Monthly or annual billing, and how long the free trial runs, on Teachable, Thinkific and LearnWorlds
Disclosure: Independent article; no affiliate links or sponsorship.
Draft text was prepared with AI assistance and checked against the cited official pricing and plan pages.
Draft text was prepared with AI assistance and checked against the cited official pricing and plan pages.
The buying question this page answers: Should you start an entry plan on monthly or annual billing, and how much trial time does each platform give before the first charge?
The trial and the billing cycle decide how much you commit before you know a platform suits you. Here are the listed trial terms and both billing prices for each entry tier, including where the official pages contradict themselves.
Comparison
| Criterion | Teachable | Thinkific | LearnWorlds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price (billed monthly) | 39 USD/month[1] | 109 USD/month[2] | 29 USD/month[3] |
| Entry price (billed annually, per month) | 29 USD/month[1] | 82 USD/month[2] | 24 USD/month[3] |
| Free plan / trial | No free plan; 7-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee[4] | No free plan; 30-day free trial[5] | 30-day free trial[6] |
| Reference price | 39 USD [1] | 109 USD [2] | 29 USD [3] |
| Price history | Price history not collected | Price history not collected | Price history not collected |
Who it fits
Teachable
- Suits creators happy with a short trial backed by a refund window: Teachable lists no free plan, a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, with Starter at $29 per month when billed annually.[1]
Thinkific
- Suits creators who want a full month to build before paying: Thinkific lists a 30-day free trial, and Start is listed at $82 per month billed annually, which the page presents as a saving of $330.[2]
LearnWorlds
- Suits creators who want a month with the core features before committing: LearnWorlds lists a 30-day free trial, and Starter is listed at 24 USD per month billed annually or 29 USD billed monthly.[3]
When not to buy
Teachable
- Not ideal if you need several weeks to set up your course before judging the platform, because the trial on the plan cards is short; lean on the refund window only if you are comfortable paying first.
Thinkific
- Avoid locking into annual billing on Start before the trial has convinced you, since the yearly saving only pays off if you stay for the whole term.
LearnWorlds
- Not ideal if you want a free tier to keep running after the trial ends; the sources recorded here document a trial only and say nothing about a free plan.
Key differences
General
- Trial length differs: Thinkific and LearnWorlds each list a 30-day free trial, while Teachable's plan cards list a 7-day free trial plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. Teachable and Thinkific both state they have no free plan.[1][2][3]
- Annual billing lowers the per-month entry price on all three: Teachable Starter from $39 to $29, Thinkific Start from $109 to $82, and LearnWorlds Starter from 29 to 24 USD.[1][2][3]
- Paying monthly through the trial and the first weeks keeps the option to switch; annual billing is the step to take once you know the platform fits your course.
Limitations
Teachable
- The same pricing page also shows a promotional pop-up offering a 30-day free trial that then continues on Builder monthly, which conflicts with the 7-day trial on the plan cards; check which offer applies when you sign up.[1]
Thinkific
LearnWorlds
- The currency symbol beside the LearnWorlds plan price is inserted by JavaScript; the USD figures come from the page's structured data and meta description, so confirm the currency shown at checkout.[3]
General
- Whether annual plans are charged upfront, how renewals work and whether a trial needs a payment card are not recorded in our sources.
Sources
- Teachable — giá gói trả phí rẻ nhất (USD) · Teachable · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: giá gói trả phí rẻ nhất (USD)
- Thinkific — giá gói trả phí rẻ nhất (USD) · Thinkific · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: giá gói trả phí rẻ nhất (USD)
- LearnWorlds — giá gói trả phí rẻ nhất (USD) · LearnWorlds · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: giá gói trả phí rẻ nhất (USD)
- Teachable — Cheapest self-serve paid plan · Teachable · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: Cheapest self-serve paid plan
- Thinkific — Cheapest self-serve paid plan (pricing page lists Start, Grow, Expand, Plus) · Thinkific · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: Cheapest self-serve paid plan (pricing page lists Start, Grow, Expand, Plus)
- LearnWorlds — Cheapest self-serve paid plan · LearnWorlds · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: Cheapest self-serve paid plan
- Thinkific — Start plan; fee applies only to sales via third-party gateways in listed countries, on the first $1M sales per calendar year; standard processing fees (2.9% on Thinkific Payments per pricing FAQ) are separate · Thinkific · accessed 2026-10-22 · scope: Start plan; fee applies only to sales via third-party gateways in listed countries, on the first $1M sales per calendar year; standard processing fees (2.9% on Thinkific Payments per pricing FAQ) are separate