Kajabi vs WordPress: Comparison – Which Platform Should I Choose?

If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for a place to host and sell your digital products online.

You’ve come to the right place!

We’ll give you a breakdown of Kajabi vs. WordPress, two of THE BEST platforms for online digital marketing in the industry.

If you want to know which platform is BETTER, keep on reading!

Kajabi vs. WordPress Overview

Kajabi and WordPress are BOTH considered a kind of content management system… Now, what the heck is that?

It’s basically an online system that helps you build a website. If you’ve ever been interested in putting up a website, a blog, an online store, or sell ANY KIND of products online, YOU NEED THIS SYSTEM.

They can be considered learning management systems or LMS because you will find online courses on any subject more often than not.

Learning management systems are similar to content management ones, except that LMS is made for e-learning purposes.

People see A LOT of SIMILARITIES when it comes to Kajabi vs. WordPress. However, we will note that there is one that stands out as the better course business website.

But before we get into that, let’s start this comparison to see which one will work best for you!

Kajabi

10 years ago, Kajabi began as a basic online course hosting platform for students and anyone looking to learn online.

However, it has now evolved into an ALL-IN-ONE online course and content creation marketing platform.

We stress all-in-one because Kajabi has everything you need to host your online business. It’s MORE HASSLE-FREE than having to manage a bunch of other software for a single goal.

If you’ve ever had an online business or a website before, you’ll know that you need several different software and plugins to keep that website up and running.

Before Kajabi existed, you would need one place to sell your products, another to host your website, and even another to send your email campaigns.

Kajabi has evolved to REPLACE all of those things. It’s integrated all of the different software and plugins into one host server so that your life is made much EASIER.

WordPress

WordPress has been around since the early 2000s, and to this day, ABOUT 40% of the internet is actually a WordPress site.

That’s A LOT of online presence.

So, from reputation alone, you know that WordPress is quite reliable.

WordPress is known for being EXTREMELY beginner-friendly. It’s not only made for online marketing but for any website or blog that you might want to put up.

It is a free, open-source content management system, which means that EVERY SINGLE DAY thousands of coders online continue to update it to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible.

The nature of WordPress as a hosting platform makes it a viable option for blogs or simple businesses.

It wasn’t built for e-commerce, but you can definitely use one of their MANY plugins to create an online business or e-commerce website for yourself.

Kajabi vs. WordPress: In-Depth Features Comparison

Now that you know a little bit about both platforms let’s compare them in a head-to-head comparison to see how they stack up!

Website Builder, Themes, & Customization Options

Whether you want the option for more customization and freedom for design or you prefer a couple of set themes to choose from, find out if Kajabi or WordPress is the platform you’re looking for!

Kajabi

With Kajabi, website building is super; we mean SUPER INSANELY easy.

If you have no experience with website building platforms or have never made a website before, and if you don’t know how to code, it’s NOT A PROBLEM.

Everything that you need to start your website is already there.

You can choose from SIX DIFFERENT PRESET THEMES and then start adding your content from there. It’s very straightforward and can be easily picked up by a complete beginner.

When you choose your theme, Kajabi will instantly allow you to start working and uploading your content.

If you don’t like being limited with the number of customizations, this may not be to your liking, but you might find that fewer options can whittle down your decision-making time.

WordPress

Setting up a website on WordPress is also incredibly simple.

If you don’t mind taking up a bit more time and money to set up your website, you can choose to install WordPress PLUGINS AND FEATURES.

However, if you’re worried about having to pay for all of the themes, DON’T BE!

Many of the themes are still FREE! You will just need to know how to SIFT THROUGH all the details of each theme to see which one you need the most.

It’s not quite as plug-and-play as Kajabi but trust that you’ll be able to find many online tutorials to give you a step-by-step guide to using the software.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to see through EVERY STEP of their plan, WordPress would be perfect for you.

Keep in mind that while the themes on this platform may have MORE customization options. This might give you a LONGER time to find the one you need.

Verdict: Tie

It’s a very close call in this first round because, on the one hand, you have Kajabi, this incredibly easy-to-use platform that gives you a very color inside the lines kind of set-up.

However, on the opposite side, you have WordPress, a more free-flowing, think outside the box, and develop to your heart’s desire kind of website builder.

When Should You Go for Kajabi?

If you’re looking for a place that helps you set up with as LITTLE DECISION MAKING as possible, go with Kajabi.

