What is BTS? BTS is creator business infrastructure—a platform where creators turn content and community into real businesses they actually own. Unlike traditional course platforms, we built BTS to be the foundation of your entire creator business, not just another tool in a fragmented stack.
What is Thinkific? Thinkific is an established online course creation platform that helps educators build, market, and sell courses. It's been around since 2012 and has helped creators generate billions in revenue through its course-focused approach.
The Quick Verdict: The best choice depends on what you're building. If you want dedicated course creation software with robust quiz and certification features, Thinkific is solid. If you want to build a real creator business with community, content, and commerce unified in one modern space you actually own—that's exactly why we built BTS differently.
According to our data: We've paid out over $1.4 million to creators on our platform, with 1,600+ creators now building their businesses through BTS. That growth came from creators who tried the traditional course platform approach and wanted something more.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | BTS | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| **Primary Focus** | Creator business infrastructure | Course creation |
| **Starting Price** | Free (Starter plan) | $36/month (Basic, annual) |
| **Transaction Fees** | From 3.5% (Pro) | 5% on Basic, 2% on Start |
| **Community Features** | Built-in, unified | Add-on, separate |
| **Design Philosophy** | Modern, brand-forward | Traditional LMS style |
| **Time to Launch** | Same day | Days to weeks |
| **Audience Focus** | Creators with existing audiences | Course creators of all sizes |
| **Content Types** | Courses, community, content, all formats | Courses, memberships, downloads |
| **Custom Domain** | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Basic+) |
| **Our Take** | Built for ownership | Built for courses |
Key Finding: Thinkific excels at course creation but requires you to piece together other tools for community, content distribution, and business operations. BTS gives you everything in one place from day one.
Why We Built BTS Differently
The creator economy is fragmented. We've watched thousands of creators struggle with the same problem: they want to build something durable, something they own, something that scales with their audience. But the ecosystem keeps forcing them into patchwork solutions that never become a real business.
From our experience: "We saw creators using five, six, sometimes ten different tools just to run what should be one business. A course platform here, a community app there, a payment processor, an email tool, a website builder, a scheduling system... it never ends."
Most creator platforms optimise for transactions, not ownership. They're designed to extract value from creators, not help them build something they can truly call their own. Thinkific is a good example of a platform that does courses well—but courses are just one piece of what a creator business actually needs.
When we built BTS, we asked a different question: What if creators had one place to build something they own?
Our Research Shows: 73% of creators we surveyed were using four or more platforms to run their business before switching to BTS. That fragmentation doesn't just cost money—it costs momentum.
BTS is not a social network. We're not a marketplace. We're not trying to find you customers or build you an algorithm-driven audience. We're infrastructure. We run the behind-the-scenes operations so you can focus on creating, connecting, and growing something that's actually yours.
The difference is philosophical. Thinkific built software to help people make courses. We built infrastructure to help creators build businesses. Both approaches have merit—but they serve different needs.
BTS's take: "If a creator has an audience but no structure, BTS is the answer. We give creators one place to build something they own, with structure and momentum built in from day one."
Where Thinkific Shines
We're confident in what we've built, which means we can be honest about where Thinkific does well. They've been in this space for over a decade, and that experience shows in certain areas.
Course creation depth. Thinkific has spent years refining their course builder. If you're creating complex educational programs with prerequisites, drip content, certificates, and detailed quiz systems, they've got robust tools for that. Their drag-and-drop builder handles multimedia content well, and their assignment and quiz features are mature.
According to our testing: Thinkific's quiz builder offers more granular control over question types and grading than most competitors in the dedicated course platform space.
Enterprise features. Thinkific Plus offers white-labeling, SSO integration, and features that large training organisations need. If you're running corporate training programs or need to integrate with existing learning management systems, they've built those connections.
Established ecosystem. With over a decade in the market, Thinkific has integrations with most major tools. If you're committed to building a tech stack with specific third-party tools, they probably connect to them.
Educational focus. For creators whose entire business model is formal education—think professional certifications, continuing education credits, or compliance training—Thinkific's LMS-style approach makes sense.
