Kajabi Vs Podia: What's The Best Platform For Your Online Course?

 Well, hey there, Corporate Misfit!

If you're reading this, you probably have a dazzling course idea that you'd like to create! And, of course, you'll be on the lookout for the best platform for your online course. 

After all, you'd only want the best for your "baby"! Not to worry because we're going to help you decide between Kajabi and Podia, two of the most popular platforms for online courses. 

And how could we forget? Congratulations on your future online course! Sharing your knowledge or passion out there may be daunting, but we believe you're going to thrive!

Now let's get on with the nitty-gritty of choosing the best platform for your online course.

We're going to compare them on the following metrics:

• Pricing
• Online Course Creation & Delivery
• Design & Customization
• Marketing Tools
• Email Marketing
• Membership Programs
• Third-Party Integrations
• Customer Support

Read on and find out what platform best suits your online course!

Kajabi and Podia are hosted platforms, which means that they don't necessarily have you working tirelessly on coding.

Yes, that's right, you'll finally be free of this alien language, and you even get to focus more on your course!

For online course beginners and veterans, hosted platforms like these two make life a whole lot easier.

Both Kajabi and Podia will be in charge of site maintenance, software updates, and security, so you no longer have to sweat it. 

Pricing

Honestly, the price does matter! The first thing you'll have in mind is "how much will this cost me?" but we also beg to differ. The right question would be: "is the price worth it for what I'm trying to create?" 

With every business venture, you're genuinely going to have to sacrifice some "caching" before you get the "caching"! 

Podia

Compared to Kajabi, Podia is cheaper and ideal for those on a budget or maybe just starting with online course creation.

There are two plans, the Mover ($39/mo), which already offers unlimited course creation, email marketing, and customers, though with some technical limitations.

The Shaker Plan ($79/mo), on the other hand, has a bonus of letting you create membership programs and access to affiliate marketing.

Kajabi

Kajabi has three plans that may be pretty steep for some, but it's because of the all-in-one features it has. 

The Basic Plan ($119/mo) allows you to create 3 Product Types, Sales Pipelines, and 1000 active members on your website. 

The most popular one is the Growth Plan ($159/mo) with 15 Product Types, Sales Pipelines, and over 10,000 active members.

Lastly is its Pro Plan ($319/mo), giving you 100 different Product Pages and Pipelines!

In Summary

Podia is by far the best platform if you're on a budget and just starting on your online course creation. However, if you're already a medium-sized business or you're planning to expand in the future, Kajabi's high-end pricing would be ideal due to its advanced features. Both platforms, though, don't charge a transaction fee!

Online Course Creation & Delivery

As they say, "the beginning is always the hardest"! Likewise, you'll feel intimidated by being given a blank slate with creating your online course.

Where should you start? What should you consider? Is this the right step to take?

Questions will plague you, which is why it's essential to have a platform that assists you all throughout the creation process!

Good thing both Kajabi and Podia can give you just that. Here's how they compare.

Kajabi

The great thing about Kajabi is that it enables you to target your niche through its system, making it easier to attract the right customers.

Kajabi has a Product Blueprint feature that offers pre-built templates you could choose from! You can choose one that feels like your brand. After all, your branding makes you stand out.

It makes designing your course much easier, and you can just fill out the template.

Here are some of the features Kajabi lets you create:

• Mini-Courses
• Online Courses
• Evergreen Training
• Blank Slate
• Membership
• Community
• Webinars

Not only that, but, Kajabi also accepts a lot of media formats:

• Video
• Text
• Audio
• PDFs
• Files from Google Drive or Dropbox

Podia

Podia has a user-friendly interface making it ideal for beginners. It also features the following:

• Sales Pages
• Live Message Feature
• Student Management System

Unlike Kajabi, Podia only offers three types of products: 

• Online Courses
• Digital Downloads
• Webinars

Podia is also hosted by Wistia when it comes to its webinars, and you can also upload multiple media platforms. Podia lets you divide course content into sections just like Kajabi.

The only downside with Podia currently is that it doesn't support Google Drive and Dropbox.

In Summary

Podia is a great online course creator because of its easy user interface but only offers three product types. Kajabi, on the other hand, provides all of Podia's features and allows you to create communities and additional bonuses.

 

Design and Customization

Your branding is, by far, the most crucial aspect of your business. After all, it's how people remember you! Your personal touch is of the essence.

Now the great thing about Kajabi and Podia is you get to customize your website and add your flair as opposed to Udemy or Coursera.

Kajabi

You don't have to struggle your way through coding with designing your website! Thanks to Kajabi's drag and drop feature, everything will go smoothly, and you get to focus more on the look of your brand.

May it be your website, blog, or storefront, Kajabi can help you customize to your heart's content even if you don't have any prior design knowledge.

They have an expansive library of presets you could choose from that perfectly reflects your brand!

Alongside this, Kajabi offers the following features:

• Custom domain
• Site header
• Video background
• Opt-in-forms 
• CTA (Call to Actions)
• Feature Highlights
• Testimonials
• Sales Pages
• Blog Posts
• Analytics

Podia

Podia also has a drag and drop feature that makes everything easy peasy. It also lets you design the following features:

• Sales Pages
• Landing Pages
• Testimonials
• FAQs
• And many more

It lets you customize your text colors, background (can also be a video!), as well as headings and buttons. 

