The short decision
Systeme.io's Free plan includes one affiliate program in addition to the entry limits shown above. Kajabi's own affiliate feature requires Growth or Pro. A Kajabi product is not automatically equivalent to a Systeme.io course.
Systeme.io may fit better if
Its documented Free or Startup limits cover your workflow, you want to minimize subscription cost, and built-in affiliate management matters now.
Kajabi may fit better if
Its published product and community allowances match your business, and the higher subscription is justified for that setup.
Compare checkout and processing terms before choosing either platform.
Funnel Software Guide may earn a commission if you purchase through this link. Product facts are sourced separately from official vendor pages. Affiliate Disclosure.
Systeme.io vs Kajabi at a glance
This compares published entry plans, not every allowance across both products. See the plan tables and source notes below for context.
| Decision point | Systeme.io Free | Kajabi Basic | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0Lower entry subscription | $179 on monthly billing | Determines the initial fixed cost. |
| Contacts | 2,000 | 2,500 | List size can require a different plan. |
| Course or product allowance | 1 course | 5 products | The vendors count different units. |
| Sales funnels | 3 | Unlimited, per Kajabi's plan table | Count the distinct paths you need. |
| Community | Community builder is listed in the product suite | 1 community | Check the membership workflow, not just availability. |
| Own affiliate program | 1 program on Free | Available on Growth and Pro, according to Kajabi Help | Recruiting affiliates may change plan choice. |
| Platform share of sales | 0% platform transaction fee | No platform revenue share; payment fees still apply | Separate platform and processor charges. |
Sources: Systeme.io pricing, Systeme.io features, Kajabi pricing and Kajabi affiliate documentation.
Pricing: subscriptions and plan limits
Systeme.io
- Free
- $0 / mo
- Startup
- $17 / mo
- Webinar
- $47 / mo
- Unlimited
- $97 / mo
Monthly billing, USD. Verified September 29, 2026.
Kajabi
- Basic
- $179 / mo
- Growth
- $249 / mo
- Pro
- $499 / mo
Monthly billing, USD. Annual-effective prices are separate below.
All amounts below are published US-dollar subscription prices. Monthly billing and annual-effective monthly prices are kept separate. Payment fees are covered in checkout and transaction fees.
| Plan | Monthly | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2,000 |
| Startup | $17 | 5,000 |
| Webinar | $47 | 10,000 |
| Unlimited | $97 | Unlimited |
| Plan | Monthly | Annual-effective / mo |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $179 | $143 |
| Growth | $249 | $199 |
| Pro | $499 | $399 |
Kajabi's annual-effective amounts require annual billing. Systeme.io annual terms are not used in this comparison. Check the Systeme.io and Kajabi pricing pages for current checkout terms.
Courses
Systeme.io documents a built-in course builder with lessons, drip scheduling and student access management. Its Free plan allows one course and the vendor states that student count is unlimited. Kajabi sells courses as one type of product; Basic includes five products, Growth 50 and Pro unlimited products.
The allowance units differ. If you plan to sell several courses plus other product types, count the Kajabi products you would use and the Systeme.io course limit that applies to your plan. Systeme.io course source · Kajabi plan source
Sales funnels and landing pages
Systeme.io's Free plan includes three sales funnels; the vendor describes a funnel editor with page templates, A/B testing, upsells and order bumps. Kajabi's pricing table lists unlimited funnels and landing pages on its published plans.
A funnel count is only one constraint. Map the pages, checkout steps and follow-up actions you need before treating either plan's allowance as a complete workflow fit. Systeme.io pricing · Systeme.io features · Kajabi pricing
Email marketing
Systeme.io publishes unlimited email sends on all plans and describes campaigns, automated sequences, tagging and segmentation. Kajabi's plan table lists unlimited marketing emails. Those send allowances do not remove contact limits: the entry plans list 2,000 contacts for Systeme.io Free and 2,500 for Kajabi Basic.
Check contact limits and the specific automation you require, not just the word “unlimited.” Systeme.io pricing · Systeme.io features · Kajabi pricing
Marketing automation
Systeme.io documents triggers, conditions and actions that connect funnels, email and course access. Kajabi documents automations and lists advanced automations in its plan comparison. The available trigger, action and integration details need to be matched to a real workflow rather than inferred from a feature label.
