Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi: Online Course Platform Review 2025

The online education market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2025, making it crucial for educators and entrepreneurs to choose the right platform. After creating and launching courses across Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi for multiple clients over the past three years, I'll provide a comprehensive comparison to help you make the best choice for your online course business.

Testing Methodology

To ensure this comparison provides accurate insights, I conducted extensive testing including:

• Creating identical courses across all three platforms
• Testing student experience and engagement features
• Analyzing sales performance and conversion rates
• Evaluating marketing tools and automation capabilities
• Assessing customer support quality and response times
• Comparing pricing structures and total cost of ownership

Teachable Review: The Course Selling Specialist

Platform Overview

Teachable has positioned itself as a pure course creation and selling platform. It focuses on providing creators with the tools they need to build, market, and sell online courses without unnecessary complexity.

Key Strengths

• User-Friendly Course Builder: Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for course creation
• Powerful Sales Tools: Built-in sales pages, checkout process, and payment handling
• Student Analytics: Detailed insights into student progress and engagement
• Mobile App: Dedicated mobile app for student course consumption
• Affiliate Marketing: Built-in affiliate program management
• Course Compliance: SCORM compliance for corporate training
• White-label Options: Remove Teachable branding on higher plans

Performance Results

Pricing Structure

• Basic Plan: $59/month + 5% transaction fees
• Pro Plan: $199/month + 0% transaction fees
• Pro+ Plan: $665/month + 0% transaction fees
• Business Plan: $2,000/month + 0% transaction fees

Limitations

• Limited marketing automation features
• No built-in website builder
• Basic email marketing capabilities
• Higher transaction fees on entry-level plan
• Limited customization options for course pages

Thinkific Review: The Beginner-Friendly Option

Platform Overview

Thinkific started as a course platform for universities and has evolved into a comprehensive solution for creators. It offers a generous free plan and focuses on providing excellent value for money.

Key Strengths

• Free Plan Available: Robust free tier with unlimited courses and students
• Excellent Course Builder: Advanced course structure with chapters, lessons, and assessments
• Community Features: Built-in discussion forums and student interaction tools
• Learning Path Builder: Create structured learning journeys across multiple courses
• Advanced Quizzing: Comprehensive quiz and assessment capabilities
• Student Reporting: Detailed progress tracking and completion analytics
• No Transaction Fees: Keep 100% of your course revenue on all plans

Performance Results

Pricing Structure

• Free Plan: $0/month (unlimited courses, basic features)
• Basic Plan: $49/month (remove Thinkific branding, email integrations)
• Start Plan: $99/month (advanced customization, priority support)
• Grow Plan: $199/month (advanced integrations, white-label mobile app)
• Expand Plan: $499/month (advanced reporting, bulk enrollment)

Unique Features

• Assignments and Projects: Students can submit work for instructor review
• Live Lessons: Schedule and conduct live webinars within courses
• Course Import: Import courses from other platforms easily
• White-label Mobile App: Custom-branded mobile app for your courses

Limitations

• Limited marketing automation compared to all-in-one platforms
• Basic email marketing features
• No built-in payment plan options on lower tiers
• Website integration requires external solutions

Kajabi Review: The All-in-One Business Platform

Platform Overview

Kajabi positions itself as a complete business platform for knowledge entrepreneurs. Beyond course creation, it provides website building, email marketing, sales funnels, and business analytics in one integrated solution.

Key Strengths

• Complete Business Platform: Courses, website, marketing, and sales in one place
• Advanced Marketing Automation: Sophisticated email sequences and behavioral triggers
• Website Builder: Professional website creation with templates and customization
• Sales Pipeline Management: Track leads and conversion throughout the customer journey
• Landing Page Builder: High-converting landing pages with A/B testing
• Membership Site Builder: Create recurring subscription communities
• Advanced Analytics: Comprehensive business intelligence and revenue tracking
• Mobile App: Branded mobile app for course delivery

Performance Results

Pricing Structure

• Basic Plan: $149/month (3 products, 3 pipelines, 1,000 contacts)
• Growth Plan: $199/month (15 products, 15 pipelines, 10,000 contacts)
• Pro Plan: $399/month (100 products, 100 pipelines, 25,000 contacts)

