Thinkific vs Kajabi: My Hands-On Review After Using Both Platforms

When creators compare online course platforms, Thinkific vs Kajabi is usually the first matchup they search for, and for good reason. Both tools are popular, powerful, and designed to help you build and grow a digital education business. After using them side by side on real projects, I discovered that they approach course creation and business building in very different ways.

Over the past few months, I tested Thinkific and Kajabi by building actual course structures, uploading videos, creating sales pages, setting up checkout flows, sending email campaigns, and running test enrollments. I did not just browse the interface. I wanted to see how each platform performs when you are building a real product for real students.

Here is what stood out during my testing:

Thinkific feels like a focused course platform. It offers strong assessment tools, a well-organized curriculum builder, and a workflow that makes course creation simple and predictable. Kajabi feels more like a complete business system that brings together courses, email marketing, websites, communities, automation, and digital product sales inside one platform.

Neither platform is universally better. Each one works best for different types of creators and different business needs.

In this hands-on review, I will walk you through where Thinkific shines, where Kajabi leads, and which platform fits your workflow, content style, and long-term goals. If you are choosing between the two, this comparison will help you make a confident decision based on real testing, not guesswork.

Let’s begin.

Thinkific vs Kajabi at a Glance

Below is a simple side-by-side comparison of the most important features that creators usually evaluate when choosing between Thinkific and Kajabi.

What Each Platform Is Best At

Both Thinkific and Kajabi are strong platforms, but they serve different types of creators and different business goals. After building full courses, testing workflows, and sending real email sequences inside both platforms, here is what stood out.

Thinkific: Best for Structured Learning and Detailed Assessments

Thinkific focuses on education first. It gives you a clean and organized way to build courses with:

• Quizzes
• Assignments
• Surveys
• Exams
• Prerequisites
• Progress tracking

If your business model is centered on teaching, training, or certification programs, Thinkific gives you more control over the learning experience. It feels like an actual LMS built for creators who want structure and depth.

Thinkific is a great choice if your priority is delivering lessons in a systematic and academically strong format.

Kajabi: Best for All-in-one Course and Business Management

Kajabi is built for creators who want everything in one place. It combines:

• Courses
• Email marketing
• Website builder
• Automations
• Communities
• Coaching products
• Digital downloads

The biggest advantage Kajabi offers is simplicity. You can manage your entire digital business from a single dashboard without relying on multiple external tools. It is ideal for creators who want to sell knowledge without juggling five different platforms.

Kajabi is the better choice if you want a complete business system rather than a standalone course platform.

My Testing Process

To compare Thinkific and Kajabi fairly, I created real sample projects inside both platforms. I wanted to understand how they perform when you build and run an actual online course business, not just when you browse their dashboards.

Here is exactly what I tested on each platform.

1. Course Creation

I created a complete sample course with video lessons, text lessons, downloadable files, and drip schedules. I checked how easy it was to rearrange modules, duplicate lessons, and build a clean curriculum structure. This helped me see how each platform handles content organization and student navigation.

2. Student Experience

I enrolled test users in both platforms and viewed the course from the student side, then I compared video playback quality, lesson layout, progress tracking, and overall feel. I also tested how each system handles quizzes, assignments, and instructor feedback.

3. Sales and Checkout

I set up a simple product, a subscription product, and a bundle, then measured how easy it was to customize pricing, add order bumps, and manage coupons. I also tested the checkout flow to see which platform delivers a smoother buying experience.

4. Email and Automation

I tested the built-in email tools in Kajabi along with Thinkific’s integrations. I created welcome sequences, product access rules, and behavior-based triggers. This revealed how each platform handles communication and automation.

5. Website and Pages

I built landing pages in both platforms and compared speed, design flexibility, and template quality. Thinkific feels more limited, while Kajabi gives you more design control and a cleaner builder.

6. Integrations and Workflow

I tested common integrations like Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, and external email tools. I also measured how simple it is to connect everything into one working system.

This testing process gave me a complete picture of how both platforms work in real-world use cases. Next, I will break down each feature category and show which platform performs better.

