Kajabi alternative for small creators
By the Crato team · Prices checked Oct 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The short answer
Kajabi removed its cheaper Kickstarter plan in January 2026. The lowest plan is now Basic at $179 a month ($143 a month if you pay for a year). For that you get a full business platform: courses, community, email marketing, funnels and a website.
That's worth it when you have a real audience and a product that sells every week. When you're starting with one course or a few guides, $179 a month can be more than you make.
Crato is the opposite end: free to start, 5% per sale, or $19 a month for 0%. It does a lot less than Kajabi. It's also a lot less to pay while you find out whether your course sells. Start free.
What Kajabi costs
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $179 | $143/month | 0% with Kajabi Payments |
| Growth | $249 | $199/month | 0% |
| Pro | $499 | $399/month | 0% |
Card processing (about 2.9% + 30¢) applies on top. There's no free plan.
What Crato costs
| Plan | Monthly | Fee per sale |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5% |
| Pro | $19 | 0% |
Card processing is charged by Stripe on top.
What you keep in a month
| Your month | Kajabi Basic (monthly) | Kajabi Basic (yearly) | Crato Free | Crato Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 sales × $19 ($190) | $2 | $38 | $172 | $162 |
| 10 sales × $97 ($970) | $760 | $796 | $890 | $920 |
| 20 sales × $49 ($980) | $767 | $803 | $897 | $927 |
*After platform fees and US card fees (2.9% + 30¢). Rounded to the nearest dollar.*
Since Kajabi and Crato Pro both take 0% per sale, the difference at any sales level is simply the monthly price: $160 a month on Kajabi's monthly billing, $124 on yearly. Crato's free plan stays cheaper than Kajabi Basic until you sell about $3,580 a month.
The real question isn't the price. It's whether you'll use what the extra $160 buys.
Work out your own number
Every plan on this page, at your price and your volume.
Your product costs
And this many sell in a month
- Crato Proours$19 a month, 0% a sale$927
- Crato Freeours5% a sale$897$30 less
- Kajabi Basic$179 a month, 0% a sale$767$160 less
After each platform’s fee, any per-sale flat fee, card processing at 2.9% + 30¢, and the monthly plan price. Monthly billing, not yearly. Rounded to the nearest dollar.
What Kajabi gives you for $179
To be fair, it's a lot:
- Courses with a full course player, quizzes and drip schedules
- Email marketing to your whole list, with automations
- Funnels and landing pages for launches
- Community spaces for members
- A full website and blog
- Coaching tools and podcasts
If you'd otherwise pay separately for email ($20 to $50 a month), a website, and a community tool, Kajabi's price looks more reasonable.
Side by side
| Kajabi | Crato | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | $179/month ($143 yearly) | $0 |
| Fee per sale | 0% | 5% on Free, 0% on Pro ($19) |
| Courses | Yes, advanced | Yes |
| Digital downloads | Yes | Yes |
| Memberships | Yes | Yes |
| Coaching and calls | Yes | Yes, plus live group sessions |
| Email marketing and automations | Yes | No |
| Funnels and landing pages | Yes | No |
| Community | Yes | No |
| Built for selling from a bio link | No, it's a full website | Yes |
| Setup time | Hours to days | A few minutes |
Where Kajabi is better
Almost everywhere except price. If you're running launches to an email list, building a paid community, or selling a flagship course to thousands of people, Kajabi is built for exactly that, and Crato isn't.
Where Crato makes more sense
Before your product has proven itself. Put your course or guide up for free, share it, and see if people buy. If it takes off, you'll know whether you need Kajabi's tools, and you'll have the sales to pay for them.
When your audience lives on social. If most buyers come from Instagram or TikTok, a store built for your bio link is what they'll see. They tap, buy and get access in a couple of minutes.
When you sell more than courses. Guides, templates, 1:1 calls, live sessions, memberships and merch, all in the same store.
When you want to own the payment side. Payments land in your own Stripe account, in your name.
Who should pick which
Crato is probably a better fit if you:
- are selling your first course or a few guides
- don't have an email list to launch to yet
- want to test demand without a monthly bill
- sell from your bio link
Kajabi is probably a better fit if you:
- already have an engaged audience and steady sales
- need email automations, funnels and a community in one place
- have a flagship course that justifies $179 a month or more
A common path: start on a free store, prove the product, then move to Kajabi when you need its tools. Nothing wrong with that.
FAQ
Does Kajabi have a free plan? No. Since January 2026 the cheapest plan is Basic at $179 a month, or $143 a month billed yearly.
What happened to Kajabi Kickstarter? Kajabi removed the Kickstarter plan in January 2026.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Kajabi for courses? Crato lets you sell courses on a free plan (5% per sale) or for $19 a month with 0% fees. It doesn't include Kajabi's email marketing, funnels or community.
Does Kajabi take a percentage of sales? No, 0% on every plan when you use Kajabi Payments. Card processing is on top.
Sources
- Kajabi pricing: kajabi.com/pricing (checked Oct 5, 2026)
- Stripe US pricing: stripe.com/pricing
- Crato pricing: crato.store/pricing
Changelog: Oct 5, 2026: First published.