In Summary

Kajabi prevails in this section because of its expansive website builder, while Podia only offers simple design options with limitations. 

 

Marketing Tools

Aside from your branding, you definitely have to invest in your marketing strategy. After all, who would even avail of your services if you can't reach your intended market, right?

Kajabi 

Aside from its advantages in the design department, Kajabi also has many marketing tools you'll surely love.

Even if you have the Basic Plan, you will also get access to unlimited tools by Kajabi.

• Unlimited marketing emails
• Unlimited sales/ landing pages
• Email marketing automation
• Marketing campaigns
• Email advertising templates

Not only that, but Kajabi also has a Pipeline Builder, which is its own version of a sales funnel. This creates a seamless sales experience for your customers.

Lastly, Kajabi allows customers to select multiple pricing options.

Podia

Podia also offers some marketing tools but doesn't have an alternate version of the Pipeline Builder. Though they also support payment processing systems like Stripe and Paypal.

However, unlike Kajabi, Podia doesn't allow for multiple price points to be viewed by the customers. 

This might be a disadvantage for you since you have limited products to offer.

In Summary

Kajabi is far more expansive in its marketing tools, allowing you to utilize different marketing campaigns. Podia, on the other hand, only has a few marketing tools and falls short with Kajabi's integrations.

 

Email Marketing

You probably heard of this before, but your email list is definitely one of your lifelines.

With an email list, you now have a targeted list of patrons that makes promoting your products easier! Set your email marketing on the right foot, and you're sure to have customers crowding you.

Kajabi

Kajabi prioritizes that you have visually appealing emails! They have an Email Visual Editor with over 15+ themed templates that are already optimized for mobile and desktop.

You can also efficiently share your message to your intended audience or even your whole list. Through its Email Visual Editor, you can add illustrations, emojis that are eye-catching.

Alongside this, you can also add CTAs, which can boost sales for your business.

The best thing about their email marketing is the sequence that ensues after visitors input their email, thanks to the numerous opt-in forms! 

If a product is in a shopping cart but not purchased, an email reminder will be sent. Special promos and offers are sent as well.

This way, you're going to generate more leads and have a higher chance of sales! Well, isn't that pretty neat? 

Moreover, emails can also be sent automatically after a student finishes a lecture, creating more engagement. With every milestone, an email sequence congratulating them will be sent. 

Podia

The email automation of Podia only has two options. The first one is the constant updates, and the second one is a trigger mechanism that redirects your consumer to paid purchases. 

In Summary

Kajabi is far more advantageous when it comes to email marketing because of its detailed email automation. It helps get more chances of future sales. Alongside this, it's campaigns are more engaging as opposed to that of Podia's.

 

Membership Programs

Membership programs allow you to establish a community and engage with them. This is an effective way to have constant customers that will support your work!

The great thing about Kajabi and Podia, though, is that both offer multiple ways of engagement.

From blog articles, podcasts, educational videos, ebooks, and even free online courses!

In Summary

Both platforms have a solid membership program that keeps customers engaged with creative content. This results in a more meaningful relationship between the members and the creators.

 

Customer Support

This might just be a supplementary feature, but it's also a foolproof way to engage with your customers. 

Kajabi

Kajabi has an online help center on its website that displays FAQs and other essential questions.

The best part of Kajabi's customer support is its automated chatbot, which lets customers ask questions 24/7. Alongside this, it also has instant responses.

Podia

Podia has a very customer-centric approach because of its live chat. They have a timetable when "real" customer support goes online to talk with the customers.

In Summary

Both Kajabi and Podia offer live support and have an online help center. The only difference is that Kajabi was recently awarded for its live support.

 

Third-Party Integrations

Kajabi

If you did not start with Kajabi and still prefer to use other third-party tools, you don't have to worry as you can still access the tools you love!

This is especially helpful if you're migrating your online course business from other websites as the integrated tools you used before are still accessible.

You can merge over 500 applications of your choice through its Zapier Integration.

Podia

Podia also has a Zapier Integration, which caters to email service providers, analytical tools, advertising, or payment processors. It can connect multiple applications, and the best part is you don't have to code!

In Summary

Both Kajabi and Podia offer a variety of third party integrations due to Zapier.

And that's it! We know that you're probably overwhelmed with all that info, but we both know that you learned a thing or two, right? 

Creating your course is no easy feat, and it takes a lot of willpower to do it and get past the brainstorming phase! 

Choosing your online course platform depends on what suits your current goals, but you also have to think long term if you want your business to grow. 

If you haven't gathered by now, we highly recommend Kajabi for its all-in-one features.

Podia can be great, especially for those who only want a basic tool, but if you're going to invest in the long run, Kajabi is your best bet!

Do you still have doubts about our claims?

Try out Kajabi yourself for FREE in this 28 Day Trial! This way, you'll be able to assess it, and if ever you do want to host your course here, you're already a pro by that time! 

There's no time like right now for you to create your online course. We know you've gone past a lot of hurdles along the way, so don't stop now.

We wish you all the luck and success. Let your business thrive into full bloom!

 L