Kajabi vs. Skillshare. Where to Start Your Course Business?
Want a side-by-side breakdown so you can quickly see which platform ticks all the boxes for your business goals? You already did. If you want to compare Kajabi and Skillshare and see where you have better chances to succeed, skip to our detailed comparison table.
Otherwise, here is the real deal. Kajabi is for those who want to build a branded course website, while Skillshare works best for those looking to enter a marketplace of learners.
I tested their features and opportunities and went through user reviews to bring you a 360-degree review. Here is a quick breakdown.
| Kajabi | Skillshare |
|---|---|
| Full control over branding, pricing, and student data | With limited control, Skillshare owns the audience |
| Multiple income streams (subscriptions, bundles, sales funnels) | Relies on one-time purchases |
| Full customization (website, branding) | Big marketplace with a vast audience |
Inside Kajabi
Kajabi is a platform where you can create online courses, products, coaching, podcasts, memberships, communities and newsletters. To monetize your content as a creator, Kajabi offers a wide range of marketing and delivery features. You can build a full website from ready-made templates, run email marketing campaigns and even set up sales funnels with pre-written elements.
Why creators prefer Kajabi
- Built-in sales funnel tools and marketing automations
- Kajabi marketplace to gain exposure
- Opportunities to connect with students with built-in communities
Why creators refrain from Kajabi
- One of the most expensive solutions, if not the priciest one
- No opportunities to remove the Kajabi branding completely
- No white-label mobile app available
All those points are what Kajabi users think. Now let’s see what creating and selling courses on Kajabi implies.
Course-building
When you choose courses as the primary product you want to create, you can go with four main options. They are the online course, blank course, drip course, and membership. This means you can start adding your course content on a predetermined skeleton. As you create each lesson, you will have to make it either a video or an audio. However, any other format you want to go with shall make a separate lesson. After you add the content, you can choose the layout on how the course appears to the students.
Key marketing and sales functionalities
Kajabi allows you to create automatic email marketing campaigns and sequences. You can connect the emails with events on your site. For example, when a student completes a specific action, they can receive an email to register for your webinar, complete an action on a checkout page, etc. It offers everything to capture leads, provide easy checkouts, build pages, and establish affiliate partnerships with students.
Payment options and integrations
You have three payment methods on Kajabi. This means you can collect payments through Kajabi payments, Stripe and Paypal. Kajabi Payments, which is their own payment gateway, only works for the US, Australia, and Canada. As you can see the options for other countries are pretty limited.
Kajabi offers less third-party integrations than Teachable. You will find Drip, Creator.io Mailchimp, Meta Pixel and Active Campaign among the few.
All about Skillshare
On Skillshare, you can create and upload pre-recorded video courses and accompanying class projects. The platform promotes your classes to its subscriber base, and you earn royalties based on how much time students spend watching your content. Instructors also have access to tools for class creation, student engagement, and analytics. Skillshare handles the marketing and subscription management.
Why do creators join Skillshare?
- Access a worldwide community of learners who are passionate about creative growth.
- Opportunity to test the waters if you have just started creating courses
- Your classes become accessed through the Skillshare mobile app as well
Is Skillshare right for you?
- Earnings depend on the platform's overall revenue pool and your share of watch time, which can fluctuate.
- You do not own your student list or the platform’s audience, so there is no direct communication or marketing.
- You do not have control over course sales and cannot sell courses outright.
Marketing and selling courses
Skillshare is a popular online course marketplace. Meaning, it handles all marketing and course promotion through its subscription model, targeting a wide audience of learners. They review your content and decide where to feature it (or not)
- Hero banner carousel on Skillshare homepage
- The Featured Classes section
As an instructor, you do not directly sell your courses or set individual prices. Instead, you rely on Skillshare to bring students to the platform.
So, you should use your own channels and your own tools to promote the course. You also need to do everything to increase your watch time so that you can earn money.
Creating and uploading courses
Skillshare provides guidelines for video quality, audio, and class format to ensure the class meets their standards. And if it does not? They remove your class just like that.
To create a class on Skillshare, you first need to be approved. If you are approved, you can Created Classes and add your video and audio content, as well as digital downloads.
Payment methods
There are a few ways to get paid on Skillshare, including
- PayPal
- Direct deposit / ACH
- Prepaid debit card
- Wire transfer
You need to earn at least $10 to receive a payout. If you do not meet the minimum, your earnings roll over to the next month.
Read more: Skillshare Review 2025: Alternatives, Pricing, Pros, Cons & More
User’s choice on Kajabi and Skillshare
Kajabi and Skillshare offer entirely different experiences and opportunities. In various forums and discussions that compare both solutions, people’s opinions differ as well. Some stand by Kajabi as their self-hosted solution with lots of flexibility. Others prefer Skillshare for affordability and available market.
And there is a whole third group that uses both for different cases. To find the reasons why, I checked some popular review platforms for opinions and real experiences.
Kajabi gets a lot of praise for being an all-in-one platform. People like that they can host their courses, build pages, and run marketing campaigns all in one place. Most users say uploading and managing content is pretty straightforward.
For the most part, it meets their needs as a one-stop shop. They especially like the different templates, organization, and layout of content. But many also point out that it’s more expensive compared to other options. The main reasons people stick with Kajabi?
- Strong email marketing tools
- Easier content and checkout management
- A solution that grows with their business
As for Skillshare, it was mostly the students who left reviews. They view it as a source to acquire new skills, especially as hobbies. They also like the opportunity to contact the instructor of the course to clarify their questions and doubts.
However, they think that most courses presented here are for beginners, and not all the courses are of good quality.
