Kajabi vs Thinkific
Both are course platforms aimed at creators, coaches and educators. They differ most on value for money, built-in email and breadth of features.
At a glance
| Kajabi | Thinkific | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 84/100 Higher | 77/100 |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Paid from | $179/mo (about £135.40) monthly; $143/mo billed annually; 5 products | £46/mo (about $60.81) monthly; £34/mo billed annually; unlimited courses, 1 community |
| Positioning | all in one | course first |
| Launched | 2010 | 2012 |
| Best for | Established creators with revenue, for whom one tool replacing five is worth the price. | Creators who want courses and a community together without paying top-tier prices. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | Kajabi | Thinkific | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
| Value for money | 2/5 | 4/5 | Thinkific |
| Course hosting | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Low transaction fees | 5/5 | 4/5 | Kajabi |
| Breadth of features | 5/5 | 3/5 | Kajabi |
| Built-in email | 5/5 | 2/5 | Kajabi |
| Selling products | 5/5 | 4/5 | Kajabi |
| Community features | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. Kajabi leads on 4 dimensions, Thinkific on 1. 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 | |
| Thinkific | Basic | £46 | monthly; £34/mo billed annually; unlimited courses, 1 community |
| Start | £92 | monthly; £69/mo billed annually; adds live cohorts and memberships | |
| Grow | £186 | monthly; £139/mo billed annually; removes branding, 3 communities |
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. Thinkific: Shown to UK visitors in GBP. Annual billing saves 25%. Where the two bill in different currencies, conversions use the European Central Bank reference rate.
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.
Thinkific
- +Unlimited courses on every plan, including the entry Basic plan.
- +A private community with a feed and direct messages is included from Basic upwards.
- +Start adds live cohorts with unlimited Zoom sessions, memberships and payment plans.
- −Basic limits digital downloads to five and has no certificates, memberships or payment plans.
- −Thinkific branding is only removed on the £186 Grow plan.
Common questions
Is Kajabi cheaper than Thinkific?
Kajabi starts at $179/mo (about £135.40; monthly; $143/mo billed annually; 5 products), and Thinkific starts at £46/mo (about $60.81; monthly; £34/mo billed annually; unlimited courses, 1 community) — so Thinkific is the cheaper entry point. Converted at the European Central Bank reference rate. Compare what each includes at that tier, and what it renews at, rather than the headline figure alone.
Which is better, Kajabi or Thinkific?
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
- api.frankfurter.app — checked 24 September 2026European Central Bank reference rate, published via Frankfurter.
- kajabi.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed on the pricing page.
- thinkific.com — checked 23 September 2026No free plan listed; a free trial on every paid plan.