For example, write down what should happen after a purchase, form submission or course action, then confirm that sequence in the relevant plan. Systeme.io features · Kajabi pricing
Website building
Systeme.io lists a website builder and one custom domain on its Free plan. Kajabi's Basic and Growth plans include one website; Pro includes three. A custom-domain allowance and a website allowance measure different things, so compare your intended sites and domains separately.
Community
Both vendors describe community tools. Kajabi's published plans specify one community on Basic and Growth, and three on Pro. Systeme.io describes member spaces connected to courses and funnels; this comparison does not equate the two products' community structures or access controls.
If community is central to your business, compare how members enter, pay, participate and leave before choosing a subscription. Systeme.io features · Kajabi pricing
Affiliate management
Systeme.io's Free plan includes one program for managing your own affiliates. Its official product page describes commission settings, tracking and payout administration. Kajabi Help says its own affiliate program feature is available on Growth and Pro, rather than Basic.
This is a plan-level difference for a creator who intends to recruit affiliates. It is separate from this publication's own affiliate relationship with Systeme.io. Systeme.io affiliate-management source · Kajabi Help source
Checkout and transaction fees
A platform's share of sales, its payment-processing rate and an additional provider fee are separate charges. The published statements below should not be collapsed into one percentage.
| Fee type | Systeme.io | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Platform share or transaction fee | 0% platform transaction fee on all plans | Kajabi says it does not take a platform revenue share |
| Card processing | Stripe or PayPal processing charges are separate; check the selected provider | Kajabi Payments publishes US card rates of 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth and 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro |
| Additional third-party-provider fee | Review the selected provider's terms alongside Systeme.io's 0% platform fee statement | Kajabi lists 2% Basic, 1% Growth and 0.5% Pro in its third-party-provider table, subject to the conditions below |
Kajabi says the additional third-party-provider fee applies when Kajabi Payments is offered in a region but an eligible other provider is chosen. Its table excludes PayPal and Kajabi Payments; the chosen provider may charge its own processing fee. Where Kajabi Payments is unavailable, Kajabi says the additional fee does not apply. Rates and eligibility vary by country. Kajabi pricing and fee notes · Systeme.io pricing
Integrations
Systeme.io's pricing page names payment connections including Stripe and PayPal. Kajabi's integration directory lists Zapier, Stripe, PayPal and Google Analytics among its connections. A listed integration does not establish that every event or data field you need is supported on every plan.
For a required workflow, confirm the specific trigger, data direction and plan condition in the vendor's current documentation. Systeme.io pricing · Kajabi integrations
Ease of getting started
Systeme.io says its Free plan requires no credit card. Kajabi publishes paid Basic, Growth and Pro subscriptions. That makes the initial subscription commitment different, but it does not prove that either editor is easier to use.
We have not performed hands-on onboarding tests. Evaluate the editor, course setup, checkout configuration and support path with your own workflow before paying for a plan. Systeme.io pricing · Kajabi pricing
What changes the decision?
| Factor | Why it matters | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Published entry subscriptions differ substantially | Monthly versus annual billing and payment charges |
| List size | Contacts are capped by plan | Your current count and expected growth |
| Products and courses | The vendors use different allowance units | Count each planned offer in the vendor's own terms |
| Community | Membership structure may determine the workflow | Access, payment and member experience |
| Funnels | Plan count does not describe every funnel step | Pages, checkout, tests and follow-up |
| Affiliate program | Kajabi restricts its own affiliate feature to Growth and Pro | Whether you need merchant-side tracking now |
| All-in-one preference | Both bundle multiple tools | Which existing tools you would replace or retain |
Pros and cons for this decision
These are editorial trade-offs drawn from the documented plans, not ratings or hands-on test results.
Systeme.io
Advantages: A published $0 plan, lower monthly subscription prices in the plans shown above, and one affiliate program on Free.
Constraints: Free allows one course and three funnels. Contact and course limits rise by plan; check the workflow you need before choosing solely on price.
