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Kajabi vs Thinkific

A side-by-side of Kajabi and Thinkific on pricing and our methodology scores, drawn from each tool's category Listings. They compete in LMS Software.

Our pick
Kajabi logo

Kajabi

from $89/mo

All-in-one platform for courses, communities, and email marketing.

Visit Kajabi

The verdict

Kajabi is the stronger overall pick. In the LMS Software ranking it scores 3.83 to Thinkific's 3.63 out of 5. That said, Thinkific wins on individual criteria below, so read the breakdown against your own priorities.

At a glance

Kajabi Thinkific
Starting price $89/mo $74/mo
Free tier No No
LMS Software score 3.83 (#1) 3.63 (#3)

Head to head: LMS Software

scored / 5
Course Authoring 25% weight
Kajabi 4.5

A polished, professional builder spanning video, text, audio, PDFs, and drip scheduling, with AI-assisted outlining; creators report launching in a single day.

Thinkific 4.5

The most consistently praised area — an easy no-code builder with strong multimedia and high intuitiveness scores, dinged only for basic certificates and quizzes.

Monetization 20% weight
Kajabi 4.5

Integrated checkout is seamless and Kajabi takes no cut of revenue, so creators keep everything beyond standard processing fees.

Thinkific 5.0

A standout: near-universal praise for straightforward selling, zero transaction fees, and payments across 100+ countries with bundles, subscriptions and affiliate support.

Community Features 15% weight
Kajabi 3.5

Expanded community — circles, live rooms, challenges, check-ins — now stands in for a separate tool, though some found it lacked a real community feel before the recent updates.

Thinkific 3.0

Genuinely improved and useful for retention, but reviewers still call the spaces basic and shallow next to community-first platforms.

Mobile & Native Apps 15% weight
Kajabi 4.0

One of the most polished student apps in the category, unifying courses, community, and coaching, but the fully branded version is reserved for the Pro tier.

Thinkific 1.5

The clear weak spot — a 1.9/5 student app with broken resume and completion buttons and crashes, plus a $199/mo branded-app add-on that leaves lower tiers without strong native access.

Integration Breadth 10% weight
Kajabi 3.0

Broad native and third-party connectivity plus an open API, undercut by recurring complaints about pulling data in from other apps and weak CRM support.

Thinkific 3.0

The common connectors are there, but email and marketing tie-ins frequently route through Zapier rather than native integrations, and there's no built-in email marketing.

Value for Money 15% weight
Kajabi 2.5

The most expensive option in the category at $179/mo minimum; it pays off only for established creators who actually use the bundled marketing and community tools.

Thinkific 3.5

A fairer deal than it used to be — 0% fees and unlimited students on every plan — but it lost its permanent free tier and now costs more to start than free-tier rivals.

Kajabi

Pros

  • Course builder is polished enough to take an idea from outline to launch in a day
  • Takes no revenue share — past standard processing fees, every dollar stays yours
  • Bundles courses, email, funnels, community, coaching, and podcasts so you stop paying for five tools
  • Student mobile app is among the most polished in the category, with a fully branded app on the Pro plan

Cons

  • Most expensive platform in the category, now $179/mo minimum after the 2026 price increase
  • Hard to pull data in from other apps, and CRM integration is a recurring complaint
  • The fully branded mobile app is locked to the top Pro tier
  • No free tier and poor value for beginners who only need course delivery

Thinkific

Pros

  • Drag-and-drop builder reviewers call "extremely easy to learn," with 84% positive marks on multimedia content
  • Zero transaction fees on every plan and checkout in 100+ countries — you keep what you sell
  • Selling is rated 96% positive, with bundles, subscriptions, payment plans and affiliate support built in
  • Unlimited students and courses on all tiers, even the entry plan

Cons

  • Branded student app sits at 1.9/5, with broken progress-resume, flaky lesson completion and crashes
  • A native branded app is a $199/mo add-on, bundled only on select Plus plans
  • Email and marketing tie-ins often need a Zapier workaround instead of a native integration
  • No permanent free plan anymore — 30-day trial only, then $74/mo billed annually

FAQ

Is Kajabi or Thinkific better?
Kajabi edges ahead in our scoring. In the LMS Software ranking Kajabi scores 3.83 and Thinkific scores 3.63 out of 5. Thinkific still wins on specific criteria, so the right pick depends on what you weight most.
Is Kajabi cheaper than Thinkific?
Thinkific has the lower entry price: Kajabi starts at $89/mo and Thinkific starts at $74/mo.
What is the difference between Kajabi and Thinkific?
Kajabi is positioned as All-in-one platform for courses, communities, and email marketing. Thinkific is positioned as Course platform with strong creator-focused authoring. They go head to head in LMS Software.
Read the full Kajabi review → Read the full Thinkific review →

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