Best Community Platforms · head-to-head
Discourse vs Kajabi
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for community platforms. Discourse has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the public page it was captured from — the vendor's own wherever the vendor publishes the number, otherwise the named public source — with the date we captured it.
Discourse has the lower entry price — Discourse starts at $0/mo, Kajabi at $89/mo. Free tier: Discourse Yes, Kajabi No. HIPAA: Discourse —, Kajabi —.
As of 2026-09-02 · figures link to their source below STALE
Side by side
Discourse
$0/mo entryKajabi
$89/mo entrySources — Discourse: discourse.org (verified 2026-09-02) · Kajabi: kajabi.com (verified 2026-09-02) STALE · 2026-06-14
Key features
Discourse: 100% open-source codebase (self-host for free); SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2013 certified (managed hosting); Real-time chat channels alongside long-form discussion forums; AI-powered topic summarization and translations (49 languages); Trust/reputation system where members earn moderation rights; Full data ownership with export capability and no vendor lock-in; SSO/SAML enterprise authentication; Comprehensive plugin and theme ecosystem (50+ plugins on Enterprise); SEO-optimized public forums; Email integration (reply-by-email, mailing list mode)
Kajabi: All-in-one creator OS: courses, communities, coaching, memberships, newsletters, podcasts; Built-in email marketing, landing pages, funnels, and checkout — no external tools needed; EU-US Data Privacy Framework certified (GDPR compliance stated in privacy policy); AI Expert Agents trained on your own business content; Kajabi Amplify: access to 551M contacts in Kajabi's expert network; Affiliate program included on all plans; No transaction fees from Kajabi itself (only payment processor fees); 30-day free trial — longest among peers in this vertical; Podcast hosting and newsletter monetization built-in