Skool vs Kajabi: Which One Actually Builds Community?

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If you want a paid community with structured lessons and live events that’s simple to run, pick Skool. If you want an all-in-one marketing suite with email, funnels, and a website builder—and you’re happy to manage that complexity—pick Kajabi. Many creators use Skool for delivery (community + courses + events) and keep a lightweight site or email tool for marketing.

👉 Join Skool — build the paid community your audience actually sticks with.

Who each platform is really for

Choose Skool if you want:

A clean, community-first hub with a built-in Classroom (courses), Calendar (events), and simple payments. Minimal setup. Members get quick wins. You spend time coaching—not wiring tools together.

Choose Kajabi if you want:

An all-in-one stack (website, email, funnels, courses, communities, checkout) under one roof. Powerful, but heavier. Great if you’ll use the marketing suite every week and don’t mind extra admin.

👉 Ready to keep ops light and outcomes high? Join Skool

Skool vs Kajabi: the snapshot

Category	Skool	Kajabi
Core use case	Paid community with courses + events	All-in-one: website, email, funnels, courses, community, checkout
Community UX	Simple feed, threads, DMs, leaderboards	Community product with channels, challenges, meetups, gamification
Courses	Classroom (modules, replays, resources)	Course builder tightly integrated with offers/funnels
Events	Calendar with live calls and replays	Events + webinars via built-in tools/workflows
Payments	Built-in. Hobby (low fixed cost) or Pro (low per-txn fee). Also supports one-time course purchases	Kajabi Payments + Offers; typically 0% platform fee but processing/tax fees apply
Email & funnels	Not an email/funnel tool by design	Full email marketing, automations, pipelines, landing pages
Mobile apps	Official iOS/Android app with community, courses, calendar	Official iOS/Android app for courses/communities; branded app add-on available
Admin load	Light. Most features live in one simple UI	Heavier. More knobs = more power and more setup
Pricing shape	Low monthly + per-transaction fees (or % on Hobby)	Higher monthly plans; no extra platform % but card/tax fees apply

Plain English: If your business model is membership + coaching + cohorts, Skool is built for it. If you need a marketing department in a box, Kajabi’s your play.

Real-world cost sketch (directional)

Skool

Hobby plan keeps fixed cost tiny while you test.
Pro plan is a flat monthly fee with low per-transaction fees (and support for one-time course purchases).
You may still pair Skool with a lightweight email tool if you want advanced sequences.

Kajabi

Higher monthly plan, but includes email + website + funnels.
0% platform fee on many plans; payment processing and some per-transaction taxes/fees may still apply.
Best when you truly need the all-in-one bundle every day.

The right pick is the one that leaves more time for helping members and more money in your pocket after fees.

👉 Prefer simple? Start your Skool community

The outcome-first test (use this to decide in 60 seconds)

Answer these out loud:

What do members buy?

A clear outcome + support? → Skool.

A full course + email drips + funnels? → Kajabi.

Where does community happen?

You want one tidy hub with lessons and live calls in the same place? → Skool.

You want community plus a marketing machine in one subscription? → Kajabi.

How much do you like ops?

You want to ship content, host calls, and coach (not fiddle)? → Skool.

You enjoy building funnels, split-testing, and CRM-style flows? → Kajabi.

No shame either way. Choose the path that fits your brain and business.

A simple launch plan (if you pick Skool)

Promise: “Go from X → Y in Z days.”

Setup (2 hours):

Create your Skool group page: outcome headline, 3 bullets (Classroom, Community, Calendar), Join button.

Upload a 10-minute quick win lesson.

Schedule a weekly live in Calendar; replays go to Classroom.

Price £9–£29/month to start. Add annual later.

Cadence (weekly):

1 short lesson or replay

1 live session (AMA/teardown)

1 proof post (member wins)

1 invite post across socials → Join Skool

Copy you can steal:

“Public is for ideas. Community is for outcomes. Get the full system, replays, and weekly help inside my Skool group — Join Skool.”

A simple launch plan (if you pick Kajabi)

Offer: outcome-driven course + community + office hours.

Setup (half-day):

Build a single landing page with one promise and one CTA.

Create an Offer that bundles the course + community + office hours.

Set up email welcome (3 messages: quick win → proof → invite to live call).

Keep funnels minimal at first; add automation after you validate the core offer.

Cadence (weekly):

1 course update or bonus

1 community challenge or meetup

1 email broadcast (story → lesson → CTA)

Migration game plan (Discord/FB/Slack → Skool)

Day 1: Announce the new home. Grandfather current price.

Day 2: Drop a quick-win lesson + “Start Here” post.

Day 3: Schedule a live; promise replays in Classroom.

Day 4: Share wins from early movers.

Day 5: Lock premium threads in the old space → pin Join Skool.

Day 6: Final AMA in the old space; close with the link.

Day 7: Keep a free foyer. Make Skool the backstage.

FAQs

Q: Can I use both—Kajabi for marketing and Skool for delivery?

A: Yes. Many do. Use Kajabi’s pages/email for acquisition and sell a Skool membership for delivery (community, lessons, events).

Q: Does Skool replace my email tool?

A: No. Skool sends notifications, but it’s not a full email platform. Pair with a simple ESP if you want advanced sequences.

Q: Does Kajabi take a cut of my sales?

A: Kajabi markets 0% platform fees on many plans, but payment processing and certain per-transaction fees (like sales tax collection) may still apply.

Q: Can I sell one-time courses in Skool?

A: Yes. You can sell one-time course purchases alongside subscriptions in the same hub.

Q: Which has the better mobile app?

A: Both have official iOS/Android apps for consuming content and community. Kajabi also offers a branded app add-on if you need custom branding and in-app purchases.

Q: What about challenges, leaderboards, or gamification?

A: Both support gamification and challenge-style engagement. Execution differs, but you can run sprints on either.

Q: I’m overwhelmed. What should I do today?

A: Pick the simplest path to deliver a quick win. If community + weekly help is your core value, start on Skool and add marketing tools only when needed.

The bottom line

If your promise is “show up, do the work, get results”, you want a platform that keeps members focused. That’s Skool. Use Kajabi when you need the extra marketing muscle—and you’ll actually use it.

Build the place your best fans never want to leave.

👉 Join Skool