Ever feel overwhelmed trying to choose the right platform to build your online business?
It’s a jungle out there! Two popular contenders, Swarm and Kajabi, often get compared.
But which one is actually the best fit for you in 2025?
This can be a tough decision.
In this post, we’ll break down Swarm vs Kajabi, looking at their features, pricing, and who they’re ideal for.
Overview
We’ve spent countless hours exploring Swarm and Kajabi, diving deep into their features, interfaces, and user experiences.
Our hands-on testing, combined with user feedback, has allowed us to create a comprehensive comparison.
Highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each platform to help you make the best choice.
Ready to explore if Swarm is the right fit for your community? Over 500 businesses have already chosen Swarm to boost engagement. Click here to learn more and start your free trial today!
Pricing: No free plan is available. Paid plan Starts at $39/month
Key Features:
- Gamification
- Integrations
- Analytics
Kajabi provides the tools to create, market, and sell online courses, build a professional website, and engage your audience.
Pricing: Available custom code editor. Paid plan Starts at $71/month
Key Features:
- Course Creation
- Marketing Automation
- Community Features
What is Swarm
Swarm is a platform designed to help businesses build and manage online communities.
It focuses on engagement and offers tools to help you track progress and measure success.
It’s a platform geared towards creating active and involved communities.
Key Benefits
- Gamification: Swarm heavily emphasizes gamification. Think points, badges, and leaderboards to motivate your members. This boosts participation.
- Integrations: Swarm often integrates with other business tools. This can streamline your workflow.
- Analytics: Swarm provides data and insights into your community’s activity. This helps you understand what’s working and what’s not.
Pricing
Swarm’s pricing usually starts at a certain monthly price point.
They often offer different tiers with varying features and member limits. It’s best to check their website for the most up-to-date pricing details.
- Novice: $39/month
- Pro: $79/month
- Expert:$149/month
Pros
Cons
What is Kajabi?
Okay, let’s talk about Kajabi. It’s an all-in-one platform. Think of it as your online business hub.
You can create courses, build a community, and market your productl in one place.
It’s designed to simplify the process of running an online business.
To explore Kajabi’s potential for your online business, visit their website. Kajabi offers a robust platform for scaling your online courses and digital products.
Key Benefits
Here’s what makes Kajabi super cool:
- Website builder: Kajabi makes it easy to build your website. You don’t need to know any coding. Just drag and drop!
- Email helper: You can send emails to everyone who likes your stuff right from Kajabi. There is no need to use a different tool.
- Sales funnels: This helps you get people to buy your courses or other things you’re selling.
- Marketing tools: Kajabi has lots of tools to help you get more followers and sell more stuff.
Pricing
Kajabi has a few different options:
- Kickstarter ($71 Billed annually): 1 Website, 1 Product + 1 Community, 250 Contacts
- Basic ($119 Billed annually): 1 Website, 3 Products, 10,000 Contacts
- Growth ($159 Billed annually): 1 Website, 15 Products, 25,000 Contacts
- Pro ($319 Billed annually): 3 Websites, 100 Products, 100,000 Contacts
Pros
Cons
Feature Comparison
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
This table breaks down seven key features of Swarm and Kajabi side-by-side so you can easily see how they stack up.
Website Building
- Swarm: Offers basic website-building tools, suitable for simple landing pages or single-product sites. Customization options are somewhat limited.
- Kajabi: Provides a more robust website builder with a wider range of templates and design options. It’s easier to create a professional-looking website with Kajabi.
Course Creation
- Swarm: Focuses primarily on community building, with course creation as a secondary feature. It may lack some advanced course management tools.
- Kajabi: Excels in course creation. It offers features like drip content, quizzes, assignments, and progress tracking, making it ideal for creating and selling online courses.
Community Features
- Swarm: Its core strength lies in its community platform. It offers robust features for building and managing online communities, including forums, groups, and direct messaging.
- Kajabi: Offers community features, but they are not as extensive or specialized as Swarm’s. They’re more integrated with the course platform.
Marketing Tools
- Swarm: Provides some basic marketing tools, such as email marketing integrations. However, it may require additional integrations for more advanced marketing automation.
- Kajabi: Offers a more comprehensive suite of marketing tools, including email marketing, landing pages, sales funnels, and automation features.
Mobile App Experience
- Swarm: May offer a mobile app for community engagement, but its functionality might be limited.
- Kajabi: Offers mobile apps for both course creators and students, enhancing accessibility and engagement. This is a big plus for many users.
Integrations
- Swarm: May require more integrations with third-party tools to achieve the same functionality as Kajabi.
- Kajabi: Offers a wider range of built-in features and integrations, reducing the need for additional tools.
Customer Support
- Swarm: Customer support options may be more limited compared to Kajabi.
- Kajabi: Generally offers more comprehensive customer support, including live chat, email, and a knowledge base.
What to Look For When Choosing a Community Platform?
- Ease of Use: Is the platform easy to navigate for both admins and members? A clunky interface can hinder adoption.
- Scalability: Can the platform grow with your community? Consider member limits, storage, and bandwidth.
- Support: Is there adequate documentation, tutorials, and responsive customer support?
- Security: Does the platform offer robust security measures to protect your community data?
- Community Culture: Does the platform’s design and features align with the type of community you want to build?
- Moderation Tools: Does the platform provide tools to help you manage and moderate your community effectively?
- Accessibility: Is the platform accessible to all users, including those with disabilities?
- Analytics & Reporting: Does the platform provide insights into community activity and member behavior?
- Trial Period: Is a free trial or demo available to test the platform before committing?
Final Verdict (Our Pick)
Choosing between Swarm and Kajabi depends entirely on your specific needs.
If building a thriving community is your top priority, Swarm is likely the better choice.
Its specialized community features are unmatched.
However, if your focus is on selling online courses and having a robust all-in-one platform, Kajabi is the clear winner.
Its comprehensive suite of tools makes it ideal for course creators.
We’ve meticulously tested both platforms, and our recommendation is based on real-world experience.
We hope this detailed comparison has helped you make an informed decision.
Ultimately, the “best” platform is the one that best serves your unique goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kajabi better than Swarm?
“Better” is subjective. Kajabi excels at course creation and offers a comprehensive suite of marketing tools. Swarm shines with its robust community-building features. The best platform depends on your primary focus: courses or community.
Is Swarm good for selling courses?
Swarm can be used for selling courses, but it’s not its primary strength. Its course features are less developed than Kajabi’s. It’s a better fit if community is your main product, with courses as a supplementary offering.
Is Kajabi worth the cost?
Kajabi is a premium platform, so the cost is higher. However, it offers a wide range of features, potentially eliminating the need for other paid tools. If you maximize its capabilities, especially for course creation and sales, it can be a worthwhile investment.
Can I switch from Swarm to Kajabi
Migrating between platforms is possible but can be complex. It involves exporting and importing data, potentially redesigning your website, and reconfiguring integrations. Research the migration process carefully before making the switch.
What platforms are similar to Swarm and Kajabi?
Several platforms offer similar functionalities. Thinkific and Teachable are popular alternatives for course creation. For community building, platforms like Mighty Networks are worth exploring. Consider your specific needs and budget when evaluating alternatives.
