Softwr

LMS · head to head

Claroline vs Kajabi

Claroline logo

Claroline

LMS

Open source French-language learning platform, now developed as Claroline Connect

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kajabi logo

Kajabi

LMS

All-in-one platform for knowledge entrepreneurs

From
$143/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Claroline has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Claroline two products share the name and the abandoned original, last released in December 2021, dominates search results, so institutions regularly install unmaintained software believing it is current.; Kajabi starter plan limited to 1 product, 1 community, and 1 website; requires upgrade for scaling
  • They diverge on capability: Claroline covers Workspaces, Kajabi covers Course builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Claroline and Kajabi actually diverge.

Attributes where Claroline and Kajabi differ
AttributeClarolineKajabi
Starting priceFree$143/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (LMS).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Claroline

  • Workspaces
  • Resource model
  • Learning paths
  • Quizzes and evaluation
  • Competency framework
  • Planning and events
  • Self-hosting
  • SaaS option

Only in Kajabi

  • Course builder
  • Website builder
  • Email marketing
  • Sales funnels
  • Memberships
  • Communities
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Claroline

  • A French or Belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are French-first rather than translated.not Kajabi
  • A public body required to keep learner data on European infrastructure under an open licence it can audit.not Kajabi
  • A training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses.not Kajabi
  • An institution already running the abandoned Claroline 13 line that needs to plan a migration onto the maintained Connect codebase before its dependencies become unsupportable.not Kajabi

Kajabi

  • Solo creators launching single digital products or coursesnot Claroline
  • Small coaching businesses with course, community, and email marketing needsnot Claroline
  • Multi-product creators requiring customisation and white-label optionsnot Claroline

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Claroline

  • Two products share the name and the abandoned original, last released in December 2021, dominates search results, so institutions regularly install unmaintained software believing it is current.
  • The community is small compared with Moodle, so plugin choice, third-party integrations and the pool of people who can administer it in production are all thin.
  • Documentation and community discussion are French-first and English coverage is partial and inconsistent, which raises the effort for any non-francophone team.
  • The commercial hosting is offered by a small operator rather than a large partner network, so an institution depending on paid support has concentrated supplier risk.
  • The workspace and resource model is different enough from a conventional course-based LMS that staff moving from Moodle or Canvas have to relearn how content is organised, and migrations do not map cleanly.

Kajabi

  • Starter plan limited to 1 product, 1 community, and 1 website; requires upgrade for scaling
  • Starter and Basic tiers support only 1 community each; Growth tier caps at 1 community (Pro tier reaches 3)
  • Payment processing fees 2.9%–2.7% (Kajabi Payments) plus 5%–0.5% for third-party providers, tiered by plan
  • Admin user allowances escalate significantly: Starter (default 1), Basic (2), Growth (11), Pro (26)

Pricing, plan by plan

Claroline

Free
  • Claroline ConnectFree
    • GPL licence, no fee
    • Full source on GitHub
    • You provide Symfony and PHP hosting and operations
  • Hosted distribution$undefined/year
    • Managed hosting, maintenance and updates
    • Support from the commercial operator
    • Quoted by user count

Kajabi

$143/month
  • Basic$179/month
    • 5 products
    • 1 community
    • 2,500 contacts
  • Growth$249/month
    • 50 products
    • 1 community
    • 25,000 contacts
  • Pro$499/month
    • Unlimited products
    • 3 communities
    • 100,000 contacts

Which should you pick?

Choose Claroline if

  • You need workspaces.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want resource model.
Claroline review

Choose Kajabi if

  • You need course builder.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want website builder.
Kajabi review

Questions people ask

Is Claroline or Kajabi better?
Neither clearly leads. Claroline starts at Free and Kajabi at $143/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Claroline or Kajabi?
Claroline has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Claroline and $143/month for Kajabi.
Does Claroline or Kajabi run on more platforms?
Claroline runs on Web, Linux. Kajabi runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Claroline for free?
Yes. Claroline has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kajabi starts at $143/month.
What is Claroline best used for?
Claroline is most often used for a french or belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are french-first rather than translated., a public body required to keep learner data on european infrastructure under an open licence it can audit., a training provider assembling learning paths from a shared library of reusable resources across many client workspaces rather than duplicating courses., an institution already running the abandoned claroline 13 line that needs to plan a migration onto the maintained connect codebase before its dependencies become unsupportable.. Of those, a french or belgian training organisation that needs a francophone platform where the interface and support are french-first rather than translated. and a public body required to keep learner data on european infrastructure under an open licence it can audit. are not what Kajabi is typically brought in for.
What can Claroline do that Kajabi cannot?
Claroline covers Workspaces, Resource model, Learning paths, Quizzes and evaluation. Kajabi covers Course builder, Website builder, Email marketing, Sales funnels.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Claroline: Which Claroline should I install?

Claroline Connect, the Symfony and React codebase currently on version 15. The original PHP Claroline stopped at 13.1.3 in December 2021 and should not be deployed.

Kajabi: How much does Kajabi cost?

Kajabi offers three subscription plans: Basic at $179/month (or $143/month annual), Growth at $249/month (or $199/month annual), and Pro at $499/month (or $399/month annual). A 30-day free trial is available.

Source
Claroline: Is it still maintained?

Yes. Point releases in the 15.0 line continued into 2026 with active commits on GitHub.

Kajabi: What are the payment processing fees on Kajabi?

Kajabi charges payment processing fees through Kajabi Payments: 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic plan, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth plan, and 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro plan. Third-party providers charge lower rates (2%, 1%, and 0.5% respectively, excluding PayPal).

Source
Claroline: Is it free?

The software is GPL and free. Hosted distribution with maintenance and support is a paid service from the commercial operator.

Kajabi: How many contacts can I store on each Kajabi plan?

Basic plan supports 2,500 contacts, Growth plan supports 25,000 contacts, and Pro plan supports 100,000 contacts with unlimited products and 3 communities.

Source
Claroline: Does it work in English?

The interface has English, but documentation and community support are French-first, so a non-francophone team will hit gaps.

Claroline: How big is the ecosystem compared to Moodle?

Much smaller. If you need a wide plugin market or an easy administrator hiring pool, Moodle is the safer open source choice.

Share

Related pages

More on Claroline

More on Kajabi

Keep looking

Other head to heads