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Circle vs Kajabi: Community Platform Comparison in 2026

by | Last updated Jul 29, 2026

Winner
kajabi logo
4.4
  • No Transaction Fees on Sales
  • Built-in Email Marketing
  • AI Course Builder Included
  • Website & Landing Pages
  • Sales Funnels & Automations
  • Free Trial Available
  • Paid Plans from $71/month
Runner Up
circle
4.3
  • Public, Private & Secret Spaces
  • Native Live Streaming Built In
  • Paid Memberships via Stripe
  • Automation Workflows Included
  • Mobile App for Members
  • 14-Day Free Trial on All Plans
  • Paid Plans from $89/month

⚡ Quick Verdict:

  • Pricing: Circle starts at $89/month (Professional plan). Kajabi starts at $71/month (Kickstarter).
  • Best for: Circle for community building and group discussions. Kajabi for selling online courses and digital products.
  • Key difference: Circle charges a transaction fee of 0.5% to 4%. Kajabi charges none.
  • Our pick: Kajabi (4.4) for most online business owners. It bundles courses, email marketing, and a website builder in one place.
Circle vs Kajabi Comparison

Creators pick between Circle and Kajabi for one reason.

They want an online community and a way to sell.

Circle started as a community platform and added course functionality later.

Kajabi started as a course platform and added community features later.

That history shapes almost every difference between them.

Overview

This Circle vs Kajabi comparison covers pricing, core features, and ease of use.

We also break down who each tool works best for.

Our sources include published specs, documentation, and public user reviews.

Our writers also spent hands-on time inside both platforms.

Those notes appear in the “What Our Team Noticed” sections below.

What is Circle?

Circle.so is an online community platform for creators, brands, and online business owners.

It uses Spaces and Space Groups to organize discussions, courses, and events.

Each community platform space can be public, private, or secret.

That structure gives community builders real control over who sees what.

Many teams move here after outgrowing a Facebook group.

Circle homepage

💡 Name check: This review covers Circle.so, the community software. It is not Circle Internet Financial (the USDC company), the Circle parental-control app, or the Netflix show.

Here is a walkthrough of the Circle platform in action.

2025 Circle Review | How to create an online community, membership site, or online courses

Circle

⭐ 4.3/5 | 💰 From $89/month

Built for discussion-first communities. Spaces, chat, and native live streaming sit in one clean dashboard.

Circle Pricing

Here is what Circle’s pricing looks like in 2026.

PlanPriceBest For
Professional$89/monthSolo creators launching a first community
Business$199/monthTeams needing more advanced features
EnterpriseRich members’ profile, eventsLarger organisations with custom needs
Plus Branded AppCustom PricingBrands wanting their own mobile app

Pricing verified July 2026.

Free trial: Yes. Every plan includes a 14-day free trial so new users can test the platform first.

Money-back guarantee: No published refund window. The trial is your testing period.

📌 Note: The Professional plan caps admins, moderators, and spaces. The Business plan raises those limits and unlocks a custom domain and priority support.

⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Our CSV lists the Enterprise entry as features rather than a figure. Outside research puts Enterprise at $399/month. Check the pricing Circle publishes before you buy.

Key Benefits of Circle

Here is what makes Circle worth considering:

  • Space control: Build public, private, and secret spaces. You can control access so certain spaces stay members-only.
  • Native live streaming: Host events without a third-party tool. Sessions run up to 30 participants, live streams up to 100 viewers.
  • Paid memberships: Charge for access through Stripe in multiple currencies. Discounts and coupon codes are built into checkout.
  • Automation tools: Workflows handle repetitive community management jobs. They also personalise the welcome message new members receive.
  • Rich post editor: Circle’s post editor supports headings, blockquotes, and collapsible sections. Community posts read more like articles than forum replies.
  • Mobile app: Members reach communities, courses, events, and chats from their phone.
Circle Top Benefits

What Our Team Noticed

Our writer set up a test community and invited a small group. Here is what stood out during that hands-on time:

Circle Personal Experience

Circle Pros & Cons

✅ Pros
  • Clean user interface that feels familiar to Slack and Notion users
  • Native live streaming for group discussions and larger live events
  • Spaces and Space Groups keep a growing community organised
  • 14-day free trial on every plan, including the Enterprise tier
❌ Cons
  • Transaction fee of 0.5% to 4% sits on top of Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30
  • Course functionality trails dedicated tools like Teachable and Kajabi
  • Third party integrations feel limited next to bigger platforms

What is Kajabi?

Kajabi is an all in one platform for building a digital business.

The Kajabi platform has been around since 2010.

It hosts online courses, coaching programs, podcasts, and a membership site.

Kajabi lets you sell digital products without bolting on other tools.

Over 50,000 owners have used it to build sustainable businesses.

