⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Preisgestaltung: Circle starts at $89/month (Professional plan). Kajabi starts at $71/month (Kickstarter).
- Ideal für: Circle for community building and group discussions. Kajabi for selling online courses and digital products.
- Hauptunterschied: Circle charges a transaction fee of 0.5% to 4%. Kajabi charges none.
- Our pick: Kajabi (4.4) for most online Geschäft owners. It bundles courses, email marketing, and a website builder in one place.
Creators pick between Circle and Kajabi for one reason.
They want an online community and a way to sell.
Circle started as a community platform and added course functionality later.
Kajabi started as a course platform and added community features later.
That history shapes almost every difference between them.
Überblick
This Circle vs Kajabi comparison covers pricing, core features, and ease of use.
We also break down who each tool works best for.
Our sources include published specs, documentation, and public user reviews.
Our writers also spent hands-on time inside both platforms.
Those notes appear in the “What Our Team Noticed” sections below.
Was ist ein Kreis?
Circle.so is an online community platform for creators, brands, and online Geschäft Eigentümer.
It uses Spaces and Space Groups to organize discussions, courses, and events.
Each community platform space can be public, private, or secret.
That structure gives community builders real control over who sees what.
Many teams move here after outgrowing a Facebook group.
💡 Name check: This review covers Circle.so, the community software. It is not Circle Internet Financial (the USDC company), the Circle parental-control app, or the Netflix show.
Here is a walkthrough of the Circle platform in action.
Kreis
Built for discussion-first communities. Spaces, chat, and native live streaming sit in one clean dashboard.
Circle-Preisgestaltung
Here is what Circle’s pricing looks like in 2026.
| Planen | Preis | Am besten geeignet für |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | 89 $/Monat | Solo creators launching a first community |
| Geschäft | 199 $/Monat | Teams needing more advanced features |
| Unternehmen | Profil reicher Mitglieder, Veranstaltungen | Larger organisations with custom needs |
| Plus Branded App | Individuelle Preisgestaltung | Brands wanting their own mobile app |
Pricing verified July 2026.
Kostenlose Testversion: Yes. Every plan includes a 14-day free trial so new users can test the platform first.
Geld-zurück-Garantie: No published refund window. The trial is your testing period.
📌 Notiz: The Professional plan caps admins, moderators, and spaces. The Business plan raises those limits and unlocks a custom domain and priority support.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Our CSV lists the Enterprise entry as features rather than a figure. Outside research puts Enterprise at $399/month. Check the pricing Circle publishes before you buy.
Key Benefits of Circle
Here is what makes Circle worth considering:
- Space control: Build public, private, and secret spaces. You can control access so certain spaces stay members-only.
- Native live streaming: Host events without a third-party tool. Sessions run up to 30 participants, live streams up to 100 viewers.
- Paid memberships: Charge for access through Stripe in multiple currencies. Discounts and coupon codes are built into checkout.
- Automation tools: Workflows handle repetitive community management jobs. They also personalise the welcome message new members receive.
- Rich post editor: Circle’s post editor supports headings, blockquotes, and collapsible sections. Community posts read more like articles than forum replies.
- Mobile App: Members reach communities, courses, events, and chats from their phone.
What Our Team Noticed
Unser Schriftsteller set up a test community and invited a small group. Here is what stood out during that hands-on time:
Circle Pros & Cons
✅ Vorteile
- Clean user interface that feels familiar to Slack and Vorstellung Nutzer
- Native live streaming for group discussions and larger live events
- Spaces and Space Groups keep a growing community organised
- 14-day free trial on every plan, including the Enterprise tier
❌ Nachteile
- Transaction fee of 0.5% to 4% sits on top of Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30
- Course functionality trails dedicated tools like Lehrbar and Kajabi
- Third party integrations feel limited next to bigger platforms
Was ist Kajabi?
Kajabi is an all in one platform for building a digital business.
The Kajabi platform has been around since 2010.
It hosts online courses, coaching programs, podcasts, and a membership site.
Kajabi lets you sell digital products without bolting on other tools.
Over 50,000 owners have used it to build sustainable businesses.
This walkthrough shows how the dashboard fits together.
🏆 Winner: Kajabi
Courses, email marketing, and checkout in the same platform. Kajabi takes no cut of your sales.
Kajabi-Preise
Here is what a Kajabi subscription costs in 2026.
| Planen | Preis | Am besten geeignet für |
|---|---|---|
| Kickstarter | 71 $/Monat | Testing your first Online-Kurs |
| Basic | 199 $/Monat | Solo creators with one product line |
| Wachstum | 159 $/Monat | Creators who want the affiliate program |
| Pro | 319 $/Monat | Teams running an entire business here |
Pricing verified July 2026.
