Kajabi Fee Calculator

Guide

About the Kajabi Fee calculator

Our Kajabi fee calculator is a free tool that shows exactly what Kajabi takes from every sale and what you keep — including your real monthly income and break-even sales target. Kajabi is one of the most comprehensive online course and creator platforms available, offering courses, coaching, podcasts, communities, email marketing, and websites under one roof. Its fee structure is often misunderstood: Kajabi is known for "no transaction fees," but understanding what that means in practice is important before committing to the platform.

Does Kajabi charge transaction fees?

No — Kajabi charges 0% platform transaction fees on all plans. Unlike Teachable (7.5% on Starter) or Podia (5% on Mover), Kajabi never takes a percentage cut of your course or product revenue. This is true on the entry-level Starter plan at $89/month and on every higher plan.

The 0% transaction fee means Kajabi's only per-sale charge is the payment processing fee via Kajabi Payments, which is 2.9% + $0.30 for US domestic cards on the Starter and Basic plans.

What does Kajabi actually charge per sale?

While Kajabi charges no platform transaction fee, you do pay a Kajabi Payments processing fee on every sale. This fee covers the cost of the Stripe card transaction:

- **Starter ($89/mo):** 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction - **Basic ($179/mo):** 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction - **Growth ($249/mo):** 2.8% + $0.30 per US card transaction - **Pro ($499/mo):** 2.7% + $0.30 per US card transaction

On a $100 course sale: Starter/Basic processing = $3.20, Growth = $3.10, Pro = $3.00. On a $297 course: Starter processing = $8.91, Growth = $8.62, Pro = $8.32.

The third-party processor surcharge: what to know.

Kajabi adds a surcharge if you choose to use Stripe or a third-party payment provider instead of Kajabi Payments. This surcharge is:

- Starter: 5% per sale - Basic: 2% per sale - Growth: 1% per sale - Pro: 0.5% per sale

PayPal is exempt from this surcharge. If you process through Kajabi Payments (the default), there is no surcharge — only the standard processing fee listed above. This calculator models the Kajabi Payments path (no surcharge).

Kajabi's real cost: the monthly plan fee.

Because Kajabi has no per-sale transaction fee, the primary cost driver is the monthly plan subscription:

- Starter: $89/month ($71/month billed annually) - Basic: $179/month ($143/month billed annually) - Growth: $249/month ($199/month billed annually) - Pro: $499/month ($399/month billed annually)

These are significantly higher than comparable entry plans at Teachable ($39/month) or Podia ($39/month). The trade-off is that Kajabi never takes a cut of your revenue above the processing fee. At higher sales volumes, this can make Kajabi cheaper overall.

Break-even: how many sales does Kajabi need to pay for itself?

The break-even is how many course sales per month you need to generate enough payout to cover the Kajabi plan cost. For example, on the Starter plan at $89/month, selling $100 courses at $3.20 processing fee each gives you $96.80 per sale. Break-even = ⌈$89 ÷ $96.80⌉ = 1 sale per month to cover the plan cost. This sounds low, but it means you need to be consistently selling to justify the subscription.

At $49 courses on Starter: payout per sale = $47.88. Break-even = ⌈$89 ÷ $47.88⌉ = 2 sales per month. At $19 courses on Starter: payout per sale = $18.25. Break-even = ⌈$89 ÷ $18.25⌉ = 5 sales per month.

Use the monthly sales volume field in the calculator above to model your specific situation.

Kajabi compared to Teachable and Podia.

| Platform | Entry Plan | Monthly Cost | Transaction Fee | Processing | |---|---|---|---|---| | Kajabi Starter | Starter | $89/mo | 0% | 2.9% + $0.30 | | Teachable Starter | Starter | $39/mo | 7.5% | 2.9% + $0.30 | | Podia Mover | Mover | $39/mo | 5% | 2.9% + $0.30 |

On a $100 course: - Kajabi Starter: $3.20 per sale (0% transaction + $3.20 processing). You keep $96.80. But you pay $89/month regardless. - Teachable Starter: $10.70 per sale (7.5% + $3.20 processing). You keep $89.30. You pay $39/month. - Podia Mover: $8.20 per sale (5% + $3.20 processing). You keep $91.80. You pay $39/month.

At 10 sales per month at $100: Kajabi net = $96.80 × 10 − $89 = $879. Teachable net = $89.30 × 10 − $39 = $854. Podia net = $91.80 × 10 − $39 = $879. Kajabi and Podia (Shaker) are equivalent at this volume. Teachable trails.

At 20 sales per month at $100: Kajabi net = $96.80 × 20 − $89 = $1,847. Teachable net = $89.30 × 20 − $39 = $1,747. Podia Shaker ($89/mo, 0% fee) net = $96.80 × 20 − $89 = $1,847 — identical to Kajabi Starter at this level.

Kajabi is more expensive for low-volume sellers but becomes competitive above ~10 sales/month compared to Teachable Starter, and roughly equivalent to Podia Shaker (which costs the same $89/month) on per-sale economics.

What features justify Kajabi's higher monthly cost?

Kajabi bundles features that other platforms charge for separately: email marketing (Kajabi Email), communities, podcasts, website/landing page builder, and analytics — all in one subscription with no additional tools required. Teachable and Podia focus primarily on courses and digital products, requiring third-party tools for email marketing, community, and websites.

For creators who would otherwise pay $50–$100/month separately for email marketing tools (e.g. ConvertKit, Mailchimp) plus a community platform, Kajabi's all-in-one nature can reduce total costs even at its higher price point.

Accuracy and what this calculator covers.

All rates are taken from Kajabi's official pricing page and Kajabi Payments fee documentation, verified on 2026-06-15. The January 13, 2026 pricing update (new plan names and prices) is reflected. The calculator models US domestic card processing via Kajabi Payments. International cards (+1.5%), subscriptions/payment plans (+0.7%), ACH Direct Debit (0.8%, max $5), and dispute fees ($15) are not modelled in the per-sale calculation. The third-party processor surcharge is noted but not applied (Kajabi Payments path assumed). Check the sources below and your Kajabi dashboard for a complete picture.