So, you’ve got what it takes to make a name for yourself in educational entrepreneurship. But have you found the right platform that allows you to do so?
Course management or LMS services let you create meaningful content, share them with your students and potential customers, and make substantial profits from selling them. There are many online LMS platforms available today, with some of the most impressive features you will find. It can be difficult to decide which one is right for you with all the options available.
I’ve had a fair share of struggles in choosing the perfect place to develop my entrepreneurial skills since I started selling courses. I jumped from platform to platform until I settled down with Kajabi once I became more confident. Although I might have found the right one for me, that doesn’t mean I can’t give sound advice to help you on your journey.
I’ll be sharing with you brief rundowns on Kajabi as well as its other alternative LMS services. We will examine their unique assets, the pros and cons, how they compare, and my opinion about who gets to use them.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from Legit Marketing Reviews’ YouTube channel. Do check out our article below, however, because it has a comprehensive overview of Kajabi.
Kajabi: A Brief Overview Convertkit Vs Kajabi
Some of you may have recognized the name “Kajabi” in passing. It is an online course management platform that is popular and well-known. You can create and sell courses with almost any solution you want.
Course builder? Got it. You need a reliable website builder. It’s there. A wide range of pre-made templates and themes? Certainly. A range of excellent sales and marketing tools, including fully functional sales funnel blueprints? Yes! No matter what you need to manage and sell your content, Kajabi has the tool to help you with that.
Kajabi presenting itself as a one-stop service is enough to resonate with developing and established edupreneurs quite well. It has received many glowing reviews, although there are some valid points of criticism. It’s no wonder why Trustpilot has scored Kajabi an outstanding 4.6 out of 5.
Kajabi’s Top Features
Kajabi is best known for its intuitive interface, wide range of customization and flexible editing capabilities. Its course builder is designed to give you the tools needed to cultivate a convenient educational experience between you and your students. Its website editor and free hosting let you create a completely personalized space that you can share with anyone.
Kajabi offers so much more than this. Its built-in suites of marketing tools work as well as any third-party provider combined. It is notable that LMS platforms have sales pipelines included. Other LMS platforms require you to connect with a separate service that offers this feature. Kajabi’s support and learning resources are reliable, as you would expect.
The Pros and Cons of Using Kajabi
Kajabi follows a unique business model that’s not often used by other LMS platforms and is all-in-one in nature, and with it, there are plenty of perks. Another benefit is that you don’t have to integrate with third party apps. Nearly all course management and marketing tools can be found within Kajabi. Another is revenue. Kajabi does not take any of its shares. This means that you keep 100% of the profit from content sales.
While it’s worth noting the benefits of Kajabi’s business model, we shouldn’t fully ignore its downsides. The pricing alone is obvious as plans start at a whopping hundred dollars more than other services. The lack of a free plan doesn’t help either. Plus, many of its users don’t appreciate the lack of other essential course management tools within the platform, particularly certifications. However, the cons, fortunately, don’t greatly outweigh the pros, and, despite the few inconveniences, Kajabi is still worth trying. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
Pricing plans start at: Kajabi Basic starting at $119/month
Is there a free plan? No, but it offers a 14-day free trial
Reasons to choose Kajabi: You won’t need separate platforms or third-party integrations, very pricey yet very valuable plans, a reliable user community, amazing customer support
Kajabi is more suitable for Established professionals, newbies with enough financial resources to afford Kajabi’s features, experienced edupreneurs
Kajabi vs. Thinkific
Joining the likes of Kajabi in the lineup of leading online LMS platforms, Thinkific allows you to focus on the task at hand by exploring a diverse range of course-building tools and using it to your advantage to create content to share with your students. It’s known for its set of industry-level tools at a valuable price range, including a built-in certification tool, as well as its ability to integrate with thousands of third-party platforms through the Thinkific App Store.
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Thinkific has been my tool for creating and selling course content since before Kajabi. Although my needs might have outstripped the capabilities of Thinkific, I was able to appreciate how it allowed me to manage my courses throughout my tenure. Thinkific offers both a free and a premium plan, making it a viable Kajabi option for anyone with limited resources, especially financial.
The Similarities
Thinkific is a one-stop shop that offers intuitive course management tools and a great learning experience. Much like Kajabi, it has a course builder, a customizable website editor, an outstanding range of business tools, and an opportunity to build a community where you and your students can interact.
Both platforms excel in the area of course options. You can create online courses and/or membership sites, regardless of which platform you choose. You’d even get to whip up assessments within them injected with a ton of variety as well! As for teacher-student interactions, I’ve found that my subscribers had little to no issue at all navigating their version of the Thinkific interface just like with Kajabi.
