Choosing the right online course platform can feel like standing at a crossroads—especially when you’re investing time, money, and your hard-earned reputation into building a digital academy. Whether you're a UPSC mentor, a NEET trainer, or a skill-based educator, your platform isn’t just a tech tool—it’s the foundation of your brand and business.

Kajabi and Thinkific are two of the most talked-about platforms in the e-learning space. But behind the glossy websites and feature lists, which one truly fits your needs? Which platform is easier to use, more affordable, and designed to help you grow?

This detailed comparison will break it all down for you—no jargon, no hype—just real-world insights, educator pain points, and clear solutions. Let’s find the best fit for your goals.

What Is an Online Course Platform?

An online course platform is a software-based solution that enables educators, coaching institutes, and trainers to build, manage, and deliver learning content digitally. These platforms are designed to host educational materials such as video lectures, PDFs, quizzes, assignments, and more in a structured, easy-to-access format.

They typically include tools to:

• Organize content into courses or modules

• Monitor student progress and performance

• Engage learners through interactive elements

• Accept payments securely (via UPI, cards, EMI, etc.)

• Promote courses through landing pages, email campaigns, and webinars

For educators, these platforms remove the complexity of coding or building a website from scratch. For learners, they offer anytime, anywhere access, making education more flexible and scalable.

Some well-known platforms include Learnyst, Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable, and Coursera. Among them, Learnyst stands out for educators by offering localized payment options, branded mobile apps, and tools tailored for exam coaching like UPSC, NEET, and CA.

Who Is This Comparison For?

This comparison is designed for a wide range of educators and course creators exploring the best online platform to scale their teaching business.

• Independent Coaches:  If you're an individual educator looking to build a personal brand around your knowledge—whether in UPSC, personal development, or finance—this guide will help you choose a platform that supports brand building, marketing automation, and student engagement without needing a tech team.
• Coaching Institutes (UPSC, CA, NEET, etc.):  Institutions expanding their classroom presence into the digital space will benefit from a platform that handles batch-wise learning, mock test delivery, secure video streaming, and large-scale student management. This comparison will help you evaluate how well each platform supports structured academic programs.
• Skill Trainers and Course Creators:  If you offer job-ready skills like coding, communication, digital marketing, or design, you'll need tools for curriculum design, certificate issuance, and student feedback. The right LMS should simplify how you package and sell structured content with monetization flexibility.
• Tutors Requiring Localized Support:  Tutors targeting students often face challenges with payments, content security, and language localization. You need a platform that supports UPI, EMI, and payment gateways, with access to native customer support and compliance features suited for the local market.

If you fit into any of these categories, this detailed Kajabi vs. Thinkific comparison will help you make an informed choice tailored to your goals and your learners’ needs.

Kajabi vs. Thinkific: Who Are They?

Kajabi and Thinkific are both popular online course platforms that help educators and businesses create and sell digital learning content—but they serve slightly different needs.

• Kajabi is an all-in-one platform designed for entrepreneurs who want everything—from website building and course hosting to marketing tools and automation—in one place. It's geared toward creators who prioritize branding and high-converting sales funnels.

• Thinkific focuses more on simplicity and structured learning. It offers strong course creation tools and student management but relies more on third-party tools for marketing and sales.

Both are widely used globally, but they may not always align with the specific needs of educators, especially those in exam coaching.

Kajabi vs. Thinkific: Judgment Criteria

To help educators and course creators make the right decision, we’ve evaluated Kajabi and Thinkific using the following key judgment criteria:

1. Ease of Use
   How beginner-friendly is the platform? Can non-tech educators set up and manage courses without constant support?

2. Course & Content Management
   Does the platform support structured learning, quizzes,  assessments, and content formats needed for serious education, especially for competitive exams?

3. Marketing & Sales Tools
   Are built-in tools available for promotions, lead generation, and student conversions, or are third-party integrations necessary?

4. Pricing & Affordability
   How affordable is the platform for Indian educators? Does it support INR billing, avoid currency conversion charges, and offer GST invoicing?

5. Branding & Customization
   Can educators fully white-label their content, use custom domains, and maintain control over the student experience, especially on mobile?

6. Payments & Monetization
   Does it support local Indian payment methods like UPI, EMI, and regional wallets? Are flexible selling tools like coupons and referrals available?

