Kajabi Vs. ShinePages (2026 Update)

What’s the Same, What’s Changed, and Which One Is Right for You

Kajabi vs. ShinePages

I will be comparing two all-in-one platforms for online businesses, one that’s well known (Kajabi) and another that many coaches and course creators still aren’t fully aware of- but should be! (ShinePages).

When I first wrote this comparison, both platforms were solid options, and still are, but things have changed significantly.

Kajabi went through its biggest overhaul in 10 years, and ShinePages delivered on a bunch of features it had been promising. So it was time for a full update.

I’ve used both, but I’m just a regular non-techy, Gen-X woman running a business., so I won’t dive into every tiny feature, just the general ones that matter most to us as entrepreneurs.

If you’re ready for business growth and considering an all-in-one platform, take a moment to read through my comparison of Kajabi and ShinePages new features and updated pricing models to help you make an informed decision.

Both platforms are outstanding choices, for different reasons. Ultimately, it comes down to your specific needs and budget.

By the end of this post, you’ll understand the latest differences and be able to decide which one feels like the right fit.

Please note: Some links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click and purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions are 100% my own.

🆕 What’s New Since I Last Wrote This

A lot has changed on both platforms, so before I go section by section, here’s the quick-hit version:

Kajabi : “Kajabi Evolved” (September 2025)

New pricing structure the first price increase in 10 years, with adjusted tiers starting at $143/month (annual)
AI tools built in: video transcription, translation, AI dubbing in 100+ languages, email writing, and course outline generation
Community now included on ALL plans at no extra cost (previously a separate add-on)
New community features: Live Rooms, Meetups, and Challenges
Comment-to-DM automation built in no more paying for ManyChat
Link-in-bio tool included no more paying for Linktree
Redesigned checkout with reported conversion increases up to 68%
Automatic affiliate payouts via PayPal
Unified mobile app for courses, coaching, podcasts, and community
New platform fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth, 0.5% on Pro if using a third-party payment processor instead of Kajabi Payments

ShinePages: Features That Were ‘Coming Soon’ Are Now Here

Native video hosting is live secure hosting, view tracking, and triggered actions based on watch behavior
AI Assistant is here ShinePages now has a built-in AI to help write copy for pages, blog posts, and SEO titles
Drip content for courses now available on higher-tier plans (Connect and Scale Pro)
Native community feature launched actual discussion boards and forums built right into the platform
New plan names and pricing tiers (more on this below)
À la carte add-ons introduced for extra videos, email subscribers, and communities
No credit card required for the 14-day free trial

Free Trial

Before I get into all the details both platforms offer a free trial, so if you’re already sold on an all-in-one and jumping in to try it is your style, no need to read further!

Kajabi Free Trial ShinePages Free Trial

One update here: ShinePages now offers their free trial with no credit card required, which is a nice change.

Kajabi still requires payment info upfront, so set yourself a calendar reminder to cancel if you decide it’s not for you. I’ve forgotten to cancel free trials more times than I’d like to admit, those accidental charges add up! 😉

Kajabi and ShinePages Are Both All-In-One

Kajabi and ShinePages are both all-in-one platforms. They each offer a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help you streamline your online business from website building to email marketing to online course creation all under one roof.

Here’s a quick rundown of what both include:

Website builder with customizable templates
Sales funnels and landing pages
Lead magnet delivery
Custom domain support
Course building and hosting
E-commerce and digital product sales
SEO tools
Email marketing with automation and segmentation
Analytics dashboard
Pop-ups
Appointment booking
Blog
Private community
Membership site functionality
Live support, email support, and platform training
Free trial

All of this in a single platform is pretty amazing, right? It really is possible to have your website, sales funnels, courses, email, and more all managed in one place.

Website Builder

ShinePages’ website builder was redesigned and it’s incredibly user-friendly and intuitive.

It uses a simple drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to customize your site’s layout, even if you have zero tech skills. ShinePages provides pre-made page sections, site blocks, and funnel templates for quick builds, so you can get a professional look without starting from scratch.

There’s a range of beautifully designed templates with a modern, feminine vibe, perfect if your brand speaks to women.

All the templates are fully customizable, so you can create a website that truly reflects your unique brand personality.

One standout feature of ShinePages is the mobile editing and preview capability. Within the builder, you can toggle between desktop, tablet, and phone views of your site, and even adjust each view separately.

This level of control is such a relief, no more worrying that your gorgeous desktop design falls apart on a smartphone.

