Podia and Kajabi are the “go-to” options for businesses looking to set up an online course platform or membership site or sell other types of digital products. It can be difficult to choose the right platform for your business, especially if you’re not sure which features to look for.
In this article, we’ll compare both platforms, Podia vs. Kajabi, and see how they stack against each other so it’s easier for you to make an informed decision.
Podia vs. Kajabi: Overview
While both platforms let you create and sell digital products, online courses, and memberships, let’s take a closer look at each one to see how they’re different.
Podia
Podia is a simple but powerful online platform that’s designed with online course creators, membership site owners, and digital product businesses in mind.
You get access to an intuitive website builder and a digital products builder that can be used to set up online courses, downloadable products, webinars, coaching sessions, and bundled products. This means you can create multiple types of digital products using one single tool and sell them on your website.
Additionally, Podia lets you create an online community to keep users engaged. It also offers a wide range of email marketing tools that are useful for boosting sales for your business.
Kajabi
Kajabi offers an all-in-one, professional online platform that’s designed to let you create online courses, membership sites, online communities, coaching programs, and different types of digital products.
A COMPLETE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CREATING, LAUNCHING & GROWING A SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP WEBSITE
Using a single platform, you can create, grow, and manage all aspects of your online course or membership business, even if you’re not very tech-savvy. This makes it the ideal option for business owners that want to use a single tool to create digital products, market them to their target audience, and analyze performance to ensure they are on the right growth path.
Podia vs. Kajabi: Key features
Let’s talk about some of the primary key features you should consider when choosing between Podia and Kajabi.
Online course functionality
Both platforms are designed to let you create and sell online courses while being able to manage all aspects of your online course business using a single platform.
Kajabi features a powerful online course builder that lets you structure your online courses in any way you like which is great for creating unique learning experiences. Kajabi also comes pre-built with a lot of templates or “Product Blueprints” that make it easy to set up things like online courses, mini-courses, online communities, memberships, or coaching programs. This way, you don’t have to build your online course from scratch. Additionally, Kajabi supports all content types and lets you add quizzes and lessons to the same online system, which is something Podia lacks.
Podia is easy to set up and use for creating online courses, but it doesn’t offer advanced functionality like course structuring or pre-designed course templates. While Podia’s online course builder isn’t as flexible, it still does a great job of letting you set up online courses on your site.
One of the significant features Podia lacks is the ability to upload your content directly from cloud storage. You have to manually select and upload content from your desktop which can be time-consuming. Kajabi, on the other hand, lets you import any files from popular cloud service providers such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
Community builder
While user engagement features are essential, one of the most effective ways to keep subscribed users engaged with your content is with online communities. This gives your users another “channel” to engage with your brand and a good reason to stick around longer on your online course site.
Both platforms are pretty even when it comes to setting up an online community and the community builders you use to do this. You can set up forums or discussion topics within your online community, moderate your threads by awarding loyal subscribers the “moderator” role, and let your subscribers engage and interact with each other freely.
User Engagement
Keeping learners engaged with your membership program is crucial for improving the user experience. If your online courses aren’t engaging, there’s a high chance most students will not complete the entire online course. This also means they will lose interest and won’t want to purchase your next online system or renew their subscription.
Podia is a simple and lightweight platform but so are the engagement tools it features. You only have access to essential user engagement features like content drip strategies and adding quizzes to your online courses. While it might work to keep learners engaged, it’s nothing compared to the wide range of engagement features Kajabi offers.
Kajabi also lets you create drip content strategies so users only get access to the next lesson or more content once they’ve completed the previous part. By delivering your content in intervals, you keep your users engaged and create a more interactive learning experience. Kajabi also lets you “lock” or restrict content unless users complete a specific quiz or online exam.
Kajabi’s quizzes, also known as “Assessments”, are much more than just adding a simple MCQ quiz to your online course, something that Podia does. You have the option to set up multiple types of examinations and can also include images and structure your questions in unique ways. You can also set up homework or assignments for your students to submit or upload directly to your online course platform. It’s a great way to keep your students engaged and helps create a better learning experience.
Customization features
Making sure your online courses offer a unique user experience boils down to the design and customization features your platform offers. Ideally, you want to showcase your brand’s amazing colors and aesthetic on your online course, memberships, or online communities to make it a memorable experience.
Podia and Kajabi both come pre-built with a lot of customization features. Podia lets you change how your digital product looks by customizing the background colors, text, and labels. You can also showcase your logo on your online courses to enforce branding. However, you don’t have the option to build your whole site using pre-designed themes.
With Kajabi, you get a range of pre-designed templates or themes that let you create a professional-looking site within a few minutes, even if you’re not very tech-savvy. You have complete control over all design aspects of your site and can change colors to match your brand’s look. Additionally, you can also upload a custom theme to Kajabi.
