Kajabi is one of those platforms you keep hearing about if you’re in the online course or coaching world. People say it’s the all-in-one answer for selling knowledge—courses, memberships, email, funnels, and everything in between. I’d seen the polished landing pages. I’d watched the testimonials. But I never really had a reason to test it until I decided to turn one of my guides into a real paid course.
I wanted a platform that could host my course, automate the follow-up emails, accept payments, and maybe even let me build a quick website around it. I didn’t want to play tech support for myself. So I took the leap and signed up for the free trial to see if Kajabi could help me pull this off without hiring help or bouncing between five tools.
What I Needed Kajabi to Handle (Setup and Goals)
My course was already outlined. I had videos, lesson titles, and basic copy written. I just needed a system that could:
- Host the course and organize modules
- Collect payments and deliver access immediately
- Send a welcome email and follow-up sequence
- Let me create a branded landing page
- Let users log in easily and come back to finish
I didn’t need advanced funnels or affiliate management right away. I just wanted to build something real without breaking it every time I changed a button color.
How Kajabi Actually Performed
Right off the bat, the course builder was smooth. I uploaded my lessons, added thumbnails and descriptions, and everything looked clean without needing a designer. Kajabi made it feel like the content was being showcased, not just dumped into a page.
Creating the landing page was straightforward. The builder works in sections, and while it’s not as flexible as a custom-coded site, it gave me enough to make the page feel polished. I added a checkout block, embedded a video, and was able to hook it into Stripe without leaving the platform.
One of the best parts was how well the automation tied into everything else. When someone bought the course, Kajabi instantly triggered the welcome email, unlocked the course, and started the email sequence I had queued. It felt seamless. I didn’t have to babysit it or hope a Zapier connection didn’t fail.
The dashboard gave me a full view of sales, email opens, and course progress all in one place. I could see who watched what, how far they got, and whether they opened follow-up emails. That kind of insight made it easier to figure out what was working and what I needed to improve.
Kajabi Cons: What Slowed Me Down
While Kajabi does a lot, it doesn’t do everything with the same level of control. The page builder is good, but limited. You can’t always place things exactly where you want them. If you’re coming from tools like Webflow or Showit, this will feel like a step down in design freedom.
The pricing is also a big one. It starts high, and if you’re not selling something actively, it’s tough to justify keeping it month after month. The free trial is generous, but once that ends, the bill feels heavy if you’re not generating revenue consistently.
I also noticed that while Kajabi markets itself as all-in-one, things like email analytics and deeper segmentation are more basic compared to tools like ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign. You can do a lot, but if you’re planning advanced logic, you might hit limits faster than expected.
Kajabi Pros: What Stood Out Most
It wasn’t just one feature. It was how everything connected.
I didn’t have to create separate accounts for course hosting, email, checkout, and landing pages. I didn’t need to learn a plugin system or pay for third-party integrations. Kajabi gave me one login, one platform, and one system that actually worked together.
It also helped that the platform was built with course creators in mind. Everything from the dashboard labels to the default copy felt like it was made for someone launching knowledge—not ecommerce products or SaaS tools.
The Kajabi mobile app was also a nice bonus. Users could log in, access the course, and resume where they left off from their phone. I didn’t have to build anything extra to support that.
Kajabi Pricing 2025: What You Actually Get
Kajabi’s biggest strength is its integration, but that comes with a higher starting cost than most platforms.
At the time I used it, here were the main plans:
- Creator Plan at $99 for 3 months includes 100 products, 3 websites, 100,000 contacts, unlimited landing pages, unlimited marketing emails, affiliate programs, multiple admin users, Creator Studio, custom code editor, Kajabi AI, and 24/7 support
- Basic at $149/month includes three products, three funnels, unlimited pages, 10,000 contacts, and 1,000 active members
- Growth at $199/month increases product and funnel limits, and allows affiliate program management
- Pro at $399/month offers 100 products, full code editing, and advanced features for large-scale businesses
If you’re just testing ideas, it’s pricey. But if you’re actively launching, building a list, and selling digital products, it makes more sense. You’re paying for time saved, not just features.
Kajabi vs Other Platforms: What I Used and Researched
I’ve used Systeme.io before and have tested ConvertKit for email. I also researched Podia, Teachable, and Kartra while deciding which direction to go.
Systeme is a great entry point. It does a lot for a much lower price, and you can build basic funnels and email sequences without issue. But the course delivery doesn’t feel as polished. It gets the job done, but it’s not at the same level when it comes to branding, user experience, or automation depth.
ConvertKit is excellent for email. Their automation logic is cleaner and more advanced than Kajabi’s, especially for tagging and segmenting subscribers. But it’s not a platform you’d use to host or sell a course. You’d still need to pair it with other tools, which brings back the problem Kajabi solves.
Teachable and Podia both looked good, but from what I saw, they don’t offer as much under one roof. You can host a course and collect payments, but once you want full marketing automation or email sequences built-in, it starts to feel limited. Kajabi felt more complete.
Kartra seemed powerful, but I found the interface to be dated and less intuitive. It might work well if you’re already experienced with online systems, but it felt like more work upfront compared to Kajabi’s cleaner onboarding and layout.
Who Should Use Kajabi and Why
If you’re a course creator, coach, or digital product seller who wants everything under one login, Kajabi is built for you. You can launch, sell, deliver, and follow up without switching platforms or hiring tech support.
It’s especially useful if you value polish, want your content to feel premium, and need to move quickly without setting up a hundred integrations.
If you’re just getting started and don’t have a validated product yet, it might feel expensive. But once you’re selling or building toward a launch, the value becomes clear.
Final Thoughts on Kajabi
Kajabi made it easier to stop thinking about the tech and start thinking about my customer.
Instead of bouncing between platforms, testing integrations, or wondering whether an email would go out on time, I built something clean and working that I felt good sending people to.
It’s not the cheapest option. It’s not the most customizable platform either. But it delivers on what most creators need the most—focus, speed, and connection. If you’re serious about launching and you want one platform that can do most of the heavy lifting, Kajabi is worth taking seriously.