Direct answer: at annual pricing, entry/mid plans and $0/$5,000/$20,000 monthly course sales, course platforms in 2026 cost about: $0 sales — Teachable Starter 29, Thinkific Start 82, Kajabi Basic 143; $5,000 — Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific Start 82, Kajabi Basic 143 (Teachable Starter would be 29 + 7.5% × 5,000 = 404); $20,000 — Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific Start 82, Kajabi Basic 143 (Teachable Starter would be 1,529). The monthly fee is not the point; the transaction fee is: Teachable Starter charges 7.5%, Builder/Growth 0%; Thinkific/Kajabi charge no platform transaction fee but higher monthly fees. Above about $533/month in sales, Teachable Builder’s 69 beats Starter’s 29 + 7.5%; the larger the sales, the more 0% matters.
This guide is for creators, operators and procurement teams running online courses, cohorts, membership communities, digital products and knowledge commerce. Data cut-off: 7 November 2026; prices come from the US pricing pages of Teachable, Thinkific and Kajabi, in USD, excluding tax; all TCOs are editorial calculations, not vendor quotes. “Product/contact/transaction fee/payment processing” differ, so official facts, editorial assumptions and non-comparable items are kept separate.
Teachable Starter 29/month annual with 7.5% transaction fee; Builder 69/month 0%; Growth 139/month 0%. Thinkific Start 82/month, Grow 164, Plus 374, 0% platform transaction fee. Kajabi Basic 143/month, Growth 199, Pro 399, no revenue share. At $5,000 sales: Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific 82, Kajabi 143; Teachable Starter 404. The more you sell, the more 0% matters; payment processing is separate for all three.
Three meters: monthly + transaction fee, monthly, monthly + contacts
Teachable: Starter 39/month (29 annual), 5 products, 7.5% platform transaction fee; Builder 89/month (69 annual), 10 products, 0%; Growth 189/month (139 annual), 50 products, 0%; higher tiers add automation/tax/migration. Thinkific: Start 109/month (82 annual), unlimited courses, 0% platform transaction fee; Grow 219/month (164 annual), remove branding/3 communities; Plus 499/month (374 annual), 10 communities/1000GB; mobile app 199/month add-on. Kajabi: Basic 179/month (143 annual), 5 products/2,500 contacts; Growth 249/month (199 annual), 50/25,000; Pro 499/month (399 annual), unlimited/100,000/3 websites; no revenue share.
| Platform/tier | Annual monthly | Monthly | Transaction fee/boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | 29 | 39 | 7.5% platform fee; 5 products |
| Teachable Builder | 69 | 89 | 0% platform fee; 10 products |
| Teachable Growth | 139 | 189 | 0%; 50 products |
| Thinkific Start | 82 | 109 | 0% platform fee; unlimited courses |
| Thinkific Grow | 164 | 219 | 0%; remove branding/3 communities |
| Thinkific Plus | 374 | 499 | 0%; 10 communities/1000GB |
| Kajabi Basic | 143 | 179 | 0% revenue share; 5 products/2,500 contacts |
| Kajabi Growth | 199 | 249 | 0%; 50 products/25,000 contacts |
| Kajabi Pro | 399 | 499 | 0%; unlimited/100,000 contacts |
Sources: Teachable Pricing, Thinkific Pricing and Kajabi Pricing (US, accessed 7 November 2026). USD, excluding tax; annual/monthly public prices; payment processing (Stripe/PayPal), SMS/email, extra contacts/products, migration and support are separate; Teachable’s transaction fee is a platform fee, not payment processing.
Three tiers: $0/$5,000/$20,000 monthly sales
Platform monthly fee + platform transaction fee only, excluding payment processing: $0 — Teachable Starter 29, Thinkific Start 82, Kajabi Basic 143; $5,000 — Teachable Starter 29 + 375 = 404, Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific 82, Kajabi 143; $20,000 — Teachable Starter 29 + 1,500 = 1,529, Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific 82, Kajabi 143. Annual at $5,000: Teachable Builder 828, Thinkific 984, Kajabi 1,716; Teachable Starter 4,848. Builder is lowest at $5,000/$20,000; Kajabi’s higher fee includes contacts/marketing/website/community.
| Monthly course sales | Teachable Starter | Teachable Builder | Thinkific Start | Kajabi Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | 29.00 | 69.00 | 82.00 | 143.00 |
| $5,000 | 404.00 | 69.00 | 82.00 | 143.00 |
| $20,000 | 1,529.00 | 69.00 | 82.00 | 143.00 |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Teachable Starter = 29 + 7.5% × sales; Builder = 69; Thinkific = 82; Kajabi = 143. Excludes tax, payment processing, SMS/email, extra products/contacts, migration and support; Kajabi Basic’s 2,500 contacts/5 products cap may require an upgrade at high volume and is not included.