Where shall you start your course business?
So, what is the real deal, and which solution is better for your business? We can sum up what we discussed so far in the following way.
Kajabi is perfect if you want to create, market, and sell your own online courses on your own website. It’s made for entrepreneurs, coaches, and experts who want to turn their knowledge into a serious income stream. You get course hosting, email marketing, sales funnels, and even a website builder in one place.
On the other hand, Skillshare is great if you want to test the waters, build an audience, or earn passive income on the side. But it is not ideal if you want full control over pricing and branding. If it came down to me, I would
- Go with Kajabi for building my own course business, setting prices, and having full control over branding and marketing.
- Choose Skillshare as a low-risk way to get started, reach a built-in audience, and was okay with the way they charge.
But what if you want both? If you are looking for a solution that is more budget-friendly and does not stay behind in opportunities and functionalities, you can consider Uteach.
With Uteach, you have complete control over your online course business and branding. Plus, you do not have to pay an arm and a leg to get everything you need to run your course business. Let’s see how Uteach can be a perfect fit for you.
Kajabi vs Skillshare: Detailed comparison
Still cannot choose between Kajabi and Skillshare? Let’s have a side-by-side comparison on their functionality and options
Usage & Limitations
Some platforms put limitations on their main features. Is this the case with Kajabi & Skillshare? Here is a rundown of what you can find.
| Up to 50 products | Unlimited Courses |
| Up to 100000 Contacts | Unlimited Students |
| Limited Storage | - |
Note that with Kajabi, there are caps on active students, courses, and products that can hold you back as your business scales. Uteach, on the other hand, gives you the freedom to expand with unlimited students, courses, storage, and products. No limitations are based on the Uteach plan you are using.
Builder Opportunities
Whether your business is going to run on a Kajabi website or a Skillshare website, their website builders will decide for you. The website-building functionalities these platforms offer include the following:
| Ready-made templates | Ready-made design |
| Responsive design | Responsive design |
| White-Labeling (Expensive plan) | - |
As you can see, Skillshare does not give you a chance to have a fully functioning website. Your website is a powerful tool to attract new learners and establish a professional look. As your all-in-one platform, Uteach comes with ready-made templates, responsive design, and white-labeling options. This way, you can establish your online presence as an educator and be able to truly monetize your skills.
On the other hand, you have to be on higher Kajabi tiers to be able to have a branded site and more opportunities for monetization.
Courses & Learning Products
The platform choice between Kajabi & Skillshare largely depends on what products you will be offering. Which platform allows you to better deliver your online courses, quizzes, webinars, digital downloads, and more?
| Free courses | - |
| Drip Feed Courses | - |
| Private Courses | - |
Platforms like Skillshare are great for basics like free courses and quizzes, but what if you want more?
With Uteach, you create and sell live sessions, webinars, digital products, and even use AI tools to automate course creation. Whether it is offering private coaching or adding drip-fed lessons, Uteach gives you the tools to build more engaging and flexible learning experiences.
And unlike Kajabi, with Uteach, you can sell your physical books and products, too.
Ready to start your business with more control and less limitations?
So, after putting Kajabi and Skillshare under the microscope, one thing is clear. Both have their strengths, but neither gives you true freedom to scale without limits. With Kajabi, you are faced with caps on students, courses, and products, unless even on the top-tier plans.
And while Skillshare offers a marketplace to sell your courses, you lose control over pricing and marketing. You cannot truly build a personalized brand, and you are relying on their audience to succeed. So, where does this leave you if you're looking to scale your business and have full freedom?
On the other hand, Uteach has no restrictions and allows you to brand and monetize your skills however you see fit.
When it comes to flexible payment options, Uteach takes the crown. It integrates with local payment options to make things easier for your global audience. So, if you are serious about long-term success and control, Uteach is your best bet.
Claim YOUR free demo now, and let our expert walk you through all the steps of growing your business!
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Happy customers everywhere
Angel Rodriguez CPP
Owner - Alliance Training & Testing
If you are looking for a great platform to launch your course then Uteach will meet all your needs. It comes with great templates that are highly customizable. Everything is laid out logically and the white-label is truly white-label. The advanced SEO capability is a major plus.I cannot say enough good things about the Uteach platform and how happy I am that I made the change.
Bekah Bottone
English Coach/Motivator
Thank you Uteach, for creating a platform that motivated me to set up a new webpage for my new businesses. I love how everything is included, that I can offer live sessions and also have a way to sell my workbooks. I will be launching my new website soon! The best part about working with Uteach is that they get back to me within a day with exactly what I need to know anytime I have a question.
Ivan Bayross
Sales Funnel Creation Consultant, Digital Marketing Strategy Specialist
Uteach, is intuitive, and easy to use. I've been asking Uteach support a ton of detailed questions. I've got perfect, easy to understand / implement answers to all my questions.
Luca Madonia
Coach
Uteach is absolutely insane. Everything about this tool is right down to the smallest detail. Whit labeling is all available and can be set up completely within a few minutes. I am an absolute FAN of Uteach.
Mark Dickenson
Coach
Finally found the perfect LMS ? I have tried a bunch of LMS and so far this is the best. What I love about Uteach is their templates, I am not stuck with just the standard look for my site and I can customize it easily. Also having unlimited students and no commission fee is great. They have very good support that answers quickly. So far im loving it, easy.
Miroslav Sázovský
Author, lecturer and coach
After 15 years of coaching and mentoring people, we've tried a lot of similar apps and platforms, but this one is truly made for creators. Everything is intuitive, simple and beautiful at the same time.
