Teachable vs Kajabi
Teachable focuses on courses. Kajabi builds your entire online business. One is cheaper, the other replaces your whole stack. Here's which is worth it.
Last updated: 2026-02-26
⚡ Quick Verdict
Kajabi is the premium all-in-one platform for creators who want to build a real business around their knowledge. It handles courses, memberships, email marketing, website, funnels, podcasts, and community — all integrated. Teachable is a focused course platform that does one thing well at a lower price. If you'd otherwise subscribe to Teachable + ConvertKit + ClickFunnels + a website builder, Kajabi consolidates all of that and often costs less total.
Creators who primarily sell courses and want a simple, affordable platform without extra features.
Knowledge entrepreneurs building a full online business with courses, memberships, email marketing, and sales funnels.
Limited marketing tools — you'll need separate email, funnel, and website solutions.
Expensive starting at $149/month. Overkill if you only need to host courses.
Choose Teachable if…
- →You just want to create and sell courses without running a full business platform
- →Budget is tight — you need a course platform under $50/month
- →You already have email marketing (ConvertKit, Mailchimp) and a website
- →You want simple, straightforward course creation without complexity
- →You're testing the waters with your first online course
Choose Kajabi if…
- →You want one platform for courses, email, website, funnels, and community
- →You're building a personal brand business around knowledge products
- →You want to eliminate 3-5 separate tool subscriptions
- →Sales funnels and email sequences are critical to your revenue
- →You plan to offer memberships, coaching, and community alongside courses
Get the Free SaaS Stack Cheat Sheet
The top 3 tools in every category — updated monthly. One page, no fluff.
Don't pick Teachable if…
- ✕You need built-in email marketing — Teachable's email tools are basic
- ✕You want sales funnels and landing pages — you'll need separate tools
- ✕You want a beautiful branded website — Teachable's site builder is limited
- ✕You plan to offer community features alongside courses
Don't pick Kajabi if…
- ✕You're just starting out and $149/month is a significant investment
- ✕You only sell one or two courses and don't need marketing automation
- ✕You already have and love your existing marketing stack
- ✕You want the cheapest possible course hosting solution
Feature Comparison
Pricing
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free / $59/mo | $149/mo |
| Transaction fees | 5% on free, $1 on Basic | 0% on all plans |
Courses
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Course builder | Clean and focused | Robust with marketing triggers |
Marketing
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | Very basic | Full platform with automation |
| Sales funnels | ✗ | Built-in pipeline builder |
Website
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder | Basic school page | Full website with blog |
Engagement
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Community | ✗ | Built-in community feature |
Products
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Memberships | Basic memberships | Advanced memberships with tiers |
| Coaching products | Built-in coaching | Coaching with scheduling |
Content
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Podcasts | ✗ | Built-in podcast hosting |
Data
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics | Basic course analytics | Comprehensive business analytics |
Growth
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliate program | Available on higher plans | Built-in on all plans |
Mobile
| Feature | Teachable | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Student app available | Branded mobile app |
Honest Tradeoffs
Every tool has tradeoffs. Here's what you're actually choosing between.
All-in-One vs Focused
Focused course platform. Need separate tools for email, funnels, website.
All-in-one: courses, email, website, funnels, community, podcasts.
If you add up Teachable ($59) + ConvertKit ($49) + ClickFunnels ($97) + website hosting ($20), that's $225/month. Kajabi at $149/month replaces all four.
Pricing
Free plan available. Basic at $59/mo. Lower entry point.
$149/mo Basic. $199/mo Growth. Premium at $399/mo.
Kajabi is expensive in isolation. It's cheap when you calculate total stack cost. Teachable wins if courses are truly all you need.
Course Creation
Clean course builder with quizzes, certificates, and coaching products.
Robust course builder with similar features plus deeper engagement tools.
Both create excellent courses. Teachable is slightly more focused on the learning experience. Kajabi adds more marketing triggers around course engagement.
Marketing Tools
Basic email with limited automation. No funnels or landing pages.
Full email marketing, automation, funnels, landing pages, and pipeline tracking.
