Thinkific vs Teachable vs Kajabi

Thinkific is a cloud-based platform designed to empower course creators with flexible tools for building, marketing, and selling online courses, memberships, and communities. Trusted by over 70,000 creators, Thinkific emphasizes ease of use and customization, making it ideal for both beginners and established businesses. Its focus on professional course creation and audience engagement has positioned it as a go-to choice for those who want to scale their online learning ventures without technical expertise.

Teachable is another heavyweight in the online course space, known for its simplicity and user-friendly interface. Since its inception, Teachable has evolved into a powerful platform that supports courses, coaching, and digital downloads. It’s particularly popular among solopreneurs and creators who want to launch quickly and monetize their expertise with minimal setup. Teachable’s strength lies in its streamlined course creation process and robust checkout system.

Kajabi markets itself as an all-in-one platform, combining course creation with advanced marketing, website building, and community tools. It’s designed for creators who want a seamless, integrated experience to manage their entire online business. Kajabi’s higher price point reflects its extensive feature set, including sales funnels, email marketing, and analytics, making it a favorite among entrepreneurs focused on high-ticket offerings and community-driven businesses.

Key Comparison Criteria

To evaluate Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi, we’ll focus on the following areas: course creation tools, marketing and sales features, user experience, pricing, integrations, customization, and support. These factors are critical for course creators aiming to deliver engaging content, attract students, and grow their businesses.

1. Course Creation Tools

Thinkific
Thinkific offers a drag-and-drop course builder that supports multimedia content, including videos, PDFs, quizzes, and live lessons via Zoom integration. Its flexibility allows creators to design courses with unlimited content bandwidth, drip-feed lessons, and issue completion certificates. Thinkific’s AI-powered tools, like the Course Outline Generator and Quiz Generator, simplify content creation, making it a standout for educators who want to save time. Additionally, Thinkific supports memberships and communities, enabling creators to offer bundled learning experiences.

Teachable
Teachable’s course creation process is intuitive, with a step-by-step builder that guides users through uploading content and structuring lessons. It supports videos, text, quizzes, and digital downloads, with features like drip content and course compliance to enhance student engagement. Teachable’s course builder is less flexible than Thinkific’s but excels in simplicity, making it ideal for creators who prioritize speed over advanced customization. Teachable also offers coaching tools, allowing creators to sell one-on-one sessions alongside courses.

Kajabi
Kajabi’s course creation capabilities are robust, with templates like mini-courses, drip courses, and memberships to streamline setup. Creators can organize content into categories and subcategories, offering a polished syllabus-style experience for students. Kajabi supports multimedia lessons and includes a Creator Studio for repurposing content across platforms. Its community and coaching tools are more integrated than those of Thinkific or Teachable, making it a strong choice for creators who want to blend courses with interactive group experiences.

Verdict: Thinkific leads for flexibility and AI-driven tools, Teachable is best for quick setup, and Kajabi excels in integrated course and community offerings.

2. Marketing and Sales Features

Thinkific
Thinkific provides solid marketing tools, including customizable landing pages, email automation, and upsell options. Its App Store offers over 90 integrations with tools like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Shopify, allowing creators to build sophisticated marketing stacks. Thinkific’s analytics dashboard provides revenue insights and student engagement metrics, helping creators optimize their strategies. However, its native marketing features are less comprehensive than Kajabi’s, often requiring third-party integrations for advanced funnels.

Teachable
Teachable focuses on sales with a highly optimized checkout system that supports tax calculations, VAT handling, and multiple payment gateways, including PayPal and Stripe. Its affiliate program is more advanced than Thinkific’s, with automated payouts to incentivize partners. However, Teachable’s marketing tools are limited—there’s no built-in email marketing or funnel builder, so creators often need external platforms like ConvertKit. This simplicity suits beginners but can feel restrictive for scaling businesses.

Kajabi
Kajabi shines in marketing, offering a full suite of tools like sales funnels (called “pipelines”), email marketing with segmentation, and broadcast emails. Its Creator Studio helps repurpose content for social media, boosting reach. Kajabi’s analytics track conversions and student progress, providing actionable insights. Unlike Thinkific and Teachable, Kajabi doesn’t rely heavily on integrations, as most marketing features are built-in, saving creators time and subscription costs. This makes it ideal for those who want an all-in-one solution.

Verdict: Kajabi dominates for integrated marketing, Thinkific offers flexibility with integrations, and Teachable excels in checkout optimization but lags in native marketing tools.

3. User Experience (Creator and Student)

Thinkific
For creators, Thinkific’s interface is clean and intuitive, with a drag-and-drop builder and a well-organized dashboard. Students enjoy a professional, distraction-free learning environment with clear progress tracking and mobile-friendly access. Thinkific’s community features, while not as robust as Kajabi’s, enhance engagement through discussion boards and live lessons. Its mobile app allows students to learn on the go, though customization is limited compared to Kajabi.

Teachable
Teachable’s creator interface is straightforward, with a sidebar menu that simplifies navigation. Its student experience is functional but basic, with a no-frills design that prioritizes content delivery. Features like course reviews and completion tracking keep students engaged, but the platform lacks the polish of Kajabi or Thinkific’s community tools. Teachable’s mobile app is available but less feature-rich than competitors.

Kajabi
Kajabi offers a sleek creator dashboard with extensive customization options, though its feature depth can feel overwhelming for beginners. Students benefit from a premium experience, with intuitive navigation, progress indicators, and community features like discussion boards and live events. Kajabi’s mobile app is highly rated, offering seamless access to courses and communities, which gives it an edge over Thinkific and Teachable for mobile learners.

Verdict: Kajabi provides the most polished experience for both creators and students, Thinkific balances ease and functionality, and Teachable prioritizes simplicity but lacks refinement.