Kajabi’s setup process FREES UP A LOT OF TIME for you to think about content creation for your products and online courses, which is the main reason you put up a web page anyway.

Kajabi, as your main website builder, can be REALLY HELPFUL if you aren’t particularly techy, you’ve never put up your own web page, or you don’t want to hire a separate developer.

It’s rather INTUITIVE and will give you what you need when you begin building your website.

When Should You Go for WordPress?

If you want to make a website completely your own – we mean designs entirely chosen by you and themes and customizations that you needed to set up and watch over personally, try WordPress.

When you use WordPress, you need to consider all of the other plugins and software to keep up your web page on top of the products you’re selling.

It’s more of a hands-on job, but some might say it’s more fulfilling that way. Again, totally up to you.

The advantage of WordPress is that you have LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF OPTIONS for themes and customizations to choose from. You aren’t limited to a couple of standard presets laid out for you.

As your main platform, WordPress gives you the freedom to express and own your blog or web page with as much individuality as you want.

Marketing and Sales Tools

For those of you who want to reach more customers and make more conversions, an effective marketing strategy is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.

Find out whether Kajabi or WordPress has the marketing and sales plug-in you need to grow your audience!

Kajabi

Kajabi is INCREDIBLE when it comes to marketing and sales tools.

They’ve thought about all of the pains that come with running an online business and have integrated all the necessary equipment. These include:

• Sales funnels
• Membership sites
• Analytics
• Blogs
• Landing pages
• Email marketing tools

Essentially, Kajabi is replacing all of the other basic business marketing tools you need to run the business.

We also love how the email marketing software allows you to create automated response sequences, which can help you a lot when you’re sifting through a couple of thousand emails.

Another great feature with emails is segmenting the users by their information and creating targeted email marketing campaigns.

If you weren’t using Kajabi, you would need an entirely different mailing system outside of the software to do this.

We also mentioned sales funnels, which in Kajabi are called “pipelines.” The platform uses a pipeline builder that shows you your marketing funnel in real-time.

With this super intuitive pipeline builder, you can add and remove landing pages, sales pages, and opt-in forms by SIMPLY using the drag-and-drop editor.

The editing capabilities with the builder are HIGHLY EXTENSIVE, so you can have a lot of fun getting creative with the designs.

The only drawback is you are ONLY ALLOWED to use the tools they offer. You cannot use other plug-ins outside of the ones integrated into Kajabi.

WordPress

WordPress, on the other hand, has NO built-in business marketing tools whatsoever.

It is ONLY a website builder platform. You can connect other business marketing tools to your WordPress-hosted website, but you need to install other plug-ins and extensions.

Fortunately, WordPress does have many top-of-the-line marketing plug-ins and extensions, such as a funnel or a landing page plugin.

Basically, everything that Kajabi offers built-in, you will find in the extensions and plug-ins section of WordPress.

So, it is ENTIRELY POSSIBLE to create a full and very well-functioning marketing suite in your WordPress site.

You just have to keep in mind that EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT in that marketing suite needs to be kept in check and regularly updated.

Make sure EACH PLUGIN is working smoothly with the other and that NO information gets caught up. Sending an email campaign to someone already subscribed to your courses isn’t really a good idea.

If you consider yourself a bit of a developer and want to have a hand in every step of building your site WordPress, would be a great option for you.

This is for someone who wants to have more creative freedom with the look of their site and have full manual control over their marketing strategies.

Verdict: Kajabi

Again, we chose Kajabi for this round!

For the simple reason, it makes marketing, one of the hardest things about running a successful business, THAT MUCH EASIER for you.

It takes away all of the time you’d have to consider which tools would be the most effective by giving you the most tried and tested online marketing tools all ready to go.

You get to work with HIGH-PERFORMING TOOLS all built into your website without having to think about maintenance.

With WordPress, you need to KEEP UPDATING your site and plug-ins to ensure that everything is working in sync.

BUT with Kajabi, the software does that for you. It is elegantly streamlined, so you don’t need to think about whether or not the plug-ins are working together.

All the information about your customers and their interests is properly sorted through, so you can be sure that no one with the wrong email address is getting a stray advertisement from you.

Hosting and Domain Purchase

Site hosting and domain purchasing can be a REAL BOTHER when you’re putting up a website. A lot of it becomes really technical, and keeping up with the different payments can become confusing.

See which platform allows you to host your site and purchase a domain all at once!

Kajabi

Hosting in Kajabi, which includes video hosting, is part of the package that the software comes with.

