Short answer
The best Kajabi alternatives for small course creators are platforms without Kajabi's $143 per month starting price. learnfrom.co has no monthly fee and charges $4.99 per enrolled student (dropping to $1.99 as you grow) with no transaction fees. Payhip has a free plan with a 5% fee per sale, and Teachable (from $29 per month), Podia (from $33 per month) and Thinkific (from €36 per month) are cheaper subscriptions. For community-led courses, Skool and Mighty Networks are the main options. Kajabi is still worth it if you need email marketing, funnels and coaching tools in one product.
Why small creators look for a Kajabi alternative
- The price comes before the first sale. Kajabi's Basic plan costs $143 per month billed annually, or $179 month to month. That's $1,716 a year before you've sold anything.
- Contact limits. Basic includes 2,500 contacts, and students count as contacts. Growing past that means a higher plan.
- Fees on third-party payments. If you use your own payment provider instead of Kajabi Payments, Kajabi adds 0.5% to 2% per sale depending on the plan.
- Features you may never use. Kajabi bundles email marketing, funnels, a website builder, coaching and community. If you just want to sell a course, you pay for all of it anyway.
Kajabi alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Starting price | Platform fee on sales | Entry-plan limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| learnfrom.co | $0 per month; $4.99 per new student, $3.49 after 250, $1.99 after 1,000 | None | Unlimited courses and students | Starting without a monthly bill |
| Payhip | Free; Plus $29/mo | 5% on Free, 2% on Plus | None | Courses plus digital downloads |
| Teachable | $29/mo (Starter) | 7.5% on Starter, 0% from $69/mo | 100 students on Starter | Student apps and affiliate tools |
| Podia | $33/mo | On lower plans | Plan-dependent | An all-in-one storefront with email |
| Thinkific | €36/mo (Basic) | None on paid plans | Unlimited students | Learning paths and business features |
| LearnWorlds | €24/mo (Starter) | €5 per enrollment on Starter | — | Interactive video and assessments |
| Skool | $9/mo (Hobby) | 10% on Hobby | None | Community-first memberships |
| Mighty Networks | $79/mo | 2% on Launch | None | Communities with native apps |
| Kajabi (for reference) | $143/mo billed annually | 0.5% to 2% on third-party payments | 2,500 contacts on Basic | An all-in-one marketing suite |
Stripe, PayPal and other payment processors charge their own processing fees on every platform. Those come on top of the figures above.
What one year costs a small creator
Example: 100 students buy a $99 course in a year, which is $9,900 in revenue. The table adds each platform's subscription and its fees on those sales, before payment processing.
| Platform | Plan | Subscription per year | Fees on sales | Total platform cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| learnfrom.co | Pay per student | $0 | $499 | $499 |
| Payhip | Free plan | $0 | $495 | $495 |
| Teachable | Starter (100-student limit) | $348 | $742.50 | $1,090.50 |
| Skool | Hobby | $108 | $990 | $1,098 |
| Mighty Networks | Launch | $948 | $198 | $1,146 |
| Kajabi | Basic, billed annually, Kajabi Payments | $1,716 | $0 | $1,716 |
With your own payment provider instead of Kajabi Payments, Kajabi Basic adds 2%, which is $198 more. The cheapest option depends on your numbers. A $29 per month plan with no transaction fee costs less than learnfrom once you enroll more than about 69 new students a year, while learnfrom costs nothing in a month without new students. A percentage fee costs less than learnfrom's $4.99 per student only for courses priced under about $100.
Which Kajabi alternative fits you
- You're launching your first course: pick a platform with no monthly fee, such as learnfrom.co or Payhip's free plan, so you don't pay before you have students.
- Your course costs $100 or more: a flat per-student fee keeps your cost the same as your price goes up, while a percentage fee grows with it.
- Your community is the product: Skool or Mighty Networks are built around discussions and memberships, with courses as part of it.
- You train employees or need formal assessments: Thinkific and LearnWorlds have features such as SCORM, learning paths and certificates for corporate training.
- You want email marketing, funnels and coaching in one place: Kajabi or Podia may be worth paying for.
How learnfrom.co compares to Kajabi
- No subscription: creating and publishing courses is free. You pay $4.99 when a new student enrolls, $3.49 after 250 students and $1.99 after 1,000.
- No transaction fees: you're paid directly through your own Stripe or PayPal account, and learnfrom takes no share of your sales.
- No limits: unlimited courses, students and features, including custom domains, quizzes, certificates and team members.
- Focused on courses: there's no built-in email marketing or funnel builder. You can connect your email tool through Zapier instead.
See the full learnfrom vs Kajabi comparison, or estimate your own costs with the course profit simulator.
Moving from Kajabi
- Collect your original videos and files, and export your student list from Kajabi as a CSV file.
- Create your courses, modules and lessons on the new platform and upload your content.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal so payments go straight to you.
- Connect your own domain if you want to keep your brand. See how to sell courses on your own domain.
- Invite your existing students by email so they get access to the course again.
On learnfrom.co, each student you bring over counts as a new enrollment at the per-student rate. Want help? We can move your courses for you.
Figures reflect the pricing we found on each platform's website as of October 2026. Plans change, so confirm current pricing before you decide.