Shopify Digital Products Apps: Thinkific ‑ Online Courses vs Create & Sell Digital Products

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. How Does Thinkific ‑ Online Courses Work?
3. How Does Create & Sell Digital Products Work?
4. How Much Does Thinkific ‑ Online Courses Cost?
5. How Much Does Create & Sell Digital Products Cost?
6. Cost Analysis: Thinkific ‑ Online Courses vs. Create & Sell Digital Products
7. User Reviews & Customer Support Insights
8. Integration and Compatibility Comparison
9. Conclusion

Introduction

The world of e-learning and digital products has seen exponential growth in recent years. According to recent reports, the global e-learning market is projected to reach over $375 billion by 2026. This surge underscores the importance of platforms that allow businesses to create and sell digital products effectively. Digital product apps serve as catalysts for enhancing customer experiences and driving additional revenue streams.

In this landscape, we compare two prominent apps: Thinkific ‑ Online Courses and Create & Sell Digital Products. Both applications integrate seamlessly with Shopify and offer distinct capabilities to enrich your digital product offerings. This post will explore their functionalities, pricing, user feedback, and more to help you determine which option is best for your business.

How Does Thinkific ‑ Online Courses Work?

Thinkific ‑ Online Courses is designed to help creators, educators, and entrepreneurs monetize their expertise through online courses easily. The app empowers users with a drag-and-drop course builder, ensuring that even those with limited technical skills can create engaging course content.

Key Features of Thinkific:

1. Unlimited Courses:

   • Businesses can create as many courses as they need, catering to various topics and audiences.
   • Utility: This feature is beneficial for startups aiming to test multiple course ideas or medium-sized businesses looking to expand their offerings.

2. Community Building:

   • Each course includes a community feature where students can interact, share ideas, and build relationships.
   • Utility: For larger enterprises, fostering a community enhances brand loyalty and customer retention.

3. Custom Domains:

   • Users can link custom domains to their courses for a professional appearance.
   • Utility: Ideal for businesses focused on branding, giving startups a professional edge without extra cost.

4. Drip Content:

   • Content can be released progressively, which helps keep students engaged and coming back.
   • Utility: Perfect for small to medium businesses looking to maintain engagement over time.

5. Quizzes and Surveys:

   • In-built tools for assessing student understanding and gathering feedback.
   • Utility: Beneficial for any business size to refine course content based on learner feedback.

By incorporating these features into their digital offerings, businesses can significantly enhance engagement and outcomes. For example, a startup may utilize the community feature to build a loyal base, while a larger enterprise might leverage drip content and quizzes to improve course completion rates.

How Does Create & Sell Digital Products Work?

Create & Sell Digital Products is a newer app designed for merchants interested in selling digital products, primarily NFTs, without the complexities typically associated with crypto transactions. Unlike traditional methods, this app allows users to generate NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain easily.

Key Features of Create & Sell Digital Products:

1. Easy NFT Creation:

   • Merchants can upload images to be minted as NFTs without needing any technical setup.
   • Utility: This feature may attract startups eager to enter the NFT market with minimal investment.

2. Zero Upfront Costs:

   • The app promises a no-cost-starting point for users looking to sell NFTs.
   • Utility: Appealing for small businesses testing the waters in digital goods.

3. Direct Customer Transactions:

   • Customers can directly purchase these digital products, simplifying the buying process.
   • Utility: This feature can benefit larger enterprises by streamlining their sales processes.

While Create & Sell Digital Products presents an innovative approach to selling digital assets, it lacks the extensive course creation tools that Thinkific offers. This may limit its appeal to more niche markets.

How Much Does Thinkific ‑ Online Courses Cost?

In the digital product space, cost-effective solutions are crucial for maximizing profit margins. Thinkific offers several pricing tiers to accommodate various business needs.

Pricing Tiers of Thinkific:

1. Free Plan:

   • Price: Free
   • Features: 1 course, 1 community, unlimited students, quizzes & surveys, drag-and-drop course builder.
   • Limitations: Limited to one course, making it underwhelming for businesses with multiple offerings.
   • Target Audience: Ideal for startups testing the waters in online education.

