Kajabi vs Teachable: Overview.
Founded in 2013, Teachable is now associated with more than 100,000 instructors and boasts more than $500 million in sales.
The Course Builder is the one-stop shop for all of your course needs. It's the perfect place to create and sell courses on any subject. Whether you want to teach others about health and fitness or lifestyle topics, like food writing, if the subject is relevant, this tool can help!
You'll never have trouble finding an audience thanks to the diversity of its categories - and there are plenty of others (trips?!).
Its main strengths include:
- Possibility to create a link to an existing website under a custom domain
- Extensive customization and 3rd party integrations
- Flexible page editor
- Integrated payment tools
- Flexible pricing options
- Manage the VAT tax on EU digital goods
As for Kajabi, it was launched in 2010 and is currently used by over 50,000 people in 120 countries. So far, it has generated sales of over $1.5 billion. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kajabi now has over 100 employees.
Its main strengths include:
- Marketing tools, including sales pipelines, sales funnels, email templates, and websites.
- Course website builder
- Great customer support
- Easy creation of products and pipelines
- Unlimited landing page and email creation
- Extensive 3rd party integrations
- Over ten pre-designed themes for the course reader
You can read my full review on Kajabi for more detailed information.
With intense competition in the online course market, there are niche products and no “one-size-fits-all” brands.
So which one should you choose? We are going to find out.
Kajabi vs Teachable
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Creating online courses
- Themes and templates
- Webinars and video hosting
- Sales and marketing
- Data analysis
- Student Discussions/Forums
- Certificate of completion
- Pricing plans
- Customer support
Advantages and Disadvantages.
To get started, let's take a look at the main pros and cons of each online course platform.
Overall, Teachable is a cheaper option with less than
Teachable
Benefits
- Cheaper than Kajabi.
- Allows you to create course completion certificates.
- Offers the possibility to create certificates of completion natively.
- Extensive reporting and data analysis tools.
- Good ease of use and ease of creating online courses.
- Allows you to add course compliance options.
- Measures key performance indicators like sales and student engagement levels
- Allows you to accept payments in over 130 currencies and ensures that payers are PCI Level 1 compliant.
- The blog option to support your online business.
Disadvantages
- Not as scalable as Kajabi.
- The themes are not quite as good as Kajabi's.
- Marketing tools are not as powerful.
- Kajabi has better customer support.
Kajabi
Benefits
- 12 themes and more customizable than Teachable.
- More advanced marketing tools.
- Can create fully-fledged membership sites.
- Allows you to manage a complete course business.
- Provides a website and landing page builder.
- 24/7 live chat support.
- Great email automation features.
- Strong engagement tools such as surveys, quizzes, missions, etc.
- Flexible payment options for students.
Disadvantages
- No certificate of completion of courses in several languages
- Analytical tools are not as powerful as Teachable.
- More expensive option compared to Teachable.
- Not as easy to use as Teachable.
- Let's move on to the point-by-point comparison.
1. Creation of online courses.
The ease of creating courses is an essential criterion for choosing one of the course tools.
Teachable
Overall, Teachable is more user-friendly than Kajabi when it comes to uploading content. In the case of Teachable, you can start create online courses directly from the administration area.
Teachable's user-friendly dashboard allows you to easily enter details like the course title, subtitles, and author name, without any coding. You can also add a short introduction to the author.
Teachable also offers an integrated SEO section that you can use with the existing page editor.
Here's how it allows you to make SEO friendly additions and changes:
Teachable's course creation editor encourages you to make SEO friendly decisions, like creating:
- Friendly URLs
- Concise page titles
- Metadata descriptions in under 160 words
It also includes your brand image via thumbnails and promotional videos. Additionally, you can create the page you want students, teachers, or parents to end up on after making a purchase.
There are plenty of other options to help you manage:
- Course pages
- Curriculum
- Course compliance
- Price fixing
- Vouchers
- Contents of the package
- Reports and certificates
- Comments
- And more
You can edit and add items to all of these options in a few clicks, preview them, and finally publish your course. You can still make changes even after publishing the course.
Then, you can start by adding different types of content to your course lectures.
You can add many different types of content:
- Text content
- Upsells
- Quizs
- Code examples
- Custom code
You can also easily embed videos, images, PDFs, and audio files directly into your course. You can download files directly from your system or from other platforms like the web, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
Teachable only supports specific content types. That doesn't mean you can't add other types of content — however, you can only add them as downloadable files for your students rather than integrating them into courses.
Here is a list of all content types supported by Teachable :
Teachable also allows you to create up to 10 sales pages for your course, but you'll also need to create a main page.