7. Support & Community
   What kind of onboarding, technical support, and educator community does the platform offer, especially for Indian time zones and languages?

These criteria reflect the real needs of educators, not just globally, but specifically for the Indian market. In the sections ahead, we’ll see how Kajabi, Thinkific, and Learnyst measure up on each of these fronts.

1. Ease of Use

When selecting a learning management system (LMS), ease of use is one of the first things educators look for—especially those who want to focus on content delivery rather than managing complex software.

Kajabi offers a feature-rich, all-in-one platform that includes tools for websites, email marketing, automation, and course hosting. However, its depth comes with complexity. New users, especially solo educators without tech support, often find themselves spending extra time figuring things out. It’s powerful, but not exactly plug-and-play.

Thinkific, on the other hand, is known for its beginner-friendly interface. The setup process is straightforward, and most users can launch a basic course without much help. However, this simplicity comes at the cost of flexibility. As your course catalog grows or your business scales, you may find Thinkific’s limited customization options restrictive.

Verdict:

• For quick setup and simplicity: Thinkific wins with its intuitive interface.

• For long-term scalability and control (if you're tech-comfortable): Kajabi is better, but expect a learning curve.

• Choose Thinkific if you're just starting out; choose Kajabi if you're building a full digital business.

2. Content & Course Management

Creating a meaningful online course isn’t just about uploading videos—it's about delivering structured learning experiences, evaluating progress, and ensuring student engagement. This becomes especially important for educators in fields like UPSC, CA, NEET, or any high-stakes exam where performance tracking is essential.

Kajabi is built with marketing-first creators in mind. While it supports video hosting and basic course modules, it lacks depth in assessment features. Educators can create simple lessons but may find it limiting when trying to build multi-layered learning paths or test-heavy formats. This makes it less ideal for exam-focused instruction.

Thinkific takes a more education-centric approach. It allows for better course structuring with features like drip content, basic quizzes, and downloadable materials. However, it still doesn’t cater deeply to the needs of test-prep educators. There’s limited support for advanced assessments like mock tests, analytics-based evaluations, or structured batch-wise progress tracking.

Verdict:

• Best for simple, video-first content delivery: Kajabi

• Best for structured learning with basic quizzes: Thinkific

• Neither platform offers robust support for exam prep or deep testing workflows—educators focused on academic results may need to look beyond both for tools tailored to that need.

3. Website & Branding

For educators and institutes looking to establish a professional digital identity, having full control over website design and branding is crucial. Your course platform should reflect your brand—not someone else's.

Kajabi allows you to use a custom domain and offers some control over site design. However, its branding is still present in certain areas, such as login pages or system emails, which can dilute your brand experience.

Thinkific also supports custom domains and offers limited white-labeling. To achieve deeper branding control, users often need to upgrade or rely on external tools.

Verdict:

• Best for basic website setup with light branding: Thinkific

• More design control but with some Kajabi branding still present: Kajabi

• Neither gives complete branding freedom out-of-the-box; educators focused on brand purity may find limitations in both.

4. Marketing & Sales Tools

A powerful course platform does more than host content—it should actively help you attract, engage, and convert learners.

Kajabi excels in this area with a full suite of advanced marketing tools. It includes built-in email automation, sales funnels, and a customer relationship management (CRM) system. These features are excellent for creators running large-scale online businesses. However, for educators focused on local exam prep, Kajabi’s tools may feel overly complex or misaligned with regional needs.

Thinkific offers more basic marketing capabilities. You get essentials like course bundles, coupons, and limited checkout customization. But for email marketing, affiliate tracking, or webinars, you’ll need to rely on third-party integrations like Mailchimp or Zoom, which can increase cost and technical overhead.

Verdict:

• Best for global digital marketers: Kajabi

• Best for simple course sales without extra tools: Thinkific

• Both platforms cater well to Western-style course businesses, but educators looking for localized marketing tools may find them lacking.

5. Pricing

For educators—especially in India—pricing isn’t just about affordability. It’s about long-term sustainability, currency compatibility, and tax benefits.

Kajabi begins at $55/month. While it offers robust features, the high cost can be a barrier for solo educators or small coaching institutes. On top of that, the dollar-based pricing leads to additional foreign exchange (FX) charges. Since it’s billed internationally, Indian educators also miss out on claiming GST input credit—affecting their financial efficiency.

