Thinkific

Thinkific launched in 2012 out of Vancouver and built its reputation as the more course-focused, less funnel-heavy alternative to Teachable, with strong support for quizzes, drip scheduling, and instructor-led cohorts as an add-on. Paid plans run from Basic near $36 a month to Grow and Expand higher up, billed annually. The transaction fee only bites if you skip Thinkific's own payment processor for your own Stripe account, in which case the surcharge ranges from 5% down to nothing depending on plan tier.

Course-creation tools run deep: conditional content, assignments graded by hand, and a course builder that doesn't require touching code. Thinkific exports your student list and content on request, and its certificates carry no outside accreditation, just proof the student finished. It suits a creator who wants serious control over course structure and doesn't mind a steeper learning curve than Podia's simpler builder.