FanaticFactory vs Kajabi

Pricing

Setup feesUpfront cost just to create the community.

NONENo setup fee to create, manage, host, or improve a Factory.

NONEKajabi does not list a setup fee on its current pricing page.

Monthly platform feesRecurring software rent before the community earns anything.

FREECreating and managing a Factory is always free. No monthly platform fee.

$89-$499/MOKajabi currently lists monthly plans from Starter at $89/mo through Pro at $499/mo, with lower annual-billing prices.

Feature gatingPaying more to add or unlock platform features.

NONEAll Factory features are available without paying to add modules.

YESKajabi plans gate products, contacts, communities, websites, admin users, branding removal, code/API access, and branded app options.

Member-count penaltiesExtra cost or forced upgrades because the community has more members.

NONENo seat pricing or member-count penalty just because the Factory grows.

CONTACT LIMITSKajabi plan limits scale by contacts: 250, 2,500, 25,000, and 100,000. Communities are limited to 1, 1, 1, and 3 by plan.

Platform-handled paymentsWhether the platform handles payment processing for owner transactions.

YESFanaticFactory handles payments for you.

YESKajabi handles payments for you.

Public discovery

Public community pageA prospect can understand the promise before creating an account.

YesFactory pages are built as public front doors with positioning, proof, and next actions.

NoKajabi has websites, landing pages, and offer pages, but not a public community page for browsing the community itself.

Guest previewLet curious people sample enough posts, events, and energy to know whether this is their kind of room.

YesFactories can show enough public activity to help the right people self-select before joining.

NoKajabi can preview and sell an offer publicly, but not preview the community as a living public surface.

Recommended factoriesPush relevant Factories toward people who might actually care about them.

YesFanaticFactory discovery can recommend Factories based on subject interest and member behavior.

NoKajabi does not market itself as a platform-level recommendation engine for member communities.

Factory discovery searchA discovery section where people can search for communities by subjects they want to join.

YesDiscovery gives potential members a platform-level way to find Factories by interest.

NoKajabi is an owner-operated business stack, not a searchable marketplace of communities for members to browse.

Featured factoriesOccasionally boost promising or interesting Factories so they are not buried while they grow.

YesFanaticFactory can feature promising or interesting Factories to help with early growth.

NoKajabi does not provide editorial community featuring as a native growth surface for owners.

Friend community visibilitySee which communities friends are part of across the platform.

YesMember profiles and social context can make community discovery feel less anonymous.

NoKajabi member accounts are tied to creator products, not a cross-community friend discovery graph.

Community

ChatroomsLive channel-style spaces for conversation that should feel active now, not archived later.

YesFactories support discussion channels and live-feeling community conversation.

YesKajabi Communities can use Channels for real-time chat as well as feed-style posts.

Standard pollsQuick multiple-choice voting for decisions, temperature checks, and low-friction participation.

YesFactories can use standard polls inside community channels.

YesKajabi documents polls in Communities and Community Channels.

Swipe-card pollsMembers keep or reject cards in a fast stack for taste, fit, preference, or recommendation signals.

YesSwipe-card polls create a more game-like way to collect member preferences.

NoKajabi docs do not show swipe-card poll mechanics.

Versus-card pollsHead-to-head choices that rank options without making members stare at a spreadsheet wearing a costume.

YesVersus-card polls help communities compare options through repeated choices.

NoKajabi docs do not show head-to-head card-sort polls.

Tier-list pollsMembers sort cards into tiers when the answer is not yes/no, it is S-tier through please-no.

YesTier-list polls let members rank ideas, items, resources, or recommendations into buckets.

NoKajabi docs do not show native tier-list poll voting.

Profile-saved fun factsPoll answers can become visible member identity, not just a disposable vote count.

YesCard poll results can save Fun Facts to member profiles when the poll is meant to show personality.

NoKajabi docs do not show poll results becoming reusable member profile artifacts.

ForumsThreaded topics for deeper questions, searchable answers, and conversations that should not disappear by lunch.

YesFactories support forum-style topics beside faster discussion surfaces.

NoKajabi Channels can host feed-style posts and replies, but not a dedicated forum surface.

Facebook-like post feedA broad feed of random community posts.

NoFanaticFactory deliberately separates discussions, forums, polls, news links, events, and resources instead of making one giant feed the product.

YesKajabi Communities include feed-style posts, channels, comments, announcements, and a global feed/sidebar model.

Direct messagingPrivate one-to-one member conversation without dragging everything into the public floor.

YesFactories support direct member messaging.

YesKajabi documents direct messaging between Community members.

Group messagingSmaller conversations for people who need coordination without making a public announcement about every thought.

YesFactories can support group conversation through channels and smaller group spaces.

NoKajabi can use private Channels and Access Groups, but not dedicated private group messaging.

