Kajabi vs SamCart
We give Kajabi a 2.0 GPA and SamCart a 2.4, out of 4.0. SamCart grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kajabi
All-in-one platform for selling courses, coaching and communities
SamCart
Checkout and sales page builder with courses and an AI assistant
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAKajabiFair | 2.4GPASamCartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DBasic is $143 a month billed yearly, and Kajabi takes no share of sales through Kajabi Payments, whose 2.9% + 30 cents is card processing. So $2,000 of sales a month costs $143, right where this category's dearest tenth starts. Use another processor and Basic adds 2%, another $40. | CCore billed yearly is $79 a month less 25%: $59.25. SamCart takes no cut beyond SamPay's 2.9% + 30 cents card rate (not counted), though tax collection adds 0.5%, $5 on $1,000. That's above this category's dearer quarter, short of its dearest tenth. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. The 14-day trial covers the whole platform, but it rolls into Growth at $249 a month unless you cancel, so it's the kind that bills you at the end. | CNo free plan. There's a 7-day free trial on every plan, a week and no more, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. |
| Features | BCourses with drip, assessments and cohorts, coaching, a community, unlimited emails, funnels and landing pages, upsells, affiliates, tax and paid newsletters. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job; Basic just stops at 5 products and 2,500 contacts. | BCheckout with wallets and buy now pay later, sales and link-in-bio pages, a courses app with a members area, subscriptions with a customer portal and an AI assistant. The whole job is covered; upsells, A/B tests and affiliates wait for Pro. |
| Ease of use | C4.34 from about 7,400 App Store ratings, mid-table for this category. And you're setting up a site, emails, funnels and a checkout before anything sells. | CNo App Store rating on record. The AI assistant drafts copy and pages, which helps, but you're still building pages, checkouts and a members area before you sell. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and a public API. No desktop app, which an A needs. An app in your own name is on Pro, or $199 a month extra. | BWeb, with PayPal, Stripe Link, Zapier, Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. The API needs Pro, and no phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | running a whole course business from one account | checkouts and sales pages with AI help |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Kajabi and SamCart. How we grade
Where they differ
- Kajabi starts at $143 per month, billed annually ($179 billed monthly). SamCart starts at $79 per month.
- Only Kajabi lists iOS and Android apps.
- Kajabi also covers marketing automation, email campaigns, paid newsletters and community.
- SamCart also covers affiliate tracking, digital downloads and a/B testing.
At a glance
| Kajabi | SamCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $143 per month, billed annually ($179 billed monthly) | $79 per month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the full platform; it rolls into the Growth monthly plan at $249 unless cancelled | 7-day free trial on every plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kajabi | SamCart Inc. |
| Price read from | kajabi.com | samcart.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Kajabi
- Coaches and educators who want site, email, checkout and courses in one account
- Experts selling several kinds of product to the same audience
- Businesses that want their own branded app in the app stores
SamCart
- Course and ebook sellers who want checkout, pages and hosting together
- Marketers who rely on upsells, order bumps and A/B tests
- Creators who want AI to draft sales pages and products
Worth knowing
Kajabi
- No revenue share, but Kajabi Payments charges 2.7% to 2.9% plus $0.30 a sale in the US; using another processor (not PayPal) adds 0.5% to 2%.
- Basic stops at 5 products, 2,500 contacts and 2 admin users. Extra contacts cost $125 a month per block of 25,000.
- There is no free plan. The branded mobile app is only in Pro unless bought for $199 a month.
- Basic has no AI credits; Growth gets 500 and Pro 1,000, and 500 more cost $15 a month.
SamCart
- No free plan, only a 7-day trial; Core starts at $79 a month, with 25% off for yearly billing.
- SamPay charges 2.9% + 30 cents a sale on both plans, and tax collection adds 0.5% on Core or 0.35% on Pro.
- Upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, affiliates, the API and third-party processors all need Pro at $199 a month.
- Core includes one team seat and Pro ten; more seats and marketplaces need the custom Done For You plan.
Key features
Kajabi
- Courses and coaching
- Courses with drip release, progress tracking, assessments and cohorts, plus coaching programs, memberships, podcasts and digital downloads.
- Communities
- Topic-based spaces with threaded posts, activity feeds and announcements, tied to product purchases. Basic and Growth include 1 community, Pro 3.
- Email, funnels and landing pages
- Unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels on every plan, with broadcasts, sequences and automations triggered by what students do.
- Checkout and payments
- One-time prices, subscriptions and payment plans, coupons, order bumps, upsells, affiliate programs and automated tax calculation.
- Newsletters with paywalls
- Publish a newsletter from the same account and charge for it with paid subscriptions, premium issues or paywalled posts.
- Branded and Creator apps
- A mobile app with your own branding, included on Pro or $199 a month on other plans. A separate Creator app shows sales and contacts on a phone.
SamCart
- Checkout pages
- Mobile-first checkouts with stored cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo and buy now pay later through Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm.
- Pages and link-in-bio
- Sales pages, microsites, link-in-bio pages and opt-in pages on your own domain, built with AI help and no code.
- Courses and members area
- A courses app with a built-in members area and video hosting, so courses can be sold and delivered without another platform.
- AI assistant
- Writes sales copy and designs ebooks, courses, lead magnets, social posts and ads. Core has limited AI use; Pro is unlimited.
- Upsells, tests and affiliates on Pro
- One-click upsells, order bumps and upgrades, A/B tests of pages and prices, an affiliate center and failed-payment recovery.
- Subscriptions and customer portal
- Memberships, recurring plans and payment plans, with a portal where customers update cards and manage their own subscriptions.
Plans
Kajabi
Basic$143
per month for up to 2,500 contacts, billed annually ($179 monthly)
5 products, 1 website, 1 community, 2 admin users, no AI credits. Kajabi Payments at 2.9% + $0.30 a sale; other processors add a 2% fee.
Growth$199
per month for up to 25,000 contacts, billed annually ($249 monthly)
50 products, 1 website, 1 community, 11 admin users, 500 AI credits. Kajabi Payments at 2.8% + $0.30; other processors add a 1% fee.
Pro$399
per month for up to 100,000 contacts, billed annually ($499 monthly)
Unlimited products, 3 websites, 3 communities, 26 admin users, 1,000 AI credits and the branded mobile app. Other processors add a 0.5% fee.
SamCart
Core$79
per month
Unlimited pages, products and checkouts, AI assistant with limited use, courses app, cart abandonment, integrations and 1 team seat.
Pro$199
per month
Adds one-click upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, Subscription Saver, the Affiliate Center, advanced reports, API, other processors and 10 seats.
Done For YouCustom
Sold through a call: white glove setup, a dedicated account manager, priority support, multiple marketplaces and the lowest processing rates.
Ways to pay less
Kajabi
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Kajabi's pricing page lists 20% off for annual billing: Basic $143 a month instead of $179, Growth $199 instead of $249, Pro $399 instead of $499.
SamCart
- Annual discount
25% off with yearly billing
SamCart's pricing page offers yearly billing at 25% off the monthly prices of $79 for Core and $199 for Pro.
