1Should a coach use Skool or Kajabi?
Skool is a community with a course area, and it can bring you members for free. Kajabi is a course and marketing business with a community area. That difference decides most cases.
| Skool | Kajabi | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $9 (Hobby) or $99 (Pro) | $179 Basic, $249 Growth, $499 Pro |
| Paid yearly | Yearly option on the pricing page | $143, $199 or $399 a month |
| Fee on each sale | 10% + 30¢ (Hobby), 2.9% + 30¢ (Pro) | 2.9%, 2.8% or 2.7% + 30¢ on Kajabi Payments (US) |
| Contacts | Unlimited members | 2,500, 25,000 or 100,000. Extra 25,000 for $125 a month |
| Products | Unlimited courses in the classroom | 5, 50 or unlimited |
| Communities | One community per group | 1, 1 or 3 |
| Email marketing | Not a full email tool | Unlimited marketing emails |
| Funnels and landing pages | The About page is your sales page | Unlimited |
| Website | No | 1, 1 or 3 websites |
| Free members from the platform | Yes, Discovery search | No member directory like it |
| Member affiliates | Yes, on Pro | Affiliate programs listed as a feature |
| Branded mobile app | No | Included on Pro |
| Admin users | Admins and moderators in the group | 2, 11 or 26 |
| Tax handling | Skool is merchant of record, pays EU VAT | Check for your country |
Sources: skool.com/pricing and the Skool Payments FAQ; kajabi.com/pricing. All checked 22 October 2026. Kajabi's payment rates shown are for US businesses. Kajabi's page did not show a free trial length on the plan cards that day, so check it at sign-up.
$1.14M all timeOne community business
$630,088 net revenueAll time, one offer
$208.68K in 30 daysOne month of paymentsReal screenshots from our clients and our stories. Not typical.
2How much does each cost at your member count?
Both charge 2.9% + 30¢ per sale, so the gap is the plan: $99 against $179. Paid yearly, Kajabi Basic is $143 and the gap drops to $44. If you pay $100 a month for email and funnel tools, Kajabi paid yearly comes out cheaper.
| Group | Skool | Skool + $100 tools | Kajabi | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 members at $49 | $139 Hobby | $239 | $222.03 Basic, monthly | $186.03 Basic, yearly |
| 100 members at $49 | $271.10 Pro | $371.10 | $351.10 Basic, monthly | $315.10 Basic, yearly |
| 300 members at $49 | $615.30 Pro | $715.30 | $695.30 Basic, monthly | $659.30 Basic, yearly |
| 1,000 members at $49 | $1,820 Pro | $1,920 | $1,900 Basic, monthly | $1,864 Basic, yearly |
| 3,000 members at $49 | $5,262 Pro | $5,362 | $5,265 Growth, monthly | $5,215 Growth, yearly |
This table assumes your contact list is the same size as your paying members. If your email list is bigger, Kajabi may need the next plan up. Enter both in the calculator below.
3The Skool vs Kajabi cost calculator
4What are the cons of Skool?
- Every group looks the same. Logo, cover and About page. No custom design.
- US dollars only. Members pay in USD.
- No email tool, no funnels, no website. You still need your own list and a way to book calls.
- A basic course area. Video, text and files, with lessons that open as members level up.
- A quiet group loses members. Churn runs near 20% a month in a member's first three months.
More detail in our Skool review.
5Where does Kajabi win?
- One bill for the whole funnel. Website, landing pages, funnels and unlimited marketing emails are in every plan.
- Courses as products. Sell courses, coaching and other products from your own pages, each with its own price.
- Your own brand. Your domain and your website. A branded mobile app on Pro.
- Bigger teams. Up to 26 admin users on Pro.
6Where does Skool win?
- Free reach. Skool's Discovery search brings over a quarter of all memberships on the platform.
- People log in. Buyers barely open a course portal but use a community every day.
- A sales page you do not build. Free groups convert about 20% of About page visitors.
See If You Qualify
Bring your numbers from the calculator. We will look at your offer and tell you which setup we would run.
7What about Skool vs Teachable?
Teachable is a course platform like Kajabi, but cheaper. Starter is $39 a month with a 7.5% fee and no community. Builder is $89 a month with 0% Teachable fee on Teachable Payments and includes community. Standard payment processing may still apply. Pick Teachable over Kajabi if you want courses first on a smaller budget. Pick Skool if the community is the product. Prices from teachable.com/pricing, checked 22 October 2026.
