Why I chose to pay for Kajabi over using Gumroad

Let me start by saying this, I love Gumroad. It’s a fantastic platform that costs you absolutely nothing to start building your business. You don’t need a huge upfront investment to get going. Gumroad has all the essential features you need as a beginner:

• Website and storefront
• Create and sell products
• Payment processing
• Basic analytics
• Email marketing

 

And it’s not just about the tools. Gumroad is an amazing way to learn the ropes of e-commerce:

• You’ll figure out how to create product listings that sell.
• You’ll learn how payment transactions and payouts work.
• You’ll dip your toes into email marketing and writing broadcasts to your audience.
• You can even start a blog to attract more customers and build an organic audience.

 

The best part? It’s simple. Each part of Gumroad is beginner-friendly and straightforward. Nothing feels overly complicated or overwhelming. You can start small and grow your business at your own pace, testing ideas, analyzing your results, and growing your audience.

 

The Reality of Gumroad

But here’s the thing about Gumroad. It's exactly what it’s designed to be—a beginner’s tool. It’s perfect for getting your business started and running smoothly. But, once you master its features, you’ll start wanting more. The platform starts to show its limitations as your business grows.

 

You’ll want:

• Better segmentation for your audience.
• More advanced email marketing capabilities.
• Detailed analytics to understand your business better and optimize strategies.
• Fully customizable websites and landing pages that reflect your unique branding.

 

And then there’s the fees.

As your sales grow, those seller fees start to add up. While they’re manageable in the beginning, at a certain point, it doesn’t make sense to pay so much for a tool that’s not as powerful as its competitors. That’s when you start looking for an upgrade—something that can match your growing business.

 

Why I Switched to Kajabi

When it was time to level up my business, I moved to Kajabi. Like Gumroad, Kajabi is an all-in-one tool, but it takes things to a whole new level. It offers:

• Completely customizable websites and landing pages.
• Advanced email marketing and segmentation.
• Powerful automation tools that save time and boost efficiency.
• Detailed analytics that give you real insights into your business performance.

 

Kajabi is best known for its LMS platform for creating and selling courses. But it’s also capable of doing everything else.

• Courses
• Podcasts
• Websites
• Webinars
• Newsletters
• Communities
• Memberships
• Coaching calls
• Landing pages
• Email Marketing
• Payment processing
• Marketing automation

 

Another reason people switch out of Gumroad is that the fees will become higher on Gumroad than the cost of higher-quality tools.

 

For example:

If you sell $1,000 worth of products monthly, you’ll pay a minimum of $100 in fees.

If you sell $5,000 worth of products monthly, you’ll pay a minimum of $500 in fees.

The more you make, the more you’ll pay in seller fees.

 

And that doesn’t take into account the amount of money you’re leaving on the table by not using a better-quality tool with advanced features.

 

The Learning Curve

Now, I won’t lie to you—Kajabi isn’t as simple as Gumroad. There’s a learning curve, and you’ll need to invest time understanding how to use all their features. I spent a lot of time screwing around with all of them, and honestly, I got a bit lost in the beginning. But that’s okay. I learned a lot from tinkering with all of their features, which benefitted me in the end.

 

The best advice I can give you is this: figure out what you need from Kajabi first and focus on those features. Don’t try to master everything at once. You can learn the rest along the way as you grow your business.

 

Also, Kajabi isn’t cheap. Unless you snag their Kickstarter plan (which is a great deal), the cost might make you hesitate. But let me tell you—it’s definitely worth it. The time and frustration you’ll save by consolidating your tools into one platform is priceless.

 

What Makes Kajabi Worth It

Kajabi changed the way I run my business. Here’s why:

1. Email Marketing and Automation Kajabi’s email automation is a game-changer. I can create email sequences tailored to each product and use advanced triggers based on user actions. For example:

   • If someone clicks a button, they get tagged.
   • If they read an article on my site, they get tagged.
   • If they complete a lesson in a course, they get tagged.

   These tags allow me to send personalized emails at just the right time—whether to celebrate a milestone, offer a new product, or address specific needs. The level of control is incredible, and it creates a more engaging customer experience.

2. Better Funnels and Marketing Strategies Kajabi makes selling easier with tools for upselling, downselling, cross-selling, order bumps, and more. You can create additional offers at each stage in the funnel and read the analytics and performance of each page. This means you can make micro-improvements.

3. Efficiency and Automation My business runs smoothly now. I start by posting content on my blog, then break it into social media posts. From there, Kajabi's automation handles everything else. The system tags leads and triggers email sequences. All without any manual work from me. It's like having a giant engine powering my business while I focus on what matters most—creating content and generating leads.

 

The Verdict

Gumroad is an amazing tool for beginners. If you’re just starting out as a creator or selling digital products, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an ideal platform to test ideas, learn the basics of e-commerce, and build confidence as a seller. But when you’re ready to scale, Kajabi is where it’s at.

One flat fee.

No seller fees.

Everything you need in one place.

It’s like Gumroad 5.0.

 

Don’t waste months of trying out every tool on the market. There are hundreds—maybe thousands—of options, and figuring out how to connect them all with Zapier is nothing short of a migraine.

Managing multiple subscriptions? Even worse.

Eventually, it’ll cost you more in time, money, and frustration than just using one comprehensive platform.

Save yourself the hassle. Use my affiliate link to get an extended 30-day free trial of Kajabi and start building your business from one platform.