Kajabi vs Podia: Which Course Platform Wins in 2026
Quick Comparison
| Kajabi | Podia | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Established creators generating consistent revenue who want to consolidate email marketing, landing pages, community, and course hosting into a single platform instead of paying for five separate tools. | New and mid-stage creators who want to launch courses, downloads, or memberships at a lower monthly cost and don't need Kajabi's built-in email marketing depth or native mobile apps. |
| Pricing | Free trial available / $89/mo Starter / $179/mo Basic / $249/mo Growth / $499/mo Pro (monthly; annual billing runs lower) | 30-day free trial (no card required), no permanent free plan / $49/mo Mover (5% txn fee) / $99/mo Shaker (0% fee) / $179/mo Earthquaker (0% fee) |
| Winner | Our Pick |
Tool Breakdown
Podia
For most creators starting or running a lean course business, Podia's lower entry price and zero transaction fees at $99/mo beat Kajabi's higher cost — you only need Kajabi's deeper all-in-one tooling once you're running a multi-product business that justifies the premium.
- Lower entry price — Mover starts at $49/mo ($42/mo annual), about half of Kajabi's Starter tier
- Zero transaction fees from the $99/mo Shaker plan up, with unlimited products and community spaces on the $179/mo Earthquaker plan
- Free migration service on paid plans (up to 150 products) makes switching from another platform less painful
- No permanent free plan — Podia discontinued its old free tier in 2024; you get a 30-day trial and unconverted trial data is deleted after 180 days
- Mover plan (the entry tier) charges a 5% transaction fee on every sale, has no PayPal option, and can't remove Podia branding
- No native scheduling for coaching sessions — you need to connect an external tool like Calendly, SavvyCal, or Acuity
Kajabi
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for selling online courses, coaching, memberships, communities, and digital products — it bundles email marketing, landing pages, and sales pipelines into one subscription with zero transaction fees on every plan.
- Zero transaction fees on every plan, including the entry tier — Podia only matches this from its $99/mo plan up
- Built-in email marketing, landing pages, and sales pipelines replace tools creators would otherwise pay for separately
- Native iPhone and Android apps for course delivery, plus deeper analytics (conversion rates, video engagement, customer journey) than Podia offers
- Higher entry price — Starter runs $89/mo billed monthly ($71/mo on the annual plan), roughly double Podia's Mover tier
- More configuration surface than Podia's simpler builder, which means a longer setup time for creators who just want to publish a course fast
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Podia cheaper than Kajabi overall? +
At the entry tier, yes — Podia's Mover plan is $49/mo versus Kajabi's $89/mo Starter (billed monthly). But Mover charges a 5% transaction fee on every sale, which can outweigh the savings once you're selling consistently. Run the math on your expected monthly sales volume: a creator doing $2,000/mo in course sales pays $100/mo in Podia's Mover fees alone, which erases most of the price gap versus Kajabi's zero-fee Starter plan. Podia's $99/mo Shaker plan removes the fee and still undercuts Kajabi's next tier up.
Does either platform have a permanent free plan? +
No — neither Kajabi nor Podia offers a permanent free tier. Kajabi offers a free trial (length varies by current promotion), and Podia offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, though Podia explicitly deletes account data 180 days after an unconverted trial. Budget time to build and test your course during the trial window on either platform before committing to a paid plan.
Which platform is better for live coaching sessions? +
Kajabi has the edge for coaching-heavy businesses since it treats coaching as a first-class product type within its all-in-one suite. Podia also supports selling coaching sessions and collecting payment, but it has no native booking calendar — you connect an external tool like Calendly, SavvyCal, Acuity, or YouCanBookMe to handle scheduling. If live coaching is your primary product rather than a side offer alongside courses, factor in the cost and setup of a separate booking tool when comparing Podia's lower base price to Kajabi's built-in scheduling.