For course businesses and academies · Checked 13 October 2026
Thinkific vs Ultra LMS
Thinkific is a mature course platform with flexible drip schedules, communities on every plan, a student mobile app and a large app store, and its Plus tier adds SCORM, SSO and an AI teaching assistant. For academies weighing a Thinkific alternative, Ultra LMS puts AI through the whole teaching loop, from course building to a cited AI Tutor and teacher-approved AI grading, with the CRM, email automations, blog and content protection built in.
At a glance
Thinkific is a good fit for
- Creators selling courses and communities on a branded site with built-in checkout
- Businesses in Thinkific Payments countries that want sales tax handled at checkout
- Teams needing SCORM, SSO and CRM sync for customer or partner training on Plus
Ultra LMS is a good fit for
- Academies that want AI to build courses, tutor learners and draft grades
- Educators who want a CRM, email automations, blog and site builder in one place
- Indian academies taking UPI through their own Razorpay account
Feature by feature
Thinkific and Ultra LMS compared
Thinkific's column comes from its own website and help centre, checked 13 October 2026; plan names show where a feature depends on the plan.
- Yes
- built in
- Partial
- limited, or on some plans only
- Add-on
- an add-on or third-party integration
- No
- not offered
- Not documented
- not in the sources we checked
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| AI course builderAI that drafts a course — outline, lessons, quizzes — from your brief. | PartialGenerates a course outline and multiple-choice quiz questions from your lessons; you still write the lesson content yourself. | YesBrief and reference docs → editable outline → full lessons, quizzes, narration audio, slide decks and the sales page. Runs on your own OpenAI-compatible or Claude key, with a monthly spend cap. |
| AI tutor for learnersAn assistant learners can ask, answering from your course material. | PartialThinker AI Teaching Assistant answers learners from the courses you select; Plus plans only, metered in monthly credits. | YesA tutor per course that answers only from your material with numbered citations, won't do graded work, and replies in the learner's language. |
| AI-assisted gradingAI drafts marks and feedback on submissions for a teacher to review. | NoNo AI grading; assignments are approved or rejected by hand, or auto-approved. | YesAI drafts grades and feedback against your rubric for text, PDF, Word, slides and code; a teacher approves, edits or discards each one. |
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes & assignmentsGraded quizzes, and assignments learners submit for review. | YesQuizzes with question banks and passing grades on all plans; assignments on Start and above. | YesChoice, true/false and short-answer quizzes with pass marks, attempt limits and shuffling; assignments with rubrics and due dates. No timed quizzes or question banks. |
| CertificatesCompletion certificates, ideally verifiable. | PartialCompletion certificates on the Start plan and above, not on Basic. | YesTen designs with your fonts, colours and signers; a QR code to a public verification page; revocable. |
| Drip schedulingReleasing modules over time instead of all at once. | YesDrip by enrollment date, by the learner's course start date or by a fixed calendar date. | YesPer-module drip from a learner's start or a batch's start, timezone-aware, with sequential unlocking and “module opened” emails. |
| Cohorts & batchesGroups that start together, with their own dates and staff. | PartialCohort pacing through calendar-date drip and Zoom-based live sessions; there's no separate cohort object. | YesBatches with dates, enrolment windows, seat limits, timezone, staff and announcements; online, offline or hybrid; CSV rosters and attendance. |
| SCORM / xAPIImporting packaged e-learning from authoring tools. | PartialSCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 import on Plus only; xAPI and AICC aren't supported. | NoSCORM and xAPI packages are not supported. |
| GamificationPoints, badges and leaderboards. | Not documentedNot covered in the sources we checked. | NoNo points, badges or leaderboards. |
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Live classes & webinarsScheduled live sessions, and recorded webinars that play on a schedule. | PartialLive Lessons run through the Zoom app on Start and above; sessions happen in Zoom, not inside Thinkific. | PartialLive classes link to Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, YouTube Live and others (no built-in video room), with scheduling, reminders and attendance. Evergreen webinars play natively. |