You don’t need to worry about whether or not you can easily put up your content; Kajabi DOES THE WORK for you, so you don’t need to look for a separate hosting client to house your website.

If you’ve got an EXISTING domain, you can smoothly integrate it into the Kajabi software, and Kajabi will pick up the domain from there.

So if you’re considering a full move from your other business pages and membership sites, Kajabi makes it a fairly painless transition.

On the other hand, if you don’t own a domain yet, NO WORRIES! You can buy one through Kajabi. It all depends on what will suit your needs the most.

WordPress

WordPress requires you to have a SEPARATE HOSTING PLATFORM before installing the WordPress software onto the said platform.

You can choose any hosting platform you like, whichever is easiest for you to use. From there, you will need to install themes, extensions, and plugins to build your web page.

Verdict: Kajabi

Yet again, in this battle of Kajabi and WordPress, we have to go with Kajabi!

The difference in the software is that Kajabi makes building web pages SO SIMPLE.

It’s NON-THREATENING for people who are just looking for a way to sell online or to start a course website.

Not to mention, web hosting is already included in Kajabi’s monthly plan, making it CHEAPER long-term than having to pay for both a WordPress and a web and video hosting service separately.

Integrations

When building a website, one of the biggest challenges is getting ALL OF YOUR PLUGINS to work with each other.

Ensuring that ALL third-party extensions are updated and in sync is TIME-CONSUMING, so you might not have enough time for course creation or improving your landing pages.

Good integration in a platform means less work but more efficiency on your part. So, keep reading if you want to see which platform has better integration!

Kajabi

The Kajabi platform has 10 BUILT-IN integrations.

A few of the most popular third-party tools and plugins for online course sites and online stores you will find on Kajabi are:

• MailChimp
• ClickFunnels
• Shopify
• Infusionsoft
• ConvertKit
• Facebook Lead Ads
• Google Analytics

Every single plug-in works SEAMLESSLY together to give you the smoothest user experience as you’re building your website.

If you already have an existing site for your online courses, Kajabi’s integration will make your life a whole lot easier.

You’ll find that because Kajabi has integrated all of these ESSENTIAL tools that you won’t even really need to download and integrate another third-party plug-in or app.

That does not go to say that Kajabi, IMPRESSIVELY, has all of their own integrations at hand for you to use.

However, if you’re already used to using a certain app or plug-in, it helps to be able to find it integrated into Kajabi for your own benefit.

And if that isn’t enough, Kajabi also has a Zapier integration. This means that you will easily be able to integrate custom third-party apps.

Brief Summary

Basically, you have several options here.

First, Kajabi gives you THEIR OWN built-in tools, integrated into their site and totally good to use.

Second, Kajabi has also integrated MANY POPULAR tools for blog and content creation upkeep.

Third, if you DO NOT PREFER ANY of these other apps, Kajabi also has Zapier, which will integrate a completely different third-party app of your liking.

WordPress

Here we go. Are you ready?

Let’s just say that WordPress is a GIANT INTEGRATION.

Although, yes, Kajabi has integrated top-rated apps and, yes, the platform has these thousands of options, BUT the WordPress platform opens you up to millions of different integration options.

Any plug-in, extension, app, or software you use can and likely is integrated into the WordPress platform.

What’s more, is that WordPress is designed to be as customizable as possible!

The SKY IS THE LIMIT with WordPress because it provides an INFINITE amount of integrations to use for your page.

Unlike the options given by Kajabi, the WordPress platform pretty much gives you FREE REIN over whatever you use for your course creation.

However, we will caution that on WordPress, not all the extensions get along with each other.

You may have to do a little bit of trial and error to see which plugins work well together on the platform.

Verdict: WordPress

For the SHEER AMOUNT of integrations, in this round of Kajabi vs. WordPress, WordPress wins!

Sometimes we think the integrations are beyond the imaginable scope but, it is the Internet, and essentially everything is available.

So, download as many plugins as you want when you’re on WordPress!

Course Creation

You can use both Kajabi and WordPress for online course creation and course selling.

In fact, they are two of the most widely used platforms for this particular scenario.

Let’s see how Kajabi and WordPress handle this objective comparison on content and course creation!

Kajabi

Kajabi was MADE for online course creation, so its functions will anyone looking to sell online courses or students looking to find and buy online courses.

Everything Kajabi has in its platform SUPPORTS it as a course creator. The platform is set with features that aid in creating online courses.