If you don't like your course structure and want to replace it, you can simply delete the course by selecting it from the admin sidebar. However, be sure to do this before deleting a course, as deleted courses cannot be reinstated.
Kajabi
Kajabi also offers an easy-to-use dashboard that allows you to create courses, coaching programs, and membership sites without coding or a learning curve.
Like Teachable, it also allows you to integrate PDF files, videos, images, etc. into your courses directly from your device or any other web platform.
To start creating your course: Go to the top right corner of your Kajabi dashboard and click on the “New Product” option to start creating your course.
Kajabi lets you choose from six built-in templates, including a blank template that allows you to create a course from scratch.
You can select any of these three templates for creating courses :
- Mini course
- Online courses
- Evergreen training (provides a dropwise content option)
You can create categories, classifications, and segment your courses in a variety of ways. It also allows you to add positions and subcategories within higher classifications. This additional level helps you better structure your online course.
You can add media like ratings and videos into lessons, and you can also add an unlimited number of blog posts for each lesson you create.
On the home page of each lesson, you'll find details about student engagement to help you track student progress.
You can also add items like educational modules or blogs, assessments and quizzes, links to private articles, and more to each course.
🏆 Winner: Teachable
Teachable is more user-friendly when it comes to uploading content. It offers more flexibility as you can download different types of content in a single module.
Get started with Teachable for free
2. Themes and templates.
Pre-designed themes and templates allow you to create engaging sales pages, course readers, landing pages, and more. You can customize and publish them right away.
Teachable comes with a basic theme that allows you to customize your banner image, logo, content, font, color, etc.
Here's a quick overview of a theme you'll get with Teachable:
Overall, Teachable allows you to change the typography, colors, as well as the logo and background of this singular. That means you can always change it radically to fit your course, but you don't have a lot of options.
On the other hand, Kajabi offers 12 different themes suitable for any digital product, including webinars, online modules and lessons, membership sites, and more.
Simply choose a theme from the Kajabi dashboard, install it, and customize it to add your personal touch.
The Kajabi theme's extensive options also allow you to replace additional landing page building tools like ClickFunnels and email tools like ConvertKit.
🏆 Winner: Kajabi
Discover Kajabi ->
3. Webinars and video hosting.
Videos and webinars are the perfect ways to harness the power of online education. 5 billion videos are broadcast and watched every day on YouTube.
Both Kajabi and Teachable use Wistia for video hosting, and both provide.. :
- Unlimited course and video hosting
- High streaming quality
- Uninterrupted reading
- Possibility to adjust the quality of the video according to the quality of the viewer's Internet.
Teachable
Although Teachable does not have a native function webinar hosting, it's easy to use videos and webinars on its platform thanks to numerous third-party integrations.
Here are a few of them:
- Livestream
- Ustream
- Adobe Connect
- youtube
- Twitch.tv
The process of using any of these tools to stream or host videos is relatively the same.
First, select the course you want to embed your video or live stream in, then choose or create the course you want to embed your live stream in.
Incorporation is relatively easy. Simply scroll to the bottom of the live stream page and click “Show on the watch page.” Once you click on the “Share” option, you will find the integration option.
Teachable webinars help you sell an online course, reach students, build a comprehensive email list, and more.
There are also a variety of videos you can make using Teachable, including:
- Talking Head - In these videos, you sit back and have a pleasant conversation with the viewers. It can be formal or informal.
- Screencast - These videos allow you to record and share your activities with viewers. For example, it's the perfect way to show how to use a particular application.
- Slide presentations - These are similar to PowerPoint presentations, but with more features and allow you to give instructions easily.
Kajabi
Kajabi allows you to organize live webinars for free - without any additional integration.
Log in to your account and click on “Marketing” in the left sidebar.
You will have the option of using pipelines and will need to select “New Pipeline” in the top right corner.
In fact, you have two options for organizing webinars. If you're already paying for a Zoom integration, you can host videos or webinars through the Zoom Webinar OVO app.
The other way is to use YouTube. Click on “Legacy Pipeline” at the bottom of the page, then on the “Webinar” option.
Follow this video for the complete process:
Kajabi's free webinar hosting option gives you the ability to:
- Capture emails
- Create a thank you page
- Live
- Create sales pages
- Suggest offers during the checkout
Plus, with Kajabi, you can also opt for pre-recorded webinars.
🏆 Winner: Kajabi
Kajabi offers very comprehensive video hosting capabilities. Its Zoom integration and YouTube live features make it easy to create videos in various formats. Kajabi is the winner of this round.
