⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: Kajabi starts at $71/month (Kickstarter). Thinkific starts at $36/user/month (Basic).
- Best for: Kajabi suits an all in one platform buyer running a coaching business. Thinkific suits a course creator who wants deep course building.
- Key difference: Kajabi bundles email marketing, funnels, and an intuitive website builder. Thinkific focuses on online education and course performance.
- Our pick: Kajabi for most users. It replaces more separate tools inside the same platform.
The cheaper platform is not automatically the weaker one.
Thinkific costs less than Kajabi at every paid tier.
But price is the smallest difference between these two.
One wants to run your entire business from one login.
The other wants to be the best course platform you use.
Overview
This Kajabi vs Thinkific comparison covers pricing, core features, and ease of use.
We also break down who each tool fits best.
Our writers spent hands-on time with both platforms.
Those notes appear in the “What Our Team Noticed” sections below.
We also checked published documentation and G2 reviews for both.
What is Kajabi?
Kajabi is an all in one platform for selling digital products.
It has been around since 2010 and serves creators worldwide.
The Kajabi platform hosts online courses, coaching programs, and podcasts.
One Kajabi account also covers email marketing, landing pages, and checkout.
Kajabi has helped over 50,000 business owners run an online business.
Kajabi users collectively generate $5 million in revenue each day.
Here is a closer look at how the platform works in practice.
🏆 Winner: Kajabi
Build courses, funnels, and an entire website in one place. Kajabi makes it possible to run your whole digital business without stitching tools together.
Kajabi Pricing
Here is what a Kajabi subscription costs today.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Kickstarter | $71/month | Testing your first course idea |
| Basic | $199/month | Solo creators launching one course |
| Growth | $159/month | Creators adding an affiliate program |
| Pro | $319/month | Larger teams and code editor access |
Pricing verified July 2026.
Free trial: Yes. Kajabi offers a free trial so you can test the builder before you pay.
Money-back guarantee: Kajabi runs a 30-day refund window on new subscriptions.
📌 Note: There are no transaction fees on sales. The only fee you pay is your payment gateway cut, since Stripe or PayPal still take their percentage. The Growth plan is where the affiliate program unlocks.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Our database lists Basic at $199/month, while Kajabi’s public page shows Basic at $119 billed annually or $149 monthly. Growth is listed as $159 annually or $199 monthly, and Pro as $319 annually or $399 monthly. We keep the database figures in every table above. Check the checkout page before you buy.
Key Benefits of Kajabi
Here is what makes Kajabi worth the higher price:
- One login for your entire business: Courses, a membership site, email campaigns, and checkout live on the same platform. You stop paying for four separate marketing tools.
- Intuitive website builder: Kajabi websites use drag-and-drop building blocks. You can publish unlimited pages, blog posts, and a full site without a developer.
- Built in payments: Kajabi Payments handles cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Students easily pay without leaving your checkout page.
- Kajabi AI across the workflow: The AI course builder drafts outlines. Artificial intelligence also writes transcripts and newsletter copy.
- Funnels that are ready to go: Pre-made sales funnels let you create landing pages and email opt ins in a few clicks.
- An affiliate program built in: Partners promote your course through a special link. Kajabi tracks the sale and pays them out.
- Training and community: Kajabi University teaches the basics. The Kajabi Heroes community is active and quick to answer questions.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer set up a Kajabi account and built a test course from scratch. Here is what stood out during that hands-on time:
The walkthrough below covers the same setup step by step.
Kajabi Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Replaces email marketing software, a site builder, and a checkout tool
- No transaction fees on any plan, so you keep all the money you earn
- Beginner-friendly drag and drop editors across courses and pages
- 24/7 support on the Growth and Pro plans
- The Kajabi app lets students find courses and learn on the go
❌ Cons
- An expensive platform for beginners on a tight budget
- Design flexibility is limited next to specialised builders
- Support replies have been described as generic and surface level
- The Basic plan feels thin for what it costs
What is Thinkific?
Thinkific is a course platform built for selling online courses.
You can create courses, memberships, coaching, and digital downloads.
The whole point is to skip the technical stuff.
You need no coding skills to launch your first course.
Thinkific helps creators turn what they know into online education.
In 2026 it leans on TCommerce and AI-powered creation tools.
This walkthrough shows the dashboard and the course editor.
Runner Up: Thinkific
A course-first platform with a drag and drop builder and SCORM support. Cheaper than Kajabi at every tier, with zero transaction fees.