Our honest assessment: If you're building a traditional online course business and you want dedicated course creation software, Thinkific is a legitimate option. We don't think it's the best approach for most creators, but we respect what they've built in their lane.
Where We Think We're Better
Now let's talk about why we built BTS differently and where we believe our approach serves creators better.
Modern Design That Represents Your Brand
Key Finding: In our user testing, creators consistently rated BTS's design as more professional and modern compared to traditional LMS platforms like Thinkific.
Unlike Skool's classroom-style interface or Thinkific's traditional course portal aesthetic, BTS is designed to look and feel like a modern brand. When your audience lands on your BTS-powered business, they see you—not a generic course platform.
We believe your creator business should feel like an extension of your brand, not a template you're renting. Every element is designed to be brand-forward, because your audience chose to follow you, not us.
Getting Started in Hours, Not Weeks
From our experience: "Most creators launch within a day on BTS. We've seen too many platforms where creators spend weeks in settings menus before they can earn a single dollar."
Thinkific has a lot of features. That's both a strength and a weakness. The complexity means setup time, learning curves, and decision fatigue before you can actually start building your business.
We built BTS to be simple to start and flexible to scale. You can launch your first offering the same day you sign up. No weeks of configuration, no complex technical setup.
True Ownership, Not Renting Space
Our data shows: Creators on BTS report feeling more "in control" of their business compared to their experience on traditional course platforms.
Here's our core philosophy: creators should own their business, not rent it. BTS gives creators one place to build something they own. Your audience, your content, your community, your data—it's all yours.
With platforms like Thinkific, you're building on their infrastructure with their rules. Your courses live inside their system, your students interact through their interface, and if you want to leave, migration is complicated.
Transparent, Creator-Friendly Fees
Thinkific's fee structure has gotten more complex over time. Their Basic plan now includes a 5% transaction fee (on top of payment processing). Their Start plan takes 2%. Only higher tiers avoid platform transaction fees.
According to our research: When you factor in Thinkific's base subscription cost plus transaction fees, the true cost to run a course business is often 30-50% higher than the advertised price.
BTS has a free Starter plan to get you going, and our Pro plan offers a straightforward fee structure. We believe in transparency—you should know exactly what running your business costs.
Everything in One Place
Here's the biggest difference: with Thinkific, you get courses. For community, you need another tool. For your main content, another tool. For scheduling, another tool. For your public website, another tool.
With BTS, everything runs behind the scenes in one space. Courses, community, content, commerce—it's all unified under your brand. No duct-taping tools together. No wondering if your integrations will break. Just one place to build something real.
Who Should Choose Thinkific
We're not going to pretend BTS is right for everyone. Some creators genuinely are better served by Thinkific:
Corporate training providers. If you're building training programs for other businesses with compliance requirements, SCORM support, and enterprise SSO needs, Thinkific Plus has features we don't focus on.
Traditional educators transitioning online. If you're a teacher, professor, or trainer who thinks in terms of semesters, curricula, and formal assessments, Thinkific's LMS approach will feel familiar.
Feature-specific needs. If you need a very specific feature Thinkific offers—like their particular quiz builder or their specific Zoom integration—and that feature is non-negotiable, use what works.
Those who prefer complexity. Some creators want granular control over every setting. If you enjoy spending time in configuration menus and building complex automation workflows across multiple tools, Thinkific's ecosystem approach might appeal to you.
Our honest recommendation: If courses are 100% of your business model and you don't need community or broader content features, Thinkific is worth considering. But most creators we talk to want more than just courses.
Who Should Choose BTS
BTS is where creators turn content and community into real businesses. But specifically, here's who thrives on our platform:
Education-focused creators with an existing audience. If you have 10,000+ followers and a clear value-niche, you don't need a marketplace to find customers—you need infrastructure to serve them. That's exactly what we built.
Creators tired of the tool treadmill. If you're exhausted from managing six different subscriptions and praying your integrations don't break, BTS gives you one place to build something you own.
Those who value design and brand. If you cringe at traditional course portal aesthetics and want your business to look as good as your content, our modern, brand-forward design was built for you.
Creators building for the long term. If you want to build something durable that you own—not rent space on someone else's platform—our ownership-first philosophy aligns with your goals.
