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Google Classroom vs Thinkific Plus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Classroom
Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Thinkific Plus
Ranking in Learning Management Systems (LMS)
22nd
Average Rating
5.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Learning Management Systems (LMS) category, the mindshare of Google Classroom is 2.2%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Thinkific Plus is 0.9%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Learning Management Systems (LMS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Google Classroom2.2%
Thinkific Plus0.9%
Other96.9%
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
 

Featured Reviews

Sanket-Shinde - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Engineer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Seamless collaboration has improved how I manage assignments, deadlines, and class resources
Google Classroom has the very best feature of assignment workflow, which is its core strength. I can create it, assign it, submit it, and have a grade on it all in one flow, so there is nothing to be changed. It also has real-time collaboration, allowing multiple students to work on the same documentation or assignment simultaneously, and the teacher can also see that and comment live. It has an automatic file management system where I can save my work, which is important because sometimes I do an assignment and forget to save, losing those assignments. This feature includes built-in video learning, allowing me to directly join classrooms via Google Classroom. It also supports Google Forms, Google Slides, and is very mobile-friendly. Google Classroom has reduced time in task tracking because I can have clear ownership and deadlines for everything. It has helped me to appreciate structured workflows by ticketing systems and improved collaborations, allowing many people to work together. I can understand that time has also been reduced. It has a limited impact on deep technical skills, but that is also good. It has helped me to understand structured workflow and utilize real-time features through Google Docs and Drive.
Carlos Da Silva - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees
Supports assessment creation but needs gamification and automation
I used it mainly for clients that worked in the school industry, taking their educators through content or a course concept It had options where you could create quizzes and assessments and upload PDFs. These features were beneficial in structuring educational content. Some of the limitations…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Google Classroom is a good start if you are only starting with VLE."
"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is its clouds based. It can be accessed anywhere. Additionally, the GUI is good, we have not had any complaints and the platform has built-in security. For example, email has protection."
"What I like about Google Classroom are the video lessons, and I enjoy using it because it makes my life easier; for example, I can easily change my class and my lecture notes."
"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is the ability to meet people and it is online."
"The most valuable feature of Google Classroom is its cloud-based access from anywhere, with a good GUI, no complaints from users, and built-in security such as email protection."
"I like that Google Classroom is free and integrates with the entire Google Suite, which includes Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, etc. I also like its flexibility, which makes it perfect for synchronous, asynchronous, and blended courses, and including live and archived webinars, as well as other kinds of content."
"I would rate the initial setup a nine out of ten. It is very straightforward."
"Google Classroom is simple to use."
"User management is good in Thinkific Plus. The solution has nice features like certifications and email notifications."
"It had options where you could create quizzes and assessments and upload PDFs."
 

Cons

"Google Classroom could benefit from tools that help correct coding errors for students, thereby enhancing learning."
"I like Google Classroom the way it is, but an area for improvement could be its dashboard."
"There are a lot of things that need to be fixed in order for it to be called a learning management system. I think that's where a lot of people are very confused in terms of what Google Classroom actually does. Google Classroom is not a learning management system. A learning management system allows teachers to grade with authenticity and doesn't provide only one grade for a particular document or assignment."
"The initial setup is not very easy. It has modern complexity."
"The user interface of Google Classroom could improve by being more user-friendly."
"I like Google Classroom the way it is, but an area for improvement could be its dashboard."
"Technical support from Google has been very frustrating in unrelated areas like Google Pay and Google Wallet. It has been quite challenging, with unresolved tickets and a lack of response creating lots of frustration."
"There can often be language barriers when you're not dealing with local technical support, which can be challenging."
"Some of the limitations are the lack of gamification and automation, which we considered important."
"The solution doesn't have too many templates. There are only three templates."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Google Classroom has been reasonable."
"We did not need a license to use Google Classroom."
"Google Classroom is free to use."
"If you do a certain size and build, it's like any Google solution. You have to pay for storage, but you don't need to pay extra to use the interface. There may be Google Classroom partners that provide more integrated solutions, but I don't know. I'm strictly DIY."
"I'm using a free version of Google Classroom, so it's a product I don't pay for."
"My child's school made payments on a subscription-based model to use Google Classroom."
"For Google Classroom, you don't need to pay for its license because they offer free access to the platform."
"I use the free version of Google Classroom."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
16%
University
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Google Classroom?
The integration with Google Workspace is great because we have many tools such as Google Meet, Google Sheets, and Google Drive. However, the space is very limited. We purchased extra space until it...
What is your primary use case for Google Classroom?
I'm not creating classrooms using Google Classroom, as I join courses that other professors have created. Our university works with Outlook and Teams, but I still use Google Classroom when joining ...
What advice do you have for others considering Google Classroom?
I don't have experience with grading rubrics or to-do lists in Google Classroom. Most of my work involves Google Classroom, Google Sheets, Word, shared documents, and Gmail. The log files and live ...
What needs improvement with Thinkific Plus?
Some of the limitations are the lack of gamification and automation, which we considered important. These were areas where I felt the product could improve.
What is your primary use case for Thinkific Plus?
I used it mainly for clients that worked in the school industry, taking their educators through content or a course concept.
What advice do you have for others considering Thinkific Plus?
Overall, I would rate Thinkific a three or four out of ten. With the affordability, you get a lower level of quality.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Google Classroom is used in major urban school districts throughout the United States, including: * Los Angeles Unified School District * Chicago Public Schools * New York City Department of Education * Houston Independent School District * Miami-Dade County Public Schools * Dallas Independent School District * Broward County Public Schools * Clark County School District (Las Vegas) * Philadelphia School District
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Classroom vs. Thinkific Plus and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.