Teachable VS Thinkific VS Kajabi VS Skool: Where Should You Build Your Community?

Introduction

You have many options if you are passionate about building a strong and active community. In my experience, four of the best choices include Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi and Skool. I want to help you better understand what each platform provides so you can better choose your options. As you read through my guide covering Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi vs Skool, you will learn about the following:

• What are the main features of each platform?
• What users – and experts – tend to think about each platform
• My verdict on how easy each of the platforms is to use
• The price that you can expect to pay when signing up for each
•  My verdict of the key features and what each system offers  

If you want to learn what community and course-building program is right for you, read on. I will break down the essentials of what you need to know so you can confidently make your choice!

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Side-by-Side Comparison

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Ratings (from actual users)

When using any new software, I always want to know what other users think, and I imagine you are the same. Here are some user reviews I have encountered online that helped me further evaluate all four platforms.

How do users rate Teachable?

The first place I always look to for user reviews of course-building and community-building platforms is Capterra.

On Capterra, Teachable scores a highly promising 4.5/5. The general verdict was that the platform is easy to use, is extremely user-friendly even for those who are not tech-minded, and is affordable. The main complaints I found other users noting were that the design templates were somewhat lacking compared to the general quality of features.

How do users rate Thinkific?

Thinkific also scores very highly, per Capterra. The main benefits I found other users noted were the user interface and ease of setup. Others also liked how easy it was to use Thinkific with other platforms. The primary criticism of the platform revolved around the number of workarounds needed for some features, such as certification and the limitations attached to image uploads.

How do users rate Kajabi?

Kajabi scores high online, too, with its Capterra rating sitting at a highly impressive 4.4/5. Most agreed that Kajabi was easy to use and has greatly improved since the early days. Also, most found the onboarding excellent and made community building pretty simple. The primary criticisms, though, focused on the sometimes challenging customer service and the comparative lack of ease in integrating courses into the community.

How do users rate Skool?

While Skool is not often found on review platforms like the above, it receives much love from the professional community. For example, GroupLeads provided a glowing review of the platform, and I would agree with most of their assertions. The consensus among users is that Skool is extremely easy to use, and its main downside is that it might lack the kind of advanced features you might look for down the line.

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Pricing

Value for money always matters when investing in tools like this. I always want the maximum I can get for my money regarding courses and community-building platforms. How do the pricing solutions offered by all four platforms compare?

How much does Teachable cost?

Teachable offers some pretty fair pricing plans that you can work with. Its paid plans allow unlimited student numbers, so you are not limited to how big you can become here. You are limited to anything from 5 to 200 courses unless you take the most expensive Business plan. However, if you use the cheapest Basic plan, Teachable also charges a 5% transaction fee on your purchase. The most you should expect to pay with Teachable monthly is $665/month. This would give you access to their highest plan, which would only be needed if you had already found major success via Teachable.

My advice would be to use their middle-tier plan. At $99/month, this removes the 5% transaction fee I mentioned above. It also gives you access to other useful features, such as grading your course quizzes.

How much does Thinkific cost?

While Thinkific does offer a ‘free’ plan, it is extremely limited. You can run a maximum of three courses. Each paid plan allows for unlimited courses and unlimited members/students. As you might expect, the more you pay monthly, the more features you get. This includes features like priority support, creating private courses, and more.

Thinkific benefits from having a pretty balanced pricing tier. It starts at the cheapest of the selections here, at around $49 per month. Then, it can increase to anything from $199/month to $499/month, depending on how many features you take on.

They also offer an interesting “Growth” add-on that I quite like. For anyone using the Pro plan, the “Growth” extra allows for some of the more advanced features for up to 100 students without paying extra. For each student beyond that 100 limit, though, you pay $10/month more for those key features.

I recommend the Pro platform and then turn to the “Growth” add-ons for tiered pricing, certification, and live hosting.

How much does Kajabi cost?

Kajabi has a pretty interesting pricing model. The pricing rises as you start to build more and more communities. Since Kajabi is primarily aimed at building communities and marketing to them, you might run more than one community at any given time.

Kajabi’s price range can range from around $89/month to as much as $399/month, depending on your chosen features.

Your plan determines how many “pipelines” you can operate at once. The basic plan allows only three products, while the highest pricing tier allows up to 100. Most users can benefit from the mid-tier plan, which offers up to 15 different communities, live chat support, and the chance to remove Kajabi branding from your network.

The medium tier is the most useful regarding value for money. This offers the best balance between features, functionality, and fairness in terms of pricing.

How much does Skool cost?

Skool has the easiest pricing platform to understand. There is a flat fee of $99/month, and that is it. There are no features walled off, and there are no extra tiers or anything like that. This is another reason why I tend to rate Skool so highly. Simplicity is the aim of the game, and Skool delivers that in droves!

