Kajabi vs Skool 2026: The Real Cost of Each, Like for Like

Some links on this page may earn us a commission. Neither Kajabi nor Skool pays for placement, and no vendor can buy a better verdict. How we make money.

Kajabi vs Skool is now the most searched Kajabi comparison, and for good reason. Skool Pro costs $99 a month. Kajabi Basic costs $179 a month, or $143 billed yearly. So Skool is cheaper. But they are not the same kind of tool, and that changes the real bill.

Kajabi is an all-in-one: courses, email marketing, a website and a community. Skool is a community with courses inside it. Below I price both like for like, at real sales levels, with prices checked on 4 November 2026.

Price at a glance

Verified on kajabi.com/pricing and skool.com/pricing, 4 Nov 2026. Skool yearly prices confirmed on its own page on our 6 Nov re-check.

kajabi.com/pricing

skool.com/pricing

What you pay at your sales level

The fee is where these tools really differ. Here is the monthly cost on monthly billing, counting each platform’s percentage fee and card processing (the 30¢ per sale is left out because it is the same on all three):

Because both Kajabi and Skool Pro pay about 2.9% on sales, the gap between them never changes. It is the plan price: $80 a month on monthly billing, or $61 on yearly.

On yearly billing

Paying a year up front, Kajabi Basic is $1,716 a year. Skool Pro is $984 and Skool Hobby about $90, using the yearly prices on Skool’s page. That puts Skool Pro $732 a year below Kajabi Basic before any fees.

Members are not contacts: the free-member trap

This is the difference most comparisons miss. Kajabi counts every person in your account as a contact, including free members and free sign-ups. Skool has no cap on members on either plan.

So picture a common model: a free community of 3,000 people with a $29 paid tier inside it. Say 100 people pay. That is $2,900 a month in sales.

Our arithmetic from prices verified 4 Nov 2026. The 30¢ per payment applies to both and is left out.

In this setup, Skool saves $150 a month, or $1,800 a year. The bigger your free community grows, the more this matters, because Kajabi’s price follows your contact count and Skool’s does not.

The fair comparison: add what Skool lacks

Skool has no email marketing and no website. If you need both, add them. Here is a like-for-like stack at 1,000 email subscribers, billed yearly:

Even with a paid email tool, Skool comes out $27.50 to $43.40 a month cheaper. That is $330 to $520 a year. A simple one-page site on a tool like Carrd adds about $19 a year, so the gap barely moves.

Three real businesses, priced on both

1. A free community to grow an audience

Skool Hobby: $9 a month. Kajabi Basic: $179 on monthly billing, and only up to 2,500 members. For a free group, Skool costs about 5% of the Kajabi price.

2. A $47 membership with 50 members and one starter course

That is $2,350 a month in sales. Skool Pro: $99 plus about $68 in fees, so about $167. Kajabi Basic: $179 plus about $68 in card fees, so about $247. Skool saves $80 a month. Add Kit Creator for email and Skool is still about $41 a month cheaper on monthly billing.

3. A coach selling three courses and 1:1 coaching from a website

This is where Kajabi fits. Basic includes the website, sales pages, checkout, email and five products. To match it with Skool, you would add an email tool and a website, and Skool is built around one community rather than a store of separate products. Kajabi Basic at $143 a month billed yearly is the simpler choice here.

Feature by feature, for the money

Community

Community is Skool’s core product. Discussions, courses and live calls live in one clean space, with unlimited members. Kajabi includes one community on Basic and Growth, and three on Pro. It works, but it is one part of a bigger tool.

Courses

Skool allows unlimited courses inside the community. Kajabi Basic allows five products in total, and a community counts as one of them. If you plan many small courses, Skool is roomier.

Email marketing

Kajabi includes email with unlimited sends, up to your contact limit. Skool can message members, but it is not a newsletter or sales-email tool. Most Skool owners add Kit or MailerLite.

Website and sales pages

Kajabi includes a full website with landing pages and a blog. Skool does not. Your Skool group page acts as your sales page, which is enough for many community businesses and not enough for a content-led brand.

Payments

Skool runs payments itself and its fee includes processing. Kajabi takes no fee with Kajabi Payments, but card processing applies. At the same sales, Skool Pro and Kajabi end up paying about the same 2.9%.

When Kajabi is worth the extra money

• You sell from your own website. Sales pages, a blog, landing pages and checkout in one place.
• Email is how you sell. Kajabi’s email is built in, with your products and students in the same database.
• Several product types. Courses, coaching, digital downloads and a community under one brand.
• You hate tool juggling. One login, one bill, one support team.

