Academy LMS vs Kajabi Comparison

Looking for a Kajabi alternative that won’t drain your budget with expensive monthly fees? Academy LMS is a self-hosted WordPress LMS that delivers more LMS power, full ownership, and far lower long-term cost — without the heavy SaaS subscription. Here’s a clear comparison so you can see if it’s the smarter switch.

Platform Type & Ownership	Academy LMS	Kajabi
Platform Type	Self-hosted WordPress plugin	Hosted all-in-one SaaS
Data & Site Ownership	You own everything	Platform-controlled
Custom Domain	Full control	Available
White-label / Remove Branding	Full	Growth+
Lifetime / One-time Option	Yes (lifetime plans)	No (subscription only)
Free Version	Robust free core	No free plan
Contact / List Limits	Unlimited (your own tools)	2.5K–100K (plan-dependent)

“If you just need a FAST and LIGHTWEIGHT lms plugin then academy LMS is for you. I was trying to search for ages for a optimized lms plugin that uses the least ram as possible and that do not slow down wp-admin. This one is the KEY. Please keep it that way! Thank you so much for doing this..”

aquasp

@aquasp

LMS Core	Academy LMS	Kajabi
SPA Interface	Advance	Available
Easy Installation Wizard	Advance	Advance
Analytic/Report	Advance	Moderate
Frontend Dashboard	Advance	Advance
Migration Tool	Advance	Moderate
Tutor Booking	Advance	Advance
Teacher Registration Form	Advance	Not Available
Student Registration Form	Advance	Available
CSV Bulk Import	Advance	Available
Quiz Import/Export From CSV	Advance	Not Available
Tracking Course Progress	Advance	Moderate
Course Difficulty Level	Available	Not Available
Define Course Duration	Available	Not Available
Course Requirements Instructions	Advance	Available
Content Security	Advance	Moderate
Add Student & Instructor from the Dashboard	Advance	Available
Import Lessons From CSV Files	Advance	Not Available
Revenue Sharing Option	Moderate	Not Available
Public Profiles	Advance	Available
Student & Instructor Dashboards	Advance	Moderate
Duplicate Course, Lesson, Quiz And Assignment	Advance	Available
RTL Ready	Available	Available
Lesson, Quiz, And Assignment Auto Complete	Available	Available
No Hosting or Plugin Maintenance	Moderate	Advance
Built-In Email Marketing & Automation	Available	Advance
Sales Funnels & Landing Pages	Available	Advance
Website Builder & Blog	Advance	Moderate
Sales Tax / VAT Collection	Available	Moderate
Student Mobile App	Available	Advance
Redesigned Admin with Light / Dark Mode	Advance	Not Available
Multi-Role Frontend Dashboard (Learning, Teaching, Family views)	Advance	Not Available
Guardian / Family Accounts	Advance	Not Available

“These days it’s hard to find efficiency + good quality in one company. This is what you can expect from the guys behind this fantastic software Academy LMS. Polite, quick to solve issues and great quality code. Thanks for being Awesome!.”

speakeasysiena

@speakeasysiena

Course	Academy LMS	Kajabi
Course Builder	Advance	Moderate
Unlimited Course And Lessons	Available	Moderate
Quiz Builder	Advance	Moderate
Question And Answer	Available	Available
Video Player With Resuming	Available	Available
Multiple Video Sources	Advance	Available
Global Announcement	Available	Available
Unlimited Course Instructor	Advance	Moderate
Course Review And Rating	Advance	Not Available
Public Course	Available	Available
Video Lessons	Available	Available
Course Video Poster (Trailer/Teaser)	Available	Available
Sub-Curriculum	Advance	Moderate
Meeting	Available	Advance
Private Course	Available	Available
Course Schedule	Available	Available
Course Preview	Available	Available
YouTube Playlist As Course	Advance	Not Available
Certificate Builder (choose a different certificate per course)	Advance	Moderate
More Quiz Question Types (Dropdown, Short Answer, Image Answer, Fill in the Blanks)	Advance	Moderate
Quiz Question Bank & Difficulty Levels	Advance	Not Available
Multi-Step, Route-Based Course Builder (no modals)	Advance	Moderate
Rebuilt Learn Page (Notes, Q&A, Announcements, Progress drawers)	Advance	Moderate
Text-to-Speech Read-Aloud	Available	Not Available
Lesson Video Subtitles (.vtt captions)	Available	Advance
Course Active Timer (heartbeat-based course locking)	Available	Not Available

“I recommend using this LMS system, it contains a complete solutions, instead of using multi plug-ins. (6 in 1) solution, like forms, emails, importing / exporting, video player, scorm, web hooks and many more and the platform is very nice looking, It’s really nice job.”