Kajabi
Advantages: Basic lists five products, one community and unlimited funnels and landing pages. Higher tiers raise product and contact allowances.
Constraints: The published subscription starts higher. Kajabi's own affiliate feature requires Growth or Pro, and payment-provider conditions may add costs.
Basis: Systeme.io pricing, Kajabi pricing and Kajabi affiliate documentation.
Systeme.io is a stronger fit if...
- You need to start with a published $0 subscription and the Free plan's 2,000 contacts, three funnels and one course cover your immediate needs.
- You want to run one affiliate program on the Free plan.
- Unlimited email sends matter, while you are willing to work within the plan's contact limit.
These are subscription and documented-capability reasons, not a judgment about the quality of either product's interface.
Kajabi is a stronger fit if...
- You have checked that Kajabi's product and community structure suits the business you are building.
- The Basic allowance of five products, 2,500 contacts and one community matches your current plan, or a higher Kajabi tier covers your documented needs.
- You are comfortable with the published subscription and have reviewed processing and provider fees for your region.
Kajabi's own affiliate program requires Growth or Pro according to its Help Center; include that plan change if affiliate recruitment is part of your strategy.
Pricing scenarios
These are hypothetical requirements, not claims about a typical customer's usage. Amounts are monthly subscription prices before payment processing, taxes or optional services.
| Specified requirement | Systeme.io plan | Kajabi plan |
|---|---|---|
| One course, no more than 2,000 contacts | Free: $0/month; also allows three funnels | Basic: $179/month; includes five products and one community |
| Between 2,001 and 2,500 contacts, up to five courses or products | Startup: $17/month; 5,000 contacts and five courses | Basic: $179/month; 2,500 contacts and five products |
| 25,000 contacts | Unlimited: $97/month; the vendor lists unlimited contacts | Growth: $249/month; 25,000 contacts and 50 products |
Course and product counts are not identical measures. The 25,000-contact row does not evaluate community, integrations, course experience or payment charges. Compare those separately before treating either plan as a substitute.
Important limitations to consider
- Prices and plan limits can change; confirm current checkout terms.
- Systeme.io courses and Kajabi products are different units. The tables should not be read as equivalent inventory counts.
- Published fee schedules depend on payment provider and region.
- This review uses official documentation, not a hands-on performance or usability test.
- Migration effort and your existing tool contracts are outside the published subscription figures.
Frequently asked questions
Systeme.io publishes Free at $0, Startup at $17, Webinar at $47 and Unlimited at $97 per month. Kajabi publishes monthly prices of $179 Basic, $249 Growth and $499 Pro. Kajabi also lists lower effective monthly amounts when billed annually.
Yes. Its pricing page lists a Free plan with 2,000 contacts, three sales funnels, one course, one affiliate program and one custom domain. The vendor says no credit card is required to start.
Kajabi says it takes no platform revenue share. Payment processing still applies. Its pricing page also lists conditional additional fees for some third-party providers: 2% Basic, 1% Growth and 0.5% Pro, excluding PayPal and Kajabi Payments from that table. Check the provider and regional conditions.
Yes. Systeme.io documents a course builder and Kajabi includes courses among its products. Systeme.io's Free plan allows one course; Kajabi Basic allows five products. Those allowances are not the same unit.
Systeme.io includes one affiliate program on Free. Kajabi Help states that its affiliate program is available on Growth and Pro.
There is no universal answer. Compare your contact count, product and community needs, affiliate-program requirement, payment provider and current tool contracts against the published plans. The decision matrix shows which requirements change the choice.
Sources and verification
Last verified: September 29, 2026. Prices and features may change. Confirm the vendor's current plan and checkout terms before purchasing. These are factual source links without affiliate tracking.
- Systeme.io pricing and plan limits
- Systeme.io product features
- Systeme.io online courses
- Systeme.io affiliate management
- Kajabi pricing, plan limits and fees
- Kajabi Help: affiliate program availability
- Kajabi integrations
Read how we verify product claims and our editorial policy.
Our software comparison methodology explains this source standard. Explore the software comparison library for a wider shortlist.