Kajabi vs ThriveCart
We give Kajabi a 2.0 GPA and ThriveCart a 2.6, out of 4.0. ThriveCart 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
ThriveCart
Checkout, funnel and course platform with a lifetime licence option
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAKajabiFair | 2.6GPAThriveCartGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BThe lifetime Standard licence is $495 once, with no cut of sales. Spread over two years, as we do for one-off prices, that's well under the yearly plan's $888 for the same two years ($444 + $444) and under two years of this category's middle price. Processor fees aren't counted. |
| 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 30-day free trial on the monthly and yearly plans, longer than most here. The listing doesn't say whether 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. | BCheckouts, order bumps, one-click upsells, A/B tests, subscriptions with retention offers, buy now pay later, sales tax, and courses and communities through Academy. Nothing's missing from the job; affiliates and custom domains need 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. A visual editor helps, but you're building checkouts, funnels and courses and linking Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net before anything sells. |
| 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 Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Zapier, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp and HubSpot. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | running a whole course business from one account | paying once for checkouts, funnels and courses |
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 ThriveCart. How we grade
Where they differ
- Kajabi starts at $143 per month, billed annually ($179 billed monthly). ThriveCart starts at $37 per month, billed annually ($47 monthly).
- Only Kajabi lists iOS and Android apps.
- Kajabi also covers marketing automation, email campaigns and paid newsletters.
- ThriveCart also covers affiliate tracking, digital downloads and a/B testing.
At a glance
| Kajabi | ThriveCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $143 per month, billed annually ($179 billed monthly) | $37 per month, billed annually ($47 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 | 30-day free trial on the monthly and yearly plans |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kajabi | ThriveCart |
| Price read from | kajabi.com | thrivecart.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
ThriveCart
- Course sellers who want checkout, funnels and course hosting together
- Creators who would rather pay once than pay every month
- Sellers who run affiliate programs and upsell funnels
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.
ThriveCart
- ThriveCart takes 0% of sales, but payments run through your own Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net account, whose processing fees apply.
- The affiliate center, multiple order bumps, dunning and custom domains all need Pro+ at $87 a month or $804 a year.
- The lifetime Standard licence costs $495 once; Pro+ bought outright costs $790 and then $295 a year from year two.
- Checkout pages offer paid add-ons, such as $69 courses and a $19 one-time offer, which are optional.
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.
ThriveCart
- Checkouts and funnels
- Modal, single-page or multi-step checkouts, order bumps, one-click upsells and downsells, and a visual page editor for whole funnels.
- Payment options
- Cards, PayPal, buy now pay later through Afterpay, Klarna, Affirm or ThrivePay Installments, multi-currency pricing and crypto on Pro+.
- Subscriptions
- Trials, renewals, upgrades and cancellations, a fixed monthly billing date, subscription bumps at checkout and retention offers before cancelling.
- ThriveCart Academy
- Courses with drip content, quizzes and certificates, plus branded communities, included with every subscription; limits rise from Starter to Growth.
- Affiliates on Pro+
- Recruit affiliates, set commissions, track referrals and pay affiliates automatically, with joint venture contracts for partners.
- Digital delivery and tax
- Instant delivery with expiring download links, plus sales tax calculation and collection with tax-inclusive pricing.
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.
ThriveCart
Standard$37
per month, billed annually ($47 monthly)
Unlimited products and funnels, 1 order bump, upsells, A/B tests, cart recovery, sales tax tools, and Academy Starter for 2,000 community members.
Pro+$87
per month ($804 billed yearly)
Adds multiple order bumps, the affiliate center with automatic payouts, dunning, custom domains, team permissions and the Academy Growth plan.
Standard lifetime$495
one-time
A ThriveCart Standard account for a single payment with no subscription, offered beside the monthly and yearly plans.
Pro+ hybrid$790
one-time, then $295 a year from year 2
Pro+ bought on its own page for a one-time $790, followed by a $295 yearly subscription from the second year.
EnterpriseCustom
For high-volume sellers: volume-based processing rates, unlimited team seats, a dedicated account manager, migration and white-glove setup.
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.
ThriveCart
- Annual discount
Save 20% on Standard with yearly billing
ThriveCart's checkout lists Standard at $444 a year ($37 a month) as a 20% saving on $47 a month; Pro+ is $804 a year instead of $87 a month.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Standard licence for $495
ThriveCart sells a Standard account for a one-time payment of $495 instead of a monthly or yearly subscription.
- Nonprofit
Special pricing for schools and charities
Schools and registered charities can fill in a form on ThriveCart's site, and its support team will be in touch about special pricing.
