Circle vs Kajabi

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings

Analysis generated Live tool data as of 2026-11-08
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Circle or Kajabi: which should you choose?

DimensionCircleKajabi
PricingFrom $89/mo billed annuallyFrom $143/mo billed annually
Best forCreators and coaches running paid memberships where retention depends on member-to-member engagement, Digital businesses wanting a branded iOS and Android app without a custom buildCoaches and consultants selling structured programs at premium prices, Educators with an existing course business outgrowing stitched-together tools
Standout featuresDiscussions, posts, and comments with rich media · Group chat spaces and direct messaging · Personalized member feed and searchable directoryOnline course builder with cohorts, drip delivery, and video transcripts and translations · Coaching programs with structured plans, scheduling, and built-in payments · Communities and memberships with unlimited access groups and tiered access
Viability score81/10087/100
APIYesYes

Circle is the stronger pick for creators and coaches running paid memberships where retention depends on member-to-member engagement; Kajabi fits better for coaches and consultants selling structured programs at premium prices.

Built from live tool data, last verified 2026-11-08.

Circle
Circle

Circle is a community platform for building discussions, courses, live events, and paid memberships under your own brand.

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Kajabi
Kajabi

Kajabi bundles online courses, coaching, payments, and AI agents into one all-in-one business system.

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Pricing
Paid
Paid
Plans
Professional$89/mo billed annually
Business$199/mo billed annually
Scale$419/mo billed annually
Circle PlusCustom
Email Hub add-on$99/mo
Basic$143/mo billed annually
Growth$199/mo billed annually
Pro$399/mo billed annually
Popularity
4.1k views
3.1k views
Skill Level
Intermediate
Beginner-friendly
API Available
Platforms
WebMobileDesktopAPI
WebMobile
Categories
🎬 Course Creation & E-Learning📢 Social Media Management
🎬 Course Creation & E-Learning✨ Email Marketing & Newsletters🎯 Landing Pages & CRO
FeaturesCircleKajabi
Discussions, posts, and comments with rich media
Group chat spaces and direct messaging
Personalized member feed and searchable directory
Courses with affiliate and conversion tracking
Live events, live streams, and live rooms
Gamification with badges and points, plus activity scores
Branded checkout for one-time purchases and recurring subscriptions
Visual website builder for websites, landing pages, and sales pages
Paywalls, dynamic access groups, and affiliates
Circle AI assistant with metered credits and extras at $10 per 1,000
AI agents, AI workflows, and unlimited workflows on Scale
AI content writer and automated transcriptions on Business and up
Circle APIs, Circle MCP, webhooks, and custom SSO
Custom branded iOS and Android apps with native in-app payments on Circle Plus
Email Hub broadcasts, marketing automations, forms, and audience CRM add-on
Online course builder with cohorts, drip delivery, and video transcripts and translations
Coaching programs with structured plans, scheduling, and built-in payments
Communities and memberships with unlimited access groups and tiered access
Newsletters with email and web publishing in one place
Podcast hosting and monetization without a third-party feed
Website builder with unlimited landing pages and funnels
Email marketing with automated journeys and unlimited sends
Kajabi Payments with subscriptions, upsells, downsells, and order bumps
Automated tax calculation on checkout
Contact CRM with Universal Inbox and comment-to-DM
Cofounder AI that plans your business and drafts your launch
Expert Agents AI teammates trained on your content
Kajabi MCP to run the platform from external AI tools
Backstage builds a personalized coaching program per client
Amplify ad network reaching 551 million contacts
IntegrationsCircleKajabi
Zapier
Stripe
PayPal
Auth0
Memberstack
MemberSpace
Teachable
Memberful
WordPress
Bubble
Facebook
Integrately

What do real users say about Circle vs Kajabi?

Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.

Circle

79 mentions across 5 sources · 55% positive — mixed (weighted across 5 sources)

Hacker News, Product Hunt, App Store, Stack Overflow, Lemmy

What users praise

  • • App Store members consistently praise the UI and the quality of community interactions
  • • All-in-one model means one login and one member record across courses, events, and chat
  • • Branded iOS and Android apps with native payments are bundled into Circle Plus
  • • Native monetization covers one-time, membership, and recurring payments in a branded checkout

What frustrates them

  • • Multiple App Store reviewers report navigation confusion and difficulty getting real support help
  • • Chat video and reel uploads require clunky folder drag-and-import workflows, according to a 3-star review
  • • Support is not evidenced anywhere positive in the available data, only negatively
  • • Transaction fees of 2% on Professional and 1% on Business stack on top of the monthly fee

Researched Oct 11, 2026

Kajabi

38 mentions across 4 sources · 48% positive — mixed (averaged across 4 sources)

Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, App Store

What users praise

  • • All-in-one suite consolidates courses, marketing, payments, and community.
  • • Built-in conversion tools: funnels, upsells, and landing pages drive revenue.
  • • AI features like Cofounder and Expert Agents automate marketing tasks.
  • • Strong community features with access groups and engagement tools.

What frustrates them

  • • Mobile app frequently crashes, especially on iOS communities.
  • • No video resume feature forces restarting courses on mobile.
  • • Login issues prevent access to purchased content for some users.
  • • Premium pricing lacks free tier; starting at $149/month.

Researched Aug 28, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Circle or Kajabi?

The best choice between Circle and Kajabi depends on your specific use case — we compare them independently on features, current pricing, integrations, and real-world signals (with an on-demand sentiment scan available for each). See the side-by-side breakdown above to match them to your needs.

What are the main differences between Circle and Kajabi?

The key differences include pricing model, feature set, platform support, and skill level requirements. Review the full comparison on RightAIChoice for a detailed breakdown.

Is there a free version of Circle or Kajabi?

Check the pricing section in the comparison for the latest pricing details on both tools, including free tiers, trial options, and paid plans.

What else are Circle and Kajabi compared with?

Where can you read more about Circle and Kajabi?

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Analysis generated by our model pipeline from live data: