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Circle vs Thinkific
Priced at four sizes on whatever each one charges by, the features checked against both pricing pages, and my own verdict on each.
Take Circle if you want a community with courses inside it. Take Thinkific if you want a mature platform with a large creator base and keeping every dollar of your sales. Circle charges by members and Thinkific by students, so there is no single crossover. At a typical setup Thinkific is $75 a month cheaper ($54 at 500 students against $129 at 500 members).
What each one actually costs
The real monthly figure at four sizes with the add-ons each platform forces on you included, from the same engine the shortlist quiz uses. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row. Circle charges by members and Thinkific by students, so each column is priced at its own sizes, smallest to largest.
| Circle | Thinkific | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size 1 of 4 | $129 at 100 members | $54 at 100 students | $75 |
| Size 2 of 4 | $129 at 500 members | $54 at 500 students | $75 |
| Size 3 of 4 | $129 at 2,000 members | $54 at 2,000 students | $75 |
| Size 4 of 4 | $129 at 10,000 members | $54 at 10,000 students | $75 |
What is actually different
- Thinkific lists certificates, digital downloads and quizzes and assessments where Circle does not, which is their own wording rather than something we verified.
What I found
Condensed from my own reviews. Every line links to the second I said it, so you can check any of it. Prices in the table above are from this week; the videos are older and the figures in them are not.
Circle
Circle is a community-first platform with strong customisation and AI features, though it has a learning curve and sits on the pricier side.
- You can customise a lot of it and add AI features, which is why I've seen other coaches choose Circle. 13:50
- It's a complete community platform where you can build a home for community, events and courses all in one place. 13:41
- You can upload MP4 files directly and embed URLs as well, so adding video content is dead easy. 16:36
- There is a bit of a learning curve with Circle, and there's a lot you can do with it. 15:23
- I've been part of other Circle communities and sometimes got a little bit lost in and around where to go and what to do. 15:29
- The pricing is a little bit more on the expensive side depending on those features you need. 17:30
From my review, March 2025. Watch it
Thinkific
I have not used Thinkific, so there is no verdict from me on this one. Everything else on this page still applies.
Before you sign up to either
| Circle | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | 30 days |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Contract | Annual billing is the published price | Monthly, or annual |
| Payment fee | None on top | None on top |
Reading further
The full price ladder, every plan and the add-ons charged on top are on each platform's own page. If neither of these two is quite it, each page also has the alternatives ranked against it.
People search for this comparison as: thinkific vs circle.
Neither, or not sure?
A head to head only helps once you have picked the two. The shortlist asks 8 questions about what you sell and how many students you have, and gives you four picks priced at your own numbers, from all 19.
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