Comparison

edX online learning vs Thinkific

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

edX online learning

Access thousands of online courses and degree programs from top universities and companies. Upskill in critical disciplines, strengthen your resume, and advance your career on your own schedule. Stream content, download materials, and test your knowledge with quizzes and exams.

Highlights
  • Thousands of courses and programs
  • World-class academic and industry partners
  • Career skill development
  • Professional certificate programs
  • Degree programs
  • Stream online courses
  • Download course materials
Features
Read full description

edX is the online learning platform that prepares you for every career moment. Register for free, and get immediate access to: * Education for every budget and background. Choose from thousands of courses and programs — from free courses to full degrees — that match your personal, professional, and financial needs. * World-class academic and industry partners. Discover immersive programs from Harvard, Amazon, Google, MIT, IBM, and hundreds of other exceptional institutions around the world. * Learning that drives meaningful career outcomes. Upskill in dozens of critical disciplines — like AI, supply chain management, and sustainability — to build a résumé-redefining skill set. It’s never too late or too early to join edX. Our courses and programs meet you where you are in your professional trajectory. You can: * Switch industries. Launch, change, or advance your tech career with immersive boot camps. * Strengthen your résumé. Deepen your expertise and showcase your skills with professional certificate programs. * Level up as a leader. Learn to lead initiatives and teams with executive education programs. * Earn a degree. Unlock new career opportunities with master’s, doctorate, and undergraduate degree programs. Make your next career move on your schedule. With edX’s free mobile app, you can: * Stream online courses in AI, cybersecurity, data science, and more. * Download course materials and transcripts for uninterrupted access. * Test your knowledge with quizzes, assignments, and exams. * Discover and enroll in new courses and programs as your skills evolve. Visit: edx.org Like: facebook.com/edx Follow: x.com/edxonline and instagram.com/edxonline

About

Thinkific

Access courses and communities on your schedule, from anywhere. Learn with various lesson formats optimized for mobile and track your progress seamlessly. Stay connected with instructors and peers through integrated communities and activity feeds.

Highlights
  • Mobile course access
  • Progress tracking
  • Community interaction
  • Multiple lesson formats
  • Push notifications
  • On-the-go learning
Features
Read full description

Access your courses, engage with your community, and learn on the go with the Thinkific mobile app. With the app, you can: Pick up where you left off: Your progress tracking is saved automatically, so you can jump back in with one tap and keep moving forward across all your devices. Shop without switching screens Browse, purchase, and instantly access additional courses, downloads, and digital products — all from within the app. Enjoy a personalized experience: From your progress and recent courses to your profile, certifications, and notifications, your home screen provides a personalized experience that reflects your unique learning journey. Connect with your community: Join discussions, share ideas, message peers, and participate in live events — making every course a more interactive experience filled with key learning moments. Access an AI-powered learning assistant: Get instant answers, ask questions, and pick up conversations across web and mobile with Thinker, the AI-powered teaching assistant. Discover more to learn: Browse and explore new learning opportunities to continue building your skills. Whether you're learning for work, upskilling, or personal growth, everything you need is in one place with the Thinkific mobile app. Download the app and start learning today.

Screenshots

edX online learning4 screens
Thinkific4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: edX online learning at 82% against Thinkific's 13%. edX online learning also leads on rating (4.8 vs 1.8) and ratings volume (11K vs 104). Thinkific's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 213) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. edX online learning sells 42 one-off in-app purchases. Thinkific asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

edX online learning holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: edX online learning has 11K ratings behind it against 104, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of edX online learning's written reviews are positive against 13% of Thinkific's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

edX online learning ships an update every 5 weeks, Thinkific weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
edX online learning versus Thinkific: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteredX online learningThinkific
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (11K ratings) — better1.8 (104 ratings)
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better12.9% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better104
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB79 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperedX LLCThinkific

Customer experience

edX online learning

All ratings10,742 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews1,856 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative12.2%

Thinkific

All ratings104 ratings
Positive15.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative80.8%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive12.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative78.5%

User reviews

edX online learning

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient learning on the go
  • 💡 Wide variety of courses
  • 🌟 High-quality content from renowned institutions
  • 👍 Intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app performance
  • 🔍 Lack of progress tracking
  • 📱 Limited functionality compared to website
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate courses
  • 🔍 Inconsistent user experience