Video chatLive face-to-face conversation when text starts wearing tap shoes and still cannot explain the point.

YesFanaticFactory has in-app video paths for coaching, calls, and member communication.

YesKajabi Community Live Rooms support real-time video, screen share, breakout groups, chat, and recordings.

Member activity profileA profile that shows recent activity, progress, status, and useful member context.

YesMember profiles can show activity, points, achievements, Fun Facts, and progress.

PartialKajabi has Community profiles and gamification signals, but not the same broad activity/progress profile.

Report and block toolsMembers can report bad behavior or block people before one user becomes a community weather event.

YesFactories include reporting, blocking, and owner moderation paths.

YesKajabi documents blocking, reporting, moderation tools, guidelines, and community safety policy paths.

Content

Courses and lessonsStructured learning paths for owners who need more than posts with good intentions.

YesFactories support courses, modules, lessons, progress, and certificates.

YesKajabi is strongly built around Courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates, and product delivery.

Paid and free downloadsDistribute files, templates, PDFs, audio, worksheets, and paid resource packs.

YesDownloads can be free, paid, tier-gated, or connected to the Factory library.

YesKajabi Downloads can package downloadable files behind a secured paywall and deliver them from the member library.

Member-generated downloadsLet useful member-created files become available to everyone when the community produces good stuff.

YesFactories can make member-generated downloads available to the community.

NoKajabi members can upload files to posts or community areas, but not into a dedicated shared download library.

Native video hostingUpload video directly into the platform instead of duct-taping everything to another tab.

YesFanaticFactory supports native video/media handling for Factory content and coaching.

YesKajabi supports video inside courses, coaching, live rooms, products, and its media library.

Persistent media playerWatch video or listen to audio while visiting different parts of the site.

YesThe built-in media player can keep media available while members move around.

NoKajabi offers media playback, but docs do not show a site-wide persistent player that follows members around the community.

Events and calendar

Events and calendarScheduled activity, recurring sessions, and time-based community moments.

YesFactory events, details, member visibility, reminders, and community activity can live beside everything else.

YesKajabi Communities include Meetups, events, Live Rooms, notifications, and scheduled community activity.

Native group calls and webinarsBuilt-in live video spaces for group calls or one-to-many sessions.

YesFanaticFactory supports native group calls and webinar-style sessions.

YesKajabi Live Rooms can host meetings, Q&A, workshops, breakout rooms, screen share, and recordings.

Cross-community schedule dashboardOne dashboard showing all events and coaching sessions a member has scheduled across platform communities.

YesMembers can see scheduled events and coaching across the platform from one dashboard.

NoKajabi docs do not show a single member schedule dashboard across all creators, communities, and coaching sessions.

Owner-created eventsOwners and admins can schedule official programming.

YesFactory owners can create events for the community.

YesKajabi owners can create Meetups and Live Rooms inside Communities.

Member-created eventsMembers can create activity when the community has its own pulse.

YesFactories can allow member-created events where the owner wants that behavior.

NoKajabi docs do not show member-created events as a native community permission.

Coaching

Coaching video chatIn-app live video for one-on-one or group coaching sessions.

YesCoaching sessions can run in-app with live video, not only third-party meeting links.

YesKajabi Coaching supports built-in live video for coaching clients without requiring Zoom or another video tool.

In-session whiteboardWork through problems visually during the session and keep the artifact afterward.

YesFactory coaching includes whiteboard support as a session artifact.

NoKajabi Live Rooms include screen share, files, chat, recording, and breakout tools, but docs do not show a native coaching whiteboard artifact.

Ongoing task listsTurn coaching advice into assigned work instead of a nice call that evaporates by Tuesday.

YesCoaching can include shared task lists tied to the client and session.

NoKajabi docs do not show native ongoing coaching task lists tied to sessions.

Coach notesPrivate and session-specific notes that keep context from becoming archaeology.

YesCoaching clients and sessions can include notes and summaries.

NoKajabi Coaching can include agendas and shared resources, but not dedicated private coach notes.

Coach-created tracker setupA coach can create personalized trackers for habits, weight, sleep, workouts, practice minutes, checklists, goals, or client-specific progress signals.

YesCoaches can create or assign personalized trackers to members.

NoKajabi has community challenges and progress signals, but not flexible coach-created trackers for clients.

Meeting archiveArchive video, notes, whiteboard, task list, and session context together.

YesCoaching sessions can keep recordings and artifacts connected to the meeting.

NoKajabi can record live rooms, but not archive video, notes, whiteboard, tasks, and tracker context as one coaching artifact.

Coach schedulerOwners can manage coaching availability and scheduled sessions.

YesFactory coaching includes availability and scheduling settings.

YesKajabi Scheduler lets coaches set availability, session duration, and booking methods for coaching programs.

