So, you’ve got what it takes to make a name for yourself in educational entrepreneurship. Have you found the right platform to help you do this?
LMS or course management services allow you to create and share valuable content with students and customers. You can also make significant profits by selling these courses. There are many online LMS platforms available today, with some of the most impressive features you will find. But, with this influx, it can be pretty hard to choose which one suits you best.
I’ve had a fair share of struggles in choosing the perfect place to develop my entrepreneurial skills since I started selling courses. After becoming more confident, I moved from one platform to another until I found Kajabi. I may have already found the right one, but that won’t stop me from giving you sound advice to guide you through 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. To get a comprehensive overview of Kajabi, you may still want to check out our article below.
Kajabi: A Brief Overview Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
You may have heard the name “Kajabi” before. But for most of you who are not well aware, it is a popular online course management service that’s best known for its all-in-one nature – essentially, you have nearly every solution imaginable to help you create and sell course content within your reach.
Are you a course builder? Got it. You need a reliable website builder. It’s there. A wide range of pre-made templates and themes? Certainly. You will find a variety of great sales and marketing tools. Sure thing! Kajabi has the right tool for you, no matter how complex your content management and sales needs.
Kajabi‘s claim to be a one-stop shop is enough for established and developing edupreneurs to love. For this reason, it has received plenty of glowing reviews, though there are some valid criticisms here and there. It’s no wonder why Trustpilot has scored Kajabi an outstanding 4.6 out of 5.
Kajabi’s Top Features
Kajabi is primarily known for its simple yet intuitive interface, generous range of customization, and flexible editing capabilities. The course builder gives you all the tools you need to create a seamless educational experience for your students and you. Its website editor and free hosting let you create a completely personalized space that you can share with anyone.
And it doesn’t stop here, because Kajabi has so much more to offer – its built-in suite of marketing tools, on one hand, works as impressively as most third-party providers combined. The inclusion of sales pipelines, for instance, is noteworthy, as other LMS platforms would have required you to connect with a standalone service that has the feature. Kajabi’s support and learning resources are reliable, as you would expect.
Kajabi: The pros and cons
Kajabi has a unique business model that isn’t often found on other LMS platforms. It’s all-in-one and offers many 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 lies in revenue – Kajabi takes none of its shares, meaning you get to keep 100% of your profit from selling content.
While it’s worth noting the benefits of Kajabi’s business model, we shouldn’t fully ignore its downsides. Pricing is a major problem. Plans start at over $100 more than other services. It doesn’t help that there is no free plan. Many users aren’t happy with the absence of essential course management tools, especially certifications, on the platform. However, the cons, fortunately, don’t greatly outweigh the pros, and, despite the few inconveniences, Kajabi is still worth trying. Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
Pricing plans begin with: Kajabi Basic, as low as $119/month
Does it have a free plan? No, but it offers a 14-day free trial
Kajabi is a great choice because you don’t need third-party integrations or platforms, it offers very affordable but very valuable plans, reliable user communities, and 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
Thinkific joins Kajabi and other top online LMS platforms. It allows you to concentrate on the task at hand. You can explore a variety of course-building tools, and use it to your advantage to produce content for your students. The Thinkific App Store allows you to connect with thousands of third-party platforms and offers a wide range of industry-level tools.
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
I’ve used Thinkific to create and sell my course content for years before Kajabi. Though my needs may have outgrown what Thinkific had to offer, I could at least appreciate how it gave me enough flexibility to handle my courses during my tenure. With a free plan and a little cheaper premium one, Thinkific is seen by many as a solid Kajabi alternative for those with limited resources, particularly financial ones.
The Similarities
Thinkific is a one-stop shop that offers intuitive course management tools and a great learning experience. It is similar to Kajabi and offers a course builder, customizable website editor and a range of business tools. You can also create a community for your students.
Both platforms shine when it comes to their course option offerings. 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! My subscribers have had no difficulty using the Thinkific interface, just like Kajabi.
