PPassion.io VS KKajabi

Kajabi builds you a website.
Passion.io builds you an app.

Both platforms sell courses, communities and coaching. The difference is where your customers experience them: in a browser tab they forget, or in your own app on their home screen. Here is the honest comparison, feature by feature, price by price.

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4.5 on Trustpilot · 1,800+ reviews 15,000+ apps launched $1B+ earned by creators
Updated July 3, 2026 · all prices and sources re-verified
The short answer

Passion.io and Kajabi both let you build and sell online courses. Kajabi is website-first, with strong email marketing built in. Passion.io is app-first: every plan includes the You AI Coach, interactive courses, community and push notifications, with your own App Store listing on the Expand plan. If your business depends on engagement and retention, the app wins.

Pick Passion.io if

You want your own app on every plan, students who actually finish, and recurring revenue that survives the algorithm.

Pick Kajabi if

You want a website-first business with deep built-in email marketing, and your own app is not part of the plan.

What actually happens after the sale

Same course. Different pocket.

01The checkout
On the web, buying means finding a credit card and typing sixteen digits into a form. In your app, it is the payment sheet your customers already trust, one face scan away.
02The next morning
Your follow-up email lands in the Promotions tab, next to forty others. Your push notification lands on the lock screen, where nothing else is standing.
03Week six
Websites get bookmarked and forgotten. An app on the home screen keeps the streak alive, the community talking and the progress bar moving.
80%
of web payments are never completed, mostly because of checkout friction
70%
of all media is now consumed on the phone
6%
of web-based online courses are ever completed
PPassion.io · your own app
Your Coaching App
Premium program · $49/mo
Your programMonthly
$49.00
Pay
Double-click to confirm
7:42
Tuesday, morning
PYour appnow
Lesson 2 just dropped 🎉
Your coach recorded something for you. 4 minutes, before your coffee gets cold.
Current streak
42 days
M
Maya just finished Module 3 💪
J
Jon posted in #wins: "First client signed!"
Course progress86%
Kajabi · the web
yourcourse.com/checkout
Card number
4242 4242 4242 42…
Expiry / CVC
MM / YY   ···
Billing address
Start typing…
Complete purchase
N
Newsletter
This week's top offers…
Promotions
Y
Your course update
Lesson 2 is waiting for you…
Promotions
S
Sale ends tonight
Last chance to save 40%…
Promotions
D
Deals for you
Handpicked just for…
Promotions
Member activity
Last login: 34 days ago
Course progress · 12% · bookmark saved, never opened
What actually happens after the sale

Same course. Different pocket.

01 · THE CHECKOUT
Sixteen digits vs one face scan
On the web, buying means finding a credit card and typing it into a form. In your app, it is the payment sheet your customers already trust.
80%
of web payments are never completed, mostly because of checkout friction
02 · THE NEXT MORNING
The Promotions tab vs the lock screen
Your follow-up email lands next to forty others. Your push notification lands where nothing else is standing.
70%
of all media is now consumed on the phone
03 · WEEK SIX
A forgotten bookmark vs a 42-day streak
Websites get bookmarked and forgotten. An app on the home screen keeps the streak alive, the community talking and the progress bar moving.
6%
of web-based online courses are ever completed
Feature by feature

Every feature. Honestly marked.

Kajabi is a serious platform and we mark its boxes accordingly. The gaps that matter all point at the same thing: whose app your customers are actually in.

Passion.io
App-first
Kajabi
Website-first
Build
Drag and drop course builder
Unlimited courses and products5 on Basic, 50 on Growth3
Sales pages and website
Your own branded native app (iOS + Android)own listing from $599/mo (Expand)$199/mo add-on1
Interactive lessons (worksheets, calculators, check-ins)quizzes and surveys
Drip content
Engage
Push notifications from your own appwith the add-on1
Community
Community newsfeed inside your own appwith the add-on1
Habit and progress tracking—
AI coach for your customers, trained on your contentYou AI Coach, every plan—
Built-in email marketing automationvia Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign
Sell
One-time payments and subscriptions
In-app purchasesrequires the branded app1
Upsell funnels
Built-in affiliate program—Growth and Pro
Analytics and course progress
Own
Your own App Store and Google Play listingPro plan, or add-on1
Published price for your own store listing$599/mo, price on the page$342/mo minimum2

1 Kajabi's Branded App is included on the Pro plan and available as a $199/mo add-on on Basic and Growth. By default, customers use the shared Kajabi app and log in to your brand inside it. Source: Kajabi help center, July 2026.  2 Kajabi Basic at $143/mo billed annually plus the $199/mo Branded App add-on. Source: kajabi.com/pricing, July 2026.  3 Product caps by plan: 5 on Basic, 50 on Growth, unlimited on Pro (kajabi.com/pricing, July 2026). Passion.io plans have no course caps.

The pricing math

What your own app actually costs.

Not plan prices. The real monthly bill to stand in the App Store under your own name, side by side.

Kajabi · Basic + app
Basic plan (annual)$143/mo
Branded App add-on$199/mo
Products5
AI coach for customers—
Total$342/mo
Price on the page · AI coach included
Passion.io · Expand
Expand plan (annual)$599/mo
Own App Store listingincluded
Coursesunlimited
AI coach for customersincluded
Total$599/mo
Kajabi · Pro
Pro plan (annual)$399/mo
Branded Appincluded
Productsunlimited
AI coach for customers—
Total$399/mo
Honest math: Kajabi's cheapest route to your own app is $342 a month; ours is $599 with Expand. What the extra buys, and what theirs never includes: the You AI Coach, interactive lessons, habit tracking and the team behind 1,091 named-support reviews. Both prices are on the page.

