About 25; min
Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi are the three platforms creators use to sell online courses. All three let you upload videos, create lesson structures, and accept payments. But the pricing philosophies are different: Teachable takes a cut of your sales on cheap plans. Thinkific charges flat monthly fees. Kajabi bundles email marketing and website building into the course platform.
Here’s what each one actually costs when you factor in transaction fees, email tools, and website hosting.
Quick Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Teachable | Thinkific | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $1 + 10% per sale | 1 course, unlimited students | 14-day trial only |
| Basic/Starter | $39/mo (5% transaction fee) | $36/mo (0% fee) | $69/mo (0% fee) |
| Pro | $119/mo (0% fee) | $74/mo (0% fee) | $149/mo (0% fee) |
| Business/Growth | $499/mo | $149/mo | $199/mo |
Annual billing shown. The critical detail: Teachable’s cheapest plans charge transaction fees on top of Stripe/PayPal processing fees. Thinkific and Kajabi charge 0% transaction fees on all plans.
The Transaction Fee Math
Teachable’s Free plan charges $1 + 10% per sale. Basic charges 5%. On a $100 course sale:
| Platform | Plan | Platform Fee | Stripe Fee (2.9% + $0.30) | You Keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | Free | $11 ($1 + 10%) | $3.20 | $85.80 |
| Teachable | Basic ($39/mo) | $5 (5%) | $3.20 | $91.80 |
| Teachable | Pro ($119/mo) | $0 | $3.20 | $96.80 |
| Thinkific | Basic ($36/mo) | $0 | $3.20 | $96.80 |
| Kajabi | Basic ($69/mo) | $0 | $3.20 | $96.80 |
At 50 sales/month ($5,000 revenue), Teachable’s 5% fee costs $250/month — more than upgrading to Pro ($119/month) where the fee drops to 0%. The crossover: if you sell more than $2,380/month, Teachable Pro is cheaper than Teachable Basic. Always calculate the total cost including transaction fees, not just the plan price.
Teachable
Teachable’s Strengths
- Easiest to start: Upload videos, arrange into sections, set a price — you can launch a course in under 2 hours. The simplest setup of the three
- Student experience: Clean, distraction-free course player. Students focus on content, not navigation. Mobile-responsive with a native iOS app
- Upsells and order bumps: Pro plan lets you offer additional products at checkout. “Add the workbook for $19” type offers that increase average order value by 20–30%
- Affiliate marketing: Built-in affiliate program (Pro+) lets your students and partners promote your course for a commission. No separate affiliate tool needed
Teachable’s Weaknesses
- Transaction fees on lower plans: 5–10% fees eat into your margins. You’re paying for the platform AND paying per sale
- No email marketing: Teachable doesn’t include email marketing. You need Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign separately ($15–$50+/month)
- No website builder: Teachable hosts your course but not your marketing website. You need a separate site (WordPress, Squarespace) for your sales page
- Limited community: No built-in community or forum. You’d need Circle ($39+/month) or Discord (free) for student community
Thinkific
Thinkific’s free plan is the best in the category: 1 course with unlimited students, a custom domain, and 0% transaction fees. No other platform offers this. You can launch your first course, get paying students, and validate your idea without spending a dollar.
Thinkific’s Strengths
- Best free plan: 1 course, unlimited students, custom domain, 0% fees. Launch at zero cost
- Communities (Pro): Built-in community spaces where students discuss course content, ask questions, and connect. Replaces a separate community tool ($39+/month for Circle)
- Course types: Self-paced courses, live lessons (Zoom integration), cohort-based courses, and membership sites. More flexibility than Teachable’s primarily self-paced model
- App store: Third-party apps for advanced landing pages, gamification, certificates, and analytics. Extends functionality without Thinkific building everything in-house
- No transaction fees ever: 0% on all plans including free. Thinkific makes money from subscriptions, not sales cuts
Thinkific’s Weaknesses
- No email marketing: Same gap as Teachable. You need a separate email tool for nurture sequences, launch campaigns, and student communication
- Website limitations: Basic landing pages exist but they’re not a replacement for a real marketing website. You still need a separate site for blogging, SEO, and non-course pages
- Design: Course player and landing pages are clean but less customizable than Kajabi’s themed pages
Kajabi: The All-in-One Platform
Kajabi is the most expensive but the most complete. It replaces: your course platform (Teachable/Thinkific), your email marketing tool (ConvertKit/Mailchimp), your website builder (Squarespace/WordPress), your landing page tool (Leadpages), and your podcast host (Buzzsprout). One subscription, one login, one bill.
