Updated 1 October 2026 · Pludor team · 3 sources
Thinkific is a dedicated course platform with paid plans from $40 a month billed yearly (Thinkific); Pludor is a free store that includes courses and paid challenges alongside products, bookings and memberships. Thinkific suits course businesses that need advanced course features; Pludor suits creators who sell courses as one part of a wider business.
From each platform's published pricing.
| Thinkific | Pludor | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Basic $40 yearly or $54 monthly; Start $82 yearly or $109 monthly; Grow $164 yearly (Thinkific) | $0; optional plans $9, $29, $79 (pricing) |
| Fees per sale | 2.9% processing with Thinkific Payments (Thinkific) | 4.99% + 90¢ per order plus Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (pricing) |
| Courses | Deep course features, quizzes, certificates, communities | Courses and paid challenges with progress tracking |
| Beyond courses | Digital downloads and memberships | Physical products, bookings, AI receptionist, live selling |
Prices checked 1 October 2026.
Many sellers pay for several tools to cover these jobs. Pludor includes them in one free store, with free amounts every month and pay-as-you-go past them (pricing).
| Job | Usual separate tool | On Pludor |
|---|---|---|
| Online courses | Teachable Starter, $39 a month plus a 7.5% transaction fee (Teachable) | Included: courses and paid challenges |
| Online store and checkout | Shopify Basic, $39 a month billed monthly (Shopify) | Included, $0 a month, no item limit |
| Bookings and deposits | Calendly Standard, $10 per seat a month billed yearly (Calendly) | Included; 30 bookings free each month, then pay as you go |
| Email marketing | Mailchimp Essentials, from $13 a month (Mailchimp) | Included; 500 marketing emails free each month |
Monthly subscriptions in this table add up to about $101.00 a month before any per-sale fees; on Pludor the same jobs start at $0 a month plus 4.99% + 90¢ per paid order and card processing (pricing). Prices checked 1 October 2026 on each tool's pricing page.
A course platform is worth its monthly fee once courses are your main income. Before that, a free store keeps costs low while you test demand.
Pre-sell it with an outline and a start date.
Add the monthly plan and per-sale fees at your expected sales (Thinkific, Pludor).
Short lessons in modules that lead to one result.
Give milestones, deadlines and support.
Teach part of it free and invite people in.
Offer a higher tier with live sessions.
Paid plans start at $40 a month billed yearly or $54 monthly (Thinkific).
Yes: courses and paid challenges with lessons and progress tracking, plus a course marketplace.
At low sales, a free plan with per-sale fees costs less; at high sales a flat plan can cost less. Calculate at your numbers (Thinkific, Pludor).
No. A course page with checkout is enough to start.
Both support digital products; Pludor also sells physical products and bookings.
Keep your videos and materials so you can move without re-recording.
Cohorts finish more often and can charge more; self-paced scales with less of your time.
A low-priced course, a cohort and coaching form a ladder students climb.
Completion predicts testimonials and repeat purchases.
Fresh lessons keep the course worth recommending.
Add email, booking and community tools to the course platform cost when comparing.
AI speeds up course creation.
Check every fact AI writes in lessons; students rely on it.
Pludor hosts courses and paid challenges in the same free store as your products, bookings and memberships.
Free to start - no card, no item limit. Pay only for what you use past the monthly free amounts.
Open my free storeChecked 1 October 2026. Fees and rules change; follow the links for the latest.