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Honest Comparison After $5M in Sales


Kajabi says it’s the “all-in-one” solution for your business.

Skool is all about simplicity and community.

But which one gives you the best value?

If you’re stuck choosing, you’re in the right place.

I’ve made over $5M in sales using online platforms and in this honest guide, I’ll review both platforms and give you my take on which is better.

Kajabi

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform.

It’s designed for digital entrepreneurs and offers everything you need to create, market, and sell online products.

kajabi homepage

These products include courses, memberships, and other digital products.

Whether you’re a coach, consultant, educator, or content creator, Kajabi provides the tools to help you build and grow your online business.

kajabi community

And it does it all in one place.

What Can You Do with Kajabi?

Kajabi’s core features include:

  • Course creation
  • A website builder
  • A landing page builder
  • Email marketing
  • Tools for creating sales funnels
  • And more.

It also offers a range of community-building tools and detailed analytics to help you track and grow your business.

kajabi ai

Kajabi is designed to be your one-stop shop for launching and running an online business.

User Interface and Experience

Kajabi’s user interface offers a clean, modern design which makes it easy to navigate.

When starting, the platform walks you through setting up your business, guiding you step by step.

kajabi walkthrough

This is particularly helpful if you’re new to online business or digital product creation.

Feature Set and Capabilities

Let’s go a bit deeper in the various features on offer:

  • Product Creation: You can create and host courses, coaching programs, memberships, and even podcasts.
  • Website Building: Kajabi provides customizable themes and a flexible page builder to help you design a professional-looking site.
  • Marketing Tools: You’ll find built-in email marketing tools, automation options, and the ability to create sales pipelines and funnels.
  • Sales Features: Kajabi allows you to set up checkout pages, upsells, and even manage affiliates.
  • Community Building: You can build a community around your products with forums and user interaction features.
  • Analytics: Detailed reporting helps you keep track of sales, engagement, and student progress.

For those needing help getting started, Kajabi also offers Kajabi University.

kajabi university

There are plenty of training resources available for members.

Pricing and Plans

kajabi  pricing

Kajabi’s pricing is structured to accommodate businesses at various stages of growth:

  • Kickstarter ($55 /month): Gives you the basics to start selling online.
  • Basic Plan ($119/month): Allows for 3 products and pipelines, up to 10,000 contacts, and 1,000 active members.
  • Growth Plan ($159/month): Expands to 15 products, 15 pipelines, 25,000 contacts, and 10,000 active members.
  • Pro Plan ($319/month): Supports up to 100 products and pipelines, 100,000 contacts, and 20,000 active members.

One big perk?

There are no transaction fees (on all products), which can make a huge difference for businesses doing a high sales volume.

Customer Support and Resources

Kajabi doesn’t just leave you to figure things out on your own.

They offer 24/7 live chat support, making it easy to get help when you need it.

kajabi support

Other resources include:

  • Kajabi University (the resource I mentioned earlier) for in-depth training on using the platform
  • A comprehensive knowledge base and documentation
  • Regular webinars and live training sessions
  • An active Facebook community with over 50,000 members

Integration Options

While Kajabi is designed to be an all-in-one platform, it still offers integrations with popular tools.

These include tools like MailChimp for email marketing, Stripe and PayPal for payments, and Google Analytics for tracking.

You can also use Zapier to connect Kajabi with thousands of other apps.

Scalability and Performance

Kajabi is built to scale with your business.

Whether you’re just starting out or running an established company, Kajabi can handle a lot.

Think numbers up to 100,000 contacts and 20,000 active members on the Pro plan.

This ability makes it suitable for businesses of all sizes.

What Makes Kajabi Unique?

There are a few standout features that make Kajabi different from other platforms:

  1. All-in-One Solution: You won’t need to juggle multiple tools; Kajabi handles everything from course creation to marketing.
  2. No Transaction Fees: A big win for high-volume sellers.
  3. Branded Mobile App: For an additional fee, you can offer your own custom-branded app to your users.
  4. AI-Powered Tools: Kajabi is working on AI capabilities to help with course creation and marketing, which could make things even easier down the line.
kajabi app

Pros and Cons of Kajabi

Let’s break down the pros and cons to help you decide if Kajabi is right for you:

Pros:

  • Covers all aspects of digital business in one platform
  • Strong course creation and delivery system
  • No transaction fees
  • Comprehensive marketing automation tools
  • Excellent customer support and educational resources
  • Scalable for businesses of all sizes

Cons:

  • More expensive than other alternatives
  • The learning curve can be steep due to the wide array of features
  • Design customization options are somewhat limited compared to dedicated website builders
  • Lower-tier plans limit the number of products you can create

Who Should Use Kajabi?

