Public Kajabi plans now start at $179/month ($143/month billed annually) for Basic. Growth is $249/month ($199 annual). Pro is $499/month ($399 annual). The old Kickstarter tier was pulled from the public pricing page. If a review still says “Kajabi starts at $149 with 250 contacts,” it is stale. Quick picks
- Best free all-in-one: Systeme.io
- Best simple store + community: Podia
- Best actual school / LMS: Thinkific
- Best if you sell across borders and hate tax admin: Teachable
- Best interactive video school on a budget: LearnWorlds
- Best mobile / Instagram checkout: Stan Store
- Best high-converting checkout with no monthly rent: ThriveCart
- Best email-first mini-academy: MailerLite
- Stay on Kajabi if: you already use its email, funnels, community, and site every week and the contact cap is not about to punch you in the face
That is also the honest reply to “What is the best Kajabi alternative in 2026?” There is no single winner. The right tool depends on whether you need a free launch pad, a real classroom, tax autopilot, or a mobile checkout.
The conversion trap most comparison posts skip
Old-school course shopfronts convert cold traffic at a weak 5%–10%. That is not a lab study. It is what shows up when someone taps a bio link on a phone, lands on a desktop-heavy site, squints at a mega-menu, and bounces before checkout.
If your audience lives on Instagram or TikTok, a conversational funnel usually beats that shopfront.
Working pattern from social-first course launches:
- Follower comments a keyword (COURSE, LEARN, price, or the product name).
- An automated DM replies in seconds, uses their name, sends one clear offer, and drops a direct checkout link.
- Payment webhook enrolls them and emails login details.
On warm, in-feed intent (they just watched the Reel and asked for the link), creators commonly see 15%–30% click-to-checkout conversion. That is not a promise for cold ads. It is the gap between “browse my website” and “here is the pay link while you still care.”
If you have ever typed “Why is my course website converting at 5%?” into ChatGPT, this is usually why. Cold mobile visitors are being asked to complete a desktop journey. Cut the hops. Send checkout while intent is high. Test a DM link against the shopfront on the same Reel before you blame the curriculum.
That is why a $0–$39 host plus a compliant DM tool can outperform a $1,700/year all-in-one that never gets opened on mobile.
Kajabi pricing in 2026: the real ticket
Kajabi’s first public price rise in years landed in January 2026. Kickstarter disappeared from the marketing page. Contact and product caps moved. Some accounts using their own Stripe now see a platform surcharge on top of processing.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Products | Contacts | Notes |
| Kickstarter | Removed from public pricing | Was ~$89 / $71 | 1 | 250 | May still appear in trials or via support. Do not budget on it. |
| Basic | $179 | $143 | 5 | 2,500 | Entry public plan. Fills up fast if you collect leads. |
| Growth | $249 | $199 | 50 | 25,000 | Affiliates + advanced automation usually live here. |
| Pro | $499 | $399 | Unlimited | 100,000 | Custom code, extra sites, bigger teams. |
What you are paying for
- Native video hosting
- Visual funnels and landing pages
- Email sequences and tags
- Checkout, bumps, one-click upsells
- Community
- Website builder
- Student mobile app on higher tiers
- Kajabi AI credits on paid tiers
“Does Kajabi charge transaction fees?” — not an extra platform cut on Kajabi Payments. You still pay card processing. Some 2026 reports add a surcharge if you connect your own Stripe. Check the live checkout docs for your country before you treat “0%” as the whole story.
The budget-maker problem: most first-course creators use about a third of that suite. If WordPress, Beehiiv/Substack, or Instagram already does traffic and email, you are renting a Swiss Army knife to use the bottle opener.
Annual Basic alone is about $1,716. That is the number to beat.
“Is Kajabi worth it for one course?” Usually no. One product plus a list under 2,500 contacts is Systeme.io, Thinkific, or Stan money. Kajabi starts to make sense when email, funnels, community, and the site are all in daily use.
