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Systeme.io vs Kajabi vs ClickFunnels 2026: which has the best free plan?
By Top Shelf Picks · October 30, 2026 · Prices and limits are from each vendor's pricing page (US) on this date. Verdicts are our opinion.
Short answer: only Systeme.io has a plan that is actually free forever. Kajabi and ClickFunnels are trial-then-paid tools whose cheapest plans start at $143/month (Kajabi Basic, billed annually) and $81/month (ClickFunnels Launch, billed annually). If you haven't made a sale yet, start free and upgrade later.
Entry plans side by side
| Systeme.io | Kajabi | ClickFunnels | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, no card, never expires | No (free trial) | No (14-day trial) |
| Cheapest paid (monthly) | Startup $17/mo | Basic $179/mo | Launch $97/mo |
| Cheapest paid (annual, per month) | "2 months free" on annual | Basic $143/mo | Launch $81/mo |
| Contacts on entry plan | 2,000 free / 5,000 Startup | 2,500 | 10,000 |
| Courses on entry plan | 1 free / 5 Startup | 5 products | 3 |
| Funnels | 3 free / 10 Startup | Unlimited | Unlimited ("limited time") |
| Email sends | Unlimited | Unlimited marketing emails | 50K/month |
| Platform cut of sales | 0% transaction fees | None with Kajabi Payments; 2% with 3rd-party processor on Basic | None |
| Money-back | Free plan, so n/a | 30-day guarantee | 30-day guarantee |
Payment processor fees (Stripe, PayPal, Kajabi Payments at 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic for US cards) apply on top in every case.
Systeme.io: best for starting at $0
Funnels, email, a course, a blog, checkout with upsells and your own affiliate program in one dashboard. The free plan covers up to 2,000 contacts; Systeme.io suggests Startup ($17), Webinar ($47) and Unlimited ($97) as you grow. Its pricing page also says every plan includes unlimited sub-accounts.
Trade-offs (our opinion): templates look plainer than Kajabi's, and the free plan allows only 1 automation rule. Full details in our Systeme.io review.
Kajabi: best polish for established course businesses
Kajabi bundles products, communities, a website, email and checkout. Basic includes 5 products, 1 community, 2,500 contacts and 2 admin users. Its own FAQ says Basic is for people who haven't sold anything yet, and Growth ($249/mo monthly) once revenue comes in. At $143-179/month for Basic, you need steady sales to justify it.
See current terms: kajabi.com/pricing.
ClickFunnels: best for funnel-heavy marketers
ClickFunnels' Launch plan includes 10K contacts, 50K emails/month, 3 courses, 5 custom domains and A/B testing. It's the most funnel-focused of the three. Systeme.io's own pricing page compares itself to ClickFunnels at $97/month; that matches ClickFunnels' monthly Launch price on Oct 30.
See current terms: clickfunnels.com/pricing.
Which should you pick? (our opinion)
- No sales yet, tight budget: Systeme.io free plan.
- Running ads to multi-step funnels with A/B tests: ClickFunnels (A/B testing is on every plan), or test Systeme.io's paid tiers first and compare.
- Selling premium courses plus a community and want a branded app: Kajabi (the branded mobile app is on its Pro plan).
- Mostly a newsletter: none of these; see beehiiv vs Substack.
Cost over a first year at the cheapest annual price: Kajabi Basic about $1,716 ($143 × 12), ClickFunnels Launch about $972 ($81 × 12), Systeme.io $0 on the free plan. Taxes excluded; check current price before buying.
Related: Start an online business for $0 with Systeme.io · Systeme.io review 2026 · Black Friday 2026 software deals
Sources
systeme.io/pricing (plan FAQ, "last updated April 2026"), kajabi.com/pricing (feature table, FAQ, plan offers), clickfunnels.com/pricing (plans, FAQ), all accessed October 30, 2026.