Kajabi homepage

This walkthrough shows how the dashboard fits together.

Honest Kajabi Review - Is It Worth It?

🏆 Winner: Kajabi

⭐ 4.4/5 | 💰 From $71/month

Courses, email marketing, and checkout in the same platform. Kajabi takes no cut of your sales.

Kajabi Pricing

Here is what a Kajabi subscription costs in 2026.

PlanPriceBest For
Kickstarter$71/monthTesting your first online course
Basic$199/monthSolo creators with one product line
Growth$159/monthCreators who want the affiliate program
Pro$319/monthTeams running an entire business here

Pricing verified July 2026.

Kajabi Pricing

Free trial: Yes. You can open a Kajabi account and test the builder before paying.

Money-back guarantee: No standing refund policy is published. Use the trial period instead.

📌 Note: Kajabi payments are built in. The only fee you pay is your payment gateway’s card rate, since Kajabi takes no cut of sales.

⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: The table above follows our CSV. Outside research shows Basic at $119 annual and $149 monthly, Growth at $159 annual and $199 monthly, Pro at $319 annual and $399 monthly. Annual billing explains the gap.

Key Benefits of Kajabi

Here is what Kajabi offers that pulls creators over:

  • No transaction fees: Kajabi makes its money from subscriptions, not your sales. All the money past card fees stays with you.
  • Email marketing software: Send broadcasts, build sequences, and run email campaigns without a separate tool.
  • Intuitive website builder: Drag-and-drop building blocks handle landing pages, blog posts, and your entire website.
  • AI course builder: Kajabi AI drafts course outlines and writes video transcriptions automatically.
  • Built in payments: Checkout supports Apple Pay and Google Pay through the integrated payment processor.
  • Analytics that matter: Track subscription metrics, email opt ins, and revenue alongside Google Analytics data.
Kajabi Top Benefits

What Our Team Noticed

Our writer built a test product and ran it through checkout. Here is what stood out:

Kajabi Personal Experience

The clip below covers the same walkthrough step by step.

Kajabi Tutorial For Beginners 2025 (COMPLETE GUIDE)

Kajabi Pros & Cons

✅ Pros
  • No transaction fees on sales made through the platform
  • Built-in email marketing with broadcasts and email sequences
  • AI course builder drafts outlines and video transcriptions
  • Website builder, landing pages, and sales funnels included
❌ Cons
  • Costs more than most rivals, which makes it an expensive platform for beginners
  • Basic plan leaves out the 24/7 live chat on Growth and Pro plans
  • Design flexibility is limited next to specialised builders

Feature Comparison

Circle and Kajabi overlap more than they used to. The table below shows where the two products still split apart.

FeatureCircleKajabi
Starting Price$89/month$71/month
Free Plan❌ (14-day trial)❌ (free trial)
Community Spaces✅ (basic)
Native Live Streaming
Course Builder✅ (integrated course)
Email Marketing
Website Builder
Sales Funnels
Transaction Fee0.5%–4%None
Best ForCommunity buildingSelling online courses

1. Community Spaces and Group Discussions

Circle: Spaces and Space Groups organise the entire community around themes. You can run multiple spaces, lock private spaces behind a plan, and open chat spaces for threaded group discussions. Members switch between communities with one click.

Circle Chat Agents

Kajabi: The community feature covers posts, events, and challenges. It works, but it sits beside the course product rather than driving it. Community management here is lighter than what a dedicated community platform offers.

2. Live Streaming and Live Events

Circle: Native live streaming runs inside the platform. Circle handles small group sessions for up to 30 people and a live stream for up to 100 viewers. You can host events and send reminders without leaving the dashboard.

Circle Immersive Live Streams

Kajabi: There is no equivalent live streaming feature. Creators usually run sessions on Zoom and post replays or YouTube videos inside a course module.

⚠️ Warning: Circle’s live tool lacks the moderation controls of dedicated webinar software. Large paid events may still need a separate host.

3. Course Builder and Course Functionality

Kajabi: The Kajabi course builder needs no code. Templates, quizzes, and progress tracking come standard, and students find courses through a clean member portal. Course creation is the strongest part of the product.

Kajabi Online Courses

Circle: The course builder supports videos, audio, and PDFs. It works for a lightweight cohort, but it trails Teachable and Kajabi on grading, drip logic, and reporting.

4. Digital Products and Coaching Programs

Kajabi: One Kajabi account can sell downloads, a membership site, podcasts, and coaching programs. A course creator running a coaching business can keep every product on the same platform.

Kajabi Digital Downloads

Coaching gets its own workspace rather than a generic product type.

Kajabi Personal Coach

Circle: You sell access, not products. Paid memberships unlock certain spaces, and free trials let people look around first. Anything more complex needs a third-party checkout.

