compare the differences below to understand what each provides as a total platform.


However, here's a short overview.


 

  • LearnWorlds may be a little better an online course platform. It has more power, more customization, more features that would be good for institutional learning. Most notably, it has more capability and versatility to conduct exams and assessments.      
  • However, it's not enough for a majority of course creators. Thinkific is a fantastic set of features for asynchronous learning. However, many of the advanced features of LearnWorlds won't be useful to most course creators.      
  • To the course designers who wish to achieve to comply with SCORM Both platforms are certified to SCORM. You can import SCORM-friendly files.      


Communities & Engagement


LearnWorlds


LearnWorlds is adding some capabilities around live courses. Although it isn't fully integrated by native tools, LearnWorlds has 3 integrations that they claim can be used to make amazing live experiences. Zoom, WebEx, and Calendly. Adding these integrations allows for groups and 1:1 video sessions, live streaming, and attendance management. Live events are able to be integrated into classes as learning activities, too.


LearnWorlds Community 2


LearnWorlds is extremely weak on community functions, even though. The features for discussion forums are unwieldy. The technical aspect is that they have spaces but the function of a community forum appears outdated. This is why LearnWorlds is not designed to host live classes and communities. Instead, it is a synchronous course platform.


Thinkific


Thinkific also has the option to create basic courses communities. These includes @ mentions, notification, and discussions threads. You can divide content into areas devoted to specific areas or subjects There's also an "trending post" option to let your users know what's trending. There's image, video, file, and link posting on the community.


Thinkific - community


It can also be linked to live lessons or tutoring for the course. But like LearnWorlds, Thinkific is missing native livestreaming. The program suggests a variety of options such as Zoom or YouTube to integrate a livestream into a course-potentially adding complications.


Finally, Thinkific has added some fundamental social analytics as well as an evangelist tool to help your supermembers to promote the cause of your community.


Which is better?


Neither of these platforms were specifically designed to support communities or live interactions. Both do not support livestreaming in native form and both require a bunch of integrations for live instruction and online communities actually work.


In terms of communities, Thinkific comes out slightly ahead. Though it does have more features to offer for community-building, but its forums, which include spaces and mentioning tools remain a long way from software designed to be an open platform for community.


If you want the community aspect and learning courses either of the options is a great option. We'll get to this more in the next section.


Business & Marketing


LearnWorlds


LearnWorlds provides you with the ability to build your course under your personal branding. It also lets you build a website for your course using drag-and-drop design or over 400 different templates you can choose from. In case that's not enough, you can incorporate your own design codes. The landing pages can be constructed to include pop-ups or forms, and LearnWorlds even has a basic email program to run sales.


LearnWorlds Page Builder


It has support for providing your own affiliate programs (and monitor using an affiliate dashboard as well as a few pre-set funnels for courses that can be used to make sales). Courses can be bundled with other things to sell memberships, subscriptions, and other digital goods, or offer in-app purchases.


Thinkific


As with LearnWorlds, Thinkific also has numerous customizable website themes as well as a landing page creator. It is possible to build multiple page types into your own course. Like LearnWorlds, Thinkific has custom domain support and advanced HTML/CSS design customization.


Thinkific - styles


To make money, bundle course sales with subscriptions, memberships, and other downloads that are digital, such as eBooks. There's support for 100+ currencies and Thinkific's payment processing. Affiliate programs can be included with Thinkific in addition to gift cards, coupons, and orders for groups.


One unique marketing feature added by Thinkific added to its offerings to its offerings is AI email tools. AI suggestions to assist with email marketing. It's a great option that could help scale your email outreach.


Which is the best?


This one is a tie. Both platforms provide similar tools for building websites with landing pages. In terms of technical features, LearnWorlds includes greater website templates, better features for integrations, more options for admin (on the highest priced plans) as well as a couple of additional features. The question is whether this is important to you will depend on the features you require.


 

  • Thinkific is simpler, but is still powerful to manage your business and marketing. Its email tool is better.      
  • LearnWorlds is a step up with respect to marketing tools (while it is still very user-friendly) It may also have particular integrations or features specifically designed for teachers.        


Access and Apps


LearnWorlds


LearnWorlds offers a DIY method of designing apps, by using a drag and drop editor which integrates with the web editor. You can create a branded course application using LearnWorlds.


But there are a couple downsides to LearnWorlds app approach that you should understand:


 

  • LearnWorlds does not have a native app under its brand. There's no LearnWorlds app available. If you'd like your own courses on an app, you'll need to pay extra for the app to be branded by you. It's an upsell, but the pricing isn't available publicly.    
  • The apps aren't well rated by G2 and users have reported buggy apps that have disappearing pictures and comments.        


LearnWorlds App Builder


Thinkific


In the past, Thinkific had no mobile apps. But last year they launched Thinkific apps under their brand. These are apps that are for each Thinkific educator. The ratings, however, aren't great. In the App Store, the Thinkific apps have been rated 1.9 stars. In Google Play, a slightly better 3.2 stars at the time of this writing. These are extremely low ratings on apps that are designed to be used by the largest online learning platform.


Thinkific app


Thinkific has also added an app with a white label feature, which means your course on a white-label app that is under your own brand. Experts from Thinkific handle making your existing course into an app. There is no information on the quality of the app's branded version however the fact that other Thinkific apps have been rated so low might be a red flag for their custom app development.


