Kajabi vs Teachable comes down to how much of your coaching business you want inside one account. Teachable is the cheaper course platform and keeps the focus on the course itself, while Kajabi costs more and brings marketing emails, funnels, a community and a coaching scheduler into the same place. Teachable Builder is $69 a month billed annually and Kajabi Basic is $143 a month billed annually, before the fees on your sales (checked October 2026).
That's the short version. Plenty of coaches land on this comparison after a Kajabi bill goes up (I wrote about the Kajabi price increase separately), so this post stays practical: what each one gives you, what you pay on every sale, and what you'd still have to add around it.
A quick word on where I'm coming from. I ran my business on Kajabi for a long stretch before I moved off it. I haven't run a business on Teachable, so for Teachable I've stuck to what its pricing page and help centre say, and I've said so where I couldn't confirm something.
The Short Answer for Coaches
Here's how I'd call it, based on what people actually pay you for.
- If you sell a course or two and already have an email tool you like, Teachable Builder is the calmer, cheaper pick. There's no transaction fee from Builder up when you use Teachable Payments.
- If you want your emails, funnels, community and courses in one account, Kajabi does more of that work for you, and you pay for it.
- If your community is a big part of what people buy, read the Teachable section carefully. Teachable has put its Community feature into maintenance mode, and it isn't available to new schools (checked October 2026).
- If you're leaving Kajabi mainly because of the price, count the add-ons before you celebrate the lower sticker.
If you've been reading Kajabi vs Teachable threads on Reddit, you've probably seen the same split I have: Teachable looks cheaper, and Kajabi looks like it does more. Both are true. The useful question is which of those extras you'd be paying for somewhere else anyway.
What You Get With Kajabi
Kajabi is a course and marketing platform. In one account you get products (courses, coaching and memberships), a website, landing pages, funnels, marketing emails, checkout and a community.
What it does well:
- Selling and marketing in one place. You can build the sales page, send the launch emails, take the payment and deliver the course without leaving Kajabi. Marketing emails, landing pages and funnels are unlimited on every plan (checked October 2026).
- A community next to the course. Basic and Growth include 1 community, and Pro includes 3.
- Coaching sessions. Kajabi's Coaching product comes with the Kajabi Scheduler, which books sessions against your Google, Outlook or Office 365 calendar. You can connect Calendly instead if you'd rather (Kajabi Help Center, checked October 2026).
What to watch:
- The price. Basic is $179 a month on monthly billing, or $143 a month billed annually. Growth is $249 a month, or $199 billed annually, and Pro is $499, or $399 billed annually (checked October 2026). If you're on Kajabi now and wondering whether that bill still makes sense, I wrote about whether Kajabi is worth it.
- The limits on Basic. Basic includes 5 products, 2,500 contacts, 1 website and 2 admin users. Growth lifts that to 50 products and 25,000 contacts.
- Payment fees. Kajabi says it doesn't take a revenue share. Kajabi Payments card fees are 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth and 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro, for US entities. If you use another payment provider instead of Kajabi Payments, Kajabi adds a fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth and 0.5% on Pro, and PayPal is excluded from that (checked October 2026).
What You Get With Teachable
Teachable keeps the focus on the course itself. You build courses, coaching products and digital downloads, and sell them from your school's site and sales pages. Memberships and bundles don't count toward your product limit, which is handy if you package courses together.
What it does well:
- A lower starting price. Starter is $39 a month, or $29 billed annually. Builder is $89 a month, or $69 billed annually, and Growth is $189 a month, or $139 billed annually. Teachable says annual billing saves 22% (checked October 2026).
- No transaction fee from Builder up. Builder, Growth and Custom have a 0% transaction fee when you use Teachable Payments. Payment processing still applies: 2.9% + 30 cents on US card sales and 3.9% + 30 cents on international card sales (checked October 2026).
- Sales tools on every plan. The plan cards list global payments and taxes, upsells and cart recovery, and iOS and Android student apps on Starter, Builder and Growth.
What it leaves to you:
- Email marketing. From Builder up you can send one-off emails to your students, and you can collect leads with a form on your pages. For scheduled emails or campaigns, Teachable's help centre suggests connecting an email platform such as Mailchimp or ConvertKit (checked October 2026). I couldn't find a built-in welcome sequence for new leads, so plan for a separate email tool.
- A community. Teachable has paused work on its Community feature. Existing communities keep working, but it's no longer available for new schools, and Teachable recommends course comments or a third-party space like Discord or Slack instead (Teachable Help Center, checked October 2026).
- Booking calls. In a Teachable coaching product you add a calendar link to a milestone, and Teachable connects natively with Calendly. Either way, the booking tool itself sits outside Teachable.
- Starter's fee. Starter carries a 7.5% transaction fee on top of processing. That's fine while you test an idea, and expensive once you're selling regularly.
Fees Side by Side, Checked October 2026
Here are the plans most coaches compare. All prices are USD, before tax, from each platform's official pricing page (checked October 2026).
| Plan | Monthly billing | Billed annually | Fee on your sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | $39 a month | $29 a month | 7.5% transaction fee, plus processing |
| Teachable Builder | $89 a month | $69 a month | 0% transaction fee with Teachable Payments, plus processing |
| Teachable Growth | $189 a month | $139 a month | 0% transaction fee with Teachable Payments, plus processing |
| Kajabi Basic | $179 a month | $143 a month | Card fees 2.9% + $0.30 with Kajabi Payments (US) |
| Kajabi Growth | $249 a month | $199 a month | Card fees 2.8% + $0.30 with Kajabi Payments (US) |
A few things the table can't show:
- On a single sale, the fees land close together. Take a $500 course bought with a US card. On Teachable Builder, processing is 2.9% + 30 cents, which comes to $14.80. On Kajabi Basic with Kajabi Payments, it's 2.9% + $0.30, also $14.80. On Teachable Starter, the 7.5% transaction fee adds $37.50 before processing. So between Builder and Kajabi Basic, the real difference is the plan price and what that price includes.