2. Basic Plan:

   • Price: $49/month
   • Features: Unlimited courses, custom domains, email students, coupons.
   • Limitations: Only one admin user.
   • Target Audience: Small to medium businesses looking to scale their offerings.

3. Start Plan:

   • Price: $99/month
   • Features: Unlimited courses, live lessons, assignments, memberships, and bundles.
   • Limitations: Still limited to one community.
   • Target Audience: Perfect for growing businesses seeking more advanced tools for course engagement.

4. Grow Plan:

   • Price: $199/month
   • Features: Unlimited courses, advanced course building, three communities, and API access.
   • Limitations: Higher price point may be unsuitable for smaller startups.
   • Target Audience: Best suited for large enterprises needing comprehensive solutions.

It is important to note that you can always reach out to our team and we can create a custom pricing plan to suit your needs and your budget. Schedule a call via this link and we’ll come up with the best solution for you and your business.

How Much Does Create & Sell Digital Products Cost?

While specific pricing tiers for Create & Sell Digital Products were not provided, the app promises a straightforward entry into the NFT market without upfront costs. This structure can be attractive to businesses looking to enter this space with minimal investment.

Cost Analysis: Thinkific ‑ Online Courses vs. Create & Sell Digital Products

When analyzing costs, Thinkific’s tiered pricing structure presents a clearer value proposition for businesses of various sizes. On the other hand, Create & Sell Digital Products appeals mainly to niche audiences interested in NFTs, though lacking robust pricing details diminishes its attractiveness.

Promotional Offers:

• Thinkific often runs promotions, making its pricing structure even more appealing, especially for new customers looking to explore digital products.

In conclusion, Thinkific ‑ Online Courses appears to offer better cost efficiency across a broader range of operational scales when compared to Create & Sell Digital Products.

User Reviews & Customer Support Insights

Is Thinkific ‑ Online Courses good?

Thinkific boasts an impressive 5-star rating with 64 reviews, indicating strong user satisfaction. Customers have highlighted its intuitive interface and robust features that simplify course creation and management.

Is Create & Sell Digital Products good?

In stark contrast, Create & Sell Digital Products has an average rating of just 1 star from a single review. Users have expressed frustration with its limited functionalities and complicated setup process, leading to poor engagement from potential customers.

Customer Support Feedback:

Good customer support plays a vital role in shaping user experiences. Thinkific’s positive reviews reflect strong customer support that addresses user inquiries effectively, helping to boost satisfaction levels. On the other hand, the lack of substantial feedback about Create & Sell Digital Products raises concerns about potential support challenges.

User Preference: Thinkific ‑ Online Courses or Create & Sell Digital Products?

Given the stark difference in ratings, it's clear that Thinkific ‑ Online Courses is the more favorable solution. Its comprehensive feature set and excellent customer support lead to higher user satisfaction compared to the underwhelming performance of Create & Sell Digital Products.

Integration and Compatibility Comparison

Thinkific Integrations:

Thinkific seamlessly integrates with several essential tools such as Zapier, ConvertKit, and MailChimp, allowing businesses to connect with marketing automation platforms effortlessly. This integration enhances functionality, enabling businesses to streamline operations and improve customer engagement.

Create & Sell Digital Products Integrations:

Create & Sell Digital Products features integrations with platforms like Spocket and Ethereum. While these integrations open avenues for innovative digital offerings, they lack the extensive integration capabilities found in Thinkific, which can limit functionality and ease of use.

Conclusion

Both Thinkific ‑ Online Courses and Create & Sell Digital Products offer unique solutions in the digital space. However, Thinkific stands out as the more user-friendly, feature-rich, and cost-effective option. Its five-star rating and strong reputation indicate that it effectively fosters customer engagement and satisfaction. While Create & Sell Digital Products has its appeal, particularly in the NFT market, the limitations in features and customer feedback suggest that Thinkific ‑ Online Courses is the better choice for businesses looking to monetize their knowledge and enhance their digital product offerings.