On this page
- The two plans side by side
- What you pay at your list size
- The cost over a full year of growth
- A real decision, start to finish
- What each one does better
- Feature by feature, for the money
- Hidden costs on each side
- If you are moving from one to the other
- Which one should you pick?
- How both prices have changed this year
- Other options worth a look
- Questions to ask before you choose
- How we compared
- Three creators, three answers
- The worst spot: just past 2,500 contacts
- Our verdict
- Kajabi vs Thinkific FAQs
Some links on this page may earn us a commission. Neither Kajabi nor Thinkific pays for placement here. How we make money.
Kajabi vs Thinkific is one of the questions clients ask me most. The honest answer used to be “it depends”. Since Thinkific retired its $40 Basic plan on 26 October 2026, the math is simpler: Thinkific plus an email tool costs less than Kajabi at every list size we tested.
The fair comparison is not plan vs plan. Kajabi includes email marketing. Thinkific doesn’t. So I compare Kajabi against Thinkific plus Kit, the email tool most course creators pair with it. All prices checked on 3–4 November 2026.
Thinkific Start + Kit Creator: $115 a month billed yearly at 1,000 contacts. Kajabi Basic: $143. Thinkific saves $294 to $614 a year depending on list size. Kajabi wins on convenience: one tool, one bill.
The two plans side by side
| Kajabi Basic | Thinkific Start | |
|---|---|---|
| Billed yearly | $143/mo | $82/mo |
| Billed monthly | $179/mo | $109/mo |
| Courses / products | 5 products | Unlimited courses |
| Students | Within 2,500 contacts | Unlimited |
| Email marketing | Built in, unlimited sends | Basic; add Kit or MailerLite |
| Platform fee | 0% with Kajabi Payments | 0% |
| Website | Included | Included |
| Free trial | 14 days, card required | Free trial |
Sources: kajabi.com/pricing and thinkific.com/pricing, US visitor, checked 3–4 Nov 2026.
What you pay at your list size
Monthly cost on yearly billing. Kit Creator costs $33, $65.83 and $92.50 a month at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers.
| Your contacts | 1,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | $143 Basic | $199 Growth | $199 Growth |
| Thinkific Start + Kit | $115.00 | $147.83 | $174.50 |
| Kajabi costs more by | $336/yr | $614/yr | $294/yr |
Card fees (about 2.9% + 30¢) apply to both and are left out.
Why the gap peaks at 5,000 contacts
At 2,501 contacts Kajabi pushes you from Basic to Growth. That is a $56 jump overnight. Kit grows in smaller steps. So the gap widens first, then shrinks again as your list grows.
Paying monthly instead
At 1,000 contacts on monthly billing, Kajabi is $179. Thinkific Start ($109) plus Kit Creator ($39) is $148. Kajabi costs $31 more each month.
The tightest budget
Kit’s free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with one automation. Thinkific Start plus Kit Free is $82 against $143 for Kajabi. That saves $732 a year, if a single welcome sequence is enough for now.
Paying monthly at every list size
Not everyone wants to pay a year up front. Here is the same comparison on monthly billing, using Kit Creator’s monthly prices ($39, $79 and $111):
| Your contacts | 1,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | $179 Basic | $249 Growth | $249 Growth |
| Thinkific Start + Kit | $148 | $188 | $220 |
| Kajabi costs more by | $31/mo | $61/mo | $29/mo |
Monthly billing, prices verified 3–4 Nov 2026. Card fees left out.
Using MailerLite instead of Kit
Kit is the popular pairing, but it is not the cheapest. MailerLite Comfort costs $17.10 a month billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers. Thinkific Start plus MailerLite is $99.10 a month. Against Kajabi Basic, that saves about $527 a year. You give up Kit’s large free plan and its creator-friendly editor, but you get 50 automations for less.
The cost over a full year of growth
Prices on a pricing page are a snapshot. Your list is not. So let’s price a realistic first year: you start with 1,400 contacts and pass 2,500 in month five after a launch, ending the year near 3,000.
| Months 1–4 | Months 5–12 | Year total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | Basic, $143 × 4 | Growth, $199 × 8 | $2,164 |
| Thinkific Start + Kit Creator | $147.83 × 4 | $147.83 × 8 | at most $1,774 |
Our arithmetic at yearly-billing rates. To stay safe, we priced Kit at its 5,000-subscriber rate ($65.83) for the whole year, because we did not verify Kit’s price between 1,000 and 5,000. The real Kit cost will be lower.
Even with that cautious math, Thinkific plus Kit saves at least $390 in the first year. With Kit priced at its real tier, the saving will be bigger.
