Kajabi Review 2024: Is This All-in-One Platform Worth the Hype? (My Personal Experience)

Picture this: You're lounging on a beach in Byron Bay, reading a trashy novel, when suddenly your phone pings. Ka-ching! Another sale has rolled in. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, that's pretty much what happened to me back in 2021 when I took a campervan trip down the East Coast of Australia. Despite not actively working for a whole month, my online business still generated more than $30,000 in revenue. How? Two words: Kajabi automation.

But let's rewind a bit. If you're reading this, you're probably wondering if Kajabi is the answer to your digital product dreams or just another overhyped platform. Well, buckle up, because I'm about to give you the full scoop on Kajabi – the good, the bad, and the “holy cow, why didn't I start using this sooner?”

Ready to give Kajabi a whirl? Sign up for a 30-day free trial and see what all the fuss is about!

What in the World is Kajabi?

Kajabi is like the Swiss Army knife of online business tools. It's an all-in-one platform that helps you create, market, and sell digital products. We're talking online courses, membership sites, coaching programs, podcasts–if you can dream it, Kajabi can probably help you build and sell it.

When I first heard about Kajabi, I'll be honest – I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my brain. Another platform promising the world? Yeah, right. I was happy with my cobbled-together tech stack of WordPress, Active Campaign, ThriveCart, and about 17 other tools I can't even remember now.

But then I took the plunge and holy guacamole, was I in for a surprise. Suddenly, I wasn't spending half my day troubleshooting broken integrations or tearing my hair out over plugin conflicts. Everything just… worked. The clincher? Last year, I  moved my entire email list to Kajabi, saving me a whopping $500+ a month on email marketing software. That's a lot of avocado toast.

Kajabi Features: The Good, The Great, and The “How Did I Live Without This?”

1. Kajabi Website Builder

Remember the days of wrestling with WordPress themes and praying your latest update wouldn't break your entire site? Kajabi's website builder is the antidote to those tech-induced headaches. With drag-and-drop simplicity and templates that look good (goodbye, circa 2005 designs!), you can create a website that's both functional and fabulous. And the best part? It's all integrated with your products, marketing, and analytics. No more patchwork quilt of plugins!

Pros: 

• Drag-and-drop simplicity that even your technophobe aunt could handle
• Templates so sleek, they'll make your old Squarespace site weep with envy
• Fully integrated with your products, marketing, and analytics (no more playing Jenga with plugins!)

Cons:

• Not as customizable as WordPress, and the drag-and-drop capability isn't quite as advanced as Showit (but, unless you're a professional designer, this actually makes it quicker to get your website up and running).
• Limited number of theme options compared to some other platforms (but quality over quantity, right?)
• It can be harder to find a designer who is experienced in building Kajabi sites—although, as it's becoming more popular, more and more designers are popping up!

2. Course Hosting on Kajabi

Kajabi's course builder is where the magic happens. You can structure your course with modules, lessons, and categories, add various content types (video, audio, text, quizzes), and even drip content over time. It also makes protecting your course super simple, as your students each have a course portal with a unique login, and you can grant or revoke access as required.

Pros:

• Its intuitive interface makes structuring your course a breeze
• You can host multiple content types: video, audio, text, quizzes
• Drip content feature so you don't overwhelm your students with 8 weeks of content in one hit

Cons:

• Limited assessment options (no fancy interactive quizzes… yet)
• Can't import content directly from other platforms (time to flex those copy-paste muscles)

3. Building a Membership Site on Kajabi

Want to deliver monthly content? Or maybe you'd like to create a community of paid members? Kajabi's got your back. You can easily set up a membership site, complete with forums, progress tracking, and content libraries. Kajabi will also handle the payment side of things, so you don't have to manually remove members when they cancel or their payments fail.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and start collecting members and payments
• Built-in community features like forums (Facebook groups, watch your back)
• The flexibility to combine elements of your courses with your membership, such as bonuses or support

Cons:

• Community features aren't yet as robust as dedicated platforms like Circle
• Limited gamification options (no virtual high-fives… yet)
• Limited ability to segment members and custom-deliver content based on segments (this is why I chose to go with Membership.io for the membership side of my business, but I've kept all my online courses on Kajabi).

