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Comparison

Substack vs Kajabi

Side-by-side comparison of Substack and Kajabi for content creators.

Tool
Substack

Newsletter publishing and monetization in one place

Kajabi

All-in-one platform for selling digital knowledge products

Starting price
Free
From $72/mo
Founded
Pricing model
freemium
subscription
Free option
Free tier
Paid only

What they are

Substack

Substack is a publishing platform where writers host email newsletters and charge subscribers a recurring fee. Independent journalists, essayists, and niche experts use it to build direct audiences without relying on ad revenue. The platform handles payments, delivery, and a basic website automatically. Substack takes a 10% cut of paid subscription revenue on top of stripe fees, which becomes a real cost as an audience grows.

Kajabi

Kajabi is an integrated platform where creators build and sell online courses, memberships, coaching programs, and digital downloads without stitching together separate tools. It combines a website builder, email marketing, payment processing, and community features under one subscription. Coaches, course creators, and consultants make up the core user base. The convenience comes at a premium price that may be hard to justify for creators just starting out.

Which to choose

Full editorial comparison coming soon. For now, check the side-by-side data above and read the individual reviews for Substack and Kajabi.