Stefan SchulzIf you are in the market for the best platform to sell your online courses, you've probably found yourself struggling to choose between Kajabi and Teachable. There are a lot of factors that go into what will work best for your business. I'll show you my detailed research and side-by-side comparisons so you can make the best decision for yourself.
The short answer: Kajabi is the better choice if you want an all-in-one platform that replaces your email marketing, sales funnels, and website tools. Teachable is the better choice if you only need course delivery and already have or prefer separate tools for marketing.
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Basic Overview
Kajabi is the only true all-in-one course platform with built-in email marketing, sales funnels, a website builder, community tools, and payment processing. No third-party tools needed. Its major focus is on sales and marketing as much as course delivery.
Teachable is a focused course-selling platform with an intuitive interface that makes launching your first course fast and easy. It handles payment processing natively and is significantly cheaper than Kajabi at every tier, but you will need separate tools for email marketing and sales funnels.
Key Differences Between Kajabi and Teachable
Pricing Comparison (2026)
Both platforms overhauled their pricing recently. Kajabi raised prices in January 2026. Teachable restructured its plan names and limits in 2026.
| Kajabi | Teachable | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Basic $179/mo ($143/mo annual) | Starter $39/mo (7.5% transaction fee) |
| First no-fee plan | Basic (0% with Kajabi Payments) | Builder $89/mo ($69/mo annual) |
| Mid plan | Growth $249/mo ($199/mo annual) | Growth $189/mo ($139/mo annual) |
| Top plan | Pro $499/mo ($399/mo annual) | Advanced $399/mo ($309/mo annual) |
| Transaction fees | 0% on all plans (Kajabi Payments) | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder+ |
| Free plan | No (14-day free trial) | Technically yes, but capped at 10 students with 10%+$1 fee per sale |
| Email marketing included | Yes, on all plans | Basic tools on Builder+, no native funnels |
For a full breakdown of every plan across both platforms, see our course platform pricing comparison guide.
Who Has the Better Features?
| Feature | Kajabi | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Course builder | Strong, with drip, cohorts, and video chapters. One content type per lesson. | Flexible. Mix video, audio, text, and quizzes in one lesson. Bulk upload supported. |
| Email marketing | Full native email marketing on all plans | Basic tools on Builder+. No native funnels. |
| Sales funnels | Built-in Pipeline Builder | Not included. Requires third-party tools. |
| Completion certificates | Yes, native | Yes, native |
| Community | Yes, built-in with live rooms and challenges | Basic community on Builder+ |
| Website builder | Yes, full website with themes | Basic school website only |
| Native payment processing | Yes, Kajabi Payments (Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay) | Yes, Teachable:pay. Also handles EU VAT. |
| Affiliate program | Growth plan and above | Builder plan and above |
| Mobile app (students) | Yes, iOS and Android | Yes, iOS and Android |
| AI course creation tools | Yes, Creator Studio across all plans | Yes, AI course-starter tool |
| Course marketplace | Yes (small, category filter only) | No |
Pros and Cons Overview
Kajabi Pros
- Extremely customizable designs and themes with 7 course templates
- Custom domain support to appear as part of your own website
- Built-in email marketing tools and sales funnel builder on all plans
- Community platform with challenges, leaderboards, and live rooms
- Student payment options including subscriptions and installment plans
- Targeted marketing automations based on course completion, purchases, and inactivity
- AI tools for course outlines, emails, and landing page copy (Creator Studio)
- Native completion certificates on all plans
- No transaction fees when using Kajabi Payments
Kajabi Cons
- No free plan. The January 2026 price increase removed the entry-level Kickstarter option. Minimum is now $179/month.
- Prices are significantly higher than Teachable across every comparable tier
- Only one content type per lesson (video, audio, or text, not mixed)
- Advanced automations, affiliates, and branding removal locked to Growth plan ($249/month)
- The course marketplace is small with limited search for students
Read my full review of Kajabi
Teachable Pros
- Fastest setup of any platform. Courses go live in under an hour
- Flexible lesson builder that lets you mix video, audio, text, and quizzes in one lesson
- Bulk content upload saves time for large courses
- Native payment processing with EU VAT handling included
- Completion certificates on all paid plans
- iOS and Android mobile apps for students
- Student payment options including subscriptions and payment plans
- Significantly cheaper than Kajabi for course-only delivery
Teachable Cons
- No native email marketing or sales funnel tools. Requires third-party integrations
- 7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan ($39/month)
- Free plan is very limited, capped at 10 students with a 10%+$1 fee per sale
- Less design customization than Kajabi. Changes apply at the school level, not per course
- No course marketplace
- 24/7 live support only on Growth plan and above
Read my full review of Teachable
Who Is Each Platform Best For?
Choose Kajabi if:
- You want email marketing, sales funnels, and course hosting under one roof
- You are replacing or consolidating multiple tools (ConvertKit, ClickFunnels, website hosting)
- You sell high-ticket coaching, memberships, or multiple digital products
- You want a community platform without paying separately for Circle or Mighty Networks
Choose Teachable if:
- You only need course delivery and already have email and marketing tools you like
- You are launching your first course and want the fastest, simplest path
- Budget matters and you want to keep monthly costs under $100
- You need flexible lesson builders that mix multiple content types in one lesson
Overall Winner
Both have great features and solid user interfaces. In my opinion, Kajabi comes out ahead for established creators, but only if you'll actually use its marketing tools.
Kajabi's all-in-one platform comes with built-in tools that would require expensive third-party integrations on Teachable. When you factor those in, Kajabi's higher monthly price often becomes comparable or cheaper than Teachable, plus the tools most creators need alongside it.
That said, if you only need course delivery and you're happy managing email and funnels with separate tools, Teachable at $69 to $89/month (annual) is the smarter, more affordable choice. The January 2026 Kajabi price increase makes this calculation more important than ever. You really need to be using the full stack to justify the cost.
Get your real monthly and annual price, see how it stacks up against paying for separate tools, then find your plan. Affiliate link. We may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. Check the tools you currently pay for. Edit any price to match what you actually pay. Kajabi rolls all of these into one plan. Stack prices are typical starting prices, not exact quotes. Affiliate link, no extra cost to you. 1. How big is your audience / contact list? 2. Will you run a community or membership? 3. Need advanced automation, multiple sites, API, or a branded app?What will Kajabi actually cost you?
Check out our full guide on migrating from Teachable to Kajabi >>
Alternatives to Kajabi and Teachable
Kajabi and Teachable are both solid options, but they're not the only ones. If neither fits your needs or budget, read how we rank other online course platforms, including Thinkific, Podia, and Systeme.io.
We also have a full side-by-side pricing comparison across all the major platforms.
