Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi Fee Calculator

Teachable starts at $39 a month plus 7.5% of sales, Thinkific at $54 and Kajabi at $179, each plus card fees. Enter your course price and sales to see which keeps you more.

Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi

Every plan: monthly price + the platform's cut + card processing, on each one's own checkout

Price of your course

What a student usually pays, in dollars

Usual price ($)

Sales a month

How many students buy in a typical month

How many a month

Courses or products

How many you sell; some plans allow only 5 or 10

How many

Cheapest: Thinkific Basic

$117.40

a month on $1,980.00 of sales

You keep

$1,862.60

of each month’s sales, after every fee

Every plan, cheapest first

Thinkific Basic$54 a month · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $54.00 + fees $63.40Fees: card processing $63.40$117.40

Teachable Builder$89 a month · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $89.00 + fees $63.40$152.40

Thinkific Start$109 a month · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $109.00 + fees $63.40$172.40

Kajabi Basic$179 a month · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $179.00 + fees $63.40$242.40

Teachable Starter$39 a month · 7.5% of each sale · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $39.00 + fees $211.90$250.90

Teachable Growth$189 a month · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $189.00 + fees $63.40$252.40

Thinkific Grow$219 a month · card 2.9% + $0.30Plan $219.00 + fees $63.40$282.40

Kajabi Growth$249 a month · card 2.8% + $0.30Plan $249.00 + fees $61.40$310.40

Kajabi Pro$499 a month · card 2.7% + $0.30Plan $499.00 + fees $59.40$558.40

Lowest: Thinkific Basic

$117.40

You keep a month with Thinkific Basic

$1,862.60

Open Teachable Open Thinkific Open Kajabi

Priced on each platform's own checkout for a US business selling to US cards. International cards, subscriptions or payment plans, optional tax tools and third-party processors cost extra on some platforms; the page below lists them.

Every plan, side by side

Plan

A month (yearly)

Fees on each sale

Teachable Starter, up to 5 products

$39 ($29)

7.5% + 2.9% + $0.30

Teachable Builder, up to 10 products

$89 ($69)

2.9% + $0.30

Teachable Growth, up to 50 products

$189 ($139)

2.9% + $0.30

Thinkific Basic

$54 ($40)

2.9% + $0.30

Thinkific Start

$109 ($82)

2.9% + $0.30

Thinkific Grow

$219 ($164)

2.9% + $0.30

Kajabi Basic, up to 5 products

$179 ($143)

2.9% + $0.30

Kajabi Growth, up to 50 products

$249 ($199)

2.8% + $0.30

Kajabi Pro

$499 ($399)

2.7% + $0.30

Fees on each sale are the platform's own cut, where it takes one, plus card processing on its own checkout for a US business selling to US cards. Only Teachable Starter takes a cut. Thinkific's courses are unlimited on every plan; Teachable and Kajabi cap products on their lower plans.

What a $99 course costs to sell

Sales a month

Cheapest overall

Teachable / Thinkific / Kajabi

10 sales, $990

$85.70 (Thinkific Basic)

$120.70 / $85.70 / $210.70

30 sales, $2,970

$149.10 (Thinkific Basic)

$184.10 / $149.10 / $274.10

100 sales, $9,900

$371.00 (Thinkific Basic)

$406.00 / $371.00 / $496.00

Each platform's cheapest plan for the month, billed monthly, with plan, transaction fee and card processing together. At 30 sales ($2,970.00), Thinkific Basic costs $149.10. The order rarely changes with volume, because none of the three takes a cut once you are off Teachable Starter, so the plan price decides it.

Teachable Starter's 7.5%

Starter is the cheapest plan to start on, but it takes 7.5% of every sale. Builder costs $50 more a month and takes nothing, so it is the cheaper of the two once you sell more than about $666.67 a month ($533.33 on yearly billing).

Kajabi works the other way: the highest plan prices, no cut at all, and a card fee that falls as the plan rises, from 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic to 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro. Every Kajabi plan includes marketing emails, a website and a community in that price.

Not in the figures: international cards (3.9% + $0.30 on Teachable, 1.5% extra on Thinkific, and Kajabi's rates by country), Thinkific's 0.7% extra on subscriptions and payment plans and its optional 0.5% sales tax tool, Teachable's optional BackOffice fee, and Kajabi's 2% / 1% / 0.5% extra if you use a third-party processor.

Selling downloads or memberships instead?

For digital downloads, the Gumroad vs Payhip calculator compares two cheaper ways to sell. For memberships and communities, compare Whop's fees or open a Whop store, and the Patreon fee calculator.

Course platform fees: common questions

How much does Teachable cost?

Starter $39, Builder $89, Growth $189 a month, or $29, $69, $139 a month billed yearly. Starter also takes 7.5% of every sale; Builder and Growth take 0% on Teachable Payments. Card processing is 2.9% + $0.30 for US cards on every plan. There is no free plan, only a free trial.

How much does Thinkific cost?

Basic $54, Start $109, Grow $219 a month, or $40, $82, $164 a month billed yearly. Thinkific takes no transaction fee on Thinkific Payments; card processing is 2.9% + $0.30 for a US business. There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial.

How much does Kajabi cost?

Basic $179, Growth $249, Pro $499 a month, or $143, $199, $399 a month billed yearly. Kajabi says it takes no revenue share; Kajabi Payments charges 2.9% + $0.30, 2.8% + $0.30, 2.7% + $0.30 on Basic, Growth and Pro for US businesses.

Which is cheapest: Teachable, Thinkific or Kajabi?

On fees alone, Thinkific Basic once your sales pass about $200.00 a month; below that, Teachable Starter's lower plan price wins despite its 7.5% cut. A $99 course selling 30 times a month costs $149.10 on Thinkific Basic, $184.10 on Teachable Builder and $274.10 on Kajabi Basic, plan and card fees included. Kajabi costs the most because its plans start higher; its price includes marketing emails, a website and a community.

Does Teachable charge transaction fees?

Only on Starter, which takes 7.5% of each sale on top of card processing. Builder and Growth have 0% transaction fees on Teachable Payments. Builder costs less than Starter once you sell more than about $666.67 a month ($533.33 on yearly billing).

Does Kajabi take a percentage of sales?

No. Kajabi says it takes no revenue share. You pay the plan and Kajabi Payments' card fee, which falls from 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic to 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro. Using a third-party processor instead adds 2%, 1%, 0.5% by plan.

Does Thinkific have a free plan?

No. Thinkific offers a 30-day free trial instead; Teachable offers a 7-day trial and no free plan either.

What card fees do course platforms charge?

For a US business taking US cards: Teachable 2.9% + $0.30, Thinkific 2.9% + $0.30, Kajabi 2.9% + $0.30 to 2.7% + $0.30. International cards cost more: 3.9% + $0.30 on Teachable, and 1.5% extra on Thinkific.

Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi Fee Calculator