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?
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. Today, there are hundreds of online LMS platforms out there, each with impressively convincing features that are hard to beat. It can be difficult to decide which one is right for you with all the options available.
Since I began selling courses, I have had many struggles finding the right place to learn my entrepreneurial skills. 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 will be giving you a brief overview of Kajabi and its 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 Kajabi Vs At A Glance
Some of you may have recognized the name “Kajabi” in passing. 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. Stable website builder? Got it. Are you looking for a wide selection of pre-made templates or 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. For this reason, it has received plenty of glowing reviews, though there are some valid criticisms here and there. Trustpilot gave Kajabi an exceptional 4.6 rating.
Kajabi’s Top Features
Kajabi is best known for its intuitive interface, wide 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. Meanwhile, its website editor and free hosting allow you to have a fully personalized space where you could share what you have 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. 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.
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. One of these is the minimization of needing to integrate with third-party apps, as nearly all the course management and marketing tools are found in-house. 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. 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. Kajabi’s cons aren’t as severe as its pros. However, they are still worth considering. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
Pricing plans begin with: Kajabi Basic, as low as $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 best for established professionals, newbies who have enough financial resources to pay Kajabi’s features and 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 < <
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. 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. 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! 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. If you can compare the cost of its premium entry-level plan to the other, you’ll see the difference right away. The former does not offer a free plan, but it offers a functional, though limited, one.
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 start at: Thinkific Start as low as $74/month
Is there a free plan? Yes
Reasons to choose Thinkific: Valuable premium starter plan that allows for smooth career development, better analytics and reporting capabilities, super convenient 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, another popular service, shares the same premise of Thinkific in that you can create a fully 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. 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, like Thinkific, offers a fully functioning built-in certification tool, something Kajabi, unfortunately, does not have.
The Similarities
Teachable’s course-building feature offerings have what I can describe as the same caliber as Kajabi’s version. Both ways you would be happy with the ease with which you can create memberships, courses, and other products with seamless versatility. Although you could technically use these with either of the two, it is clear that Teachable has the advantage. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
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. 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. The platform’s course management features, which are robust and simple to use, are also a strong point. 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
Is there 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 more suitable for Absolute beginner edupreneurs, established business professionals, budget-conscious power users
Kajabi vs. ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels, a leading online service for entrepreneurs and businesses around the globe, is highly recommended. While this sounds promising, it operates differently from Kajabi and the other two LMS platforms we’ve already covered so far. Instead of offering the usual suite of course management, marketing, and analytics tools, it leans heavily on the marketing aspect. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
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 has a wide variety of competitive business features that can be used for any purpose. It is versatile too. You can use it to promote both your courses and 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
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. Although both versions leave an impression, ClickFunnels offers more, as their primary strategy is to build sales pipelines.
ClickFunnels’ interface is just as intuitive as Kajabi. Both services are top-notch when it comes marketing and sales. The checkout and payment tools in particular are as intuitive as you would expect. Plus, their customer service is equally top-notch!
The Differences
In digital marketing, making an effective landing page is as important as sending automated e-mails and 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.
It is a sure way to increase your leads by hiring affiliates from your member base. Both services offer simple, yet powerful tools that will allow you to do this. 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
Although I don’t know much about sales and marketing jargon, some of my colleagues can confirm that ClickFunnels is a great tool for delivering the intended results. 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
Is there a free plan? It does not offer a free plan, but you can try it for 14 days.
ClickFunnels is a strategic focus on digital marketing. This guarantees a higher sales turnout. ClickFunnels also allows for 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. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
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 is very interesting. It functions in a similar way to Kajabi, allowing you to create courses and memberships right away. However, it also works similarly to ClickFunnels with other aspects such as page building and marketing tools. You can sell physical and digital products.
Kartra is designed to increase engagement and leave subscribers asking for more. It has a large archive of full sales pipelines or campaigns, an easy scheduling system, additional widget options, and a unique scheduling system. 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. You’d be able to succeed no matter where you are because both have optimized templates. You’d also have access to a wide range of marketing tools, including 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. 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
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 is a great marketing and lead generation tool.
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. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
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 begin with: Kartra Starter, as low as $79/month
Does it offer a free plan? No, and it doesn’t offer a free trial either
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
Podia, a fan favorite and underrated LMS platform, is well-known for its low price, easy-to-use user interface, and list of useful yet functional course and business features. It’s akin to Kajabi, but rather a lighter, entry-level version of that. 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! Podia is a leader in communication. It allows users to easily message their customers without any hassle. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
The Similarities
Podia, a type of LMS, is expected to be all-in-one, similar to Kajabi and 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. You’ll see that it is more affordable than Kajabi’s.
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. Podia may certainly not be as advanced as Kajabi, but it sure is straightforward and functional for its 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. Although Podia offers a free plan with no restrictions, there may be some limitations that could hinder your ability to use it. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
> > Click Here to Check Out Kajabi < <
Pricing plans start at: Podia Mover, starting at $33/month
Does it offer 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
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. 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 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 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. Kajabi Vs At A Glance
The Differences
Kajabi and Mighty are different in that they specialize in something else. Kajabi focuses more on community building, while Kajabi focuses on courses and a variety of other things. As you can see, Mighty’s ability to build courses is not as good as it could be. They may be functional, at least, but not as advanced as Kajabi’s.
Kajabi‘s communication tools, meanwhile, are decent enough, but they’re not as dynamic as Mighty’s. I get that Kajabi is going all-in as a one-stop platform, but, compared to Mighty’s social feed, messaging, and comments capabilities, it can’t keep up as much as it could – I can even vouch for this as a Kajabi user myself!
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. It can be used for course content as well as for many other products. 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 begin with: The Community Plan, as low as $33/month
Is there 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 more suitable for Edupreneurs who believe that communication is at the heart of course management, professionals looking to integrate it with other services
Conclusion Kajabi Vs At A Glance
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. I can also bet that you have enough finances to afford it. Kajabi’s products are well-priced and offer a lot of features. You may feel that they are worth the investment.
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. 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’m very glad to have helped you choose the right LMS to jumpstart your career in the course business!