Kajabi’s website builder is also a drag-and-drop editor and is also user-friendly. It offers a wide range of themes and templates to choose from.

However, in my experience, Kajabi’s templates have a bit less flexibility in how much you can change the layout compared to ShinePages. You might find yourself constrained by the theme structure – you can change colors and fonts and hide sections, but truly moving elements around can be limited unless you use custom code on the highest plan.

Personal take: I’ve built websites on both platforms. ShinePages felt more straightforward for me as a non-techy user , very ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get.’ Kajabi was still manageable, but I occasionally hit walls where I’d think, ‘Hmm, I wish I could move that there…’ and the template wouldn’t cooperate without custom code.

SEO

In terms of SEO, both platforms offer the basic tools you need to help your website get found on Google. You can add meta titles and meta descriptions to your pages and blog posts on both Kajabi and ShinePages, which is essential for telling search engines what your page is about.

Honestly, the SEO capabilities on both platforms are quite comparable -they cover the fundamentals, but neither is an advanced SEO powerhouse out of the box. That said, the basics are usually enough for most small businesses, and I always recommend doing keyword research and creating quality content as your primary SEO strategy.

Note: Now, we’ve got AEO to think about which is being searchable with AI- but I’m not going to cover that.

Bottom line: whether you choose Kajabi or ShinePages, you’ll have the necessary SEO fields available. Just remember to fill them in for each page and post, and you’re on equal footing SEO-wise with either platform.

Course Creation

One of the key features of all-in-one platforms like ShinePages and Kajabi is the ability to create and sell online courses, memberships, and coaching programs. Both platforms include a course builder as part of their toolkit. You can upload video lessons, PDFs, and other resources, organize them into modules, and deliver them in a structured way to your students.

Kajabi has been known for its course creation for many years. It provides a smooth experience for building out your course curriculum, you can drip content on a schedule, add quizzes or assessments, and even issue completion certificates. The AI course builder added in 2025 is a real time-saver too, it can generate a course outline for you, write module descriptions, and even transcribe or translate video content.

ShinePages has also leveled up significantly here. Drip content is now live on the Connect and Scale Pro plans. Native video hosting is now built in, no more relying on Vimeo or external embeds. The native video player includes playlist creation, view tracking, and triggered actions based on watch behavior.

And, watch out Kajabi because ShinePages now has quiz builders and completion certificates for your students. Pretty incredible for a platform at this price point.

Kajabi used to win on features, but ShinePages has been doing some serious catching up, so the gap that once existed? It’s pretty much closed.

Email Marketing

Both Kajabi and ShinePages offer built-in email marketing tools, which is a huge plus of going all-in-one! You don’t need a separate Mailchimp or ConvertKit account (though you can integrate those if you want).

On both platforms, you’ll find customizable email templates and visual email editors. You can design pretty emails with your branding, add images, format text, include buttons, etc.

Plus, you can set up triggers like: when someone signs up for your lead magnet or buys a product, they automatically get added to an email sequence you’ve pre-written.

Both platforms support tagging and segmenting your contacts, so you can send targeted emails to specific groups. This segmentation is important for keeping your open rates and click rates high, and not annoying people with irrelevant emails.

One difference: Kajabi does allow integration with third-party email services (like ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign), if you prefer to keep using what you already have. ShinePages keeps everything in one hub, which is ideal if you want simplicity and one less external tool (and subscription )to worry about.

Overall, it’s mostly a tie here. Both get the job done for typical email newsletters and launch sequences. If you prefer to keep an existing email platform, Kajabi’s integrations give you more flexibility. If you want everything truly under one roof, ShinePages keeps it clean and simple.

Community – Big Updates on Both Sides

This is one of the sections that has changed the most since I originally wrote this, so pay attention here.

Kajabi Community

Kajabi’s community feature got a massive overhaul as part of Kajabi Evolved. Community is now included on ALL Kajabi plans – it used to be a separate product that counted toward your product limit.

The new community experience includes Live Rooms for spontaneous live video sessions, Meetups for scheduled virtual events, and Challenges to drive member engagement and participation. If community is central to your business model, this upgrade is genuinely significant.

ShinePages Community

When I first wrote this post, ShinePages’ ‘community’ was essentially a Facebook Group for its own users. Now, ShinePages has a native community feature with discussion boards and forums built right into the platform.

