Free, open-source alternatives to Thinkific
Course creation and selling platform. 4 apps you can run yourself instead of Thinkific, sorted by how well they replace it. Each one is open source, so your data stays with you.
Canvas LMSBest match
Learning management system (LMS) that is revolutionizing the way we educate.
Chamilo LMS
Create a virtual campus for the provision of online or semi-online training.
Moodle
Learning and courses platform with one of the largest open source communities worldwide.
OpenOLAT
Learning management system for teaching, education, assessment and communication.
Side by side
| App | Stars | License | Activity | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas LMS | 6,866 | AGPL-3.0 | Ruby | |
| Chamilo LMS | 1,011 | GPL-3.0 | PHP | |
| Moodle | - | GPL-3.0 | PHP | |
| OpenOLAT | 447 | Apache-2.0 | Java |
Why replace Thinkific?
Thinkific works, but your data lives in someone else's account, the price can change at any time, and features can disappear. An open-source app you run yourself is yours: you choose where it runs, who can see the data, and when to update.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to Thinkific?
Canvas LMS is the closest open-source replacement for Thinkific in our list. Chamilo LMS and Moodle are worth a look too, depending on what you need.
Can I self-host an alternative to Thinkific?
Yes. All 4 apps on this page are open source and can run on your own server, usually with Docker, or on a managed host that installs them for you.