The Differences
Thinkific offers its users a lineup of industry-level features at a reasonably valuable price range, despite borrowing the 0% transaction fee model from Kajabi. You’ll be able to see the differences in the premium entry-level plan and the one below. Plus, while the latter does not have one at all, the former offers a functional (though quite limited) free plan.
Apart from the value pricing, other bonuses from Thinkific have to be its miles-more-accurate reporting and analytics as well as how it takes care of security measures within the service.
The Pros and Cons of Thinkific
Thinkific’s ease-of-use is something I love about it. The lack of depth in some features is another thing that I did not like. I don’t mind its built-in credential tool as much, but the lack of advanced business tools and theme options for websites was certainly a downer, though all of it has been made up for with a wider range of integrations.
Pricing plans begin with: Thinkific Start, as low as $74/month
Is there 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. At the same time, it takes care of the rest, i.e., the technical stuff. It’s established by course creators for fellow course creators, so it makes sense that the focus at hand here is concentrated on course management.
Teachable has been lauded by beginners and bona fide creators alike. It is especially popular with beginners due to its low price and 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, just like Thinkific has a fully functional built-in certification tool. Kajabi does not.
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. Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
Accessibility is a key component in course creation. Therefore, it’s important that students can access your content from any device at all times and places. This is addressed by both Teachable and Kajabi with mobile apps that can be downloaded on any device powered by Android or iOS.
The Differences
Teachable is a great course creator and manager, but it’s not as good in other areas. For example, its native marketing suite doesn’t carry the same weight as Kajabi. It’s evident that Kajabi gives its version the same attention and care as its course-building tools. Both platforms are excellent in terms of reporting and analysis. Teachable, however, is more detailed.
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Teachable’s general interface looks simpler and less complicated. Although you won’t need to put in a ton of coding effort – especially if you’re unfamiliar with the process itself – it gives you the space to maximize beyond its limits through 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 start with Teachable Basic starting at $29/month
Does it have a free plan? Yes
Reasons to choose Teachable: Extremely beginner-friendly user interface, extensive course management and analytics, simple interface that also allows for advanced-level adjustments
Teachable is more suitable for Absolute beginner edupreneurs, established business professionals, 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. Instead of offering the usual suite of course management, marketing, and analytics tools, it leans heavily on the marketing aspect. Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
ClickFunnels can be described as a digital marketing platform. It allows users to spread their content/products across the internet and expects to make a profit. 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 best recognized for its rich library of sales funnel templates, split testing, and intuitive landing page builder.
The Similarities
ClickFunnels shares a common feature with Kajabi: the sales funnel feature. Both platforms offer a wide range of templates each strategically designed to encourage a bountiful flow of profit and optimized for any objective. While their respective versions do leave an impression, ClickFunnels has comparatively more to deliver, since sales pipelines are their main strategy, after all.
The general interface of ClickFunnels is as easy to navigate 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. With Kajabi, meanwhile, you’re essentially only limited to your digital content, including 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 is guaranteed to give entrepreneurs a better conversion rate turnout, and the funnel-building and landing page creation tools are equally 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 start at: ClickFunnels Basic starting at $127/month
Is there a free plan? No, but it offers a 14-day free trial
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 is more suitable for Edupreneurs with big budgets, individuals who want to sell both digital courses and physical products Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
Kajabi vs. Kartra
Kartra is another popular choice for market-savvy entrepreneurs. It specializes in product sales, marketing campaigns and other fail-proof strategies. 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. While Kartra offers more options, they are still the most flexible and performant platform. Here’s my opinion: While there are many similarities between Kartra and Kajabi, ClickFunnels has some characteristics that are similar to each other.
The Differences
Kartra may have the upper hand over ClickFunnels as it manages to have a decent amount 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. I guess that’s what happens when you run a platform that prioritizes one thing a bit more than the rest – there may be cons, but there will certainly always be pros. Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
Kartra’s Pros and Cons
Kartra is robust in its offering of features from business to page creation, and its set of plans is worth great value as you could make the most out of its core tools no matter where you look. While Kartra may shine in its business tools, the same can’t be said with its course building. It can also be difficult to navigate, especially for beginners.
