Skool vs Thinkific
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
$9/mo + 10% or $99/mo · Hobby: 10% transaction. Pro: ~0%
from $36/mo · monthly, 0% on Thinkific Payments
Payout speed
weekly
weekly
Minimum payout
Stripe default
$0
Countries
Stripe-supported countries
Global via Thinkific Payments / Stripe / PayPal
Email list export
Full access
Full access (Thinkific Email with automation)
Custom domain
Yes (subdomain)
Yes
Community features
Forum feed, events, gamified levels
Built-in Communities with Spaces
Best for
Coaches, course creators, and exclusive community builders
Course creators who want predictable monthly pricing and native payments
Skool vs Thinkific: which one wins?
Skool charges $9/mo + 10% or $99/mo (Hobby: 10% transaction. Pro: ~0%) versus Thinkific at from $36/mo (monthly, 0% on Thinkific Payments).
On payout speed, Skool pays weekly while Thinkific pays weekly. No difference here.
For audience ownership, Skool offers full access email export and Thinkific offers full access (thinkific email with automation). Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Skool suits coaches, course creators, and exclusive community builders. Thinkific fits course creators who want predictable monthly pricing and native payments.