Kajabi and Teachable both let you sell online courses, but they are built for different stages. Teachable is a focused course and digital-product platform with low entry pricing. Kajabi is an all-in-one business platform: courses plus email marketing, funnels, landing pages, a website and community, priced like the bundle it is.
So the real question is: do you need just a place to sell courses, or do you want to run your whole creator business in one tool? This comparison covers pricing, fees, features and who each platform fits, with a clear recommendation at the end.
Prices and fees were checked on Kajabi's and Teachable's official pricing pages on October 22, 2026. Plans change often, so confirm before you buy.
Kajabi vs Teachable at a glance
| Kajabi | Teachable | |
|---|---|---|
| Core strength | All-in-one: courses, email, funnels, site, community | Focused course and digital-product selling |
| Best for | Creators with revenue who want one system | Beginners and course-first creators on a budget |
| Entry price | Basic $143/mo annual, $179 monthly | Starter $29/mo annual, $39 monthly |
| Platform transaction fee | None (processing fees apply) | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and up |
| Marketing emails | Unlimited on all plans | Built-in email marketing |
| Funnels and landing pages | Unlimited on all plans | Upsells, order bumps, cart recovery |
| Community | 1 to 3 communities by plan | Not a core feature |
| Student mobile app | Kajabi customer app; branded app on Pro | iOS and Android student apps |
| Affiliate program for your products | Yes | Builder plan and above |
| Free plan | No (free trial) | No (7-day free trial) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
Who Kajabi is for
Kajabi is for creators who already have an audience or revenue and are tired of stitching together a course host, email tool, landing page builder and community app. Every plan includes unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels, plus a website and community. Kajabi's own FAQ is candid: if you only want course delivery, it is expensive; it pays off when it replaces several tools.
Kajabi's own advice: start on Basic if you haven't sold anything yet, move to Growth once revenue is coming in and your list passes a few thousand people, and pick Pro if you run more than one brand or want your own app in the App Store.
Who Teachable is for
Teachable is for creators who want a clean, affordable way to sell courses, coaching and digital downloads without paying for a whole marketing suite. Plans include AI course creation tools, iOS and Android student apps, global payments and tax handling, upsells and cart recovery. If you already use a separate email tool, or you're just validating your first course, Teachable keeps the monthly bill low.
For a deeper look, see our full Teachable review.
Pricing (checked October 22, 2026)
Kajabi
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Products | Contacts | Websites / Communities | Admin users | AI credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $143/mo | $179/mo | 5 | 2,500 | 1 / 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Growth | $199/mo | $249/mo | 50 | 25,000 | 1 / 1 | 11 | 500 |
| Pro | $399/mo | $499/mo | Unlimited | 100,000 | 3 / 3 | 26 | 1,000 |
USD, from Kajabi's pricing page on October 22, 2026. Extra contacts come in blocks of 25,000 for $125/month. Pro includes a branded mobile app and API access.
Teachable
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Products | Transaction fee | Notable extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo | $39/mo | 5 | 7.5% | Student apps, AI tools, upsells |
| Builder | $69/mo | $89/mo | 10 | 0% | Affiliate program, real-time support |
| Growth | $139/mo | $189/mo | 50 | 0% | Certificates, remove branding, free subtitles and translations |
| Custom | Contact sales | Contact sales | Flexible | 0% | Dedicated success manager, migration help |
USD, from Teachable's pricing page on October 22, 2026. Teachable says annual billing saves 22%. Memberships, bundles and unpublished drafts don't count toward the product limit.
Transaction and payment fees
This is where the two differ most, so it's worth doing the math for your own sales.
Kajabi takes no revenue share. You pay card processing through Kajabi Payments (US entities): 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth, 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro. If you're in a region where Kajabi Payments is offered but use a third-party processor (excluding PayPal), Kajabi adds 2% / 1% / 0.5% depending on plan.
Teachable charges a 7.5% transaction fee on Starter and 0% on Builder, Growth and Custom when you use Teachable Payments. Standard payment processing fees may still apply.
Quick example: at $1,000/month in sales, Teachable Starter's 7.5% fee is $75, which makes Builder ($69/mo annual, 0% fee) the better deal. Once you sell consistently, skip Starter.
Features compared
Course building and delivery
Both handle the basics well: video lessons, drip content, quizzes and student apps. Teachable leans into course polish with certificates (Growth), free subtitles and translations (Growth), and bulk student imports. Kajabi adds cohort courses and video transcriptions and translations, plus AI tools through monthly AI credits on Growth and Pro.
Winner: tie. Teachable for pure course delivery value, Kajabi for cohorts and AI.
Marketing: email, funnels and pages
Kajabi is the clear winner here. Unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels on every plan, plus advanced automations on higher plans, mean you can launch, nurture and sell without another tool. Teachable has built-in email marketing, coupons, upsells, order bumps and abandoned-cart emails, which is enough for many sellers, but most serious marketers still pair it with a dedicated email or funnel tool.
If you want funnels and email on a tight budget, also look at Systeme.io.
Winner: Kajabi.
Community
Kajabi includes communities (1 on Basic and Growth, 3 on Pro) and unlimited access groups. Teachable doesn't make community a core part of its plans, so you'd likely use a separate tool.
Winner: Kajabi.
Affiliates and selling tools
Both let you run an affiliate program for your own products: on all Kajabi plans, and on Teachable Builder and above. Teachable handles US sales tax, global VAT and GST, and students can pay in local currency.
Winner: close. Teachable's tax handling is a real plus for international sellers.
Which should you choose?
| Your situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| First course, testing the idea, small budget | Teachable Starter or Builder |
| Selling steadily, already using another email tool | Teachable Builder |
| Want email, funnels, site and community in one place | Kajabi Basic or Growth |
| Several thousand contacts and growing revenue | Kajabi Growth |
| Multiple brands or want your own branded app | Kajabi Pro |
| Want all-in-one but can't afford Kajabi | Systeme.io |
Verdict
Teachable is the better choice for most people starting out. It's far cheaper, it's focused, and Builder's 0% transaction fee at $69/month (annual) is a fair deal once you have regular sales. Avoid Starter if you expect meaningful revenue, because the 7.5% fee adds up quickly.
Kajabi is the better choice when you already have revenue and want one system for courses, email, funnels, website and community. It's expensive as a course host alone, but it can replace several subscriptions, and it takes no revenue share.
Our honest take: validate your course on Teachable (or a cheaper all-in-one like Systeme.io), then move to Kajabi if and when juggling tools costs you more than Kajabi does.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Is Kajabi or Teachable cheaper?
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Teachable is much cheaper to start. On October 22, 2026, Teachable Starter was $29/month billed annually ($39 monthly), while Kajabi Basic was $143/month billed annually ($179 monthly). Kajabi includes email marketing, funnels, a website and community, so the gap shrinks if you would otherwise pay for those tools separately.
Does Kajabi charge transaction fees?
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Kajabi takes no revenue share. With Kajabi Payments you pay card processing (US rates: 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth, 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro). If you use a third-party processor where Kajabi Payments is available, Kajabi adds 2% (Basic), 1% (Growth) or 0.5% (Pro).
Does Teachable charge transaction fees?
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Only on Starter, which has a 7.5% transaction fee. Builder, Growth and Custom have 0% transaction fees when you use Teachable Payments. Standard payment processing fees may still apply.
Do Kajabi and Teachable have free plans?
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No. Teachable offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Kajabi offers a free trial and says every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Which is better for beginners?
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If you have not sold a course yet and want to keep costs low, Teachable Starter or Builder is the safer test. Kajabi makes more sense once you have revenue and want email, funnels, website and community in one place.