LearnyBox vs Thinkific (2026): Complete Comparison - Pricing, Hidden Fees and Features

 

LearnyBox vs Thinkific (2026): Complete Comparison - Pricing, Hidden Fees and Features

    

Thinkific built its reputation on a simple promise: a clean interface, quick setup, and 0% transaction fees displayed (the word "displayed" is important - you see where I'm going...?).

 

On paper, it looks like a good deal. In reality, in 2026, things are a bit different.

 

The free plan has disappeared, the mobile app is shown as an option with an additional $199/month... and the "0% transaction fees" only applies if you use the in-house payment processor - it doesn't hold if you use your own Stripe account.

 

LearnyBox is the reference all-in-one platform in the French-speaking market. Founded in 2014 in Montpellier, it was designed so that French-speaking trainers, coaches and experts only need one tool to create, sell and run their online training courses.

 

A complete LMS, sales funnels, email marketing, webinars, payments, mobile app - everything is integrated, everything is in French, everything is hosted in France or Europe (hello GDPR).

 

This comparison puts both platforms head-to-head on the real criteria: total actual cost, included features, support, and compliance for the French market.

 

    
 

Quick Summary

 

LearnyBox wins on total cost, feature completeness, French-speaking support and data sovereignty.

Thinkific wins on interface simplicity and English-speaking ecosystem.

 

If you're selling to a French-speaking audience, want to avoid hidden Stripe surcharges, and don't want to pay an extra $199/month for a mobile app - LearnyBox is the logical choice - plus it's economical.

 

If you're starting out for an English-speaking market, only need a simple LMS and already use external marketing tools - Thinkific might suit you.

 

Key Takeaways

 

  • Thinkific removed its free plan in 2025-2026. It now only offers a 14-day trial.
    LearnyBox maintains a permanent free plan allowing sales up to €1,000.

 

  • Thinkific displays 0% transaction fees - but beware: only with Thinkific Payments. With your own Stripe account, add an additional 5% commission on Basic, 3% on Start, 1% on Grow.
    LearnyBox applies 0% regardless of processor.

 

  • The mobile app is included in all LearnyBox paid plans (from €39/month).
    With Thinkific, it's an add-on module at $199/month - that's $2,388/year extra!

 

 

  • Thinkific Support: English only, Canada/US servers.
    LearnyBox Support: French human support, France/Europe hosting, automated Qualiopi compliance.

 

 

LearnyBox Strengths

   

Thinkific Strengths

 

  • Clean interface, quick to learn   

  • 0% transaction fees with Thinkific Payments   

  • Unlimited courses on all paid plans

 

2026 Pricing: What You Really Pay

 

Both platforms restructured their offerings in 2025-2026. Here are the verified figures as of May 2026 from official pages - and especially what the pricing pages don't clearly state.

 

Thinkific 2026 Plans

 

  • Basic: $49/month (or $36/month annually) + 5% Stripe surcharge   

  • Start: $99/month (or $74/month annually) + 3% Stripe surcharge   

  • Grow: $199/month (or $149/month annually) + 1% Stripe surcharge   

  • Mobile app: +$199/month extra

 

LearnyBox 2026 Plans

 

  • Free: €0/month - sales up to €1,000   

  • Launch: €39/month (or €390/year)   

  • Boost: €89/month (or €890/year) - most popular   

  • Scale: €149/month (or €1,490/year)   

  • 0% commission on Stripe/PayPal/GoCardless and other PSPs on all plans   

  • Mobile app included - all paid plans   

  • see all pricing details 

 

Currency note:
Thinkific bills in US dollars. For a European trainer, Grow at $149/month annually represents approximately €138 at current rates - but this fluctuates.
LearnyBox bills in euros, no exchange rate surprises.

 

The Stripe Fees Thinkific Doesn't Highlight

 

This is the point that most comparisons rush through in one line.

Thinkific proudly displays "0% transaction fees" on all its plans. What you read in fine print: this promise only applies if you use Thinkific Payments, its in-house processor.

If you use your own Stripe, Thinkific applies an additional commission.