Thinkific offers a free plan with basic tools, and its paid plans start at $49/month. While more affordable than Kajabi, the same challenges apply—USD pricing, FX costs, and no GST invoicing. For many Indian educators, these extra expenses pile up over time.

Plan Tier	Kajabi (USD)	Thinkific (USD)	Learnyst (INR)
Basic Plan	$55/month	$49/month	$40/month
Start Plan	$119/month	$99/month	$105/month
Grow Plan	$159/month	$199/month	$175/month
Free Plan	None	Yes	✅ Yes
Transaction Fee	None	10% on free plan	None

Verdict:

• Best for global creators with large budgets: Learnyst

• Neither is optimized for educators managing taxes, local payments, and currency costs.

 

6. Support & Community

Reliable, responsive support is crucial—especially for educators navigating digital platforms for the first time. When technical hiccups occur, timely assistance can make or break your momentum.

Kajabi provides a comprehensive help center with articles and tutorials. While informative, real-time support is limited, which may frustrate users during urgent situations like payment errors or course publishing issues.

Thinkific offers community forums and basic ticket-based support. While this works for general inquiries, personalized or rapid assistance isn’t always guaranteed—especially for platform-specific customizations.

Verdict:

• Best for self-starters who prefer DIY troubleshooting: Kajabi

• Better for beginners needing occasional help: Thinkific

• Both may fall short for educators seeking localized, hands-on support.

7. Payments & Monetization

For Indian educators, the ability to offer localized payment options isn't just a bonus—it's a necessity. Students across India often prefer UPI, EMI, or digital wallets over international payment gateways, and the lack of these options can significantly hurt conversions.

Kajabi and Thinkific both rely on Stripe and PayPal, which don’t support many Indian payment methods. Pricing in USD further adds to the burden through exchange rates and foreign transaction fees, making purchases more expensive for Indian learners.

Verdict:

• Best for U.S./global sales: Kajabi

• Slightly more flexibility but still USD-bound: Thinkific

• Neither platform offers regional payment solutions like UPI or EMI, limiting reach in India.

What About Learnyst?

Built specifically for Indian educators, Learnyst gives you everything Kajabi and Thinkific offer—plus the localization, pricing tools, and security you actually need.

Why Learnyst Stands Out

Learnyst is not just another LMS—it’s a platform built with Indian educators in mind. Unlike global platforms that cater to a generic audience, Learnyst addresses the specific challenges faced by coaching academies, tutors, and individual trainers in India.

• Complete Branding Control: You get full ownership of your brand, including custom domains and a fully white-labeled interface. Learnyst even offers branded mobile apps for both Android and iOS, giving your students a seamless learning experience on the go.
• Tailored for All Payments: Accept payments through UPI, Paytm, Razorpay, NetBanking, and EMI options. You also get GST-compliant invoices, allowing you to claim input credit and stay compliant with Indian tax regulations.
• Made for Test-Prep Education:  Whether you're coaching for UPSC, CA, NEET, or state-level exams, Learnyst includes built-in tools like mock tests, time-based quizzes, and structured question banks. These are essential for educators preparing students for competitive exams.
• Localized Support & Onboarding: Learnyst provides onboarding assistance in regional languages and real-time support to help you set up quickly. This ensures even non-technical educators can get started without hassle.
• Integrated Sales & Marketing Tools:  You don’t need to rely on third-party apps. Learnyst offers built-in email campaigns, SuperLive webinars, lead capture forms, and pre-built landing pages to help you attract and convert students effectively.

Conclusion: Choose What Truly Works for You

Kajabi and Thinkific are powerful platforms, but they weren’t built with Indian educators in mind. Whether it’s currency conversion, limited payment options, or a lack of exam-centric tools, these platforms can create more friction than freedom for tutors focused on competitive exams like UPSC, NEET, CA, or SSC.

If you’re an educator looking for a simpler, more effective way to teach online, Learnyst is built for you.

From white-labeled mobile apps to GST-compliant billing, SuperLive webinars to exam-ready mock tests—Learnyst gives you everything you need to run your coaching business digitally, affordably, and at scale.

Ready to launch your own branded UPSC academy or coaching app?
👉 Start your free Learnyst trial today and experience the difference.