Compare Kajabi
All-in-one creator platform
A premium, all-in-one hosted platform for course creators - courses, coaching, websites, email marketing, sales funnels, and payments under one login, with community as one feature among many.
Kajabi is a hosted SaaS platform, and there are real reasons to pick it. We name them below, not just the parts where BuddyNext comes out ahead.
Side by side
Plain facts on the dimensions that actually decide a community platform.
Figures are as of mid-2026. Pricing and features move - always verify the current numbers on Kajabi's own site before you decide. A premium hosted SaaS. After a January-2026 restructure, public plans start around ~$179/mo (Basic) and climb to ~$249/mo (Growth) and ~$499/mo (Pro), cheaper on annual billing; the old entry-level tier was retired. If you use your own Stripe, Kajabi adds a platform surcharge (~0.5%-2% by tier) on top of processor fees. No free plan, trial only. Verify current pricing on kajabi.com (mid-2026).
Cover every base
This is the real difference. With BuddyNext every capability below installs free and switches on like a module - one platform, one team, all built to work together. With Kajabi, the bases it doesn’t cover mean hunting down a third-party plugin from another maker and hoping it fits.
“Included” means a free BuddyNext module you switch on from the same team, not a separate product to source and license. Some modules have an optional Pro tier; the core is free. Verify Kajabi’s current feature set on their own site.
Credit where it's due
No hand-waving. These are real strengths, and for some communities they are the deciding factor.
The case for BuddyNext
And here is the other side - where owning your community and building on WordPress pays off.
The whole platform, in one plugin
Most alternatives cover a slice of this, or send you assembling third-party add-ons from other makers to get the rest. BuddyNext ships the whole platform - 74+ features across 11 areas - built by one team, so it all works together instead of just sitting side by side. Here is the full surface, not a footnote.
Pro marks a Pro-tier feature. Everything else is in the free plugin.
The honest verdict
Your business is built on courses, coaching, and email-driven funnels, and you want one hosted tool to run all of it with community as a useful bonus. If you would otherwise be paying for a course platform, an email tool, and a funnel builder separately, Kajabi's all-in-one breadth can genuinely earn its premium price.
The community itself is your product - not a tab next to your courses - and you want to own it, keep ongoing costs low, and avoid a hundreds-per-month subscription. You are happy to pair BuddyNext with your own choice of LMS and email tool in WordPress rather than buy one bundled platform.
Get BuddyNext free →Honest answers
Primarily a course-and-marketing platform. Kajabi's centre of gravity is courses, coaching, email marketing, and sales funnels; community is one feature within that. BuddyNext is the reverse - a dedicated community engine where the feed, spaces, profiles, and messaging are the main product.
Not on its own, and that is a fair point in Kajabi's favour. Kajabi has native, mature course delivery. BuddyNext is a community engine, so for courses you pair it with a WordPress LMS (LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, and others). The upside is you choose your LMS and own the whole stack; the trade-off is you assemble it rather than buy it bundled.
Almost always, yes. Kajabi is a premium subscription starting in the hundreds per month with no free plan. BuddyNext has a complete free tier and an optional annual Pro license, with your own hosting as the main running cost. The difference is what you get for it - Kajabi bundles courses, email, and funnels, while BuddyNext focuses on owning the community.
On payments through your own Stripe, Kajabi adds a platform surcharge (roughly 0.5%-2% depending on tier) on top of standard processor fees. BuddyNext takes no platform cut - when you charge for access with Pro, the only fee is your payment processor's.
If courses and email funnels are your core business and you want one hosted tool to run everything, Kajabi is the more complete fit. If the community is the product and you want to own it at a far lower ongoing cost, BuddyNext is the better foundation - paired with your own LMS and email tool in WordPress when you need them.
Already thinking of switching? Read our honest Kajabi alternative guide →
Comparing a few options? See all BuddyNext comparisons →
BuddyNext is live. Start free, own your community, and upgrade only when you grow.