Indie Brand Builder - Dan Chadney

The Ultimate Showdown: Kajabi vs Teachable – Which Platform is Best for You?

Written by: Dan Chadney
SEO, Marketing & AI Expert

When it comes to choosing the right platform for your online education business, the decision between Kajabi vs Teachable can be a daunting one.

Both platforms offer unique features and benefits that cater to the different needs of course creators and entrepreneurs and on the surface it may be tempting to go with the cheaper option – Teachable.

However, if you are considering growing your online course into a business that offers other products or services, Kajabi should be at the top of your list.

In this Kajabi vs Teachable review, we’ll explore these two popular online course platforms to help you make an informed choice.

Online course, training with Kajabi vs Teachable

Kajabi Overview

Kajabi is the ultimate all-in-one online course platform for building your website, creating online courses, building funnels and offers, selling digital downloads, booking and selling coaching services, hosting webinars, and building membership sites.

It has a great range of highly customizable templates, so you can easily tailor everything to your brand.

Create Customizable Online Courses

Kajabi’s platform makes it easy to create engaging learning experiences for your students. Choose from a selection of adjustable layouts to include video clips, visuals, written material, and more.

Sell Digital Downloads and Build Membership Websites

Not only can you offer online courses, but Kajabi also allows you to sell digital products like ebooks and audio files through their digital download feature. Plus, their built-in membership site functionality lets you offer exclusive content on a subscription basis.

Comprehensive Marketing Tools Included

  • Email Marketing: Kajabi’s integrated email marketing system makes managing your email list a breeze.

  • Affiliate Marketing: Expand your reach by incentivizing others to promote your products and services in exchange for a commission.

  • Live Webinars: Host live webinars to engage with your audience in real-time and drive sales.

  • Events Hosting: Create, manage, and sell tickets for events of all sizes, whether online or in-person.

Teachable Overview

Teachable, a renowned online course platform, is a top choice for online educators due to its great community and powerful features.

Like Kajabi, it is mainly focused on helping you to build and sell online courses, digital products and coaching programs. And it does that very well indeed.

The great thing about Teachable is that there are lower pricing plans, so if you are starting out you don’t need to jump into any commitments while you are figuring things out.

As soon as you’re ready to scale, Teachable is there for you.

But it’s important to mention here that this is where Kajabi truly excels – it provides all the essential tools for your growth and scalability.

Course-Focused Platform with Student Management Features

Teachable’s primary focus is on course-related functions, offering built-in administrative features to manage students effectively.

You can track student progress, monitor engagement levels, and communicate directly with students via email or discussion forums.

Unlimited Online Course Creation and Enrollment Capabilities

Teachable’s unlimited online course creation feature sets it apart from other platforms. With its limitless course creation capacity, the Teachable online course platform is perfect for all levels of expertise – from novice to experienced.

Plus, Teachable’s customizable online course player and drip content scheduling keep students engaged and coming back for more.

  • Built-In Drag-and-Drop Page Builder: Teachable’s intuitive page builder makes it easy to create visually appealing landing pages for your courses.

  • Customizable Online Course Player: Tailor the look and feel of your courses with Teachable’s fully customizable online course player.

  • Drip Content Scheduling: Release lessons or modules over time with Teachable’s drip content feature to keep students engaged and prevent information overload.

Teachable is an excellent choice for creating and managing online courses.

The unlimited online course creation capabilities and user-friendly features make it a top choice for entrepreneurs in the online education space.

Community Engagement & Learning: Teachable vs Kajabi

Both Kajabi and Teachable prioritize community engagement and learning resources to help users get the most out of their platforms.

They offer multi-threading comments within their communities, allowing for more interactive discussions among students and instructors.

Both platforms provide tools like quizzes, assessments, and surveys to track student progress effectively.

Kajabi goes a step further with its dedicated community feature, promoting interaction among learners and providing valuable feedback for instructors.

Tools for Effective Learning

  • Quizzes: Both online course platforms allow you to create quizzes that test your students’ knowledge on specific topics covered in your courses. These quizzes are essential for ensuring effective learning outcomes.

  • Assessments: Assessments allow you to evaluate how well your students have understood the material presented throughout the course. You can use this information to adjust future content or identify areas where additional support may be needed.

  • Surveys: You can gather valuable insights from your audience using surveys provided by both platforms. Surveys enable you to collect data on user satisfaction levels or obtain suggestions for improving online course offerings based on learner feedback.

Learning Resources

Besides these features, both Kajabi and Teachable offer robust customer training programs. Kajabi has Kajabi University, while Teachable provides valuable resources through its blog and knowledge base.

Learning resources availability varies based on your plan. Kajabi’s basic plan offers fewer features than higher-tiered plans, and Teachable provides advanced tools with professional or business packages.