4. Marketing Automation

This is where Kajabi really flexes its muscles. With email marketing, all-in-one sales funnel builder, and automation sequences, you can create marketing campaigns that work while you sleep. Whether that's a lead magnet funnel that collects new subscribers, or an evergreen webinar funnel that sells your courses for you. It's like having a clone of yourself, but without the existential crisis.

Pros:

• Visual pipeline builder that makes creating funnels actually fun (I know, shocking)
• Powerful email marketing tools integrated right into the platform
• Automation sequences that work harder than that one overachiever in your high school class

Cons:

• The learning curve can be steep for marketing newbies (but that's going to be the case with any marketing automation software, not just Kajabi)
• Limited split testing options compared to specialised tools

5. Analytics

Kajabi gives you detailed insights into your business performance, from sales and revenue to student progress and email open rates. I'm a big believer that you need to be tracking all the important metrics in your business in order to grow, otherwise you risk wasting time on things that aren't working (and missing out on golden opportunities that could be working better!).

Pros:

• Detailed insights into every aspect of your business (creepy, but useful)
• Easy-to-understand dashboards (no statistics degree required)
• Integrated across all Kajabi features for a holistic view

Cons:

• Not as in-depth as dedicated analytics tools like Google Analytics—but you can still integrate GA if you wish to
• Limited custom reporting options

6. Mobile App

With Kajabi's mobile app, your students can access your content on the go. As a course creator, one of the most important things you can do is make your content easy for your students to consume—that means they'll *actually* finish it, rather than let it collect dust in their pile of unfinished courses. Being able to access your content on the app makes completing your course a whole lot easier.

Pros:

• Gives your students access to content on-the-go (perfect for toilet-time learning… don't judge)
• Manage your business from your phone (because who doesn't want to check sales while in line for coffee?)

Cons:

• Not as fully-featured as the desktop version
• Can't customize the app with your own branding (unless you're on a higher-tier plan)

Note: For an additional $89/month, you can add on your own branded mobile app—that's a heck of a lot cheaper than hiring developers to build a custom app for you!

7. Podcast Hosting

Kajabi now offers podcast hosting, so you can create and distribute your podcast all from the same platform. As you know, I'm a big fan of podcasting (having shared 800+ episodes on my own Imperfect Action podcast)—it's a great way to build your personal brand, share value with your audience and market your business without twerking on TikTok or sharing your every meal on Instagram.

Pros:

• Create and distribute your podcast all in one place
• Integrates seamlessly with your other Kajabi products
• Create exclusive podcast content for paid subscribers (like Patreon, but without the fees!)

Cons:

• Not as feature-rich as dedicated podcast-hosting platforms
• Limited analytics compared to specialised podcast tools

Read all about Kajabi's podcast hosting here.

8. AI Creator Hub

Kajabi's newest addition is its AI tools, which can help you generate course outlines, lesson content, and even marketing copy. It's like having a robot assistant, but one that actually understands context and doesn't try to take over the world (yet).

Pros:

• Generate course outlines, lesson content, and marketing copy faster than you can say “writer's block”
• Helps kickstart your creative process when you're staring at a blank page

Cons:

• AI-generated content still needs human touch-ups (it's not quite ready to replace us… yet)
• Quality can be hit-or-miss (sometimes it's Shakespeare, sometimes it's more “infinite monkeys with typewriters”)

Want to see how easy it is to create a sales page that actually converts? Watch this free training: How to Create a Profitable Sales Page on Kajabi

Answers to Your Burning Questions about Kajabi (Because I Know You Have Them)

1. “Do I need to be a tech wizard to use Kajabi?”

Short answer: Nope. Long answer: Nooooope.

With Kajabi, everything is intuitive and user-friendly. They have excellent tutorials and customer support, so even if you're more technophobe than techie, you'll be fine.

2. “Will my website look as professional as it would on WordPress/Squarespace?”

Absolutely. Kajabi's templates are sleek, modern, and fully customizable. Plus, you don't need to worry about your site breaking every time there's an update (I'm looking at you WordPress) or having to hire a web developer every time you want to make a small change. It's like having a personal web designer, but without the hefty invoice.

3. “Does Kajabi take a cut of my sales?”

Nope! Unlike some platforms (cough Teachable cough), Kajabi doesn't take a percentage of your sales. You keep 100% of your earnings minus the standard credit card processing fees from Stripe/PayPal.