Advanced Features

• Assessment Builder: Create comprehensive tests and certifications
• Community Platform: Built-in community features for student engagement
• Event Management: Host and manage virtual events and webinars
• Affiliate Management: Comprehensive affiliate program tools
• Revenue Optimization: Built-in tools for maximizing customer lifetime value

Limitations

• Higher cost compared to course-only platforms
• Steeper learning curve due to comprehensive features
• Contact limits can be restrictive for large audiences
• Some features may be overwhelming for simple course creators

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Course Creation and Management

Marketing and Sales Tools

Student Experience

Pricing and Value

Use Case Analysis

Beginning Course Creator

Best Choice: Thinkific

Thinkific's free plan allows new creators to test the waters without financial commitment. The platform provides all essential features needed to create and sell courses effectively.

Why Thinkific for Beginners:

• No upfront costs or transaction fees
• Simple course creation process
• Excellent learning resources and support
• Room to grow with paid plans

Established Course Seller

Best Choice: Teachable

Teachable's focus on course sales optimization and powerful analytics make it ideal for creators who have validated their course ideas and want to maximize revenue.

Why Teachable for Established Creators:

• Advanced sales and conversion features
• Detailed student analytics
• Professional course delivery experience
• Strong affiliate program management

Full-Scale Online Business

Best Choice: Kajabi

Kajabi's all-in-one approach eliminates the need for multiple tools, making it perfect for entrepreneurs building comprehensive online businesses.

Why Kajabi for Online Businesses:

• Complete marketing automation suite
• Integrated website and landing page builder
• Advanced analytics and business intelligence
• Membership site capabilities

Student Experience Comparison

Course Consumption

Marketing and Sales Capabilities

Email Marketing

Sales Funnel Creation

Kajabi leads significantly in sales funnel capabilities with pre-built templates, advanced automation, and comprehensive tracking. Teachable provides solid sales page creation but limited funnel automation. Thinkific offers basic sales capabilities with focus on course delivery rather than complex funnels.

Integration Capabilities

Third-Party Integrations

Customer Support Analysis

Support Quality Comparison

Performance and Reliability

Platform Performance Metrics

Security and Compliance

Data Protection and Compliance

• GDPR Compliance: All three platforms are GDPR compliant
• SSL Security: Standard SSL encryption across all platforms
• Payment Security: PCI DSS compliant payment processing
• Data Backup: Regular automated backups and redundancy

Cost Analysis and ROI

Total Cost of Ownership (Annual)

Migration and Switching Considerations

Platform Migration Process

• Course Content: All platforms support video, document, and quiz migration
• Student Data: CSV export/import capabilities across platforms
• Sales Data: Revenue and analytics data may require manual recreation
• Custom Branding: Design and branding elements need to be recreated

Migration Support

• Kajabi: Dedicated migration specialists and white-glove service
• Teachable: Self-service migration tools and documentation
• Thinkific: Migration guides and community support

Future Roadmap and Innovation

Platform Development Trends

• AI Integration: All platforms are investing in AI-powered course creation and personalization
• Mobile-First: Continued focus on mobile learning experiences
• Community Features: Enhanced social learning and networking capabilities
• Analytics Advancement: More sophisticated learning analytics and insights

Decision Framework

Choose Teachable If:

• Your primary focus is selling courses professionally
• You want detailed sales analytics and optimization tools
• Mobile learning experience is important to your students
• You plan to run affiliate programs
• You're willing to pay for professional course selling features

Choose Thinkific If:

• You're starting out and want to test course creation for free
• Student engagement and community are priorities
• You want the most cost-effective long-term solution
• Advanced course structure and assessments are important
• You prefer no transaction fees

Choose Kajabi If:

• You want to build a complete online business, not just sell courses
• Marketing automation and sales funnels are critical
• You need a professional website and landing pages
• You're willing to invest in an all-in-one solution
• Email marketing and customer journey optimization are priorities

Final Recommendations

Conclusion

The choice between Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi depends on your specific goals, budget, and business model. Each platform excels in different areas and serves different creator needs effectively.

Start with your current situation and growth plans. If you're testing course creation, Thinkific's free plan is unbeatable. If you're focused on course sales optimization, Teachable provides professional tools. If you're building a complete online business, Kajabi's comprehensive platform justifies the investment.

Remember that you can always start with one platform and migrate later as your needs evolve. The most important step is getting your course online and starting to build your audience and revenue.