When Skool is the better buy

• Community first. Discussions, live calls and member engagement are the product.
• Large or growing membership. Skool has no member cap. Kajabi Basic stops at 2,500 contacts.
• Free community. Hobby at $9 a month is hard to beat when you don’t charge.
• Many courses. Skool allows unlimited courses; Kajabi Basic allows five products.

Not set on either? Compare Skool vs Circle, or Kajabi vs Thinkific if courses matter more than community.

Which one fits your situation

Switching between them

If you are on Kajabi and thinking of Skool, the hard part is your members, not your content. Members create new Skool accounts, and paid members usually re-enter their card. Export your contacts first, move your email list to a separate email tool, then invite members with a clear date and a short overlap. Going the other way, from Skool to Kajabi, the steps are the same in reverse.

Other options worth a look

• Circle Professional: $89 a month billed yearly. A more designed, branded community with live streams, plus a 2% fee. See Skool vs Circle.
• Thinkific Start + Kit: $115. If courses matter more than community. See Kajabi vs Thinkific.
• Systeme.io: free to start. Courses, email and funnels on one cheap tool. See Systeme.io pricing.

Questions to ask before you choose

1. What do members pay for? Belonging and access point to Skool. Products and content point to Kajabi.
2. How big will my free audience get? On Kajabi, free members count toward your contact limit.
3. Do I need a website? If your sales happen on your own pages and blog, Kajabi saves you a separate tool.
4. How do I sell? If email drives your sales, Kajabi’s built-in email is a real plus. On Skool, budget for an email tool.
5. How many courses? Skool allows unlimited courses. Kajabi Basic stops at five products.

How we compared

We checked kajabi.com/pricing and skool.com/pricing on 4 November 2026. We re-checked both pages on 6 November, when Skool’s yearly toggle showed $7.50 and $82 a month. Every total on this page is our own arithmetic. We left the 30¢ per payment out of the tables because it applies to both.

Three creators, three answers

Maya: a free community of 1,200, with plans to charge later

Skool Hobby. At $9 a month, she can grow the group for a year for about $108. When she adds a paid tier and passes about $1,268 a month, she moves to Pro.

Omar: a $79 mastermind with 40 members and weekly calls

Skool Pro. His sales are about $3,160 a month. Pro costs $99 plus about $92 in fees. Kajabi Basic would cost $179 plus the same card fees. The business is the group, so he does not need Kajabi’s website.

Leah: three courses, a blog and email-led launches

Kajabi Basic. She sells from her own site and her emails. On Skool she would add an email tool and a website and still lack a store for separate products. Kajabi’s $143 a month billed yearly keeps it all together.

Our verdict

If your business is a community, Skool is the better buy. Skool Pro costs $80 a month less than Kajabi Basic on monthly billing at every sales level, because both pay about 2.9% on sales. Add a paid email tool and Skool is still cheaper. And with no cap on members, Skool avoids the jump that Kajabi’s contact limit forces on large free communities. In our 3,000-member example, that saved $1,800 a year.

Kajabi is the better buy when your business is a content brand. If you sell several products from your own website, with email doing the selling, Kajabi keeps everything in one place. That saves you real setup time and stops tools breaking apart.

So ask one question: what do my customers pay for? If they pay to belong to a group, pick Skool. If they pay for products they find through your site and emails, pick Kajabi. Most coaches I advise fall in the first group.

Kajabi vs Skool FAQs

Is Skool cheaper than Kajabi?

Yes. Skool Pro is $99 a month against $179 for Kajabi Basic on monthly billing. Both pay about 2.9% per sale, so Skool stays $80 a month cheaper at any sales level.

Can Skool replace Kajabi?

For a community-led business, often yes. Skool lacks email marketing and a website builder, so you may add an email tool. Even then it costs less.

Does Kajabi have a community feature?

Yes. Every Kajabi plan includes a community: one on Basic and Growth, three on Pro.

Which has lower transaction fees, Kajabi or Skool?

About the same on Skool Pro (2.9% + 30¢, processing included) and Kajabi (0% Kajabi fee plus card processing of about 2.9% + 30¢). Skool Hobby is much higher at 10% + 30¢.

Do Kajabi and Skool have free trials?

Both offer 14-day free trials. Kajabi asks for a card.

How much is Kajabi vs Skool per year?

Billed yearly: Kajabi Basic is $1,716. Skool Pro is $984 and Skool Hobby about $90, billed yearly.

Do free members count toward Kajabi’s contact limit?

Yes. Kajabi counts everyone in your account as a contact, including free members and sign-ups. Skool has no member limit.

Can I use Skool and Kajabi together?

You can, but you would pay for both. Most people pick one and add a cheap email tool if they choose Skool.

Is Skool good for selling courses?

Yes, if the course lives inside a community. Skool allows unlimited courses on both plans. For a store of separate products with sales pages, Kajabi fits better.