Are you struggling to choose between GoHighLevel and Thinkific for your online business?
It’s a common dilemma! Both platforms offer powerful tools but cater to different needs.
Choosing the wrong one can mean wasted time and money.
In this post, we’ll explain the key differences between GoHighLevel vs Thinkific, helping you decide which platform best suits your goals.
We’ll explore features, pricing, and who each platform best serves so you can make an informed decision and confidently move forward.
Overview
We’ve spent considerable time exploring GoHighLevel and Thinkific, diving into their features and testing them.
Our hands-on experience and extensive research have allowed us to create this comprehensive comparison.
It gives you the inside scoop on which platform meets specific needs.
Want to see GoHighLevel in action? Start your journey and explore its powerful features!
Pricing: It has a free trial. Paid plan starts at $97/month
Key Features:
- Website Builder
- Funnel Builder
- 2-Way SMS
Ready to build a thriving community? BetterMode offers customizable features and flexible pricing plans to fit your needs.
Pricing: No free plan is available. Paid plan Starts at $36/month
Key Features:
- Course Creation
- Marketing Tools
- Community Features
What is GoHighLevel?
GoHighLevel is an all-in-one marketing platform.
It’s designed for agencies and marketers. Think of it as a Swiss Army knife for your online business.
It combines many tools into one platform. This makes it convenient and potentially cost-effective.
Also, explore our favorite GoHighLevel alternatives…
Our Take
This is great for agencies and businesses wanting to consolidate tools. The automation capabilities are very strong.
Key Benefits
- All-in-one marketing platform.
- White-labeling available.
- Automated campaigns.
- Lead-nurturing tools.
- Comprehensive reporting.
Pricing
- Starter: $97/month.
- Unlimited: $297/month.
Pros
Cons
What is Thinkific?
Thinkific is a platform specifically designed to create and sell online courses.
It’s focused on making it easy for anyone to share their knowledge.
If your main goal is to build and sell courses, Thinkific is a strong contender.
Also, explore our favorite Thinkific alternatives…
Our Take
Unlock your expertise with Thinkific and create unlimited courses for an unlimited number of students. Build a professional, branded online school and keep 100% of your revenue with zero transaction fees.
Key Benefits
- Powerful Course Builder: You can create high-quality, professional courses easily. It uses a simple drag-and-drop builder to organize videos, quizzes, and text.
- Zero Transaction Fees: On their paid plans, Thinkific doesn’t take a cut of your sales. You keep all the money you earn, minus standard payment processing fees.
- Complete Customization: You can fully brand your online school to match your business. This helps you build a strong, professional presence.
Pricing
- Basic: $36/month.
- Start: $74/month.
- Grow: $149/month.
Pros
Cons
Feature Comparison
Let’s dive into a detailed comparison of GoHighLevel and Thinkific’s features.
This breakdown will help you compare the two platforms and determine which suits your online business needs best.
1. Course Creation & Builder
- GoHighLevel: While not its primary focus, GoHighLevel does offer course creation tools. It’s more about building sales funnels around your courses. Think of it as a way to package and deliver your online learning content rather than a dedicated course builder like Thinkific. It’s less intuitive than dedicated online course platforms and more about sales and marketing.
- Thinkific: Thinkific excels in this area. It’s built specifically for course creators. The drag-and-drop course builder is user-friendly and easy to organize your content. Similar to platforms like Teachable or Kajabi, Thinkific is focused on creating the best course experience for your students.
2. Marketing Automation
- GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel excels at marketing automation. You can automate nearly every aspect of your sales and marketing, from email marketing to follow-ups. It’s a powerful tool for building complex funnels and nurturing leads.
- Thinkific: Thinkific offers some marketing features, but they’re not as robust as GoHighLevel’s. You can integrate with other email marketing platforms, but the built-in automation is more essential.
3. Sales Funnels & Landing Pages
- GoHighLevel: This is where GoHighLevel truly stands out. The site builder and landing page builder are top-notch. You can create high-converting funnels to drive sales. It gives you complete control over the entire checkout process.
