Kajabi vs Thinkific: Which Online Course Platform is Better?

Are you ready to turn your knowledge into an online course and share it with the world?

As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we constantly seek ways to expand our reach and generate more passive income. And what better way to do that than through an online course platform?

With countless options out there, it can be overwhelming trying to choose the best one for your specific needs. But fear not, dear reader!

Today, we will dive deep into the battle between Kajabi and Thinkific – two of the most popular platforms used by many successful entrepreneurs – and determine which one reigns supreme in this ultimate showdown.

So grab a cup of coffee (or tea if that’s your thing) and get ready to discover which platform will take your online course creation game to the next level!

Brief Overview: Kajabi vs Thinkific

First, I’ll give you a quick overview of Kajabi vs Thinkific:

Kajabi

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform tailored for course creation and online business management. It combines website building, course hosting, email marketing, and automation tools to help entrepreneurs and educators effectively sell their knowledge and skills online.

Key Selling Points:

• Kajabi excels in course creation, offering essential tools for building engaging and unique course content.
• Features automation triggers for engaging with students and integrates well with popular email marketing solutions like Aweber, MailChimp, Drip, ConvertKit, and Active Campaign.
• Offers pre-designed themes and an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, making it easy to create and customize your website.
• While not as extensive as dedicated blogging platforms, Kajabi supports blogging and is competent in SEO.
• Provides excellent 24/7 live chat support, various tutorials, and a helpful user community on Facebook.

Thinkific

Thinkific is an all-in-one platform that enables the creation, management, and sale of online courses. It’s designed to be user-friendly and offers a range of tools for educators at all levels. 

The platform allows for comprehensive course creation with interactive elements like quizzes and multimedia, and it also offers features for community building within courses.

Key Selling Points:

• Thinkific’s platform supports various course content types, including interactive videos, quizzes, and downloadable resources. It’s user-friendly, allowing even beginners to create engaging courses.
• The platform includes tools to foster student interaction, transforming courses into vibrant learning communities.
• Thinkific offers a flexible site builder for creating custom course pages that align with your brand and teaching style.
• Support for various multimedia formats and interactive course content like quizzes and surveys, enhancing student engagement.
• The platform includes SEO-friendly features and marketing tools to boost course visibility and sales.

Quick Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific

With its advanced email marketing capabilities, sales funnel builder, and CRM system, Kajabi simplifies the process of attracting, engaging, and converting your audience.

This platform is ideal for those who want a seamless blend of course creation and sophisticated marketing strategies, offering a one-stop solution for entrepreneurs aiming to build a robust online presence.

This platform is tailor-made for beginners or those prioritizing a straightforward, hassle-free course creation process.

With its drag-and-drop course builder, comprehensive yet simple-to-use design tools, and a clean, user-friendly interface, Thinkific ensures that your course creation journey is as smooth as possible, making it a top choice for educators and entrepreneurs who value simplicity and efficiency.

Product Overview: Kajabi vs Thinkific

What is it?

Kajabi is an all-in-one online platform that combines course creation, marketing, and sales tools. It allows you to create, market, and sell online courses and memberships, integrating various aspects of a digital business in one place.

Thinkific is a specialized platform designed for creating and selling online courses. It emphasizes ease of use and flexibility, allowing you to build and customize courses to fit your teaching style and brand.

Who is it for?

Kajabi is best suited for entrepreneurs, educators, and influencers who want a comprehensive solution for managing all aspects of their online course business, including marketing and customer relationship management.

Thinkific is ideal for individual instructors, educators, and small businesses focused primarily on creating and delivering online courses without the need for advanced marketing tools.

What makes it special?

Kajabi stands out for its extensive marketing and sales features, such as built-in email marketing tools, sales funnel creation, and CRM functionalities, complementing its course creation capabilities.

Thinkific differentiates itself with its user-friendly course builder, offering a wide range of customization options and a straightforward interface, making it accessible for those new to online course creation.

What does it do?

Kajabi provides a platform where you can create online courses, set up marketing campaigns, manage email lists, build landing pages, and process payments, all within a single integrated environment.

Thinkific focuses on the course creation aspect, with features like a drag-and-drop course builder, quizzes, surveys, and the ability to offer certificates. It also includes basic marketing tools and integration options with external tools.

Quick Comparison: Kajabi vs Thinkific

Key Features	Kajabi	Thinkific
#1) Pricing		Winner
#2) Free Plan		Winner
#3) Design & Functionality	Winner
#4) Online Course Creation		Winner
#5) Website Builder	Winner
#6) Membership Sites	Winner
#7) Community Building	Winner
#8) Email Marketing Features	Winner
#9) Coaching Program	Winner
#10) Third-Party Integrations		Winner
#10) Payment Features	Tie	Tie
#11) Native Mobile App	Winner
#12) Customer Support		Winner
Overall	Winner

Feature Comparison: Kajabi vs Thinkific

Let’s compare the features of both Kajabi and Thinkific so you can make the right decision for you and your business.