List prices with annual billing, July 2026. Sources: kajabi.com/pricing, Kajabi help center, passion.io/pricing.

What the switch bought one creator
$291,462
a month

Nicki Bianco, a hairstylist and trainer, moved her quiet membership site into her own app with Passion.io. 4,107 engaged subscribers later, it is a seven-figure business, launched in under 30 days.

Read her case study →
What customers say

Read both. We are comfortable with that.

Both platforms have thousands of Trustpilot reviews. We link Kajabi's right here, because we think the comparison holds up.

Passion.io
4.5
1,800+ reviews on Trustpilot
Kajabi
3.5
2,300+ reviews on Trustpilot · spring 2026
Amazing team and support
"Kleny, Iwan and the whole team are so helpful. I wasn't tech savvy at all… the technical support, helpfulness and kindness of the team is worth their weight in gold. So grateful for this platform!"
Lizzie StantonTrustpilot · June 2026
Amazing App!
"The step by step process that actually worked. Signed up my first cohort easily… Helped me to make a program I had been thinking about for 3 years. Really pleased with the results. My first cohort LOVED it!"
Tracy DriscollTrustpilot · June 2026
Exceptional customer service
"I panicked a bit when my app wasn't up to date… They made the process easy, went above and beyond to help me and also reassure me. I went from a state of panic to feeling like everything was going to be okay."
Leading Edge HypnoTrustpilot · May 2026

Want more? Browse the full review wall, or read every last one on Trustpilot.

The honest part

Sometimes Kajabi is the right call.

A comparison page you can trust has to be able to say that. Here is where each platform genuinely wins.

Kajabi wins when

  • Email is your engine. Kajabi's built-in email marketing and automations are deep, and they live inside the same roof.
  • The website is the product. If your business is landing pages, funnels and broadcasts, website-first is a fair choice.
  • You truly don't need an app. Then you are not paying for one, and this whole page is moot.

Passion.io wins when

  • Retention is your ceiling. Streaks, push notifications, habit tracking and community live where your customers already look 100 times a day.
  • You want to own the shelf. Your name in the App Store, on every plan, not as a $199/mo add-on.
  • Coaching is the product. Interactive lessons plus an AI coach trained on your content, working while you sleep.
Making the move

Switching is smaller than it feels.

Hundreds of coaches and course creators have made this exact move. It comes down to three steps.

01

Bring your content

Your videos, PDFs and course structure drop into the drag and drop builder. Rebuilding is the easy part, and usually the moment lessons become interactive.

02

Meet your onboarding team

Real humans walk you through app setup, your App Store and Google Play listings, and the first launch. Passion Academy training on building, marketing and selling comes with every plan.

03

Decide with a safety net

Every plan carries a 30-day money-back guarantee. Build the app, put it in front of real customers, then decide.

Start your app →
30-day money-back guarantee · cancel anytime
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Passion.io a good alternative to Kajabi?
Yes, if your priority is engagement and retention. Both platforms sell courses and communities. Kajabi is website-first with strong built-in email marketing. Passion.io is app-first: every plan includes your own branded iOS and Android app with interactive courses, push notifications, habit tracking and an AI coach trained on your content.
Does Kajabi include your own branded mobile app?
Not on most plans. Kajabi's Branded App is a $199/mo add-on on the Basic and Growth plans and is only included on the Pro plan at $399/mo billed annually. By default, students use the shared Kajabi app and log in to your brand inside it. On Passion.io, your own store listing comes with the Expand plan at $599/mo, published on the pricing page, and the You AI Coach is included in every plan.
How much does Passion.io cost compared to Kajabi?
To own your store listing: Passion.io's Expand plan is $599/mo billed annually, price on the page, with the You AI Coach included on every plan. On Kajabi the cheapest route to your own app is Basic at $143/mo plus the $199/mo Branded App add-on, so $342/mo, or the Pro plan at $399/mo. List prices, July 2026. See passion.io/pricing for all plans.
Can I move my courses from Kajabi to Passion.io?
Yes. You bring your videos, PDFs and course structure into Passion.io's drag and drop builder, and the onboarding team walks you through app setup and your App Store and Google Play listings. Every plan carries a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can rebuild and decide with a safety net.
Do both platforms include communities?
Both offer communities. The difference is where they live. Kajabi's community runs on the web and in Kajabi's shared app. Passion.io's community newsfeed lives inside your own branded app, next to your courses, with push notifications that reach the lock screen.
Does Kajabi limit how many courses you can sell?
Yes. Kajabi caps products by plan: 5 on Basic, 50 on Growth, unlimited only on Pro (kajabi.com/pricing, July 2026). Passion.io plans have no course caps, so you can add programs, upsells and lead magnets without changing plans.
What is the You AI Coach?
Every Passion.io plan includes a context-aware AI coach trained on your content, so your members get 24/7 personalised guidance inside your app. Higher tiers include more Conversational AI words per month. Kajabi offers AI tools for creators but no customer-facing coach trained on your content.

Give your work
a home on their phone.

Your branded app, the You AI Coach, and real humans behind you.
Own App Store listing from the Expand plan.

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