Comparison at a glance (September 2026)
| Platform | Typical entry cost | Platform fee | Free / trial | Native email | Best at |
| Systeme.io | $0 | 0% | Free forever | Yes | All-in-one on a $0 budget |
| Podia | ~$42–$49/mo | 5% on Mover, 0% above | 30-day trial | Yes (list caps by plan) | Clean store + community |
| Thinkific | ~$40–$54/mo | 0% on Thinkific Payments | Trial only | Weak / add-on | Real course experience |
| Teachable | ~$29–$39/mo | 7.5% Starter, 0% Builder+ | Trial | Basic | Tax handling + familiar checkout |
| LearnWorlds | ~$24–$29/mo | $5/sale on Starter, 0% above | Trial | Limited | Interactive video LMS |
| Stan Store | $29/mo | 0% | No free plan | Basic / Pro | Mobile bio checkout |
| ThriveCart | $495 lifetime or ~$37–$47/mo | 0% | No | No (connect Kit/MailerLite) | Checkout + upsells |
| MailerLite | $0–$12/mo | 0% | Free (small list) | Yes | Email + mini digital products |
| Kajabi | $143–$179/mo | 0% on Kajabi Payments | Paid trial | Yes | Full suite if you use all of it |
Stripe/PayPal processing (~2.9% + $0.30 in the US) sits on almost every row. “0% platform fee” never means “0% total fees.”
1. Systeme.io — cheapest Kajabi alternative
Systeme.io exists to undercut Kajabi and ClickFunnels. Courses, funnels, email, affiliates, blogs — one login.
When someone asks “Is there a free Kajabi alternative that is actually usable?” this is the tool most operators mean. Not a 14-day clock. A permanent free account.
Why it wins on price
- Permanent free plan. No card required.
- 0% platform fee on every tier.
- Automation: tag buyers, grant access, send the sequence.
- Affiliate dashboard without an add-on.
- Multi-step funnels with bumps and one-click upsells.
2026 pricing (confirm live — Startup is listed as $17 on some pages and $27 on others)
- Free ($0): ~2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, 3 funnels, 1 course, 1 custom domain, 0% platform fee. Automation and tags are tightly capped.
- Startup (~$17–$27/mo): ~5,000 contacts, more funnels/courses/domains, workflows.
- Webinar (~$47/mo): ~10,000 contacts, evergreen webinars, more courses.
- Unlimited (~$97/mo): contact/funnel/course caps come off. Migration help on this tier.
Systeme.io vs Kajabi
| Feature | Kajabi Basic | Systeme.io Free |
| Video course hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes (2,000 contacts) | |
| Funnels | Yes | Yes (3) |
| Landing pages | Yes | Yes |
| Website | Full builder | Simple / blog-style |
| Community | Stronger | Basic |
| Monthly fee | $143–$179 | $0 |
“Systeme.io vs Kajabi — which should I pick?” Pick Systeme.io to launch and keep platform margin. Pick Kajabi if you want a polished all-in-one and will pay $1,700+/year for design, support, and one vendor.
Pros: Real free tier. No platform cut. Funnels + email in one place. Fast to learn.
Cons: Templates look basic. Page designer is not Kajabi. Community is thin. Free-plan automation limits are easy to hit.
Use it when: you need to launch this month with $0 software.
2. Podia — easiest Kajabi alternative
Podia is for people who bounce off dashboards. Upload, price, publish, sell.
Where it beats Kajabi
- Almost no setup tax.
- Courses, PDFs, audio, coaching, and community on one link.
- Built-in discussions and member DMs. You may not need Circle/Skool on day one.
- Live chat on sales pages.
2026 pricing
- Permanent free plan is gone. 30-day trial.
- Mover (~$49/mo or ~$42 annual): 5% Podia fee, product/video/community caps, email included with a small subscriber cap.
- Shaker (~$99/mo or ~$84 annual): 0% Podia fee, affiliates, upsells, PayPal, Zapier, higher caps.
- Earthquaker (~$179/mo or ~$150 annual): unlimited-style caps, more seats.
Math tip: Mover’s 5% eats the savings once monthly sales pass roughly $800–$1,000. Then Shaker is usually cheaper.
Pros: Clean buyer experience. Community included. 0% fees on paid tiers above Mover.
Cons: No free plan. Weak multi-branch funnels. Design is opinionated. Email list caps are tighter than Systeme.io.
Use it when: you want one pretty store, not a marketing OS.
