Thinkific vs Teachable vs Kajabi: Best Course Platform for Creators
The course platform you choose determines your margins, your student experience, and how much you pay as you grow. Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi each take a different cut — and the difference between them can cost thousands of dollars per year at scale.
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The Quick Answer
Choose Thinkific if you want zero transaction fees and a clean course experience without paying Kajabi prices. Choose Teachable if you want a fast setup and are okay paying transaction fees on lower tiers. Choose Kajabi if you want an all-in-one platform — courses, email marketing, community, and funnels — and are willing to pay for it.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Thinkific: free-$199/month, 0% transaction fees on all plans, strong course builder, no native email marketing. Teachable: $0-299/month, 5% transaction fee on free plan (0% on paid), excellent sales page builder, solid analytics. Kajabi: $69-399/month, 0% transaction fees, includes email, funnels, community, podcasts, and website — everything in one.
When to Choose Thinkific
You are launching your first course and want to keep costs predictable without transaction fees. You already have email marketing through another tool like ConvertKit or Mailchimp. You want a clean, professional course experience that students will trust. You expect to grow to multiple courses over time.
When to Choose Teachable
You want the simplest possible setup — Teachable's course creation flow is the most beginner-friendly. You are running promotions and need a polished sales page without a designer. You are fine paying transaction fees in the short term while you validate your first course before upgrading to a paid plan.
When to Choose Kajabi
You are building a creator business, not just selling a course. You want email sequences, landing pages, a community, and course delivery all in one tool without stitching platforms together. You are generating consistent revenue and the $149-399/month cost is justified by eliminating 3-4 other subscriptions.
The Verdict
For first-time course creators, Thinkific's free plan with 0% fees is the lowest-risk starting point. For creators who want the fastest setup and sales page quality, Teachable. For established creators building a full business ecosystem, Kajabi's all-in-one model pays for itself. Do not pay for Kajabi until you have validated your course sells.
How to Get Started
Thinkific: sign up for the free plan, create your first course, and connect Stripe. You can launch before upgrading. Teachable: use the free plan to build your course, then upgrade to Basic ($59/month) to remove transaction fees once you have your first sales. Kajabi: start a 14-day free trial, use a pipeline template for your launch funnel, and connect your email list.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Thinkific
Launch your first course free — 0% transaction fees
Kajabi
All-in-one creator platform
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I migrate courses between platforms?
Video content can be re-uploaded, but student enrollment records, progress data, and completion certificates do not transfer cleanly. Migrating 100+ students is a manual process. Choose carefully before you have a large student base.
Does Kajabi replace ConvertKit?
Kajabi's email is capable for most creators, but ConvertKit has stronger automation tagging, deliverability, and creator-specific features. Some creators use both — Kajabi for courses, ConvertKit for email — though that adds cost.
What transaction fees does Teachable charge?
On the free plan, Teachable takes 10% plus payment processor fees. On the Basic plan ($59/month) the fee drops to 5%. On Professional ($159/month) and above, there are no transaction fees.