Kostenlose Testversion: Yes. You can open a Kajabi account and test the builder before paying.
Geld-zurück-Garantie: No standing refund policy is published. Use the trial period instead.
📌 Notiz: Kajabi payments are built in. The only fee you pay is your payment gateway’s card rate, since Kajabi takes no cut of sales.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: The table above follows our CSV. Outside research shows Basic at $119 annual and $149 monthly, Growth at $159 annual and $199 monthly, Pro at $319 annual and $399 monthly. Annual billing explains the gap.
Key Benefits of Kajabi
Here is what Kajabi offers that pulls creators over:
- Keine Transaktionsgebühren: Kajabi makes its money from subscriptions, not your sales. All the money past card fees stays with you.
- Email marketing software: Send broadcasts, build sequences, and run email campaigns without a separate tool.
- Intuitive website builder: Drag-and-drop building blocks handle landing pages, blog posts, and your entire website.
- AI course builder: Kajabi AI drafts course outlines and writes video transcriptions automatically.
- Built in payments: Checkout supports Apple Pay and Google Pay through the integrated payment processor.
- Analytics that matter: Track subscription metrics, email opt ins, and revenue alongside Google Analytics Daten.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer built a test product and ran it through checkout. Here is what stood out:
The clip below covers the same walkthrough step by step.
Kajabi Pros & Cons
✅ Vorteile
- No transaction fees on sales made through the platform
- Built-in email marketing with broadcasts and email sequences
- AI course builder drafts outlines and video transcriptions
- Website builder, landing pages, and sales funnels included
❌ Nachteile
- Costs more than most rivals, which makes it an expensive platform for beginners
- Basic plan leaves out the 24/7 live chat on Growth and Pro plans
- Design flexibility is limited next to specialised builders
Funktionsvergleich
Circle and Kajabi overlap more than they used to. The table below shows where the two products still split apart.
| Besonderheit | Kreis | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Startpreis | 89 $/Monat | 71 $/Monat |
| Kostenloser Plan | ❌ (14-tägige Testphase) | ❌ (free trial) |
| Gemeinschaftsräume | ✅ | ✅ (Basis) |
| Native Live-Streaming-Funktion | ✅ | ❌ |
| Course Builder | ✅ (integrated course) | ✅ |
| E-Mail-Marketing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Website-Baukasten | ✅ | ✅ |
| Verkaufstrichter | ❌ | ✅ |
| Transaktionsgebühr | 0.5%–4% | Keiner |
| Am besten geeignet für | Community building | Verkauf von Online-Kursen |
1. Community Spaces and Group Discussions
Kreis: Spaces and Space Groups organise the entire community around themes. You can run multiple spaces, lock private spaces behind a plan, and open chat spaces for threaded group discussions. Members switch between communities with one click.
Kajabi: The community feature covers posts, events, and challenges. It works, but it sits beside the course product rather than driving it. Community management here is lighter than what a dedicated community platform offers.
2. Live Streaming and Live Events
Kreis: Native live streaming runs inside the platform. Circle handles small group sessions for up to 30 people and a Live-Stream for up to 100 viewers. You can host events and send reminders without leaving the dashboard.
Kajabi: There is no equivalent live streaming feature. Creators usually run sessions on Zoom and post replays or YouTube videos inside a course module.
⚠️ Warnung: Circle’s live tool lacks the moderation controls of dedicated Webinar software. Large paid events may still need a separate host.
3. Course Builder and Course Functionality
Kajabi: The Kajabi course builder needs no code. Templates, quizzes, and progress tracking come standard, and students find courses through a clean member portal. Course creation is the strongest part of the product.
Kreis: The course builder supports videos, audio, and PDFs. It works for a lightweight cohort, but it trails Teachable and Kajabi on grading, drip logic, and reporting.
4. Digital Products and Coaching Programs
Kajabi: One Kajabi account can sell downloads, a membership site, podcasts, and coaching programs. A course creator running a coaching business can keep every product on the same platform.
Coaching gets its own workspace rather than a generic product type.
Kreis: You sell access, not products. Paid memberships unlock certain spaces, and free trials let people look around first. Anything more complex needs a third-party checkout.
5. E-Mail-Marketing und Kampagnen
Kajabi: Broadcasts, sequences, and marketing campaigns all live here. Most creators drop their outside email marketing software once marketing efforts move in.
Artificial intelligence also drafts newsletter copy from your existing content.
Kreis: Email covers community-driven sends such as invitations and digests. It reaches other members well, but it is not a replacement for a full campaign tool.
