Systeme.io vs Thinkific: what your first online course costs in year one
Systeme.io has a free plan with 1 course and 2,000 contacts. Thinkific starts at $54 a month, or $40 a month billed annually. Course limits, students and annual prices from each vendor's pricing page.
About this guide
Published by StackOnSale. Publisher: Emmanuel Grenier. Guide updated: 2026-09-23.
Research based on official vendor pages, not a hands-on review.
StackOnSale may earn a commission through disclosed affiliate links on the site. This does not decide which tool fits your needs.
Entry paid plans, billed annually
Published prices in USD before tax. Systeme.io also has a free plan; Thinkific does not.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-23. These are dated plan details, not a live checkout quote. Confirm current pricing and eligibility on the official pages.
Some vendor links on offer pages are disclosed affiliate links; this is not a paid ranking.
| Plan | Recorded price | Billing and limits | Before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io Startup | $170/year | Billed annually; $17 billed monthly | 5 courses, 5,000 contacts and 10 sales funnels in the comparison table. |
| Thinkific Start | $82/month | Billed annually; $109 billed monthly | Unlimited courses, 10,000 current students and unlimited coaching and webinars. |
The short answer
If you are launching one course and do not have an audience yet, Systeme.io costs $0 until you need a second course, a fourth sales funnel, contact number 2,001 or student number 501. Its next plan, Startup, is $17 a month, or $170 for a year with annual billing, and covers 5 courses and 5,000 contacts.
Thinkific has no free plan on its pricing page, only a free trial. Its entry plan, Basic, is $54 a month billed monthly or $40 a month billed annually, with unlimited courses and up to 10,000 current students. Thinkific is built only for courses. Systeme.io bundles courses with funnels, email, a blog and a booking calendar.
The decision usually comes down to two numbers: how many courses you will sell in year one, and whether you already pay for an email tool and a funnel builder.
Prices and limits were read in a browser on each vendor's pricing page on September 23, 2026. StackOnSale has not tested either product.
Price per plan, side by side
Prices in USD as shown on each pricing page. Systeme.io shows a yearly total under annual billing, with "2 months free". Thinkific shows a monthly equivalent under annual billing, with the yearly saving it claims.
| Item | Systeme.io | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0: 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 course, 500 students, 1 custom domain | No free plan. Free trial |
| Entry plan, billed monthly | Startup, $17 a month: 5,000 contacts, 10 sales funnels, 5 courses | Basic, $54 a month: unlimited courses, 10,000 current students, 1 community, 5 digital downloads |
| Entry plan, annual billing | Startup, $170 for the year | Basic, $40 a month billed annually, "Save $173" |
| Second plan, billed monthly | Webinar, $47 a month: 10,000 contacts, 50 sales funnels, 20 courses, 10 evergreen webinars | Start, $109 a month: unlimited digital downloads, coaching and webinars |
| Second plan, annual billing | Webinar, $470 for the year | Start, $82 a month billed annually, "Save $330" |
| Third plan, billed monthly | Unlimited, $97 a month: unlimited contacts, funnels and courses | Grow, $219 a month: 3 communities, Thinkific branding removed |
| Third plan, annual billing | Unlimited, $970 for the year | Grow, $164 a month billed annually, "Save $660" |
| Top plan | Custom, "Let's talk" | Plus, "Talk to sales" |
| Transaction fees | 0% on every plan | No percentage shown on the pricing page |
| Students | 500 on Free, unlimited on paid plans | 10,000 current students on Basic, Start and Grow |
Read in a browser on systeme.io/pricing (monthly and annual billing, comparison table) and thinkific.com/pricing (Monthly and "Annual (Save 25%)" tabs, comparison table), September 23, 2026.
Where each free option stops
Systeme.io Free stops at the first of these: a second course, a fourth sales funnel, contact number 2,001, or student number 501. At that point the cheapest paid plan is Startup at $17 a month.
One detail on Systeme.io's page does not agree with itself. The comparison table lists 500 students on Free and 10 sales funnels on Startup. The "All plans include" section of the same page advertises unlimited students. On September 23 the FAQ, marked "Last updated: April 2026", also gave Startup unlimited funnels; re-read on October 20, 2026, the FAQ gives Startup 10 sales funnels and lists 500 students as a Free plan limit. We use the plan cards and the comparison table, which carry the current prices.
Thinkific has no free plan. The free trial is the only $0 period, so a creator who is not ready to sell before the trial ends starts paying before the first sale.
Year-one cost for three course creators
Thinkific's yearly figure is our arithmetic: 12 times the monthly price, minus the saving Thinkific states for annual billing. For Basic, 12 x $54 - $173 = $475. Thinkific shows this as $40 a month billed annually.
Thinkific's price does not include an email marketing tool or a funnel builder on its pricing page. If you already pay for those, compare Thinkific's price against Systeme.io's minus what you would stop paying.
| Creator | Systeme.io | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| 1 course, under 2,000 contacts, 500 students or fewer | Free: $0 | Basic: $648 billed monthly (12 x $54), or $475 billed annually |
| 3 courses, under 5,000 contacts | Startup: $204 billed monthly (12 x $17), or $170 billed annually | Basic: $648 billed monthly, or $475 billed annually |
| 8 courses, 8,000 contacts on the email list | Webinar: $564 billed monthly (12 x $47), or $470 billed annually | Basic: $648 billed monthly, or $475 billed annually, plus a separate email tool if you need one |
StackOnSale arithmetic on the prices above. Thinkific's annual figure is 12 times the monthly price minus the saving Thinkific states.
What each product includes that the other one charges for
Systeme.io, all plans: unlimited email sends, 0% transaction fees, sales funnels, a blog and your own affiliate program, according to its pricing page. Course count is capped: 1 on Free, 5 on Startup, 20 on Webinar, unlimited on Unlimited.
Thinkific: unlimited published courses from its entry plan, communities (1 on Basic and Start, 3 on Grow), digital downloads (5 on Basic, unlimited above), and coaching and webinars (5 on Basic, unlimited above). Its payment FAQ states that full e-commerce payment processing is included and that there are fees in select countries that can be avoided when using Thinkific payments. We did not find a transaction fee percentage on the pricing page.
What we could not verify
Thinkific's trial length and its transaction fee percentage, which are not shown in the plan cards or the comparison table. The exact annual invoice for each Thinkific plan: the monthly equivalents ($40, $82, $164) are rounded, and our yearly figures rest on the savings Thinkific states. Whether Systeme.io's annual prices hold at renewal.
StackOnSale earns a commission if you buy Systeme.io through our link. We have no affiliate relationship with Thinkific.
Questions
Does Systeme.io have a free plan?
Yes. $0 with 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 course and 1 custom domain, and no credit card required. Its comparison table lists 500 students on Free. Read September 23, 2026.
Does Thinkific have a free plan?
Not on its pricing page. It offers a free trial of its paid plans. Basic is $54 a month, or $40 a month billed annually. Read September 23, 2026.
How many courses does each plan allow?
Systeme.io: 1 on Free, 5 on Startup, 20 on Webinar, unlimited on Unlimited. Thinkific: unlimited published courses on every plan.
What does Systeme.io cost with annual billing?
$170 for Startup, $470 for Webinar and $970 for Unlimited, for the year. The page labels annual billing "2 months free".
Does either one charge a transaction fee?
Systeme.io lists 0% transaction fees on every plan. Thinkific's pricing page does not show a percentage; its FAQ says there are fees in select countries that can be avoided when using Thinkific payments.
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Sources
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