Website Functionality: Kajabi vs Teachable

When it comes to website functionality, Teachable and Kajabi are both great options for online course creators. However, they excel in different areas.

Blogging Capabilities and Checkout Page Comparisons

Kajabi has advanced blogging capabilities, making it perfect for content marketing. Meanwhile, Teachable offers better checkout pages for a seamless user experience during the purchasing process.

Sales Pipeline Builder and Funnel Design Options

Kajabi’s sales pipeline website builder is more powerful than Teachable’s, with over 15+ site templates available in their template store.

Kajabi’s Sales Funnel Builder also lets you create personalized funnel designs tailored to your audience’s needs.

Both platforms support Stripe and PayPal for handling payments, but Kajabi uses a native gateway while Teachable relies on its back office system. Both offer 0% transaction fees on plans $119/month and above.

Both platforms offer flexibility with third-party integrations to enhance the overall user experience.

Expanding Your Offerings Beyond Teaching

As your online education business grows, consider expanding beyond teaching.

Kajabi is great for offering downloadable content or membership-based services, while Teachable is a good option for selling physical merchandise.

Ultimately, the choice between Teachable and Kajabi depends on your unique goals and preferences. Before settling on a platform, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Payment Processing & Integrations: Kajabi vs Teachable

Handling payments for your online courses is a breeze with both Kajabi and Teachable.

They integrate with popular payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal to make collecting fees from students a hassle-free experience.

  • Kajabi Payment Processing: Kajabi has its own payment system, Kajabi Payments. Accept credit card payments, set up one-time or recurring payments, and offer free trials or installment plans. No need for external payment gateways.

  • Teachable Payment Processing: Teachable integrates with Stripe and PayPal for payments. Their back office handles EU VAT collection and affiliate payouts, streamlining admin tasks.

Both platforms support third-party integrations that can enhance the overall user experience of your online school.

These integrations allow you to connect various tools and services to streamline operations or expand functionality based on specific needs.

Popular Integrations:

  • Email Marketing: Both platforms integrate with popular email marketing tools like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign to help you stay connected with your students. However, there is no need for a separate email marketing platform with Kajabi, it’s already included.

  • Analytics & Tracking: Both platforms offer Google Analytics integration to enable you to track the effectiveness of your courses and make decisions based on data. Additionally, Kajabi offers native analytics features that provide insights into student engagement and course completion rates.

  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM): While Kajabi includes a built-in CRM system called People tab to manage contacts effectively, Teachable users will need to rely on third-party integrations such as HubSpot or Salesforce for similar functionality.

Note: Keep in mind that while both platforms offer various integrations, some may only be available at certain pricing tiers. Review each platform’s pricing plans carefully before making a decision based on specific integration needs.

Expanding Your Online Course Business: Kajabi vs Teachable

As your online education business grows, it’s essential to explore additional avenues for revenue generation.

This may involve expanding from solely focusing on teaching aspects into other areas such as downloadable content or membership-based services.

Depending on your desired direction, considering these alternatives can help diversify your offerings and increase income streams.

Downloadable Content as an Alternative Revenue Stream

In addition to offering courses, you can create and sell digital products like eBooks, worksheets, templates, or audio files.

These resources provide value to customers while generating passive income for you.

For example, Kajabi allows users to sell courses and digital downloads directly through their platform.

Similarly, Teachable, although more course-focused in nature, also supports selling downloadable content alongside courses.

  • eBooks: Write a comprehensive guide related to your niche that provides valuable information not covered in-depth within the course materials.

  • Audiobooks: Create an audiobook version of existing written material or develop original audio-only content tailored specifically for auditory learners.

  • Templates & Worksheets: Create customizable documents that students can use as supplementary resources during their learning journey with you.

Membership Services for Recurring Income

An alternative way of generating recurring revenue is by establishing membership sites where subscribers pay a monthly fee for access to exclusive content and community features.

Both Kajabi and Teachable offer options for creating memberships; however, Kajabi tends to be more robust and versatile.

Consider offering the following benefits within your membership program:

  • Exclusive Content: Create additional resources, such as video tutorials or articles that are only accessible to members. This content should provide added value beyond what is available in your courses or digital products.

  • Community Access: A private community where members can interact with each other and you, the expert, fosters a sense of belonging while encouraging engagement and knowledge sharing among peers.

  • Live Events & Webinars: Schedule regular live events like Q&A sessions or webinars exclusively for members. These interactive experiences create opportunities for real-time learning and networking.

Taking advantage of these alternative revenue streams not only diversifies your income but also helps position you as an authority figure within your niche.

By providing various types of content tailored to different learning styles, you cater to a broader audience while increasing overall customer satisfaction levels.

