Kajabi vs Skool: Which Platform Fits Your Coaching Business in 2026?

TL;DR

• Kajabi is an all in one business platform: website, email, funnels, checkout, courses and a community, in one account.

• Skool is a community first platform: one feed, a classroom tab, a calendar and a points leaderboard that keeps members coming back.

• Pricing, checked September 2026: Kajabi starts at $179 a month ($143 a month billed annually). Skool starts at $9 a month with a 10% transaction fee, or $99 a month with a 2.9% transaction fee.

• Pick Kajabi if you sell several products and want your marketing in the same place. Pick Skool if your offer is the community itself.

• If your clients need to live inside your own branded app on their phone, neither entry plan gives you that. That is where a platform like KLIQ fits.

What Kajabi is built for

Kajabi started as a course platform and grew into a full business suite. On the Basic plan you get a website, unlimited landing pages, unlimited funnels, unlimited marketing emails, checkout pages and one community, all under one login.

The appeal is consolidation. Instead of paying separately for an email tool, a page builder, a course host and a checkout, you run it all from one dashboard. Kajabi does not take a revenue share on sales; you pay card processing on Kajabi Payments, which was 2.9% plus $0.30 on Basic in the US when we checked.

The trade off is price and complexity. Kajabi is a lot of software, and on Basic you are limited to 5 products and 2,500 contacts. If you are just starting and only need a place for members to talk, you are paying for a lot you will not use yet.

What Skool is built for

Skool does one thing and does it cleanly. You get a community feed, a classroom for courses, a calendar for live calls and a gamification layer where members earn points and unlock content by participating.

Both plans include unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. The difference is the fee model. Hobby is $9 a month and takes 10% of each sale. Pro is $99 a month and takes 2.9%.

What Skool deliberately leaves out is marketing. There is no email broadcast builder, no funnel builder and no full website builder. Many Skool owners pair it with a separate email tool and landing page, which adds cost back in.

Members join your group through the Skool app and the Skool website, so your community sits inside Skool's brand rather than your own.

How they compare

Core idea. Kajabi is a business platform with a community. Skool is a community with a classroom.

Website and landing pages. Included with Kajabi. Not offered by Skool beyond your group's About page.

Email marketing. Unlimited marketing emails included with Kajabi. Not included with Skool.

Funnels. Included with Kajabi. Not offered by Skool.

Courses. Included with both. Kajabi has more structure options; Skool keeps courses inside the community's Classroom tab.

Community and engagement. Included with both. Skool's leaderboard and levels are the stronger engagement mechanic.

Branded iOS and Android app. Kajabi offers a branded app, positioned for the Pro plan. Not offered by Skool. Included with KLIQ from $149 a month.

Transaction fees. Kajabi takes no platform revenue share, only card processing. Skool charges 10% on Hobby and 2.9% on Pro.

Pricing, checked September 2026. Kajabi Basic $179 a month, Growth $249 a month, Pro $499 a month, or $143, $199 and $399 a month billed annually. Skool Hobby $9 a month, Pro $99 a month.

The break even question

Because Skool's Hobby plan takes a percentage, the right plan depends on revenue, not just the monthly fee.

On Hobby, 10% of $1,000 in monthly sales is $100, which already costs more than Skool Pro. So once you sell roughly $1,000 a month, Skool Pro is cheaper than Hobby.

Kajabi versus Skool Pro is less about fees and more about tooling. Kajabi Basic costs $80 a month more than Skool Pro before processing. If you would otherwise pay for a separate email tool and page builder alongside Skool, that gap can close quickly.

Where KLIQ fits

KLIQ is built for coaches who want clients to open their own branded app, not a shared marketplace app. That includes programs, ecourses, community, livestreams, digital downloads, 1:1 booking and subscriptions through Stripe, plus broadcast email and Instagram DM automation with DM Flow.

Web Spaces start at $29 a month, and your own iOS and Android app starts at $149 a month. The first 14 days are free, the first month is £1, and migration from another platform is free.

The honest verdict

Choose Kajabi if you sell several products, rely heavily on email and funnels, and want every piece of your marketing in one place.

Choose Skool if your offer is the community itself, you want the simplest possible setup, and you are happy for members to use the Skool app.

Do not choose KLIQ if you do not care about having your own app and your business is mostly email funnels and evergreen courses. Kajabi is more mature there. And if you want the lowest cost way to test a paid community with a handful of people, Skool Hobby at $9 a month is hard to beat.

Consider KLIQ if your clients need a branded app on their phone for programs, check ins and community, at a lower price point than Kajabi Pro.

FAQ

Is Kajabi or Skool cheaper?

Skool is cheaper to start: $9 a month on Hobby or $99 a month on Pro, as of September 2026. Kajabi starts at $179 a month, or $143 a month billed annually. Skool's Hobby plan also takes 10% of sales, so at higher revenue Skool Pro or Kajabi can work out cheaper.

Does Skool have email marketing like Kajabi?

No. Skool does not include an email broadcast builder or funnel builder. Kajabi includes unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels on every plan.

Can I get a branded app with Kajabi or Skool?

Kajabi offers a branded mobile app, positioned for its Pro plan at $499 a month as of September 2026. Skool does not offer branded apps; members use the Skool app. KLIQ includes a branded iOS and Android app from $149 a month.

Which is better for coaches, Kajabi or Skool?

Skool suits coaches whose main product is a community. Kajabi suits coaches running several products with email and funnels. Coaches who want clients in their own branded app should also look at a dedicated coaching app platform.