3. Thinkific — best for people who actually teach
Kajabi optimizes the pipeline. Thinkific optimizes the classroom.
Where it beats Kajabi
- Quizzes, assignments, question banks, grading, surveys.
- SCORM if you sell to companies or import Articulate/Captivate.
- Drip by date, enrollment day, or progress.
- App store for analytics, community extras, gamification.
2026 pricing (Thinkific raised prices ~10% from 13 August 2026)
- Permanent free plan is gone. Trial only.
- Basic: ~$54/mo or ~$40/mo annual.
- Start: ~$109/mo or ~$82/mo annual.
- Grow: ~$219/mo or ~$164/mo annual.
- Plus / Expand: custom / higher.
Platform fee is 0% on Thinkific Payments. If you insist on your own Stripe/PayPal, expect a third-party gateway surcharge (often cited as 5% Basic / 2% Start / 1% Grow). Use native payments unless you have a reason not to.
Pros: Serious LMS. Reliable playback. 0% on native checkout.
Cons: Email is not Kajabi. Complex funnels need another tool. Deep theme work can mean Liquid.
Use it when: completion, quizzes, and student experience matter more than a visual funnel builder.
“Podia vs Thinkific vs Teachable in 2026?” Podia is the simple store plus community. Thinkific is LMS depth and 0% on native pay. Teachable is tax remittance and a checkout students already recognize — skip Teachable Starter once sales are steady because of the 7.5% fee.
4. Teachable — most familiar checkout + tax autopilot
Teachable is the name students already recognize. In 2026 the old Basic/Pro names are gone. You will see Starter / Builder / Growth.
Where it is stronger than Kajabi for many sellers
- Teachable Payments calculates and remits US sales tax, VAT, and GST across a large country list. Kajabi still leaves more of that to you or a plugin.
- Coaching pathways and scheduling sit closer to the course.
- Apple Pay / Google Pay. Payment plans.
- Returning students often already have a Teachable login.
2026 pricing
- Starter: ~$39/mo or ~$29 annual, 7.5% platform fee, small product/student caps.
- Builder: ~$89/mo or ~$69 annual, 0% platform fee. This is the plan most active sellers should model.
- Growth: ~$189/mo or ~$139 annual, 0%, more products/admins.
- Processing still applies (US cards often 2.9% + $0.30).
“When does Teachable’s 7.5% Starter fee become more expensive than Builder or Thinkific Basic?” Fast. At $2,000/month in sales, Starter’s platform cut is ~$150 — already more than the annual-billing gap to Builder. Model real volume, not the sticker.
Pros: Trusted checkout. Tax remittance. Fast first sale.
Cons: Starter fee hurts low-ticket products. Email is basic. Site design is rigid.
Use it when: you sell internationally and do not want a second tax tool.
5. LearnWorlds — premium school features at a low sticker price
LearnWorlds is the underdog if videos should be a product, not a file.
Where it beats Kajabi
- Clickable buttons, in-video questions, cards, overlays — no re-export from Premiere.
- Searchable synced transcripts.
- Timed exams, random pools, branded certificates.
- Branded iOS/Android app on higher tiers (app store fees extra).
2026 pricing
- Starter: ~$29/mo or ~$24 annual, $5 per paid enrollment.
- Pro Trainer: ~$99/mo or ~$79 annual, 0% platform fee. Usually the real plan.
- Learning Center: ~$299/mo or ~$249 annual.
- Trial only. No honest free forever tier.
Upgrade off Starter once you pass ~15 paid enrollments a month. $5 × 20 sales = $100, which already wipes the “cheap” sticker.
Pros: Best interactive player in this price band. Strong assessments.
Cons: $5 Starter fee. Feature density has a learning curve. Marketing email is not the point of the product.
Use it when: you care about watch-time, quizzes inside the video, and certificates.
6. Stan Store — best for Instagram / TikTok creators
Stan treats the business as a fast mobile bio link, not a 12-page school.
Where it beats Kajabi
- Preview + checkout inside the in-app browser. Fewer hops, fewer drop-offs.
- PDFs, mini-courses, coaching slots, subscriptions on one column.
- Booking + intake + pay in one flow.
- Live store in under an hour after Stripe.