Discover Kajabi ->
4. Sales and marketing.
The ultimate goal of any course business is to generate revenue. Without an effective marketing and sales plan, revenue can be below average. Both tools have marketing features, but which one is better?
Teachable
Teachable offers good marketing features, including multiple sales pages for a single course to target different customer segments through A/B testing.
Teachable offers courses that are optimized for conversion and allows you to place call to action (CTA) buttons anywhere on the page.
It also allows you to add upsell options to your thank you pages to increase the average value of your orders.
Teachable also provides all the basic email marketing features you need and you can access them by selecting the Emails option in your dashboard.
The email section allows you to send specific emails to segmented users and control which automatic email notifications you want to send to your students.
Kajabi
Kajabi also offers upsell and email marketing options.
When it comes to email marketing, Kajabi offers total control over email marketing campaigns and allows you to create email deliveries and email sequences. Therefore, it is not necessary to register for a email marketing software additional like AWeber or Mailchimp.
It can recommend a specific course of action, such as one-time email deliveries or multi-touch sequences, based on customer behavior.
You also get an intuitive visual editor that makes it easy to personalize and preview emails before they're sent. It allows you to enrich emails by adding differentiated elements such as countdowns, videos, and multiple levels of personalization.
In addition to adding triggers to emails, Kajabi also allows you to add triggers to opt-in forms.
Additionally, Kajabi offers ready-to-use pipelines that facilitate the expansion and automation of marketing activities.
With pre-built templates and funnels for marketing activities like lead generation, product launches, webinars, and more, you can quickly launch personalized marketing campaigns.
🏆 Winner: Teachable
Teachable is the clear winner due to its extensive email marketing functions, pre-built pipelines, and marketing automation.
Get started with Teachable for free
5. Data analysis.
Teachable offers a variety of reporting options. Simply select the “Reports” option on the left side of your dashboard.
You will be able to view reports based on:
- Completion of the conference
- Video statistics
- Quiz results
- Ranking tables
- Video engagement
These reports are then segmented based on factors such as paying students, discounted students, free students, and more.
Additionally, Teachable offers a seamless integration with Google Analytics that allows you to assess and measure key metrics and customer preferences.
Paid plans also offer integration with Facebook Pixels that capture sales page viewing events and buying events. Once your ads are set up, you can monitor the traffic and performance of your sales pages from the Facebook Ad Center.
Kajabi also provides an integrated data analytics platform that measures important metrics like churn rates, revenue, offers sold, subscription parameters, and more.
You also get progress reports and detailed, actionable business information. Clear, streamlined reports allow you to identify problem areas to eliminate them while focusing on areas that provide the maximum benefit.
Additionally, Kajabi offers a mobile application that allows you to track your progress anytime and anywhere.
🏆 Winner: Teachable
Teachable is the winner here because of its integration with various analytics tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixels. These features make it unnecessary to use analytics tools like ActiveCampaign.
Get started with Teachable for free
6. Student discussions and forums.
Whether it's traditional classroom instruction or digital learning, teacher-student discussions and peer interactions are indispensable. A discussion platform that is easy for students to use promotes understanding and bridges the gap that teachers and students may encounter in digital learning.
Teachable offers one of the best opportunities for transparent discussions between students on its platform.
Instructors can enable feedback on each learning session by simply clicking the button at the bottom.
Interested students can post comments, ask questions, solve problems, and communicate in general via the feedback box. You can also manage comment settings by clicking the buttons below.
Instructors can control, enable, and allow comment moderation, comment attachments, and response threads at multiple levels. Teachable facilitates communication by allowing instructors to post attachments and share links to feedback threads on various forums. Communication between peers from other classes is also possible.
The platform also allows instructors to perform specific checks and checks, including the power to remove comments from the public forum. Comments, once deleted, will not be recovered.
Kajabi meets the needs of student forums with its “Community” function. It allows holistic communications between peers and between peers and mentors to discuss, imagine, address, and solve problems.
The page administrator has the power to organize and prioritize communication flows so that students and teachers don't lose track in the middle of a discussion.
🏆 Winner: Draw
7. End of course certificates.
Teachable offers ready-to-use certificate templates that can be accessed directly from its dashboard.
You have three built-in templates as well as the option to create your own from scratch using custom codes.
While all templates are professional, you can still further customize them as you want.
Kajabi, on the other hand, doesn't allow you to create and share completion certificates natively. However, you can use its Zapier integrations and use any third-party application to create certificates and share them with your students.