A real decision, start to finish
Last month a fitness coach I work with (I’ll call him Daniel) had both trials open. He had 1,400 email contacts and three courses planned. Kajabi felt easier. Thinkific looked cheaper.
We wrote down his next twelve months. He planned a launch that would likely push him past 2,500. On Kajabi that meant Growth by month four. Over the year, Thinkific plus Kit came out clearly cheaper. He picked Thinkific and put the savings into ads.
The lesson: price the plan you will need in six months, not the one you need today.
What each one does better
- Unlimited courses and students
- Lower cost at every list size
- Your email list lives in a separate tool, so switching later is easy
- Email and courses in one database
- One login, one bill, one support team
- Polished pages and checkout out of the box
Feature by feature, for the money
Price is only half of the decision. Here is what each dollar buys you on the two entry plans.
Courses and students
Thinkific Start allows unlimited courses and unlimited students. Kajabi Basic allows five products, and every student counts toward your 2,500 contacts. If you plan a library of courses, Thinkific’s limits are far more relaxed.
Email marketing
Kajabi includes email with unlimited sends, up to your contact limit. Thinkific’s email is basic, so you add a tool. The upside of a separate tool: your list lives outside your course platform. If you ever switch platforms, your list does not move.
Website and pages
Both include a website on your own domain. Kajabi’s pages are more polished out of the box. Thinkific is fine for a course site but less of a full marketing site.
Community
Both plans include community features. Kajabi Basic includes one community. Thinkific Start includes communities and memberships. If community is the heart of your business, also look at Skool, which is cheaper still.
Payments and fees
Neither takes a cut of sales: Kajabi with Kajabi Payments, Thinkific on every plan. Card processing of about 2.9% + 30¢ applies on both. One source reports that Kajabi adds a surcharge if you connect your own Stripe account. Ask Kajabi before you do.
Team
Kajabi Basic includes 2 admin users. If you work with a VA and a co-host, you may run out of seats. Check Thinkific’s plan page for its seat limits if a team will share the account.
Hidden costs on each side
| Kajabi | Thinkific |
|---|---|
| The jump to Growth at 2,501 contacts (+$672 a year) | A separate email tool ($0 to $92.50 a month) |
| A sixth product also means Growth | The pull to upgrade to Grow (+$984 a year) |
| Reported surcharge on your own Stripe account | Two bills and two logins to manage |
If you are moving from one to the other
Many people reading this already use one of them. Moving costs time, not just money. Plan for these steps:
- Export your contacts and buyer lists before you cancel anything.
- Re-upload course videos and files. Course content rarely moves across in one click.
- Rebuild your checkout and test it with a real purchase.
- Move subscriptions and payment plans carefully. Active billing often cannot be transferred, so ask both platforms how they handle it.
- Keep the old plan for one overlap month so nothing breaks for students.
For most solo creators, a move takes a few weekends. If your yearly saving is only a few hundred dollars, weigh it against that time.
Which one should you pick?
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want one tool and hate setup | Kajabi | Worth about $28 a month extra at 1,000 contacts |
| Your list will grow past 2,500 this year | Thinkific + Kit | Avoids the jump to Growth; saves $294–614 a year |
| Many courses, many students | Thinkific | No caps on courses or students |
| Tightest budget | Thinkific + Kit Free | $82 vs $143; saves $732 a year |
Put your own numbers into the course platform cost calculator. It adds Teachable and Podia too.
How both prices have changed this year
-
Basic retired for new customers. Entry price up from $40 to $82 a month billed yearly. Details.
-
The $69 Kickstarter plan closed to new customers. Entry price now $143 a month billed yearly.
Both platforms removed their cheap entry plan in 2026. That is why this comparison now starts at $82 and $143, not $40 and $69. It is also why cheaper tools, like Teachable Starter and Systeme.io, get more attention from first-time creators.
Other options worth a look
If neither feels right, here are the setups we see most often at a similar job, per month billed yearly at 1,000 contacts:
- Teachable Builder + Kit Creator: $102. 10 products, 0% fee. See Teachable pricing.
- Podia Shaker: $98. $84 plus $14 for 1,000 email subscribers, 0% fee, 150 products. See Podia pricing.
- Systeme.io Webinar: about $39. 10,000 contacts, 20 courses, email and funnels. See Systeme.io pricing.
Questions to ask before you choose
- How many contacts will I have in six months? If the answer is over 2,500, price Kajabi Growth, not Basic.
- How many products will I sell this year? More than five rules out Kajabi Basic.
- Do I already pay for an email tool? If yes, Thinkific’s cost is only $82.
- How much do I hate setup? Be honest. If you will never connect two tools, Kajabi’s price buys you peace.