Kajabi works best for:

  1. Course Creators: If you want to build and sell online courses, Kajabi’s tools make it easy to create, market, and deliver your content.
  2. Membership Site Owners: Kajabi’s community-building tools and content drip capabilities make it a strong option for membership-based businesses.
  3. Digital Product Entrepreneurs: Whether you’re selling courses, ebooks, or memberships, Kajabi offers everything you need to manage your business.
  4. Coaches and Consultants: The funnel and pipeline features are ideal for anyone offering coaching or consulting services.

Is Kajabi Worth It?

When considering Kajabi’s value, the potential return on investment (ROI) can be significant.

The more features you use, the better your return will be.

These features may make Kajabi worthwhile for you:

  • Cost Savings: By consolidating several tools into one platform, you could save hundreds of dollars per month in subscription fees.
  • No Transaction Fees: If your business generates $5 million in sales, avoiding the typical 2-5% transaction fees could save you $100,000 to $250,000.
  • Time Savings: The platform’s integration of marketing, sales, and course creation tools could save you 10-20 hours per week, which adds up quickly in both time and money.

Kajabi is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a powerful, all-in-one platform to build and scale online.

While it does come with a higher price tag and a bit of a learning curve, the potential ROI makes it a worthwhile investment.

However, starting with a simpler platform might make sense for new entrepreneurs on a tighter budget.

Then, you can “graduate” to Kajabi as your business grows.

Skool

Skool is a platform designed to build engaged online communities and host courses.

It’s aimed at coaches, consultants, and information entrepreneurs who prioritize simplicity in community management.

One thing to note is that Skool isn’t geared toward sellers of physical products.

Instead, the platform shines when creating focused, vibrant communities where people can interact and learn together.

How?

It streamlines the process of course hosting, community building, and engagement.

If you’re a coach or consultant, you’ll appreciate its simple, intuitive design.

skool homepage

Key Features:

  • Community Building Tools: Build active, engaged groups.
  • Course Hosting Capabilities: Offer unlimited courses to your community.
  • Gamified Engagement System: Keep users motivated with personalized leaderboards and achievements.
  • Member Profiles: Create interaction and personal connections.
  • Single Sign-On (SSO): Access multiple communities with one login.
skool courses

Key Comparison Areas

Let’s look at where Skool stands out (and where it might fall short).

User Interface and Experience

Skool’s interface is simple and user-friendly.

It’s designed to eliminate clutter and keep the focus on community interaction.

This makes it easy to navigate – for both you (as the admin) and your members.

Pros:

  • Clean, uncluttered design
  • Easy-to-use navigation
  • Mobile-responsive with dedicated iOS and Android apps

Cons:

  • Members might find that key information gets lost within very busy communities.

Feature Set and Capabilities

Skool focuses on a specific set of features for community building and course hosting:

  1. Community Management: Tools like member profiles, chat options, and following members.
  2. Course Hosting: Host unlimited courses within a single community.
  3. Engagement Tools: Gamified systems, including leaderboards, encourage active participation.
  4. Subscription Management: Offer both subscription and one-time payment options for courses.
  5. Integrations: Zapier integration allows for automated workflows.

Pricing and Plans

Skool’s pricing is straightforward and competitive:

  • 14-day free trial
  • $99 per month for one community

At $99/month, Skool is an attractive option compared to other platforms.

Plus, Skool offers unlimited users and courses, giving it an edge in value.

Customer Support and Resources

You can fill out a form to get help with Skool.

skool support

Someone will then get back to you via email.

skool support response

This feels kinda old school when it comes to getting support.

However, there is a 14-day free trial to test the waters.

The platform also offers resources like the Skool Games.

This 30-day program by Alex Harmozi teaches community-building strategies.

Plus, you’ll get networking opportunities with top creators.

While it isn’t great on the tech support front, there is lots of help when it comes to building your community.

Scalability and Performance

Skool supports unlimited users and courses within one community, making it scalable for growing businesses.

The platform’s simplicity is likely to contribute to smooth performance.

Even with larger numbers of students, the platform seems to do well.

skool members

Unique Selling Points

Here’s what makes Skool stand out:

  1. Simplicity: Skool’s minimalist design ensures that it’s easy to use and manage.
  2. Community-Centric: The platform is built around fostering active, engaged communities.
  3. Unlimited Users and Courses: A significant advantage for growing businesses.
  4. Gamified Engagement: Personalized leaderboards motivate members to stay engaged.

Pros and Cons

Let’s summarize Skool’s strengths and weaknesses.

Pros:

  • Simple and clutter-free interface
  • Strong focus on community building and course hosting
  • Unlimited users and courses
  • Zapier integration for automation
  • Competitive pricing

Cons:

  • No native video hosting
  • Lacks built-in quizzes and file hosting features
  • No integrated funnel builder

Use Case Scenarios

Skool works best in specific scenarios:

  1. Coaches and Consultants: Ideal for building engaged client groups.
  2. Information Entrepreneurs: Suits creators with multiple knowledge products.
  3. Community-Driven Businesses: Skool’s tools encourage interaction and participation.
  4. Growing Online Educators: The unlimited user feature allows for scaling without increased costs.

