Comparisons

7 Best Kajabi Alternatives in 2026 (Cheaper and Leaner)

Kajabi does almost everything, starting at $179 a month. Seven alternatives compared on price, transaction fees, payouts and what you'd give up.

Ijharul Islam October 23, 2026 8 min read

Kajabi is the most complete creator platform, and priced like it: $179, $249 or $499 a month, or $143 to $399 billed yearly. Creators look for alternatives when they don't use most of what they pay for, when Basic's limits of 5 products and 2,500 contacts pinch, or when Kajabi Payments' monthly payouts for new accounts don't suit their cash flow.

Here are seven alternatives, what each costs, how each pays you, and what you'd give up by leaving Kajabi.

The short answer

The best Kajabi alternative depends on which Kajabi features you actually use. For a course school with 0% fees and payouts to your own Stripe, Klasira. For a simple all-in-one with webinars, Podia. For a mature course platform, Thinkific or Teachable. For corporate training, LearnWorlds. For a community-led business, Skool or Mighty Networks.

Key takeaways

Kajabi costs $179, $249 or $499 a month ($143, $199 or $399 yearly); affiliates start on Growth.
Most alternatives cost less at the entry level, but few match Kajabi's live video, podcasts and unlimited marketing email together.
Klasira, Podia, LearnWorlds and Payhip pay into your own Stripe or PayPal.
List the Kajabi features you use each week before you compare; that list decides the right alternative.

Disclosure: we make Klasira, one of the platforms on this list. Every other product's details come from its own public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end. We include each one's real strengths, and say who it suits better than us.

How we compared them

We picked the platforms creators most often weigh against Kajabi and checked each one's pricing and help pages in October 2026, comparing monthly price, transaction fees, payouts and whether students get an app.

At a glance

Platform	Price	Transaction fee	How you're paid	Student app
Kajabi	$179, $249 or $499 a month ($143, $199 or $399 yearly)	0% on Kajabi Payments or PayPal; 0.5% to 2% on other processors	Kajabi Payments, monthly with a 7-business-day delay for new accounts	Yes; branded app on Pro
Klasira	See Klasira's pricing; 0% transaction fees	0%	Your own Stripe account, on Stripe's schedule	No
Podia	$49, $99 or $179 a month ($42, $84 or $150 yearly)	5% on Mover; 0% above	Your own Stripe or PayPal (PayPal on Shaker and up)	No
Thinkific	$109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 yearly)	0% on Thinkific Payments; 0.5% to 2% on direct Stripe	Thinkific Payments daily (2 business days in the US), or your own Stripe	Branded app as a $199/month add-on
Teachable	$39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 yearly)	7.5% on Starter; 0% above	Teachable Payments, daily (about 2 business days after a sale)	Yes, iOS and Android
LearnWorlds	$49, $99 or $299 a month ($44, $79 or $249 yearly)	$5 per paid enrollment on Starter; none above	Your own Stripe, PayPal or Shopify	Branded app as an add-on
Skool	$9 a month (Hobby) or $99 (Pro)	10% + 30¢ on Hobby; 2.9% + 30¢ on Pro, 3.9% + 30¢ above $900 (processing included)	Weekly, through a Skool-managed Stripe Express account	Yes, iOS and Android
Mighty Networks	From $79 a month billed yearly ($950 a year)	2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan	Through your connected Stripe account	Apps on iOS and Android; branded apps on Mighty Pro

The platforms, one by one

1. Klasira

Best for: Creators who want a designed school, 0% transaction fees and every sale paid into their own Stripe account
Price: See Klasira's pricing; 0% transaction fees. Fee: 0%.

Klasira is a new course platform. You pick one of 15 designed school themes, build courses from video, text and file lessons, sell downloads, bundles, subscriptions and payment plans in your school's own currency, and get paid straight into your own Stripe account. Quizzes, assignments, certificates, drip schedules, a community, affiliates, order bumps and upsells are built in, and every student is a CRM contact for email automations.

Where it shines: 0% fees and direct payouts to your own Stripe; teaching and selling tools in one place; designed school themes.

Watch out for: New, with no mobile app, live classes, course importer or Zapier app yet, and you handle tax registration and filing yourself.

2. Podia

Best for: Creators who sell courses, downloads, coaching and webinars from one simple site
Price: $49, $99 or $179 a month ($42, $84 or $150 yearly). Fee: 5% on Mover; 0% above.

Podia is an approachable all-in-one: courses, downloads, coaching, webinars and live events, a community, email marketing, and a website with a blog. Payments go to your own Stripe or PayPal, and Podia offers free migration help.

Where it shines: Simple to use, events and webinars, a website and blog, free migration help.

Watch out for: 5% fee on Mover; affiliates and upsells only from Shaker; 100, 500 or 1,000 email subscribers included by plan, more as a paid add-on; no app.

