Circle vs Kajabi

An honest side-by-side comparison of two of our top elearning tools picks — pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and who each one is really for.

Circle

Circle

Ranked #10 of 20 in this directory

The community platform for creators and brands

Paid
Kajabi

Kajabi

Ranked #2 of 20 in this directory

The all-in-one platform for knowledge entrepreneurs

Paid

Our pick: Kajabi. Our editors rank Kajabi higher overall in eLearning Tools — but Circle can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case below. How we review

Compare the details

CircleKajabi
Pricing modelPaidPaid
Starting priceSee websiteSee website
CategoryCohort LearningCourse Creation
Editorial rank#10 of 20#2 of 20

Strengths

Circle

  • Best-in-class community UX
  • Strong course and event tools
  • White-label options
  • Excellent mobile app

Kajabi

  • All-in-one — no need for extra tools
  • Beautiful product delivery
  • Built-in email marketing
  • No transaction fees

Watch out for

Circle

  • !Transaction fees on starter plan
  • !Email marketing requires integration
  • !Expensive at higher tiers

Kajabi

  • !Expensive ($149+/mo)
  • !Overkill for beginners
  • !Community features lag behind Circle

Best use cases

Circle

  • Creator membership communities
  • Cohort-based courses
  • Brand communities
  • Paid newsletters + community

Kajabi

  • Established course creators
  • Membership site owners
  • Coaches running full businesses

About each tool

Circle

Circle is the leading community platform for creators, coaches, and brands who want to run a paid community alongside courses and live events. It offers spaces for discussion, courses, events, and live streams. Beloved for its clean UX and depth of community features, it's become the default for creator communities.

Kajabi

Kajabi is the premium all-in-one platform for creators who want to run their entire knowledge business — courses, memberships, coaching, email marketing, website, and community — from one place. Beloved by top creators for its comprehensive feature set and beautiful product delivery, though it comes at a higher price point.

Still deciding? Browse all 20 options with honest pros, cons, and pricing.

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