4. “How quickly can I get my online business up and running?”

How does “this weekend” sound? Seriously, with Kajabi's templates and intuitive interface, you could have a basic website and your first product ready to go in a matter of days. Of course, creating high-quality content takes time, but the tech side? Lightning fast.

5. “Is it really the best value for money, or is it cheaper to piece together different platforms?”

As someone who used to juggle multiple platforms, let me tell you: the time and sanity you save with Kajabi is worth its weight in gold. Plus, when you factor in the cost of all those separate tools (website hosting, course platform, email marketing, etc.), Kajabi usually works out cheaper.

6. “What other software would I need to run an online business?”

With Kajabi? Not much. Maybe a video editing tool if you're creating lots of video content, and perhaps a scheduling tool for coaching calls. But for the most part, Kajabi has you covered. It's a one-stop shop for digital entrepreneurs.

Let's Talk Kajabi Pricing…

Alright, let's talk numbers. Kajabi isn't the cheapest option out there, but remember: you get what you pay for. Here's the breakdown:

1. Kickstarter Plan: $69/month (billed annually) – Great for newbies
2. Basic Plan: $149/month (billed annually) – Perfect for most small businesses
3. Growth Plan: $199/month (billed annually) – For when you're ready to scale
4. Pro Plan: $399/month (billed annually) – For the big leagues

There's also an Enterprise plan for those running empires (if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it).

Now, I know what you're thinking: “Holy guacamole, that's a lot of cash!” But here's the thing: Kajabi replaces so many other tools that you'd otherwise be paying for separately. In my case, it saved me over $500 a month on email marketing alone.

Plus, the time you save not dealing with tech headaches? Priceless. You could be using that time to create more products, connect with your audience, or, I don't know, finally learn how to juggle.

Ready to build your own membership empire? Watch this free training: How to build a membership on Kajabi

The Not-So-Rosy Parts (Because No Platform is Perfect)

Look, I love Kajabi, but I'm not wearing rose-tinted glasses here. There are a few things that could use improvement:

1. The learning curve can be steep if you're used to simpler platforms.
2. Some advanced customisation options require a bit of coding knowledge—but, let's be honest, you probably don't need to be making these kinds of changes.
3. The built-in blog feature isn't as robust as WordPress (but it's improving).
4. It might be overkill if you're just selling a single ebook or low-ticket item.

Is Kajabi Right for You? (The Million-Dollar Question)

Kajabi is perfect for you if:

• You're tired of cobbling together a dozen different tools to run your business.
• You want to focus on creating and selling, not troubleshooting tech issues.
• You're planning to scale your business and need a platform that can grow with you.
• You value your time and sanity (trust me, it's worth it).

Kajabi might not be the best fit if:

• You're on an extremely tight budget and aren't ready to invest in your business yet.
• You only plan to sell a single, low-priced product.
• You need very specific, niche features that Kajabi doesn't offer.
• You're selling a physical product, or you're only planning to sell services (and not a digital product, like an online course or membership).

The Final Verdict: Is Kajabi Worth It?

In my humble (okay, not so humble) opinion: Heck yes!

Is Kajabi perfect? No. Is it the best all-in-one platform I've found for running an online education business? Absolutely. There's a reason why I've been a customer for 7+ years (and counting!).

Since switching to Kajabi, I've been able to:

• Streamline my tech stack and save hundreds of dollars a month
• Launch new products faster and with less stress
• Automate a huge chunk of my marketing
• Take a month-long road trip while my business kept humming along

But here's the real kicker: Kajabi has given me the freedom to focus on what I love – creating content and connecting with my audience – instead of battling with technology.

Remember, success in online business isn't just about having the fanciest tools. It's about putting yourself out there, creating value for your audience, and not letting fear hold you back. Kajabi just makes that journey a whole lot smoother.

So, are you ready to give it a shot? Remember, they offer a 30-day free trial, so you can take it for a spin without committing. Who knows? This time next year, you might be the one writing a gushing review about how Kajabi changed your business (and maybe funded your own offline adventure).

What are you waiting for? Sign up for Kajabi's 30-day free trial and start building an online business that gives you the freedom to enjoy your life away from your laptop.