Break-even: about $533/month, Builder beats Starter
Teachable Starter is 29 + 7.5% × sales; Builder is 69 fixed. They are equal at 29 + 0.075S = 69 → S ≈ 533. Above about $533/month, Builder’s 69 is lower; at $5,000 Starter is 404 vs Builder 69, a $335 gap; at $20,000 Starter is 1,529 vs 69, a $1,460 gap. Against Thinkific/Kajabi, Builder 69 is below Thinkific 82/Kajabi 143, but Thinkific/Kajabi include more courses/contacts/community/marketing; if you only need courses + payments, Builder’s “low monthly + 0%” is strongest.
| Comparison | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter vs Builder | 29 + 7.5%S vs 69 | Equal at about S=533; choose Builder above |
| Teachable Builder vs Thinkific Start | 69 vs 82 | Builder 13 lower; Thinkific has unlimited courses |
| Teachable Builder vs Kajabi Basic | 69 vs 143 | Builder 74 lower; Kajabi has contacts/marketing/website |
| Payment processing | Separate for all | Stripe/PayPal 2.9%–3.5% etc. |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Excludes tax, payment processing, extra products/contacts, SMS/email, migration and support; Thinkific/Kajabi feature value is not equivalent to pure course payments, so do not compare monthly fees alone.
Feature boundaries: courses, community, marketing, contacts
Teachable: courses/products/payments/affiliates/upsells, Starter 7.5% transaction fee, Builder/Growth 0%; fits course-sales-first creators starting with a low monthly fee. Thinkific: unlimited courses, community/live/analytics, Start 0%, Grow remove branding/3 communities, Plus 10 communities/1000GB; fits courses + community + branding. Kajabi: courses + website + email marketing + contacts/pipelines + community, Basic 2,500 contacts/5 products, Growth 25,000/50, Pro 100,000/unlimited; fits “courses + marketing + website” all-in-one, at the highest monthly fee. Payment processing is separate for all; Teachable’s 7.5% is a platform fee, not payment processing.
| Capability | Teachable | Thinkific | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform transaction fee | Starter 7.5%; Builder/Growth 0% | 0% | 0% revenue share |
| Courses/products | 5/10/50 products | Unlimited courses | 5/50/unlimited products |
| Community | Tier-dependent | Grow 3/Plus 10 | 1/1/3 communities |
| Contacts/marketing | Basic | Analytics/marketing tools | 2,500/25,000/100,000 contacts |
| Website/email | Course pages | Course pages/blog | Website + email + pipelines |
| Typical use | Course payments | Courses + community | Courses + marketing all-in-one |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 7 November 2026). This is a public tier overview; products/contacts/community/storage/payments/tax/compliance depend on tier/contract. No feature-equivalence assumption is made.
Which option fits which scenario?
Just starting with low sales (<$533/month): Teachable Starter 29, accepting 7.5%; once sales exceed about $533/month, switch to Teachable Builder 69 (0%), which is lowest at $5,000/$20,000. Need unlimited courses + community/branding and 0%: Thinkific Start 82/Grow 164/Plus 374. Need courses + website + email marketing + contacts/pipelines and have budget: Kajabi Basic 143/Growth 199/Pro 399. Payment processing is separate for all; at high volume also check contacts/product caps and features, not just monthly fee.
| Scenario | First choice | Why | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-sales start | Teachable Starter | 29/month; lowest below $533 | 7.5% transaction fee |
| Sales >$533/month | Teachable Builder | 69, 0% transaction fee | 10-product cap |
| Courses + community/brand | Thinkific Start/Grow | 82/164, 0% | Branding/community/storage |
| Courses + marketing + website | Kajabi Basic/Growth | 143/199, contacts/email/website | Contact/product caps |
| High volume/multi-brand | Teachable Growth/Thinkific Plus/Kajabi Pro | Higher limits/automation | Contract/migration |
| Digital downloads only | Payment + file tools | No course platform needed | Fees/storage |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 7 November 2026). This is an editorial decision matrix, not vendor advice; video/live stability, payment success, email deliverability, tax compliance and support response were not tested.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least ten things: monthly sales/ticket, products/courses, students/contacts, transaction fee, payment processing, video/live/storage, community/email/website, tax/compliance, migration/export, SLA/support. Run a 2–4 week POC on real sales and record checkout success, transaction fee, payment fee, video/live, email delivery, refunds and the bill; do not compare only monthly fees.
- Sales: monthly GMV, ticket, refunds/chargebacks; whether the transaction fee scales linearly.
- Products: courses/digital products/memberships/cohorts; product caps.