Thinkific Pricing
Here are the Thinkific pricing plans and what each one covers.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $36/user/month | Solo creators with unlimited courses |
| Start | $74/user/month | Memberships, bundles, and certificates |
| Grow | $149/user/month | Advanced analytics and priority support |
Pricing verified July 2026.
Free trial: 14 days. Thinkific dropped its free plan back in 2024.
Money-back guarantee: No blanket refund policy. Use the trial to test before you commit.
📌 Note: Every plan carries zero transaction fees. Thinkific Plus sits above Grow with custom pricing options for enterprise teams and custom integrations.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: The rates above are the billed annually figures from our database. Thinkific’s public page lists month-to-month rates of $49, $99, and $199. Pick annual billing if you want the numbers shown here.
Key Benefits of Thinkific
Here is where Thinkific earns its place:
- Course building depth: The drag and drop editor handles interactive lessons, quizzes, and mixed learning content. Course creation stays visual from start to finish.
- SCORM support: Upload files from Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate. That makes Thinkific a fit for compliance and corporate training.
- Unlimited courses on every plan: Even Basic lets you publish more than one course. Most course creators never hit a ceiling.
- Student management and progress: Thinkific analytics track progress, enrollments, and student engagement in one dashboard.
- Community feature included: Build discussion forums and run live sessions next to your course content.
- Full branding control: Higher tiers let you remove Thinkific branding and add a custom domain. White-label plans hand you complete control of the look.
- Thinker AI assistant: It drafts course outlines, quiz questions, and landing page copy for you.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer built a short course inside Thinkific and enrolled test students. Here is what stood out:
The clip below covers the same build in real time.
Thinkific Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Cheaper than Kajabi at every paid tier
- SCORM compliant, which Kajabi does not offer
- User friendly editor that beginners pick up fast
- Helps first-time creators sell courses successfully
- Zero transaction fees on all the features and plans
❌ Cons
- Marketing features are thinner than Kajabi’s
- The video player lacks automatic captioning
- Bulk student enrollment is slow for large groups
- Customization options need code for deeper changes
Feature Comparison
Both tools sell courses. The gap shows up in everything that surrounds the course.
Here are the key features side by side before we go deeper.
| Feature | Kajabi | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $71/month | $36/user/month |
| Free Plan | ❌ | ❌ |
| Transaction Fees | ❌ None | ❌ None |
| Email Marketing | ✅ Full | ✅ Basic |
| Sales Funnels | ✅ | ❌ |
| Website Builder | ✅ | ✅ Course pages only |
| SCORM Support | ❌ | ✅ |
| Community Feature | ✅ | ✅ |
| Affiliate Program | ✅ Growth and Pro | ✅ Limited |
| Best For | Running an entire business | Deep course building |
1. Course Creation
Kajabi: The Kajabi course builder handles video, quizzes, and progress tracking. Its AI course builder drafts an outline before you write a word. Course creation feels fast, though the templates give you less design freedom.
Thinkific: This is where Thinkific offers more depth. Interactive lessons, SCORM uploads, and mixed learning content are all native. Every plan includes unlimited courses, so one course is never the ceiling. Curriculum sits on the left hand side of the editor, and you can embed YouTube videos inside any lesson.
The editor itself is the part beginners ask about most.
2. Site and Page Building
Kajabi: The intuitive website builder covers an entire website, not just course pages. You get unlimited pages, blog posts, and a custom domain. Kajabi websites use drag-and-drop building blocks, so no coding skills are needed.
Thinkific: The site builder is aimed at your course website. Themes look professional looking out of the box, and the AI landing page builder writes copy for you. Deeper customization options still need code or an outside tool, so Kajabi gives you more control here.
3. Email Marketing
Kajabi: Kajabi replaces standalone email marketing software. You can send broadcasts, build sequences, and run marketing campaigns from the same platform. Email opt ins connect straight to your checkout.
Thinkific: Email automation exists, but it is basic. You get simple sequences and broadcasts tied to course events. Serious email campaigns usually mean plugging in another tool.
⚠️ Warning: If email is central to your sales strategy, Thinkific’s marketing features will feel thin. Budget for a separate email tool.
4. Funnels and Sales Tools
Kajabi: Pre-made sales funnels are the headline here. You can create landing pages, upsells, and automations without another platform. This is the single biggest gap between the two products.
