Updated for 2026
Teachable vs Kajabi (2026): Which One Is Worth Your Money?
A clear breakdown of pricing, features, and the trade-offs that matter before you commit.
Independent research
Best for course creators
Best for course-first
Teachable keeps it simple and cheap, focused on selling and delivering courses.
Best all-in-one
Kajabi bundles email, funnels, and community, but costs far more.
Bottom line
Pick Teachable to sell courses on a budget, Kajabi to run your whole business in one place.
Quick Verdict
Choose Teachable if…
You want a focused, affordable course platform with native mobile apps, you already have your own marketing tools, and you’re testing or growing a course-first business.
Choose Kajabi if…
You want email marketing, funnels, community, and automation built in, and your revenue justifies paying a premium to run everything in one dashboard.
Pricing comparison
Kajabi costs far more upfront, often four to five times Teachable’s entry price. But they aren’t competing for the same job. Teachable sells and delivers courses cheaply. Kajabi bundles email marketing, funnels, and community, tools you’d otherwise pay $50–150/month for separately. The fair comparison is Kajabi’s all-in bundle versus Teachable plus the separate tools you’d add.
Category
Teachable
Kajabi
Entry plan (annual)
~$29/mo
~$143/mo
Transaction fees
7.5% on Starter, 0% on higher plans
0% with Kajabi Payments
Native mobile app
Yes, every plan
Yes, higher plans
Built-in email & funnels
No, needs external tools
Yes, full suite
Built-in community
No
Yes
Best value for
Course-first creators on a budget
Established all-in-one creators
The real cost
At $2,000/month in sales, Teachable’s 7.5% Starter fee is about $150/month; at $3,000/month, it is about $225/month. Kajabi’s ~$143/month price looks expensive upfront, but includes email, funnels, and community tools you might otherwise pay $50–150/month for separately. If you stay on Teachable Starter while sales grow, the fee can erase its sticker-price advantage. If you upgrade Teachable and already have marketing tools, it can still be the cheaper course-first option.
Teachable strengths
Where Teachable Wins
Teachable wins for course-first creators who want a much lower entry price, native mobile apps on every plan, and a cleaner, faster setup for beginners while keeping their own marketing stack.
• Much lower entry price
• Native mobile apps on every plan
• Cleaner, faster course setup for beginners. The cheapest Starter plan charges a 7.5% fee per sale; upgrading removes it.
Kajabi strengths
Where Kajabi Wins
Kajabi wins when you want the marketing stack included: full email marketing, sales funnels, landing pages, built-in community, one login, and one bill.
• Full email marketing built in
• Sales funnels and landing pages included
• Built-in community, one login, and one bill
Who should NOT choose each platform
Teachable and Kajabi solve different problems, so the wrong choice is usually about buying too little or too much platform.
Don’t choose Teachable if…
• You want built-in email marketing, funnels, and community.
• You plan to stay on Starter while doing meaningful sales volume.
• You want one dashboard for the whole business instead of connecting separate tools.
Don’t choose Kajabi if…
• You only need a simple course checkout and delivery system.
• You are not ready to use email, funnels, and community features.
• The ~$143/month entry price would slow you down before the course proves demand.
FAQ
Short answers to the questions most creators ask before choosing between Teachable and Kajabi.
Is Kajabi worth the higher price?
Depends if you’ll use the built-in marketing. If you’d pay separately for email, funnels, and community, Kajabi’s bundle can be worth it.
Does either have a free plan?
No, both dropped free plans. Both offer free trials.
Which is better for mobile?
Teachable, with native apps on every plan.
Which one is easier for beginners?
Teachable is easier for beginners who mainly want to sell and deliver a course. Kajabi is more powerful, but the all-in-one marketing system adds decisions that early creators may not need yet.
Can I migrate my students later?
Yes, but plan for manual work. Course lessons and student lists can often be moved, but checkout settings, automations, community spaces, and email sequences may need rebuilding in the new platform.
Our take
Teachable is the smarter starting point if you are course-first and want to keep costs low while testing demand. Kajabi becomes the better choice when your business needs built-in marketing, funnels, and community enough to justify the premium.
Ready to compare hands-on?
Use the free trials to test the course builder, checkout flow, mobile experience, and marketing features with your real course outline.