Canvas LMS vs Thinkific

Detailed comparison across 10 dimensions

Winner: Canvas LMS

Canvas LMS clearly comes out ahead of Thinkific on Staquest's weighted six-dimension score. Canvas LMS has a free tier; Thinkific does not. Thinkific's paid plans start at $49/mo.

Quick Overview

Overview	Canvas LMSA leading learning management system for schools and universities.	ThinkificA powerful platform for creating, marketing, and selling online courses.
Type	hybrid	hybrid
Company	Instructure	Thinkific Labs Inc.
Free Tier
Has API
Open Source
Trending	Stable	Stable
Industries	DevelopmentMarketingEducation & EdTechSales & CRM	DevelopmentMarketingEducation & EdTech
Categories	edtech-lms	edtech-lms
Website	Visit	Visit

Dimension Scores

Winners by Dimension

Overall Winner

Canvas LMS

Canvas LMS: 7.8Thinkific: 6.1(+1.6 pts)

Pricing Value

Canvas LMS15% weight

Canvas LMS

8.0

Thinkific

7.5

Free Tier

Canvas LMS10% weight

Canvas LMS

9.0

Thinkific

2.0

Scalability

Thinkific10% weight

Canvas LMS

8.6

Thinkific

10.0

Integrations

Tie10% weight

Canvas LMS

8.0

Thinkific

8.0

Community

Tie5% weight

Canvas LMS

3.0

Thinkific

3.0

Open Source

Canvas LMS5% weight

Canvas LMS

7.0

Thinkific

2.0

Pricing Comparison

Canvas LMS

Free-for-Teacher

Free

freemium

Course creation
Assignments
Quizzes
Discussions
Mobile app access
Third-party tool integration

Institutional

Contact sales

custom

Everything in Free-for-Teacher
SIS integrations
Institutional branding
Advanced analytics
Dedicated support
Administrative dashboards

Thinkific

Basic

~$49/mo

flat

Unlimited courses
1 admin account
Custom domain
Live chat support

Start

~$99/mo

flat

Everything in Basic
Unlimited live events and coaching sessions
Certificates and assignments
Advanced sales tools
Membership and subscription programs
2 course administrator accounts

Grow

~$199/mo

flat

Everything in Start
Advanced commerce features
Professional support

Plus

Contact sales

custom

Everything in Grow
Unlimited users and products
SCORM-compliant courses
Learning paths with progression mapping
Dedicated support
SSO
+1 more

Feature Comparison

Feature	canvas-lms	thinkific
Dedicated Support
Administrative Dashboards
1 Admin Account
Advanced Analytics
2 Course Administrator Accounts
Assignments
Advanced Commerce Features
Course Creation
Advanced Sales Tools
Discussions
Certificates And Assignments
Everything In Free-For-Teacher
Custom Domain
Institutional Branding
Everything In Basic
Mobile App Access
Everything In Grow
Quizzes
Everything In Start
Sis Integrations
Learning Paths With Progression Mapping
Third-Party Tool Integration
Live Chat Support
Membership And Subscription Programs
Professional Support
Scorm-Compliant Courses
Sla Guarantees
Sso
Unlimited Courses
Unlimited Live Events And Coaching Sessions

Showing 30 of 30 features

Dashes mean the feature isn't listed in our data. The tool may still support it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Canvas LMS or Thinkific better?

On Staquest's weighted six-dimension scoring, Canvas LMS comes out ahead overall, though Thinkific can be the better fit depending on your priorities — see the dimension-by-dimension breakdown above.

Does Canvas LMS or Thinkific have a free tier?

Canvas LMS offers a free tier; Thinkific does not currently list one.

Which is better for pricing value, Canvas LMS or Thinkific?

Canvas LMS scores higher on pricing value in Staquest's analysis. It is the highest-weighted dimension in this comparison.

What are the main differences between Canvas LMS and Thinkific?

Canvas LMS is open source. The feature comparison and dimension scores above cover the full breakdown.

View Canvas LMS View Thinkific