Marketing tools
Marketing tools and strategies play a significant role in your online course sales or membership subscription count.
Both platforms come pre-built with basic and advanced marketing tools that make it easier to use a single platform to create, sell, and promote your online courses, membership subscriptions, and other digital products. Kajabi is known for its easy-to-use page builder that lets you quickly create custom landing pages to attract more sales. You can even use pre-designed templates to get started and then customize the template. This way, you can quickly redirect site visitors to product pages or subscription registration pages.
With Kajabi, you can also set up email marketing campaigns and create funnels to boost sales for your business. You can send automatic emails after customers purchase or subscribe and recover abandoned carts. Additionally, Kajabi also lets you set up an affiliate program on your site so you can use existing subscribers to gain new subscribers.
Podia also comes with most marketing features and tools that Kajabi offers, but it’s pretty limited. You can set up individual emails or create email campaigns, but there’s no option to send emails to users who abandon their cart automatically. You also don’t have the opportunity to create landing pages or set up CTAs on your site using pre-designed templates.
Podia vs. Kajabi: Pricing
Pricing of your online course or membership platform can play a crucial role in the success of your business. This is because you don’t want to overspend your budget on a platform that offers features your business might not require.
Let’s dive deeper into the pricing plans of both platforms so it’s easier for you to decide on the best value-for-money platform for your business.
Podia
Podia’s most basic plan is free to use, which is an excellent option for most brands that are just starting out; however, with the basic plan, you have to pay an 8% transaction fee for every sale you make using the platform, which prevents your brand from getting entire profits.
The Mover plan starts at $39 per month, and the Shaker plan starts at $89 both don’t have the transaction fee charge and give you access to advanced features the platform offers, along with removing the restriction on setting up unlimited digital products.
Kajabi
Kajabi’s pricing starts at $149 per month for the Basic plan. This also means you don’t have to pay a transaction fee to the platform but you still have the option to only set up 3 products at once.
If you’re looking for something more, both the Growth pricing plan, starting at $199 per month, and the Pro plan, starting at $399 per month, give you access to all of Kajabi’s features, along with 24/7 customer support and a custom code editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between Podia and Kajabi?
A: Podia and Kajabi are both online course platforms, but they have some differences. Podia is known for its simplicity and ease of use, while Kajabi offers advanced features for creating and marketing online courses.
Q: Does Podia offer a free trial?
A: Yes, Podia offers a 14-day free trial for you to explore the platform and see if it suits your needs.
Q: What features does Kajabi provide?
A: Kajabi has a wide range of features including course creation tools, email marketing capabilities, landing page builder, assessments, and more. It is an all-in-one platform for your online business needs.
Q: Can I use Podia for course creation?
A: Yes, Podia allows you to create and sell online courses easily. It provides a user-friendly course builder and supports various multimedia content formats.
Q: Can I integrate Podia and Kajabi with my website?
A: Both Podia and Kajabi offer integrations with popular website builders such as WordPress and Squarespace. This allows you to seamlessly integrate their platforms with your existing website.
Q: What is the pricing for Podia?
A: Podia offers two pricing plans – the Mover plan at $39 per month and the Shaker plan at $79 per month. Both plans come with unlimited courses, digital products, and email marketing.
Q: How does Kajabi compare to Podia in terms of pricing?
A: Kajabi is generally more expensive than Podia. Their pricing starts at $149 per month for the Basic plan, and goes up to $399 per month for the Growth plan. However, Kajabi offers more advanced features and capabilities.
Q: What are some features that users like about Podia?
A: Users appreciate the simplicity and ease of use of Podia. They also like the ability to create memberships and offer different pricing options for their courses and digital products.
Q: What are some features that users like about Kajabi?
A: Kajabi users appreciate the comprehensive set of features it offers, such as the ability to create assessments, built-in email marketing, and the ability to provide a seamless customer experience.
Q: Which platform should I choose, Podia or Kajabi?
A: The choice between Podia and Kajabi depends on your specific needs and budget. If you’re looking for simplicity and affordability, Podia may be the better choice. However, if you need advanced features and are willing to invest more, Kajabi may be the preferred option.
Conclusion
Choosing between Podia and Kajabi comes down to your brand’s unique needs. While Kajabi is the premium option out of the two, it also offers more advanced features for setting up digital products, complex marketing funnels, and online communities for your brand.
However, if you’re looking to start selling online courses or membership programs for free, Podia might be the option for you. Without having to worry about paying a monthly or yearly subscription fee, you can focus more on building your online platform website and start attracting a decent audience. You can then later upgrade to one of the more premium plans or migrate to a more professional solution like Kajabi.
What are some of the features you look for in an online course platform? Let us know in the comments box below.
