Thinkific Technology Intelligence

What is Thinkific?

Thinkific is an online course platform for entrepreneurs and businesses to create, market, and sell courses. Founded in 2012, Thinkific focuses on providing a complete learning experience with community features and marketing tools.

Used by over 50,000 course creators, Thinkific powers businesses from solo educators to Fortune 500 companies delivering training.

Key Features

Course Creation

• Builder: Drag-drop curriculum
• Content: Video, downloads, quizzes
• Live: Integrated lessons
• Assignments: Student submissions

Communities

• Spaces: Discussion forums
• Events: Live sessions
• Members: Community management

Business Tools

• Analytics: Student insights
• Marketing: Sales funnels
• Apps: Marketplace integrations

Use Cases

Course + Community

Creators combine courses with membership communities. Students learn and connect with peers in integrated spaces.

Enterprise Training

Companies build internal universities. Thinkific Plus offers advanced features for corporate learning.

Cohort Courses

Educators run live cohort-based programs. Scheduled content with live sessions and group activities.

Certification Programs

Organizations offer professional certifications. Assessments, certificates, and continuing education credits.

Code Examples

Course Embed

<!-- Thinkific Course Card -->
<a href="https://yoursite.thinkific.com/courses/course-slug"
   class="thinkific-course-link">
    <img src="course-thumbnail.jpg" alt="Course Name">
    <h3>Course Name</h3>
</a>

API Enrollment

curl -X POST "https://api.thinkific.com/api/public/v1/enrollments" \
  -H "X-Auth-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "X-Auth-Subdomain: yoursite" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "course_id": 12345,
    "user_id": 67890,
    "activated_at": "2024-01-01"
  }'

Webhook Handler

app.post('/thinkific/webhook', (req, res) => {
    const { resource, action, payload } = req.body;
    if (resource === 'enrollment' && action === 'created') {
        onEnrollment(payload);
    }
    res.sendStatus(200);
});

Comparison

vs Teachable

• Community: Thinkific built-in
• Marketing: Teachable stronger
• Free plan: Thinkific offers one

vs Kajabi

• Price: Thinkific cheaper
• All-in-one: Kajabi more complete
• Learning: Thinkific focused

Strengths

• Built-in community features
• Free plan available
• App marketplace
• Enterprise offering (Plus)