ahmedsabri1968

@ahmedsabri1968

Integration	Academy LMS	Kajabi
AI Course Builder	Advance	Advance
Native Payments	Advance	Advance
Gutenberg Integration	Advance	Not Available
WooCommerce Integration	Available	Not Available
Pabbly Connect	Advance	Available
Paid Memberships Pro	Available	Not Available
Bitapps	Available	Available
FluentCRM	Advance	Not Available
SureCart	Advance	Not Available
Gradebook	Advance	Not Available
SureMembers	Advance	Not Available
MailChimp	Available	Available
Google Classroom	Advance	Not Available
Push notification	Advance	Available
GamiPress	Available	Not Available
Elementor	Available	Not Available
Webhooks	Advance	Moderate
WooCommerce Subscriptions	Available	Not Available
SureTriggers	Available	Available
YouTube API	Available	Available
Bunny.net	Available	Available
Loco Translate	Available	Not Available
Divi	Available	Not Available
Zoom Integration	Advance	Available
Google reCAPTCHA	Available	Not Available
WishList Member	Advance	Not Available
Google Meet	Advance	Available
Easy Digital Download	Advance	Not Available
Restrict Content Pro	Available	Not Available
BuddyBoss	Advance	Not Available
BuddyPress	Available	Not Available
WPML	Available	Not Available
Membership-Based Course Enrollment (auto-enroll and cancel with membership)	Advance	Advance
Auto-Created Zoom / Google Meet Links for Tutor Bookings	Advance	Moderate
Points & Achievement-Based Course Access (GameEngine)	Advance	Not Available
Incoming Webhooks (HMAC-Authenticated)	Advance	Not Available

Since install and setup, I have had a fantastic experience with both the plugin and the developers. I found it easy and intuitive to install/setup; tons of features; quick and learn code base. Had a couple questions and the support staff were fast and very helpful. Highly recommend it

Zenjukai

@ecoist

Advanced Functionality	Academy LMS	Kajabi
Group Access	Advance	Not Available
Earning Management	Available	Available
Content Drip	Advance	Moderate
Multimedia Attachment	Available	Available
Email Notification	Advance	Advance
Multi Instructors	Advance	Not Available
Manual Enrollment	Advance	Available
Assignments	Available	Available
Frontend Course Builder	Advance	Advance
Auto Load Next Topic	Advance	Available
Auto Complete Topic	Available	Available
2-Step Email Verification	Advance	Not Available
Expire Enrolment	Available	Available
Starter Templates	Advance	Available
Student Dashboard with reporting	Advance	Advance
Instructor Dashboard with reporting	Advance	Moderate
Advanced Analytics	Advance	Moderate
White Label	Available	Moderate
SCORM	Advance	Not Available
Auto WooCommerce Product Creation	Available	Not Available
Course Prerequisites	Available	Available
Course Bundle	Advance	Moderate
Form Builder	Advance	Moderate
Device Login Restrictions	Advance	Not Available
Private Course	Available	Available
PHP Rendering	Available	Not Available
Notes Features	Available	Not Available
Block-Based Course Templates for the Site Editor (Course Grid, Filters, Sort)	Advance	Not Available
Live Customizer for Course Cards, Course Page, Learn Page and Dashboard	Advance	Moderate
Rich-Text Mail Builder	Advance	Advance
Multi-Question Assignments	Advance	Not Available
Reset Progress on Re-Enrollment	Available	Not Available
Memberships & Subscriptions	Advance	Advance
Coupon Management	Available	Advance
Affiliate Program	Available	Available
Community Forums & Member Directory	Available	Moderate
Coaching Programs & Cohorts	Moderate	Advance

“Academy LMS is a fantastic plugin for creating e-learning websites. It’s fast, lean, and well-crafted. The theme customizer offers extensive options for customization, and the customer service is excellent. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to build a quality e-learning platform. I will give you another rating on Academy Certificates – Certificate Builder for Academy LMS very soon.”

Ashim Kumar

@ashimkumar

Is Academy LMS a cheaper alternative to Kajabi?

Yes, often by a large margin. Kajabi starts around $143–$179/month. Academy LMS has a free version and Pro/lifetime options with no platform fee. See best WordPress LMS plugins and cost of running a WordPress LMS.

Can I migrate my courses from Kajabi to Academy LMS?

Yes. Export content and rebuild on WordPress. Academy LMS has migration tools for common formats. Full walkthrough: how to create an online course website on WordPress.

Does Kajabi have a free plan?

No. Academy LMS has a robust free core with many 4.0 features unlocked. Compare free options on free LMS plugins for WordPress.

Kajabi has better funnels and email — what about Academy?

Kajabi’s built-in marketing is a strength. On WordPress you pair Academy LMS with tools like FluentCRM, Elementor, or other funnel builders for similar (or more flexible) results. Also see Academy LMS vs Teachable.

Which is better for advanced quizzes and SCORM?

Academy LMS. It has a reusable Question Bank, difficulty levels, and SCORM support on Pro. Details: quiz features and SCORM on WordPress.

Do I need technical skills to leave Kajabi for Academy LMS?

Basic WordPress knowledge helps. Academy LMS includes an easy installation wizard and modern course builder. Many creators successfully switch from SaaS platforms.