#1) Pricing

Kajabi’s pricing begins at $149 monthly for the Basic Plan, which is designed to help you establish your online business. It scales up with Growth and Pro Plans, catering to more advanced needs with additional features like advanced automation and analytics. These higher tiers are tailored for those who require more extensive tools for a growing business.

Thinkific, on the other hand, offers a more affordable starting point for its Basic Plan at $49 per month. This plan is great for getting started with online course creation. Its higher tiers, Start, Grow, and Thinkific+, provide more advanced features and greater scalability, suitable for expanding your educational content and audience.

Thinkific is the more budget-friendly option, especially for those just starting or operating on a smaller scale. Kajabi, while more expensive, offers comprehensive marketing and business tools that might justify its higher cost for those needing a more robust course platform.

Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific for pricing? Thinkific holds the advantage due to its more accessible entry-level cost.

#2) Free Plan

Kajabi provides a 14-day free trial, allowing you to explore its features before committing. This trial requires your banking details upfront, but you have the flexibility to unsubscribe before the trial period ends. This short-term access lets you test the platform’s comprehensive tools, giving you a glimpse into its course creation and marketing capabilities.

Thinkific, in contrast, offers a freemium plan, which includes the ability to create one course and one community. This permanent free option is an excellent way for you to start with online course creation without any financial commitment. While it’s more limited in features compared to the paid plans, it’s an excellent way to get a feel for the platform and its basic functionalities.

Regarding a free plan, Thinkific stands out with its ongoing free access, which is ideal if you’re just beginning and want to try creating and hosting a course without any financial pressure. Kajabi’s free trial offers a comprehensive look into its advanced features but is limited to 14 days and requires bank details.

Verdict: For the free plan, Thinkific is the better choice for its ongoing, no-cost access to basic course creation and community features.

#3) Design & Functionality

Kajabi shines with its sophisticated and professional design, coupled with a suite of advanced marketing and sales tools. Its platform is tailored for you if you aim to seamlessly integrate course creation with extensive marketing strategies, such as email campaigns, sales funnels, and customer relationship management. This combination makes Kajabi ideal for creating a sleek, sales-oriented online course platform.

Thinkific, while focusing on user-friendly design and functionality, may not match the level of sophistication found in Kajabi’s interface and toolset. It’s excellent for straightforward course creation and management, but when it comes to a comprehensive, integrated approach that combines course creation with advanced marketing, Thinkific takes a more basic stance.

Kajabi clearly leads if you’re seeking a platform that not only helps in creating engaging courses but also empowers you with robust marketing tools in a professional package. It’s the go-to choice for a fully integrated, marketing-focused online course experience.

Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific for design and functionality? Kajabi is the better choice, especially for those who value a blend of sophisticated design with advanced marketing and sales functionalities.

#4) Online Course Builder

Kajabi offers a robust online course builder that lets you create engaging courses with video, text, images, and downloadable files. It also allows for drip content scheduling and provides assessment tools like quizzes and surveys to enhance learner engagement.

Thinkific, meanwhile, boasts a robust course builder with a straightforward interface. It supports a wide range of multimedia content, and its unique feature is the ability to import course material directly from Google Drive or Dropbox. It also provides quizzes, surveys, and discussion forums to foster interaction and engagement.

While both online course platforms offer comprehensive course-building tools, Thinkific’s direct import feature and user-friendly interface make it slightly more accessible, particularly for beginners or those less tech-savvy. However, Kajabi’s advanced features, like drip content scheduling, may appeal to more experienced course creators.

Verdict: For online courses, Thinkific‘s accessibility gives it a slight edge, but Kajabi’s advanced features shouldn’t be overlooked.

#5) Course Website Builder

Kajabi offers a robust course website builder that lets you design professional-looking websites integrated with your courses. It provides various customizable templates and advanced tools, allowing you to create a site that not only hosts your courses but also aligns with your brand and marketing strategy. This feature is ideal if you want to build a comprehensive online presence beyond just course delivery.

Thinkific’s course website builder focuses on simplicity and functionality. It offers a range of templates that are easy to customize, even without any technical skills. While it may not have as many advanced features as Kajabi, it’s perfectly suited if you want to quickly set up a clean, user-friendly site dedicated to your courses.

In comparing the two, Kajabi stands out for its advanced features and customization options, making it a better choice if you need a more sophisticated website to match a complex marketing strategy. On the other hand, Thinkific is excellent if you prefer a more straightforward, no-frills approach to building your course website.

Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific for the website builder? Kajabi is the preferred option because of its advanced customization and integrated marketing features, which are ideal for creating a professional online presence.