Feature Comparison: Thinkific vs Kajabi

Below is a detailed look at how Thinkific and Kajabi performed in each major category during my hands-on testing.

1. Course Builder (Winner: Thinkific)

Thinkific offers a highly structured course builder. You can create lessons with videos, text, PDFs, presentations, quizzes, assignments, and surveys. The curriculum layout is clean and easy to manage, especially for larger courses.

Kajabi also has a good course builder, but it focuses more on simplicity than depth. It supports videos, text, downloads, and assessments, but Thinkific provides more tools for academic-style courses.

Why Thinkific wins
More lesson types, better structure, and stronger assessment options.

2. Student Experience (Winner: Kajabi)

Kajabi offers a premium viewing experience. The video hosting is fast and reliable, the course player looks clean, and navigation feels smooth. It creates a professional learning environment right out of the box.

Thinkific provides a solid student experience, but the design looks less polished unless you customize it heavily.

Why Kajabi wins
Better visuals, better video performance, and a cleaner user interface.

3. Assessments and Testing (Winner: Thinkific)

Thinkific supports quizzes, assignments, surveys, exams, and prerequisites. It is ideal for certification programs or structured learning tracks.

Kajabi only supports quizzes and basic assessments.

Why Thinkific wins
More assessment tools and a stronger LMS-style feature set.

4. Email Marketing (Winner: Kajabi)

Kajabi includes built-in email broadcasts and sequences. You can segment users, automate follow-ups, and manage communication without external tools.

Thinkific relies on integrations for email tasks. You need an external system like ConvertKit or Mailchimp to run campaigns.

Why Kajabi wins
Email is built into the platform, which simplifies your workflow.

5. Website and Page Builder (Winner: Kajabi)

Kajabi offers modern templates and a user-friendly page builder. It is easy to design a full website, sales pages, and landing pages that look clean and professional.

Thinkific has fewer design options and templates. The builder works, but it feels more limited.

Why Kajabi wins
More design flexibility and better overall presentation.

6. Communities (Winner: Kajabi)

Kajabi includes a full community platform with posts, channels, challenges, direct messaging, and engagement tools.

Thinkific recently added community features, but they are still basic and lack the depth Kajabi offers.

Why Kajabi wins
More complete and integrated community experience.

7. Automation (Winner: Kajabi)

Kajabi includes built-in automation rules that allow you to trigger actions based on user behavior. This includes email triggers, product access rules, and tagging.

Thinkific provides only basic automation unless you use external tools.

Why Kajabi wins
Automation is simpler, stronger, and fully integrated.

8. Pricing (Winner: Thinkific)

Thinkific is more affordable overall, especially for creators who only need a dedicated course platform. Kajabi costs more but includes additional tools like email marketing and communities.

Why Thinkific wins
Lower cost for course-only businesses.

Pros and Cons

Both Thinkific and Kajabi offer strong features, but each one fits different types of creators and different business goals. Here is a simple breakdown of what each platform does well and where it falls short.

Thinkific Pros

• Strong assessment tools, including quizzes, assignments, and exams
• Clean and structured course builder
• Ideal for certification programs and formal learning paths
• More affordable course-focused creators
• Simple interface that is easy to learn
• Supports SCORM and advanced training tools through add-ons

Thinkific Cons

• No built-in email marketing
• Limited automation unless you use external tools
• Website builder is less flexible
• Community features are basic
• Design templates feel less modern

Kajabi Pros

• True all-in-one system for courses, emails, websites, and communities
• Premium student experience with excellent video hosting
• Modern templates and a polished page builder
• Built-in email sequences and broadcasts
• Flexible digital product options, including coaching and memberships
• Strong automation features for user behavior
• Better community tools and engagement features

Kajabi Cons

• Higher price point compared to Thinkific
• Fewer assessment options for academic style courses
• No SCORM support
• Less structured for complex learning systems
• Some users may not need all the built-in tools

Pricing Comparison: Thinkific vs Kajabi

Thinkific and Kajabi follow different pricing models. Thinkific focuses on course creation only, while Kajabi includes multiple business tools in one subscription. This is why Kajabi costs more but also replaces more external software.