Member coaching schedulerMembers can schedule coaching sessions without turning DMs into appointment soup.

YesMembers can book coaching time through the Factory scheduling flow.

YesKajabi customers can schedule coaching sessions based on the coach's set availability.

Paid coaching add-onsMembers can buy additional coaching sessions outside the subscription.

YesFactories can sell coaching sessions or add-ons separately from membership.

YesKajabi lets owners sell additional one-on-one coaching sessions without requiring members to repurchase the full program.

Trackers

Factory-wide trackersCommunity trackers visible to all members, with shared goals and leaderboard potential.

YesOwners can create community trackers for challenges, habits, and group goals.

PartialKajabi Challenges include progress wheels and growth trackers, but not a broader configurable tracker system.

Individual trackersPrivate or assigned trackers for personal progress.

YesMembers and coaches can use personal trackers.

PartialKajabi can track Challenge participation and growth, but not flexible individual tracker types.

Yes / No trackerDaily check-off for habits, sobriety, practice, or any binary did-it/did-not-do-it goal.

YesThe binary tracker supports daily check-ins and streak-style use cases.

PartialKajabi Challenges can act like check-ins, but they are not a dedicated yes/no tracker type.

Number trackerTrack numeric values like weight, water, pages read, reps, or sales calls.

YesThe quantity tracker records numeric progress over time.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Rating trackerTrack mood, sleep quality, confidence, pain, or satisfaction on a scale.

YesThe rating tracker captures scale-based member signals.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Counter trackerIncrement a tally for pushups, outreach attempts, practice reps, glasses of water, or wins.

YesThe counter tracker handles repeated actions during a period.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Duration trackerTrack minutes or hours spent meditating, studying, training, practicing, or building.

YesThe duration tracker records time spent on activities.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Log trackerFreeform journals for food, gratitude, reflection, blockers, or daily notes.

YesThe log tracker captures text entries and prompts.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Checklist trackerRecurring sets of tasks like morning routines, workout plans, publishing checklists, or launch steps.

YesThe checklist tracker tracks multi-item completion.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Goal trackerMilestoned progress toward a larger outcome.

YesThe progress tracker supports goals with milestones.

PartialKajabi Challenges can track progress toward a challenge, but not general custom goal trackers.

Collection trackerTrack books read, places visited, items collected, recipes tried, or projects shipped.

YesThe collection tracker tracks items over time.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Timer trackerStopwatch and Pomodoro-style sessions for focused work.

YesThe timer tracker supports active timed sessions.

NoKajabi docs do not show this tracker type.

Marketplace

Member marketplaceA Facebook Marketplace-style place where members can sell products, services, gear, digital goods, and community-specific offers.

YesFactories can let members create marketplace listings, so commerce is not limited to owner-only offers.

NoKajabi supports owner products and offers, but not a native member marketplace where members sell to each other.

News links

Dedicated news link spaceA dedicated space for members to share interesting news stories, articles, or videos from around the internet.

YesNews links give outside resources their own surface instead of burying every link in posts.

NoKajabi members can share links in posts or channels, but link curation is not a separate native surface.

Boost linksMembers can boost links to make useful stories more popular.

YesBoosts help the best links rise through community signal.

NoKajabi has reactions and engagement, but not a dedicated news-link boost mechanic.

Comment on linksDiscuss the shared story without scattering takes across five unrelated threads.

YesNews links can collect comments and context in one place.

NoKajabi members can comment on posts that include links, but not on a dedicated news-link object.

Masterminds

Small sub-groupsPrivate sub-groups of roughly 6-8 people for serious accountability or peer support.

YesFactories can run mastermind groups inside the larger community.

NoKajabi can segment access, but not run dedicated mastermind sub-groups as a native module.

Private mastermind chatA dedicated chat space for the small group.

YesMasterminds can have private discussion separate from the main Factory.

NoKajabi private Channels are not a dedicated private mastermind chat surface.

Mastermind libraryA shared library for downloads and links that belong to the subgroup.

YesMasterminds can keep subgroup resources together.

NoKajabi Channels can accept uploads, but not a dedicated mastermind library.

Member votingExisting mastermind members can vote to add new members.

YesMastermind voting supports controlled subgroup growth.

NoKajabi docs do not show mastermind admission voting.

Engagement

XP for positive engagementMembers earn progress for behavior the owner actually wants more of.

YesXP can attach to useful community actions across Factory surfaces.

YesKajabi Communities include gamification settings, leaderboards, and participation rewards.

Levels unlock permissionsProgress can unlock new permissions or access as members prove they belong.

YesLevels and permissions can gate parts of the Factory experience.

NoKajabi has access groups and gamification, but not level-unlocked permissions.

Reputation and trustReputation helps moderation, automatic soft bans, and trust-building inside the community.

YesReputation can flag risk, support soft bans, and make trust visible.