Please Note: ShinePages includes a Lite community (1 circle, up to 100 members) on the Launch and Grow plans, while full community features including paywalled communities and drip content – begin on the Connect plan. If community is a key part of your offer, plan accordingly.

If you’ve been hesitant about ShinePages because of the community piece, that hesitation can officially be retired.

🆕 AI Tools

This is an entirely new section because when I originally wrote this post, neither platform had AI capabilities. That’s changed for both platforms now!

Kajabi now has extensive AI tools built into the platform for course outline generation, email copywriting, video transcription, content translation, and even AI dubbing in over 100 languages. If you’re creating content for an international audience or just want help getting a first draft out faster, this is genuinely useful.

ShinePages has also introduced a built-in AI Assistant designed to help you write or perfect copy on your pages, blog posts, and SEO titles. While it doesn’t yet offer video dubbing like Kajabi, it’s a great addition for anyone who struggles with blank page syndrome.

My Take on AI: Many of us are already using and paying for ChatGPT or Claude separately, so having your AI being in the platform shouldn’t be a decision maker.

Templates

I’ve mentioned templates in every section, but they deserve their own spotlight because they’re such a gift for busy business owners doing all the things themselves.

Most of us aren’t web designers or coders, so to find a template and drag and drop your own content into it is a massive time and frustration saver.

Both Kajabi and ShinePages offer a variety of customizable templates for landing pages, sales pages, opt-in forms, and full website layouts. ShinePages’ templates in particular have a modern, feminine aesthetic with clean design and clear calls-to-action. Kajabi’s templates are polished and professional, leaning toward a broader online business look.

Either way, you’ll have a solid template library to work from. No starting from a blank page.

Sales Funnels

Another important aspect of all-in-one platforms is the ability to create sales funnels. Both ShinePages and Kajabi provide sales funnel building tools that enable businesses to create targeted funnels that convert visitors into customers.

Both offer comprehensive options to help businesses drive sales and grow their customer base, including opt-in funnels, product launch funnels, webinar funnels, and more. If you’re just starting out and sales funnels feel overwhelming, having templates, lead magnets, sales pages, and payment capabilities all in one place is a serious sanity-saver.

Lead Magnets

Lead magnets are a critical tool for growing your email list and engaging potential customers. Both platforms have a variety of lead magnet options with customizable templates, landing pages, pop-ups, opt-in forms, and more.

Blogging

When it comes to blogging, both ShinePages and Kajabi offer solid features to help you create and publish high-quality blog posts. They both have built-in blog editors where you can format content using different fonts and colors, and add images, videos, and other multimedia to make your posts more engaging.

Both have tags, categories, sidebars, and can be customized to match your brand. No winner here, it’s a genuine tie.

E-Commerce

ShinePages and Kajabi both offer tools to create and manage an online store, with features including product listings, order management, coupon codes, and payment processing via Stripe, PayPal, and other third-party payment gateways.

Please note: ShinePages offers e-commerce as an add-on feature

Podcast

Kajabi has the ability to host podcasts with a dedicated podcast product, this is a nice feature if you have a podcast, and want everything in one place. ShinePages has a podcast player widget you can add to a page (via Anchor or Buzzsprout), but doesn’t host podcasts natively. If your podcast is a central part of your business, this is a slight edge for Kajabi.

Learning & Training

Of course, you may be wondering what the learning curve looks like for these robust platforms. The good news is you’ll have plenty of training no matter which one you decide on.

Kajabi University

Kajabi University is an in-depth learning center that offers a wide range of courses, tutorials, and resources, covering course building, landing pages, email campaigns, blogging, Facebook Ads, social media, analytics, and an entire library of courses about running and building an online business.

ShinePages Training Center

ShinePages’ Training Center is broken down into categories like building your site, designing your brand, sales funnels, building your course, and more. There’s a search feature with video tutorials on many topics, plus live chat support with real, actual humans.

What makes ShinePages stand out in my opinion is the personalized attention and support from its founder, Robin Newberry. She’s extremely skilled and knowledgeable, but also genuinely kind and invested in your success, and that’s rare. That personal touch you get from a smaller platform is something a behemoth like Kajabi just can’t replicate at scale.

Watch an interview with Robin Newberry

Plan Options & Pricing

Now let’s talk pricing because this has changed significantly on both platforms since I originally wrote this.