The Differences
Thinkific provides a range of industry-level features at an affordable price, even though it borrows the Kajabi 0% transaction fee model. You’ll be able to see the differences in the premium entry-level plan and the one below. The former does not offer a free plan, but it offers a functional, though limited, one.
Other than the value pricing, Thinkific’s other bonuses include its far-more-accurate reports and analytics, as well as the way it handles security measures within the service.
The Pros and Cons of Thinkific
Thinkific’s ease-of-use is something I love about it. Another that I didn’t enjoy as much is the lack of depth some of its features have. Although I like its built-in credential system, it is not my favorite feature. However, the lack of advanced business tools or theme options for websites is a major downer. However, all of this has been compensated for by a greater range of integrations.
Pricing plans start at: Thinkific Start as low as $74/month
Does it have a free plan? Yes
Why Thinkific? A premium starter plan that offers smooth career progression, superior analytics and reporting capabilities, and a super-intuitive user interface.
Thinkific is better suited for Newbie Edupreneurs with limited marketing skills and those who want to sell courses without using complex marketing jargon.
Kajabi vs. Teachable
Teachable is another popular service that shares the same premise as Thinkific in that it lets you build a completely integrated learning experience. It also takes care of all the technical stuff. It was created by course creators for course creators. Therefore, it is natural that the main focus here is on course management.
Both beginners and professionals have praised Teachable. Beginners, particularly, stand by it due to the insanely cheap price range and extreme ease of use. Its extensive course management tools, rich content analytics, well-versed editing, customization, and editing capabilities are what keep pros returning to it. Teachable, like Thinkific, offers a fully functioning built-in certification tool, something Kajabi, unfortunately, does not have.
The Similarities
Teachable’s course building features are of the same quality as Kajabi’s. Looking both ways, you’d be satisfied with how they let you create courses, memberships, or any product with seamless versatility. While you could technically take advantage of these with any of the two, it’s clear now that Teachable has the upper hand. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
A key factor in the process of course creation is accessibility, so it’s a given that your students must be able to explore your content conveniently at any time and any place, even without the presence of a laptop/computer. Both Kajabi and Teachable address this with mobile apps that you can download on any handheld device, whether it’s powered by iOS or Android.
The Differences
Teachable is a great course creator and manager, but it’s not as good in other areas. Its native marketing suite, for example, doesn’t bear the same weight as Kajabi’s – it’s obvious that the latter gives its version the same attention as its course-building tools. Despite this, I gotta admire how well both platforms hold up in terms of reporting and analysis, though Teachable is a bit more detail-oriented.
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Teachable’s general interface looks simpler and less complicated. Even though you won’t have to code a lot, especially if it’s new to the process, Teachable gives you the freedom to go beyond its limitations with its Power Editor.
The Pros and Cons of Teachable
Teachable remains affordable and is a popular choice for both newbies as well as experienced pros. I strongly considered hopping on the train when I started my course business. Its signature course management features are robust and easy to use, as well. As for the cons, it falls short in its customization offerings and marketing tools, although it’s evident what the platform truly focuses on.
Pricing plans begin with: Teachable Basic, as low as $29/month
Does it have a free plan? Yes
Teachable is a great choice because of its user-friendly interface, advanced course management and analytics, and simple interface that allows for advanced-level adjustments.
Teachable is better suited for absolute beginner entrepreneurs, established business professionals, and budget-conscious power users
Kajabi vs. ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is a top online service used by entrepreneurs and businesses all over the world. Although this sounds great, ClickFunnels operates in a different way than Kajabi or the other LMS platforms we have covered. It offers the usual course management, marketing and analytics tools but focuses heavily on the marketing aspect. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
Simply put, ClickFunnels is primarily a digital marketing platform that allows users to have their products/content spread throughout the internet, with potential profits expected at their doorstep. It offers a variety of business features that are competitive and can be used for any purpose. It’s pretty versatile, too – not only can you use it to promote your courses, but also your physical products if you have them! ClickFunnels is most well-known for its extensive library of sales funnel templates and split testing.
The Similarities
One factor that ClickFunnels and Kajabi have in common is the sales funnel feature. Each platform offers a variety of templates that are strategically designed to promote a healthy flow of profit and optimize for specific goals. While their respective versions do leave an impression, ClickFunnels has comparatively more to deliver, since sales pipelines are their main strategy, after all.
ClickFunnels’ interface is just as intuitive as Kajabi. Both services can’t be beaten as well when it comes to marketing and sales – the checkout and payment tools, in particular, are as instinctive as you could expect. Their customer service is also top-notch.
The Differences
A landing page is just as important in digital marketing as creating automated e-mails or crafting well-designed pipelines. Both ClickFunnels and Kajabi have page-building capabilities, but, while Kajabi allows you to build a fully-functioning website, ClickFunnels limits you to only a few page options, especially the landing page.