Pricing plans begin with: Kartra Starter, as low as $79/month
Is there a free plan? It doesn’t, and it also doesn’t offer any free trials.
Reasons to choose Kartra: Top-quality business tools that don’t always require code, expanded customer retention options, powerful video hosting
Kartra is better suited for individuals who want to sell digital and physical products. It’s also more appropriate for entrepreneurs with an eye for 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. Podia, along with the previously mentioned Teachable, has been seen by many course creators as a great starting point in their careers.
I can certainly attest to this as this platform helped significantly in welcoming me into the field – without Podia, I wouldn’t even know about the ins and outs of course-building, and I wouldn’t even end up using higher-end services like Kajabi to this day! 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. Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
The Similarities
Podia is poised to be a kind of LMS that’s all-in-one in nature, much like Kajabi and, to some extent, Thinkific. While the other two are renowned for their premium-level advanced tools, Podia adjusts its version to be more budget-friendly and easy to use. 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. Compare its features to Kajabi’s, and you’ll notice one is less high-end than the other.
Podia may have the right platform to help beginners grow, but not enough to further develop them into experts – it’s for this reason that I had to switch to Thinkific once I felt it was the right time. 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 Con of Podia
You can create unlimited courses with Podia. This is great for power users or if you are a beginner. All premium plans include transaction fees, and you don’t have to pay any transaction fees. Podia does offer a free plan, but there are lots of limitations that may be getting in your way. Summit Evergreen Vs Kajabi
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Pricing plans begin with: Podia Mover, as low as $33/month
Is there a free plan? Yes
Podia is a great choice because of its flexibility and ease-of-use, creator-friendly course management features and excellent affiliate marketing and drip campaign tools
Podia is best suited for DIY entrepreneurs, absolute beginners, and those who are looking to test drive course management.
Kajabi vs. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks started as a social media network. It has since grown to be a popular platform with a large following.
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. Your feed can be used to send updates, allow your members to comment, or even notify them that you are hosting a live stream. If I could describe Mighty Networks in a few words, it’d be “it works just like Facebook!”
The Similarities
Similar to Kajabi, Mighty has enough tools to let you create courses, memberships, and other kinds of content in-house. Both offer decent video hosting and live streaming, so if teaching via video is your thing, you can film them and upload them to either platform.
Both services also offer mobile apps which you or your students can download and interact with your content anytime and anywhere. This is a great advantage because they are compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Accessibility is high assured. Mighty recently added an affiliate program. However, because it is new, it may take years for it to become as robust as Kajabi. Summit Evergreen 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, meanwhile, are decent enough, but they’re not as dynamic as Mighty’s. 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’s obvious by now that Mighty Networks shines best in its community-building skills. 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. Speaking of course content, it’s also established that Mighty’s course-building is limited. To add insult to injury, this feature is only available to subscribers to higher business plans.
Pricing plans start with the Community Plan starting at $33/month
Is there a free plan? It does not offer a free plan, but you can try it for 14 days.
Reasons to choose Mighty Networks: Highly-optimized social feed for you and your members, a better-functioning mobile app, minimal course-building and 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 Summit Evergreen 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.
If you’re considering a service that I use, Kajabi, I can assume that your professional skills are developed enough to make you want to try it out if you’re planning on stepping into the edupreneur’s world. You will also likely have the finances to pay for 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.
However, if you think you’re not confident with the resources you currently have – may it be a lack of monetary funds, professional skills, or other things – and if you feel that whatever Kajabi offers may be too much for your liking, then you may not be ready. If this is the case, I am always happy to give you my other suggestions.
Mighty Networks is a great option if you are interested in connecting with your fellow members, but don’t mind the basic course tools. It’s possible to choose between Teachable and Podia if you have a tight budget. Better marketing and sales tools? You can choose between ClickFunnels and Katra. Are there affordable alternatives to Kajabi? Look no further than Thinkific and 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.