If you are weighing Teachable vs WordPress, you are really asking one question: do you want to rent a finished classroom or build one you own? Teachable is a hosted course platform that lets you publish in an afternoon. WordPress is open-source software that, paired with an LMS plugin, becomes a fully custom course site with no platform fee on your sales.
Most comparisons stop there. This guide goes further. We added Thinkific to the mix, because the search that actually brings people here is usually teachable vs Thinkific vs WordPress. We also ran the fee math on a realistic year of sales, and we flag where the older articles on this topic are out of date. Teachable removed its free plan and rebuilt its pricing in 2025–2026, so tables showing a “Free” tier and a $468/year “Basic” plan no longer match what you will see at checkout.
The short verdict
Choose Teachable if you want to launch this week, never touch hosting, and want tax handling and student apps included. Choose Thinkific if you want a hosted platform with a stronger sales toolkit and are fine with a higher monthly bill. Choose WordPress if you want the lowest cost per sale, full design freedom, SEO control and ownership of your student data. For a course business you plan to run for years, WordPress usually wins on margin, and the gap widens as you grow.
What Each Platform Actually Is
Teachable: a hosted course platform
Teachable runs the servers, video hosting, checkout and student login for you. You sign up, build a school inside its editor and publish. It is built for creators who want to teach, not configure software. The trade-off is that your school lives inside Teachable’s rules, templates and pricing.
Thinkific: the other big hosted option
Thinkific works the same way: hosted, no servers to manage, a course builder, and built-in checkout. It generally leans harder into sales tools such as bundles, memberships, payment plans and upsells, and it costs more per month than Teachable’s entry plan. If you are comparing Teachable vs Thinkific vs WordPress, think of the first two as two brands of rented classroom and WordPress as buying the building.
WordPress: software you own
WordPress is free, open-source software. If you are new to it, our guide on what WordPress is and how it works covers the basics. On its own WordPress does not sell courses. You add a learning management system (LMS) plugin such as LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS or Masteriyo, and WordPress becomes a complete teaching platform on your own domain. You can browse the official WordPress plugin directory to see current LMS options and their ratings.
Teachable vs Thinkific vs WordPress: Pricing in 2026
Pricing is where most older comparisons go wrong. Teachable dropped its permanent free plan and moved to a Starter, Builder, Growth and Advanced ladder. Thinkific also removed its free tier and raised prices by roughly 10% in August 2026. Here is the current picture, rounded, on annual billing.
| Platform / plan | Price (annual billing) | Platform fee on sales | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | about $29/mo ($39 monthly) | 7.5% | Tight limits on products and students |
| Teachable Builder | about $69/mo ($89 monthly) | 0% | The plan most creators actually need |
| Teachable Growth | about $139/mo ($189 monthly) | 0% | More products, unlimited students |
| Teachable Advanced | about $309/mo ($399 monthly) | 0% | For larger academies |
| Thinkific Basic | about $40/mo | See note | Memberships need a higher plan |
| Thinkific Start | about $82/mo | See note | Adds memberships and more commerce tools |
| Thinkific Grow | about $164/mo | See note | Adds API access and more |
| WordPress + free LMS plugin | $0 software + hosting (about $5–15/mo) | 0% | You pay only card processing |
| WordPress + premium LMS | Hosting + plugin (often $149–$399/yr) | 0% | Adds drip, memberships, advanced quizzes |
The Real Cost: A $10,000 Sales Year
Monthly price is only part of the bill. Platform fees and payment processing stack on top. Here is a simple scenario: you sell 200 copies of a $50 course, which is $10,000 in revenue. Card processing is about 2.9% + $0.30 per sale on every option, which comes to roughly $350. That cost is the same everywhere, so the differences below come from subscriptions and platform fees.
How we got these numbers: Teachable Starter is $348 in subscription plus a 7.5% fee ($750) plus $350 processing. Builder is $828 plus $350. Thinkific Start is roughly $984 plus $350. WordPress with a free LMS plugin is about $135 for hosting and a domain plus $350. Add a $199 premium plugin and it reaches about $684. These are estimates; your hosting, plugins and tax setup will vary.
Two takeaways. First, Teachable’s Starter plan looks cheap until the 7.5% fee kicks in, which is why most creators who sell steadily end up on Builder. Second, the WordPress advantage grows with volume, because your subscription cost stays flat while hosted platforms charge you more as you add products and students. If you plan to expand into physical or digital products, our guide to WooCommerce course booking shows how WordPress can sell sessions, workshops and cohorts without extra platform fees.
Ownership and Control
On Teachable or Thinkific, your content, student accounts and order history sit in the platform’s system under its terms. You can export some data, but you cannot move the storefront itself. If prices rise, features move to a higher plan or policies change, your choices are to pay or migrate.
On WordPress, your site files and database live on hosting you choose. You can change hosts, swap your LMS plugin, redesign the whole site and keep your student list. That independence is also a business asset: a site you own can be rebranded, expanded or even sold.
Design and Customization
Teachable and Thinkific both give you clean, usable page builders and templates, which is great if you are happy with their look. Once you want a custom checkout, a unique lesson layout or fully branded emails, you meet limits that depend on your plan.
WordPress has no ceiling here. Thousands of themes, page builders and custom code let you build exactly the learning experience you want. Education-focused themes already include course grids, instructor profiles and lesson layouts. Start with our picks of the best education WordPress themes, or if you sell one-to-one programs, browse these coaching WordPress themes.