8Skool or Kajabi: take the 6-question check
The weights are our view from building groups.
9Worked example: Leo picks Kajabi
Made-up example. Leo is a fitness coach. His main product is a $497 course sold from ads to a landing page. He also runs a $39 a month community with 120 members. He has 4,000 email contacts and pays $100 a month for email and funnel tools.
| Skool Pro | Kajabi Growth, monthly | Kajabi Growth, yearly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | $99 | $249 | $199 |
| Fees on $4,680 a month | $171.72 | $167.04 | $167.04 |
| Email and funnel tools | $100 | Included | Included |
| Total a month | $370.72 | $416.04 | $366.04 |
His 4,000 contacts push him past Basic's 2,500, so Kajabi needs Growth. Paid yearly, Kajabi costs about the same as Skool plus his tools. He sells courses from his own funnel, so he picks Kajabi. If his business were the community, or calls booked from it, Skool would win on price and on reach.
10What to do this week
- Write one line: is your main product the community or the course?
- Add up what you pay for email, funnels and a website today.
- Run the calculator with your real members, price, tools and contact count.
- Take the check. If it is close, start the one with the lower total cost.
- If you pick Skool, read the Skool pricing breakdown to choose Hobby or Pro.
- Compare the rest in Skool alternatives, Skool vs Circle and Skool vs Whop.
- Already on Kajabi and Skool wins? Use the six-step move plan and announcement email so members come with you.
Get the Skool community launch plan Claude skill to set up the group, the About page and the first 30 days with Claude. If the platform is not the real problem, find the exact bottleneck in your business, or bring your numbers to a call and see if you qualify.
Find the exact bottleneck in your business
Frequently asked questions
Should a coach use Skool or Kajabi?
Use Skool if the community is the product or the front door to sales calls. Use Kajabi if you sell courses through your own website, funnels and email. On fees alone Skool Pro is $80 a month cheaper than Kajabi Basic on monthly billing.
What are the cons of Skool?
Every group shares one layout, prices are in US dollars only, there is no email tool, website or funnel builder, the course area is basic, and the Hobby plan takes 10% of sales. A quiet group also loses members fast.
Is there anything better than Kajabi?
It depends on what you sell. For a community, Skool is cheaper and simpler. For courses on a smaller budget, Teachable Builder is $89 a month. For a branded community hub, Circle. We compare eight options in Skool alternatives.
Is Kajabi worth the money?
It is worth it if you use its website, funnels and email and would otherwise pay for those tools. If you only need a community and a course area, Skool does that for $99 a month or less.
How much does Kajabi cost a month?
Kajabi costs $179 a month on Basic, $249 on Growth and $499 on Pro, or $143, $199 and $399 a month paid yearly. Kajabi Payments adds 2.9%, 2.8% or 2.7% plus 30 cents per sale in the US. Checked on kajabi.com on 22 October 2026.
How much does the Skool platform cost?
Skool costs $9 a month on Hobby or $99 a month on Pro, after a 14-day free trial, plus 10% + 30 cents or 2.9% + 30 cents per sale. See our Skool pricing page for the full cost.
Do I need a website if I have Kajabi?
No. Kajabi includes a website, landing pages and funnels on every plan, so it can be your whole site. On Skool, the group About page works as your sales page instead.
Can you make money on Kajabi?
Yes, if you bring the buyers. Kajabi gives you the pages, email and checkout, but it does not send you buyers the way Skool's Discovery search sends members. Your traffic decides the money on either platform.
Founder of Cashflow Coaches. His team has scaled 350+ Skool communities and builds the funnels that turn free members into paying members and high-ticket clients. More about Anshjeet.
Not sure which side you are on?
We look at your offer, your audience and these numbers, and map the full system for your business. If you are not a fit, we tell you what to fix first.
Book your callKeep reading: Skool alternativesSkool vs CircleSkool vs WhopSkool pricingSkool reviewSkool communities guideDone-for-you Skool growthScale a coaching businessFind your bottleneck (quiz)
Leo is a made-up example. His numbers show how the maths works and are not a client result. Skool, Kajabi and Teachable prices and fees were checked on skool.com, help.skool.com, kajabi.com and teachable.com on 22 October 2026 and can change. Kajabi payment rates are for US businesses. Benchmarks on this page are what other operators and Skool owners report. They are not Cashflow Coaches results and not a promise. Cashflow Coaches is not part of, or endorsed by, Skool, Kajabi or Teachable.