Kajabi's marketing tools rival dedicated marketing platforms. Teachable's marketing is an afterthought.
Website & Branding
Basic school page. Limited customization.
Full website builder with blog, custom pages, and professional templates.
Kajabi sites look like real businesses. Teachable sites look like course platforms. If brand perception matters, Kajabi wins.
Pricing
Pros & Cons
Teachable
Pros
- +Lower price point with a free plan available for testing
- +Clean, focused course creation experience
- +Built-in payment processing with multiple payout options
- +Course completion certificates and quizzes
- +Coaching and digital download products alongside courses
Cons
- −Email marketing tools are extremely basic
- −No sales funnel builder — need separate tools
- −Website/school page customization is limited
- −Transaction fees on free and Basic plans
- −No community features built into the platform
Kajabi
Pros
- +True all-in-one: courses, email, website, funnels, community, podcasts
- +Professional website builder with beautiful templates
- +Powerful email marketing with automation and sequences
- +Sales pipeline and funnel builder rivaling dedicated tools
- +Zero transaction fees on all plans
Cons
- −Expensive starting at $149/month
- −Can be overwhelming with so many features to learn
- −Overkill if you only need to host courses
- −Student limits on lower plans
- −Less customizable than using best-of-breed tools for each function
What the Data Says
Real numbers, real quotes, real outcomes — not marketing copy.
Kajabi creators have generated over $7 billion in revenue through the platform, with top creators earning $1M+ annually.
Source: Kajabi, 2025
Teachable hosts over 100,000 creators and has processed over $1 billion in course sales.
Source: Teachable, 2025
"I was paying $350/month for Teachable, ConvertKit, ClickFunnels, and Squarespace. Moved everything to Kajabi for $199/month and it actually works better integrated."
Source: Reddit r/OnlineBusiness, 2025
A fitness coach moved from Teachable to Kajabi and increased revenue 40% in 6 months, attributing the growth to integrated email automations triggered by course engagement.
Source: VersusStack analysis
Detailed Breakdown
For Course-Only Creators
Teachable winsIf you literally just want to upload videos, create a course, and sell it — Teachable is the right choice. It's simpler, cheaper, and does course creation well. You don't need Kajabi's email marketing or funnels if you have a YouTube channel driving traffic directly to your course. Simple business model = simple tool.
For Knowledge Businesses
Kajabi winsThe moment you need email sequences to nurture leads, landing pages to capture them, and funnels to convert them — Kajabi becomes the obvious choice. Building a knowledge business on Teachable means cobbling together 3-5 tools that don't talk to each other. Kajabi's integration between course engagement and marketing automation is its superpower.
Total Cost of Ownership
Kajabi winsTeachable at $59/month seems cheaper than Kajabi at $149/month. But add ConvertKit ($49), a funnel builder ($97), and website hosting ($20), and you're at $225/month with tools that don't integrate. Kajabi at $149-199/month replaces all of them with better integration. Do the math for your specific stack.
Brand & Professional Appearance
Kajabi winsKajabi sites look like real businesses. Custom domains, beautiful templates, branded mobile apps, and professional landing pages. Teachable sites look like... course platforms. If you're charging premium prices ($500+ courses), your platform should match your positioning. Kajabi helps with that perception.
Switching Costs
Already using one? Here's what it takes to switch.
Teachable → Kajabi
Moderate — a few daysKajabi → Teachable
Moderate — a few daysCourse content transfers manually (videos, PDFs). Student data can be exported/imported via CSV. The main work is rebuilding email sequences, funnels, and website pages. Budget 1-2 weeks for a complete migration.
FAQ
Is Kajabi worth $149/month? ▾
Can I start on Teachable and move to Kajabi later? ▾
Is Teachable's free plan good enough to start? ▾
Does Kajabi replace ConvertKit/Mailchimp? ▾
Neither feels right?
Consider Thinkific — If you want more features than Teachable without Kajabi's price, Thinkific offers a solid middle ground with better community features and a free plan.
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Ready to choose?
Both tools offer free plans. Try them and see which fits.