5. Email Marketing and Campaigns

Kajabi: Broadcasts, sequences, and marketing campaigns all live here. Most creators drop their outside email marketing software once marketing efforts move in.

Kajabi Email Marketing

Artificial intelligence also drafts newsletter copy from your existing content.

Kajabi AI-Powered Newsletter

Circle: Email covers community-driven sends such as invitations and digests. It reaches other members well, but it is not a replacement for a full campaign tool.

Circle Email Marketing

6. Website Builder and Landing Pages

Kajabi: An intuitive website builder handles your entire website, blog posts, and unlimited pages. You can create landing pages from templates, and Kajabi websites publish on a custom domain.

Kajabi No-Code Web Builder

Circle: The website builder is newer and simpler. It covers a landing page and a member-facing home, not a marketing site with funnels.

Circle Website Builder

7. Automation Tools and Workflows

Circle: Workflows automate repetitive jobs and personalise onboarding for new members. Automated check-ins nudge quiet people back into the conversation.

Circle Automation Workflow

Check-ins run on their own schedule once you set the trigger.

Circle Automated Check-ins with Workflow

Kajabi: Automations attach to sales funnels, so a purchase can trigger emails, tags, and access changes. The branching is deeper than Circle’s, which stays inside the community.

Kajabi Funnels and Automations

⚠️ Warning: Circle’s automation is often described as basic. Complex multi-step logic usually needs Zapier or a similar bridge.

8. Analytics and Member Activity Tracking

Circle: Activity tracking shows who posts, who lurks, and where community engagement drops. That helps you spot the members worth promoting to moderator.

Circle Analytics

Kajabi: Reporting leans commercial. You get revenue, conversion rates, subscription metrics, and course progress in one dashboard.

Kajabi Analytics and Performance

9. Customization, Gamification and Extra Channels

Circle: Brand colours, logos, and layout are all editable. Gamification adds points and leaderboards, a cool feature for keeping quiet members active.

Circle In-depth Customization

Points and ranks sit on member profiles where everyone can see them.

Circle Gamification

Kajabi: Design control is tighter, which some creators find limiting. In exchange you get channels Circle does not have, including podcast hosting through Creator Studio.

Kajabi Streamline Podcast

10. Pricing & Cost

Let’s compare the plans side by side.

PlanCircleKajabi
EntryProfessional: $89/monthKickstarter: $71/month
MidBusiness: $199/monthBasic: $199/month
Upper midGrowth: $159/month
TopEnterprise: Rich members’ profile, eventsPro: $319/month
Add-onPlus Branded App: Custom Pricing
Sales cut0.5%–4% transaction feeNo transaction fees

Circle: The sticker price is only part of pricing Circle correctly. A transaction fee of 0.5% to 4% stacks on Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30, so cost rises as revenue does.

Kajabi: Entry pricing undercuts Circle by $18 per month, and no cut is taken from sales. Replacing separate marketing tools can beat the $600 monthly stack many creators run.

💡 Pro Tip: Do the maths at your own revenue. At $10,000 in monthly sales, a 4% fee costs $400 before card processing.

Different Scenarios

If You Need…ChooseWhy
To sell courses firstKajabiDeeper course builder
Discussion-led communityCircleSpaces and threaded chat
Zero cut on salesKajabiNo transaction fees
Native live streamingCircleStreams built into the platform
One tool for everythingKajabiSite, email, and checkout included
Lowest entry priceKajabi$71/month versus $89/month

💰 Your Budget

Kajabi’s Kickstarter tier is the cheapest way in. Circle looks close on paper until the transaction fee lands on every sale.

🔌 Your Tech Stack

Kajabi replaces more of your stack, including email and checkout. Circle assumes you keep some tools and connect them, though integrations are thinner than on other platforms.

📝 Your Content Style

Daily conversation and live events point to Circle. Structured lessons that create online courses point to Kajabi.

🎓 Your Experience Level

Circle’s interface reads easily if you already use Slack or Notion. Kajabi has more screens, but Kajabi University walks new users through the core features.

🆓 Free Trials and Demos

Both offer a trial, and Circle’s runs 14 days on every tier. Import real content instead of dummy text so the test means something.

🛟 Support Options

Kajabi runs 24/7 help on the Growth and Pro plans, while the Basic plan drops live chat. Circle keeps priority support for the Business plan and above.

Switching Guide

Already on one of these? Here is what changes when you move.

🔄 Switching from Circle to Kajabi?

✅ What you’ll gain:

  • No sales cut, so all the money past card fees stays in your own business
  • Sales funnels, an affiliate program, and stronger marketing features
  • A deeper course builder with quizzes and progress tracking

❌ What you’ll lose:

  • Native live streaming inside the platform
  • Space Groups and secret spaces for fine-grained access
  • The chat-first layout that keeps the community aspect front and centre

📋 How to switch:

  1. Export your member list and post archive from Circle
  2. Open a Kajabi account and rebuild your products first
  3. Email members a special link to claim their new login
🔄 Switching from Kajabi to Circle?