Kajabi (Updated 2025/2026 Pricing)

Kajabi went through its first major price restructure in 10 years as part of the Kajabi Evolved rollout. Here’s the current breakdown:

Important: If you use a third-party payment processor (like Stripe) instead of Kajabi Payments, Kajabi now charges a platform fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth, and 0.5% on Pro. Using Kajabi Payments directly avoids this fee. Factor this in when comparing costs!

Also worth noting: Kajabi still requires the Growth plan ($199/month annual) to remove Kajabi branding from your site.

ShinePages (Updated 2025/2026 Pricing)

ShinePages also updated their plan names and pricing. The old Spark/Glow/Shine/Shine Pro names have been replaced with new tiers:

ShinePages also introduced à la carte add-ons so if you need more email subscribers, additional video hosting, extra communities, or more websites, you can add those individually without jumping to a higher plan. That’s a smart, flexible approach for businesses at different stages.

All ShinePages plans allow personal branding no ‘powered by ShinePages’ badge to worry about on any plan.

Side-By-Side Comparison

Feature	Kajabi	ShinePages
Entry price (annual)	$143/month (Basic)	$39/month (Launch)
Remove platform branding	Growth plan required	All plans ✅
Community included	All plans ✅	Lite on all; full on Connect+
Native video hosting	Yes ✅	Yes ✅ (added 2025)
Drip content	Yes ✅	Yes ✅ (Connect+ plans)
AI tools	Yes ✅ (robust)	Yes ✅ (AI Assistant)
Free trial credit card	Required	Not required ✅
Podcast hosting	Yes ✅	Player only (no hosting)
Comment-to-DM automation	Yes ✅ (added 2025)	No
Link-in-bio tool	Yes ✅ (added 2025)	No
À la carte add-ons	No	Yes ✅
3rd-party payment fee	0.5% – 2.0%	None

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Kajabi and ShinePages?

Kajabi and ShinePages are online platforms that allow businesses to create, market, and sell digital products like courses, memberships, and online coaching programs.

What kind of businesses are best suited for each platform?

Both are best suited for businesses selling digital products and services online courses, coaching programs, memberships, and digital downloads. ShinePages is specifically designed for female coaches, creators, and service providers. Kajabi appeals to a broader range of online business owners.

Can I use my own domain name on both platforms?

Yes, both Kajabi and ShinePages allow you to connect your own custom domain name.

What are the current pricing plans?

Kajabi: Basic ($179/month or $143/month annual), Growth ($249/month or $199/month annual), Pro ($499/month or $399/month annual). ShinePages: Launch ($49/month or $39/month annual), Grow ($69/month or $59/month annual), Connect ($92/month or $79/month annual), Scale Pro ($154/month or $139/month annual).

Do both offer a free trial?

Yes! Both offer a free trial. ShinePages now requires no credit card to start. Kajabi requires payment information upfront so set that calendar reminder if you’re just testing the waters!

Can I create and sell courses on both platforms?

Yes! Both platforms support online course creation and digital product sales. As of 2025, both also support drip content and native video hosting.

Do both offer email marketing?

Yes, both platforms offer built-in email marketing with automation and segmentation. Kajabi also integrates with third-party platforms like ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign if you prefer to keep using those.

Does Kajabi charge extra if I use Stripe?

Yes. Since the Kajabi Evolved update, using a third-party payment processor instead of Kajabi Payments incurs a fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth, and 0.5% on Pro. Using Kajabi Payments directly avoids this fee entirely.

Does ShinePages have a community feature now?

Yes! ShinePages now has a native community feature with discussion boards and forums built into the platform. A Lite version is included on Launch and Grow plans (1 circle, up to 100 members). Full community features with paywalls and drip access begin on the Connect plan.

My Final Take

Kajabi is still the well-known heavyweight promoted by big names in the online business world and backed by a vibrant, competitive community. The Kajabi Evolved update in 2025 added a significant number of genuinely useful features: AI tools, an upgraded community experience, comment-to-DM, a link-in-bio tool, and more. It’s a more feature-rich platform than ever.

That said, the price has gone up, and the contact limits on the lower plans are worth watching closely. If you’re building a business and starting to grow your list, you’ll hit those limits faster than you might expect.

ShinePages, meanwhile, has quietly but meaningfully caught up in a few areas where it was lagging including: native video hosting, drip content, an AI Assistant, and a real native community.

It’s still more affordable, still beautifully designed for women in online business, and still backed by the kind of personal, human support that larger platforms just can’t replicate at scale.

The gap in features isn’t significant enough, and ShinePages would still be my choice.

Go give them both a try and see what feels right for YOU.