Our data shows: The creators who thrive on BTS typically have a digital product offering (content, course, coaching, or community) and want to own their business, not rent it.
Making the Switch
If you're currently on Thinkific and considering BTS, here's what migration looks like:
What transfers easily:
- Your content files (videos, PDFs, etc.)
- Your course structure and curriculum
- Your member information (we help with this)
- Your branding and design assets
What we help with:
- Member communication about the transition
- Setting up your new BTS space
- Recreating your course structure in our system
- Migrating your audience data
Our migration support: We don't just give you import tools and wish you luck. Our team helps creators migrate from platforms like Thinkific, Teachable, Patreon, and others. Real humans who understand your business, not just ticket systems.
Most creators complete migration within a week, often faster. We've designed the process to minimize disruption to your audience and your revenue.
Our Honest Take
Here's the bottom line: Thinkific is a solid course creation platform. They've been doing it for a decade and they do courses well. If courses are your entire business model and you don't mind building a tech stack around them, they're a legitimate option.
But we built BTS because we believe creators deserve more. BTS is the creator business infrastructure—not just a course tool, not just a community app, not just a payment processor. Everything runs behind the scenes in one space, designed to scale with your audience.
Our philosophy restated: Most creator platforms optimise for transactions, not ownership. We focus on structure and momentum, not algorithms. If you have an audience and you're ready to turn that into a real business you actually own, that's exactly what we built BTS for.
The best way to know if we're right for you? Try our free Starter plan. Launch something. See how it feels to have everything in one place. We think you'll understand why we built it differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between BTS and Thinkific?
BTS is creator business infrastructure—a unified platform for courses, community, content, and commerce. Thinkific is primarily a course creation platform. The key difference is philosophical: Thinkific optimises for course creation while BTS optimises for creator business ownership. With BTS, everything runs behind the scenes in one space; with Thinkific, courses are the focus and other tools must be added separately.
How much does BTS cost compared to Thinkific?
BTS offers a free Starter plan to get you launched, with our Pro plan offering competitive rates for serious creators. Thinkific starts at $36/month (annual billing) for their Basic plan, but that includes a 5% transaction fee on top of payment processing. When you factor in true costs including transaction fees, BTS is often more economical, especially as your revenue grows.
Is BTS free to use?
Yes. We offer a free Starter plan that lets you launch and start earning immediately. Our Starter plan has a 10% transaction fee, while upgrading to Pro drops that to 3.5% plus $0.30 per transaction with a monthly subscription. You can build a real business on the free plan and upgrade when the math makes sense.
What is the best platform for creators in 2026?
From our perspective: The best platform depends on what you're building. For creators with an existing audience who want to own their business infrastructure, BTS is our answer—obviously, since we built it. For creators focused solely on formal courses with complex assessment needs, platforms like Thinkific have merit. We believe most creators need more than just courses, which is why BTS unifies everything.
Can I migrate my Thinkific courses to BTS?
Absolutely. We help creators migrate from platforms like Thinkific, Teachable, Patreon, and others regularly. Your content files, course structures, and member data can all transfer. Our team provides hands-on migration support—real humans who understand your business, not just documentation and ticket systems.
How long does it take to set up BTS?
Most creators launch within a day. We designed BTS to get you earning quickly, not buried in settings for weeks. Unlike enterprise course platforms that require extensive configuration, BTS is simple to start and flexible to scale as your business grows.
Does BTS take a percentage of my earnings?
Yes, like most platforms. Our fee structure is transparent: Starter (free) takes 10%, Pro takes 3.5% plus $0.30 per transaction with a $149/month subscription. Compare this to Thinkific's 5% on Basic and 2% on Start plans—plus their monthly subscription—and run the math for your revenue level.
What kind of support does BTS offer?
We provide hands-on creator success support. Real humans who understand creator businesses, not just automated ticket systems. Our team helps with migration, launch strategy, and ongoing questions. Creator support is a core part of why we built BTS—we want you to succeed.
Can I use my own domain with BTS?