6. Website Builder and Landing Pages
Kajabi: An intuitive website builder handles your entire website, blog posts, and unlimited pages. You can create landing pages from templates, and Kajabi websites publish on a custom domain.
Kreis: The website builder is newer and simpler. It covers a landing page and a member-facing home, not a marketing site with funnels.
7. Automation Tools and Workflows
Kreis: Workflows automate repetitive jobs and personalise onboarding for new members. Automated check-ins nudge quiet people back into the conversation.
Check-ins run on their own schedule once you set the trigger.
Kajabi: Automations attach to sales funnels, so a purchase can trigger emails, tags, and access changes. The branching is deeper than Circle’s, which stays inside the community.
⚠️ Warnung: Circle’s automation is often described as basic. Complex multi-step logic usually needs Zapier or a similar bridge.
8. Analytics and Member Activity Tracking
Kreis: Activity tracking shows who posts, who lurks, and where community engagement drops. That helps you spot the members worth promoting to moderator.
Kajabi: Reporting leans commercial. You get revenue, conversion rates, subscription metrics, and course progress in one dashboard.
9. Customization, Gamification and Extra Channels
Kreis: Brand colours, logos, and layout are all editable. Gamification adds points and leaderboards, a cool feature for keeping quiet members active.
Points and ranks sit on member profiles where everyone can see them.
Kajabi: Design control is tighter, which some creators find limiting. In exchange you get channels Circle does not have, including Podcast hosting through Creator Studio.
10. Preisgestaltung & Kosten
Lasst uns die Pläne nebeneinander vergleichen.
| Planen | Kreis | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Eintrag | Professional: $89/month | Kickstarter: $71/month |
| Mitte | Business: $199/month | Basic: $199/month |
| Upper mid | — | Growth: $159/month |
| Spitze | Enterprise: Rich members’ profile, events | Pro: $319/month |
| Hinzufügen Auf | Plus Branded App: Custom Pricing | — |
| Sales cut | 0.5%–4% transaction fee | No transaction fees |
Kreis: The sticker price is only part of pricing Circle correctly. A transaction fee of 0.5% to 4% stacks on Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30, so cost rises as revenue does.
Kajabi: Entry pricing undercuts Circle by $18 per month, and no cut is taken from sales. Replacing separate marketing tools can beat the $600 monthly stack many creators run.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Do the maths at your own revenue. At $10,000 in monthly sales, a 4% fee costs $400 before card processing.
Verschiedene Szenarien
| Falls Sie Folgendes benötigen: | Wählen | Warum |
|---|---|---|
| To sell courses first | Kajabi | Deeper course builder |
| Discussion-led community | Kreis | Spaces and threaded chat |
| Zero cut on sales | Kajabi | No transaction fees |
| Native live streaming | Kreis | Streams built into the platform |
| One tool for everything | Kajabi | Site, email, and checkout included |
| Niedrigster Einstiegspreis | Kajabi | $71/month versus $89/month |
💰 Ihr Budget
Kajabi’s Kickstarter tier is the cheapest way in. Circle looks close on paper until the transaction fee lands on every sale.
🔌 Dein Tech-Stack
Kajabi replaces more of your stack, including email and checkout. Circle assumes you keep some tools and connect them, though integrations are thinner than on other platforms.
📝 Ihr Content-Stil
Daily conversation and live events point to Circle. Structured lessons that create online courses point to Kajabi.
🎓 Dein Erfahrungslevel
Circle’s interface reads easily if you already Slack verwenden or Notion. Kajabi has more screens, but Kajabi University walks new users through the core features.
🆓 Kostenlose Testversionen und Demos
Both offer a trial, and Circle’s runs 14 days on every tier. Import real content instead of dummy Text so the test means something.
🛟 Supportoptionen
Kajabi runs 24/7 help on the Growth and Pro plans, while the Basic plan drops live chat. Circle keeps priority support for the Business plan and above.
Umstellungsleitfaden
Already on one of these? Here is what changes when you move.
🔄 Switching from Circle to Kajabi?
✅ Was Sie davon haben:
- No sales cut, so all the money past card fees stays in your own business
- Sales funnels, an affiliate program, and stronger marketing features
- A deeper course builder with quizzes and progress tracking
❌ Was Sie verlieren werden:
- Native live streaming inside the platform
- Space Groups and secret spaces for fine-grained access
- The chat-first layout that keeps the community aspect front and centre
📋 So wechseln Sie:
- Export your member list and post archive from Circle
- Open a Kajabi account and rebuild your products first
- Email members a special link to claim their new login
🔄 Switching from Kajabi to Circle?