 
                                                                                       
Thinkific Plan Annual Price (monthly) Personal Stripe Surcharge Real Cost at €2,000/month Revenue
Basic $36/month 5% $36 + $1,200/year in fees
Start $74/month 3% $74 + $720/year in fees
Grow $149/month 1% $149 + $240/year in fees
LearnyBox Boost €89/month 0% €89 - period
  
 

At €2,000/month in revenue on Thinkific Basic with your own Stripe, you pay $1,200/year in commission fees on top of your subscription.

That's more expensive than the complete annual Boost subscription from LearnyBox.

 

The tipping point: From approximately €1,200/month in revenue with your own Stripe, switching from Thinkific Basic to LearnyBox Boost costs you less in total - even accounting for the monthly subscription difference.

 

The $199/Month Mobile App

 

This is probably the most unpleasant surprise for trainers comparing Thinkific with other platforms.

 

The mobile app is not included in Thinkific plans. It's an add-on module billed separately at $199/month. That's $2,388/year, on top of your main subscription!

 

With LearnyBox, the mobile app is included in all paid plans (from €39/month). Your learners access their training courses from their phones from day one, without you spending an extra euro.

 

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

 
                                                                                                                                                                                
Feature LearnyBox Thinkific
Free plan ✅ Yes - permanent, up to €1,000 revenue ❌ No - 14-day trial only
Transaction fees ✅ 0% with any personal processor ⚠️ 0% with Thinkific Payments only - 1 to 5% surcharge on personal Stripe
Online training (LMS) ✅ Complete LMS - quizzes, certificates, SCORM, gamification ✅ Decent LMS - quizzes, certificates - SCORM on Plus only
Sales funnels & landing pages ✅ Native - A/B tests included ⚠️ Limited - landing pages only - third-party tool required
Email marketing & automation ✅ Native - LearnyMail, sequences, CRM ❌ Not included - third-party tool required
Live webinars ✅ Native - all plans ❌ Not included
Automated / evergreen webinars ✅ Native - live & replay integrated ❌ Not included
Mobile app ✅ Included - all paid plans ❌ Paid add-on at $199/month extra
Affiliate program ✅ Native - all plans ⚠️ Available via third-party integrations
Website / blog builder ✅ Native no-code ✅ Basic site builder included
CRM & contact management ✅ Native CRM with advanced segmentation ❌ Basic - no native CRM
Secure native payment ✅ LearnyPay, Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless & more ✅ Thinkific Payments + Stripe (with surcharge)
Integrated community ✅ Included from free plan ⚠️ Available from Start plan only
SCORM import ✅ Enterprise & Training Organization plans ✅ Plus (enterprise) plan only
Gamification (badges, points) ✅ Yes ❌ No
Completion certificates ✅ Automatic ⚠️ From Start plan only
Billing currency ✅ EUR ⚠️ USD only
Support language ✅ French - human team in Montpellier ❌ English only
Data hosting ✅ France / EU - native GDPR ⚠️ Canada / USA - Cloud Act applicable
Automated Qualiopi documents ✅ Yes - see training organizations page ❌ No
French VAT billing ✅ Yes ❌ No
Suitable for solopreneurs ✅ Dedicated solopreneur solution ✅ Yes
Suitable for businesses ✅ Dedicated enterprise LMS ✅ Yes - Thinkific Plus
  

LMS Quality

 

Thinkific has a real quality: its course creation interface is one of the cleanest on the market.


Drag and drop, real-time preview, structuring in chapters and lessons. The learner experience is polished, mobile-responsive, and quizzes and surveys work well.

 

But limitations appear quickly... Certificates are not available on the Basic plan. Neither are assignments. Neither are payment plans (installment sales).

 

What looks like a reasonable entry plan at $36/month quickly becomes a limited plan that forces an upgrade.

 

LearnyBox's LMS is denser to configure, but there's no artificial feature locked behind a higher plan.

 

Structured modules, videos, PDFs, audios, graded quizzes, corrected assignments, sequential or free progression, automatic certificates, gamification with badges and points.

 

To effectively structure your learning paths, check out the LearnyBox instructional design guide before you start.

 

Marketing Tools: The Big Gap

 

This is where the comparison becomes frankly unbalanced. Thinkific is an LMS. Nothing more. No sales funnel builder. No email marketing tool.


No webinars. To attract prospects, you assemble third-party tools - ConvertKit, ClickFunnels, Zoom.

 

LearnyBox is a complete ecosystem. The sales funnel builder with A/B tests is native. LearnyMail manages your automated email sequences.