It also uses membership-based content, mini-courses, and drip content to slowly but surely engage audiences in your online courses.

Making a course on Kajabi is like writing a blog post. The beauty of Kajabi lies in its simplicity.

You create the course structure and fill in the details with text, image, or video content.

A single course will accept MULTIPLE FILES, so you don’t need to worry about your courses being limited by storage.

Go ahead and turn your online course platform into a classroom if you like! You can open up a comments section for students to discuss and even provide quizzes and assessments!

WE DO WISH that Kajabi offered course completion certificates. Don’t expect that after you finish a course, you’re going to get any notification in your email address.

The best you can do at this point is to screenshot and save the completion page once you’re done.

WordPress

WordPress was not built for online courses.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have them there, though. WordPress is SO BROAD that you can basically have ANY online business that you want on there.

So, if you want to put up a course for students, go ahead and do it!

You’re going to need to download an LMS plug-in because, again, the WordPress platform on its own does not have the software for that.

Try LearnDash, ZippyCourses, and Sensei. These are all popular LMS plugins that WordPress supports, and you can create your courses from there.

If you’re thinking of video courses, in particular, you will need to find separate video hosting platforms.

We suggest looking for RELIABLE platforms, especially because some of the most popular courses that people look for are video courses.

Many users find it easier to learn through videos online rather than simply reading.

Verdict: Kajabi

This comparison distinctly shows that Kajabi was made for people looking to sell courses online.

That doesn’t mean that WordPress is that much worse, BUT if your MAIN GOAL is to get people to buy your online course, of the two platforms, Kajabi is where you should be.

Customer Support

In the battle of Kajabi vs. WordPress, customer support is hardly a small feature to be neglected.

How can we even talk about using these platforms if there’s no one there to help you out?

Kajabi

Kajabi has a DEDICATED CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAT where users can send in their questions through email and get notified as soon as Kajabi replies.

Kajabi also has a customer support and help center section on their site for any commonly asked questions. If you run up against a problem, you are likely to find your answer there.

WordPress

WordPress also has a customer support section on their website where you will find frequently asked questions.

WordPress DOES have a customer service line you can call.

Although it may depend on where you are in the world, there is no guaranteeing someone will pick up.

However, since WordPress is an open-source platform, you can find THOUSANDS of forums that will help when you use WordPress.

Verdict: Tie

WordPress and Kajabi have just about the same amount of customer service support.

There isn’t one set-up that’s better than the other, and you’re likely going to need to crowdsource for most of your answers.

Pricing

This is a massive draw for a lot of people, especially students and freelancers. Finally, let’s find out Kajabi vs. WordPress, which has more bang for your buck?

Kajabi

Kajabi pricing offers THREE PRICING PLANS:

• Basic ($119/month) – three products and three pipelines
• Growth ($159/month) – 15 products and 15 pipelines
• Pro ($319/month) – 100 products and 100 pipelines

WordPress

WordPress offers FOUR PRICING PLANS:

• Free – To get started
• Personal ($4/month) – Ideal for personal usage
• Premium ($8/month) – Best for freelancers
• Business ($25/month) – Good choice for small businesses
• eCommerce ($45/month) – Best for online stores

Verdict: Tie

At a glance, WordPress seems like the easy choice, especially if you’re on a budget. One of their options is FREE, so… why not, right?

However, keep in mind that Kajabi already comes with SO MANY built-in features that you’re basically paying for the platform to do everything else for you.

With Kajabi, all you have to do is input your content.

WordPress is great if you’re just STARTING OUT or if you want to TEST OUT how to run a website first. Maybe you don’t quite understand SEO, or you don’t really know which plugins you like yet.

So, FREE is PERFECT.

Once you start figuring out what you need, the extra payments for other extensions on WordPress may cost more.

It will really depend on your situation at the moment and what you need going forward.

Kajabi VS WordPress: Which Is Best For Me?

Use Kajabi If…

You prefer an easy set-up website where you don’t need to think about development, just about selling your products.

Use WordPress If…

You want a more creative and hands-on approach that is SEO-friendly when selling your products online.

Conclusion: Which Platform Dominates the SEO Game?

The ultimate winner for Kajabi vs. WordPress?

We choose Kajabi.

The mere fact that it makes putting up an online business SO SIMPLE by having all of the things you need fully at your disposal edges it out for us.

Sure, WordPress has all these options, but you only need the essentials when you really know what you want.Whichever platform you choose, go with what will suit your needs the best!