Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Kajabi VS Substack

Compare Kajabi VS Substack and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Kajabi logo Kajabi

Kajabi is the only Knowledge Commerce platform today with everything you need to market, sell, and deliver your knowledge online.

Substack logo Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.
  • Kajabi Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26

Kajabi

Website
kajabi.com
Release Date
2009 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
City
Irvine
Founder(s)
Kenny Rueter
Employees
250 - 499

Kajabi features and specs

  • All-in-One Platform
    Kajabi provides a comprehensive suite of tools for building online courses, marketing, and sales. This helps users save money and time by not needing to integrate multiple third-party applications.
  • Ease of Use
    Kajabi’s user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier for beginners to set up and manage their online courses and marketing campaigns.
  • Robust Marketing Tools
    Kajabi offers extensive marketing features such as email marketing, funnels, and automation, enabling users to effectively engage with their audience and drive sales.
  • Customizable Templates
    Kajabi provides a variety of customizable themes and templates for websites and landing pages, allowing users to create visually appealing and branded content.
  • Customer Support
    Kajabi offers solid customer support, including live chat, email support, and a dedicated help center with various resources and tutorials.
  • Built-In Analytics
    Kajabi includes built-in analytics and reporting tools to help users track their course performance, marketing campaigns, and overall business metrics.

Possible disadvantages of Kajabi

  • High Cost
    Kajabi is relatively expensive compared to other online course platforms, which could be a barrier for small businesses or individual creators on a budget.
  • Limited Design Flexibility
    While Kajabi offers customization options, it may not be as flexible as some dedicated website builders, potentially limiting unique design creations.
  • Transaction Fees
    Kajabi incurs transaction fees on certain subscription plans, which can reduce profit margins for course creators.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, the extensive range of features can create a learning curve for new users who may need time to become proficient with the platform.
  • Limited Third-party Integrations
    Kajabi does not support as many third-party integrations as some competitors, which may limit users who rely on specific external tools and applications.

Substack features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Substack offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for writers to publish and monetize their newsletters.
  • Built-in Monetization
    Writers can easily charge readers for subscriptions, allowing for straightforward monetization.
  • Direct Audience Connection
    Substack allows writers to build a direct relationship with their audience via email, which can lead to a more engaged readership.
  • Discovery and Community
    Features like staff picks and recommendations help writers get discovered by new readers.
  • No Upfront Costs
    Substack does not charge upfront fees; instead, it takes a percentage of subscription revenues, making it easier to start.
  • Content Ownership
    Writers retain full ownership of their content, giving them more control over their work.

Possible disadvantages of Substack

  • Revenue Share
    Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenues, which can add up for writers with a large subscriber base.
  • Limited Customization
    The platform has limited customization options compared to building a custom website or using more flexible CMS options.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying on Substack means depending on its policies and infrastructure, which could pose risks if the platform changes its terms or features.
  • Competition
    As more writers join Substack, it can become challenging to stand out amidst the growing competition.
  • Email Deliverability
    Writers may face issues with email deliverability, as some newsletters may end up in spam folders.
  • Payment Processing Fees
    Besides Substack's fee, payment processors like Stripe also take a percentage, further reducing net earnings for writers.

Analysis of Kajabi

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Kajabi is considered a good choice for individuals or businesses looking to build and sell digital products and grow their online presence. While it is priced on the higher end compared to some other platforms, its comprehensive set of features and ease of use justify the cost for many users who need a reliable, all-in-one solution.

Why this product is good

  • Kajabi is widely regarded as a robust platform for creating and selling online courses, memberships, and digital products. It offers an all-in-one solution that includes website hosting, email marketing, landing pages, and payment processing, which makes it convenient for content creators and entrepreneurs who want to manage everything from a single platform. Its user-friendly interface and customizable templates help users create professional-looking courses without the need for advanced technical skills. Additionally, Kajabi provides insightful analytics and reporting tools that help users track their performance and optimize their offerings.

Recommended for

  • Course creators who want an all-encompassing platform to design and host their content.
  • Entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to create membership sites.
  • Individuals who want to launch digital products without dealing with multiple different platforms.
  • Business owners seeking an integrated solution for email marketing, analytics, and sales funnel management.

Analysis of Substack

Overall verdict

  • Substack is a good choice for writers seeking autonomy and a straightforward way to monetize their content. However, it may not be the best fit for those who prefer working within the framework of a larger publication or those unfamiliar with the challenges of building and maintaining a subscriber base.

Why this product is good

  • Substack is a platform that allows writers, journalists, and content creators to publish and monetize their newsletters. It is praised for its ease of use, built-in subscription system, and direct-to-consumer model which enables writers to retain control over their audience and content. The platform has attracted both independent writers and established journalists seeking the freedom to monetize their work without traditional media constraints.

