Kajabi vs Skool : Which Platform is Right for Coaches & Course Creator

Hey coaches and course creators! I know how overwhelming it can be to choose the right platform for your online business. With so many options, it's easy to feel stuck.

Today, we're diving into two popular platforms: Kajabi and Skool.

The good news?

As an expert in both platforms, I can help you decide which one suits your specific business goals. Whether you’re leaning toward Kajabi’s all-in-one solution or Skool’s focus on community, this post will break down everything you need to know.

A short story how I get to know about Skool?

I am a Kajabi expert and I have been helping my clients launch their online courses, memberships, coaching programs in Kajabi. 

I thought Kajabi is best platform to launch your online offers until one of my client "Christa - A digital Nomad Coach" told me that she wants to switch from Kajabi to Skool.

I was  so surprised because I knew that this will cost her a lot of money.

If you are thinking about migration cost then here is the breakdown

She will need a designer and a tech expert to complete the migration which includes:

1. Website platform - She choose Squarespace 
2. Cost to again build a custom designed website on Squarespace
3. SEO
4. Automations
5. Courses and community set up in Skool 
6. Thrive cart for checkout pages
7. Zapier for third party integration
8. Email marketing platform - She is using Convertkit 
9. Deadline Funnel
10. Webinar platform

The monthly cost of this new tech stack is

1. Squarespace -$36 USD/mo
2. Zapier - $30 USD/mo
3. Skool - $99 USD/mo
4. Thrivecart PRO - $690 USD one time payment
5. Convertkit - $100 USD/mo (for 10k subscribers)
6. Deadline Funnel - $99 USD/mo
7. EverWebinar - $99 USD/mo

Total = $1153 USD first time and then $463 USD/mo

Note - I have not added the cost of designer and a tech expert to efficiently do the migration across these platforms.

so, coming back to the conversation with my client .

One day during our Zoom call I asked her "What it is that makes her choose Skool over Kajabi despite knowing that it will cost her a lot of money?" 

She replied: She loved the community, Gamification, ease of engagements, Calendar, Chat support features.

1. Community

Skool is designed to foster strong community interaction. It serves as a hub for members to connect, share knowledge, and engage in discussions. The layout is simple and intuitive, with members able to post topics, comment, and upvote. It prioritizes ease of use, making it simple for users to engage without being overwhelmed by unnecessary features. Key aspects include:

• Discussion boards: Members can create posts and engage in threaded conversations.
• Member directory: Easily find and connect with other members.
• Content library: Organize and store valuable content for easy access.
  
  

2. Gamification

Skool incorporates gamification to encourage member participation and create a sense of progression. This is achieved through:

Points system: Members earn points by engaging in community activities, such as posting or replying to comments.

Levels: As users accumulate points, they can level up, which fosters engagement and motivates participation. Admins can set different rewards or permissions for different levels, adding an extra layer of motivation.

Leaderboards: Visible rankings show top-performing members, further incentivizing engagement and contribution to the community.

3. Ease of Engagement

Skool is highly intuitive, and the platform’s simplicity helps members easily engage with content and each other. Key features include:

Clean user interface: The platform is minimalist and easy to navigate, helping users quickly find posts and content.

Mobile-friendly: Skool works well on mobile devices, making it easy for members to stay engaged even on the go.

Notifications: Users receive notifications when there’s activity on posts they are involved in or when important content is posted, keeping them engaged without being intrusive.

4. Calendar

The calendar feature is a powerful tool for scheduling and organizing events, classes, or important dates within your community. This feature helps with:

• Event scheduling: Hosts can schedule events (live calls, webinars, etc.) that appear on the community calendar.
• Reminders: Automated notifications remind users of upcoming events, reducing no-shows.
• Easy access: Members can view the community's schedule, sign up for events, and even sync them with their personal calendars, ensuring they never miss a session.

5. Chat Support Features

Skool doesn't have a dedicated live chat feature like some other platforms, but engagement within the community is designed to act as a robust support system. Members can easily ask questions and receive responses from both peers and admins. Other features for support include:

• Comment threads: Members can ask questions in posts or directly in the comment section of specific lessons.
• Direct engagement: Although not as immediate as a live chat, the platform’s design fosters fast responses and engagement in community posts and discussions.

Honestly I was still not convinced until I actually started working on Skool during the migration from Kajabi to Skool.

Skool is such a great platform for coaches looking to build a program with a engaging community, Calendar and chat support. Everything you need to build a program around thriving community.

Which platform is better for community building: Kajabi or Skool?

Detailed comparison based on my Experience working on both Kajabi and Skool platforms

1. Overview

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform designed to cater to various needs of online course creators, including website building, email marketing, and advanced automation. It is highly versatile, making it suitable for businesses looking to scale.

Skool, on the other hand, focuses on simplicity and community-building. It aims to provide an engaging learning environment through its clean interface and community-centric features. This makes it ideal for coaches who prioritize interaction and engagement over advanced customization.

2. Ease of Use

Kajabi: While Kajabi offers a wide range of features, its complexity can be overwhelming for beginners. The platform has a learning curve, but once mastered, it provides powerful tools to manage your coaching business.

Skool: Skool’s simplicity is one of its main selling points. The platform is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, making it accessible for new coaches with minimal technical skills.

