Kajabi and Teachable are two of the leading platforms for knowledge creators, but they serve completely different business models. Kajabi is a unified, all-in-one suite designed to replace your entire marketing and course stack, while Teachable is a dedicated storefront focused on course delivery, coaching, and automated global tax handling at an accessible price.
Quick Summary
| Kajabi | Teachable | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | All-in-one business suite (courses, marketing, CRM, funnels) | Dedicated course, coaching, and download storefront |
| Starting Price (Annual) | $143/month ($179/month billed monthly) | $29/month ($39/month billed monthly) |
| Free Trial | 14-day free trial | 7-day free trial + 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Platform Transaction Fees | 0% via Kajabi Payments/PayPal (+2%/1%/0.5% surcharge on external Stripe) | 7.5% on Starter plan; 0% on Builder, Growth, and Advanced plans |
| Payment & Tax Processing | Kajabi Payments and PayPal are supported payment options. Kajabi Sales Tax can automatically calculate and collect applicable sales tax, but creators remain responsible for filing and remitting the taxes they collect. | teachable:pay (Merchant of Record with automated tax remittance) |
| Email Marketing & CRM | Advanced visual automations, drip campaigns, behavior triggers | Teachable provides built-in email and marketing tools, while creators can also connect external email platforms through its App Hub. |
| Sales Pipelines / Funnels | Native visual pipeline builder with pre-made templates | Basic sales pages and checkout upsells |
| Mobile App Access | Free student app + optional custom Branded App ($199/mo or free on Pro) | Native student iOS and Android app access |
| Our Rating | 4.6 / 5.0 | 4.3 / 5.0 |
Quick Recommendation:
Choose Kajabi if you run an established knowledge business and want to eliminate technical headaches by managing your courses, email marketing, automated sales funnels, checkout pages, and community spaces inside a single ecosystem.
Choose Teachable if you are launching your first course on a modest budget, want an easy-to-use learning portal, and want hands-off global sales tax compliance without paying for complex marketing tools you don’t need yet.
Feature Comparison
1. Course Creation & Student Experience
- Kajabi: Includes native Wistia video hosting across all products at no extra charge. Supports module dripping, quizzes, homework assignments, and dedicated community spaces. Customizable course players and themes let you white-label the learning interface.
- Teachable: Provides a clean, distraction-free student portal focused on course delivery, coaching, and digital products. It supports quizzes, downloadable resources, coaching, and completion certificates on all current plans.
2. Marketing Tools & Funnels
- Kajabi: Includes Pipelines, a visual sales funnel builder that connects lead magnets, automated email sequences, opt-in pages, and offer checkouts. Conditional automations (“if this, then that”) trigger messages based on purchases, student progress, or custom tags.
- Teachable: Offers clean, customizable sales page templates and checkout upsells. Email broadcasts unlock on the Builder plan ($69/month), but the platform lacks visual funnel builders, advanced CRM triggers, or complex behavioral automations.
3. E-Commerce & Tax Management
- Kajabi: Charges 0% platform commission when using Kajabi Payments or PayPal. External payment providers can incur a plan-based surcharge. Kajabi Sales Tax can calculate and collect applicable sales tax, while the creator remains responsible for filing and remitting collected taxes.
- Teachable: Uses
teachable:payas a Merchant of Record, automatically calculating, collecting, and remitting U.S. state sales tax and EU/UK VAT. The Starter plan carries a 7.5% platform transaction fee, while Builder and higher tiers charge 0%. Standard card processing fees apply across all plans.
4. Mobile Apps & Communities
- Kajabi: Includes native mobile app access on iOS and Android where students can stream video content and participate in community spaces. Pro plan members get a custom white-labeled Branded Mobile App included at no extra charge (available as a $199/month add-on for Basic/Growth).
- Teachable: Provides a standard native student mobile app for streaming courses and accessing resources on iOS and Android devices.
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Pricing Comparison
Kajabi Pricing Plans
- Basic Plan: $143/month billed annually ($179/mo monthly) — 5 products, 2,500 contacts, 1,000 active members, 1 website, 1 community, 2 admin users.
- Growth Plan: $199/month billed annually ($249/mo monthly) — 50 products, 25,000 contacts, 10,000 active members, 1 website, 1 community, 11 admin users, affiliate management, advanced automations.
- Pro Plan: $399/month billed annually ($499/mo monthly) — unlimited products, 100,000 contacts, 20,000 active members, 3 websites, 3 communities, 26 admin users, Custom Code Editor, and custom Branded Mobile App included.
Teachable Pricing Plans
- Starter Plan: $29/month billed annually ($39/mo monthly) — 5 products, 100 active students, 1 admin seat, 7.5% platform transaction fee.
- Builder Plan: $69/month billed annually ($89/mo monthly) — 10 products, 1,000 active students, 1 admin seat, 0% platform fee, email marketing, affiliate program.
- Growth Plan: $139/month billed annually ($189/mo monthly) — 50 products, 5,000 active students, 5 admin seats, 0% platform fee, custom user roles, branding removal, affiliate program, and other advanced business features. Certificates are available on all current plans.
- Advanced Plan: $309/month billed annually ($399/mo monthly) — 100 products, up to 10,000 active students, advanced reporting, custom permissions.
Break-Even Analysis
- Low Sales Volume ($0–$500/mo): Teachable’s Starter plan ($29/mo + 7.5% fee) is substantially cheaper than Kajabi ($143/mo), making it an ideal option for testing an initial course concept.
- Medium Sales Volume ($1,000–$5,000/mo): Upgrading to Teachable Builder ($69/mo) removes the 7.5% fee ($533/mo break-even point). However, if you also pay for third-party email tools ($50/mo) and funnel builders ($97/mo), your combined stack reaches $216/month—making Kajabi Growth ($199/mo) a more cost-effective, unified suite.
Which Should you Choose?
Choose Kajabi if:
- You want an all-in-one platform that replaces your CRM, email autoresponder, landing page software, and checkout system.
- You sell high-ticket courses, group coaching programs, masterminds, or recurring memberships.
- You rely on automated sales pipelines, upsells, and behavioral email triggers to convert leads into buyers.
- Read our complete Kajabi Review for a deep-dive analysis.
Choose Teachable if:
- You are launching your first online course or coaching program on a tight budget.
- You want hands-off sales tax compliance without managing global VAT or U.S. state tax remittances yourself.
- You already use a standalone email marketing tool (like ConvertKit or Mailchimp) and prefer to keep it.
- Read our complete Teachable Review for a deep-dive analysis.
Final Verdict
Kajabi and Teachable excel in different business environments. If you want a complete business engine with built-in sales funnels, advanced email marketing, and unified customer management under one login, Kajabi justifies its higher price tag by replacing multiple standalone software subscriptions.
If your primary goal is to get a course online quickly with minimal monthly overhead—and you want automated global tax remittance—Teachable provides an accessible, straightforward storefront that scales as your sales grow.