- Students/contacts: students, contacts/email subscribers; overage.
- Payments: Stripe/PayPal rates, currencies, installments, invoices.
- Video: hosting/live/storage/bandwidth; extra minutes/GB.
- Community: communities/members/posts; add-on.
- Marketing: email/automation/funnels/affiliates; send limits.
- Tax/compliance: VAT/GST, invoices, residency, BAA.
- Contract: annual/monthly, refunds, renewal uplift, migration/export.
- POC: 2–4 weeks of real sales; checkout, transaction fee, payment fee, video, email, refunds and bill.
FAQ
What is cheapest at $0 sales/just starting?
Teachable Starter 29, Thinkific Start 82, Kajabi Basic 143 per month. Starter has a 7.5% transaction fee but is lowest at low sales; Thinkific/Kajabi have 0% but higher monthly fees.
What about $5,000/month in sales?
Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific 82, Kajabi 143; Teachable Starter is 29 + 375 = 404. Builder’s 0% beats Starter above $533/month, a $335 gap at $5,000.
What about $20,000/month?
Teachable Builder 69, Thinkific 82, Kajabi 143; Teachable Starter is 1,529. The larger the sales, the more expensive 7.5% becomes; Builder’s fixed 69 is strongest.
What is Teachable’s 7.5%?
A platform transaction fee on course sales, not payment processing; Starter charges 7.5%, Builder/Growth 0%. Stripe/PayPal payment processing is separate for all three.
Thinkific or Kajabi?
Thinkific from 82, 0% transaction fee, unlimited courses/community; Kajabi from 143, 0% revenue share, with website/email/contacts/pipelines. Choose Thinkific for courses + community; Kajabi for courses + marketing + website all-in-one.
What does Kajabi 143 include?
Basic includes 5 products/2,500 contacts/1 website/1 community/2 admins; Growth 199 includes 50 products/25,000 contacts/11 admins; Pro 399 includes unlimited products/100,000 contacts/3 websites/26 admins. No revenue share; payment processing is separate.
Can we compare only monthly fees?
No. Teachable Starter’s 7.5% makes $5,000 sales cost 404; Thinkific/Kajabi have higher monthly fees but 0% transaction fee. Calculate “monthly + transaction fee”, then add payment processing/video/email/contacts for the real TCO.
What hidden costs should we expect?
Payment processing, video/live/storage, email sends, extra products/contacts, community/mobile app, tax/invoicing, migration/export, support and tax. Teachable’s transaction fee, Kajabi’s contact caps and Thinkific’s community/storage tiers all need line-by-line confirmation.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: Teachable Starter/Builder/Growth monthly fees and transaction fees, Thinkific Start/Grow/Plus monthly fees, and Kajabi Basic/Growth/Pro monthly fees/products/contacts come from the three US pricing pages (accessed 7 November 2026); the $0/$5,000/$20,000-sales totals are arithmetic on published unit prices, not vendor quotes. It does not compare video/live stability, payment success, email deliverability, tax compliance or support response.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are used, excluding tax, discounts, commitments and regional differences; (2) only platform monthly + platform transaction fees are counted, excluding payment processing, video/storage, email, extra products/contacts, community/mobile app, tax, support and migration; (3) Kajabi Basic’s 2,500 contacts/5 products cap may require an upgrade at high volume and is not included; (4) Teachable’s 7.5% transaction fee is separate from payment processing; (5) the products are not feature-equivalent: Teachable is course payments, Thinkific is courses + community, Kajabi is courses + marketing + website; (6) video/live stability, payment success, email deliverability and tax compliance were not tested; (7) Podia, Circle and Systeme.io are excluded; (8) prices and terms can change by contract, region and exchange rate. Treat this as a monthly + transaction-fee template and replace assumptions with a 2–4 week real-sales POC.
Sources and basis
- Teachable, Pricing: teachable.com/pricing. Starter 39/month (29 annual), 5 products, 7.5% transaction fee; Builder 89/month (69 annual), 10 products, 0%; Growth 189/month (139 annual), 50 products, 0%. Accessed 7 November 2026.
- Thinkific, Pricing: thinkific.com/pricing. Start 109/month (82 annual), unlimited courses, 0% platform transaction fee; Grow 219/month (164 annual), remove branding/3 communities; Plus 499/month (374 annual), 10 communities/1000GB; mobile app 199/month add-on. Accessed 7 November 2026.
- Kajabi, Pricing: kajabi.com/pricing. Basic 179/month (143 annual), 5 products/2,500 contacts; Growth 249/month (199 annual), 50/25,000; Pro 499/month (399 annual), unlimited/100,000/3 websites; no revenue share. Accessed 7 November 2026.
Data cut-off 7 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement advice.