08 - Kajabi vs MemberVault - The Good, the Bad, and the Budget

Kajabi vs MemberVault: Which Platform Wins for Course Creators?

If you’re stuck choosing between Kajabi and MemberVault, this episode is for you.

I’ve used both platforms extensively with clients - and I’m sharing the honest pros, cons, and real-world experiences that can save you time, money, and tech headaches.

🧩 What they have in common
 🧩 Where Kajabi shines (and when it’s overkill)
 🧩 Why MemberVault still has a loyal following
 🧩 Who each one is best for - based on where you are in your business

No fluff. No affiliate pitch. Just practical advice to help you pick the platform that actually works for you.

Need help setting yours up or making the most of what you’ve got?

Want to leave a voice message? We might even play your message on an upcoming episode : CLICK HERE

To stay updated with our latest episodes and gain access to exclusive content, be sure to subscribe to the Making Digital Real podcast. Visit our website at https://vault.makingdigitalreal.co.uk/

Transcript

0:01

Morning Mike, I just wanted to share some really good news with you. I've had some amazing feedback this morning from a client who I'm working with. She said that she's been listening to the podcast and she listens to a lot of podcasts and says that my podcast is up there with the big, the main ones, the American ones. She said, you know, the quality and the subject matter and the way that I conduct the podcasts. She's really impressed and said that I'm right up there with the best of them. So I am super stoked about that and wanted to share that good news with you, really. So hope you're having a good day and hope that that gives you a bit of a boost too. All right. Bye for now. Hey everybody, it's Mike here from Making Digital Real. We've got a great little episode for you today. I reckon this is going to be about 15 minutes long. It's going to be a quickie, but definitely a goodie. It's an episode which I have been meaning to record for a long time now because it's a question that I get asked all the time. Do I use Kajabi or do I use Member Vault? So these are two platforms which I absolutely love. Okay, for different reasons. So if you have been thinking about creating an online course, having an all-in-one platform to host your lead magnets, your products, events, anything like that, and you are undecided of which platform to use, let me tell you about the power of Kajabi versus Member Vault. So settle in because I have used these platforms almost on a daily basis with clients. I know their quirks, I know their strengths, and I know their absolute best parts. So let's get some honest insight for you. You ready? Let's go. Okay, so first of all, let's start with what these two platforms have in common. So both Kajabi and Member Vault are platforms that let you do the following. They let you host online courses. They let you create membership-style content. Of course, they allow you to take payments. They both integrate with Stripe perfectly. You can deliver your digital products, build your email lists. You know me and how much I love creating different integrations and ways to nurture those email addresses that we're collecting. And of course, manage your content in one place. Both platforms support things like video, text, PDFs, quizzes, and they both offer ways to drip content or lock or unlock things based on the progress that your clients kind of have that need for. They both let you create a hub for your audience to come and engage with your stuff. But, and this is a huge but, the way they do this is very, very different. So let's start with Kajabi. Because in many ways, Kajabi is the all-singing, all-dancing option that everybody is talking about, okay? And rightly so, because here's what I love about it. The user experience is slick. If you've ever used anything like WordPress and you love platforms where you can have all sorts of different widgets, different buttons, you can create your own style, and you can basically make it as simple or as detailed and polished as you want, okay? Plus, it looks and feels polished right out of the box. You know, Kajabi, if you want something that screams professional brand, this is your platform. Okay, you can say goodbye to things like WordPress or lead pages when you've got Kajabi, because you've got the ability to have a beautiful website builder and sales funnels all inside Kajabi. You can build your full website and the landing pages and the sales pages and, of course, those email sequences as well. So in effect, no more MailChimp or MailerLite. Everything is here for you. Now, it's also got automation. It's ridiculously powerful with the email automations. They do integrate with course access, when people complete modules, all those types of things. So you can send those nudge emails, upsells, reminders, all based on how your clients are interacting with your course or your products. You can also host your podcasts on Kajabi. Yeah, so say goodbye to things like Buzzsprout and Hello Audio. If you've got Kajabi, you can host your podcast in there and use it for lead magnets. And the other thing that I would say is a powerful thing about Kajabi is its analytics. It's got really great strong tracking, so you can see what's working. Now, here's the big, big but, and I say this with love, but it's not cheap. You are looking at way over £100 a month minimum. And if you're not using all of the above, which I've mentioned, you could be overpaying. And this is why I'm also talking about one of my favourite platforms in the world, Member Vault today, because it is a brilliant alternative. So if you've got the money and you want to invest and you're going to use all of the bells and whistles, Kajabi is awesome. It's not easy