Kajabi vs Podia
Both are course platforms aimed at creators, coaches and educators. They differ most on value for money, low transaction fees and built-in email.
At a glance
| Kajabi | Podia | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 84/100 Higher | 81/100 |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Paid from | $179/mo monthly; $143/mo billed annually; 5 products | $49/mo monthly; $42/mo billed annually; 5% transaction fee |
| Positioning | all in one | all in one |
| Launched | 2010 | 2014 |
| Best for | Established creators with revenue, for whom one tool replacing five is worth the price. | Creators selling a mix of courses, downloads and coaching who want it all in one simple storefront. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | Kajabi | Podia | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 5/5 | Podia |
| Value for money | 2/5 | 4/5 | Podia |
| Course hosting | 5/5 | 4/5 | Kajabi |
| Low transaction fees | 5/5 | 3/5 | Kajabi |
| Breadth of features | 5/5 | 4/5 | Kajabi |
| Built-in email | 5/5 | 3/5 | Kajabi |
| Selling products | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Community features | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. Kajabi leads on 4 dimensions, Podia on 2. The overall figure weights these for course platforms generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | Basic | $179 | monthly; $143/mo billed annually; 5 products |
| Growth | $249 | monthly; $199/mo billed annually; 50 products | |
| Pro | $499 | monthly; $399/mo billed annually; unlimited products | |
| Podia | Mover | $49 | monthly; $42/mo billed annually; 5% transaction fee |
| Shaker | $99 | monthly; $84/mo billed annually; no transaction fee | |
| Earthquaker | $179 | monthly; $150/mo billed annually; no transaction fee |
Pricing checked 23 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. Kajabi: Billed in USD. Annual billing saves roughly 20%. Payment-processing fees apply; Kajabi takes no revenue share. Podia: Billed in USD. Annual billing saves about 15%. 14-day free trial.
Verdict
Kajabi
- +No revenue share — Kajabi takes nothing from your sales beyond payment-processing fees.
- +Unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels on every plan.
- +Courses, communities, email, funnels and a website under one subscription, with nothing to wire together.
- −The most expensive entry point here — $179 a month, or $143 billed annually.
- −Basic caps you at five products and 2,500 contacts.
Podia
- +One subscription covers courses, digital downloads, coaching, community, events and email marketing.
- +Shaker and Earthquaker charge no transaction fees.
- +Annual billing brings the Mover plan to $42 a month.
- −Built-in email is capped low — 100 subscribers on Mover, and only 1,000 even on the top plan.
- −The entry Mover plan takes a 5% transaction fee.
Common questions
Is Kajabi cheaper than Podia?
Kajabi starts at $179/mo (monthly; $143/mo billed annually; 5 products), and Podia starts at $49/mo (monthly; $42/mo billed annually; 5% transaction fee) — so Podia is the cheaper entry point. Compare what each includes at that tier, and what it renews at, rather than the headline figure alone.
Which is better, Kajabi or Podia?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, Kajabi comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- kajabi.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- podia.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial instead.