Kajabi’s All-in-One Math
| Tool | Separate Cost | Kajabi (included) |
|---|---|---|
| Course platform | Thinkific Pro: $74/mo | Included |
| Email marketing | ConvertKit Creator: $29/mo | Included |
| Website | Squarespace: $16/mo | Included |
| Landing pages | Leadpages: $49/mo | Included |
| Community | Circle: $39/mo | Included |
| Podcast hosting | Buzzsprout: $12/mo | Included |
| Separate total | $219/mo | Kajabi Growth: $149/mo |
Kajabi Growth at $149/month replaces $219/month in separate tools — saving $840/year. The math works only if you actually use all the included features. If you only need courses and already have email/website covered, Thinkific at $36–$74 is cheaper.
Kajabi’s Strengths
- Truly all-in-one: Course hosting + email + website + landing pages + community + podcast + payments in one platform. Simplest tech stack for solo creators
- Email marketing: Built-in email with sequences, broadcasts, tags, and automation. Not as advanced as ActiveCampaign but covers 80% of what course creators need
- Funnels: Pre-built sales funnels (webinar funnel, product launch funnel, freebie funnel) with templates. Connect landing page → email sequence → sales page → checkout in minutes
- Website builder: Full website with blog, pages, and navigation. The templates are premium-looking. Your entire online presence can live on Kajabi
Kajabi’s Weaknesses
- Price: $69–$199/month is 2–5x more than course-only platforms. Only worth it if you use the bundled email, website, and funnel features
- Contact limits: Basic caps at 10,000 contacts, Growth at 25,000. High-volume email lists hit these limits. Separate email tools (Brevo, MailerLite) offer more contacts per dollar
- Product limits: Basic allows 3 products. If you launch a fourth course, you must upgrade to Growth ($149/month). Teachable and Thinkific offer unlimited courses on cheaper plans
- Vendor lock-in: Moving off Kajabi means rebuilding your website, migrating email subscribers, and moving course content separately. The all-in-one convenience creates significant switching costs
Cost Comparison: Course Creator Making $5,000/month
| Platform | Platform Cost | Transaction Fees | Email Tool | Website | Total Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Pro | $119 | $0 | ConvertKit ($29) | Squarespace ($16) | $164 |
| Thinkific Pro | $74 | $0 | ConvertKit ($29) | Squarespace ($16) | $119 |
| Kajabi Growth | $149 | $0 | Included | Included | $149 |
Thinkific Pro + separate tools is cheapest at $119/month. Kajabi at $149 costs $30 more but eliminates 3 separate accounts and logins. Teachable Pro at $164 is the most expensive — and that’s before adding a community tool.
Who Should Pick What
Pick Teachable If:
- You want the simplest course creation experience (fastest to launch)
- Upsells and order bumps at checkout matter for your business model
- Built-in affiliate marketing would help grow your course sales
- You’re already committed to separate email and website tools
Pick Thinkific If:
- You want to launch your first course at $0 risk (free plan with 0% fees)
- Built-in community spaces replace a separate community tool ($39+/month saved)
- Cohort-based and live lesson formats are part of your teaching model
- Budget matters and you want the lowest total cost for courses + community
Pick Kajabi If:
- You want one platform for everything (courses + email + website + community + funnels)
- You’d otherwise pay for 4+ separate tools that Kajabi bundles
- Sales funnels (webinar funnels, product launch sequences) are part of your marketing strategy
- You’re a solo creator who values simplicity over saving $30/month
Best free start: Thinkific Free — 1 course, unlimited students, 0% fees, custom domain. Launch and validate at $0 before investing in any platform.
Best value for growing creators: Thinkific Pro at $74/month + community included — the most features per dollar for course creators who need courses + community without the all-in-one overhead.
Best all-in-one: Kajabi Growth at $149/month — replaces $200+/month in separate tools. Worth it for solo creators who want one login for their entire business.
Best for upsells: Teachable Pro — order bumps and affiliate marketing are better than either competitor for maximizing revenue per customer.
FAQ
Which platform has the best student experience?
Teachable’s course player is the cleanest and most distraction-free. Thinkific’s is close behind with more customization options. Kajabi’s course player is good but surrounded by more website navigation that can distract students.
Can I sell courses on multiple platforms?
Yes. You can host on Thinkific and also sell on Udemy or Skillshare. However, Udemy takes 50–63% of revenue from organic sales. Most successful creators build their own audience on Teachable/Thinkific/Kajabi and avoid marketplace platforms.
Do I need a separate website with any of these?
Kajabi: No — full website built in. Thinkific: Depends — basic landing pages are included, but a proper marketing site with blog and SEO needs a separate platform. Teachable: Yes — course pages only, no marketing website included.
Which handles VAT/tax for international sales?
All three handle EU VAT calculation. Teachable and Kajabi collect and remit EU VAT on your behalf (you don’t file separately). Thinkific calculates VAT but remittance depends on your tax registration. Check current tax handling before launching international courses.
