Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi all sell “build and sell your course” software, but they price themselves very differently once you look past the entry-level number: Teachable charges a 7.5% transaction fee on its cheapest tier and 0% above it, Thinkific charges no plan-level transaction fee but has a noticeably higher base price, and Kajabi bundles email marketing and a full website into every tier. This comparison covers each platform’s current plans, pricing, and processing fees as published on their own sites.
At a Glance
| Platform | Entry plan (annual) | Transaction fee | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable | Starter, $29/mo | 7.5% on Starter; 0% on Builder and above (via Teachable Payments) | Trial length unclear — page shows both 7-day and 30-day messaging | Creators who want the cheapest entry point and will upgrade once revenue justifies 0% fees |
| Thinkific | Start, $82/mo | None at the plan level; Thinkific Payments charges 2.9% processing, third-party gateways add a separate fee | 30 days | Creators who want no plan-level transaction fee from day one and don’t mind a higher base price |
| Kajabi | Basic, $143/mo | No revenue share; card processing 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic), improving to 2.7% + 30¢ on Pro | 14 days | Creators who want an all-in-one website, email marketing, and course platform in one subscription |
Short Verdict
Teachable is the cheapest way to start selling a course today, but that 7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan means it’s really a “pay more once you’re making money” model — at meaningful volume, the Builder plan’s 0% fee (at $69/mo annual) usually pays for itself quickly. Thinkific has no plan-level transaction fee on any tier, including its base Start plan, which makes its $82/mo entry price easier to justify once you do the math against Teachable’s 7.5% cut. Kajabi is priced as a bundle: you’re not just buying a course platform, you’re buying email marketing, funnels, and a website builder in the same subscription, which is why its entry price is the highest of the three but may replace two or three other tools you’d otherwise be paying for separately.
What Each One Actually Includes
Teachable‘s Starter plan ($29/mo annual, $39/mo monthly) allows up to 5 products, 1 admin user, 1TB of video storage, AI course-creation tools, and global payments and tax handling — but charges a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale. Builder ($69/mo annual) removes that fee entirely (when using Teachable’s own payment processor), adds an affiliate program and more integrations. Growth ($139/mo annual) adds more admin seats, custom certificates, and removes Teachable’s branding. On top of any plan fee, Teachable’s payment processing runs 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards (3.9% + 30¢ international), separate from the plan-level transaction fee.
Thinkific‘s Start plan ($82/mo annual, $109/mo monthly) includes unlimited courses, live cohorts, quizzes, assignments, certificates, and membership/subscription selling, with no plan-level transaction fee at any tier. Its own processor, Thinkific Payments, charges a flat 2.9% processing fee; using Stripe or PayPal instead adds an extra third-party gateway fee that varies by plan (Thinkific doesn’t list the exact amount on its pricing page). Grow ($164/mo annual) removes Thinkific branding and adds communities, bulk enrollment, and API access; Expand ($374/mo annual) adds much higher video bandwidth, more communities, and revenue sharing across up to 10 partners.
Kajabi‘s Basic plan ($143/mo annual, $179/mo monthly) includes 2,500 contacts, 5 products, one website and one community, unlimited email sends, landing pages, and funnels, plus checkout — Kajabi takes no revenue share on any plan, but its own card processing runs 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, dropping to 2.8% + 30¢ on Growth and 2.7% + 30¢ on Pro. Growth ($199/mo annual) raises the contact limit to 25,000, adds live cohort courses, advanced automations, and an affiliate program. Pro ($399/mo annual) raises contacts to 100,000, adds a branded mobile app and full API access, and drops the outside-processor fee to 0.5%.
Pricing Breakdown
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Transaction/processing fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | $39 | $29 | 7.5% + standard card processing |
| Teachable Builder | $89 | $69 | 0% + standard card processing |
| Teachable Growth | $189 | $139 | 0% + standard card processing |
| Thinkific Start | $109 | $82 | None at plan level; 2.9% via Thinkific Payments |
| Thinkific Grow | $219 | $164 | None at plan level; 2.9% via Thinkific Payments |
| Thinkific Expand | $499 | $374 | None at plan level; 2.9% via Thinkific Payments |
| Kajabi Basic | $179 | $143 | No revenue share; 2.9% + 30¢ card processing |
| Kajabi Growth | $249 | $199 | No revenue share; 2.8% + 30¢ card processing |
| Kajabi Pro | $499 | $399 | No revenue share; 2.7% + 30¢ card processing |
Pros
- Teachable: The lowest entry price of the three, with a clear upgrade path once 0% transaction fees make financial sense.
- Thinkific: No plan-level transaction fee on any tier, including the entry plan — what you see on the pricing page is the whole plan cost.
- Kajabi: Replaces email marketing, funnels, and website-building tools you’d otherwise pay for separately, with processing fees that improve as you move up tiers.
Cons
- Teachable: The 7.5% Starter fee stacks on top of standard card processing fees, which can erode margin quickly at low price points before you’re ready to justify the Builder plan’s cost.
- Thinkific: The highest entry price of the three for a first-time creator, and third-party gateway fees (Stripe/PayPal) aren’t clearly quantified on its own pricing page.
- Kajabi: The highest entry price overall, and the lowest contact/product limits on Basic may force an early upgrade for anyone building an email list alongside their course.
Who It’s a Good Fit For
Choose Teachable if you’re just starting out and want the lowest possible monthly cost while you validate demand, accepting the transaction fee as a cost of testing the waters. Choose Thinkific if you’d rather pay a flat, predictable monthly fee with no percentage cut on sales from day one. Choose Kajabi if you’re planning to run email marketing, landing pages, and a course from one platform rather than stitching together separate tools, and the higher price offsets what you’d otherwise pay for an email service provider and page builder separately.
Bottom Line
There’s no universal winner here — the right platform depends on whether you’re optimizing for the lowest starting cost (Teachable), the most predictable fee structure (Thinkific), or the broadest all-in-one marketing stack (Kajabi). Run your expected sales volume through each platform’s actual fee structure before committing, since the “cheapest” plan on the pricing page isn’t always the cheapest once transaction and processing fees are factored in.