Hiring affiliates within your member base is a guaranteed way to collect more leads and both services allow you to do just that with simple yet industry-grade tools. With ClickFunnels, you get to use this function if you have either a physical or digital product. Kajabi allows you to access your digital content and your courses.
The Pros and Cons of ClickFunnels
I may not be that knowledgeable with deep marketing/sales jargon, but some of my colleagues who are can attest that ClickFunnels excels when it comes to delivering what it’s supposed to do. ClickFunnels guarantees entrepreneurs a higher conversion rate. The funnel-building and landing pages creation tools are also outstanding. It doesn’t excel in course-building, which is why it’s not as important for developers.
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Pricing plans begin with: ClickFunnels Basic, as low as $127/month
Does it have a free plan? It does not offer a free plan, but you can try it for 14 days.
Reasons to choose ClickFunnels: Strategic focus on digital marketing, the guarantee of a bigger sales turnout, flexible integration with other apps such as LMS platforms
ClickFunnels works best for Edupreneurs who have large budgets and individuals who wish to sell digital courses as well as physical products. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
Kajabi vs. Kartra
Kartra is another popular option for market-savvy edupreneurs, as it specializes best in product selling, marketing campaigns, and other fail-proof schemes. This one here is interesting – it functions similarly to Kajabi in that it lets you build courses and memberships on the spot, yet also operates similarly to ClickFunnels when it comes to other aspects like page building, marketing tools, and the ability to sell both physical and digital products.
With an eye for increased engagement, Kartra helps you leave your subscribers begging for more through its archive of pre-made full sales campaigns or pipelines, a uniquely convenient scheduling system, and additional website widget options. You can also share your campaigns with fellow Kartra users, and even acquire a 360-degree view of where your leads are heading.
The Similarities
Kajabi and Kartra excel in offering an impressive range of business features that are industry-leading. With the sales pipelines, on one hand, you’d have the chance of success no matter where you look as both have plenty of optimized templates. On the other, you’d get to enjoy an excellent array of marketing tools, notably the automations.
Similar results can be made about their page-building capabilities. Although you may have more options to explore with Kartra, both platforms take the cake in terms of performance and flexibility. I’d just like to add my two cents here: though there are notable similarities both Kartra and Kajabi share, I also think the same applies to ClickFunnels, considering there are certain characteristics that are identical to the other.
The Differences
ClickFunnels may be losing to Kartra, which has a good number of course management tools. If you compare it to Kajabi’s version of Kartra, you might find that Kartra isn’t able to keep up with it as well. Despite this, Kartra does exceedingly well in its marketing, lead generation, and customer retention capabilities.
You might find things like countdowns and pop-ups in the widgets available on its website builder. These are all great ways to convince potential customers. This is what happens when you have a platform that puts one thing above all others. There may be some cons, but there will always be pros. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
The Pros and Cons of Kartra
Kartra’s robust offering of features, from page creation to business, is impressive. The set of plans are also very valuable as you can get the most out its core tools regardless of where you go. Although Kartra is a great tool for business, it’s not as good at course building. Plus, I heard it can be quite difficult to explore sometimes, especially for first-timers.
Pricing plans start at: Kartra Starter as low as $79/month
Is there a free plan? It doesn’t, and it also doesn’t offer any free trials.
Kartra is a top-quality business tool that doesn’t always need code, enhanced customer retention options and powerful video hosting.
Kartra is more suitable for Individuals who want to sell both digital and physical products, entrepreneurs with a keen eye for better marketing
Kajabi vs. Podia
A fan favorite and an underrated one, Podia is an LMS platform best known for its very affordable price range, extremely easy-to-explore user interface, and a list of valuable yet functional course and business features. It is similar to Kajabi but a lighter and more accessible version. Many course creators consider Podia and the Teachable a great place to start their careers.
This is something I can attest to as Podia helped me to get into the field. Without Podia, I wouldn’t have learned about course-building and wouldn’t use Kajabi or other high-end services. Course management aside, Podia takes one step ahead of the rest in communication, as it offers users the ability to directly message their customers with no fuss. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
The Similarities
Podia, a type of LMS, is expected to be all-in-one, similar to Kajabi and Thinkific. Podia’s version is more affordable and easier to use than the premium-level tools of the two other LMSs. You’ll find tons of functionality no matter where your eyes go.
Podia offers a variety of flexible and dynamic functions that cover nearly every aspect of course management. These include the course builder, player, page themes, sales funnels, and even sales funnels.
The Differences
The idea of a budget-friendly all-in-one platform may sound promising; however, since Podia is structured to be this way, you and I can guess now that it’s always bound to have limits. You’ll see that it is more affordable than Kajabi’s.