Course Features Compared
| Feature | Teachable | Thinkific | WordPress + LMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video hosting | Included | Included | Embed YouTube/Vimeo or pay a video host |
| Quizzes and certificates | Yes (certificates on higher plans) | Yes | Yes, depth varies by plugin |
| Memberships and subscriptions | Yes | Higher plans | Yes, via LMS or membership plugins |
| Drip content and cohorts | Yes | Yes | Yes, often a premium add-on |
| Custom design freedom | Limited | Moderate | Unlimited |
| Blog and content marketing | Basic | Basic | Best in class |
| Student mobile app | Yes | Limited | Not out of the box |
| Integrations | Selected list plus Zapier | App store | Thousands of plugins |
| Maintenance | None | None | Updates, backups, security |
SEO and Getting Found
This is where a course business quietly wins or loses. Hosted platforms let you edit titles and descriptions, but the blog, URL control, schema markup and site structure are limited. On WordPress you control all of it: categories, internal linking, structured data, page speed, and an SEO plugin of your choice. Because organic search can bring in students without ad spend, that control compounds over time. For a deeper look, read our breakdown of the best platform for SEO, and pair your site with the right tools from our list of must-have WordPress plugins.
Payments, Tax and Compliance
Teachable offers its own payment processing with built-in handling of sales tax and VAT, which is a real convenience if you sell to many countries. On WordPress, money goes straight to your Stripe or PayPal account, and tax is your responsibility, usually handled with a tax plugin or an accountant. Neither side avoids card processing fees. If global VAT filing worries you more than margins, that is a fair reason to stay hosted.
Best WordPress LMS Options
If you pick WordPress, the LMS plugin is the engine. The right one depends on your course style:
- LearnDash: a premium, feature-rich LMS that suits structured courses and larger programs.
- LifterLMS: strong on memberships, coaching bundles and course-business workflows.
- Tutor LMS: popular with a free core plugin and a large add-on ecosystem.
- Masteriyo: a lighter option with a free tier that supports payments.
Features and prices change, so compare current plans before committing. We cover the wider landscape, including self-hosted PHP options, in our guide to PHP learning management systems.
How to Start Selling Courses on WordPress
- Pick hosting and a domain. Managed WordPress hosting removes most maintenance.
- Install WordPress. Most hosts do it in one click. New to it? Follow our walkthrough on how to create a WordPress website.
- Choose an education theme that matches your brand.
- Install an LMS plugin and build your first course with modules and lessons.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal and set refund and tax rules.
- Add SEO basics and a blog, then publish.
Which Should You Pick?
Teachable pros
- Fastest path to a live course
- Hosting, video, payments and tax included
- No maintenance or security work
Teachable cons
- 7.5% fee on the Starter plan
- Pricing and limits can change under you
- Limited design and SEO control
WordPress pros
- No platform fee on sales
- Full control of design, SEO and student data
- Cost stays low as you scale
WordPress cons
- More setup and ongoing maintenance
- You handle tax and compliance
- Video hosting and apps are extra
Pick Teachable if you are validating a first course, value speed over margin, or sell globally and want tax handled. Choose the Builder plan if you can, since Starter’s fee grows with sales.
Pick Thinkific if you want a hosted platform with a broader commerce toolkit and you are comfortable with a higher monthly cost.
Pick WordPress if you are building a long-term education business and want to keep more of each sale, rank in search, bundle coaching and memberships, and own the asset you create.
Not sure you are ready to commit? Many creators test an idea on a hosted plan, then move to WordPress once the course proves itself. You can keep the hosted version live while you build the new site in the background.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Teachable or WordPress better for beginners?
Teachable is easier on day one because everything is hosted and set up for you. WordPress takes more setup, but guided themes and managed hosting make it manageable, and it pays off in flexibility.
Which is cheaper: Teachable, Thinkific or WordPress?
In most realistic scenarios WordPress is cheapest, because you avoid platform fees and pay only for hosting, a domain, an optional premium plugin and card processing. In our $10,000 example the WordPress stack costs roughly a third to half of the hosted options.
Does Teachable still have a free plan?
Teachable replaced its permanent free plan with paid plans plus a short free trial. Check its pricing page for current trial length and terms.
Can I move my course from Teachable to WordPress?
Yes. You will need to rebuild or re-upload lessons and import students, which takes some work. Many creators keep the Teachable version live while they build the WordPress site.
Does Thinkific charge transaction fees?
Reports differ by plan and payment method, and Thinkific raised prices in August 2026. Verify current terms on its pricing page before choosing a plan.
Do I need to be technical to use WordPress for courses?
No. With managed hosting, a ready-made theme and an LMS plugin, most people can launch without code. Our guide to creating a WordPress website walks through the basics.
Who owns my content on each platform?
You own your course material either way, but on WordPress you also control the platform, student list and order data. Hosted platforms hold that data in their system.
Final Thoughts
The Teachable vs. WordPress question comes down to what stage you are at. Teachable and Thinkific help you start quickly. WordPress helps you build something that lasts, with lower costs, better SEO and full ownership. If you are serious about turning your expertise into a business, start by sketching your first course, then choose the option that matches how fast you need to launch and how long you plan to grow.
