You know you want to turn your knowledge, skills, and experience into a paying business through course creation and community curation. The only question is…where are you going to build your business?
Two options you’ve undoubtedly come across are Kartra vs Kajabi. Beyond the fact that they have somewhat similar names, these platforms share a multitude of other features. It’s been said that they serve the exact same purpose and creator - so how can you tell which is the right platform for you?
Don’t sweat it - we’re here to simplify the decision and help you feel confident choosing between Kajabi vs Kartra. While they’re more alike than the two platforms themselves would like to admit, we’ve put each one under a microscope to uncover intricacies that set them apart.
While Kajabi is an incredible all-in-one solution for creating digital products like courses, Kartra is an all-in-one marketing platform that supports course creation - along with physical products. The foundational goals of each platform differ - and with that comes a host of differences.
We’ll unpack this Kartra vs Kajabi comparison in greater detail below to help you discover the clear answer as to which solution is best for you. First, though, we want to introduce both parties in their own right.
Breaking Down Kartra vs Kajabi Individually Before We Contrast Them Side by Side
Let’s make one thing clear - Kartra and Kajabi both serve their ideal user well. The only question is which bucket you fall into. And, there is a bit of overlap between the two in terms of who they’re designed for and what can be accomplished on the platform.
In saying that, only one of these is right for you - you don’t need them both. And, choosing a suboptimal platform to start or grow your business could be detrimental to the long-term success you see. Plus, it’ll just create unnecessary headaches.
All of this is to say that this isn’t a decision you should take lightly. So, pay close attention as we start by introducing one of the most powerful online course creation platforms the industry has ever seen: Kajabi.
What is Kajabi?
Kajabi is a platform that allows digital entrepreneurs to turn their knowledge, skillset, or experiences into a paying business. That can be in the form of online courses, coaching programs, paid memberships, podcasts, digital downloads, etc.
There’s no question that you can build a thriving business based on info products using Kajabi. In fact, the platform boasts more than $5 billion earned by creators across a whopping 100k different businesses.
Part of what makes Kajabi so great - and what separates it from Kartra - is how easy it is to create, grow, and manage your digital business. We’ll talk more about that later, though. For now, let’s analyze the three different plans you can choose from on Kajabi:
- Basic ($149/month): You can get your business up and running with up to 3 products and funnels, 10,000 contacts, and 1,000 active customers. You’ll enjoy zero transaction fees and unlimited landing pages & marketing emails - and of course, your own website.
- Growth ($199/month): Everything from the Basic plan, but you get more products and funnels (15 each). And, you’ll ramp up to 25,000 contacts and 10,000 active customers - while getting up to 10 admin users. Plus, you gain access to a robust affiliate program, 24/7 chat support, advanced automations, and the removal of Kajabi branding.
- Pro ($399/month): Everything from the Growth plan, and again - you get more. 100 products, 100 funnels, 100,000 contacts, 20,000 active customers, 3 websites, and 25 admin users. And, you can take advantage of a custom code editor to make your business more personalized to your brand.
You can scale beyond these plans if necessary, but chances are, one of these three plans is ideal for you. Or, maybe you’ll be better suited to one of Kartra’s plans! Let’s take a look at the other half of this battle.
What is Kartra?
Kartra is your all-in-one online business solution - covering a much more broad range of industries and product types than simply course creation and other info products.
This is really the biggest differentiating factor between Kartra vs Kajabi. While you can definitely build and grow a thriving course or membership-based business, you can also launch and sell your own physical products. You have way more possibilities with Kartra vs Kajabi.
The beauty of Kartra isn’t just in what you can sell - but also in how you sell it. You can essentially consolidate all your software and business needs under one roof with Kartra - from landing pages to analytics, newsletter to checkout, everything works in harmony under the Kartra brand. This means less stress and lower costs for you - the creator.
You can choose from four different plans with Kartra:
- Starter ($99/month): This entry-level plan unlocks up to 2,500 leads. You get a custom domain and up to 15,000 emails/month, 100 pages, 50 videos, 20 products, 2 membership sites, and an additional team member to help you run the show. You also get a funnel mapper to help build the various components of your business.