4. Pricing

Thinkific

Free Plan: $0/month, limited to one course and community space, with basic features.
Basic: $49/month, unlimited courses, 1 community space, and basic integrations.
Start: $99/month, adds memberships, live lessons, and advanced features.
Grow: $199/month, includes advanced communities and priority support.
Plus: Custom pricing for enterprise needs.
Thinkific’s 30-day free trial and affordable entry point make it accessible for beginners, with no transaction fees on paid plans.

Teachable

Free Plan: $0/month, one course, coaching, and digital download, with $1 + 10% transaction fees.
Basic: $39/month, unlimited courses, 5% transaction fees, and affiliate tools.
Pro: $119/month, no transaction fees, advanced reporting, and certificates.
Business: $299/month, adds bulk student enrollments and custom roles.
Teachable’s free plan is appealing, but transaction fees on lower tiers can add up. Its 14-day trial is shorter than Thinkific’s.

Kajabi

Basic: $149/month, 3 products, 3 pipelines, and basic features.
Growth: $199/month, 15 products, 15 pipelines, advanced automation, and 24/7 support.
Pro: $399/month, 100 products, 100 pipelines, and custom code editor.
Kajabi offers a 14-day trial (extendable to 30 days with promotions) but no free plan. Its pricing is the highest, reflecting its all-in-one capabilities.

Verdict: Thinkific and Teachable are more budget-friendly, with free plans and lower entry tiers. Kajabi’s premium pricing suits creators who need advanced features and can justify the cost.

5. Integrations

Thinkific
Thinkific’s App Store includes over 90 integrations, from email marketing (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) to analytics (Google Analytics) and e-commerce (Shopify). Its Zapier triggers enable connections with thousands of apps, offering unmatched flexibility for creators who want to customize their tech stack.

Teachable
Teachable supports integrations with tools like ConvertKit, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics, primarily through Zapier. Its integration ecosystem is smaller than Thinkific’s, which can limit scalability for creators relying on third-party tools. However, its native affiliate system reduces the need for external affiliate platforms.

Kajabi
Kajabi’s strength is its minimal reliance on integrations, as most features (email, funnels, analytics) are built-in. It supports native integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and Zapier, but its ecosystem is less extensive than Thinkific’s. For creators who prefer simplicity, this is a plus, but it may frustrate those needing specialized tools.

Verdict: Thinkific leads for integration flexibility, Kajabi minimizes the need for external tools, and Teachable falls in the middle.

6. Customization and Branding

Thinkific
Thinkific offers multiple themes, custom CSS, and branding options like logos and color schemes. Its site builder allows creators to design sales pages and course areas that align with their brand, though advanced customization requires technical skills or higher-tier plans.

Teachable
Teachable provides predesigned themes with limited CSS control, focusing on ease over flexibility. Creators can add logos and adjust colors, but the platform’s customization is less robust than Thinkific or Kajabi, which can result in a less unique brand identity.

Kajabi
Kajabi excels in customization, with modern templates, a flexible website builder, and CSS/HTML editing on higher plans. Its branding tools ensure a cohesive look across courses, communities, and marketing assets, making it ideal for creators who prioritize a premium, professional appearance.

Verdict: Kajabi offers the most advanced customization, Thinkific provides a solid balance, and Teachable is the least flexible.

7. Support and Community

Thinkific
Thinkific offers email and live chat support, with priority options on higher plans. Its resource center, webinars, and creator community provide ample guidance. The 30-day trial and active support make it beginner-friendly.

Teachable
Teachable provides email and live chat support, with faster responses on Pro and Business plans. Its knowledge base and community forums are helpful, but support is less comprehensive than Thinkific or Kajabi, especially for free plan users.

Kajabi
Kajabi’s 24/7 chat support (on Growth and Pro plans), extensive help center, and Kajabi University offer robust assistance. Its Creator CEO Club fosters networking among creators, adding value for entrepreneurs seeking community-driven growth.

Verdict: Kajabi leads for premium support, Thinkific is strong for beginners, and Teachable is adequate but less comprehensive.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Thinkific

Strengths: Affordable pricing, flexible course creation, extensive integrations, and AI tools.
Weaknesses: Limited native marketing features and less polished community tools compared to Kajabi.

Teachable

Strengths: Simple setup, optimized checkout, and strong affiliate tools.
Weaknesses: Transaction fees on lower plans, limited marketing features, and basic customization.

Kajabi

Strengths: All-in-one marketing, premium user experience, and advanced customization.
Weaknesses: High cost and fewer integrations, which may limit flexibility for some users.

Who Should Choose Each Platform?

Thinkific: Best for creators who want affordability, flexibility, and scalability without sacrificing course quality. Ideal for beginners to mid-sized businesses experimenting with courses, memberships, or communities.
Teachable: Perfect for solopreneurs or small creators who need a quick, simple platform to launch courses or coaching with minimal setup. Suits those prioritizing sales over advanced marketing.
Kajabi: Suited for established entrepreneurs or high-ticket creators who want an all-in-one solution with robust marketing, community features, and a premium brand image. Best for those willing to invest in growth.

Conclusion

Choosing between Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi depends on your goals, budget, and technical needs. Thinkific offers a balanced, budget-friendly option with strong customization and integrations, making it versatile for growing businesses. Teachable’s simplicity and sales-focused features appeal to creators who want to start fast and keep costs low. Kajabi, with its comprehensive marketing and premium experience, is the go-to for those building a full-fledged online business with high-touch offerings.

Before deciding, consider testing each platform’s free trial or plan—Thinkific’s 30 days, Teachable’s 14 days, or Kajabi’s 14- to 30-day trial—to explore their interfaces and features firsthand. Ultimately, the right platform will align with your vision, streamline your workflow, and empower you to deliver exceptional value to your students.