Migrating from Thinkific in 2025: Top Alternatives & Migration Tips

Thinkific has long been a dependable platform for course creators. It’s known for its clean course builder, ease of use and professional training features.

But in 2025, more and more creators are finding themselves ready to move on. Whether it’s because of platform limitations, pricing concerns, or just wanting better features, migration from Thinkific is becoming more common.

If you’re planning to make the switch, this guide walks you through the top Thinkific alternatives and the exact steps to take to migrate smoothly, without losing your content, your students, or your sanity.

Why Creators Are Moving Away from Thinkific in 2025

Thinkific is still a solid platform, but there are a few key reasons creators are looking elsewhere:

• Limited community features: While Thinkific supports comments and discussions, it lacks a true built-in community space.
• Rigid course structure: Some creators want more flexibility in how content is delivered, especially those offering memberships or cohort-style programs.
• Upsells and marketing: Thinkific’s built-in marketing tools aren’t as robust as what you’ll find in modern platforms.
• Better experience elsewhere: In 2025, platforms like Circle, Podia, and Skool offer sleeker interfaces and more modern workflows.

If you’re hitting roadblocks with Thinkific, or just want more flexibility, it might be time for a change.

Top Alternatives to Thinkific in 2025

Here are the top platforms creators are switching to, depending on their business model and goals:

1. SchoolMaker

Best for: High-quality cohort-based learning

SchoolMaker helps you sell more courses by focusing on better learner outcomes and engagement.

• Progress tracking, certificates, and analytics
• Custom branded portals
• Built-in community and messaging
• Drip content and accountability tools

Starts at $29/month

2. Circle.so

Best for: Community-first businesses and memberships

Circle is a powerful platform that lets you combine community, courses, events, and memberships in one clean experience.

• Spaces for discussion, content, and events
• Built-in course delivery (with drip scheduling)
• Modern design and mobile app
• Native integrations with Stripe, Zapier, ConvertKit, and more

Starts at $89/month. Great for community-focused creators and cohort-based courses.

3. Podia

Best for: All-in-one simplicity

Podia lets you sell courses, coaching, downloads, webinars, and memberships, all from one place with affordable pricing.

• Simple course builder and sales tools
• Built-in email marketing
• Custom website builder and checkout system
• Free community and messaging tools

Starts at $39/month. A no-fuss platform for creators who want fewer tools to juggle.

4. Skool

Best for: Combining courses and community

Skool puts your course content, group discussion, and live call scheduling all into one frictionless platform.

• Easy-to-use course builder
• Engaging forum-style community
• Gamification and leaderboards
• Flat pricing for unlimited users

$99/month flat fee

5. Kajabi

Best for: Marketing-heavy creators

If you want a platform that does landing pages, email marketing, automation, and courses all in one, Kajabi is still a strong option, if you can handle the price.

• Funnels, email sequences, pipelines, webinars
• Course builder, coaching, and podcast tools
• Great for creators with multiple product types

Starts at $89/month. Best for creators who need advanced marketing baked in.

Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating from Thinkific

Once you’ve chosen your new platform, here’s how to make your transition smooth and stress-free:

Step 1: Take Inventory of Your Thinkific Setup

Go through your account and make a checklist of:

• Courses (and number of lessons/modules)
• Videos, PDFs, quizzes, assignments
• Landing pages and payment links
• Student data and email list
• Custom domains or branding settings

This gives you a clear picture of what needs to move, and helps you clean up any outdated content along the way.

Step 2: Export Your Content

Thinkific doesn’t have a one-click export tool, but you can manually export everything with a bit of prep:

• Download course videos
• Copy lesson content into Google Docs or Notion
• Export student data via CSV from the Admin Dashboard
• Save email lists, progress reports, and certificates (if needed)

Tip: Focus on your best-performing courses first, get those set up on your new platform before migrating everything else.

Step 3: Set Up Your New Platform

Now it’s time to rebuild. Most modern platforms offer onboarding walkthroughs or templates to help you set things up faster.

Here’s what to prioritize:

• Upload videos and documents
• Recreate course structures and lesson flow
• Set up memberships or access levels
• Customize your site branding
• Connect payment providers (e.g., Stripe or PayPal)
• Rebuild sales pages and checkout links

Step 4: Migrate Your Students

Getting your users into the new platform is key to a smooth transition.

Here’s how:

• Bulk import students (if supported) using CSV export from Thinkific
• Send a welcome email with a clear explanation and login instructions
• Offer early access or bonuses to encourage migration
• Use tags or groups to assign students to the right courses or communities

Step 5: Update All Your Links

After setup, don’t forget to redirect your Thinkific traffic:

• Update your website navigation and course sales links
• Swap out links in your social media bios, email sequences, and paid ads
• If you're using a custom domain, update your DNS or URL settings to point to the new platform

Redirects help prevent broken links, and keep your traffic flowing without interruption.

Step 6: Communicate Clearly With Your Audience

One of the most important (and often skipped) parts of a migration is communicating with your users.

Let them know:

• What’s changing
• Why it’s a good thing
• How it affects them (if at all)
• Where to go for support

A short video update or Q&A session goes a long way in easing concerns and building excitement.

Step 7: Run Both Platforms in Parallel (Temporarily)

We recommend running Thinkific and your new platform side-by-side for a couple of weeks.

This gives you time to:

• Handle any tech hiccups
• Make sure student access works smoothly
• Gather early feedback
• Fully transition your sales system and automations

Once you’re confident everything is stable, go ahead and cancel your Thinkific plan.

Final Thoughts

Migrating from Thinkific in 2025 doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re switching for more community features, better marketing tools, or just a more modern user experience, the key is to move strategically, not hastily.

Start with your goals. Choose the platform that fits your current business needs (not just your past ones). Migrate your best content first. Communicate clearly. And most of all, stay focused on your students’ experience.