#6) Membership Site

Kajabi allows you to build a membership site to regularly deliver content to your members. You can create different membership levels, each with its pricing and access to specific content. The well-designed member management area makes it easy for you to track member progress and engagement.

In contrast, Thinkific can create membership sites and bundle courses together. You can customize how content is released to your members, either all at once or over time. It also allows you to have discussions within your course, fostering a community among your members.

Both Kajabi and Thinkific offer solid membership site features, but Kajabi’s detailed member management area gives it an edge. That said, if you’re looking for course bundling capabilities and discussion forums, Thinkific could be a better fit.

Verdict: For membership sites, Kajabi‘s detailed member tracking and management make it stand out.

#7) Community Building Features

Kajabi offers community features that help you create a private space for your students to interact. You can foster a sense of community by encouraging discussions, sharing updates, and providing exclusive content. This platform also allows you to moderate comments and create separate spaces for each course or membership.

Thinkific, on the other hand, provides discussion forums within each course. It allows you to facilitate conversations, answer questions, and build a community around your content. However, it lacks a broader community feature outside of individual courses.

Both Kajabi and Thinkific have features to help you build a community, but Kajabi provides a more comprehensive community space. If you want to create a broader community beyond individual courses, Kajabi is the better choice.

Verdict: For building communities, Kajabi‘s comprehensive features take the lead.

#8) Email Marketing Features

Kajabi stands out with its robust email marketing features. It provides you with advanced tools such as email automation, segmentation, and detailed analytics. These features are integrated directly into the platform, allowing you to not only create online courses but also effectively market them. If you’re aiming for a comprehensive approach that combines course creation with sophisticated email marketing, Kajabi is a powerful choice.

Thinkific, while offering basic email marketing capabilities, doesn’t match the depth of Kajabi’s features. It allows for basic communication with your course participants, such as welcome emails and course updates, but lacks advanced segmentation and automation options. If your email marketing needs are simple, Thinkific can cater to them, but for more complex campaigns, it might fall short.

In terms of email marketing tools, Kajabi is the clear leader. Its extensive, integrated email marketing suite is designed for those of you who need to run sophisticated, data-driven marketing campaigns alongside your courses. Thinkific, while suitable for basic email communication, is not as equipped for in-depth marketing strategies.

Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific for email marketing tools? Kajabi is the better choice due to its comprehensive set of advanced features, making it ideal for those of you who need to integrate detailed marketing strategies with your online courses.

#9) Coaching Program Features

Kajabi provides excellent features for coaching programs, including customizable coaching templates, the ability to schedule sessions, and integrated payment options. These tools are seamlessly integrated into the broader Kajabi ecosystem, making it easy for you to manage your coaching programs alongside other digital products. This is particularly beneficial if you’re looking to offer a comprehensive package of courses and coaching services.

Thinkific also supports coaching programs but with a more basic approach. It allows for the creation of coaching sessions and includes some scheduling functionalities. However, compared to Kajabi, it might lack some of the more advanced features, such as integrated sales funnels and extensive customization options.

In comparing these online course platforms for coaching programs, Kajabi has an edge due to its more advanced and integrated features. It’s well-suited if you need a platform that not only supports coaching but also ties it in with your broader business and marketing strategies. Thinkific is still viable if your coaching needs are straightforward and you prefer a simpler setup.

Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific for coaching programs? Kajabi is the better choice thanks to its comprehensive and integrated tools that cater to more complex coaching setups, offering a seamless experience for both you and your clients.

#10) Third-Party Integrations

Kajabi offers a variety of third-party integrations, allowing you to connect with different tools and services, such as email marketing platforms and CRM systems. This is particularly beneficial if you want to integrate your online course platform into a broader business ecosystem. Kajabi’s integrations are comprehensive, catering to a wide array of business needs.

Thinkific, however, stands out with its third-party integrations, particularly for its focus on tools essential for online course creators. It includes integrations with webinar software, email marketing platforms, and analytics tools. The key advantage here is the simplicity and effectiveness of these integrations, making them particularly user-friendly and well-suited if you prefer a more streamlined and focused approach to online course management.

Regarding third-party integrations, Thinkific is the stronger contender for its focused and easy-to-implement integrations. They are specifically tailored to enhance the online course creation and management experience, making them ideal if you’re looking for a platform that seamlessly meshes with essential tools without overwhelming you with too many options.

Verdict: For third-party integrations, Thinkific is the preferred choice due to its targeted selection of integrations that are both effective and easy to use, catering specifically to the needs of course creators and educators.

#11) Payment Features

Kajabi provides an integrated payment system, allowing you to manage transactions directly within the online course platform. It supports various payment models, including one-time payments, subscriptions, and payment plans. This integrated approach is convenient if you want to manage all aspects of your business, including financial transactions, in one place.