Recommended for

  • Independent writers and journalists
  • Content creators looking to monetize their work
  • Individuals seeking a direct relationship with their audience
  • Those who appreciate simplicity in publishing

Kajabi videos

Why I Switched to Kajabi to Host my Online Courses

More videos:

  • Review - How I Use Kajabi To Run A Million Dollar Business
  • Review - The NEW Kajabi Official REVIEW! Is it right for you?

Substack videos

Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks

More videos:

  • Review - E1016 Substack CEO Chris Best empowers writers via email newsletter platform, raised $15M from a16z
  • Review - Why EVERYONE should be on Substack | What it is, How it Works, $$$
  • Review - Beehiiv vs Substack (2024) - Which is Better?
  • Review - My Experience with SUBSTACK: An Honest Review of Substack

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Kajabi and Substack)
Membership Management
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100
E-learning
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging Platform
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Kajabi and Substack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Kajabi and Substack

Kajabi Reviews

9 Teachable Alternatives in 2024 Ranked
Kajabi is another rather premium alternative to Teachable. This solution allows course creators to do exactly that – create courses all in one place. Kajabi has extensive functionality, from course creation to marketing automation and an in-built CRM.
Source: teach.io
8 best Teachable alternatives for course creators (Features & pricing)
Kajabi downsides: The biggest downside to Kajabi is its premium price tag. Kajabi is one of the most expensive online course platforms, making it cost-prohibitive for many creators who are just getting started.In addition to charging a more expensive monthly rate, Kajabi imposes product limits on all plans:
Source: www.podia.com
Top 11 Thinkific Alternatives for Online course Creators in 2023
Kajabi is one of the best Thinkific Alternatives. It is a complete and best online business platform that gives you everything, and you will need to take your respective business to the next level. Marketing tools, custom domains, white-labeling, payment handling, etc., are available on it. Kajabi is broadly considered one of the best platforms to create your online school...
Top 11 Best Kajabi Alternatives To Sell Online Course In 2023
FreshLearn, a relatively recent addition to the list of Kajabi substitutes, provides everything a creator could possibly want from an all-in-one platform. FreshLearn is a far more affordable option than Kajabi for creating and selling a variety of digital products, including courses, cohorts, digital downloads, and live masterclasses. The fact that FreshLearn has no...
Top 57 Thinkific Alternatives: Best 7 & Other 50 Platforms
Indeed many of you have heard about Kajabi. It is a fascinating platform for online course creators that also allows you to sell various other digital products as well. Besides sales, it offers features for marketing, branding, CRM, website building, and the creation of membership websites.
Source: uteach.io

Substack Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter that’s profitable through subscriptions. Substack provides purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools to enable writers to monetize their newsletters. It is a service often favoured by readers because it’s a convenient all-in-one solution for writing a successful podcast that...
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
What sеts Substack apart is its sеamlеss intеgration of contеnt crеation and subscription-basеd monеtization. Substack’s usеr-friеndly intеrfacе, distribution tools, and support for various contеnt formats make it a popular choice for indеpеndеnt crеators looking to connеct dirеctly with thеir audiеncе and turn thеir passion into a sustainablе incomе strеam.
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023
Like a few of the other platforms we’ve looked at, Substack takes a cut of your earnings rather than charging a 10% platform fee.
Source: www.uscreen.tv
Any good Mailchimp alternatives?
My question for you is, what is keeping you from making $31 per month from your list? Are you using any feature that Substack (free until you get paid) can't handle?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Kajabi. It has been mentiond 89 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Kajabi mentions (12)

  • Ask HN: Best way to build paid member subscriptions website?
    A friend of mine uses https://kajabi.com/ and seems to like it. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Which platform?
    Maybe Kajabi could be for you. By the way, could you ping me when you upload your content somewhere? Sounds very interesting. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to download kajabi videos.
    How to download videos from kajabi.com? Is there an easy way to batch download videos from kajabi.com? Which downloader is helpful to capture live videos? How to convert kajabi.com videos for portable devices at home or to go? The following tutorial will show you how to download or record video streaming of kajabi.com to desktop or portable devices with kajabi.com Downloader. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Creating a website to sell a course (stream )
    Have you looked at something like Kajabi? It's designed for online courses and probably easier for you to set up. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Looking for a small business AIO tool - CRM + contracts + payments + newsletter + landing pages + geted content forms
    Liking https://www.honeybook.com/ (manageable cost) so far, Https://kajabi.com/ ($$$) since there will also be courses in the future And of course Hubspot ($$$$). Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Substack mentions (89)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Kajabi and Substack, you can also consider the following products

Tendenci - Tendenci - The Open Source AMS is a cloud-based​ all-in-one management SaaS solution for Non-profits and Associations.

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

ChamberMaster - ChamberMaster is a member management software.

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

YourMembership - YourMembership provides membership management software integrated with social networking features.

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.