Thinkific: Sales tools cover coupons, bundles, and payment plans. You can create promotions to boost sales, but there is no true funnel builder. Lead generation happens through forms and landing pages instead.
Lead capture is handled as its own separate workflow.
5. Coaching and Live Sessions
Kajabi: The coaching product supports one-to-one and group coaching programs. Scheduling, notes, and payments sit inside your Kajabi account. That suits anyone running a coaching business alongside courses.
Thinkific: Coaching and webinars are supported, and you can run live sessions with cohorts. Booking relies more on outside calendar tools. It works well, but with fewer moving parts than Kajabi.
6. Community and Membership
Kajabi: The community platform supports events, challenges, and a private membership site. It sits next to your courses rather than in a separate app. Engagement data flows back into the same dashboard.
Thinkific: The community feature gives you discussion forums and live events. G2 reviews note that it can feel detached from the main product. Integration with course content is looser than on Kajabi.
7. Analytics and Reporting
Kajabi: Reports cover revenue, traffic, and subscription metrics in one view. You can also connect Google Analytics for deeper insights. The focus is business growth rather than classroom detail.
Thinkific: Student management is stronger here. You can track progress per lesson and measure course performance across cohorts. Advanced analytics unlock on the Grow plan.
8. Digital Downloads and Podcasts
Kajabi: You can sell digital products as standalone downloads. Kajabi lets you host a private podcast for paying members too. Few other platforms bundle podcasting at this level.
Podcasting is handled as its own product type inside the dashboard.
Thinkific: Digital downloads sell alongside your courses on every plan. There is no built-in podcast product. You would host audio elsewhere and link to it from a lesson.
9. AI and Payments
Kajabi: Kajabi AI writes newsletters, course outlines, and video transcripts. Kajabi Payments accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay, so students easily pay in a few clicks. Built in payments mean no extra checkout tool.
Thinkific: The Thinker AI assistant drafts outlines, quiz questions, and page copy. TCommerce handles one-time payments, subscriptions, and bundles. Payment options are solid, if less flashy than Kajabi’s. Content creation help is the real draw.
10. Pricing & Cost
Let’s compare the pricing plans side by side.
| Tier | Kajabi | Thinkific |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Kickstarter — $71/month | Basic — $36/user/month |
| Mid | Basic — $199/month | Start — $74/user/month |
| Upper Mid | Growth — $159/month | Grow — $149/user/month |
| Top | Pro — $319/month | Thinkific Plus — Custom |
| Transaction Fees | None | None |
Kajabi: You pay more, but you replace several marketing tools. Creators who would otherwise spend $600 a month on separate tools often come out ahead. The value case falls apart if you only need one course.
Thinkific: Entry pricing is roughly half of Kajabi’s. Those figures assume you are billed annually. Add an email tool and a funnel builder and the gap narrows quickly.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tight budget | Thinkific | Roughly half the entry price |
| Sales funnels and email | Kajabi | Both are built in |
| SCORM or compliance training | Thinkific | Kajabi has no SCORM support |
| An entire website | Kajabi | Unlimited pages and blog posts |
| Deep student management | Thinkific | Lesson-level progress tracking |
| Full control of design | Thinkific | White-label on higher tiers |
| One tool for everything | Kajabi | Fewer subscriptions to manage |
💰 Your Budget
Thinkific wins on the sticker price at every tier. Kajabi only wins on cost once you count the marketing tools it replaces.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
Already happy with your email provider and site builder? Thinkific slots in cleanly. Starting from nothing? Kajabi saves you the setup work.
📝 Your Teaching Style
Structured cohorts and graded lessons point to Thinkific. Evergreen funnels and coaching programs point to Kajabi.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Both score well on user friendliness for a first course. Kajabi University gives new users a head start on the wider platform.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Neither has a free plan in 2026. Thinkific gives you 14 days, and Kajabi offers a trial of its own.
🛟 Support Options
Kajabi runs 24/7 chat on the Growth and Pro plans only. Thinkific moves you to priority support on Grow. Both offer support by email, though its support team gets mixed reviews on speed.
Switching Guide
Already on one of these? Here is what changes if you move.