Remember that both Teachable and Kajabi offer unique features catering specifically to either course creation or marketing aspects; hence it’s crucial to weigh their pros and cons before making a final decision on which platform best suits your needs.

Selling Online Courses: Kajabi vs Teachable

Both platforms have a great suite of marketing tools to help you sell online courses, but Kajabi is a complete marketing platform with more resources, communities, and better live chat support than Teachable, which lacks some advanced marketing features found in its competitor.

Marketing Features in Kajabi

Since Kajabi is an all in one platform, it offers a wider range of marketing tools and features that can help you sell online courses and grow your online business. Some of the standout features include:

  • Email marketing campaigns with automation and segmentation options.

  • Pipeline builder for creating sales funnels and landing pages easily.

  • Affiliate program management to incentivize others to promote your courses or products.

  • Built-in blogging functionality for content creation and SEO benefits.

  • Social media integrations for seamless sharing across multiple channels.

  • Host live or pre-recorded webinars in your sale funnels.

  • Host your podcast with Kajabi.

This comprehensive suite of tools allows you to create an effective digital presence, attract new customers, nurture existing ones, and ultimately increase revenue from your online courses or other offerings.

Marketing Features in Teachable

While Teachable does offer some basic marketing functionalities like email notifications, upsells/cross-sells on checkout pages, coupon codes generation, etc., it falls short when compared to the extensive list provided by Kajabi. For instance:

  • Teachable does not have a built-in email marketing tool, requiring you to integrate with third-party tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit.

  • The platform lacks a native sales funnel builder and landing page creator, limiting your ability to create high-converting pages without external help.

  • No affiliate program is available within Teachable on free and basic plans.

While these limitations may not be deal-breakers for some users who are primarily focused on course creation and delivery aspects of their online business, they could hinder the growth potential of those looking for more advanced marketing capabilities.

Kajabi vs Teachable: Making an Informed Decision

To choose between Kajabi and Teachable for marketing, consider your current needs and future plans. If you’re starting and don’t need advanced marketing tools yet, Teachable works.

But if you foresee needing more soon or want an all-in-one solution, Kajabi is better.

To get a deeper understanding of each platform’s offerings before making your final choice, we recommend exploring their respective websites: visit Kajabi’s website and check out Teachable’s website.

Key Takeaway: 

Kajabi is the winner in terms of marketing capabilities when compared to Teachable. Kajabi offers a comprehensive suite of tools for email marketing campaigns, pipeline building, affiliate program management, built-in blogging functionality and social media integrations; while Teachable lacks advanced functionalities such as native sales funnel builder and landing page creator.

FAQs

Teachable vs Kajabi: Which is Better?

Teachable is great for course creation and student management, but Kajabi offers a complete marketing platform with extensive learning resources.
However, Kajabi is more expensive and lacks Teachable’s ease-of-use and affordability. Ultimately, the choice depends on your priorities and budget.

The Cons of Teachable

Teachable has limited advanced marketing features, no built-in community engagement tools, and fewer options for website customization.

Is Teachable Worth It?

Teachable is a great choice for beginners or those with smaller budgets who prioritize ease-of-use and affordability.
With unlimited course creation and enrollment capabilities, as well as quizzes and assessments for tracking student progress, it’s a solid platform.

Does Teachable Own Your Content?

No, Teachable does not own your content.
As a creator using their platform, you retain full ownership rights to all materials uploaded onto the site. They only require a license to host your content so they can deliver it to students enrolled in your courses. Their lower-priced plans have transaction fees on course sales.

Conclusion

Teachable vs Kajabi: Both offer unique features for online businesses.

Kajabi: All-in-one platform with courses, downloads, sales pages, memberships, email marketing, and live webinars, plus strong blogging.

Teachable: Focuses on courses, sales pages, and checkout, with good admin features.

Both provide customer training, integrate Stripe/PayPal, support expansion with downloads/memberships/merchandise.

So which is the best online course platform? The choice comes down to your intended purpose.

If you need everything to run an internet business, choose Kajabi, if you only need software to build and sell a digital product then Teachable is perfect for you.

Features Table

Features on Highest Paid PlansKajabiTeachable
Unlimited students
Unlimited courses
Email marketing software
Unlimited marketing emails
Video hosting
Membership sites
Basic quizzes
Custom domain
Own website
Course builder
Opt-in forms
Unlimited landing pages
Marketing funnels and sales pages
Live chat support
Marketing automation
Course completion certificates

About the Author

Dan Chadney

Ever felt like your business should be getting more attention online? I felt the same way until I learned how to leverage SEO and digital marketing tactics to scale my e-commerce business to 6 figures per year. My name is Dan Chadney and before starting this blog, I spent 20 years as a web designer, front-end developer and SEO marketing specialist. Check out my online business guides and learn how to make money online!

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