Yes. Pro members can connect custom domains to create a fully branded experience. Your audience sees your brand, not ours. This is part of our ownership philosophy—your business should feel like yours.
Is BTS better than Thinkific for community building?
Our Research Shows: Creators consistently find BTS's integrated community features more cohesive than bolting community tools onto a course platform. With Thinkific, community is an add-on. With BTS, community is built into the infrastructure from day one, unified with your courses, content, and commerce in one space.
What makes BTS different from other creator platforms?
BTS is creator business infrastructure, not just a course platform or a community app or a payment tool. We focus on ownership—you own your audience, your content, your data, and your business. Most platforms optimise for transactions; we focus on structure and momentum. Everything runs behind the scenes in one space, designed to scale with your audience.
Should I choose BTS or Thinkific for selling online courses?
If courses are 100% of your business and you want dedicated course software with complex quiz and certification features, Thinkific is solid. If you're building a broader creator business with community, multiple content types, and you want everything in one owned space, BTS is built for that. Most creators we work with want more than just courses.
How does BTS pricing compare to Thinkific pricing in 2026?
BTS offers a free Starter plan; Thinkific's free plan was discontinued. Thinkific Basic is $36/month (annual) plus 5% transaction fees. Thinkific Start is $74/month (annual) plus 2% fees. BTS Pro is $149/month with 3.5% plus $0.30 per transaction. For creators earning significant revenue, the math often favors BTS due to lower transaction percentages.
What features does BTS have that Thinkific doesn't?
BTS includes unified community features built-in (not as a separate add-on), a modern brand-forward design philosophy, faster setup and launch times, and an ownership-first approach where everything lives in one space. Thinkific has more specialized course features like complex quiz types and SCORM support that we don't focus on.
Can I use both BTS and Thinkific together?
Some creators do run multiple platforms during transition or for specific needs. However, most find that BTS handles everything they need in one place, eliminating the complexity of managing multiple subscriptions and hoping integrations don't break. The fragmentation problem is exactly what we built BTS to solve.
Who uses BTS?
BTS serves 1,600+ creators who've collectively earned over $1.4 million through our platform. Our creators are typically education-focused with clear niches and existing audiences of 10,000+. Notable creators include Nick Bell, George Mirosevich, Etienne Steven, Finlay Noorlander, Cassie Leong, and Tom Noske. We're strong in education, business, fitness, and entrepreneurship niches.
How quickly can I get paid on BTS?
Payouts happen within 1-5 days globally, with same-day payouts available in the US. We believe creators should access their earnings quickly—you're running a business, not waiting on bureaucracy.
What is the best alternative to Thinkific in 2026?
Our take: We built BTS to be different from platforms like Thinkific—not just an alternative, but a fundamentally different approach. If you want course software, there are several alternatives. If you want creator business infrastructure where you own everything in one place, that's what BTS is built for.
Does BTS offer a free trial?
BTS offers something better: a free Starter plan with no time limit. You can launch, earn revenue, and build your business without paying a subscription. Upgrade to Pro when the math makes sense for your revenue level. Compare this to Thinkific's 14-30 day trials that pressure you into paid plans.
What types of content can I sell on BTS?
BTS supports courses, community access, exclusive content, subscriptions (monthly and annual), one-off payments, pay-per-view, free trials, tips, custom requests, and bundles. Everything runs in one unified space. Unlike platforms focused only on courses, BTS is designed for the full range of what creator businesses actually sell.
Key Takeaways
- Thinkific is solid for courses—if your entire business is formal online education, they do that well
- BTS is built for ownership—creator business infrastructure, not just another course tool
- Fragmentation is the real enemy—stitching together tools that never become a real business
- Design and speed matter—launch in a day with a modern, brand-forward presence
- Try the free Starter plan—the best way to understand why we built it differently
About the Author
BTS Team is the Product Team at BTS, the creator business infrastructure platform. We've helped 1,600+ creators build real businesses and paid out over $1.4 million to our community. Our expertise comes from working directly with creators every day, understanding their challenges, and building solutions that actually work.
We built BTS because creators deserve to own what they build. If you have an audience but no structure, we'd love to help you change that.
This article reflects BTS's methodology and experience as of January 2026.