 

Live and evergreen webinars run directly on the platform. The CRM records every customer interaction.

 

Real cost calculation: A Thinkific trainer who has a real business typically adds Kit (ex-ConvertKit, ~€25/month), a funnel tool (~€37/month), and a webinar solution (~€40/month). That's €102/month in additional tools. LearnyBox Boost at €89/month includes all of that.

 

If you want to understand how sales webinars integrate into an online training strategy, the complete sales webinar guide is a useful read before choosing your platform.

 

Support, Language and Data Hosting

 

Thinkific is a Canadian company. Its support is in English. Its documentation is in English. Its servers are in Canada and the United States. For a French trainer managing personal data under GDPR, this is a significant legal point.

 

LearnyBox is a French team based in Montpellier. Support speaks your language. Your learners' data stays in France, in infrastructure natively compliant with GDPR.

 

For Qualiopi-certified training organizations: LearnyBox automates attendance certificates, certificates and agreements. Thinkific has no equivalent.

 

If you have CPF-eligible training or a Qualiopi certification to maintain, check out the LearnyBox training organizations dedicated page.

 

Who Should Choose What?

 

Choose Thinkific if:

 

  • You want the simplest and fastest course platform to learn

  • You're targeting exclusively an English-speaking market

  • You use Thinkific Payments and don't need your own Stripe

 

Choose LearnyBox if:

 

  • You're selling to a French-speaking audience and want French support 

  • You use Stripe and refuse to pay a 1 to 5% surcharge on every sale   

  • You want a mobile app without paying an extra $199/month   

  • You want to replace multiple tools with one - LMS, funnels, email, webinars, CRM, payments   

  • GDPR compliance with hosting in France is important to you   

  • You're a solopreneur or independent trainer who wants to start free without time limit   

  • You manage a training organization with Qualiopi requirements

 

Still hesitating with other platforms? Also check out our comparisons LearnyBox vs Systeme.io, LearnyBox vs Podia and LearnyBox vs Skool.

 

Final Verdict


LearnyBox wins for French-speaking trainers. Thinkific is a good course platform for the English-speaking market.

 

But as soon as you step outside this scope - personal Stripe, mobile app, email marketing, webinars, French support, European data - it no longer holds up in comparison with LearnyBox.

 

The 5% Stripe surcharge on the Basic plan can represent more money lost per year than the total cost of a LearnyBox Boost subscription. The mobile app at an extra $199/month costs more per year than LearnyBox's Scale plan.

 

LearnyBox requires a bit more time to master the interface at the start.

 

But what you get in return is a complete stack, a single invoice in euros, human support that answers you in French, and no hidden commission on your sales.

 

Test the LearnyBox free plan with no time limit to form your own opinion. And if you want to see what it's like in practice, LearnyBox customer testimonials give a concrete picture of what the platform brings on a daily basis.

 

    ✨ Try the free LearnyBox plan ✨  

 

 

FAQ - LearnyBox vs Thinkific

    

Is Thinkific free in 2026?

 

No. Thinkific removed its free plan in 2025-2026. The platform now only offers a 14-day trial on its paid plans. LearnyBox, on the other hand, maintains a permanent free plan - with no time limit - that allows you to create training courses and sell up to €1,000 without paying a subscription.

 

 

Does Thinkific charge transaction fees?

 

Yes and no. Thinkific displays 0% transaction fees, but only if you use Thinkific Payments, its native processor. If you connect your own Stripe, a surcharge applies: 5% on Basic, 3% on Start, 1% on Grow. LearnyBox: 0% regardless of connected processor.

 

Is the mobile app included in Thinkific?

 

No. The Thinkific mobile app is an add-on module at $199/month (that's $2,388/year) on top of your subscription. LearnyBox includes a mobile app in all its paid plans, with no additional charge.

 

Is LearnyBox better than Thinkific for trainers in France?

 

For the vast majority of French-speaking trainers, yes. LearnyBox offers an interface and human support in French, data hosting in France compliant with GDPR, native webinars, sales funnels, email marketing and the mobile app included.

 

 

How do I create an online course with LearnyBox?

 

LearnyBox offers a no-code training builder with drag and drop. For a complete introduction, check out the how to create an online course guide - it covers the entire process from A to Z.

 

Other Comparisons to Check Out