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THE SHORT ANSWER
If you want the lowest entry cost with zero transaction fees → Thinkific
If you sell courses and want the strongest checkout and sales pages → Teachable
If you want courses, email, funnels, and community in one platform → Kajabi
If you think the cheapest monthly plan is the cheapest platform, you are measuring the wrong number. Teachable's entry plan charges a transaction fee on every sale that can quietly cost more than a higher plan with zero fees. The real question is your revenue level and whether you need a full marketing stack or just a place to host courses.
AT A GLANCE
| Thinkific | Teachable | Kajabi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | $49/mo ($36 annual) | $39/mo ($29 annual) | $89/mo ($71 annual) |
| Entry transaction fee | 0% | 7.5% | 0% |
| Zero-fee plan | Basic ($49) — already 0% | Builder ($89, $69 annual) | All plans 0% |
| Mid tier | Start $99 ($74 annual) | Growth $189 ($139 annual) | Growth $249 ($199 annual) |
| Built-in email/funnels | No | No | Yes |
| Best for | Low-cost course hosting | Course selling | All-in-one creator business |
| OperDrive deal | Standard pricing | Standard pricing | Standard pricing |
Thinkific — for the lowest-cost start
If you want to launch without overpaying and keep every dollar you earn, Thinkific wins at the entry level. The Basic plan is $49/month ($36 annual) and — critically — charges 0% transaction fees in primary markets like the US, with unlimited courses even at the entry tier. That combination is what makes it strictly better than Teachable's cheapest plan for most new creators. Start at $99/month ($74 annual) adds subscriptions, payment plans, live lessons, and priority phone support. Grow at $199/month ($149 annual) adds advanced analytics, API access, and branding removal. Thinkific lifted its old student cap in 2026 — every plan now has unlimited students, courses, and bandwidth. The trade-off is a higher entry price than Teachable's headline number, and no permanent free plan, just a 30-day trial.
Teachable — for course selling
If your business runs on polished sales pages and checkout optimisation, Teachable is the stronger commerce platform. But the pricing needs scrutiny. Starter is $39/month ($29 annual) — and it charges a 7.5% transaction fee on every sale, on top of Stripe's own processing. At $2,000/month in revenue that fee alone is roughly $150/month, which pushes your real cost above the Builder plan ($89/month, $69 annual) that charges 0%. The rule: if you are consistently above $2,000/month, skip Starter and go straight to Builder. Growth at $189/month ($139 annual) adds 25 products, white-label branding, and bulk student tools. Teachable's genuine edge is its checkout, cart recovery, native EU VAT handling, and the largest third-party integration ecosystem in the category.
Kajabi — for the all-in-one creator business
If you want courses, email marketing, funnels, landing pages, community, and affiliate management in one platform, Kajabi is built for exactly that. It is the most expensive on paper — the Kickstarter plan starts at $89/month ($71 annual) for one product and 250 contacts, Basic is $179/month ($143 annual), and Growth is $249/month ($199 annual) with affiliate management and advanced automations. Every plan charges 0% transaction fees. The sticker shock is real, but the math changes when you count what it replaces: if you were paying separately for an email tool, a funnel builder, affiliate software, and hosting, you would already be adding $100+ elsewhere. Kajabi is overkill for someone who just wants to host a course, and the right call for someone running a full creator business.
When it actually pays off
| Monthly course revenue | Cheapest real cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| $500/mo | Thinkific Basic ($49, 0% fee) | Teachable Starter's 7.5% fee erodes the lower sticker |
| $2,000/mo | Teachable Builder or Thinkific | At this point Teachable's 0% Builder beats its own Starter |
| $5,000/mo, full stack | Kajabi Growth ($199 annual) | Replaces email, funnels, affiliate tools — net cheaper |
The takeaway most comparisons miss: on Teachable's Starter plan you pay 7.5% of every dollar, forever. At $5,000/month that is $4,500/year in platform fees on top of the subscription. Thinkific Basic costs $49/month total with zero fees at the same revenue. The sticker prices look close; the all-in cost is not. And once you need a full marketing stack around your courses, Kajabi's higher flat fee becomes the cheaper option because it eliminates four other subscriptions.
What nobody else mentions
All three platforms restructured pricing in 2025–2026. Kajabi overhauled its plans in January 2026 for the first time in nearly a decade, Teachable moved to new Starter/Builder/Growth/Advanced tiers, and Thinkific lifted its student caps. Any comparison written before 2026 has stale numbers — verify before you sign.
Neither Teachable nor Thinkific replaces a real email tool. Thinkific's "email" only reaches people already enrolled in your school; Teachable's is basic course notifications. If list marketing matters, you still need a dedicated tool like Kit alongside either — a cost that does not show up in the plan comparison. Kajabi is the only one of the three with a full native email platform.
The transaction fee is the number that catches people at month three. Creators pick Teachable Starter for the low sticker, then discover at their first $3,000 month that the 7.5% fee quietly cost more than the plan. Always calculate all-in cost at your actual revenue, not the headline price.
Thinkific's white-label and branding removal sits behind the Grow plan ($199/month annual). If removing the platform's logo from your course site matters to you, that is a real cost jump from the entry tier — factor it in rather than assuming it is included lower down.
FAQ
Which course platform is cheapest for a beginner?
Thinkific Basic at $49/month ($36 annual) with 0% transaction fees and unlimited courses is the cheapest real cost for most new creators. Teachable's Starter has a lower sticker at $39/month but its 7.5% transaction fee makes it more expensive at almost any meaningful sales volume.
Is Kajabi worth the higher price?
It depends on whether you need the full stack. Kajabi bundles courses, email marketing, funnels, landing pages, community, and affiliate management with 0% fees. If you would otherwise pay separately for those tools, Kajabi is net cheaper. If you only need to host and sell a course, it is overkill and Thinkific or Teachable is better value.
Do I still need an email marketing tool?
With Thinkific or Teachable, usually yes — their built-in email is limited to enrolled students or basic notifications. With Kajabi, no — it includes a full native email platform that can market to external lists.
When should I upgrade off Teachable Starter?
The moment you consistently pass roughly $2,000/month in revenue. At that point the 7.5% transaction fee on Starter costs more than the Builder plan's subscription with 0% fees. Below that, you should probably be on Thinkific Basic instead.
Your course platform is the foundation your entire creator business is built on.
If you want to know which creator stack belongs in your specific business — that is what OperDrive does. Your Stack. Precisely.
What remains is not a suggestion.