What each option actually is
Kajabi is a hosted, all-in-one platform. Its pricing page lists three plans (Basic, Growth and Pro), each bundling a website, products, contacts, unlimited marketing emails and checkout through Kajabi Payments or another payment provider. You rent the whole system and Kajabi runs it.
A WordPress course site is assembled from parts you choose and pay for separately: a web host, the free WordPress software (licensed under the GPL, version 2 or later, according to WordPress.org), an LMS plugin such as LearnDash, an email tool, and a payment processor such as Stripe. You own the files and database and can move them, but you also own updates, backups, plugin conflicts and security.
Published prices side by side
Prices below were read from each vendor page on the date shown in sources. Kajabi card fees are listed for US entities; other countries differ.
| Item | Kajabi | WordPress stack |
|---|---|---|
| Platform or hosting | Basic $179/mo monthly or $143/mo billed annually; Growth $249 or $199; Pro $499 or $399 | SiteGround GrowBig $4.99/mo promo prepaid 12 months, renews at $29.99/mo; Kinsta Single 35k $35/mo or $350/yr |
| Course software | Included; Basic allows 5 products, Growth 50, Pro unlimited | LearnDash $350/yr for 1 site |
| Unlimited marketing emails; contacts capped at 2,500 (Basic), 25,000 (Growth), 100,000 (Pro) | Kit free plan up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $390 billed yearly | |
| Card processing | Kajabi Payments 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic), 2.8% + $0.30 (Growth), 2.7% + $0.30 (Pro); other providers carry a 2%, 1% or 0.5% Kajabi fee | Stripe 2.9% + 30 cents per successful US domestic card charge; +1.5% for international cards |
| Admin users | 2 (Basic), 11 (Growth), 26 (Pro) | Set by WordPress roles; no platform cap |
| Refund window on the software | 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan | Varies by vendor; LearnDash offers a 48-hour free trial with no card required and states no refund policy on its pricing page |
Worked example: a $200 course at 100 and 1,000 sales a year
Assumptions: one $200 course, US cards, annual billing, renewal-year hosting prices, and no paid add-ons beyond those listed. Card fees per sale are $6.10 at 2.9% + $0.30 and $5.90 at 2.8% + $0.30.
At 100 sales ($20,000 revenue): Kajabi Basic costs $1,716 in plan fees plus $610 in Kajabi Payments fees, about $2,326. WordPress on SiteGround GrowBig at its renewal rate ($359.88), LearnDash ($350), Kit free ($0) and Stripe ($610) comes to about $1,320. The first SiteGround year is lower at $59.88 for hosting.
At 1,000 sales ($200,000 revenue): if your whole list fits under Basic's 2,500 contacts, Kajabi is $1,716 plus $6,100 in fees, about $7,816. If buyers plus leads exceed 2,500 contacts you need Growth: $2,388 plus $5,900 in fees, about $8,288. WordPress on Kinsta Single 35k ($350), LearnDash ($350), Kit free (under 10,000 subscribers) and Stripe ($6,100) is about $6,800.
The gap is roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a year. Now add your time as an explicit assumption: if WordPress upkeep takes 3 hours a month and you value that at $50 an hour, that is $1,800 a year, which erases the saving at both sizes. Course video storage and streaming are also not priced in the WordPress column; see our guide on hosting course video off WordPress.
What Kajabi genuinely saves you
- No plugin updates, PHP upgrades, backup schedules or plugin-conflict debugging; the vendor runs the stack.
- One login for site, checkout, email and course delivery, so fewer integrations can break between a purchase and enrolment.
- Email to contacts is included, so there is no separate email tool to connect and keep in sync.
- A single vendor to contact when checkout or access fails, instead of a host, a plugin vendor and a payment processor pointing at each other.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan, per Kajabi's pricing page, which makes a trial build low-risk.
What WordPress gives you that Kajabi does not
- Portability: the files and database are yours, and moving host is a migration rather than a rebuild.
- No per-plan product cap: Kajabi Basic allows 5 products and Growth 50, while LearnDash does not price by product count.
- Lower fixed cost at both sizes in the worked example, especially once your contact list grows past Kajabi tier limits (extra contacts are $125 a month per 25,000, per Kajabi).
- Choice of processor: you connect Stripe directly instead of paying a platform fee on a third-party provider.
- Trade-off: every one of these benefits arrives with maintenance responsibility; plan who handles updates and restores before you choose.
Who should pick which
| Your situation | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo creator, no technical help, under a few hundred sales a year | Kajabi | Time saved outweighs a roughly $1,000 annual difference |
| Over 5 products but a small list | WordPress or Kajabi Growth | Basic caps products at 5 |
| Large free list (over 2,500 contacts) and few buyers | WordPress | Kajabi tiers are partly priced on contacts |
| Has a developer or agency on retainer | WordPress | Maintenance cost is already covered |
| Wants to leave a platform later without rebuilding | WordPress | Content and enrolment data live in your own database |
Questions before you decide
Is Kajabi more expensive than WordPress?
In cash terms usually yes: in our worked example the WordPress stack was about $1,000 to $1,500 a year cheaper at 100 and 1,000 sales of a $200 course. Once you count maintenance time, the difference can reverse.
Do card fees differ much between the two?
Not at the base rate. Kajabi Payments on Basic lists 2.9% + $0.30 for US entities, the same headline rate Stripe lists for US domestic cards. Kajabi adds a 2%, 1% or 0.5% fee if you use another payment provider.
Can I leave Kajabi later?
Yes, but expect a rebuild. See our guide on moving from Kajabi to WordPress for what Kajabi documents as exportable.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Kajabi: Pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- LearnDash: Pricing on liquidweb.com Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: WordPress hosting plans Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: Pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Kit: Pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Stripe: Pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- WordPress.org: About Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.