Two similar-sounding platforms with similar features. But what’s the difference?
I chose Kajabi because it offers a far better user experience. However, Kartra delivers some unique tools that Kajabi lacks.
Here’s my in-depth comparison so you can decide which works for your business.
Key Takeaways:
- Kajabi has four plans starting from $69/month up to $399/month
- Kartra’s three plans start from $119/month up to $549/month
- Many Kartra features are only available on the higher-tier plans
Kajabi vs. Kartra: A Quick Overview
| Feature | Kajabi | Kartra |
|---|---|---|
| SupplyGem Platform Ranking | No. 2 | No. 4 |
| SupplyGem Score | 9.5 | 9.1 |
| Trustpilot Score | 4.5 | 3.7 |
| Costs From | $69/month | $119/month |
| Free Trial | Get a Growth plan 30-day free trial | Get a Starter plan 30-day free trial |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Platform Pros | – Affordable entry-level plan – Excellent user experience – Most features included on all plans – Awesome community feature – Top-tier customer service | – Suitable for different types of businesses – Helpdesk feature – SMS marketing capabilities – Includes webinars |
| Platform Cons | – Marketing methods are limited (no SMS) – Only suitable for learning content providers – Not suitable for physical products | – Platform is not easy to use – Expensive plans – Limited features on lower-tier plans – No community feature |
| Best For | Digital learning content creators | Online businesses of all kinds |
Kajabi vs. Kartra: They Look the Same but Behave Differently
I get it. You’re here because Kajabi and Kartra appear to offer very similar features, and you’re wondering what the difference is. And it’s true, they do have a lot of overlapping tools. However, they are each aimed at different audiences.
In short, Kajabi focuses on learning content creators. Its product tools center around course, community, and coaching creation, and its marketing tools are designed to support selling these products.
Kartra, on the other hand, is centered more on marketing and providing ways to facilitate customer support. It has a lot more features in this area, making it a suitable platform for businesses that aren’t simply focused on selling learning content.
5 Reasons Why I Chose Kajabi over Kartra
Despite the differences, I still rate Kajabi over Kartra for several key reasons.
Kajabi Is More Affordable
Since introducing the Kickstarter plan, Kajabi has become more accessible to those on lower budgets. You can get an account for as little as $69 per month ($55 per month) if you prefer to pay annually.
In contrast, you have to cough up $119 per month for Kartra’s lowest-tier plan, which is a fair amount more. Plus, the rest of Kartra’s plans are more expensive than Kajabi’s by quite a bit.
What I also don’t like about Kartra’s pricing structure is that you have to subscribe to the higher-tier plans to access features like webinars, quizzes, and the help desk. If you want these things, you’ll have to pay at least $229 per month for the Growth plan.
Kajabi, on the other hand, includes all the important features within its plans. The difference between the plans lies mainly in the feature limits (something Kartra also has).
Here’s a quick overview and comparison of both platforms’ pricing:
| Plan | Monthly cost | Monthly cost paid annually | Total annual cost | Annual payment discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest tier: Kajabi Kickstarter | $69 | $55 | $660 | 20% |
| Lowest tier: Kartra Starter | $119 | $99 | $1,188 | 16% |
| Mid-tier: Kajabi Basic | $149 | $119 | $1,428 | 20% |
| Mid-tier: Kajabi Growth | $199 | $159 | $1,908 | 20% |
| Mid-tier: Kartra Growth | $229 | $189 | $2,268 | 17% |
| Top-tier: Kajabi Pro | $399 | $319 | $3,828 | 20% |
| Top-tier: Kartra Professional | $549 | $429 | $5,148 | 20% |
Kajabi Is WAY Easier to Use
I’m trying not to be biased here because I have long been a fan of how the Kajabi platform works, and—in my opinion—it’s hard to match that high standard.
I give all platforms a fair run, though. However, I hate to say it, but Kartra is complicated—unnecessarily so.
It’s hard to find what you’re looking for, the interface is not intuitive, and you have to sit through annoying tutorials whenever you want to use a feature.
The terminology is odd, too. For example, single courses are called “membership sites,” and what I would typically call a membership site (a single login to access multiple courses and content) is called a “portal.”
What really frustrates me, however, is using its features and having to configure them in multiple steps. You can’t skip between steps or move past a step unless you complete all the configurations.
Take the course builder, for example. I can’t click from the Basic Info step straight to the Automation step—I have to click through all the in-between steps first.
This process is so annoying and clunky. If anything makes me lose my patience, it’s this.
Kajabi wins hands down for usability. All the feature sections make sense, and, most importantly, you can move through them however you want. If you need to click on something to quickly edit it, you can do that instantly.
The tutorials and help sections aren’t invasive and don’t interfere with the user experience, either. They are there if you want them, but they’re not in your face.
A Community Feature
I love LOVE the Kajabi community feature! It’s proven super valuable to my audience and has helped me monetize in more ways than I thought possible.
There are loads of features in there. You can set up and run events, live stream, run challenges, and create private and public chat circles. All of which are excellent for driving engagement.
To monetize, you can charge for your community or create different access levels within it to which you can assign a cost (think of them like pricing plans).
What really helped me level up my community was the Kajabi Live feature. This feature saves the hassle of integrating with something like Zoom and lets me connect with my audience in a live setting whenever I want.
The “Instant Live” button is especially valuable because I can jump into a live session on a whim and surprise my audience.
