Do Kajabi and Teachable charge transaction fees on sales?

Kajabi does not charge any revenue-sharing transaction fees on its standard plans. Teachable charges a 7.5% transaction fee on its Starter plan, though fees decrease or disappear on higher-tier plans like Pro and Business.

How do mobile app branding options work on Kajabi and Teachable?

Neither platform offers a completely custom, standalone white-labeled app published under your own developer account by default. Instead, students log into a branded container app—such as the Kajabi mobile app or the Teachable iOS/Android apps—where they access your courses and community spaces.

Which platform is better for building online community spaces?

Kajabi includes native, robust community features designed to replace separate platforms like Facebook Groups or Discord, allowing seamless integration between courses and member discussions. Teachable historically focuses heavily on course delivery, often requiring third-party integrations for advanced community management.

Can I build advanced checkout upsell funnels on both platforms?

Kajabi offers advanced native multi-step checkout funnels, order bumps, and one-click upsells directly within its builder. Teachable supports basic order bumps and upsell features on higher plans, but complex funnel customization often necessitates third-party checkout integrations.

Kajabi vs. Teachable: Ultimate Creator Platform Comparison for Courses and Communities

Question: Should an online creator host community spaces and online courses using 'Kajabi' or 'Teachable', considering checkout upsell funnel flexibility, transaction fee percentages, and mobile app branding options?

Prepared by the ChoiceScore Research Desk · Editor-approved for the curated library · Reviewed July 30, 2026

Recommended Choice Score: 82/100

Direct answer

Choose Kajabi if you want an all-in-one ecosystem with native community features, advanced upsell funnels, and zero transaction fees on higher plans, or choose Teachable if you need lower entry-level subscription costs despite transactional fees and separate third-party community tools.

Summary

When deciding between Kajabi and Teachable for your online courses and community spaces, creators must weigh ecosystem consolidation against upfront software costs. Kajabi offers an all-in-one architecture encompassing robust landing pages, email marketing, native community spaces, and zero transaction fees, making it ideal for scaling creators who want to minimize plugin sprawl. Teachable provides a modular approach with accessible entry tiers, though lower-tier plans feature transactional fees up to 7.5%, and community or advanced funnel building often requires external integrations.

Choice Score breakdown

Checkout Upsell Funnel Flexibility 85/100 — Kajabi excels with built-in native multi-step funnels, whereas Teachable relies on standard cart flows and add-ons.
Transaction Fee Efficiency 90/100 — Kajabi eliminates transaction fees on its plans, while Teachable charges up to 7.5% on lower-tier plans.
Mobile App Branding Options 75/100 — Both platforms utilize pooled student applications (like the Kajabi app or Teachable iOS/Android apps) rather than fully white-labeled native apps.
All-in-One Ecosystem Value 88/100 — Kajabi replaces separate email marketing and community tools, whereas Teachable focuses strictly on course and coaching delivery.

Best for / Not best for

Best for

Established creators scaling a multi-product knowledge business
Educators who want native community spaces bundled with online courses
Creators looking to avoid revenue-sharing transaction fees on higher volume

Not best for

Absolute beginners testing a single course concept on a tight $39/month budget
Creators requiring a completely custom white-labeled standalone mobile app in the app store
Users who already pay for specialized email marketing and CRM platforms and only want a barebones course host

Scenarios

High-Volume Scaling Creator (70% likely)
A creator generating $20,000 monthly from courses, communities, and digital coaching upsells.
Bootstrapping Beginner (20% likely)
A new creator generating under $1,000 per month with minimal initial software budget.
Ecosystem Consolidation (10% likely)
A creator currently paying for separate email marketing, landing page builders, and community software.

Calculations

Metric	Result	Formula
Annual Kajabi Platform Cost (Illustrative Mid-Tier)	1788 USD/year	monthly_subscription_kajabi * 12
Teachable Starter Transaction Fee Impact at Scale	4500 USD/year	monthly_revenue * 12 * transaction_fee_percentage
Total Cost of Ownership Comparison (High Volume)	1788 USD/year	platform_base_fee_annual + transaction_fees_annual
Estimated Tool Consolidation Savings	1800 USD/year	external_tool_costs * 12

Pros & cons

Pros

Kajabi features a comprehensive all-in-one ecosystem combining email marketing, landing pages, courses, and communities.
Kajabi charges zero transaction fees on its plans, keeping 100% of revenue in the creator's pocket.
Teachable provides an accessible entry point with lower upfront subscription tiers for bootstrapping creators.
Both platforms offer structured student management, video hosting, and robust course completion tracking.

Cons

Teachable's Starter plan imposes a 7.5% transaction fee which can severely impact profit margins at scale.
Neither platform provides fully custom white-labeled standalone mobile apps in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store out of the box.
Kajabi has a steeper learning curve and higher initial monthly subscription cost compared to basic course builders.
Teachable requires third-party integrations or external tools to build fully robust community spaces and complex marketing funnels.

Assumptions

Kajabi Transaction Fees: 0% — Kajabi operates on a transparent flat subscription model with no revenue-sharing transaction fees across standard plans.
Teachable Starter Fee: 7.5% — Teachable's entry-level Starter plan assesses a 7.5% transaction fee on digital product sales.
Mobile App Architecture: Pooled Student Apps — Both platforms host students inside a branded parent application (Kajabi app or Teachable mobile app) rather than custom standalone white-label app store listings for individual creators.

Practical next steps

Audit your current monthly revenue and projected growth trajectory over the next 12 months.
Calculate whether Teachable's transaction fees on your sales volume outweigh Kajabi's higher flat monthly subscription fee.
List all required marketing tools you currently use to determine if Kajabi's all-in-one suite will replace existing software expenses.
Test both platform interfaces using their respective free trials to evaluate checkout funnel customization and community layout.
Select the platform that aligns with your technical workflow preferences and long-term financial scaling goals.

Methodology

This decision report evaluates Kajabi and Teachable through comparative analysis of pricing structures, transaction fees, checkout funnel flexibility, and native community capabilities. Data points are synthesized from official platform documentation and pricing pages, applying financial calculations to determine total cost of ownership across different business scaling scenarios.

Sources

Sources support specific claims; they do not replace our analysis. Read the research and source standards.

FAQ

Do Kajabi and Teachable charge transaction fees on sales?: Kajabi does not charge any revenue-sharing transaction fees on its standard plans. Teachable charges a 7.5% transaction fee on its Starter plan, though fees decrease or disappear on higher-tier plans like Pro and Business.
How do mobile app branding options work on Kajabi and Teachable?: Neither platform offers a completely custom, standalone white-labeled app published under your own developer account by default. Instead, students log into a branded container app—such as the Kajabi mobile app or the Teachable iOS/Android apps—where they access your courses and community spaces.
Which platform is better for building online community spaces?: Kajabi includes native, robust community features designed to replace separate platforms like Facebook Groups or Discord, allowing seamless integration between courses and member discussions. Teachable historically focuses heavily on course delivery, often requiring third-party integrations for advanced community management.
Can I build advanced checkout upsell funnels on both platforms?: Kajabi offers advanced native multi-step checkout funnels, order bumps, and one-click upsells directly within its builder. Teachable supports basic order bumps and upsell features on higher plans, but complex funnel customization often necessitates third-party checkout integrations.

Related decisions

Disclaimers

Pricing tiers, transaction fee percentages, and feature availability for Kajabi and Teachable are subject to change by the respective platform providers.

Financial projections and transaction fee impact calculations are illustrative estimates and depend heavily on actual creator sales volume and selected subscription tiers.