Kajabi vs Squarespace for Courses: 2026 Comparison & Total Costs

A correction: the video above was made for an earlier version of this page, and some of what it says is now wrong. Squarespace Plus costs $49 a month billed annually, not $39. The video says Kajabi Basic is cheaper than Squarespace Plus at $5,000 a month in course sales. Once Kajabi’s card processing is counted, Kajabi Basic costs about $54 a month more. The video says neither platform supports live teaching natively. Kajabi has built-in live video in its Coaching and Course products. The video also says we’ve tracked lesson-level discussion across thirty-two thousand courses and that it drives 50.9% completion. The comparison covers 26,632 courses and 1.3 million enrollments: courses with lesson-level discussions had 50.9% completion, against 37.3% without. That shows the two go together, not that discussions cause it. And it says a teaching-first platform offers certificates without Kajabi’s price tag. On Ruzuku, certificates come with the Pro plan ($166–$199 a month), which costs more than Kajabi Basic. See the Course Success Index. The prices and Ruzuku figures on this page were checked on November 1, 2026.

Deciding between Kajabi and Squarespace for online courses requires understanding their foundational design philosophy. Squarespace ($49/month on Plus, billed annually, with a 1% fee on course sales) is an industry-leading website builder that added basic video course pages as an e-commerce add-on. Kajabi ($143/month billed annually on Basic with 0% platform fees) is an all-in-one course and sales marketing engine that includes a website builder. If visual presentation, portfolio design, and simple video hosting are your primary goals, Squarespace is cost-effective. But if courses, assessments, email automation, and student retention are your primary business engine, Kajabi provides the necessary infrastructure.

1. The Total Cost: It Depends on Which Squarespace Plan You’re On

Squarespace has the lower subscription. But it takes a fee on every course and membership sale, and the fee depends on your plan. Here is what each option costs at $5,000 a month in one-time course sales, billed annually, with card processing included for every row:

At $5,000 a month in one-time course sales, Squarespace Plus comes to about $234 a month and Kajabi Basic to about $288. Kajabi charges no platform fee, but its $94 higher base price outweighs the 1% Squarespace takes. Squarespace Plus stays cheaper until you sell about $11,750 a month. On Squarespace Core, the 5% course fee changes the answer: Kajabi Basic becomes cheaper above about $2,280 a month. Two costs aren’t in the table. Card processing adds 30¢ per sale on every option, and Kajabi Payments adds 0.7% to subscriptions and payment plans. Squarespace prices and Squarespace Payments card rates were checked on squarespace.com/pricing on November 1, 2026.

2. Head-to-Head Feature Comparison

3. Where Squarespace Wins Over Kajabi

4. Where Kajabi Wins Over Squarespace

5. The Architectural Blind Spot Both Platforms Share

Despite their commercial features, both Kajabi and Squarespace suffer from a fundamental instructional deficit: they fail to embed interactive discussions at the point of learning.

Squarespace has zero student discussion capability. Kajabi offers a separate Community product tab that is physically detached from instructional videos. On Ruzuku, reflective discussion feeds are embedded directly beneath each video and prompt. In the August 2026 Ruzuku snapshot, courses with at least one enabled lesson discussion had 50.9% recorded completion per enrollment, compared with 37.3% for courses without. This observational comparison does not establish cause or compare vendors. See the Course Success Index.

4-Stage Platform Selection & Migration Protocol

4 High-Leverage Delivery Plays

3-Tier Creator Scaling Stack

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you sell online courses on Squarespace?

Yes. Squarespace includes course pages across all subscription plans, allowing creators to organize video lessons into chapters. However, features are strictly limited: there are no quizzes, no certificates, no community spaces, and no interactive student tracking.

Does Squarespace charge transaction fees on course sales?

Yes. Squarespace takes 7% of course and membership sales on Basic, 5% on Core, 1% on Plus ($49/mo billed annually), and 0% on Advanced ($99/mo billed annually). Squarespace Payments card processing is on top: 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic and Core, 2.7% + $0.30 on Plus, and 2.5% + $0.30 on Advanced.

Is Squarespace cheaper than Kajabi for online courses?

On Squarespace Plus, usually yes. Plus costs $49 a month billed annually, against $143 for Kajabi Basic. At $5,000 a month in one-time course sales, Plus comes to about $234 with its 1% course fee and card processing, and Kajabi Basic to about $288. Kajabi only becomes cheaper above about $11,750 a month. On Squarespace Core, the 5% course fee makes Kajabi Basic cheaper above about $2,280 a month.

Does Squarespace support quizzes, assignments, or certificates?

No. Squarespace courses do not support quizzes, assignments, completion certificates, or passing grade thresholds on any plan. Kajabi provides graded quizzes, assessments, and automated certificates.

Which platform provides a better website builder?

Squarespace provides a significantly superior drag-and-drop website builder with award-winning designer templates. Kajabi provides functional landing and course sales pages, but lacks Squarespace’s design flexibility.

How do both platforms handle student discussions?

Squarespace offers no student discussion features whatsoever. Kajabi isolates discussions into a separate Community product tab rather than embedding reflection feeds directly inside video lessons.

Which platform is best for course creators in 2026?

Choose Squarespace if courses are a secondary offering complementing a design-heavy website or portfolio. Choose Kajabi if courses and marketing funnels are your primary business engine.