- Will I want to leave one day? A separate email tool makes leaving any course platform easier.
How we compared
We checked kajabi.com/pricing and thinkific.com/pricing as a US visitor on 3 and 4 November 2026, and Kit’s prices at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers on 3 November. Every total on this page is our own arithmetic from those prices. We left card processing out of the tables because it is about the same on both. We have no partnership that changes these numbers. See our affiliate disclosure.
Three creators, three answers
The same two tools can be the right pick for different people. Here is how I would advise three common situations:
Ana: 800 contacts, two courses, hates tech
Kajabi Basic. She will stay under 2,500 contacts for a while and under five products. One login is worth more to her than $28 a month. She should still re-check her contact count every quarter.
Ben: 4,000 contacts, six courses, growing fast
Thinkific Start + Kit Creator. On Kajabi he would already need Growth at $199, and his six courses break Basic’s five-product limit. Thinkific plus Kit costs at most about $148 a month billed yearly at his size and has room to grow.
Chloe: 300 contacts, first course, $50 a month budget
Neither, for now. Both entry plans are above her budget. Teachable Starter at $29 or Systeme.io’s free plan lets her test the idea. If the course sells, she can move to Thinkific later with real numbers.
The worst spot: just past 2,500 contacts
The gap between these two tools is largest right after you cross Kajabi’s Basic limit. At 2,600 contacts, Kajabi needs Growth at $199 a month billed yearly. Thinkific Start plus Kit costs no more than $147.83, even at Kit’s 5,000-subscriber price. That is at least $51 a month, or $614 a year, for the same list. If your list is near 2,500 today, this is the number to plan around.
Our verdict
On price alone, Thinkific wins. Thinkific Start plus Kit Creator costs less than Kajabi at every list size we checked: $336 a year less at 1,000 contacts, $614 at 5,000 and $294 at 10,000, billed yearly. Pair Thinkific with MailerLite or Kit’s free plan and the gap gets wider.
Thinkific also gives you more room. Unlimited courses and unlimited students mean you will not hit a wall as you add products. Kajabi’s five-product and 2,500-contact limits on Basic push many creators to Growth within their first year.
Kajabi’s case is convenience, and it is a real one. Email, courses, website and checkout share one login and one database. Tags, purchases and emails all live in the same place. For a creator who hates setup and wants one support team, paying about $28 a month more at 1,000 contacts can be worth it.
So here is my rule. If your list will stay small and you value one tool, pick Kajabi. If you plan to grow your list, build several courses or keep costs low, pick Thinkific with an email tool. And whichever you choose, price the plan you will need in six months, not today.
Kajabi vs Thinkific FAQs
Is Thinkific cheaper than Kajabi?
Yes. Thinkific Start is $82 a month billed yearly against $143 for Kajabi Basic. Even after adding Kit for email, Thinkific stays cheaper at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 contacts.
Can I still get Thinkific Basic?
No. Thinkific retired it for new customers on 26 October 2026. See what changed.
Does Thinkific include email marketing?
Only basic course emails. For newsletters and sales sequences, most creators add Kit or MailerLite.
Which is easier to leave later?
Thinkific plus a separate email tool. Your list lives in Kit, so moving course platforms doesn’t touch it.
Do Kajabi and Thinkific charge transaction fees?
Neither charges its own fee (Kajabi with Kajabi Payments). Card processing of about 2.9% + 30¢ applies on both.
Is Kajabi worth the extra cost over Thinkific?
Only if you value having email, courses and your website in one tool. On price, Thinkific Start plus Kit Creator is $336 a year cheaper at 1,000 contacts, billed yearly.
Which is better for many courses, Kajabi or Thinkific?
Thinkific. Start allows unlimited courses and students. Kajabi Basic allows five products and 2,500 contacts.
What is the cheapest way to run Thinkific with email?
Thinkific Start ($82 a month billed yearly) with Kit’s free plan. For more automations, MailerLite Comfort adds $17.10 a month at 1,000 subscribers.
Did Kajabi and Thinkific both raise prices in 2026?
Both removed their cheapest plan. Kajabi closed the $69 Kickstarter plan in January 2026. Thinkific retired its $40 Basic plan on 26 October 2026.
Is Kajabi or Thinkific better for beginners?
Kajabi is easier because everything is in one place. Thinkific is cheaper. If budget is tight, also look at Teachable Starter or Systeme.io’s free plan.
Amanat Mossalli Taju
Amanat has spent 6+ years on the strategy side of digital businesses, working with 175+ brands including SaaS companies like Tactiq, Restoke.ai and WeMoney on pricing and growth. He checks every number on PricingVerified against the vendor's own pricing page.
