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. 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. 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 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. To get a comprehensive overview of Kajabi, you may still want to check out our article below.
Kajabi: A Brief Overview Kajabi Vs Down Payment
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. You will find a variety of great sales and marketing tools. Yes! No matter what you need to manage and sell your content, Kajabi has the tool to help you with that.
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 Key Features
Kajabi is primarily known for its simple yet intuitive interface, generous 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.
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. 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.
It’s important to note the many benefits of Kajabi’s business model. However, it is equally important to not overlook its drawbacks. Pricing is a major problem. Plans start at over $100 more than other services. It doesn’t help that there is no free plan. 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. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
Pricing plans begin with: Kajabi Basic, as low as $119/month
Does it have a free plan? It does not offer a free plan, but you can try it for 14 days.
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 best for established professionals, newbies who have enough financial resources to pay Kajabi’s features and 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. 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. 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. 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 shine when it comes to their course option offerings. No matter which you prefer, you have the chance to create stable online courses and/or membership pages. 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 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. 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. 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 begin with: 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 more suitable for Newbie edupreneurs with limited skills, those who wish to sell courses without any 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.
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, 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. Both ways you would be happy with the ease with which you can create memberships, courses, and other products 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. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
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 may excel in its course creation and management capabilities, but not much so in other aspects. 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 interface is simpler and more intuitive. 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 is, and remains to be, extremely affordable, making it a solid hit for newbies and budget-conscious pros alike – so much so that I was strongly considering hopping on it when I entered into the course business! The platform’s course management features, which are robust and simple to use, are also a strong point. It lacks in customization options and marketing tools. However, this is where the platform really shines.
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 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. 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. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
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 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
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 are top-notch when it comes marketing and sales. The checkout and payment tools in particular are as intuitive as you would 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.
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. ClickFunnels allows you to use this function regardless of whether you have a physical or digital product. With Kajabi, meanwhile, you’re essentially only limited to your digital content, including your courses.
ClickFunnels: The Pros and Cons
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 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
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. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
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. Kartra allows you to share your campaigns with other users and get a 360-degree view on where your leads are headed.
The Similarities
Both Kartra and Kajabi excel when it comes to offering a hefty load of industry-grade business features. You’d be able to succeed no matter where you are because both have optimized templates. On the other, you’d get to enjoy an excellent array of marketing tools, notably the automations.
Nearly the same thing can be said 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
ClickFunnels may be losing to Kartra, which has a good number of course management tools. However, if you pit it against Kajabi’s version, you may find that Kartra can’t keep it up as well as it could. Despite this, Kartra is a great marketing and lead generation tool.
If you take a look at the widget options in its website builder, you may find stuff like countdowns, pop-ups, and anything that can easily 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 Down Payment
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? 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 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.
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. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
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. Podia’s version is more affordable and easier to use than the premium-level tools of the two other LMSs. But, no matter where you look, you’ll find a ton of functionality whenever you use any of their feature offerings.
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. 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 Con of Podia
You can create unlimited courses with Podia. This is great for power users or if you are a beginner. 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. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
> > 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 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.
With a strong emphasis on forging connections and building communities, it allows you to utilize its course-building and marketing functions and share what you’ve made through its customizable social media feed that 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 has recently added an affiliate program, but since it’s new, it might take many years to be as robust as Kajabi’s. Kajabi Vs Down Payment
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. And, as you can expect, it’s clear that Mighty’s course-building capabilities are… not at their best. 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. 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. It has been deemed an ideal platform 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 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 Down Payment
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.
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. What are the best marketing and sales tools? You can choose between ClickFunnels and Katra. Affordable alternatives to Kajabi itself? 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!