to learn either. You've got to be really, really comfortable with spending some great time learning this platform. But once you've got there, you are going to love it. And it is a little bit over-engineered for someone who just wants to get a simple online course or a subscription model or a freebie out there quickly without needing to build an entire ecosystem, which is why we now move on to Member Vault. The underdog with a loyal following is what I've always said. Now, this one is a brilliant platform. And it has features that Kajabi just cannot match, especially when it comes to engagement. So here's what stands out to me with Member Vault. So first of all, you've got the Binge and Buy Marketplace model. Okay, Mike and Erin talk about this loads. Mike and Erin are the owners of Member Vault, by the way. They're the creators, great people. Now, this is where Member Vault really shines, the Binge and Buy model. It's built to let people see what else you offer, even if they haven't bought it yet. So your audience is constantly browsing your full library, your full offering, which really does increase your chance of conversion. You've got gamification, so people can earn points for progress, engagement, or actions that you set. And for me, that adds a huge layer of motivation and fun. It's also got the Hot Leads tool, which is really, really clever. Member Vault tracks who is engaging most with your content, and it gives you a list of Hot Leads, so you know who might be ready to buy or have a conversation with you. And of course, I can't talk about Member Vault without talking about its brilliant pricing. It is affordable, simple as that. If Kajabi was the shiny Tesla, Member Vault is that trustee VW Golf that never lets you down, okay? It's affordable for anybody, and it doesn't try to do everything, which can be a blessing, especially for us solopreneurs, small business owners. We want something simple. We want something where we can create a product in minutes. We want to integrate our MailChimp or MailerLite and Stripe, so we've got the ability to collect emails, collect payments, nurture sequences, simple, done, easy. It's not visually the best, okay? I am going to say that. What I would love about Member Vault, and for those of us that are listening that love our beautiful landing pages that we can create, almost like a WordPress site where we can drag and drop things like buttons, slide decks, pricing, grids, all of those amazing things, it's not there yet. So it's never going to replace your website or email platform, okay? You will still need MailerLite and things like that, but in terms of creating a beautiful visual landing page, and having the best landing pages in the world, you ain't going to get it with Member Vault. I'm just going to say it right now. And the interface does has a bit more of a startup-y feel. Some people love it, some don't. But like I said, I have so many clients who absolutely love Member Vault for what it does, for what it costs, and I built my business on Member Vault. Just saying. Making digital real was started up and is still today used using Member Vault. So we've talked about each of these platforms. Who is each platform best for? Now, I kind of already mentioned this, but if you want an all-in-one platform and you're ready to invest big time in both time and budget in building something that feels premium, scalable, and absolutely polished, Kajabi is the winner, hands down. Especially if you're running paid courses, masterminds, coaching offers, you want everything under one roof, and you just want to have the best-looking platform in the world, the best-looking site, sorry. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a leaner, more flexible way to host your content, maybe you want to test ideas or grow and engage community without breaking the bank, Member Vault, that's the choice. So I've worked with creators using both. I've helped clients make five figures on Member Vault, and I've helped others build beautiful Kajabi sites that do the heavy lifting for them. Okay, it's about fit. It's what's fit for you. Okay, finally, my honest take. If you're just starting out or if your audience responds well to authenticity and you like the idea of your platform being a library where people can browse, explore, get curious, Member Vault. If your brand vibe is sleek, your income is recurring, or you've got the cash flow to back it, Kajabi is the powerhouse. I've set up both for clients. I've seen Kajabi crash during launches and Member Vault glitch after an update. No system is perfect. But what matters most is what's easiest for you to use consistently and what your audience actually needs. Don't get stuck in tech limbo. Pick the one that makes it easiest for you to get your thing out into the world. Okay? Remember, for me, I'm still in the Member Vault team. I was using it from day one. I'm still using it today. And if you're still unsure or if you want to make the most of the platform that you've already got, give me a shout. Maybe I can help. You know, this is what I do. I do all the heavy lifting for my clients, whether it's editing a podcast, hosting it, marketing it for them, setting up an online course, creating a strategy or content structure, private podcast as lead magnets. You name it, we may be able to work together. So drop me a message on LinkedIn or send me a voice message at speakpipe.com forward slash making digital real. Let's talk about what you're trying to build and how we can make it feel simple, smart, and you. So thanks for listening, everyone. I'll catch you in the next one. Have a good one. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Making Digital Real podcast. Until next time, keep innovating, keep growing, and keep making digital real.