Kajabi puts courses, a website and email in one place, which is why so many people start there. The usual reason to look elsewhere is the monthly bill: ~$179 to ~$499 a month, depending on the plan.
Your options, honestly
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cheaper course platforms Teachable, Thinkific, Podia | Just starting out, selling one or two courses | Low plans may take a share of each sale; community and live calls often need other tools |
| Community platforms Skool, Circle, Mighty Networks | A business built around a group | Courses and your website live somewhere else; the low monthly prices are often billed a year up front |
| Build it yourself WordPress and plugins | People who enjoy tinkering | Several plugins to pay for and keep updated; you're the support desk |
| Own a finished platform Deedmade™ | Established coaches and creators tired of monthly fees | A larger one-time cost (or 3 monthly payments), paid once rather than every year |
Owning makes sense when
- You've been paying monthly for a year or more and expect to keep going.
- You want your members, payments and data in your own accounts.
- You want one place and one login for you, and one for your members.
Not sure yet? You don't have to decide on faith: build yours free, see it working with your own words, and pay only when you love it.
The question to ask
Not "what does it cost a month?" but "what will I have paid in three years, and what will I own?" Kajabi Growth at ~$249 a month is ~$8,960 over three years, and you own nothing at the end of it.
Owning has cost less from month 11. After that, renting keeps going and owning doesn't.
Deedmade™ builds your website, members app, courses and email marketing as one platform on your own Cloudflare, Stripe and email accounts. You pay once ($2,499, with every feature) and we take 0% of your sales. Compare it feature by feature on our Kajabi alternative page.
Prices of other companies are approximate, from their own pricing pages on October 11, 2026, and they change. Where a page shows a monthly price that is billed a year at a time, we say so. Check their websites for today's prices.
Stop renting. Own it.
Build your platform free in early access and see it working, usually within the hour. You pay only if you approve it, once, and keep today's price.
- No card
- Pay once, no monthly fee
- 0% of your sales
- On your own accounts