Thinkific offers payment features through integrations with external payment processors like Stripe and PayPal. This setup allows for flexibility and ease of use, ensuring secure and efficient payment processing. While it requires setting up external accounts, this method is straightforward and widely used in e-commerce.

Comparing the two, Kajabi’s integrated payment system is advantageous if you prefer an all-in-one platform for managing payments along with your courses. However, Thinkific’s approach, using popular external processors, offers simplicity and reliability, which might be more appealing if you prefer using well-established payment services.

Verdict: For payment features, the choice depends on your preference for an integrated system or the flexibility of external processors. Kajabi excels with its all-in-one platform, while Thinkific stands out for its straightforward and reliable integration with established payment services.

#12) Native Mobile App

This all-in-one powerhouse comes with its mobile app, allowing your students to access your unlimited courses, watch videos, and interact with content directly on their smartphones or tablets. It seamlessly extends your online platform, offering branding consistency and a familiar learning experience. Think of instant course access, offline downloads, and even push notifications to keep your students engaged, all within their pockets.

While it didn’t always have a mobile app, Thinkific recently joined the game with its offering. You can now give your students the convenience of learning on the go, with access to course materials, progress tracking, and even community features. However, remember that the feature is still relatively new and might not be as feature-rich as Kajabi’s established app.

Regarding a native mobile app, Kajabi clearly has the upper hand. Its dedicated app significantly benefits both you and your clients, offering convenience and a better user experience on mobile devices. The native app in Thinkific might be a limiting factor if mobile access is a priority for your courses as it’s new. 

Verdict: The mobile champion? Kajabi takes the crown here. Its established app with broader functionality puts it ahead. But if you’re on a budget or prefer Thinkific’s overall platform, their new mobile app is a promising addition that might be enough for your needs.

#13) Customer Support

Kajabi offers a range of customer support options, including a knowledge base, email support, and live chat. Their team is well-equipped to handle queries related to the platform’s extensive marketing and sales features, providing you with comprehensive assistance for your business needs.

Thinkific excels in customer support with its approachable and responsive service. It provides a thorough knowledge base, email support, and a vibrant community forum where you can interact with and learn from other course creators. Thinkific’s support is particularly commendable for its focus on course creation and technical aspects, ensuring you receive targeted and effective assistance.

Regarding customer support, Thinkific stands out for its dedication to providing effective and relevant assistance, especially in course creation, technical issues, and general platform usage. While Kajabi has strong support, Thinkific’s approachable and focused customer service makes it a more appealing choice for those who prioritize accessible and community-driven support.

Verdict: For customer support, Thinkific is the recommended choice for its exceptional and user-focused support services. It is ideal if you’re seeking reliable and accessible assistance in your course creation journey.

#14) Course Certificate

Kajabi allows you to reward your students with course completion certificates. These customizable certificates will enable you to create a unique and memorable token of achievement for your students.

Thinkific also offers the ability to provide your students with certificates upon course completion. They even offer integration with Accredible, a digital credentialing platform, to create more professional and comprehensive certificates.

Both platforms offer solid options for course certificates, but Thinkific’s integration with Accredible gives it an edge, providing a more professional and comprehensive solution.

Verdict: Kajabi vs Thinkific for the course certificate feature? Thinkific is recommended, offering a more user-friendly and automated system for creating and issuing certificates.

#15) Analytics and Reporting

Kajabi is equipped with advanced analytics and reporting tools. You can track your course performance, student progress, and sales data in real-time. It gives you insights that help you understand your audience better and make informed decisions.

Thinkific also provides robust analytics and reporting features. You can monitor student engagement, track course completion rates, and assess quiz performance. It allows you to understand your courses’ performance and where improvements can be made.

Both platforms offer comprehensive analytics and reporting features, but Kajabi’s real-time tracking of sales data gives it a slight edge. This feature helps you to closely monitor your revenue generation and make adjustments as necessary.

Verdict: Kajabi is the better choice for analytics and reporting because of its extensive and detailed insights covering educational content and business aspects. 

Final Thoughts on Kajabi vs Thinkific

After a lot of research and testing of both platforms, it’s clear that both Kajabi and Thinkific are robust and feature-rich online course platforms!

Thinkific shines with its user-friendly interface and flexibility, making it an excellent fit for those just starting or those who prefer simplicity.

However, if you’re looking for a platform with more comprehensive features, including a native mobile app and a wider range of third-party integrations, Kajabi is the way to go. It offers a premium experience that can genuinely elevate your already awesome online courses.

In conclusion, while both tools are great, I recommend Kajabi as it offers a wider set of features! Whether you’re an established professional or a budding entrepreneur, Kajabi provides the tools to easily create, market, and sell your online courses.

Remember, the best platform is the one that fits your unique needs and goals. Choose wisely!