The $99 per month can be dearer than all of the above. The benefit with Skool, though, is you know the price will not change. And you get every feature for your $99/month fee. The above platforms all start cheaper but quickly can become more expensive.

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User Experience

Having enjoyed using all four services, I have a good idea of what the user experience entails. I want to break down my feelings about each product so you can know what to expect when trying them out. What did I think of the user experience of each system?

How is the Teachable user experience overall?

• Overall, the user experience of Teachable is fairly reliable. However, I initially found it somewhat overwhelming, even with relative experience with such tools.
• However, the dashboard interface is quick, simple, and easy to learn. The more advanced features are often kept at arm's length so you can focus on the basics – at first.
• If you want to get the most out of your Teachable subscription, be prepared to delve into the more confusing parts of the platform.
• The features, such as the website and course building, were impressive but complex. You get a lot of options (though the templates are not great), but it can be confusing at first.
• Course creation is nice and simple, but it is lacking features like copyright protection and course players. Developing a course was quick and simple, using step-to-step planning.
• Sales and marketing, though, were excellent. I was impressed with how easy it was to run sales funnels, email marketing, and marketplace sales—a plus point.
• Teachable cannot also white-label your mobile app, which was disappointing. This is a great feature in the platforms that allow mobile app development.

My main impression of Teachable was that it offered many advanced features and functions. At the same time, though, it lacked ease of use compared to the other platforms.

How is the Thinkific user experience overall?

• My first impressions of Thinkific were not great. However, once I got used to its intuitive layout, I found Thinkific very easy to build a course and community.
• The dashboard is very organised. This does make it quick and easy for you to move around its various tools and features. Loading times are short, too, so you are not stuck waiting around.
• The course builder provided is excellent. I found it offered a very easy-to-use course building that was built using drag-and-drop features. This made creating an intuitive course quite easy.
• Building your brand image is pretty easy, too. They offer various themes (though I was not a huge fan of any of them), bespoke placement of logos, etc. – all very easy to use.
• Getting around the system's back end was easy for my students and me. It was nice and easy to navigate, with clear markers and a lack of clutter overall.
• There are many powerful features, but many might not be suited for beginners. I found using the various elements in the sales section especially confusing.
• While there is a useful range of features and a great community around Thinkific, I think it needs much more planning and study time than the other options on this list.

My overall view of Thinkific is that it was very easy to use and build up as time passed. Its tool's ease of use and integration were better than some competitors.

How is the Kajabi user experience overall?

• Kajabi has a sleek and easy-on-the-eye layout, especially at the initial dashboard. However, the sheer depth of features does mean it becomes easy to get overwhelmed.
• I found myself re-doing many things on Kajabi as I misunderstood how it worked. Over time, this improved through customer support and trial and error, but it was time-consuming.
• The dashboard can be customised to ignore the features you do not wish to use. I found this useful as Kajabi has many features I had little use for – not at first.
• Putting together a community and course requires a lot of patience. If you are looking for a system that allows for quick ‘throw it together in minutes’ creation, Kajabi will let you down.
• While it is incredibly powerful, and navigation is simple, features take time to master. The sheer level of customisation means you can lose a lot of time messing around with features.
• Marketing and sales are quite easy to manage in Kajabi, though. I found it simple to set up affiliate programs and sales tools. Analysis was easy to access (and in-depth), too.
• Kajabi is not the easiest to use platform, but it is very powerful if you stick with it. If you want simplicity, you might find better options than Kajabi.

Overall, I liked Kajabi as you could see the potential – but laying the foundations took more time to learn than the other platforms. It could be easier to get started with, certainly.

How is the Skool user experience overall?

• I found Skool the easiest to use of all the tools on this list. It has excellent features for building a community and course quickly, even without templates.
• A huge benefit of Skool is how quickly you can build that first initial community and course. The dashboard is so easy to navigate, making creating your foundations simple.
• Skool might lack some advanced functions, but it has so many useful features you can use quickly. I was not frustrated with Skool as it was so simple to learn. 
• Most advanced features can be added in using integration via Webooks and Zapier. This can offer easy connections to features you might feel are missing otherwise. 
• Loading times are excellent, and accessing every feature you seek is simple. Skool also integrates with useful third-party tools to cover some missing features.
• Another thing I loved about Skool was how easy it was to find on-site support. I believe customer support and the Skool Community are the best learning tools of all four platforms.
• The addition of gamification features helps Skool to stand out, too. For example, I found it easier to engage with my community and see who needed help completing their course.

What Skool might lack in terms of advanced features, it makes up for in simplicity. If you are a beginner who is new to things like course building, Skool offers the easiest onboarding.

