Thinkific Review: How to Make Money as an Affiliate

Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What Is Thinkific?

Thinkific is an online course platform. It lets you build courses, run a community, and sell memberships, all from your own branded site.

Think of it this way. You have the knowledge. Thinkific gives you the classroom, the checkout, and the front door.

You don't need to code. You don't need to stitch five tools together. You set it up once, and your students log in to one place.

Here's what you get:

• Unlimited courses on every paid plan
• Live cohorts and coaching alongside self-paced lessons
• Quizzes and certificates to keep students on track
• Communities and memberships for recurring income
• Bundles and payment plans to make bigger offers easier to buy
• A custom domain so the school feels like yours
• A 30-day free trial to test everything before you pay

If you've been looking for a simple way to turn what you know into a paid course, Thinkific is one of the most established options out there.

How Does Thinkific Work?

For Users

1. Start the 30-day free trial and pick a site template.
2. Build your course with videos, text lessons, quizzes, and downloads.
3. Add a community space or live sessions if you want more engagement.
4. Set your price: one-time, payment plan, subscription, or bundle.
5. Connect payments (Thinkific Payments, Stripe, or PayPal) and publish.
6. Send traffic to your course page and let students enroll.

For Affiliates

1. Apply to the Thinkific Affiliate program (it runs on PartnerStack).
2. Get your unique referral link from your PartnerStack dashboard.
3. Create helpful content for people who want to sell courses.
4. Readers click your link and start a trial. The cookie lasts 90 days.
5. When they become paying customers, you earn a recurring commission.
6. Cash out through PayPal or Stripe once you hit the minimum.

Thinkific Pricing

Thinkific has three main self-serve plans and a custom Plus plan for larger organizations.

There's no free plan. Instead, you get a 30-day free trial. A branded mobile app is available as a $199/month add-on.

Pricing changes often, so always check Thinkific's own pricing page for current numbers before you buy or write about it.

Who Should Use Thinkific?

Users

Thinkific is a good fit for coaches, consultants, teachers, and experts who want to sell online courses under their own brand. It also works well for small businesses that train customers or staff.

If you only want to sell a single PDF or a small digital download, it's probably more than you need. But if courses are the heart of your business, it makes sense.

Affiliates

Thinkific is a strong fit if your audience is made up of entrepreneurs, coaches, bloggers, or anyone curious about creating a course. It's also a natural match if you already write about online business tools, email marketing, or side hustles.

Pros and Cons of Thinkific

Pros

• Unlimited courses on every paid plan
• Courses, communities, coaching, and memberships in one place
• Clean, student-friendly learning experience
• 30-day free trial, which makes it easier to recommend
• Generous affiliate program: 30% recurring for as long as the customer pays

Cons

• No free plan, and the entry plan isn't cheap for complete beginners
• Removing Thinkific branding requires the Grow plan or higher
• Using Stripe or PayPal instead of Thinkific Payments can add an extra gateway fee
• Built-in email marketing is limited, so many creators still pair it with a separate email tool

Thinkific vs Alternatives

Thinkific isn't the only way to sell courses. Here's how it stacks up against a few tools I've already reviewed.

If interactive learning matters most, read my LearnWorlds review. If you'd rather have funnels and email under one roof, see my Kartra review.

On a smaller budget? My Payhip review and my Sellfy review cover two lighter, cheaper options.

How to Make Money with Thinkific as an Affiliate

Here's the part I like. Course creators tend to stay on their platform for a long time. Moving a whole school is a hassle. That makes recurring commissions especially valuable.

• Commission: 30% of monthly or annual paid plans ($150/month for Plus plans)
• Duration: Lifetime recurring, for as long as your referral stays a paying customer
• Cookie: 90 days (last click: another affiliate's link replaces yours)
• Payout: Monthly on the 13th via PayPal or Stripe, $25 minimum, after a 30-day reconciliation delay (managed through PartnerStack)

So one Grow customer on a monthly plan could be worth a nice chunk every single month. Not overnight. But steadily.

Angle 1: "How to Create and Sell an Online Course"

Beginners don't search for "Thinkific." They search for how to start. Write a step-by-step guide to building a first course, and show Thinkific as the tool you'd use. Mention the free trial so the next step feels easy.

Angle 2: Head-to-Head Comparisons

People close to buying compare tools. "Thinkific vs LearnWorlds" and "Thinkific vs Kajabi" are classic buyer-intent searches. Be honest about the tradeoffs. Readers can tell when you're not.

Angle 3: The Course Creator Tool Stack

Show the full stack: course platform, email, checkout. Thinkific pairs naturally with an email tool like the one in my Kit review, and some creators add a checkout tool like the one in my ThriveCart review. One article, several commissions.

Content Ideas That Rank

• Thinkific review
• Thinkific pricing
• Thinkific vs LearnWorlds
• Thinkific vs Kajabi
• Thinkific vs Teachable
• Thinkific alternatives
• Best online course platforms for beginners
• How to sell an online course

Common Questions About Thinkific

Is Thinkific free?
No. There's no free plan, but there is a 30-day free trial so you can explore the full platform first.

Does Thinkific charge transaction fees?
Thinkific Payments has a standard processing fee. If you use Stripe or PayPal instead, an extra gateway fee can apply depending on your plan. Check their site for current details in your country.

How much does the Thinkific affiliate program pay?
30% recurring commission on monthly and annual paid plans for as long as the customer keeps paying. Plus plans pay a flat $150 per month instead.

How long is the Thinkific affiliate cookie?
90 days. If the visitor clicks another affiliate's link later, the referral moves to that affiliate.

How do Thinkific affiliates get paid?
Through PartnerStack, via PayPal or Stripe, on the 13th of the month. You need at least $25 to cash out.

Do I need to use Thinkific to promote it?
It isn't required, but it helps a lot. Using the free trial gives you real screenshots and honest opinions, and that's what builds trust.

Final Thoughts

Thinkific is a solid, proven course platform. It isn't the cheapest option, and it isn't trying to be. It's built for people who are serious about selling courses.

For affiliates, that's good news. Serious customers stay. And with 30% lifetime recurring commissions, every customer who stays keeps paying you, too.

Start with one helpful article. Then another. That's how this works.

Check out Thinkific here.

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