If you’re searching for the best membership site platforms, chances are you’ve come across Membership.io (Searchie) and Kajabi.
Both of these brands offer comprehensive solutions and claim to be some of the only options truly focused on helping you build a membership site the right way.
But which is better: Membership.io (Searchie) or Kajabi?
In this post, you’ll find out. I’ve put together an in-depth review of these competitors for the best membership website platforms to help you find the right choice for you.
Let’s go…
Membership.io (Searchie) vs. Kajabi, at a glance…
| Membership.io (Searchie) | Kajabi | |
| Best for | Creators looking for an affordable option with great user experience. | More experienced creators with the budget to invest in a comprehensive membership platform. |
| Pricing | Starting from $7 per month. | Starting from $55 per month. |
| Ease of use | Quick to get a grasp of with lots of attention to detail. Sometimes restrictive, but in a useful way. | Steep learning curve and suffers from feature overwhelm. Decent support from Kajabi University materials to navigate this. |
| Content management | Can cater to video and audio content. Enhanced search functions make content easy to find. | Can cater to video and audio content, and supports additional extras like written content and PDFs. |
| Monetization options | Recurring subscriptions are the main focus. | Recurring subscriptions are the main focus. |
| Website Builder | Template-based and focused on quick setup. | Template-based with some premium options. More creative freedom. |
| Marketing tools | Integrations focused. Nothing noteworthy in-platform. | Comprehensive suite with automated “Funnels” tool. |
| Support | Help center with documentation. Feels clunky and incomplete. | Extensive documentation for lower tiers. 24/7 support for higher tiers. Mixed reviews from users on quality. |
Membership.io (Searchie) Vs. Kajabi: Platform comparison
A quick note on “Searchie”…
Let’s clear up a potential point of confusion.
Throughout this post, you’re going to see the names “Searchie” or “Membership.io” pop up. I want to clarify that they are the same platform. Searchie is the original name, but their platform is now rebranded to Membership.io.
In an official statement from their co-founder, they say this is more aligned with the future of their platform:
With the release of our latest community-focused features, allowing for discussion spaces, we’ve realized it’s time to recalibrate and refocus on our true passion: memberships.
Our solution? A platform designed specifically for membership sites; one that is fun, easy to use, and impactful (like us).
Andrew, Membership.io Co-founder
As far as I can tell from my research reviewing the platform, the rebrand and the addition of these community features are the only major changes. At its core, it’s the same Searchie platform you might have read about elsewhere.
The similarities between Membership.io and Kajabi
Membership.io (Searchie) and Kajabi are both membership platforms catering to creators and online entrepreneurs. They’re focused on providing features that help you turn your online audience into paying customers.
Membership.io takes a slightly more video-focused approach to memberships, while Kajabi is a little more focused on the online course creation side of things. Both platforms feel very similar to use though, and are easily comparable.
Features shared between Memership.io and Kajabi
Membership.io and Kajabi share a lot of similar features that are absolutely essential for building a membership site. So, you won’t find yourself feeling some key ingredients are missing.
- Membership website builder: Use customizable templates and drag-and-drop editors to create professional-looking websites and landing pages without coding skills.
- Content management: Upload and organize various types of content on your membership site, like video and audio content, as well as text files, to create online courses and exclusive membership content.
- AI assistants: Take advantage of in-built AI to help you generate content ideas, identify growth opportunities, and even support community engagement.
- Community features: Both platforms provide dedicated areas for community engagement, like discussion boards, comment sections, or a membership hub.
- Analytics and reporting: Comprehensive platform of analytics tools to track sales, revenue, and user engagement.
- Integrations: You can integrate with your favorite external tools, like marketing software, using third-party extensions or plugins.
- Mobile app: You can upgrade your membership site to offer a mobile app to put your content into your audience’s hands and create your own OTT platform.
Where Membership.io (Searchie) wins
Membership.io (Searchie) comes out on top if you’re looking for a more affordable option that’s fun and easy to use. Here are a few of the areas where they really stand out:
- User experience: The user experience on Membership.io is outstanding compared to Kajabi. Navigating between key features and tools is a breeze, and you’ll find they support a much quicker setup of your membership site than Kajabi.
- Analytics and user insights: You’ll get more detailed analytics on user behavior, including what content members are searching for, helping you to understand your audience better and grow strategically.
- Cost: Membership.io’s pricing starts from as little as $7 per month, which Kajabi just can’t compete with right now.
Searchie is amazing at taking our content and making a very easy way to find what you are looking for in an audio or video session. There really is nothing else as seamless and easy to use. Now Searchie has upped the game with WisdomAI, a way for users to get specific answers based on your content, not the web’s. This way we can ensure specific and accurate information relative to the material being presented.”
Scott Sturgis, Product Hunt Reviewer
Where Kajabi wins
Kajabi comes out on top if you’re a more experienced creator with the budget to invest in a more comprehensive membership platform. Here are some of the key features where they win out:
- All-in-one solution: Kajabi offers the most complete set of tools, and there’s a noticeable difference in their approach to marketing tools, website building, and hosting.