3. Thinkific

Best for: Established course businesses that want unlimited courses and deep commerce tools
Price: $109, $219 or $499 a month ($82, $164 or $374 yearly). Fee: 0% on Thinkific Payments; 0.5% to 2% on direct Stripe.

Thinkific offers unlimited courses on every plan, quizzes, assignments, certificates, communities, Zoom sessions inside courses, and commerce tools such as order bumps, payment plans, bundles and gifting. Thinkific Payments remits US and Canadian sales tax. Plus adds SSO, SCORM and learning paths.

Where it shines: Unlimited courses, mature commerce, live sessions in courses, an enterprise tier.

Watch out for: Highest entry price here; a gateway fee if you connect your own Stripe; 0.7% extra on Thinkific Payments for subscriptions and payment plans.

4. Teachable

Best for: Creators who want student apps and tax handled for them
Price: $39, $89 or $189 a month ($29, $69 or $139 yearly). Fee: 7.5% on Starter; 0% above.

Teachable sells courses, coaching and downloads, with student apps on every plan and its own payment system that calculates, collects and remits sales tax and VAT. Certificates need the Growth plan, and affiliates and built-in email start on Builder.

Where it shines: Student apps, tax remitted on Teachable Payments, a large creator base, payment plans up to 36 months.

Watch out for: 7.5% fee on Starter; certificates only on Growth; product limits of 5, 10 or 50 by plan.

5. LearnWorlds

Best for: Training businesses that need SCORM, interactive video or white-labelling
Price: $49, $99 or $299 a month ($44, $79 or $249 yearly). Fee: $5 per paid enrollment on Starter; none above.

LearnWorlds combines a creator course platform with corporate learning features: interactive video, SCORM and HTML5 packages, learning paths, assessments, a community and, on higher plans, white-labelling, SSO and LTI. Certificates, subscriptions, payment plans and affiliates start on Pro Trainer.

Where it shines: Corporate learning depth, interactive video, a 30-day trial, 24/7 support from Pro Trainer.

Watch out for: $5 per sale on Starter; key selling tools need Pro Trainer; more complex than creators may need.

6. Skool

Best for: Community-led businesses built on discussion, live calls and gamification
Price: $9 a month (Hobby) or $99 (Pro). Fee: 10% + 30¢ on Hobby; 2.9% + 30¢ on Pro, 3.9% + 30¢ above $900 (processing included).

Skool is a community first: a feed, a classroom for courses, a calendar with video calls and livestreams, and points, levels and leaderboards. It's the merchant of record, so it handles sales tax and VAT, and its directory can send you members. We found no quizzes, certificates, coupons or payment plans in its help center.

Where it shines: Engagement through gamification, live calls, apps, discovery, no tax admin.

Watch out for: Thin course tools; 10% fee on Hobby; no website builder found; members pay in US dollars.

7. Mighty Networks

Best for: Community-first courses and cohorts
Price: From $79 a month billed yearly ($950 a year). Fee: 2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan.

Mighty Networks runs courses and events inside a community, with an AI co-host and apps. Its transaction fee falls from 2% on Launch to 0.5% on Growth, deducted from payouts in your connected Stripe account.

Where it shines: Community and cohort features, apps, events.

Watch out for: A transaction fee on every plan; community-first rather than a course school.

What will you give up by leaving Kajabi?

Check these before you switch: coaching with built-in live video, podcasts and newsletters as products, unlimited marketing emails and funnels on every plan, the Kajabi student app (and a branded app on Pro), and the AI Cofounder. Few alternatives have all of them. If you use most of them every week, Kajabi may still be worth its price.

How to choose

Mostly courses and downloads: Klasira, Podia or Teachable.
Courses at scale with commerce tools: Thinkific.
Live coaching and webinars: Podia, Thinkific (Zoom in courses) or keep Kajabi.
A community at the center: Skool or Mighty Networks.
Training for companies: LearnWorlds.

Frequently asked questions

What is cheaper than Kajabi?

Most alternatives here start lower than Kajabi's $143 a month billed yearly, including Teachable, Podia, LearnWorlds and Skool. Compare transaction fees too: a cheap plan with a fee can cost more at volume.

Is there a Kajabi alternative that pays into my own Stripe?

Yes. Klasira, Podia and LearnWorlds sell through your own Stripe account. Kajabi supports Stripe too, but charges 0.5% to 2% extra unless you use Kajabi Payments or PayPal.

What's the best Kajabi alternative for coaches?

If live video coaching matters, Podia (events and coaching) or Thinkific (Zoom in courses) come closest. Klasira has a booking page for calls but no built-in video.

Can I move from Kajabi without losing students?

Yes. Export your contacts as a CSV and import them into the new platform, then email students their new sign-in details. Funnels and emails have to be rebuilt.

Try Klasira with your own course

If you mostly use Kajabi for courses, try rebuilding one in Klasira. Pick a theme, add one course and connect Stripe, then judge it on your own material. Start your school or see pricing.

Sources

Details about other companies in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products, prices and rules change, so confirm with each source before you decide.

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