Kajabi vs Podia
Pick Podia unless your email list is already past 1,000 people. Podia Shaker costs $99 a month with no transaction fee and pays into your own Stripe or PayPal account. Kajabi costs $179 and up but includes 2,500 to 100,000 contacts and more automation, which matters once email drives your sales.
| Kajabi | Podia | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan, monthly billing | $179 Basic | $49 Mover |
| Cheapest plan with no transaction fee | $179 Basic | $99 Shaker |
| Platform fee on sales | 0% on every plan | 5% on Mover, 0% on Shaker and Earthquaker |
| US card processing | Kajabi Payments, 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, down to 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro | Your own Stripe or PayPal, 2.9% + $0.30 standard |
| Fee for using your own Stripe | 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth, 0.5% on Pro | None. Podia always uses your own Stripe |
| Email contacts included | 2,500, 25,000, or 100,000 | 100, 500, or 1,000 email subscribers |
| Products | 5, 50, or unlimited | 50, 150, or unlimited |
| PayPal | Every plan, with no Kajabi surcharge | Shaker and Earthquaker only |
| Affiliate program | Growth at $249 and up | Shaker at $99 and up |
| Payouts | Kajabi Payments to your bank. New accounts start monthly with a 7-business-day delay | Straight to your Stripe or PayPal, usually about 5 business days to your bank |
| Custom domain | Every plan | Every plan |
| Free trial | 14 days standard | 14 days, no card required |
| You keep on $1,000 a month | $790 | $870 |
| You keep on $10,000 a month | $9,511 | $9,591 |
| Our score | 7.4 out of 10 | 7.8 out of 10 |
What you keep on $1,000 a month
Both platforms paid in $150 payments by US cards, each on whichever plan leaves you the most. The blue is yours. The hatched part is fees.
| Platform and plan | Share kept versus fees | You keep | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| PodiaMover | $870 | −$130 | |
| KajabiBasic | $790 | −$210 |
On $10,000 a month: Kajabi $9,511, Podia $9,591. How we calculate this.
Pick Kajabi if
- your email list is past 1,000 people and email drives most of your sales.
- you want funnels, advanced automations, and webhooks in the same tool, which start on Growth.
- you earn $5,000 or more a month, where the $179 price is under 4% of sales.
Pick Podia if
- you earn under $5,000 a month and want the lower bill.
- you sell many small products, since Mover allows 50 against Kajabi Basic's 5.
- you want sales paid into a Stripe or PayPal account you control.
Which is cheaper, Kajabi or Podia?
Podia is cheaper. Shaker costs $99 a month and Kajabi Basic costs $179, and neither takes a cut of sales on those plans.
From one-time US card sales of $150 each, Podia Shaker leaves $870 of $1,000 and Kajabi Basic leaves $790. At $10,000 a month, the figures are $9,591 and $9,511. Billed annually, Shaker is $84 a month and Basic is $143.
Under $1,000 a month, Podia Mover at $49 plus 5% is cheaper still. See both platforms on our fee table.
Which is better for email marketing?
Kajabi is, by a wide margin. Basic includes 2,500 contacts and unlimited marketing emails, and extra contacts cost $125 a month per block of 25,000.
Podia Email includes only 100, 500, or 1,000 subscribers depending on plan, and Podia does not publish the price for more. If your list is large, Podia's lower price can disappear once you add a separate email tool. Our Kajabi review and Podia review cover the limits in detail.
Which gives you more control over payments?
Podia does. Every sale goes straight into your own Stripe or PayPal account, and Podia never holds the money.
Kajabi pushes sellers toward Kajabi Payments with a 2% surcharge on Basic for other processors. Kajabi Payments charges the same 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic that Podia lists for Stripe, but new accounts start on monthly payouts, and your payment history sits inside Kajabi.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kajabi or Podia charge transaction fees?
Kajabi charges no platform fee on any plan. Podia charges 5% on Mover and nothing on Shaker or Earthquaker. Card processing applies on both, starting at 2.9% + $0.30 per US sale.
Can I move from Podia to Kajabi?
Yes, but it is manual. Kajabi's migration guide says there is no automated Podia importer, so you export contacts and files from Podia, rebuild products in Kajabi, then import contacts with access granted. Active Stripe subscriptions may move into Kajabi Payments, decided case by case.
Which is easier to use, Kajabi or Podia?
Podia is simpler. It sells every product type from one dashboard, its trial needs no card, and you connect an existing Stripe or PayPal account instead of onboarding to a new processor. Kajabi does more, which means more to configure.