Kajabi creators now average $190,000 per year in income. Teachable’s 100,000+ creators have earned over $500 million collectively. Thinkific is the only major platform offering a free plan. Three platforms, three different philosophies — and choosing wrong costs you thousands in fees, migration headaches, and lost momentum.
Most comparison posts are written by affiliates pushing whichever platform pays the highest commission. This one isn’t. Here’s an honest breakdown based on where you actually are in your course business — not where you dream of being.
The 60-Second Summary
Teachable: Best checkout experience, simplest to use, cheapest paid plan ($39/month). Choose if you want to start selling fast without tech complexity.
Thinkific: Only free plan. Best for budget-conscious creators who want zero transaction fees. Choose if you’re testing the market and can’t justify $39/month yet.
Kajabi: Most expensive ($179/month) but replaces 4-5 other tools. Built-in email marketing, landing pages, funnels, and community. Choose if you’re serious about building a course business and want everything in one place.
The Real Cost Comparison
Sticker prices are misleading. Here’s what you’ll actually pay in year one including the tools each platform doesn’t include:
Teachable Basic ($39/month): $468/year for the platform. But: 7.5% transaction fee on every sale. On $30,000 in course sales, that’s $2,250 in transaction fees. Plus you need email marketing ($29-79/month elsewhere). Realistic year-one cost: $3,000-4,000.
Teachable Builder ($89/month): $1,068/year, 0% transaction fees. Same email marketing gap. Realistic year-one cost: $2,400-3,000. Better deal if selling $3,000+/month.
Thinkific Basic ($49/month): $588/year for the platform. 0% transaction fees from the start. Need separate email, landing pages, and funnels. Realistic year-one cost: $2,000-3,000.
Kajabi ($179/month): $2,148/year. But: includes email marketing, landing pages, sales funnels, community, website, and affiliate management. No additional tools needed. Realistic year-one cost: $2,148 — actually comparable to the others when you add up all the tools.
Feature Comparison That Actually Matters
Course delivery: All three are excellent. Students get login access, progress tracking, completion certificates. If your only need is hosting course content, all three do the job well.
Checkout and payments: Teachable wins. Their checkout is optimized for conversions, handles tax calculations automatically, and supports one-click upsells. Kajabi’s checkout is solid. Thinkific’s is functional but less refined.
Marketing tools: Kajabi wins by a mile. Native email marketing, sales funnels, landing pages, and automation — all built in. Teachable and Thinkific require integrating with external tools (ConvertKit, Mailchimp, etc.) which adds cost and complexity.
Community features: Kajabi and Thinkific both offer built-in community spaces. Teachable requires integration with external community platforms. In 2026, community is a major retention driver — platforms with native community features have a real advantage.
AI features: Kajabi now includes AI-powered course outline generation, email sequence writing, and sales page copy. Teachable added AI course planning tools. Thinkific offers AI-assisted quiz creation and student engagement analysis. All three platforms have embraced AI — but Kajabi’s all-in-one approach means its AI features work across courses, emails, and marketing without switching tools.
The Decision Framework
Choose Thinkific if: You’re creating your first course, budget is tight, and you want to test the market before committing financially. The free plan lets you launch with zero monthly cost. Graduate to a paid plan once you’ve validated demand.
Choose Teachable if: You have a course ready to sell, want the simplest setup, and prioritize checkout conversion. Start with Basic ($39/month), upgrade to Builder ($89/month) once you’re consistently selling $3,000+/month to eliminate transaction fees.
Choose Kajabi if: You’re building a course business (not just selling a single course), want everything under one roof, and are willing to invest upfront to save time long-term. The $190,000 average creator income suggests the platform’s all-in-one approach generates results — but correlation isn’t causation. Serious creators choose Kajabi, and serious creators earn more regardless of platform.
Who This Is NOT For
Don’t choose any platform if you haven’t validated your course idea. Platform selection is irrelevant if nobody wants your course. Validate demand first, then pick a platform.
Don’t agonize over this decision. All three platforms work. The difference between them is far smaller than the difference between a great course and a mediocre one. Pick in 30 minutes, then spend your energy on content. Read the course creation playbook for the complete launch strategy.
Your 30-Minute Decision
Minutes 1-10: Answer honestly: Is my monthly course revenue currently $0, under $3,000, or over $3,000? $0 → Thinkific free plan. Under $3,000 → Teachable Basic. Over $3,000 → Kajabi or Teachable Builder.
Minutes 11-20: Sign up for a free trial of your chosen platform. Create a test course with one module and one lesson. Upload a video or PDF. See how it feels.
Minutes 21-30: Set up a simple sales page for your course on the platform. If it feels intuitive, you’ve found your platform. If it feels frustrating, try another. The platform you’ll actually use beats the “objectively best” platform every time.
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