3. Course Creation Tools

Kajabi: The course builder in Kajabi is comprehensive, allowing you to include various multimedia elements such as videos, audio files, and downloadable resources. It also supports quizzes and assessments, which can enhance the learning experience.

Skool: Skool’s course creation tools are more basic, focusing on simplicity and engagement. It allows for easy upload of course content and encourages interaction through community features.

4. Website Builder

Kajabi: One of Kajabi’s strengths is its built-in website builder. It offers customizable templates and a drag-and-drop editor, making it easy to create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge.

Skool: Skool does not include a dedicated website builder. Instead, it focuses on community and course delivery, requiring users to link to external websites or existing web pages for additional content.

5. Sales Funnels and Pipelines

Kajabi: Kajabi excels in sales funnel creation, offering advanced tools to build and automate marketing pipelines. This feature helps in nurturing leads and converting them into paying customers efficiently.

Skool: Sales funnel capabilities in Skool are limited. The platform focuses more on fostering community engagement and delivering course content rather than advanced sales strategies.

6. Email Marketing

Kajabi: With integrated email marketing tools, Kajabi allows you to create automated email campaigns, segment your audience, and track performance with detailed analytics.

Skool: Skool provides basic email notifications to keep students informed about new content and updates. However, it lacks the advanced email marketing features found in Kajabi.

7. Community Features

Kajabi: While Kajabi includes community-building tools such as forums and comments, these features are not as comprehensive as those in Skool.

Skool: Community-building is where Skool shines. The platform offers robust community features like groups, discussions, and gamification elements to enhance engagement and interaction among students.

8. Pricing Plans

Kajabi: Pricing for Kajabi starts at $149 per month, with higher-tier plans offering more features and increased limits. While it is more expensive, the range of features justifies the cost for those looking to scale their business.

Skool: Skool’s pricing starts at $99 per month, making it a more affordable option for new coaches. However, it offers fewer features compared to Kajabi.

9. Customization

Kajabi: Kajabi provides a high level of customization, allowing users to design their courses and websites to reflect their brand identity fully.

Skool: Skool emphasizes a clean, uniform design for all users, offering limited customization options.

10. Integrations

Kajabi: Kajabi integrates with a wide range of third-party apps and tools, including Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, and more, allowing for a seamless workflow.

Skool: While Skool offers basic integrations, it has fewer options compared to Kajabi.

11. Analytics and Reporting

Kajabi: Kajabi offers in-depth analytics and reporting tools, enabling you to track user engagement, sales, and marketing performance in detail.

Skool: Skool provides basic analytics, focusing mainly on community engagement and course progress.

12. Customer Support

Kajabi: Kajabi provides 24/7 customer support through chat and email, along with an extensive knowledge base and community forums.

Skool: Skool offers support during business hours and has a growing knowledge base. The community also serves as a support resource.

13. Scalability

Kajabi: Kajabi is designed for scalability, making it suitable for businesses looking to expand their product offerings and marketing efforts.

Skool: Skool is best for smaller coaching programs or community-driven courses. Its scalability is limited compared to Kajabi.

14. User Feedback

Kajabi: Users generally praise Kajabi for its comprehensive features, though some mention the learning curve as a downside.

Skool: Skool receives positive feedback for its simplicity and community focus, but some users find its feature set limiting.

15. Mobile Access

Kajabi: Kajabi offers a fully responsive design and mobile apps, enhancing accessibility for users on the go.

Skool: Skool has a responsive web design but lacks dedicated mobile apps.

Conclusion

When to Choose Kajabi

• You want an all-in-one solution: If managing your course, marketing, and website all on one platform sounds appealing, Kajabi is your go-to. It’s perfect for coaches looking to scale their business while keeping things organized and efficient.
• You’re focused on growth and automation: Kajabi’s powerful marketing features, including email automations and sales funnels, make it ideal for coaches looking to create a seamless customer journey that converts.
• You value flexibility: Kajabi’s drag-and-drop page builder and customizable themes give you the freedom to create a website that matches your brand and vision.
  
  

When to Choose Skool

• You want to build a community-focused business: Skool is all about fostering an engaged, interactive community. If your coaching relies heavily on student interaction, group discussions, and accountability, Skool is designed for that.
• You prefer simplicity: If the idea of juggling multiple tools for marketing, sales, and website building feels overwhelming, Skool’s clean and easy-to-use platform might be the better choice. It does less, but it does community extremely well.
• You love gamification: Skool’s built-in gamification features help keep your members motivated and engaged through badges and progress tracking, which can boost course completion rates and community activity.
  
  

My Final Take:

As someone specialized in setting up courses on both Kajabi and Skool.

I would suggest using Kajabi is you are just starting out a new online coaching business and need all the functionalities in a budget.

If you are a established business owner ready to scale your business and looking for a more robust and custom tech stack to provide the best user experience to your clients then its time to upgraded to Skool.

As I am an expert in both kajabi and Skool I have an affiliate link to both the platforms. If you signup using my link for any of the platform you get following bonuses.

Kajabi - Click here to get 30 days FREE trial

• 60 min FREE consultation and  strategy call
• Monthly 1 hour tech support
  
  

Skool - Click here to get 14 days free trial

• 60 min FREE consultation and  strategy call
• Monthly 45 min tech support
  
  

If you’re still unsure, let’s chat! I can help you map out your business goals and choose the best platform.

Book a FREE Consultation Call