Which is the best?


Only Thinkific includes an app within the platform. If not, you must pay for branded apps on any platform. But, from the reviews we can see, neither has a good track record with applications.


The verdict
Thinkific vs LearnWorlds is a tough comparison, because they have the same strengths, but they also have weaknesses.


    The Strengths


 

  • The  Thinkific and LearnWorlds are great for asynchronous courses, with lots of building power and custom websites.      
  • Both are fairly strong on commercial and corporate features, with some limited differences which we've discussed above.        


    Weaknesses


 

  • Both Thinkific as well as LearnWorlds do not excel at communities or live course participation, though Thinkific is superior. Both aren't a complete community-based platform, and neither offers live streaming capabilities natively built-in.      
  • They're both lacking good apps. LearnWorlds doesn't even have a basic application; it demands that you pay for an official white label. If you're interested in a course in an app, expect to pay a lot. In addition, the apps launched by Thinkific are not rated well, as well as their apps with a branded logo do not have a track record.      


In the end this is what you have to be aware of.


 

  • LearnWorlds will give you more features and a lot more power at a lower cost (including the ability to create an application). This is a good option for institutions of higher learning and teachers who require more advanced examination and assessment features.      
  • Thinkific may be more suitable for independent creators because it's a basic all-in-one (that does include a basic app) and the vast majority of course creators will never want to miss the more advanced tools of LearnWorlds.        


In the case of many artists it comes down to a cost comparison-which offers all the features you require at the lowest cost. Because, otherwise there's a good chance that you won't see much of a difference between these two.


Are you looking for a better alternative?


If you're seeking something more that synchronous classes, LearnWorlds and Thinkific aren't for the job for. However, they'ren't the only choices.


It is G2's most highly-rated Community platform  that lets users create and promote high-quality courses (live and recorded) communities, groups, and gatherings.


Mighty provides the platform behind groups and programs of many of the top brands that are thought leaders, brands, and influencers you already know: Mel Robbins, Tony Robbins, Marie Forleo, Jim Kwik, Matthew Hussey, TED, Mindbody, and Nuun.


What is what sets Mighty apart from both LearnWorlds as well as Thinkific


Mighty can handle Asynchronous learning using an educational platform built around a table of contents and all the course materials you want to add.


But it also brings...


Real live experiences


Mighty's a system designed to support both synchronous as well as asynchronous learning experiences and it's powered by live-streamed native engagement unlike anything elsewhere.


You can design your communities and courses using powerful Spaces: adding to the features you require; switch on or off activity Feed Chat, Chat, Table of Contents (traditional LMS), People Explorer (Members) or recurring Events, one-time events, Pages (an article) or highlighted hashtags.


This is what this looks like:


MN - Graphics - 2024 - Spaces GIF


It's a result of courses software that give you way more power over the learning experiences you offer. It's all native, no require for additional plugins to gain live-streaming capabilities. The creators that have chosen to use it  livestreaming, the process is natively done by using an automatic recording of video.


When you stop thinking about courses or community in general and combine the two together using programs designed to work in a seamless manner, you'll see the distinction.


Software that is designed for engagement


In the case of memberships and communities, we can predict with 93% certainty whether a community or membership is going to work or not. The key is whether or not members meet one another.


It is easy to think of communities and learning experiences as top-down. The best learning happens through the others you meet and the friends who you meet. Communities and courses expand faster with the network effect.


Mighty was designed to assist members meet each other. This is why it has features like


 

  • An easily customizable welcome checklist as well as profile help tools that prompt members to get engaged and to create their profiles.        
  • People Explorer to display the people around you as well as those with interests similar to yours. AND AI can show similarities between members and can even initiate an exchange.      


MN - Graphics - 2024 - Profiile + similarities


Better Host tools


Engagement features don't only concern focused on users. They can also make it easier for hosts to make it easier to manage their course and community building and administration


 

  • A powerful Co-Host(tm) could create the Big Purpose Community and brand, course outlines, and even landing and sales pages. (Try it for free)    
  • It can boost the community's engagement by using the infinite Question Generator to automatically generate and publish approved comments on discussion topics, keeping conversations going even when you're off.      
  • Activity assist helps you see who's active in the community. It also auto-reengages former members.        


A second awesome community as well as course options


 

  • Writing prompts, as well as improvements by using the "make-it-better" editors for text.        
  • Instant course outlines as well as suggested hashtags.        
  • Workflow automations and innovative gamification functions and triggers.        
  • An native ConvertKit integration for community/courses + email. It also includes thousands of integrated embeds.        


Excellent apps


Mighty's apps have higher ratings on the App Store as well as Google Play Store, 4.8 stars for each. They are extremely reliable and offer the same level of engagement and features similar to the app on the web.


MN - Graphics - 2024 - Apps


However, Mighty is also able to create premium brand apps in ways which neither Thinkific nor LearnWorlds does, giving users access to custom branding creation, proactive application submissions as well as support for strategy-all provided by the same team that has launched over 400 brand-named apps. Find out more about the company here.


If you're ready to launch your courses or community on Mighty, give it a give it a shot! It's absolutely free for the first fourteen days (no credit card is required)