Podia may be the best platform for beginners, but it doesn’t have enough to make them experts. I switched to Thinkific when I felt it was right. Although Podia is not as sophisticated as Kajabi’s, it is still very functional and straightforward for the price. Not to mention its interface is such a breeze to explore, so much so that both beginners and pros like it!
The Pros and Cons of Podia
With Podia, you get to create as many courses as you like, plus you’ll be rewarded with unlimited storage – this comes in handy if you’re sort of a power user. You get to pay zero transaction fees as well, but keep in mind that all these are accessible in any of its premium plans. Podia does offer a free plan, but there are lots of limitations that may be getting in your way. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Pricing plans start at: Podia Mover, starting at $33/month
Does it offer a free plan? Yes
Reasons to choose Podia: Flexible and convenient ease of use, creator-friendly course management features, great affiliate marketing and drip campaign tools
Podia is more suitable for DIY entrepreneurs, absolute newbies, those looking for a test drive in course management
Kajabi vs. Mighty Networks
Originally a social media network, Mighty Networks has built a huge following, further developing into a well-rounded platform that doesn’t just give you access to the typical LMS tools but also a great range of communications features to help keep your students engaged with your content.
It places a strong emphasis upon forging connections and building community. You can also use its marketing and course-building functions. And you can share what you have made through your customizable social media feed, which you can personalize. You can also use your feed to share updates, let your members sound off in the comments, and even inform them you’re holding a live stream if you want. Mighty Networks is a similar to Facebook, I would say.
The Similarities
Like Kajabi’s Mighty, Mighty offers enough tools to allow you to create memberships and courses in-house. Both have decent video hosting and live-streaming, which means, if you’re into teaching through the video format, you could film and upload them to any either platform scot-free.
Both services offer mobile apps that you, or your students, can download to interact with your content anywhere and anytime. A good thing about this is that they’re compatible not just with iOS devices but also with Android ones, so accessibility is highly guaranteed. Mighty recently added an affiliate program. However, because it is new, it may take years for it to become as robust as Kajabi. Convertkit Vs Kajabi
The Differences
The major distinction between Mighty and Kajabi has to be what it specializes best – the former focuses more on community-building, and the other on the courses, coupled with a bunch of other things. As you can see, Mighty’s ability to build courses is not as good as it could be. They are functional but not as advanced and sophisticated as Kajabi’s.
Kajabi‘s communication tools are good enough but not as dynamic as Mighty. Although Kajabi claims to be a one-stop platform, I find it hard to believe that it can keep up with Mighty’s messaging, social feed, and comments capabilities. I am a Kajabi user, so I can attest to this!
The Pros and Cons of Mighty Networks
It is obvious that Mighty Networks excels in community-building. The platform has been recognized as an ideal place for networking. You can use it not just for course content, but for a lot of other products as well. It’s been established that Mighty’s ability to create course content is very limited. Plus, to add salt to the wound, you can only get this feature if you’re subscribed to a higher business plan.
Pricing plans begin with: The Community Plan, as low as $33/month
Does it offer a free plan? No, but it offers a 14-day free trial
Mighty Networks is a great choice: A highly-optimized social network for you and your friends, a more-functional mobile app, and minimal course-building and other marketing tools
Mighty Networks is better suited for Edupreneurs, who believe communication is the core of course management, and professionals who want to integrate it with other services.
Conclusion Convertkit Vs Kajabi
This comprehensive review has come to an end. I hope you found it helpful in making your final decision. Picking the most suitable LMS platform can be somewhat of a rough task but with enough credible resources and opinions from other users, it may be less cumbersome.
Kajabi is a service I recommend. If you are considering Kajabi as a service, it can be assumed that you have the professional skills to want to give it a try if you plan on becoming an edupreneur. I can also bet that you have enough finances to afford it. With the grand array of features and a hefty price tag, you can sense that Kajabi’s offerings may be worth the investment, despite the reservations – and you may be right about this one.
If you don’t feel confident with your current resources – whether it’s monetary funds or professional skills – and you feel that Kajabi may be too difficult for you, you might not be ready. If this is the case, I am always happy to give you my other suggestions.
If you’re into connecting with your members yet don’t mind about the barebones course tools, Mighty Networks may be your best bet. If you’re running short on budget, it’s either between Teachable or Podia. What are the best marketing and sales tools? You can choose between ClickFunnels and Katra. Affordable alternatives to Kajabi itself? Then look no further than maybe Thinkific or Podia.
It doesn’t matter what LMS you choose, but what matters is that you have the platform to help you become a better educator. Again, I am glad that I was able to help you select the right LMS for your course business career.