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 vendor's own page and 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 2026-06-14 · figures link to their source below
Side by side
Discourse
$0/mo entryKajabi
$89/mo entrySources — Discourse: discourse.org (verified 2026-06-14) · Kajabi: kajabi.com (verified 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