Head-to-head · August 2026
Systeme.io vs Kajabi
Kajabi sells a boutique course campus. Systeme.io sells a cheap all-in-one. If the room must look expensive, pay Kajabi. If you need funnels, email, and a course in one login without a $179 floor, Systeme.io is the stack.
Short answer
Kajabi is the boutique course campus. Systeme.io is the cheap all-in-one. Pay Kajabi when the room must look expensive. Everyone else should run the 12-month math before they “invest in the platform.”
| Kajabi | Systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting paid price | $179/mo or $143 yearly | Cheaper Free, then $17/mo |
| Basic / entry contacts | 2,500 on Basic | 2,000 free · 5,000 Startup |
| Products / courses | 5 products on Basic | 1 course on free, then more |
| Feel of the room | Wins this Campus. Designed. | Funnel OS. Fine, not fancy. |
| January 2026 plot | Hike + tighter Basic cap | Still $0 Still a $0 floor |
Where Systeme.io wins
Pick this if
You need funnels, email, and a course in one login without a $179 floor.
- The floor is $0, then $17. Kajabi Basic starts at $179 a month.
- Funnels, email, and a course live in the same login.
- Unlimited yearly (about $960) still undercuts Kajabi Basic yearly ($1,716).
Where Kajabi wins
Pick this if
The room must look expensive.
- The student-facing room looks like a campus, not a funnel template.
- High-ticket programs that sell on finish and trust.
- A branded membership that would be damaged by a generic skin.
The 12-month check
Kajabi Basic yearly is $1,716 ($143/mo billed annually). Systeme.io Unlimited yearly is about $960. Startup yearly is about $168. That is not a rounding error. It is two different businesses.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly billed | Contacts | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $179/mo | $143/mo ($1,716/yr) | 2,500 | 5 products · 1 website · 1 community |
| Growth | $249/mo | $199/mo ($2,388/yr) | 25,000 | 50 products · More admin seats |
| Pro | $499/mo | $399/mo ($4,788/yr) | 100,000 | Unlimited products · Branded app / API on this tier |
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly billed | Contacts | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | $0 | 2,000 | 3 funnels · 1 course · 1 blog · 1 custom domain · 1 automation rule · Unlimited email · No credit card |
| Startup | $17/mo | $14/mo ($168/yr) | 5,000 | Unlimited funnels · More courses · Paid-plan automation room |
| Webinar | $47/mo | $39/mo ($468/yr) | 10,000 | Automated webinars · Higher contact cap |
| Unlimited | $97/mo | $80/mo ($960/yr) | Unlimited | Sub-accounts · Free migration on this monthly plan |
What Kajabi is actually for
Kajabi (not affiliate) is a product campus: courses, community, a branded site, email that is good enough. After January 2026, Basic is $179 a month or $143 yearly, five products, 2,500 contacts. The hike is the plot point. Older blogs still quote $149. Those pages are antiques.
You pay that when a prospect should feel they walked into a finished school, not a landing page with a VSL. High-ticket coaching that sells on trust and finish is the use case. A $27 mini-course with a messy upsell is not.
What Systeme.io is actually for
Systeme.io is one login for funnels, email, a course, a blog, and checkout. The free plan is real: 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course, 1 custom domain, unlimited email, no card. Startup at $17 is the first honest paid rung. Unlimited at $97 still undercuts Kajabi Basic.
The trade: polish. Templates look like funnel templates. The course player is adequate. If your brand dies when the UI looks like 2019 ClickFunnels-adjacent, do not pick Systeme.io to “save” and then hate the room.
Open Systeme.io Kajabi official site (not affiliate)
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. Today that means Systeme.io. We also sell a $21 report paid in on-chain Bitcoin. Hardware wallet store links are official, not affiliates. Commissions can affect which products we feature. They do not change the facts in the comparison.
Still deciding?
Questions operators actually ask
Is Systeme.io cheaper than Kajabi after the 2026 hike?
Yes on list price. Kajabi Basic yearly is $1,716. Systeme.io Unlimited yearly is about $960. Startup yearly is about $168. Cheaper is not the same as “looks like a campus.”
When should a coach still pay for Kajabi?
When the student-facing room has to look expensive: high-ticket programs, a polished membership, a brand that would be damaged by a generic funnel skin. That is a positioning cost, not a feature checklist.
Does Kajabi’s 2,500-contact Basic cap matter?
If you email a list and host a course in the same product, yes. 2,500 is a real ceiling after the January 2026 change. Systeme.io Free already allows 2,000 contacts; Startup is 5,000.
Can I migrate from Kajabi without rebuilding everything by hand?
Systeme.io advertises a done-for-you migration on Unlimited monthly or any annual plan. Treat it as a rebuild service, not a perfect clone. See the migration guide.