Our shortlist
Thinkific for course-first businesses; Teachable for course commerce; Kajabi for a premium all-in-one knowledge business; Podia for a simpler creator-product mix; Circle for community-led learning; Systeme.io for low-cost course + marketing consolidation.
Fresh pricing matters
Thinkific increased Basic to $54/month, Start to $109 and Grow to $219 effective August 13, 2026. Teachable currently lists Starter $39, Builder $89, Growth $189 and Advanced $399 monthly; Starter carries a 7.5% transaction fee while Builder and above list 0% base transaction fees. Kajabi starts at $179 monthly.
What to evaluate
Course structure, learner experience, drip delivery, quizzes/assignments, certificates where needed, communities, memberships, live learning, student capacity and admin workflow should come before funnel features. Then add website, email, automation and checkout requirements.
Verdict
Thinkific is our first course-first comparison. Kajabi is more compelling when the education product must live inside one marketing stack. Circle deserves special attention when member interaction is part of the product. Systeme.io is the value option when course delivery is sufficient and consolidation matters.
Sources and verification
- 2026 pricing update — Thinkific
New pricing effective August 13, 2026. Accessed 2026-09-10. - Pricing — Teachable
Current plans and transaction fees. Accessed 2026-09-10. - Pricing — Kajabi
Plans and limits. Accessed 2026-09-10.
Current prices checked September 10, 2026. No hands-on learner-experience claims are made without testing.