Thinkific vs Teachable vs Kajabi: Best Online Course Platform for Photographers & Videographers
For photographers and videographers, selling your knowledge through online courses, workshops, or even premium presets is a smart way to grow your income beyond client shoots. But the platform you pick to host your "Mastering Manual Mode" course or "Advanced Davinci Resolve" tutorials directly impacts your profits, how easy it is for students to learn, and your ongoing costs. Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi are top choices, but each takes a different slice of your revenue, and that difference can add up to thousands of dollars a year, whether you're teaching wedding photography workflows or selling real estate videography guides.
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The Quick Answer
Choose Thinkific if you want to sell your "Lightroom Editing for Beginners" course or "Wedding Photography Posing Guide" without paying extra transaction fees and need a straightforward learning platform. Choose Teachable if you need to quickly launch a "Drone Videography Basics" workshop or sell a collection of "Real Estate Photo Presets" and are fine with small transaction fees until your sales pick up. Choose Kajabi if you're building a full "Photography Business Blueprint" and need a single platform for courses, client email lists, community forums, and sales funnels – and are ready to invest more for that convenience.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Thinkific: Costs from free to $199/month. You pay 0% transaction fees, meaning if you sell a $200 "Portrait Retouching Masterclass," you keep the full $200 (minus payment processor fees like Stripe). It has a solid course builder, great for uploading your 4K video tutorials and high-res image examples. However, it doesn't include built-in email marketing, so you'll need a separate tool for client newsletters or course promotions. Teachable: Costs from $0 to $299/month. On the free plan, you pay a 5% transaction fee (e.g., $10 on a $200 course). Paid plans have 0% transaction fees. It offers an excellent sales page builder, useful for showcasing your stunning portfolio images and demo reels to sell your "Advanced Wedding Filmmaking" course. Analytics are solid for tracking sales of your "Street Photography Workflow" guide. Kajabi: Costs from $69 to $399/month. You pay 0% transaction fees. This platform is an all-in-one hub. It includes tools for email campaigns to nurture potential clients, sales funnels for your "Newborn Photography Business" launch, a community forum for your students, and even a full website. It's built for established photography or videography brands looking to manage everything from one dashboard.
When to Choose Thinkific
Choose Thinkific if you're a photographer or videographer launching your very first online product, like a "Beginner's Guide to Flash Photography" or a "Basic Video Editing with DaVinci Resolve" course. Its 0% transaction fees mean you know exactly how much you'll earn from each $99 preset pack or $199 course. This is also a good fit if you already use tools like HoneyBook for client management and ConvertKit or Mailchimp for sending newsletters about your latest shoots or gear reviews. Thinkific provides a clean, professional platform for your students to access your high-quality video lessons and downloadable resources, making it a trusted choice. It's also scalable if you plan to add more courses later, like "Advanced Drone Cinematography" or a "Real Estate Photo Retouching Masterclass."
When to Choose Teachable
Choose Teachable when you need to quickly get your "Wedding Day Behind-the-Scenes" workshop or "How to Shoot Stunning Portraits" tutorial online. Its course creation process is very easy, letting you upload your video lessons and course materials with minimal fuss. If you're launching a limited-time offer on a "Mobile Photography Masterclass" or a new "Custom LUTs Pack" and need a professional-looking sales page without hiring a web designer, Teachable shines. It's a good option if you want to test the market for your digital products, like a "Lightroom Presets for Landscape Photographers" bundle. You can start on the free plan, pay the small transaction fees, and once you validate your product sells, upgrade to a paid plan to keep 100% of your sales (minus payment processor fees).
When to Choose Kajabi
Choose Kajabi if you're building a comprehensive photography or videography education business, not just selling one-off courses. This means you envision a full ecosystem: a "Photography Business Accelerator" program with multiple modules, a members-only community for aspiring cinematographers, and automated email sequences to market your "Advanced Lighting Techniques" workshop. If you're tired of piecing together separate tools for your website (like Squarespace), email marketing (like Mailchimp), and a course platform, Kajabi offers everything in one place. The higher cost (from $69-$399/month) is justified if you're already generating consistent revenue from your photography or videography courses and it allows you to cancel multiple other subscriptions, like a separate CRM, email marketing service, and community platform, streamlining your entire digital business workflow.
The Verdict
For photographers and videographers selling their first digital product, such as a "Basic Camera Settings" course or a "Video Editing Workflow" guide, Thinkific's free plan with 0% fees is the lowest-risk start. You keep more of your earnings from day one. If you need to get a "Wedding Photography Business Marketing" workshop or a "Real Estate Photo Presets" pack online fast, with excellent sales pages to showcase your work, Teachable is your go-to. For established photography or videography studios looking to build an entire educational brand, offering multiple courses, mentorship programs, and a robust community, Kajabi's all-in-one model can simplify your tech stack and pay for itself. But remember, only invest in Kajabi's higher price tag once you've proven your "Advanced Portrait Retouching" or "Cinematic Storytelling" courses have a solid customer base.
How to Get Started
Thinkific: Sign up for the free plan, create your first "Understanding Your DSLR" course by uploading your video lessons and downloadable cheat sheets, then connect your Stripe account to accept payments. You can start selling your knowledge before needing to upgrade to a paid plan. Teachable: Use the free plan to build out your "Posing for Couples" workshop. Once you've made your first few sales of your presets or tutorials, upgrade to a Basic ($59/month) or Pro plan to remove the transaction fees and keep more of your profits. Kajabi: Start their 14-day free trial. Use one of their pre-built pipeline templates to set up a launch funnel for your "Signature Wedding Photography Workflow" course, and connect your existing client email list (from tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit) to start promoting.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Thinkific
Launch your first course free — 0% transaction fees
Kajabi
All-in-one creator platform
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I migrate courses between platforms?
Video content can be re-uploaded, but student enrollment records, progress data, and completion certificates do not transfer cleanly. Migrating 100+ students is a manual process. Choose carefully before you have a large student base.
Does Kajabi replace ConvertKit?
Kajabi's email is capable for most creators, but ConvertKit has stronger automation tagging, deliverability, and creator-specific features. Some creators use both — Kajabi for courses, ConvertKit for email — though that adds cost.
What transaction fees does Teachable charge?
On the free plan, Teachable takes 10% plus payment processor fees. On the Basic plan ($59/month) the fee drops to 5%. On Professional ($159/month) and above, there are no transaction fees.