- Stan AutoDM exists if you want platform-native Instagram replies (still pair with a proper compliant automation tool if you outgrow it).
2026 pricing
- Creator: $29/mo or $300/year. 0% Stan fee.
- Creator Pro: $99/mo or $948/year. Funnels, bumps, affiliates, email flows, pixels.
- No free plan. 14-day trial is typical.
“What’s the best platform for Instagram coaches selling $97–$497 offers?” Stan or Systeme.io for the storefront. Teachable if tax compliance matters. Close in DMs, not on a nine-section homepage.
Pros: Mobile conversion. Fast launch. 0% platform cut.
Cons: Weak as a full LMS (no serious grading/certificates). Desktop layouts are simple. $99 Pro is where the “real” marketing tools sit.
Use it when: 80% of buyers arrive from Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.
7. ThriveCart — best checkout engine, lowest long-run software rent
ThriveCart is not a Kajabi clone. It is the cart and the upsell path. Basic Learn hosting is included. Email and a pretty website are not.
Where it beats Kajabi
- Lifetime Standard is still the deal people hunt for ($495 one-time is the figure most 2026 pages still quote; ThriveCart also pushed monthly plans around $37–$47 from mid-2026).
- Order bumps, countdown carts, downsells, A/B tests.
- 0% ThriveCart platform fee.
- Affiliate / tax tools live on Pro+ (often ~$295/year on top of lifetime — budget for that if you need them).
“ThriveCart vs Kajabi?” ThriveCart is the cart. Kajabi is the company operating system. Use ThriveCart if checkout and upsells are the bottleneck and email already lives in MailerLite or Kit.
Pros: Pay once (on Standard lifetime). Cart conversion tools are the product.
Cons: Not a website. Not an ESP. Upfront cash. Pro+ is no longer a cheap one-time bump.
Use it when: you already have an audience and the bottleneck is checkout, not curriculum design.
8. MailerLite — best if email is the business
MailerLite is an ESP that grew landing pages, Stripe checkouts, and light digital products.
2026 snapshot
- Plans were renamed: Comfort (old Growing Business) and Power (old Advanced).
- Free: small list (250 active subscribers is the current free ceiling on many pages; older posts still say 1,000 — ignore those).
- Comfort: from ~$12/mo at the lowest paid list tier; 5 digital products.
- Power: from ~$25/mo; unlimited digital products and automations.
- Price scales with active subscribers. Annual is ~10% off.
Pros: Deliverability. Cheap at small lists. Visual automations. Fine for an ebook or a mini-course.
Cons: Not an LMS. No real video progress, certificates, or cohort tools. Pair with Thinkific, Systeme.io, or YouTube if the product is a real school.
Use it when: the list is the asset and the course is a file plus a sequence.
Platforms this guide does not fully review (on purpose)
If community is the product, look at Skool, Circle, and Mighty Networks before you buy another LMS. If you want Kajabi-like marketing automation at mid-market prices, look at Kartra or GoHighLevel. If you want to own the stack, WordPress + LearnDash + BuddyBoss is the long-term ownership play (~$500/year in plugins, more in setup).
Those are different jobs. This list is for creators who want to stop paying Kajabi rent.
Who should still pay for Kajabi
Stay if most of these are true:
- You run email, funnels, community, and the site every week from one login.
- You will blow past Systeme.io’s free automation/contact caps in weeks.
- Your team wants one vendor, not five logins.
- You like Kajabi’s visual funnel builder enough to pay $1,700–$2,400/year for it.
Leave if you have one course, a social audience, and a list under a few thousand. You are funding unused modules.
“Kajabi raised prices — should I migrate?” Migrate if you were already ignoring half the dashboard. Stay if ripping out email, community, and funnels would cost more than the hike for the next 12 months.