- Silver ($199/month: At the next step up, you get up to 12,500 leads across 3 different domains. And from this tier on, emails, bandwidth, pages, videos, products, membership sites, team members, and helpdesks are all unlimited. Plus, you gain access to Kartra Agency - perfect for those managing multiple client sites.
- Gold ($299/month): Everything listed above, with up to 25,000 leads and 5 custom domains.
- Platinum ($499/month): Everything listed above, with up to 50,000 leads and 10 custom domains.
Across all these plans, you’re able to add additional domains, emails/bandwidth, and integration & API. Now that you’re more familiar with each of these solutions, let’s take a look at Kajabi vs Kartra side by side.
Side-by-Side Comparison of Kajabi vs Katra: Which is the Superior Course Creation Platform?
You want to do everything in your power to set yourself up for success. The specific platform you choose to build on can have profound effects on your experience of building or growing an online business - whether you sell courses, memberships, or any other digital products.
So, we’ve spent hours analyzing Kartra vs Kajabi with a magnifying glass to uncover the subtle intricacies that set them apart from each other. As creators who have used course creation sites, we know what matters most to you - and what will end up holding you back from your full potential.
All of this is to say that below, you’ll gain access to the most in-depth breakdown of Kajabi vs Kartra. Let’s start by taking a detailed look at which solution is more cost-effective.
Plans and Pricing
It’s never easy to compare plans and pricing side by side because specific features vary so much. But, we’re going to compare the Kajabi Basic plan vs the Kartra Starter Plan, and the Kajabi Growth Plan vs the Kartra Silver Plan because the prices match up.
Kajabi Basic and Kartra Starter fall under the same pricing threshold at $99/month. But the differences in what you get are pretty dramatic. Kajabi limits you to just 15 products and funnels at this tier - along with 25,000 contacts and 10,000 active customers. However, Kartra offers more products (20).
With that said, the 2,500 leads limit on Kartra’s Starter plan is much lower - and Kajabi does offer unlimited landing pages and unlimited emails. So, if you’re shopping on price, you need to carefully consider how you envision yourself using the platform.
In comparing Kajabi Growth and Kartra Silver you’ll see a similar situation where one platform is the more cost-effective choice depending on how you plan on using it.
The Kajabi Growth ramps things up to 15 products & funnels, 25,000 contacts, and 10,000 active customers. But remember - Kartra doesn’t put limits on your plan after their entry-level tier. You get unlimited everything else for the $199/month Silver tier - emails, pages, products videos, membership sites, team members, bandwidth, etc.
That means that at a certain point, you’re better suited with Kartra from a pure pricing standpoint. However, you should never shop based solely on price. So - let’s take a look at the creator capabilities aspect of Kajabi vs Kartra.
Creator Capabilities
What matters more than price - in our opinion - is what the platform can help you do. After all, if you’re able to earn more money with one solution than the other, then it’s easy to justify a higher price point.
The two platforms share some similarities here. For example, you can build courses and membership sites on each. And, you can create landing pages for these offers to capture traffic and convert it into cold hard cash.
However, Kartra has the edge in one key aspect here: you can sell physical offerings too! Kajabi is purely for digital product businesses. But let’s say you are building a community on Kartra centered on cooking - where you teach users how to cook with no experience. If one day you decide to launch your own set of pots & pans, you’d be able to add another revenue stream to your business - right within Kartra. This isn’t possible in Kajabi.
With that said, you may have no intentions of creating physical products whatsoever. If so, this benefit doesn’t really appeal to you. So let’s talk specifically from the standpoint of digital products - which is better: Kajabi vs Kartra?
As digital creators ourselves, the edge goes to Kajabi without a doubt. You can create so many different types of info products: mini-courses, standard courses drip courses, coaching programs, memberships, digital downloads, webinars, you name it.
You also have access to more types of content: videos, audio files, assessments, quizzes, and downloadable content. Plus, the library of templates they have in store for you makes it easy to get the ball rolling. The platform is also equipped with a suite of automations for managing members and creating a better experience for them. And that’s really what matters most!
