The Best Kajabi Alternative for Course Creators in 2026
Kajabi raised prices 20-40% in January 2026. SamCart gives you more features, unlimited products, AI that builds everything, and 3-4x higher checkout conversion — all for $79/mo with 0% platform fees.
Try SamCart FreeWhy Creators Are Leaving Kajabi in 2026
Kajabi's January 2026 price increase was the last straw for thousands of course creators. Here's what changed:
Basic plan jumped to $179/month
Kajabi's cheapest plan is now $179/mo — more than double what many alternatives charge for more features. Growth is $249/mo. Pro is $499/mo. Legacy customers were auto-migrated to the new pricing.
15 product limit on Basic
Kajabi Basic limits you to 15 products and 1 website. If you're building a real business with courses, memberships, coaching, and digital products, you hit the wall fast. Then you're on the $249/mo plan.
2% transaction fees (new)
Some Kajabi plans now charge 2% on every transaction. On top of the monthly fee. On top of Stripe fees. That's money coming straight out of your margin.
No AI — everything is manual
In 2026, Kajabi still makes you build pages, write copy, and design courses manually. No AI page builder. No AI copywriter. No AI course design. You do all the work.
3-4 day support response times
Kajabi reviews in 2026 consistently mention slow support. When your checkout goes down or you can't figure out the page builder, waiting 3-4 days isn't an option.
SamCart vs Kajabi: Feature Comparison
| Feature | SamCart | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price (all features) | $79/mo | $179/mo (Basic) |
| Products / Courses | Unlimited | 15 (Basic), 100 (Growth) |
| Websites | Unlimited | 1 (Basic), 3 (Growth) |
| Platform Transaction Fees | 0% | 0-2% |
| AI Page Builder | ✓ Built-in | ✗ Manual only |
| AI Copywriter | ✓ CoAuthor AI | ✗ None |
| AI Course Builder | ✓ Full AI | ✗ Manual |
| Checkout Conversion | 3-4x industry avg | Standard |
| One-Click Upsells | ✓ All plans | ✓ All plans |
| Affiliate Program | ✓ Built-in | ✓ Built-in |
| Email Marketing | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Community | ✓ Built-in | Separate app required |
| Design AI (eBooks, slides, social) | ✓ Full suite | ✗ None |
What SamCart Does That Kajabi Can't
AI builds your entire business
SamCart's AI creates your pages, writes your copy, designs your courses, builds your checkout flows, and generates your marketing content. Kajabi makes you do all of it manually. In 2026, that's the difference between launching in days vs. months.
3-4x higher checkout conversion
SamCart's checkout is fine-tuned on $7B+ in real transaction data from 75,000+ businesses. Every element — layout, copy, trust signals, button placement — is optimized for conversion. Kajabi's checkout is functional but not optimized.
Design AI creates content products
Turn your expertise into eBooks, slide decks, social media content, and reports with AI. SamCart is the only platform that lets you create AND sell digital products from one place. Kajabi requires you to use external tools for everything except courses.
$79/mo with zero feature gates
Every feature on every plan. No artificial limits on products, students, or websites. No per-transaction fees. Kajabi charges $179/mo for their most limited plan and still caps you at 15 products.
Other Kajabi Alternatives Worth Considering
2. Thinkific
Free (limited), $49-149/moBest for: Budget-conscious creators who want free-tier access
- ✓ Free plan available
- ✓ Good course builder
- ✓ No transaction fees
- ✗ No AI features
- ✗ Basic checkout
- ✗ No built-in email on free plan
3. Podia
$39-89/moBest for: Simple digital product selling
- ✓ Clean interface
- ✓ All-in-one approach
- ✓ No transaction fees
- ✗ Limited customization
- ✗ Basic analytics
- ✗ No AI
4. Kartra
$119-549/moBest for: Marketing automation focus
- ✓ Strong email/automation
- ✓ Funnel builder
- ✓ Membership sites
- ✗ Expensive
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Dated interface
5. Teachable
$59-159/moBest for: Simple course hosting
- ✓ Easy to use
- ✓ Good mobile app
- ✗ 1-5 product limits on lower plans
- ✗ 7.5% transaction fee on Starter
- ✗ Auto-unpublishes courses when over limit
How to Switch from Kajabi to SamCart
Export your content from Kajabi
Download your course videos, PDFs, and student data. Kajabi allows bulk export of your content and email list.
Set up your SamCart account
Sign up at samcart.com. AI will help you create your first course page in minutes, not days.
Recreate your courses with AI
Upload your content and let SamCart's AI build your course pages, checkout flows, and upsell sequences automatically.
Migrate your email list
Import your contacts into SamCart's email system. Set up your automations and sequences.
Switch your domain and go live
Point your domain to SamCart, test your checkout, and start selling. Most creators complete migration in a weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stop Overpaying. Start Growing.
Kajabi charges $179/mo for 15 products. SamCart gives you unlimited everything, AI that does the work, and 3-4x better checkout conversion for $79/mo. Make the switch this weekend.
Try SamCart Free