Kajabi vs Simplero
We give Kajabi a 2.0 GPA and Simplero a 2.8, out of 4.0. Simplero grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features 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
Simplero
All-in-one platform for courses, community, email and coaching
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAKajabiFair | 2.8GPASimpleroGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CStarter is $59 a month billed yearly for 500 contacts, and Simplero takes no fee on sales, so $2,000 of sales costs $59 a month, at the top of this category's dearer quarter. Contacts push it up: Starter is $134 at 10,000. |
| 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, but a 14-day trial with every feature, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. There's a full refund in the first 30 days after that. |
| 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. | BCourses with quizzes and certificates, memberships, communities with live events, 1:1 and group coaching with client portals, email with a CRM and automations, funnels, checkout with tax handling and AI. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job. |
| 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. | A4.85 from 1,256 App Store ratings, in the top band. Members get lessons, quizzes and the community in one app. |
| 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, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Zoom, Zapier, Meta Pixel and Google Analytics, and an API from Scale. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | running a whole course business from one account | coaches who want everything in one account |
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 Simplero. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kajabi starts at $143 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Simplero starts at $59 a month and scores 3.3.
Simplero scores higher and starts $84 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 3 score higher than Kajabi for less, and none scores higher than Simplero for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kajabi starts at $143 per month, billed annually ($179 billed monthly). Simplero starts at $59 per month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly).
- Kajabi also covers paid newsletters.
- Simplero also covers forms.
At a glance
| Kajabi | Simplero | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $143 per month, billed annually ($179 billed monthly) | $59 per month, billed annually ($70 billed monthly) |
| 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 | 14-day free trial with every feature, and a full refund in the first 30 days |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kajabi | Powerful Through Grace, Inc. dba Simplero |
| Price read from | kajabi.com | simplero.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 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
Simplero
- Coaches replacing separate tools for email, courses and checkout
- Course creators who want email marketing and a CRM built in
- High-ticket coaching sold through applications and sales pipelines
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.
Simplero
- Prices rise with contacts: Starter covers 500, Scale 1,000 and Skyrocket 5,000. At 10,000 contacts they are $134, $224 and $324 a month, billed annually.
- Starter stops at 10 products, 10 courses and 1 site or community; API access, affiliates, the help desk and text messages start on Scale.
- AI use is capped by a monthly allowance of $5, $15 or $30 by plan, with paid top-ups; text messages are charged per segment on top.
- A branded app in the App Store and Google Play needs your own developer accounts and an extra monthly fee.
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.
Simplero
- Courses and memberships
- Courses with modules, quizzes, certificates, drip schedules and completion tracking, plus membership tiers with subscription billing.
- Communities and coaching
- Built-in communities with posts, replies and live events, and 1:1 or group coaching programs with scheduling, session notes and client portals.
- Email, CRM and automations
- Broadcasts, sequences, newsletters and segmentation with unlimited sends, a CRM with a full contact timeline, and if-this-then-that automations.
- Funnels and checkout
- A page and funnel builder with upsells, downsells and order bumps, affiliate payouts, forms and surveys, and Stripe or PayPal checkout with tax handling.
- AI throughout
- AI builds pages, sales copy, funnels and email drafts, and an AI course assistant answers students from your content, within a monthly AI allowance.
- Mobile app
- Members use the Simplero app on iOS and Android for lessons, quizzes and community; a branded app costs an extra monthly fee.
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.
Simplero
Starter$59
per month for up to 500 contacts, billed annually ($70 monthly)
10 products, 10 courses, 1 site or community, unlimited email sends, 250 GB storage, $5 of AI use a month. $134 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
Scale$149
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($179 monthly)
Unlimited products, courses and communities, 5 domains, affiliates, help desk, upsells, certificates, texting, API. $224 a month at 10,000 contacts.
Skyrocket$249
per month for up to 5,000 contacts, billed annually ($299 monthly)
Unlimited domains and storage, sales pipelines, tasks, child accounts, split tests and paid AI bots. $324 a month at 10,000 contacts, billed annually.
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.
Simplero
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
Pay for 10 months and get 12: Starter is $59 a month billed annually against $70 monthly, Scale $149 against $179, Skyrocket $249 against $299.
- Other savings
90 days of Skyrocket for $90
The pricing page offers the top plan for 90 days for $90 plus tax, after which you keep paying for it or move to a smaller plan.