| Community & discussionsPlaces for learners to talk to each other and to staff. | YesCommunities with spaces, posts, DMs, live events and weekly digests on all plans, sold alone or with courses. | PartialQ&A threads on every lesson with staff replies and moderation, plus reviews and announcements. No community feed, groups or DMs. |
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in CRMOne record per person: leads, learners and buyers, with history. | Add-onNo built-in CRM; HubSpot and Salesforce integrations are Plus-only, and other CRMs connect via apps or Zapier. | YesEvery learner, lead and buyer is a contact with stage, tags, custom fields, lifetime value, notes, timeline and first-touch UTM source. |
| Email campaigns & automationsNewsletters and automated email sequences. | PartialBuilt-in automation covers a Sales Flow sequence and abandoned-cart emails; newsletters run through Mailchimp, Kit or ActiveCampaign. | YesCampaigns with open, click and revenue reports; visual automations with waits, conditions, A/B splits and ready-made funnels, on your own sending service. |
| Funnels & landing pagesSales pages, lead magnets and the pages around a launch. | PartialSales pages, AI landing pages, templates, order bumps and abandoned-cart emails; no multi-step funnel builder. | PartialFifteen landing-page starting points, AI sales pages, forms and abandoned-checkout recovery. No order bumps or one-click upsells. |
| Digital productsSelling downloads such as ebooks, templates and audio. | YesDigital Downloads (PDFs, templates, audio, video) sold on their own, on payment plans or as lead magnets. | YesEbooks, templates, audio and video downloads with protected, short-lived links, optional download limits and file versions. |
| Subscriptions & membershipsRecurring billing, trials and membership access. | PartialSubscriptions, memberships, bundles and payment plans on Start and above; PayPal can't run subscriptions. | YesWeekly, monthly or yearly plans with trials, grace periods and a self-serve billing portal; memberships can include future courses. |
| CouponsDiscount codes and links. | YesCoupons and auto-applied coupon links on all plans, with bulk generation through the API. | YesPercentage or fixed-amount, scoped and time-boxed, link codes, and personal single-use codes from automations. |
| Affiliate programmePartners who earn commission for referrals. | Not documentedNot covered in the sources we checked. | NoNo affiliate programme built in. |
| PaymentsHow you take payments, and whose account the money lands in. | YesThinkific Payments in supported countries, your own Stripe account, or PayPal on Grow and above for one-time USD sales. | YesYour own Stripe or Razorpay account — money goes straight to you. Instalments, bundles, offline sales. No PayPal. |
| UPI & Indian paymentsUPI, netbanking and Indian wallets at checkout. | Add-onNo native UPI or Razorpay; Indian gateways connect only through the third-party CheckoutJoy app. | YesUPI, cards, netbanking and wallets through your own Razorpay account. |
| Tax invoices (incl. India GST)Invoices with tax lines; India-specific GST invoicing. | NoNo Indian GST invoicing; Thinkific Payments handles US and Canada sales tax and opt-in UK/EU VAT. | PartialAutomatic PDF invoices with a tax line you can label (for example GST). Not a full GST tax invoice with GSTIN, HSN or a CGST/SGST split. |
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Website builderDesigning your academy's public site without code. | YesSite Builder with themes, sections and custom pages on all plans; CSS and HTML editing on Start and above. | YesTwenty-two site templates, ready-made sections, drag-and-drop columns, custom HTML, version history, device preview and SEO settings. |
| Custom domainRunning the academy on your own domain. | YesConnect a custom domain bought from a third-party registrar. | YesGuided DNS records, automatic verification and HTTPS, www and root redirects. |
| BlogPublishing articles on your own site. | Add-onNo built-in blog; Thinkific suggests Custom Pages, the DropInBlog app or an external blog. | YesCategories, tags, search, RSS, scheduling, structured data and an AI writer. |
| White-label brandingYour brand everywhere, without the platform's. | PartialRemoving 'Powered by Thinkific' needs Grow or above; admin dashboard white-labelling is by request on Plus. | YesYour brand across the site, emails, invoices, certificates and decks; the “Powered by” badge is off by default. |
| Multi-languageTeaching and serving learners in other languages. | PartialSite text can be set to one of many languages; course content isn't translated and RTL languages aren't supported. | PartialContent and AI output in any language, and the AI Tutor answers in the learner's language. The built-in interface is English only. |
