Thinkific Lesson Discussions: Count Spaces, Not Communities

A course designer on r/elearning had her plan worked out. Content drafted in Google Docs, videos recorded, downloads made, "all with the intention of moving it onto Thinkific when I was ready." Then she read that the new course builder ties lesson discussions to communities. Her worry, in her words: "on the version I was planning to pay for, I would only have three communities. but what if I want to offer more than three courses at once"

It's a fair reading of the pricing page, where the communities row says 1, 1 and 3. But it's the wrong row for her question. On Thinkific in October 2026, a course with lesson discussions doesn't use up a community. In the new builder it uses one space inside a community, and spaces come in fives, tens and twenties. In the classic builder it uses neither.

So count spaces, not communities. Every plan detail here was read on Thinkific's pricing page and in its help articles on October 9, 2026.

Two builders, two kinds of discussion

Thinkific's help article on lesson discussions opens with the split: "In the new course builder, discussions are powered by a linked community space and discussion posts appear in both the lesson and the community. In the classic course builder, discussions are standalone to the lesson."

Both builders are still on offer. The same article says: "If your site was created on or after January 28, 2026, you have access to the new course builder, in addition to the classic course builder." A reply in her thread had spotted this: "It says there's a classic discussion lesson builder on plans after Jan 28".

For a course where learners watch a video, answer a reflection prompt and read each other's answers underneath, the classic builder already does the job. Its help note puts it plainly: "classic course Discussions work the same as before and are not affected."

When you use the new builder: one space per course

The new builder's rules are short. "In the New Course Builder, lesson discussions require a community space to be linked to the course first." And: "At the moment, you can link one community space per course." Draft courses can't be linked, so you link after publishing.

That makes the limit you'll meet the number of spaces in your community. Here's the communities section of the pricing table:

On Basic, one community with five spaces can carry discussions for five new-builder courses running at once. On Start, ten. Every community starts with a General space, which you can edit and repurpose, so if you want a general area too, it takes one of those slots.

Thinkific's pricing FAQ describes the spaces you'd use for this: "Private Spaces. These are member-only areas for cohorts, teams, or select groups to collaborate and share resources." A post can only live in one space, so each cohort's conversation stays in its own.

Running cohorts: what a duplicate copies

Her other need was "abilty to build multiple courses and easily duplicate them for different cohorts". Thinkific's duplication help lists cohorts as a use: "Running your course in cohorts - If you run your course during a particular time period for a particular group of students, then copying a previous course will have you ready for your next cohort in no time"

What comes across: "All course content and structure: chapters, lessons, assignments, file attachments, etc." and "Any drip schedules set up for the course." What doesn't, among others: "Any on-lesson discussions are not copied to the new course." The copy starts as a draft priced at free, and certificates and Zoom live events need re-adding.

For cohorts, the missing discussions are what you want. Each cohort's copy opens with empty lesson threads, and the classic builder keeps those threads inside that copy. In the new builder, each published copy gets its own linked space, so four cohorts at once use four spaces.

What about H5P and other embeds?

The help article on multimedia lessons says: "Both builders support externally hosted content on all plans, and uploaded content files on the Start plan and above." H5P activities hosted elsewhere go in by link and must be iframeable. Uploaded packages, such as Articulate or iSpring exports, are .zip files up to 200 MB.

The pricing table is less generous. Its row "Multimedia content Deliver externally hosted content and interactive content in your courses" shows a dash on Basic and ticks from Start. The two sources disagree on Basic, so if your lessons depend on embeds, test one in the trial before choosing Basic.

Basic or Start for a cohort course

Basic is pitched "For experts publishing their first course and building an audience from scratch." For a self-paced course with lesson discussions in the classic builder, it holds up, and one commenter on r/onlinecourses who compared it with LearnWorlds summed up why people like it: "It just feels easier to use, less confusing, and more reliable overall."

A cohort course usually asks for more than discussion. Start's headline line is "Live cohorts and coaching", and it adds assignments ("Collect learner submissions for review or feedback"), completion certificates, Zoom lessons and payment plans. It also doubles the spaces. The step from Basic is $42 a month billed yearly, or $55 a month billed monthly.

One creator in a 2026 r/onlinecourses thread described this setup: "I use Thinkific for my courses and cohorts, and Skool for my community membership." Thinkific holds the courses and cohorts there, and the community lives elsewhere, which is the same separation the classic builder lets you keep inside Thinkific.

Before you pay

The trial is 30 days, and the FAQ says you can "upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time, including during your 30-day trial." Use it to build one lesson the way you'd teach it: video, reflection prompt, discussion underneath. Then duplicate the course, publish the copy and check that the second cohort sees an empty thread.

Thinkific's recent Trustpilot reviews lean toward one star. Of the 25 dated 2026 in the 60 I saved, 20 show one star, and 13 of those mention charges, cancellations, refunds or subscriptions, several of them after a trial. One of the 2026 reviewers, Let's Transcribe, wrote that "Many 1 star reviews of Thinkific seem to be payment related", then described being charged after emailing to cancel a trial: "When I reached out to Thinkific and explained the situation, they immediately resolved this issue." Daniel P described a similar fix: "they refunded me within like 5 minutes." If you decide against Thinkific, cancel before the trial ends and keep a record that you did.

Which plan

For a course run in cohorts, with discussions under lessons, a live session or two and work handed in, Thinkific Start is the plan that covers it. It's $82 a month billed yearly, with ten spaces if you build in the new builder and embeds that both the pricing table and the help center agree on. For a single self-paced course with discussions built in the classic builder, Basic at $40 a month billed yearly does that job, once you've checked your embeds in the trial.

The designer in that thread said it before the builder change worried her: "Thinkific were ticking all the boxes before". On the help center's account, the classic builder hasn't changed, and the new one asks for spaces you'll likely have room for.

If you're still weighing course platforms by how they charge, my systeme.io vs Teachable comparison works through transaction fees, and my guide for coaches covers booking and courses together.

FAQ

Did Thinkific remove lesson discussions?

No. The classic course builder keeps discussions on each lesson, and sites created on or after January 28, 2026 have the new builder in addition to the classic one. In the new builder, lesson discussions run through a linked community space.

How many courses can have discussions on Thinkific Basic?

In the classic builder, the pricing table and help center don't limit it. In the new builder, each course needs its own linked space, and Basic allows 5 spaces in its one community. Every community starts with a General space, so if you keep it for general chat, Basic leaves room for four new-builder courses at once. Start doubles the spaces to 10.

Does duplicating a Thinkific course copy the discussions?

No. The duplication help says "Any on-lesson discussions are not copied to the new course", so each cohort's copy starts with empty threads.

Can I embed H5P on Thinkific Basic?

The multimedia help says externally hosted content works on all plans, but the pricing table marks multimedia content as not included on Basic. Test it in the 30-day trial.

Does Thinkific have a free plan?

No. Its FAQ says: "No, instead, you can explore the whole platform with a 30-day free trial."

Does a duplicated Thinkific course keep its drip schedule?

Yes. The duplication help lists drip schedules among what's copied. The copy starts as a draft priced at free, so set the price and publish it before the next cohort enrolls.