Thinkific

From 104 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and clean interface design
  • 🚀 Fast performance when working properly
  • 📱 Convenient on-the-go learning capability
  • 💡 Branded app option available
  • 🎓 Good for course content delivery when functional

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
  • 🔐 Persistent login and authentication issues
  • 📵 Poor customer support and unresponsive team
  • 📱 Severe iPad/tablet compatibility problems
  • 🎬 Video playback issues and constant buffering

Bugs and requests

edX online learning

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos not playing or freezing
  • Frequent app crashes or refreshes
  • Login issues and loss of course progress
  • Incompatibility with certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved progress tracking and bookmarking
  • Split-screen support for note-taking
  • Offline mode for all course content
  • Better search and filtering options
  • Seamless sync between app and website

Thinkific

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Login failures and constant sign-outs
  • App crashes on startup or when searching for courses
  • Gray/blank screen appearing on launch
  • Video playback freezing and buffering
  • Complete button missing or not clickable
Show 15 more
  • Resume content button not remembering position
  • Full-screen mode reverting to normal view
  • Video speed resetting from 1.5x to 1.0x
  • Content not loading on iPad/tablet devices
  • Navigation buttons covered by white blocks
  • Course list indefinitely loading
  • Search functionality not working
  • Password reset loop not functioning
  • App not recognizing enrolled courses
  • Landscape mode blocking bottom of page content
  • Pinch-to-zoom causing page navigation issues
  • Videos not playing after recent updates
  • App crashing when switching between apps
  • Unable to find school/business name in app
  • Unwanted Thinkific pop-ups on unbranded domains

Requested features

15 requests
  • Unified dashboard for multiple courses from different creators
  • Ability to manage multiple courses without logging out
  • AirPlay and casting support for videos
  • Offline download capability
  • PDF annotation and highlighting tools
Show 10 more
  • Direct messaging and member directory in communities
  • Event visibility and live session notifications
  • Calendar integration
  • Better course search and discovery
  • Persistent full-screen mode across videos
  • Video playback speed consistency
  • Improved resume functionality to remember exact position
  • Better landscape mode support
  • Course list filtering and sorting options
  • Direct app links for easy student access

In-app purchases

42 purchases

edX online learning

One-time42
  • Upgrade Course8 variants$5.00
  • Upgrade Course2 variants$10.00
  • Upgrade Course2 variants$19.00
Show 39 more
  • Upgrade Course$20.00
  • Upgrade Course7 variants$25.00
  • Upgrade Course$26.00
  • Upgrade Course11 variants$29.00
  • Upgrade Course$30.00
  • Upgrade Course6 variants$39.00
  • Upgrade Course$45.00
  • Upgrade Course16 variants$49.00
  • Upgrade Course8 variants$50.00
  • Upgrade Course$54.00
  • Upgrade Course$55.00
  • Upgrade Course18 variants$59.00
  • Upgrade Course$60.00
  • Upgrade Course6 variants$69.00
  • Upgrade Course$79.00
  • Upgrade Course15 variants$99.00
  • Upgrade Course2 variants$100.00
  • Upgrade Course$105.99
  • Upgrade Course6 variants$119.00
  • Upgrade Course$123.99
  • Upgrade Course$124.99
  • Upgrade Course3 variants$129.00
  • Upgrade Course20 variants$149.00
  • Upgrade Course3 variants$150.00
  • Upgrade Course$159.00
  • Upgrade Course4 variants$169.00
  • Upgrade Course$186.99
  • Upgrade Course13 variants$189.00
  • Upgrade Course9 variants$199.00
  • Upgrade Course$200.00
  • Upgrade Course9 variants$209.00
  • Upgrade Course7 variants$219.00
  • Upgrade Course$229.00
  • Upgrade Course8 variants$249.00
  • Upgrade Course11 variants$299.00
  • Upgrade Course$300.00
  • Upgrade Course$349.00
  • Upgrade Course$449.00
  • Upgrade Course$829.00
None

Thinkific

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is edX online learning free?
edX online learning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Thinkific free?
Thinkific is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, edX online learning or Thinkific?
edX online learning is rated higher. edX online learning averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Thinkific averages 1.8 from 104 ratings.
Do edX online learning or Thinkific have ads?
Neither edX online learning nor Thinkific shows ads.
Which is updated more often, edX online learning or Thinkific?
edX online learning ships an update every 5 weeks, and Thinkific weekly. Most recently, edX online learning was updated on October 15, 2026 and Thinkific on October 10, 2026.

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