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Important Features

One thing to note about each of the tools covered here is that they all offer different features. While many of these features cross over from one another, I know you want to understand what makes each platform. So, what are the most important features included as part of each?

What are the key features of Teachable?

• Easy-to-use interface for building and creating communities and courses quickly
• Intuitive dashboard for easy use of both basic and advanced features
• Student experience tools that guarantee students feel engaged and interact with
• Third-party integration with a host of useful tools that you might already use
• Analytics and reporting to ensure your performance is as you would expect
• Great lead generation features, including lead magnets and affiliate marketing
• Varied payment options, complete with automated tax filing tools
• Create quizzes that are based on the kind of lessons your students undertake
• The ability to use AI features to help automate the course creation process
• Reliable and friendly customer support and a growing user community

What are the key features of Thinkific?

• Quick and simple course creation features allow for simple, easy course development.
• Website development platform makes promoting your courses easier from afar
• Easy-to-use themes for both courses and website development to save you time
• Community growth features such as live lessons, and events encourage interaction
• Easy connection to your students so nobody feels left behind or ignored during learning
• Analytical tools to help you see how to best go about marketing your online course
• Marketing and e-commerce makes selling your courses a much easier prospect
• Secure payment processors that make building trust with your students easier
• Easy long-term scaling with access to advanced course-building and creation features

What are the key features of Kajabi?

• Build a website for your community with a quick and easy-to-use website builder.
• Page templates that allow for the simplest creation of marketable landing pages
• Drag and drag-and-drop interface allows for some of the simplest and easiest creation tools.
• Automated scaling to ensure your community performs well regardless of its size
• Unlimited hosting for videos, photos, and other files essential to your community
• Easy marketing tools such as list building and affiliate marketing tools built-in
• Integrated payment and checkout features making selling products and courses easy
• Track progress for all members of your community to ensure nobody feels left out
• Automations allow for simpler marketing and community scalability over time
• Easy access to third-party integrations, though most features are covered in-house

What are the key features of Skool?

• Despite lacking templates, some of the best course building tools in the industry
• Easy-to-use dashboard that eschews complexity in favour of simplicity
• Gamification that helps to keep your students engaged and competitive throughout
• Simple analysis so that you can see which of your students require support
• Leaderboards help to ensure that students can see their progress against one another
• Easy communication tools, including private chats, allow users to interact together and alone
• Great accessibility features to ensure that people of all abilities can join your course(s)
• Easy integration with third-party tools via Zapier and Webhooks for further customisation
• Access to reliable customer support and the Skool Community for self-taught education

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FAQs

Can I host videos with Skool?

No, Skool does not currently provide video hosting. The hope is that his feature will be added in the near future. But you can easily embed videos you uploaded to Youtube or Vimeo.

Is Skool A Good Platform?

I certainly think it is a good platform overall. Yes, it can lack some of the more ‘advanced’ features, but it offers everything you need to build a tight-knit, successful community.

What Is Kajabi Used For?

Most users build platforms on Kajabi to give them a stable marketing platform with a website. This allows them to sell products, like courses, to their growing membership.

Is Kajabi Worth The Money?

I think it is a solid platform, yes. The extra price you pay for its premium features is worth the money, but make sure you need all the add-ons it provides to guarantee value.

Can You Make A Living From Teachable?

With enough effort and time, you definitely can. Many full-time creators exist on the Teachable platform, and I know of some very successful course creators.

Is Teachable Good For Marketing?

While it might not have as many marketing features as some competitors, I think Teachable has a very strong marketing arm. It is especially useful for those who lack third-party marketing tools already.

Can I Use Thinkific For Free?

It does provide a free plan, but I am not a huge fan of it. Most of the essential features to build a strong course and community combination are locked behind its paid options.

Is Thinkific Worth It?

If you are a newbie to course creation, you might find that many of the features in Thinkific are extraneous. It is a worthwhile platform for some looking at more advanced platforms.

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Summary

I have a deep interest and affinity for all of the above products. Each has provided me with a highly enjoyable and gratifying experience. However, my view is that if you want to build a community focused on education and courses, Skool comes out on top. It removes much of the confusion that comes from the other platforms. What it might lack in advanced features, it makes up for in accessibility, ease of use, ease of mastery, and just general value for money.

All four platforms are worth investigating. If you want to quickly and easily build a community-focused platform that encourages learning, though, Skool offers the best blend of simplicity and value.

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Alternatives

There are, of course, many other alternatives to Skool and Kajabi out there. I have experience using several of these, including Mighty Networks, ClickFunnels, Podia, Slack, Discord, and Facebook Groups.

Of course, no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer exists. Everyone will have their views and preferences depending on their aims. All of the above options, though, do provide a great starting place. If you are looking for a platform to build a course and/or a community, the above options make lots of sense to explore further.