- Thinkific: Thinkific provides tools for creating landing pages, sales, and marketing materials, but they are not as advanced or customizable as GoHighLevel.
4. Integrations
- GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel offers many integrations, including popular payment gateways and other marketing tools. Integrating with other platforms like Zapier opens up a world of possibilities.
- Thinkific: Thinkific integrates with various payment gateways and marketing platforms. However, the integration ecosystem is not as extensive as GoHighLevel’s.
5. CRM & Community
- GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel includes a built-in CRM that allows you to manage leads and customer interactions. It’s less focused on community, although you can integrate with other platforms.
- Thinkific: Thinkific offers tools for building a community around your courses and fostering engagement among students. It also has basic CRM features.
6. Pricing Options
- GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel’s pricing options are geared toward agencies and marketers. While the price may seem higher, it can replace multiple tools, saving money in the long run. They offer a free trial.
- Thinkific: Thinkific’s pricing options are more accessible for individual course creators. There are various paid plan options, and they offer a free trial.
7. Mobile App
GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel offers a mobile app for managing your account and clients.
Thinkific: Thinkific has a mobile app for students to access courses, improving the online learning experience.
What to Look for When Choosing a Community Platform?
- Scalability: Can the platform grow with your community?
- Customization: How much can you tailor the look and feel?
- Moderation Tools: Does it offer robust moderation features?
- Analytics: Can you track community engagement and growth?
- Integrations: Does it integrate with your existing tools?
- Support: What level of support is offered by the platform?
- Mobile Experience: Is the mobile experience seamless for users?
- Accessibility: Does it cater to users with disabilities?
- Cost-effectiveness: Does the pricing align with your budget?
- Security: Are there security measures to protect your data?
Final Verdict
Choosing between GoHighLevel and Thinkific depends entirely on your needs.
If you’re an agency or need advanced marketing automation, GoHighLevel is the better choice.
It’s all-in-one dashboard and powerful features are hard to beat.
However, if your primary goal is creating and selling online courses, Thinkific is simpler and more focused.
We’ve explored both platforms extensively, so our recommendation comes from actual experience.
Remember to carefully consider your goals and budget before deciding.
Check out our frequently asked questions and privacy policy for more information.
This post contains affiliate links (see disclosure). No matter which you pick, explore the available templates to get started fast!
More of GoHighLevel
Here’s a comparison of GoHighLevel with the requested alternatives:
- GoHighLevel vs Pipedrive: GoHighLevel offers a broader, all-in-one marketing and sales suite, including funnel builders and extensive automation, while Pipedrive focuses primarily on sales pipeline management with a highly visual interface.
- GoHighLevel vs Keap: GoHighLevel provides a more comprehensive, all-in-one platform with robust automation and a built-in website builder, whereas Keap focuses on CRM and marketing automation with a simpler, more user-friendly interface.
- GoHighLevel vs ActiveCampaign: GoHighLevel is a true all-in-one platform for sales, marketing, and automation with integrated tools, while ActiveCampaign excels in email marketing and segmentation but may require more integrations for comprehensive sales features.
- GoHighLevel vs HubSpot: GoHighLevel is an all-in-one platform for agencies and businesses that offers extensive marketing and sales features; HubSpot provides a broader suite of integrated hubs, including advanced AI and customer service automation.
- GoHighLevel vs ClickFunnels: GoHighLevel is a comprehensive marketing platform built for agencies with a wide feature set, including CRM and white-labeling; ClickFunnels primarily focuses on sales funnel and landing page building.
- GoHighLevel vs Folk: GoHighLevel offers robust marketing automation, lead generation, and comprehensive CRM, while Folk emphasizes collaborative contact organization and simpler email sequences.
- GoHighLevel vs Instantly: GoHighLevel provides a comprehensive suite for marketing automation, sales funnels, and membership management; Instantly specializes in lead finding and cold email outreach, focusing on ease of use.
