Three platforms dominate the "create and sell your own course" space: Teachable, Kajabi, and Thinkific. They all host video, process payments, and deliver content. But the details — pricing, fees, marketing tools, and who they're actually built for — are wildly different.
Here's the honest breakdown, with real user feedback from creators who are actually using these tools.
Quick Verdict
- Teachable — Easiest to start, but the 7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan eats into your revenue fast.
- Kajabi — The all-in-one powerhouse. Replaces your email tool, funnel builder, and website. But at $89-199/mo, it's only worth it if you're a full-time creator.
- Thinkific — Best student experience and zero transaction fees. The smart choice for educators who care about course quality over marketing bells and whistles.
Pricing Head-to-Head
| Teachable | Thinkific | Kajabi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $29/mo (Starter) | $36/mo (Basic) | $89/mo (Kickstarter) |
| Mid tier | $69/mo (Builder) | $74/mo (Start) | $143/mo (Basic) |
| Top tier | $139/mo (Growth) | $149/mo (Grow) | $199/mo (Growth) |
| Transaction fees | 7.5% on Starter | 0% | 0% |
| Free tier | Discontinued 2025 | 1 course + 1 community | Trial only |
| Annual billing | Yes (saves ~20%) | Yes (saves ~20%) | Yes (saves ~20%) |
That 7.5% fee on Teachable's Starter plan is the elephant in the room. If you sell a $200 course, Teachable takes $15 before you see a cent. It's effectively a beginner tax — the people who can least afford it pay the highest percentage.
If you're doing any volume at all, skip Teachable's Starter and go straight to the Builder plan ($69/mo, 0% fees) — or start with Thinkific instead.
Teachable: Simple but Getting Greedy
Teachable's strength has always been simplicity. Upload your videos, set a price, done. The interface is clean and the learning curve is nearly flat.
But the value proposition has deteriorated. They raised the Builder plan price while simultaneously limiting the number of courses you can create. The free tier was killed in 2025. And the AI customer support they rolled out to replace human agents has left users frustrated.
Course creators are noticing: raising prices while limiting features and adding transaction fees is a pattern that suggests the company is optimizing for short-term revenue over creator success.
Teachable makes sense if: You're creating your first course and want the simplest possible setup. Just budget for the Builder plan ($69/mo) from the start to avoid the 7.5% fee trap.
Kajabi: The Business-in-a-Box
Kajabi isn't just a course platform. It's a full business engine: email marketing, sales funnels, landing pages, CRM, website builder, and course hosting all in one.
That sounds great until you see the price tag. The entry plan is $89/mo for a single product. The plan most creators actually need (Basic at $143/mo) gives you 5 products.
But here's the counter-argument from creators who actually did the math. Yes, it's expensive ($150+), but many report cancelling their ConvertKit, ClickFunnels, and Wix subscriptions after switching. Kajabi actually saved them money in total software costs.
The mobile app also gets consistent praise — students actually finish courses because the app experience is polished. That's not nothing: course completion rates directly impact refunds and reviews.
The flipside: the learning curve is steep. It's not just a course host; it's a whole business engine. If you just have one $20 course, stay away.
Kajabi makes sense if: You're a full-time creator selling high-ticket courses ($200+) and currently paying for separate email, funnel, and website tools. The consolidation saves money and headaches.
Thinkific: The Educator's Choice
Thinkific consistently gets the highest satisfaction scores in this category — 4.6/5 on G2, compared to Teachable's declining 3.9/5. The reason: they invest in the student experience.
The assessment tools (quizzes, assignments, completion tracking) feel more polished than the competition. The student experience — the way lessons flow and progress is tracked — consistently rates higher than Teachable.
Zero transaction fees across all plans is a big deal. On a $500 course, that's $37.50 you keep instead of handing to Teachable.
The trade-off: Thinkific doesn't have Kajabi's built-in marketing tools. You'll need to integrate your own email and funnel software. For creators who already have those tools, this isn't a problem. For someone who wants everything in one place, it's a gap.
Thinkific makes sense if: You're an educator or professional who prioritizes course quality over marketing automation. Zero transaction fees and the best student experience make it the smart default.
Which One Should You Pick?
You're just starting out, one course, testing the waters: Thinkific Basic ($36/mo). No transaction fees, unlimited students, solid course builder. Skip Teachable's Starter unless you want to pay 7.5% for the privilege.
You're a serious creator with a course business: Kajabi ($143/mo) if you want everything in one place and sell high-ticket. Thinkific Start ($74/mo) if you already have marketing tools and want to keep costs lower.
You're an educator or school: Thinkific. The assessment tools, student tracking, and academic feel are built for this use case. Check out our full Thinkific review for details.
You want the absolute cheapest option: None of these. Use Gumroad or Systeme.io — they're cheaper and fine for simple digital products.
The Hidden Question: What Are You Actually Selling?
Course creators often compare Teachable, Kajabi, and Thinkific before they have answered the harder question: are you selling a course, a coaching business, or an education product?
If you are selling a simple recorded course, you mostly need clean checkout, video hosting, coupons, and a good student login. Thinkific or Teachable can handle that. Paying Kajabi prices before you have repeatable sales usually adds complexity before it adds revenue.
If you are selling a coaching program, cohort, mastermind, or high-ticket offer, the platform has to support more than lessons. You need email follow-up, landing pages, lead capture, and buyer segmentation. That is where Kajabi starts to make sense, because the course is only one part of the sales system.
If you are building something closer to a school, certification, or employee training product, student experience matters more than funnel features. You want assessments, progress tracking, clean course navigation, and reporting. Thinkific is usually the better starting point.
The wrong platform makes you solve the wrong problem. Teachable can make launching easy but punish early revenue with fees. Kajabi can make marketing powerful but distract you with funnels before your offer converts. Thinkific can make the course experience strong but still require outside marketing tools.
Migration Pain: Choose Like You Might Move Later
Most creators underestimate switching cost. Moving platforms is not just uploading videos again. You may have to rebuild checkout pages, coupon links, automations, student progress, emails, affiliate links, and support docs.
Before choosing, ask:
- Can I export student emails cleanly?
- Can I keep my domain and URLs stable?
- Can I migrate lessons without rebuilding every module?
- Can students keep access if I change plans?
- Will payment history and tax records be easy to retrieve?
If you are early, pick the platform that lets you launch fastest without trapping your future self. If you already have sales, pick the platform that reduces operational drag, even if the monthly price is higher.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Teachable | Thinkific | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | First-time creators | Educators & schools | Full-time creators |
| Entry price | $29/mo | $36/mo | $89/mo |
| Transaction fees | 7.5% (Starter only) | 0% | 0% |
| Built-in marketing | Basic | Via integrations | Full CRM + funnels |
| Course quality tools | Standard | Best in class | Good |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Best |
| Free tier | No | Limited | No |
| G2 rating | 3.9/5 | 4.6/5 | 4.4/5 |
Read our individual reviews for deeper dives: Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi. Or compare them directly in our Teachable vs Thinkific and Kajabi vs Teachable breakdowns.