- Product counts differ. Teachable Builder allows 10 products and counts courses, coaching and digital downloads. Kajabi Basic allows 5 products.
- Your payment setup matters on Kajabi. If you keep Stripe or another provider instead of Kajabi Payments, add Kajabi's 2% fee on Basic to your sums.
If Thinkific is also on your list, the same two questions apply: what does it take from each sale, and what will you still add around it? If you're still building a wider shortlist, my guide to the Kajabi alternative that fits a coach covers the broader field.
What You Will Still Add On With Each One
This is where the plan price stops telling the whole story. Here's the same set of jobs, side by side.
| Job | Kajabi | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing to new leads | Included, marketing emails on every plan | One-off emails to students from Builder; an email tool for campaigns |
| Community | Included, 1 community on Basic and Growth | Course comments, or a separate community tool |
| Booking calls | Kajabi Scheduler in the Coaching product, or Calendly | Calendar link in a coaching milestone, with Calendly or another booking tool |
| Website and sales pages | Included, 1 website on Basic | School site and sales pages included |
So a typical line-up looks like this.
Teachable Builder at $69 a month billed annually, or $89 monthly, plus:
- the email tool you use for your newsletter and welcome sequence
- a community tool, if the group matters to your clients
- a booking tool for discovery calls, if you don't already have one
Kajabi Basic at $143 a month billed annually, or $179 monthly, plus:
- Calendly, if you'd rather keep it than switch to the Kajabi Scheduler
- more of your time in the community, if conversation is what people pay for
- the step up to Growth once you pass 2,500 contacts or 5 products
I haven't put prices on the add-ons because every coach's set is different, and I'd rather you look them up than trust my guess. Write down the tools you'd keep with each option, check each one's pricing page, and add them to the plan price. That's your real monthly number.
The quiet cost isn't on any pricing page. It's the stitching between tools: checking that every new buyer landed in the community, that your email list matches your student list, and that the links still work after a change. In most coaching businesses I've seen, the person doing that stitching is the coach.
For my business, I build on ESTAGE, a business hub where your website, community, courses and CRM sit together in one place under your brand, with Genesis as the AI builder that sets it up from a plain description. I'm an ESTAGE Founding Ambassador and earn a commission if you sign up through my links. ESTAGE is in its invitation phase, and it won't suit everyone. If you're curious, here's what ESTAGE is in plain language.
Moving From Kajabi to Teachable: What to Expect
Export before you decide anything. Get your contacts and customer list out of Kajabi, and my guide to the Kajabi export walks through what comes out and what doesn't.
On the Teachable side, plan time to rebuild each course in the curriculum editor. Bulk student import by CSV is on the Growth plan and up, so on Starter or Builder you'd add students manually (checked October 2026).
Then plan the cutover so nobody gets lost between logins. My guide to migrating from Kajabi without losing members covers the order I'd do it in, and how to tell your students where to go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Teachable cheaper than Kajabi?
On plan price, yes. Teachable Builder is $69 a month billed annually, or $89 monthly, while Kajabi Basic is $143 a month billed annually, or $179 monthly (checked October 2026). Once you add the email tool and community tool Teachable leaves to you, the gap gets smaller, so add those up before you decide.
Is Kajabi better than Teachable for coaches?
It depends on how much you want in one account. Kajabi suits coaches who want marketing emails, funnels, a community and a coaching scheduler next to their courses. Teachable suits coaches who mainly sell courses, are happy keeping a separate email tool, and want a lower monthly price.
Does Teachable charge transaction fees?
On Starter, yes: 7.5% per sale. Builder, Growth and Custom have a 0% transaction fee when you use Teachable Payments. Payment processing still applies on every plan, at 2.9% + 30 cents for US card sales and 3.9% + 30 cents for international card sales (checked October 2026).
Can I move my courses from Kajabi to Teachable?
Yes, but plan for it to be hands-on. Export your contacts and customer data from Kajabi, rebuild each course in Teachable's curriculum editor, then bring your students across. Bulk student import by CSV is on Teachable's Growth plan and up, so smaller plans mean adding students manually.
Does Teachable have email marketing and a community?
Partly. From Builder up you can send one-off emails to students and collect leads with a form, but for campaigns or scheduled emails Teachable's help centre points you to an email platform. Its Community feature is in maintenance mode and isn't available to new schools, so plan on course comments or a separate community tool (checked October 2026).
What is the best course platform after Kajabi?
There isn't one answer for every coach. If you mostly sell courses and already have an email tool, Teachable is a sensible, lower-cost step. If you'd miss Kajabi's emails, community and scheduler, count what it would cost to replace them before you move, then pick the setup you'll want to look after every week.
Join The Community
Choosing between Kajabi and Teachable is easier when you can talk it through with coaches who've weighed the same trade-offs. That's what the HubSteady Community is for: comparing setups, checking the real fees, and working out how to stop being the glue between your tools. Bring your shortlist and your questions, and we'll work through them together.
If that sounds useful, Join The Community.