Is Skool Worth It?

Here are the points to consider:

  • Cost Savings: At $99/month for unlimited users and courses, Skool can offer significant savings.
  • Engagement Boost: Gamified features encourage higher participation, potentially boosting retention and sales.
  • Time Efficiency: With its simplicity, you’ll spend less time managing the platform and more time on your business.

Kajabi vs. Skool

Let’s look at how these platforms compare when going head to head.

First, let’s start with the basics.

Kajabi is designed to be an all-in-one solution for digital entrepreneurs.

It handles everything from course creation to email marketing and even sales funnels.

This makes it a great fit for businesses that want everything in one place.

Skool (which is the platform we use for our businesses), takes a different approach.

It’s built for community-driven businesses.

This means people like us who need to focus on community engagement and member interaction.

skool engagement

Skool allows us to host unlimited courses, share live events, and bring all of our members into one central hub.

What’s great is that there’s no complicated setup.

We can add as many members as we need, and everything runs smoothly without the extra bells and whistles.

User Experience

Both platforms aim for user-friendliness – but with different goals in mind.

Kajabi has a sleek interface and a guided setup process, which is helpful.

At the same time, it can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re just starting.

You’ve got so many options right out of the gate.

Skool, on the other hand, is all about simplicity.

This is one of the reasons we love it.

We use Skool to manage multiple communities; setting everything up was a breeze.

Each community, like the AI Income Blueprint and Income University, has its own dedicated space.

Members can easily see how many people are online, check leaderboards, and stay engaged.

Plus, the interface is so clean that even new members quickly get the hang of things.

If community engagement is a top priority for you, Skool is your go-to.

The platform revolves around interaction.

We love using Skool’s gamified system with leaderboards showing who contributes the most to the community.

skool leaderboard

It keeps people motivated and engaged.

Members can also chat, follow each other, and build relationships effortlessly.

Kajabi, while offering community features, doesn’t put the same emphasis on engagement.

It’s more of an add-on rather than the main focus.

If building an active, engaged community is important to your business (like it is for ours), Skool clearly stands out here.

Course Creation and Marketing

In terms of course creation, Kajabi offers more flexibility.

It supports various content types and has built-in quizzes.

This isn’t something Skool offers.

However, Skool allows us to host unlimited courses within our communities.

It’s also super easy for our members to keep track of their progress by marking lessons as complete.

Regarding marketing tools, Kajabi pulls ahead with built-in email marketing, automation, and sales funnels.

But because Skool focuses more on the community, we don’t rely on it for those tools.

You can email people when you make specific posts, but we don’t regularly use this.

Instead, we use other marketing platforms and integrate them with Skool when we want to send emails.

Pricing

Here’s where Skool shines for us.

It’s only $99/month for unlimited courses, unlimited members, and access to all of Skool’s core features.

This flat-rate pricing model has been ideal since we’re managing multiple communities.

It keeps costs predictable while allowing us to scale.

Kajabi, on the other hand, has a tiered pricing model starting at $59/month.

This only offers access to 50 active customers.

And while Kajabi doesn’t charge transaction fees, Skool’s 2.9% fee is still one of the lowest out there.

Mobile Access

We’ve found the Skool mobile app to be super useful.

It’s not a custom-branded app like what Kajabi offers for an extra fee

However, it’s easy for our members to switch between communities.

This app keeps engagement high even when they’re away from their computers.

While Kajabi’s branded app option is nice for those who want to build a more customized experience, we’ve found Skool’s app perfect for our needs.

Customer Support

Regarding customer support, Kajabi wins with 24/7 live chat and many resources like Kajabi University.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the right platform depends on your needs:

  • Kajabi is better if you need an all-in-one solution with powerful marketing and sales tools. It’s ideal for businesses that want to manage everything—from marketing to course creation—in one place.
  • Skool is perfect if you prioritize community engagement and simplicity. Its focus on community, combined with unlimited users and courses for a flat price, makes it a great option for coaches, consultants, and anyone who needs a clean, straightforward platform.

If you’re still undecided, I recommend trying both platforms:

Either way, the best platform is the one that fits your needs—and can grow with your business in the long run.

Further reading on AdamEnfroy.com: If you’re comparing Skool and Kajabi, you might also want to explore other options for building a membership site.

Check out my in-depth guide to the best membership site platforms to find the top contenders.

For a more detailed look at Skool, my honest Skool review might provide additional insights.

Additionally, if you’re interested in understanding the broader landscape of online learning tools, my learning management systems guide covers what it takes to succeed with these platforms.