Native Payment Gateway
For me, an “all-in-one” platform is one where you don’t have to integrate with any third-party apps whatsoever. Where most platforms fall short in this regard is the need to integrate with a payment gateway.
Not so long ago, you had to do that in Kajabi, but no more.
In the past year or so, it has been gradually rolling out Kajabi Payments—its own payment gateway.
It was built using Stripe infrastructure, so it’s got the same robust security features. Plus, you get access to a bunch of other payment options like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and AfterPay.
The only drawback is that this service is only currently available in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. However, if you don’t live in one of these countries, don’t despair! Kajabi will make it available everywhere in due course.
Kartra doesn’t have a native payment gateway, so you have to use a third-party one. Some good options, though, include Square, Stripe, and PayPal.
Incredible Support and Help Resources
I rarely have to contact Kajabi’s live support, but when I do, they are always extra helpful and go to great lengths to answer my query.
Why don’t I need to contact live support much? Well, it’s because Kajabi’s other help resources are so good.
The Help Center is always up-to-date with guides, walkthroughs, and more. Then, there’s the Kajabi University, which teaches you the platform in-depth plus marketing and sales skills. Oh, and there’s all the free live webinars, podcasts, blogs, and more.
Setting up an online business can be challenging, but Kajabi has gone to great lengths to make it as easy as possible for you.
In comparison, Kartra’s resources are somewhat lackluster and text-heavy. Kajabi uses GIFs and videos to support the information, whereas Kartra doesn’t. Besides the Knowledge Base with articles on how to use the platform’s features, there isn’t much else.
As far as other support goes, you get an email ticketing service. Live chat is available but only for a few hours each weekday, so it’s pretty limited.
What Does Kartra Offer That Kajabi Doesn’t?
Okay, so we’ve covered where Kajabi excels over Kartra. Are there any areas where you might choose Kartra over Kajabi?
Turns out, there’s a few.
Unlimited Products
Kajabi is famous for its low product limits (you can only create one on the Kickstarter plan), so if you plan to unleash multiple products into the world, you may prefer Kartra.
No matter what types of products you create—courses, memberships, digital downloads, etc.—you can build and sell unlimited numbers, even on the cheapest plan.
A Webinar Feature
Yes, Kartra has a webinar feature, but you can only access it if you pay for the Growth or Professional plans (from $229 per month). However, this will allow you to engage directly with your audience in a live setting.
I’ve already talked about how powerful live sessions can be, so this is definitely something to consider if you’re looking for a better way to connect with your audience.
Conversely, Kajabi lacks a webinar feature. However, you can use the community livestream tool for this purpose.
If you purchase the Kartra Starter plan and decide to run webinars, it’s cheaper to get WebinarJam and pay for the two platforms than upgrading to the Kartra Growth plan ($168 per month vs. $229 per month).
Funnel Simulations
I don’t know about you, but I find funnels a bit of a complicated beast. I’m never quite sure if I’m doing the right thing or if what I’m doing is going to work.
I do really like the Kajabi funnel builder, and the platform makes it pretty easy to build working funnels with its templates.
However, I’m intrigued by the Kartra funnel simulator because it allows you to test out your creations in a risk-free environment. It’ll give you results on whether or not your funnel is likely to convert and what the potential ROI is. Then, you can tweak everything to try and improve them.
I think this can be a super-valuable tool for funnel newbies because it lessens the chances of a funnel being a dud before you’ve spent a ton on paid ads.
The only catch? You need the Growth or Professional plan to access this feature.
SMS Marketing
I wish Kajabi would catch up on this. SMS marketing is incredibly effective and has a much higher open and conversion rate than email.
Kartra has the option to send email and SMS broadcasts or sequences so you can diversify your marketing strategies and reach a wider audience.
It’s important to note, however, that Kartra is not a communications provider. You do need to choose and integrate one of the three third-party apps (Plivo, Twilio, or Vonage) for this purpose.
Still, it’s an excellent feature and a win for Kartra. I hope Kajabi also chooses to implement it soon!
Help Desks
Facilitating live support is always a challenge for small businesses, and they typically rely on email only, which can be inconvenient and difficult to keep track of.
Kartra remedies this by offering a helpdesk feature that enables you to provide your customers with live chat, ticketing, and a wiki resources library. This feature is useful because you can easily see who requires a response and then answer promptly.
Increasing customer satisfaction is the name of the game, and this will certainly help you achieve that.
The drawback? You guessed it! It’s only available on the Growth plan upwards.
Unfortunately, Kajabi doesn’t offer a feature like this, so you have to stick to email support or use a third-party customer service app.
Kajabi vs. Kartra: Which Should You Use?
It’s clear that Kartra offers several advantages over Kajabi, especially if those are features you’re actually looking for. However, the sticking point for me is the usability of the platform. Kartra is just too clunky for my liking, and I prefer Kajabi.
At the end of the day, it is down to personal preference, but my overall recommendations are:
- Use Kajabi if you want to set up and run a business based on providing learning content.
- Use Kartra if your focus is a different type of online business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kajabi or Kartra Any Good for Selling Physical Products?
Both Kartra and Kajabi are geared toward selling digital products and are optimized for this purpose. A dedicated e-commerce platform like Shopify is a much better option for selling physical products.
Can I Migrate My Content from Kartra to Kajabi or Vice Versa?
You cannot migrate content from Kartra to Kajabi or vice versa. To switch over, you would have to manually copy your existing content onto the new platform.