- GoHighLevel vs ClickUp: GoHighLevel is a dedicated all-in-one marketing and sales automation platform designed for lead management and follow-ups. ClickUp is primarily a project management tool that can be customized for CRM functions.
- GoHighLevel vs Monday CRM: GoHighLevel offers advanced marketing automation and an all-in-one solution for customer management; Monday CRM excels in visual project management and team collaboration with a highly customizable interface.
- GoHighLevel vs Capsule CRM: GoHighLevel is a comprehensive platform with powerful automation and extensive integrations ideal for growing businesses and agencies; Capsule CRM is a simpler, more affordable CRM for basic contact and sales pipeline management.
- GoHighLevel vs Insightly: GoHighLevel offers a customizable, all-in-one solution that emphasizes user experience and integrated features; Insightly focuses on diverse modules and functionalities for small to mid-sized businesses, including project management.
- GoHighLevel vs Freshsales: GoHighLevel provides comprehensive digital marketing tools and white-label options, catering to agencies; Freshsales CRM focuses on AI-driven insights, sales automation, and integrated communication for sales teams.
- GoHighLevel vs Salesforce: GoHighLevel is a simpler all-in-one platform for lead generation, sales, and white-labeling for local businesses; Salesforce is an industry-leading, highly customizable CRM tailored for large enterprises with extensive add-ons.
- GoHighLevel vs Zendesk: GoHighLevel is a comprehensive marketing and sales automation platform that includes CRM and lead management; Zendesk primarily excels as a customer service and support ticketing system with CRM capabilities for managing customer interactions.
More of Thinkific
Here are brief comparisons of Thinkific against the specified alternatives:
- Thinkific vs Skool: Thinkific is a core course platform; Skool combines community, courses, and gamification.
- Thinkific vs Swarm: Thinkific is a course platform with a community; Swarm focuses on structured community engagement.
- Thinkific vs Kajabi: Thinkific is primarily a course platform; Kajabi is an all-in-one marketing, course, and website builder.
- Thinkific vs Teachable: Thinkific and Teachable are both leading platforms focused on creating and selling online courses.
- Thinkific vs GoHighLevel: Thinkific is a course platform, while GoHighLevel is a broad marketing automation platform that includes courses and a community.
- Thinkific vs MightyNetworks: Thinkific is a course platform with a community; MightyNetworks integrates community, courses, and content more deeply.
- Thinkific vs Bettermode: Thinkific is a course platform; Bettermode focuses on building highly customizable community spaces.
- Thinkific vs LearnWorlds: Thinkific is a course platform; LearnWorlds specializes in interactive courses and learning communities.
- Thinkific vs Circle: Thinkific is a course platform with a community; Circle focuses purely on building standalone communities.
- Thinkific vs Disco: Thinkific is a general course platform; Disco is tailored for cohort-based learning communities.
- Thinkific vs Wylo: Thinkific is a course platform; Wylo connects individuals via interest-based groups/communities.
- Thinkific vs Whop: Thinkific is a course platform with a community; Whop sells access to communities and digital products via a marketplace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GoHighLevel better than Thinkific?
Neither platform is universally “better.” GoHighLevel excels at marketing automation and agency needs. Thinkific is superior for course creation and student management. The best choice depends on your specific requirements.
Can I use GoHighLevel to host my online courses?
Yes, you can. GoHighLevel has course creation features. However, it’s more focused on your courses’ sales and marketing aspects, not necessarily the most advanced course builder itself.
Does Thinkific have a free plan?
Thinkific doesn’t offer a completely free plan, but they have a free trial. They offer different paid plan options to suit various needs and budgets.
Which platform is easier to use?
Thinkific is generally considered more user-friendly, especially when creating courses. GoHighLevel, while powerful, has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive feature set.
Can I integrate other tools with both platforms?
Yes, both platforms offer integrations. GoHighLevel boasts a wider range of integrations and is often used with platforms like Zapier. Thinkific focuses on integrations relevant to course creation and marketing.
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