- Experience: Though both of these platforms have been around for a while, Kajabi has a more proven track record of supporting successful creators.
- Membership site builder: Kajabi’s website builder is more robust, offering a wider range of customizable themes and a drag-and-drop editor.
The best part of Kajabi is that I have an online website, sales funnel, email marketing, online courses, and sales cart all on one integrated platform. The other great thing about Kajabi is that they continually add features and new capabilities without increasing prices. I run my entire online business on the Kajabi platform.
Russell S., Verified G2 User
7 Differences between Membership.io and Kajabi to help you choose
1: Their target audiences
When you’re choosing a membership platform it’s important to pay close attention to their target audience. Which online businesses have they built their platform for, and is it a good fit for your creator business? Knowing this can remove a lot of the guesswork!
Membership.io (Searchie) use cases
Membership.io is built for creators who want to run their business around courses, online coaching, and podcasts.
Creators on Memership.io usually have one clear product or takeaway that they’re trying to sell, which feels more aligned with a traditional online course model. That may be a symptom of only recently rebranding to focus on memberships, but it’s worth noting.
They’re niche-agnostic and don’t specifically target, say, fitness and yoga or online education. But, looking at their testimonials, you can see clear trends between their most successful customers that operate in internet marketing and online coaching – very similar to Clickfunnels.
Kajabi’s use cases
Kajabi’s goal is to reach a wide range of membership platforms. As you can see from their site’s case study page, they cover a pretty wide remit:
You’ll find that membership websites built on Kajabi have more of an ‘academy’ feel and make use of both video and audio content, as well as other supporting resources, to build out a comprehensive membership hub that goes beyond one-off courses and takeaways.
Kajabi expects you to have a solid back catalog of content and not be building from scratch, so you’ll probably want to be further along in your creator journey if you want to start with them.
2: Content searchability
Membership.io stands out for having an incredible approach to content searchability. (You probably guessed that from it being called Searchie in the past, though, right?)
They put a heavy focus on content search and make it easier for your end-user to find and view the content they’re looking for, even from the most in-depth content library.
Now you might think that this is just a search bar like the one Kajabi offers for finding modules and videos within courses. However, Membership.io has really stepped it up a notch.
You can set up “Widgets” in your dashboard that allow users to find exact moments in your content where you mention their search terms. This has become a customer favorite and is something no other platform is offering (at the time of writing).
The search tool alone has been such a valuable addition, giving users the ability to search through hundreds of hours of content to find exactly what they need. We highly recommend Membership.io!
Amy Porterfield, Membership.io Customer
3: Ease of use
Membership.io ease of use
Membership.io is generally considered more user-friendly and simpler to use than Kajabi; especially if you’re looking to create courses or build your membership site quickly.
They’ve paid a lot of attention to how their customers move through their platform and created a user-friendly dashboard that’s extremely frustration-free to use.
Just by watching some of the product tutorials on their YouTube channel, you get a feel for their user experience, and how easy it is to flow from one area of the product to the next.
Usability is a very personal thing, though, so I do recommend that you start a free trial and play around with their membership platform yourself to get a feel for it.
Kajabi’s ease of use
Kajabi is a much more complex membership platform to use with a steep learning curve. It’s one of the more common complaints from their users in their G2 ratings, and I found it too when using the platform.
The main issue is overwhelm.
Kajabi has added a lot of features over the years and navigating both where they are, and how they interact with each other, can take a lot of getting used to. Especially if you’re not a savvy tech user.
To their credit, though, they’re aware of this issue and working on it. Kajabi University is a great step towards empowering you to quickly navigate the learning curve.
Much like with Membership.io, I do recommend trialing their membership platform to see if you can navigate it effectively. What might be an issue for me, may not be for you.
4: Marketing tools
Membership.io’s marketing tools
Membership.io doesn’t currently offer any built-in marketing tools. This is currently one major area that’s stopping them from being classed as an “all-in-one” membership platform at the moment.
They do offer Zapier integrations that allow you to connect with most major marketing tools like MailChimp, so you can keep using your pre-existing marketing stack if you have one.
To make this a little bit easier for you, Membership.io does offer “done-for-you” services and will help you to set up your marketing (and other) integrations, but this comes at an additional cost.
If you’re comfortable navigating Zapier and like having your marketing analytics stored outside of your dashboard, then this won’t be too much of an issue. But you do need to factor in the cost of Membership.io and your marketing tools into your monthly running costs.
Kajabi’s marketing tools
Kajabi sits at the opposite end of the spectrum to Membership.io and comes with a complete suite of marketing tools.
Despite user experience being an issue elsewhere, Kajabi has done a great job of pulling their marketing tools together to create their “Funnels” features.
Funnels work by creating what you’d call ‘touchpoints’ at every step of the marketing journey. Using the tool you can:
- Create downloadables: Put together a PDF and host it on a landing page that allows you to capture email addresses to market to.