Here is how the pricing compares based on my testing.

Thinkific Pricing

Thinkific offers a simple and affordable structure, especially if you only need a dedicated course platform.

Why Thinkific is cost-effective
You pay for course tools only. If you do not need email marketing or communities inside one platform, Thinkific gives excellent value.

Kajabi Pricing

Kajabi bundles courses, email marketing, automation, websites, and communities inside one system. This makes it more expensive but also far more complete.

Why does Kajabi cost more?
It replaces external tools like ConvertKit, Leadpages, Mighty Networks, and website builders, which can reduce your overall tech stack.

Which Platform Gives Better Value

Thinkific is a better value if:

• You only need the course delivery
• You prefer using your own email tool
• You want a lower monthly cost

Kajabi is a better value if:

• You want everything in one dashboard
• You plan to run memberships or communities
• You want to avoid multiple external tools

Which Platform Should You Choose

Both Thinkific and Kajabi are strong platforms, but your choice should depend on the type of business you want to build. After testing both tools on real projects, here is the simplest way to make the right decision.

Choose Thinkific if your focus is on structured course delivery

Thinkific is the better choice when your business revolves around education and training. It offers stronger assessment tools, clear curriculum organization, and a solid learning structure that works well for:

• Certification programs
• Skill-based courses
• Corporate training
• Academic style teaching
• Creators who want strict learning paths

If you want a platform that feels like a dedicated LMS, Thinkific is the smarter fit.

Choose Kajabi if you want an all-in-one business platform.

Kajabi works best for creators who want to run their entire business inside one system. It includes tools for:

• Courses
• Email marketing
• Communities
• Websites
• Sales funnels
• Coaching programs
• Digital downloads

If you want fewer tools to manage and a smoother workflow, Kajabi gives you a complete ecosystem without relying on external software.

Choose Thinkific for the educational department.h

You need detailed student assessments, prerequisites, and structured learning.

Choose Kajabi for business simplicity

You want everything in one dashboard and a polished student experience.

The quick summary

Pick Thinkific if you are education first.
Pick Kajabi if you are a business first.

Move Forward With the Platform That Fits Your Vision

Thinkific and Kajabi are both strong platforms, but they serve very different purposes. The best choice depends on the kind of creator you are and the type of learning experience you want to deliver. Thinkific is ideal for educators who want structure, detailed assessments, and a clean way to organize lessons. Kajabi is the better fit for creators who want an all-in-one system that manages courses, email marketing, communities, and content under a single roof.

Your decision should come from your long-term vision. If you want academic-style courses, certifications, or structured training programs, Thinkific gives you more depth. If you want a streamlined business setup with fewer tools to manage, Kajabi offers a complete ecosystem that makes everything easier.

Both platforms can support a successful digital business. Test them, build a small project in each, and choose the one that feels natural and matches how you want to teach and grow. The right platform will not only support your current goals but also give you the confidence to scale your business as your audience and offerings evolve.

FAQs

1. Which platform is easier for beginners?

Kajabi is easier for beginners because it combines courses, email, pages, and automation in one place. Thinkific is simple, too, but you need additional tools for email and marketing.

2. Which platform is better for building online courses?

Thinkific is stronger for structured courses, assessments, and formal training programs. It offers more lesson types and better academic style tools.

3. Which platform has the better student experience?

Kajabi provides a more polished and modern student experience with premium video hosting and clean lesson layouts.

4. Does Thinkific include built-in email marketing?

No. Thinkific requires an external email provider. Kajabi includes email broadcasts, sequences, and automation.

5. Can I run a membership site on both platforms?

Yes. Both platforms support memberships. Kajabi offers more built-in tools for community and engagement.

6. Which platform offers stronger automation features?

Kajabi has stronger native automation. Thinkific offers only basic rules unless paired with external tools.

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