🏆 Winner: Teachable
Get started with Teachable for free
8. Pricing
Price is one of the key deciding factors when it comes to choosing an online course tool. After all, extra features often don't make a difference if you don't have the necessary budget.
Let's see how Kajabi and Teachable are doing in terms of pricing.
Teachable offers very flexible payment plans for any need. You can sign up for annual plans or monthly plans.
Here are three Teachable pricing plans:
- Basic : $29 per month, billed annually
- Pro : $99 per month, billed annually
- Businesses : $249 per month, billed annually
The annual plans benefit from a discount of around 25% compared to the monthly plan.
Each plan has a unique target of customers. The basic plan is tailored for creating your first online course, while the business plan gives you the best Teachable experience.
Teachable also includes lots of features that are always available no matter what plans you use.
Each plan includes:
- Basic quiz
- Unlimited videos, courses, and hosting
- Holistic student management and course feedback
- The integrated payment processing platform
- VAT (value added tax) for the EU
- No charge for free courses
Teachable offers a free trial period so users can test the features and get used to the interface.
The free trial is one of the features that make Kajabi a great choice, too. Like Teachable, Kajabi also offers a free 14-day trial period so users can choose the plan that is most useful for them.
That said, all of Kajabi's plans are more expensive than Teachable's. It is therefore particularly important to check what they offer.
Here are Kajabi's pricing plans:
- Basic : $119 per month, billed annually
- Growth : $159 per month, billed annually.
- Pro plan : $319 per month billed annually
They benefit from a 20% discount compared to plans billed monthly.
Kajabi's basic plan comes with transaction fees, from which users of the other two plans are exempt. All plans are specially designed for a specific target population.
Some of its standard features include:
- Integration with payment gateways
- Email marketing and the ability to create email sequences
- Holistic product support
- Continuing course content
- Training course creators
- Automated marketing features
If you don't like the platform after making the payment, you can always ask for a refund as Kajabi offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Also, none of these tools offer a free plan.
🏆 Winner: Teachable
While it depends on your needs and budget, Teachable is the most affordable option. Kajabi is comparatively more expensive, and with Teachable, you get many of the same features, like unlimited videos, hosting, and basic quizzes. While not as effective for marketing or building an online course business, Teachable is more affordable.
Get started with Teachable for free
9. Support.
Teachable offers a “Help” button on the left side of the home page.
It offers customer support through:
- Livechat
- A rich knowledge repository and integrated tutorials.
The knowledge base is a unique treasure trove of information that contains documents and articles that present solutions to some of the most common problems you are likely to face. You'll find a wealth of information on account and billing issues, selling your course, integrations, student guidelines, and customizations.
For more personalized help, you can send targeted problem solving tickets. These tickets are processed and closed as soon as possible by Teachable experts.
For users who need immediate help, there is a livechat option.
Email responses are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, seven days a week. Livechat is available weekdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, only for members of the Professional Plan or higher.
When it comes to Kajabi, the most effective way to get help while using Kajabi is to visit the help center.
It contains numerous help articles that discuss many of the most common issues. It also allows users to view live training that can solve problems in real time.
You can also get in touch with support managers by:
- Send an email to the support team
- Livechat connection
The support team is generally quick to respond, allowing customers to resolve urgent business issues on the go.
For users of the Growth and Pro plans, Kajabi offers a 24/7 livechat, which is a nice differentiator.
Additionally, Kajabi facilitates the process of connecting with independent contractors if you need additional help. However, he does not claim responsibility for the service received from them.
🏆 Winner: Kajabi
Discover Kajabi ->
Summary
In this in-depth guide, I've tried to cover all the points you need to make a final choice between Kajabi and Teachable.
Overall, both platforms have their share of strengths and weaknesses.
While Teachable is better for course compliance, certificate creation, and pricing, Kajabi is stronger for sales pipelines, email marketing, course page creation, and automation.
Plus, Teachable is a great, cheaper option for people who are just starting out. It's also better suited to users who have already developed other aspects of their business, like automation and marketing.
That said, Teachable isn't very scalable. As soon as your business takes off, you will need to migrate to another platform like Kajabi.
While Kajabi is more powerful than Teachable in some ways and offers a lot more third-party integrations and features, business needs may vary.
Then there is the issue of price. Kajabi is more expensive but more advanced, while Teachable is simpler but more affordable.
In summary, the decision depends on the level of progress you want to give to your online course business and your budget.
To go further and discover other course tools, check out my guide Thinkific vs. Teachable and my complete review by Thinkific. And for a comparison of all platforms, read my guide to best online course platforms.