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Content protectionMaking your content harder to copy and easier to trace. | PartialPer-lesson download controls and text-copy prevention, with a private-video setting in beta; no dynamic learner watermarks. | YesMoving watermark with the learner's email on video and documents, a protected viewer for PDF/Office files, downloads off by default. A deterrent with traceability, not DRM. |
| Device limitsLimiting how many devices one learner account can use. | NoThinkific says there's no way to block login sharing by device, IP address or sign-in frequency. | YesSet active devices per learner, let learners sign out another device, reset from the admin, and get alerts on likely account sharing. |
| Feature | Thinkific | Ultra LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Native mobile appAn iOS/Android app for learners. | YesA student app for iOS and Android; a white-labelled branded app is an add-on or part of some Plus contracts. | NoNo native app; the academy is fully responsive in mobile browsers. |
| API & webhooksConnecting the academy to your other systems. | PartialREST API and webhooks on Grow and above; payment webhooks don't fire for direct Stripe or PayPal sales. | YesREST API, signed webhooks with retries and logs, and embeddable checkout, course cards and lead forms. |
| Team seats (B2B)Selling seats to organisations with a team manager view. | PartialGroup Orders with Seat Managers on Grow and above; custom roles, SSO and Group Analysts on Plus. | NoNo bulk seat purchasing or team-manager dashboards; bulk CSV enrolment and email-domain allowlists are available. |
| Data exportGetting your learners and content out again. | PartialUsers and course progress export to CSV; there's no whole-course export, so videos download one at a time. | YesFull academy export, CSV exports, and each course as a ZIP or Word document with slides, narration and quizzes. |
The differences
Where Ultra LMS pulls ahead
If you're weighing up a Thinkific alternative, these are the differences that matter most — each with what Thinkific offers on the same point.
AI across the whole teaching loop
Build a course with the AI course builder, support every learner with a per-course AI Tutor that cites your lessons, and grade with AI drafts a teacher approves — on your own AI key, with a monthly spend cap.
Thinkific
AI course builder PartialGenerates a course outline and multiple-choice quiz questions from your lessons; you still write the lesson content yourself.AI tutor for learners PartialThinker AI Teaching Assistant answers learners from the courses you select; Plus plans only, metered in monthly credits.AI-assisted grading NoNo AI grading; assignments are approved or rejected by hand, or auto-approved.Device limits against shared logins
Set how many devices each learner may use, see and reset them as an admin, and get alerts when an account looks shared.
Thinkific
Device limits NoThinkific says there's no way to block login sharing by device, IP address or sign-in frequency.A CRM that is already connected
Every learner, lead and buyer is a contact with a stage, tags, lifetime value, notes and a full activity timeline — no separate CRM to sync.
Thinkific
Built-in CRM Add-onNo built-in CRM; HubSpot and Salesforce integrations are Plus-only, and other CRMs connect via apps or Zapier.UPI and Indian payment methods
Through your own Razorpay account, learners pay by UPI, cards, netbanking or wallets.
Thinkific
UPI & Indian payments Add-onNo native UPI or Razorpay; Indian gateways connect only through the third-party CheckoutJoy app.Email campaigns and visual automations
Send campaigns with open, click and revenue reports, and build automations on a canvas — triggers, waits, conditions, A/B splits, coupons and enrolments — from ready-made funnels.
Thinkific
Email campaigns & automations PartialBuilt-in automation covers a Sales Flow sequence and abandoned-cart emails; newsletters run through Mailchimp, Kit or ActiveCampaign.A built-in blog with an AI writer
Categories, tags, search, RSS, scheduling, structured data for search engines, and an AI writer for drafts.
Thinkific
Blog Add-onNo built-in blog; Thinkific suggests Custom Pages, the DropInBlog app or an external blog.
Fair is fair
Where Thinkific shines
Thinkific is a hosted platform for selling online courses, communities, digital downloads and memberships, with a Plus tier for business training.
In the table, Thinkific is ahead of Ultra LMS on SCORM / xAPI, community & discussions, native mobile app and team seats (B2B).
- A mature course builder with flexible drip schedules, quiz question banks, AI quiz generation and assignment review.
- Built-in checkout with order bumps, group orders and invoicing, plus automatic US/Canada sales tax and opt-in UK/EU VAT.
- Communities on every plan, linked to courses, with a student mobile app for iOS and Android.
