Overview
Thinkific is a feature-rich online course platform popular with educators and businesses. Our analysis reveals good content ownership terms but a complex pricing structure with transaction fees on lower tiers, and some data usage provisions that creators should review carefully.
Key Concerns
- Transaction Fees on Lower Plans: Free and basic plans include transaction fees that can significantly impact revenue on high-volume courses.
- Data Usage for Analytics: Thinkific collects and uses course and student engagement data for their own analytics and product development.
- Feature Lock-in: Some features become unavailable if you downgrade, potentially affecting student experience.
- Mandatory Arbitration: Disputes must be resolved through binding arbitration with limited legal recourse.
Positive Aspects
- Content Ownership: You retain full intellectual property rights to all your course content.
- Student Data Access: You can access and export your student email list and progress data.
- Flexible Course Building: Robust course creation tools with good customization options.
- White-Label Options: Higher plans allow custom branding and domain usage.
Data Collection Summary
Thinkific collects course content, student enrollment data, progress tracking, payment information, site analytics, and user behavior data. This information is used for platform operation, analytics, and to provide aggregated insights to improve the service.