How to Make Money with Thinkific (2025 Guide)
Learn how to monetize your knowledge using Thinkific. This 2025 guide shows how to launch your course, set prices, and grow income online.
Want to earn money by teaching online? Thinkific is one of the best tools to turn your skills into income. In this guide, you’ll learn step-by-step how to make money with Thinkific—whether you're just getting started or looking to scale.
Table of Contents
- What Is Thinkific and Why Use It
- How to Set Up Thinkific for Earning
- 6 Ways to Make Money on Thinkific
- Tips to Increase Your Earnings
- Real Examples of People Earning on Thinkific
- Quick Recap: What to Do Next
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Is Thinkific and Why Use It
Thinkific is a platform where you can create and sell online courses. It's made for anyone who wants to teach and earn.
Quote: "Thinkific makes it easy for anyone to turn their knowledge into income."
Over 50,000 creators have used Thinkific to earn more than $650 million teaching online.
Why People Use Thinkific
- Full control over your content, pricing, and branding
- No platform fees on paid plans—you keep what you earn
- Unlimited students on all plans
2. How to Set Up Thinkific for Earning
You don’t need tech skills to get started. Here’s how to set up for success.
Choose the Right Plan
Thinkific has a free plan and several paid options.
Tip: Use the Free plan to test ideas. Upgrade when you’re making steady sales.
- Free Plan: Great to get started. Charges a 10% transaction fee.
- Basic or Higher: No transaction fees. Ideal for growing your course income.
Create a High-Value Course
- Pick a course topic that solves a problem or teaches a valuable skill.
- Break lessons into short videos or modules that are easy to follow.
- Use good video/audio quality to build trust and professionalism.
Pro Tip: Ask your audience what they want to learn. Build a course around their needs.
Set Pricing and Payments
- Choose between a one-time fee, subscription, or payment plan.
- Accept payments through Thinkific Payments (Stripe) or PayPal.
- Money is sent to your bank account, usually within 2 days.
Try This: Use coupons for early sign-ups or discounts during launch.
3. 6 Ways to Make Money on Thinkific
You can mix and match these to grow income over time:
- Sell Courses
Make a complete course and sell it. Once made, it earns money while you sleep. - Offer Memberships
Give students access to all your content for a monthly fee. Great for ongoing learning. - Course Bundles & Upsells
Group related courses together and offer a discount. Add an upsell at checkout to increase value per customer. - Live Cohort Programs
Teach in groups during set times. Charge more for live access and Q&A. - Use Affiliates
Let others promote your course. Reward them with a commission. Built-in tracking makes it easy. - Sell Extras
Offer templates, ebooks, or one-on-one coaching alongside your course.
Remember: Most creators use 2–3 of these together to earn more.
4. Tips to Increase Your Earnings
Here’s how to go from a few sales to a steady income:
- Offer something free first (like a mini course or checklist) to grow your email list.
- Improve your sales page with clear outcomes, testimonials, and a short video.
- Use Thinkific’s built-in tools—like coupons and landing pages—to boost sign-ups.
- Encourage course completion, ask for reviews, and update lessons to keep students coming back.
- Test and improve regularly—even small updates can double your income.
Insight: Creators who keep improving their course make more money over time.
5. Real Examples of People Earning on Thinkific
John Michaloudis teaches Excel. He grew his online course to $20,000/month in just 6 months.
Tim Vipond built a global finance training site (CFI) with over 600,000 students.
Quote: "I earned six figures in my first year thanks to Thinkific."
These stories show it works—no matter your topic, you can scale.
6. Quick Recap: What to Do Next
✓ Pick a topic your audience wants
✓ Start with the free plan, then upgrade to avoid fees
✓ Sell your course, add upsells or subscriptions
✓ Market smart—use email, content, and social media
✓ Update content often to boost value and sales
Ready to get started? Create your Thinkific account now
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make money using Thinkific's free plan?
Yes. You can sell one course and pay a 10% fee. Once you earn more, upgrade to keep all your revenue.
How do I get paid?
Payments go to your bank via Stripe or PayPal. Most payouts take 2 days.
Do I need an audience to start?
No. Use lead magnets and share on social media to grow your audience.
Which earning method works best?
Subscriptions and course bundles usually give you higher earnings over time.
Why choose Thinkific over other tools?
It has no platform fees on paid plans, gives full pricing control, and is built to help you earn.