- Plus adds enterprise tools: SSO, custom roles, SCORM import, learning paths and native HubSpot and Salesforce integrations.
- A large App Store and a documented REST API connect Zoom, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Zapier and more.
Decide
Who should choose which
Choose Thinkific if…
- you want communities and a student mobile app alongside your courses
- you sell in Thinkific Payments countries and want sales tax and VAT handled at checkout
- you need SCORM import, SSO and custom roles for customer or partner training on Plus
- you'd rather extend a core product with apps from a large marketplace
Choose Ultra LMS if…
- you want an AI Tutor in every course and AI-drafted grades that your teachers approve
- you'd rather have a CRM, email automations and a blog built in than connected through apps
- you need learner-email watermarks, a protected document viewer and device limits
- you sell in India and want UPI through your own Razorpay account
Moving over
Switching from Thinkific
What you can take with you, and how Ultra LMS helps you settle in.
Getting your data out of Thinkific
- Users export to CSV from Users > All Users, including custom sign-up fields, delivered by emailed link.
- Per-course progress reports also export to CSV.
- There's no whole-course export: videos download one at a time from the video library, and PDFs and audio lesson by lesson.
- Thinkific doesn't keep older versions of content, so keep your own backups of source files.
- Even Thinkific-to-Thinkific course cloning leaves drip schedules and landing pages behind, so note them before you move.
Settling into Ultra LMS
- Import learners from a CSV, enrol them in bulk, and keep their details in the built-in CRM.
- Rebuild courses quickly: upload your existing documents as references and the AI course builder drafts an outline and lessons for you to edit.
- Onboarding is hands-on — our team sets up your academy, domain and payments with you.
- Your data stays portable: export the whole academy, CSVs, and any course as a ZIP or Word document.
Questions
Thinkific vs Ultra LMS: FAQ
Common questions about Thinkific, and about moving to Ultra LMS.
Does Thinkific have an AI course builder?
Partly. The AI Course Outline Generator turns a prompt into a chapter and lesson structure, and the AI Quiz Generator writes multiple-choice questions from your lessons. You still create the lesson content yourself.
Does Thinkific have an AI tutor for students?
Yes, on Plus plans. Thinker, the AI Teaching Assistant, answers learner questions using only the courses and materials you select, on the web and in the mobile apps.
Does Thinkific support SCORM?
Yes, on Plus plans only. It imports SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 4th edition packages as courses; xAPI (Tin Can) and AICC are not supported.
Can I use my own domain on Thinkific?
Yes. You can connect a custom domain bought from a third-party registrar. Removing 'Powered by Thinkific' branding needs the Grow plan or above.
Can I export my students and courses from Thinkific?
Students, yes: Users > All Users exports a CSV by email link, and progress reports export too. Courses can't be exported as a single file, so videos, PDFs and audio are downloaded one by one.
Can Thinkific stop students from sharing logins or downloading videos?
Partly. Download buttons are off unless you enable them per lesson, and a private-video setting is in beta. Thinkific has no device or concurrent-login limits and no built-in dynamic watermarking.
How is Ultra LMS different from Thinkific?
Ultra LMS leads on AI across the whole teaching loop, device limits and a built-in CRM. Thinkific is ahead on SCORM / xAPI, community & discussions and native mobile app, so weigh those if they matter to you.
Can I move my academy from Thinkific to Ultra LMS?
Yes. Bring your learner list as a CSV (the switching notes above cover what Thinkific lets you export) and import it into Ultra LMS, then rebuild your courses — the AI course builder can draft from your existing documents. Onboarding is hands-on: our team sets up your academy with you.
Who can use Ultra LMS?
Ultra LMS is invitation-only. Tell us what you teach through “Request an invitation”; if it's a fit, our team opens your academy and helps you set it up.
Last verified 13 October 2026 · Sources
Show 49 sources
Thinkific details come from its public website, help centre and documentation, checked on 13 October 2026. Features change — check Thinkific's own site for the latest. Ultra LMS details describe the product as it is today.
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- support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030369974-Progress-Reports
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- support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041731713-Download-a-Video-from-Your-Video-Library
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- apps.thinkific.com/
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Ready to look beyond Thinkific?
Tell us what you teach. If it's a fit, our team opens your academy and sets it up with you — courses, AI, marketing and payments from the first day.