Kajabi vs Teachable
Kajabi costs $143 a month billed annually and takes no cut of your revenue. Teachable starts at $29 a month billed annually but charges a 7.5% transaction fee on that plan, which you escape by moving up to $69 or $139. If you are pre-revenue, Teachable. Once you are selling seriously, run the numbers, because 7.5% of real revenue is not a rounding error.
Every price and fee below was checked on 20 August 2026 against kajabi.com/pricing and teachable.com/pricing.
Head to head
| Kajabi | Teachable | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $69/mo | From $39/mo |
| Entry plan | Basic $143/mo billed annually ($179 monthly) | Starter $29/mo billed annually ($39 monthly) |
| Transaction fee | None on any plan | 7.5% on Starter; not on Builder or Growth |
| Next tier up | Growth $199/mo annually ($249 monthly) | Builder $69/mo annually ($89 monthly) |
| Products on entry plan | 5 | 5 |
| Contacts on entry plan | 2,500 | Not the limiting factor |
| Payment processing | Standard processor rates | 3.9% + 30c US cards, 3.49% + 49c US PayPal |
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days, plus a 30-day guarantee |
Where the cheaper plan stops being cheaper
Take Teachable Starter at $29 a month billed annually with its 7.5% fee, against Kajabi Basic at $143 a month billed annually with no fee. Using only those published numbers, the crossover sits at $1,520 of monthly sales. Below that Teachable Starter costs you less in total. Above it, Kajabi does.
Put real figures on it. At $5,000 a month in sales, Teachable Starter costs $29 plus $375 in transaction fees, so $404. Kajabi Basic costs $143. You are paying an extra $261 every month for the privilege of being on the cheaper plan.
Teachable's own answer is to move up. Builder at $69 a month billed annually drops the 7.5% entirely, which at $5,000 a month makes Teachable the cheaper platform again by a clear margin. So the real question is not Kajabi against Teachable. It is whether you will stay on Teachable Starter, and the honest answer for anyone with traction is no.
Payment processing is separate, and it applies to both
The 7.5% is Teachable's own cut. On top of it sit the ordinary card fees that every platform passes through. Teachable publishes them: 3.9% plus 30 cents on US card and debit sales, 3.49% plus 49 cents on US PayPal, and 4.99% plus 49 cents on international PayPal. Chargebacks are $15.
Kajabi advertises no revenue sharing and no hidden fees, which is a claim about Kajabi's cut rather than about your processor's. You still pay card fees to whoever processes the payment.
So when you model this, add processing to both sides and only the 7.5% to Teachable Starter. Most comparisons that call Teachable cheaper have quietly left that line out.
What you get for Kajabi's price
Kajabi Basic at $143 a month billed annually includes 5 products, 2,500 contacts, one website, one community and 2 admin users. Growth at $199 raises that to 50 products, 25,000 contacts and 11 admin users. Pro at $399 gives unlimited products, 100,000 contacts, 3 websites, 3 communities and 26 admin users.
The word doing the work there is contacts. Kajabi is priced like an email platform with courses attached, because that is largely what it is. If you were going to pay separately for email marketing anyway, the comparison is not $143 against $29, it is $143 against $29 plus whatever your email tool costs.
Teachable's plans count products instead: 5 on Starter, 10 on Builder, 50 on Growth. It expects you to bring your own email tool, and prices accordingly.
The trial, the guarantee and getting out
Teachable offers a 7-day free trial with a 30-day guarantee. Kajabi offers a 14-day free trial. Neither window is long enough to build and launch a real course, so treat both as a look around rather than a test.
The more useful question is what leaving costs. Both hold your course content, your student list and your checkout. Moving means rebuilding pages, re-uploading video and asking existing students to log in somewhere new. That friction is why choosing on the first month's price is a bad idea, and why the transaction fee matters so much: it is the cost you signed up for without noticing, and it grows precisely as you succeed.
Teachable does note that sellers above $12,000 a year should contact sales for special conditions, which is an admission that the published pricing stops fitting at exactly the point it starts mattering.
Which should you choose?
Choose Kajabi if…
- You are already selling and 7.5% of it would hurt
- You want courses, email, funnels and a website in one bill
- You want a community included rather than bolted on
- You would rather pay a fixed cost than a share of revenue
Choose Teachable if…
- You have not sold anything yet and want the lowest fixed cost
- You want to test an idea for a month without a large commitment
- You will move up a plan the moment revenue justifies it
- You only need course hosting and checkout, not a marketing suite
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If you have not sold anything yet, start on Teachable Starter, accept the 7.5% as the price of a low fixed cost, and set yourself a reminder to move to Builder the month you pass about $530 in sales, which is where the 7.5% starts costing more than the $40 upgrade.
If you are already selling, or you were going to pay for an email platform anyway, Kajabi Basic at $143 with no revenue share is the calmer choice, and it stops the platform bill growing every time you have a good month. The one thing not to do is stay on Teachable Starter out of habit while your revenue climbs. That is the most expensive option on this page, and it is the one most people pick by accident.
Frequently asked
Does Teachable really take 7.5%?
On the Starter plan, yes. Teachable's pricing page lists a 7.5% transaction fee on Starter. The Builder and Growth plans do not carry it. This is separate from ordinary card processing fees.
Is Kajabi worth the higher price?
It depends on your revenue and what else you pay for. Kajabi Basic is $143 a month billed annually with no revenue share, and includes email marketing with 2,500 contacts. Against Teachable Starter, it becomes cheaper in total somewhere under $1,520 a month in sales.
Which is cheaper, Kajabi or Teachable?
Teachable, until your sales grow. Teachable Starter is $29 a month billed annually against Kajabi Basic at $143, but Starter's 7.5% fee closes the gap fast. Teachable Builder at $69 removes the fee and is cheaper than Kajabi at almost any volume.
Do both charge card processing fees?
Yes. Teachable publishes 3.9% plus 30 cents on US card sales, 3.49% plus 49 cents on US PayPal and 4.99% plus 49 cents on international PayPal, with a $15 chargeback fee. Kajabi advertises no revenue share of its own, but your payment processor still charges you.
How many courses can I sell on each?
Kajabi Basic allows 5 products, Growth 50 and Pro unlimited. Teachable allows 5 products on Starter, 10 on Builder and 50 on Growth.
Can I move from one to the other later?
Yes, but it is real work. You rebuild sales pages, re-upload video and ask existing students to sign in somewhere new. That is a strong argument for picking on your expected revenue in a year rather than your costs this month.