🔄 Switching from Kajabi to Thinkific?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- A far lower monthly bill at every tier
- SCORM uploads for compliance and corporate training
- Lesson-level reporting on student engagement
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Pre-built sales funnels and automations
- Full email marketing with segmented broadcasts
- Private podcast hosting and the wider site builder
📋 How to switch:
- Export your contacts and course files from Kajabi
- Start the 14-day trial and rebuild your course pages
- Move your email list to a dedicated provider first
🔄 Switching from Thinkific to Kajabi?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Funnels, email, and checkout on the same platform
- An affiliate program that pays partners automatically
- A full website with unlimited pages and blog posts
❌ What you’ll lose:
- SCORM compliance for corporate clients
- Roughly half your monthly software budget
- Some depth in course-level reporting
📋 How to switch:
- Download your lesson videos and student list from Thinkific
- Open a Kajabi account and pick a product type
- Rebuild the course, then point your custom domain across
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
This comparison focused on solo creators and small teams selling their own online courses. We did not test Thinkific Plus, enterprise SSO, or custom integrations at scale. We also did not measure video delivery speed across regions or stress-test bulk enrollment beyond a handful of students. If you manage a large training department, your priorities will differ from what we covered here.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | Thinkific |
| 🚀 Course Creation | Thinkific |
| 🌐 Site and Page Building | Kajabi |
| 📧 Email Marketing | Kajabi |
| 🔻 Funnels and Sales Tools | Kajabi |
| 👥 Community and Membership | Kajabi |
| 📊 Analytics and Reporting | Thinkific |
| 🤖 AI and Payments | Kajabi |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | Kajabi |
🏆 WINNER: KAJABI
Kajabi wins 5 out of 8 categories.
Best for: Coaches, membership owners, and creators who want to run an entire business from one login.
Building a successful business takes work on either one. But these two products are aimed at different jobs. Kajabi wants to be the operating system for your digital business. Thinkific wants to be the best place to build and sell courses.
Thinkific is the smarter buy if courses are your whole product. It handles course building, student progress, and SCORM better, and it costs less. Creator Studio and other extras are simply not what it is chasing.
Kajabi has helped tens of thousands of people build sustainable businesses selling what they know. Plenty of them run a successful online business on it today. If your marketing efforts depend on funnels, email, and a full site, the higher bill pays for itself. It is the stronger pick for anyone treating this as their own business rather than a side project. That is why we would use Kajabi to grow your business past a single course.
More of Kajabi Compared
Here is how Kajabi holds up against other platforms creators shortlist:
Kajabi wins on: Built-in funnels, a full website builder, no transaction fees on any tier
Teachable wins on: Lower entry price, simpler dashboard, faster setup for a single course
Kajabi vs Skool
Kajabi wins on: Course depth, email and funnel tooling, custom branding across pages
Skool wins on: Flat cheap pricing, gamified discussion feed, far shorter learning curve
Kajabi vs GoHighLevel
Kajabi wins on: Course delivery quality, cleaner interface, creator-focused templates
GoHighLevel wins on: Agency sub-accounts, CRM depth, SMS and call tracking
Kajabi vs Mighty Networks
Kajabi wins on: Sales funnels, email broadcasts, private podcast hosting
Mighty Networks wins on: Native mobile community apps, member discovery, event hosting
More of Thinkific Compared
And here is how Thinkific measures up elsewhere:
Thinkific wins on: SCORM uploads, zero transaction fees on every plan, deeper course settings
Teachable wins on: Built-in tax handling, simpler checkout, cheaper first paid tier
Thinkific vs LearnWorlds
Thinkific wins on: Gentler learning curve, lower entry price, faster course setup
LearnWorlds wins on: Interactive video, built-in captions, richer assessment types
Thinkific vs Circle
Thinkific wins on: Structured lessons, certificates, more to offer students who need graded progress
Circle wins on: Community-first design, live spaces, cleaner member messaging
Thinkific wins on: Course structure, quizzes and certificates, white-label branding
Skool wins on: One flat price, built-in leaderboard, dead-simple onboarding
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Thinkific or Kajabi?
Kajabi is better if you want funnels, email, and a website in one place. Thinkific is better for pure course building at a lower price.
How much is Kajabi per month?
Plans run from $71/month for Kickstarter up to $319/month for Pro. Basic is listed at $199/month and Growth at $159/month in our database.
Does Kajabi have no transaction fees?
Correct. No sales cut is taken on any plan. Your payment processor still charges its standard rate, and that is the only deduction.
Is Thinkific really free?
Not since 2024. The free tier was retired and replaced with a 14-day trial. Paid plans start at $36 per user each month.
Is Thinkific SCORM compliant?
Yes. You can upload SCORM packages from tools like Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate. Kajabi does not support SCORM, which matters for corporate training.
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