NoKajabi has moderation tools, but not a dedicated reputation system tied to trust and soft bans.

Rewards catalogXP can be traded for real-world perks: merch, discounts, early access, meet-and-greets, and other owner-defined rewards.

YesRewards can turn useful participation into tangible perks.

NoKajabi gamification is not a spendable rewards catalog for merch, discounts, access, and perks.

Safety and security

Robust reportingMembers can report bad behavior for owner or moderator review.

YesFactories include reporting workflows for problematic activity.

YesKajabi documents report and block tools for Community members.

Moderation queueOwners can review flagged behavior and decide what happens next.

YesFactory moderation tools help owners mitigate flagged behavior.

YesKajabi includes Community moderation tools for posts, comments, member activity, and guidelines.

Bans, blocks, and soft bansOwners can ban, members can block, and soft bans can reduce damage without turning every issue into fireworks.

YesFactories support banning, blocking, and soft-banning paths.

PartialKajabi supports blocking/reporting and moderation, but soft bans are not the same documented mechanic.

Public or private factoriesA Factory can be public or invite-only depending on the community promise.

YesFactories can be public or private.

YesKajabi can use access groups, offers, public/private/read-only channels, and gated community access.

Permission-locked areasSome, all, or none of the Factory can be locked by permission: paid members, joined members, approved members, and more.

YesFeature permissions can control access to Factory sections.

YesKajabi Access Groups and Offers can control product, community, and channel access.

Monetization

Payments, chargebacks, refundsHandle the annoying money plumbing without making the owner become a payment processor in a hoodie.

YesFanaticFactory handles payments, chargebacks, refunds, and support paths around transactions.

YesKajabi includes payments, checkout, one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, upsells, downsells, order bumps, and tax tools.

Payout dashboardShow what revenue has been added and when payouts occur.

YesOwners can see revenue and payout timing in the Factory payout flow.

YesKajabi positions itself around payments, faster payouts, analytics, reports, and sales dashboards.

SubscriptionsRecurring paid access for members.

YesFactories can support subscription access.

YesKajabi supports subscriptions, one-time payments, and payment plans.

One-off paid courses and downloadsSell courses, lessons, and downloadables as purchases outside a subscription, not only as membership access.

YesCourses and downloads can be paid one-off purchases, free resources, subscription-gated, or tier-gated.

YesKajabi supports one-time product purchases plus paid Downloads behind a secured paywall.

One-off paid coaching sessionsSell individual coaching sessions or add-on sessions outside a subscription.

YesPaid coaching sessions can be sold as separate purchases inside the Factory economy.

YesKajabi supports additional one-on-one coaching session purchases and coaching offers.

Physical merchandise marketplaceSell physical merchandise through the Factory marketplace.

YesPhysical merch can sit beside digital offers and community rewards.

NoKajabi is built around knowledge products and digital offers, not a native physical merchandise marketplace.

Merch creation and shipping helpHelp create and ship merchandise for the owner.

YesFanaticFactory can help owners create and ship merchandise.

NoKajabi docs do not show merch creation and fulfillment support.

Help

Concierge serviceHuman help is available when the owner needs setup, growth, retention, or revenue guidance.

YesFanaticFactory includes concierge support for owners.

NoKajabi has support resources and education, but not FanaticFactory-style concierge growth help.

Support articlesRobust articles for owners who want the answer without summoning a meeting.

YesFanaticFactory has static owner strategy and support articles.

YesKajabi has an extensive public Help Center.

Best-practices courseFree education for growth, retention, monetization, and community operations.

YesFactory owners get a free best-practices course for growth, retention, and monetization.

NoKajabi University provides product and business education, but not FanaticFactory-style community growth, retention, and monetization training.

Kajabi-only business stack

Email campaigns and sequencesBuilt-in email broadcasts, sequences, and automations tied to the product business.

NoFanaticFactory does not currently include native email marketing campaigns and sequences.

YesKajabi includes Email Campaigns, broadcasts, sequences, and automations.

FunnelsBuild opt-in, sales, and product funnels without adding a separate funnel platform.

NoFanaticFactory has public Factory pages and CTAs, not a full sales funnel builder.

YesKajabi includes Funnels with templates and automation hooks.

Website, pages, and blog builderA broader business website surface outside the community itself.

NoFanaticFactory is not a general-purpose website, page, and blog builder for owners.

YesKajabi includes website, pages, blog, domains, navigation, and related site tools.

Affiliate programRecruit affiliates to promote the creator business.

NoFanaticFactory does not currently ship a native affiliate management system.

YesKajabi includes Affiliates in its Sales toolset.

Branded mobile appOffer a creator-branded mobile app experience.

NoFanaticFactory does not currently offer branded mobile app creation.

YesKajabi offers the Kajabi app and Branded App options.