Kajabi pricing 2026: every plan explained (with the hidden costs nobody mentions)
Kajabi costs $89–$399/month depending on the plan. That's the sticker price. The real question — the one no other pricing breakdown answers — is whether Kajabi's all-in-one approach saves you money compared to stitching together cheaper tools. We ran the math for every revenue level. At $3,000+/month in course revenue, Kajabi is almost certainly cheaper than you think. Below that, it might be too much platform for your stage.
The 4 Kajabi plans (March 2026)
| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price (per month) | Products | Contacts | Active Members | Admin Users | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kickstarter | $89/mo | $69/mo ($828/yr) | 1 | 50 | 50 | 1 | Courses, email, community, 1 funnel. Validation plan. |
| Basic | $149/mo | $119/mo ($1,428/yr) | 3 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 1 | Full email automation, multiple funnels, website, blog, podcast. |
| Growth | $199/mo | $159/mo ($1,908/yr) | 15 | 25,000 | 10,000 | 3 | Everything in Basic + affiliate program, advanced automations, 24/7 chat support. |
| Pro | $399/mo | $319/mo ($3,828/yr) | 100 | 100,000 | 20,000 | 5 | Everything in Growth + code editor, custom API, priority support. |
All plans include: 0% transaction fees (you only pay Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30), unlimited landing pages, email marketing with automation, community feature, website builder, course hosting with video, podcast hosting, and student progress tracking. No plan charges transaction fees on top of payment processing — this is a significant advantage over Teachable's 5% on Basic and Podia's 5–8% on lower plans.
Annual billing saves 20%: Every plan is ~20% cheaper when paid annually. On the Basic plan, that's $360/year saved ($1,788 vs $1,428). If you're committing to Kajabi for at least 6 months, annual billing is always the better deal.
The real cost comparison: Kajabi vs building the same stack yourself
This is the analysis that matters. Kajabi replaces 3–5 separate tools. Here's what you'd pay to replicate Basic plan features without Kajabi:
| Tool Kajabi Replaces | Standalone Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Course platform (Thinkific Basic) | $49/mo | Course hosting, student management |
| Email marketing (ConvertKit Creator) | $29/mo | Email sequences, automations, broadcasts |
| Landing pages (Leadpages Standard) | $49/mo | Sales pages, opt-in pages, checkout |
| Community (Circle Basic) | $89/mo | Community spaces, discussions |
| Website (Squarespace Business) | $33/mo | Website, blog, custom domain |
| Automation glue (Zapier Starter) | $20/mo | Connecting tools that don't talk to each other |
| Total standalone stack | $269/mo | |
| Kajabi Basic | $149/mo | All of the above in one dashboard |
| You save | $120/mo ($1,440/yr) |
The hidden cost nobody mentions: beyond the dollar savings, running 5 separate tools means 5 separate logins, 5 separate billing cycles, 5 separate support channels, and the constant friction of tools not integrating perfectly despite Zapier. When a customer abandons checkout on Thinkific, your ConvertKit automation may or may not fire correctly. On Kajabi, abandoned checkout → email recovery sequence is native, automatic, and reliable. In our 90-day platform test, Kajabi's integrated abandoned checkout recovery alone generated $1,164 in saved revenue. Full details in our platform comparison.
Which plan do you actually need?
| Your Situation | Right Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Validating a course idea, under 50 contacts | Kickstarter ($89/mo) | 1 product, 50 contacts. Enough to test demand. Upgrade when you hit the contact limit. |
| Running 1–3 courses, growing to $3K+/mo | Basic ($149/mo) | 10,000 contacts, 3 products, full email automation and funnels. The sweet spot for most creators. |
| Established business, running affiliate program | Growth ($199/mo) | 15 products, 25K contacts, built-in affiliate management. Needed when you want affiliates selling for you. |
| Large operation, multiple team members, custom dev | Pro ($399/mo) | 100 products, 100K contacts, API access, code editor, 5 admin seats. Enterprise-level. |
Our recommendation for most creators: Start with the 14-day free trial on the Basic plan. Build one course, one email sequence, and one funnel during the trial. If you're generating revenue by day 14, continue on Basic. If you need more time to validate, downgrade to Kickstarter ($89/mo) rather than canceling entirely — losing your Kajabi setup and rebuilding later costs more in time than the $89/month buys you in infrastructure. For a detailed head-to-head with the two closest competitors, read our Kajabi vs Thinkific vs Teachable comparison.
Kajabi Basic
$149/mo ($119/mo annual) · 0% transaction fees · 14-day free trial · 3 products · 10,000 contacts
The plan most creators should start with. Full email marketing with automation, sales funnels (pipelines), course hosting, community, website, blog, and podcast — all in one dashboard. Replaces $269/month in standalone tools. Zero transaction fees means you keep everything you earn minus Stripe's standard 2.9%.
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Frequently asked
Does Kajabi charge transaction fees?
No. Kajabi charges 0% transaction fees on all plans. You only pay Stripe's standard payment processing rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This is a major advantage over Teachable (5% on Basic), Podia (5–8% on lower plans), and LearnWorlds ($5/sale on Starter). On $5,000/month in revenue, Teachable's 5% fee costs $250/month that you don't pay on Kajabi.
Can I switch Kajabi plans later?
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time. When upgrading, you get immediate access to the higher plan's features and are prorated for the billing cycle. When downgrading, the change takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle. If you exceed your current plan's limits (products, contacts, members), Kajabi will prompt you to upgrade but doesn't force immediate action.
Is Kajabi worth $149/month for a beginner?
Only if you've validated demand for your course. If you have an audience (even small — 500+ email subscribers or social followers) and a course idea you've pre-sold or tested, Kajabi's $149/month Basic plan is the most efficient way to build and sell. If you're truly starting from zero with no audience and no validated idea, Thinkific's free plan or Podia's $33/month Mover plan are lower-risk starting points. Come to Kajabi when you've proven demand and are ready to scale.
Does Kajabi offer discounts?
Annual billing saves ~20% on every plan. Kajabi occasionally runs promotions during major sales periods (Black Friday, New Year) offering extended trials or discounted first months. The 14-day free trial is available year-round. No student discounts or non-profit pricing is publicly advertised.