Now, Kartra does have a list of professionally designed templates that allow you to navigate the course creation process with ease. And, the funnel process of turning leads into students, welcoming students to your ecosystem, and getting them through the educational process you’ve built out is truly seamless.
In terms of community, Kajabi has features integrated right into the platform. You can offer paid memberships and host them right on-site. While Kartra does allow users to monetize memberships, it falls short of expectations in terms of community-building features.
All of this is to say that in terms of what’s possible for you - the creator - you’ll need to consider what you envision yourself building. From there, a clear answer will be much easier to attain.
Marketing & Growth Features
Getting started creating is step one - from there, it’s a matter of marketing your offerings and growing your business. So, which platform has an edge here in terms of Kartra vs Kajabi?
We lean towards Kartra here for one simple reason: it’s an all-in-one marketing solution by design. Sure, the course creation and community management features leave a bit to be desired. But, it can certainly help you grow your business.
For example, Kartra grants you access to lead scoring and behavioral analytics that can be turned into actionable marketing strategies. They call this “Behavioral Adaptive Marketing”, and it works wonders for converting leads into loyal students that bring their friends to you one day through a robust affiliate marketing program.
And, Kartra is equipped with advanced email marketing tactics like automations and split testing personalized to your specific customers. You can also work on conversion through an analytic heatmapping feature - which helps you create better landing and sales pages for your courses and membership sites.
Plus, with helpdesks available through each plan, it’s easier to provide world-class service for your members - which will help create a snowball effect of growth as they rave about what a wonderful experience they had through your course or membership.
With that said, Kajabi offers you tools to grow your business as well. You can use basic email marketing strategies, an affiliate program, and you can even use SEO to your advantage through blogging - something that is surprisingly missing from Kartra.
But, you’re just given the bare minimum to market your offerings. At a certain point, you have to start integrating other software to fill in the gaps if you have lofty goals. These costs can quickly add up while creating headaches along the way. So, in terms of marketing and growth features, we give the edge to Kartra.
So, Which is Better: Kartra vs Kajabi?
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for - we’re going to give you our take on whether you should start building on Kajabi vs Kartra. It’s actually a pretty simple consideration. Just think about what you want to build!
If you’re focused on creating a thriving community and course business, Kajabi is likely your best bet. While you may be a bit more limited in terms of marketing and growth capabilities, the product comes first. And on Kajabi, you’re able to create better educational experiences for your students. That’s what matters most.
On the other hand, we recommend Kartra to entrepreneurs who sell not just physical products alongside their digital offerings - or those who anticipate launching physical products in the future.
Ultimately, it should be pretty clear which side of the fence you belong on. The decision is as simple as considering what your goals are as a creator, and choosing accordingly. But before we bring this conversation to a close, let’s introduce a few other platforms worth looking into…
Kajabi vs Kartra is Just One Comparison Worth Looking into…
We live and breathe digital products - and so we’ve actually written an array of other comparisons worth reading before you choose your platform. Start by looking into Thinkific vs Kajabi, Mighty Networks vs Kajabi, and Podia vs Kajabi.
From there, you can expand your horizons by reading our comparisons of Circle vs Mighty Networks, Podia vs Thinkific, Podia vs Teachable, Circle vs Tribe, or Learnworlds vs Podia.
This isn’t a decision you can afford to take lightly - so definitely do your research. However, at a certain point, you’ll have to pull the trigger and just get started building. Because at the end of the day, if you build great products, the rest will work itself out!
Final Thoughts on the Kartra vs Kajabi Debate
There you have it - everything you need to know to feel confident making a decision in the Kartra vs Kajabi debate. We’ve unpacked plans, pricing, features, capabilities, and a whole lot more to empower you as you start your journey into digital products.
So now, we’re officially bringing our Kajabi vs Kartra debate to a close. It’s time for you to take action and get started creating - whether that’s on Kajabi, Kartra, or somewhere else altogether!