- Set up email sequences: Create automated email marketing sequences that deliver directly from Kajabi to your potential customers’ inboxes to guide them toward conversions.
- Publish conversion pages: Push engaged leads towards your product pages to convince them to sign up for your membership programs.
These funnels are set-it-and-forget-it, with all of the analytics visible in your Kajabi dashboard so you can run tests and optimize your campaigns for better results. And, all of the email addresses are stored, so you can continue to market to anyone that doesn’t convert.
Better still, they support Zaper integrations like Membership.io does, so you can continue to use your current marketing tools if you don’t want to switch.
There’s a lot more to choose from here, and Kajabi wins hands-down on the marketing front between these two membership platforms.
5: Pricing
Membership.io’s pricing
Membership.io takes an entry-level approach to pricing. You can start with a content library and basic features for just $7 per month on an annual plan.
Their Start plan at $41 per month is a great starting point if you’re just dipping your toe into the membership pond because it comes with community features and unlimited members in one membership hub (formerly “Searchie hubs”).
As a creator setting up a brand new business you could easily test and iterate your approach on this plan for 12 months without breaking the bank and earning your investment back.
Kajabi’s pricing
Kajabi is a more comprehensive platform and comes with the pricing to match. Plans start at $55 per month and quickly go into the $119+ per month range.
You get access to all of the core features at the lower price points, but you’ll have limited access. For example, only being able to set up one Funnel. You’ll also be restricted by the number of active members you can have, starting at just 50.
An important consideration here is that Kajabi comes with lots of built-in tools that could save you money in other areas of your business. So, it’s worth running the numbers.
6. Building your membership site
Membership.io’s membership site builder
Membership.io aims to keep Searchie’s initial commitment of helping you set up your membership site in just a few hours.
The experience of using their website builder is a lot like using Wix or Squarespace. You start from a template and customize all of the logos, typography, and color schemes to fit your brand.
These designs can feel a little restrictive if you want full control over the look and feel of your site, but they’re very useful guardrails if you’re like me and aren’t particularly design-conscious. It feels hard to break and it’s very easy to reset if you don’t like the end product.
Kajabi’s membership site builder
Kajabi’s website builder also works from templates and provides useful creative restrictions. There’s a little more play and variety in their templates than Membership.io’s, which is great for creative minds, but they’re not bug-free.
They also offer paid templates, which I find to be a little cheeky at this price point, but they do make life that little bit easier if you have the cash to spare.
I prefer Membership.io’s approach but that’s very much a taste thing. The results from Kajabi are probably more modern-looking but take that extra bit of elbow grease to get there.
7: Support
Membership.io support
Membership.io offers documentation-first support, which means that you have access to a written help center created by their support team.
If you’re paying $7 a month you can’t ask for much more than this, but at higher tiers, I’d expect to have a dedicated customer service representative or at least be able to phone someone.
This is especially true seeing that their help center leaves a little to be desired, with lots of supporting materials a little out of date since the rebrand. This might get better with time, but it can give your confidence a knock when it comes to getting the right help.
Kajabi’s support
Kajabi’s approach to support is similar to Membership.io’s, but a little bit better refined. For lower-tiered plans, you can access a lot of well-written supporting materials in their help center and over at Kajabi University.
As you progress to higher-tiered plans you can access 24/7 customer support. However, G2 reviews are very mixed about the quality of support you get.
👀 I’ll let you look for yourself.
Uscreen: A better alternative to Membership.io (Searchie) and Kajabi
Both Membership.io and Kajabi are good choices for your premium membership. But a third option might be the best if you’re looking to provide more value to your audience, save time while making money, or streamline your community.
Uscreen is an all-in-one platform that provides value to your audience through delivering top-notch video content and community-building features.
The content library is inspired by Netflix and YouTube, and helps community members find what they’re looking for fast – or discover new videos they weren’t expecting.
Uscreen also provides professional-quality native live streaming to connect with your online community. This is especially good if you’re already a YouTuber or influencer and you’d like to get them into a paid membership model.
Community engagement tools like user-uploaded videos, social profiles, integrated member feedback, and community challenges help you deliver great value to your members.
Public and private spaces let your users connect to you and each other, and a variety of monetization options let you control access to content, community spaces, and online courses in a way that works for you.
In short, Uscreen gives you complete control over your community space, how you engage members, and how you provide access to the world.
Membership.io or Kajabi: the verdict
Kajabi is the overall winner for me here.
Their platform feels like Membership.io’s slightly more accomplished big brother, with more refined features and more time spent focusing on memberships over the last few years.
Membership.io is worth your time and money if you’re just testing the waters and want a low-risk approach to establishing your first premium product. But, you’re likely going to need to migrate to a more comprehensive platform long term, unless they make major changes to their offering.
But, before you make a decision…
I highly recommend you learn more about what Uscreen has to offer, for a video focused approach to memberships that combines high quality content with community engagement.
Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.