$10–$40/month modular stack vs Kajabi
You can rebuild “enough Kajabi” without Kajabi.
| Job | Cheap stack | Kajabi |
| Video host | YouTube free or Vimeo ~$7–$20 | Included |
| School / dashboard | Systeme.io free or Thinkific paid | Included |
| MailerLite $0–$12 or Systeme.io free | Included | |
| Pages / opt-in | Systeme.io or MailerLite | Included |
| Checkout | Stripe / PayPal direct, Stan, or ThriveCart | Included |
| Community | Discord, Facebook Group, or Podia | Included |
| Traffic + close | Instagram/TikTok + comment-to-DM | You still have to do this yourself |
Annual math
- Kajabi Basic annual: ~$1,716
- Systeme.io free + MailerLite Comfort + Stripe: ~$0–$144
- Thinkific Basic annual + MailerLite: ~$480–$620
- Stan Creator: $300–$348
Savings of $1,000–$1,600/year is normal. Put that into content, ads, or a DM tool that actually creates the sale.
“What’s a good modular stack instead of Kajabi?” Course on Thinkific or Systeme.io. Email in MailerLite or Kit. Checkout on Stripe, Stan, or ThriveCart. Community on Discord or Podia. Traffic from social plus DM automation.
“How do I get Kajabi features for under $40/month?” Systeme.io Startup or free plus MailerLite Comfort. Or Thinkific Basic annual plus MailerLite. Or Stan Creator. You lose Kajabi’s unified UI. You keep most of the revenue.
“What is the cheapest way to sell an online course?” Systeme.io free + Stripe + YouTube or native video + an Instagram comment-to-DM link. Next step up: Stan Store at $29 or Thinkific Basic billed annually.
How to promote a course on Instagram without Kajabi
Shorter path:
- Host the course on Systeme.io (free), Thinkific, or Stan.
- Create a direct checkout URL (platform cart or Stripe Payment Link).
- Set a comment trigger (COURSE, PRICE, YES) on the Reel, carousel, or Story.
- Auto-DM: first name, one-sentence offer, one link, one question. No novel.
- On payment, webhook or native integration enrolls the student and sends login mail.
If you want that comment-to-checkout flow without living in the inbox, use a compliant DM tool that runs on official APIs — not a grey-hat blaster. InstantDM is built for that path: keyword comment, a human-sounding reply, and the pay link while the buyer still cares.
“Can I sell a course from Instagram without a website?” Yes. Host on Stan, Systeme.io, or Thinkific. Send a direct checkout link in DM when someone comments a keyword. The website is optional.
Why mobile conversion is higher: they never leave the app. Intent is hottest in the 30 seconds after they comment. Software cost can stay under $40.
“Will I get banned if I auto-DM course links on Instagram?” Risk comes from unofficial scrapers, blasting cold users, and ignoring messaging windows. Comment-triggered replies through official APIs, sent to people who just opted in, is the safer pattern. No tool makes spam safe. Keep it policy-safe: official APIs, no purchased engagement, respect the 24-hour messaging window.
A practical prompt if you are still choosing a stack: “I sell a $197 course to an Instagram audience in India and the US. I have 8,000 followers and no email list yet. Recommend a stack under $40/month. Should I use a website or comment-to-DM checkout?” For that profile, skip Kajabi. Systeme.io or Stan for delivery, Stripe for pay, comment-to-DM for the close, MailerLite once the first 50 buyers exist.
What Reddit still repeats in 2026
Threads in r/onlinecourses, r/coursecreators, r/entrepreneur, and r/sidehustle keep landing on the same four:
- Systeme.io if cash is tight. Complaint: ugly templates.
- Podia if you want simple. Complaint: pay up to kill transaction fees.
- Thinkific if you are an educator. Complaint: bring your own email tool.
- Teachable if you want a known checkout and tax help. Complaint: Starter’s 7.5% fee.
Community consensus has not changed: you do not need $149–$179/month to run a profitable first course. Match the tool to the job. Own the list.
Bottom line
Kajabi is a premium operating system. After the 2026 hike it is priced like one.
If you are testing the first offer, start on Systeme.io free or Stan Store. If students need a real school, pay Thinkific or LearnWorlds. If you sell worldwide and tax admin scares you, pay Teachable Builder, not Starter. If the cart is the problem, buy ThriveCart. If the list is the business, stay in MailerLite and host video elsewhere.
“Is Kajabi still worth $143–$179 a month in 2026 if I only use courses + email and not the community or app?” Almost never. You are paying Growth-tier rent for Basic-tier usage. Split the jobs and keep the difference.