LearnDash vs Kajabi: Side by Side Comparison

LearnDash and Kajabi are both popular learning management platforms, in this article I will highlight similarities and differences between the two in an attempt to help you decide which one is the best fit for your needs.

What are LearnDash and Kajabi?

LearnDash is an open-source LMS that is widely used by universities, training organizations, and businesses of all sizes. It is a plugin for WordPress that provides you with complete control over your e-learning platform. With LearnDash, you can create and manage courses, quizzes, assignments, and certificates, all from within your WordPress website.

Kajabi is an online platform designed for entrepreneurs, coaches, and content creators who want to offer online courses, coaching, and digital products. Kajabi’s all-in-one platform includes course creation tools, landing pages, marketing automation, and payment processing. For more depth about what Kajabi is and does, look into my full review of Kajabi article.

Features and Functionality

LearnDash and Kajabi both offer a range of easy-to-use features to help you create and manage online courses. However, there are some key differences to consider, the biggest being that LearnDash is a plugin for WordPress (so you need to be using WordPress) and Kajabi is a stand-alone platform.

Course Creation

LearnDash offers a drag-and-drop course builder that makes it easy to create and organize your course content. It also includes features such as drip-feeding content, prerequisites, and course points and its marketing focuses on how it gives you the control you want with your courses. 

Kajabi includes a course builder with all its pricing plans, but may not be as flexible as LearnDash’s. Instead of focusing on being flexible, it focuses on being useable and is a very easy platform to set up and course with. Kajabi has been an industry leader in online course delivery for a long time and knows what works. I don’t have experience with LearnDash, but I have spoken to people who have used it and left it for something else because they had to rely on other people to make even the simplest of changes.

Marketing and Sales

Kajabi is designed with a focus on marketing and sales. It includes landing page templates, email marketing, affiliate management, and checkout pages. LearnDash does not offer built-in marketing and sales tools but can be integrated with plugins such as WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads to cover those needs.

Payment Processing

Both platforms offer integrated payment processing, with Kajabi supporting more payment gateways than LearnDash. Kajabi also offers more options for pricing, coupons, and subscriptions.

User Experience

Kajabi’s platform is known for its user-friendly interface and attractive design. LearnDash can be customized to match your website’s design, but it may require some additional work. Kajabi’s courses and community can be accessed through the Kajabi app, or for an additional fee, a branded app that is entirely dedicated to your business. Both app options make it easier for your customers to access your content.

Pricing

LearnDash offers a one-time annual fee for the plugin starting at $199, with additional costs for add-ons and support. Kajabi offers a monthly or annual subscription model, with different pricing tiers between $149 and $399 per month based on your needs. The most common plan for Kajabi is the Growth plan which is $199 per month. Kajabi does offer annual discounts.

LearnDash is much cheaper than Kajabi, which makes sense since LearnDash is a WordPress Plugin to cover one feature while Kajabi is an all-in-one solution that covers many if not all of the features you need to run your business.

LearnDash Course Creation Tools

LearnDash provides a powerful course builder that allows you to easily create and customize your course content. You can add different types of content, such as videos, images, quizzes, and assignments, and arrange them in any order you want and you also have flexibility with pre-requisites and learning paths.

LearnDash also provides advanced features such as drip content (adding a little bit of content at a time), prerequisites, and course timers, which allow you to create a more structured and engaging learning experience for your students. Additionally, LearnDash offers integrations with a range of third-party tools, such as membership plugins, payment gateways, and email marketing services, to help you streamline your course creation process.

Kajabi Course Creation Tools

Kajabi, on the other hand, provides an all-in-one platform that includes everything you need to create and sell online courses. In its course creation, it provides unlimited video hosting, quizzes, surveys, podcast integration, and downloadable resources. 

Additionally, Kajabi offers features such as course progress tracking, certificates, and automated email campaigns to help you engage with your students and keep them motivated throughout the course.

Aside from online courses, membership sites, community, and coaching products; it offers a website and landing pages, funnels, email marketing, automations, blog and podcast hosting, payment processing, customer management, and analytics.

Kajabi was founded on the idea that there should be one platform that makes it easy to manage all of your online needs and have everything integrated together and work well. This focus has led to it being a powerful tool but it does come at a cost of not being as specialized and feature-rich in each specific category. It does a good job, despite not being as customizable as some of the competition.

Which is Better: LearnDash or Kajabi?

“Better” is a subjective term. The answer to this question depends on what your goals and target audience are and what kind of experience you want them to have. If you’re looking for a WordPress-based solution that provides more control and flexibility, LearnDash is the better choice. If you aren’t a WordPress user and want an all-in-one solution that includes marketing and sales tools, Kajabi is the better choice.

Common Questions

Is LearnDash a good LMS?

LearnDash’s users seem to think it’s pretty good. LearnDash is a popular LMS that is widely used and highly regarded by many e-learning professionals. It is a reliable and robust platform that provides a range of features and customization options.

What is better than LearnDash?

It depends on what you want to do. Several LMS platforms may be considered better than LearnDash, depending on your needs and priorities. Some popular alternatives include Moodle, Canvas, and Blackboard.

What is the difference between LearnDash and Kajabi?

LearnDash is a plugin for WordPress that provides course creation tools, while Kajabi is a stand-alone platform that offers an all-in-one solution to managing your online business and comes with really good course creation features.

Kajabi 30-Day Free Trial

If you think now is the right time to try out Kajabi you can sign up with my 30-day free trial link and I will give you 3 free sign-up bonuses. I am an affiliate for Kajabi and have helped over 100 people test it out and see if it is right for them. The help I give my referrals is designed to help you understand as quickly as possible if Kajabi is right for you and will meet your needs. The goal is to know if you want to keep using it before your trial is over. Check out my bonuses page, I’ll help flatten the learning curve for you and be there to answer your questions.

Happy Kajabi-ing Ahead

JD - Kajabi Expert