✅ What you’ll gain:

  • A layout built to engage members every day, not only at launch
  • Live streams and events without a second tool
  • Gamification and activity tracking for community members

❌ What you’ll lose:

  • Funnel and campaign depth on the same platform
  • Fee-free checkout, since Circle keeps a percentage
  • Podcast hosting and the wider set of marketing tools

📋 How to switch:

  1. Export contacts and course files from Kajabi
  2. Map each product to a space or Space Group in Circle
  3. Send invitations, then set a welcome message for arrivals

What Our Review Didn’t Cover

This comparison focused on solo creators and small teams. We did not test bulk licensing, single sign-on, or how either tool handles a community with unlimited members on an Enterprise plan. We also did not benchmark support channels under load. If you run a large operation, your priorities will differ from what we covered here.

Final Verdict

CategoryWinner
💰 PricingKajabi
🚀 Core FeaturesKajabi
🎥 Live EventsCircle
🎓 Course FunctionalityKajabi
👥 Community ManagementCircle
📧 Marketing FeaturesKajabi
👶 Ease of UseCircle
🏆 Overall WinnerKajabi

🏆 WINNER: KAJABI

Kajabi wins 4 of 7 categories.

Best for: course creators, coaching programs, memberships, and anyone who wants to grow your business on one bill.

Circle and Kajabi are not really the same product. Circle sells a thriving online community. Kajabi sells the machinery of a successful online business.

Circle is the better home for daily conversation, live streams, and member-led momentum. Tens of thousands of creators use Kajabi because it removes the sales cut and folds marketing into the same bill.

If your revenue comes from courses and digital products, Kajabi is the safer pick. If the community itself is the product, Circle earns its price.

More of Circle Compared

Our full Circle review covers each space type in depth. Here is how the circle community stacks up against close rivals.

Circle vs Skool

Circle wins on: space-level access control, native live streaming, and a far deeper post editor

Skool wins on: flat single-tier pricing, a simpler learning curve, and built-in leaderboards from day one

Circle vs Mighty Networks

Circle wins on: a cleaner user interface, better community management tools, and smoother navigation between spaces

Mighty Networks wins on: stronger native course tools, richer member matchmaking, and a longer track record with branded apps

Circle vs Thinkific

Circle wins on: live events, daily discussion, and gamified engagement between lessons

Thinkific wins on: course reporting, quiz and assignment depth, and a free starting tier

Circle vs Bettermode

Circle wins on: creator-focused onboarding, paid memberships out of the box, and a stronger mobile app

Bettermode wins on: white-label flexibility, API depth for developers, and support-community use cases

Circle’s features lean toward conversation rather than commerce. The missing features show up mostly in checkout and reporting, so teams often bolt on Google Forms for surveys until new features land.

More of Kajabi Compared

Our Kajabi review breaks the plans down further. Kajabi is not the only platform in this space, so here is the short version.

Kajabi vs Teachable

Kajabi wins on: no transaction fees, bundled email marketing, and full website hosting

Teachable wins on: a cheaper entry point, simpler course setup, and lighter admin for a single course

Kajabi vs Thinkific

Kajabi wins on: funnels, automations, and running a coaching business on one bill

Thinkific wins on: a free plan, lower monthly cost, and more granular course design control

Kajabi vs LearnWorlds

Kajabi wins on: marketing depth, podcast hosting, and a faster path from idea to checkout

LearnWorlds wins on: interactive video, certification workflows, and school-style course structures

Kajabi vs GoHighLevel

Kajabi wins on: course delivery, a friendlier build process, and cleaner student-facing design

GoHighLevel wins on: agency features, CRM and pipeline tools, and reselling access to clients

Both companies offer support by email, and the Growth plan adds round-the-clock chat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Circle so used for?

It hosts paid and free communities. Creators use it for discussions, courses, events, and memberships in one place, organised into spaces.

What is the transaction fee for Circle so?

Between 0.5% and 4% of each payment, depending on your plan. Stripe’s own 2.9% + $0.30 card charge applies on top of that.

What is Kajabi best used for?

Selling knowledge products. Courses, memberships, coaching, and podcasts sit alongside email, checkout, and a website, so one subscription runs a successful business.

Does Kajabi have a transaction fee?

No. The platform takes no percentage of sales. You still pay standard card processing rates through your payment provider on every order.

Is Kajabi only for courses?

No. The Kajabi app also handles coaching, memberships, downloads, podcasts, and newsletters, which is why creators treat it as a full business hub.

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