✅ Was Sie davon haben:
- A layout built to engage members every day, not only at launch
- Live streams and events without a second tool
- Gamification and activity tracking for community members
❌ Was Sie verlieren werden:
- Funnel and campaign depth on the same platform
- Fee-free checkout, since Circle keeps a percentage
- Podcast hosting and the wider set of marketing tools
📋 So wechseln Sie:
- Export contacts and course files from Kajabi
- Map each product to a space or Space Group in Circle
- Send invitations, then set a welcome message for arrivals
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
This comparison focused on solo creators and small teams. We did not test bulk licensing, single sign-on, or how either tool handles a community with unlimited members on an Enterprise plan. We also did not benchmark support channels under load. If you run a large operation, your priorities will differ from what we covered here.
Endgültiges Urteil
| Kategorie | Gewinner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Preisgestaltung | Kajabi |
| 🚀 Kernfunktionen | Kajabi |
| 🎥 Live Events | Kreis |
| 🎓 Course Functionality | Kajabi |
| 👥 Community Management | Kreis |
| 📧 Marketing Features | Kajabi |
| 👶 Benutzerfreundlichkeit | Kreis |
| 🏆 Gesamtsieger | Kajabi |
🏆 WINNER: KAJABI
Kajabi wins 4 of 7 categories.
Ideal für: course creators, coaching programs, memberships, and anyone who wants to grow your business on one bill.
Circle and Kajabi are not really the same product. Circle sells a thriving online community. Kajabi sells the machinery of a successful online business.
Circle is the better home for daily conversation, live streams, and member-led momentum. Tens of thousands of creators use Kajabi because it removes the sales cut and folds marketing into the same bill.
If your revenue comes from courses and digital products, Kajabi is the safer pick. If the community itself is the product, Circle earns its price.
More of Circle Compared
Our full Circle review covers each space type in depth. Here is how the circle community stacks up against close rivals.
Kreis vs. Schule
Circle wins on: space-level access control, native live streaming, and a far deeper post editor
Skool wins on: flat single-tier pricing, a simpler learning curve, and built-in leaderboards from day one
Kreis vs. Mighty Networks
Circle wins on: a cleaner user interface, better community management tools, and smoother navigation between spaces
Mighty Networks wins on: stronger native course tools, richer member matchmaking, and a longer track record with branded apps
Kreis vs. Thinkific
Circle wins on: live events, daily discussion, and gamified engagement between lessons
Thinkific wins on: course reporting, quiz and assignment depth, and a free starting tier
Kreis vs. Bessermodus
Circle wins on: creator-focused onboarding, paid memberships out of the box, and a stronger mobile app
Bettermode wins on: white-label flexibility, API depth for developers, and support-community use cases
Circle’s features lean toward conversation rather than commerce. The missing features show up mostly in checkout and reporting, so teams often bolt on Google Forms for surveys until new features land.
More of Kajabi Compared
Our Kajabi review breaks the plans down further. Kajabi is not the only platform in this space, so here is the short version.
Kajabi wins on: no transaction fees, bundled email marketing, and full website hosting
Teachable wins on: a cheaper entry point, simpler course setup, and lighter admin for a single course
Kajabi wins on: funnels, automations, and running a coaching business on one bill
Thinkific wins on: a free plan, lower monthly cost, and more granular course design control
Kajabi vs Lernwelten
Kajabi wins on: marketing depth, podcast hosting, and a faster path from idea to checkout
LearnWorlds wins on: interactive video, certification workflows, and school-style course structures
Kajabi vs GoHighLevel
Kajabi wins on: course delivery, a friendlier build process, and cleaner student-facing design
GoHighLevel gewinnt bei: agency features, CRM and pipeline tools, and reselling access to clients
Both companies offer support by email, and the Growth plan adds round-the-clock chat.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
What is Circle so used for?
It hosts paid and free communities. Creators use it for discussions, courses, events, and memberships in one place, organised into spaces.
What is the transaction fee for Circle so?
Between 0.5% and 4% of each payment, depending on your plan. Stripe’s own 2.9% + $0.30 card charge applies on top of that.
Wofür wird Kajabi am besten verwendet?
Selling knowledge products. Courses, memberships, coaching, and podcasts sit alongside email, checkout, and a website, so one subscription runs a successful business.
Erhebt Kajabi Transaktionsgebühren?
No. The platform takes no percentage of sales. You still pay standard card processing rates through your payment provider on every order.
Ist Kajabi nur für Kurse?
No. The Kajabi app also handles coaching, memberships, downloads, podcasts, and newsletters, which is why creators treat it as a full business hub.
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