GoHighLevel vs Kajabi: I Used Both. Here’s My Honest Take.

Posted bygiesyemelina

I’m Kayla. I run a small marketing shop, and I teach, too. I’ve built funnels for a dentist and a local gym in GoHighLevel. I also launched my own course and community on Kajabi. So yeah, I’ve lived with both. Some days were smooth. Some days… not so much. I also broke down the matchup feature-by-feature in this stand-alone guide if you need even more detail — GoHighLevel vs Kajabi: my granular comparison.

Let me explain what actually happened when I used each one.

Quick gut check

  • GoHighLevel feels like a full toolbox for leads and client work. Think CRM, calls, texts, funnels, calendars—everything packed in.
    If you’d like to see every single tool spelled out, here’s the deep dive into GoHighLevel features.
  • Kajabi feels like a bright studio for courses, coaching, and a smooth checkout. Pretty, steady, no fuss.

I like both. But not for the same job.
If you're still weighing other platforms too, this detailed website builder comparison guide lays out the pros and cons of most major players in one spot. On the CRM front specifically, you might want to see how GoHighLevel measured up against the heavyweight HubSpot in my real-world agency trial — read that story here.

My week with GoHighLevel (agency life, real mess, real wins)

I moved a gym off Wix and Mailchimp into GoHighLevel. I set up:

  • A Facebook ad to a landing page (built right inside GHL).
  • A form that fed a pipeline.
  • A trigger that sent a text right away from a local number.
  • A calendar so people could book a trial class.
  • Review requests after the visit.

Here’s the thing: the texts did the heavy lifting. Two-way SMS made it feel human.

Real result: In week one, the gym got 38 leads. Nineteen booked a free class. We had five no-shows, but the “Hey, can we reschedule?” text brought three back. That math made my client grin.

For a dentist, I used:

  • A funnel with a free whitening offer.
  • Missed-call text back (if they called and no one picked up, they got a text right away).
  • Call recording so we could coach the front desk.
  • A review link that sent them to Google.

Real result: 24 new patients in the first month. Not huge. But steady. The dentist kept the system.

Quick side note: GHL isn't just for gyms and dentists. I helped a friend who runs a “meet local Latinas” singles night sketch out a funnel, and curiosity-driven landing pages work like crazy in that niche. For inspiration, skim the lead-in copy on this sample Latina dating offer — you’ll see how the page keeps friction low and captures intent right away.

Another real-world example of a classifieds-style dating hub that relies on localized hooks and punchy calls to action is Backpage Woodland—browsing that page shows how concise copy and geo-specific keywords drive fast opt-ins, which can spark new angles for your own funnels.

What tripped me up?

  • DNS. Email went to spam until I set SPF and DKIM. I used Mailgun for sending. Took an hour and a coffee.
  • 10DLC rules for texting. My first batch failed. I had to register the brand and campaign. It felt fussy, but it stuck after that.
  • The builder isn’t pretty. It works, but sometimes I needed three clicks for a simple tweak.
  • Support was helpful, but chat wasn’t instant during my late-night sprints.

Why I still use it:

  • Pipelines + texts = fewer leaks.
  • Calendars + reminders = fewer no-shows.
  • Reputation tools = more reviews.
  • White-label lets me hand clients their own portal. They think I’m fancy. I’m not. It’s GHL.

Price talk? It starts around a hundred bucks a month and climbs if you need the full agency setup. I pay more because I host clients inside it. Worth it for agency work.

My week with Kajabi (course creator hat on, cozy and clean)

I launched a small course called Client TLC. Six modules. Short videos. Checklists. I built:

  • A simple sales page with a countdown.
  • Stripe and PayPal for payments (Apple Pay worked through Stripe).
  • A 7-email welcome series.
  • A community space for Q&A.
  • Drip schedule for lessons.

Real result: 118 students on a Black Friday promo. Two refunds. Average email open rate was 44% on the first week. Students told me the player felt smooth. I didn’t tweak much. It just ran.

What I loved:

  • Upload a video, pick a thumbnail, done. Wistia is baked in.
  • Coupons didn’t break anything. I made a 20% code in two minutes.
  • Affiliate links were easy to set up for my friends.
  • The community felt calm. No noisy feed. Clean app.

Where I hit walls:

  • No native SMS. You can hack it with Zapier, but it’s not built-in.
  • CRM is basic. Tags and segments are okay, but it’s not a full sales board.
  • Pages are nice, but not wild. If you need fancy, you’ll feel the edges.
  • If a file is big, video processing can lag. I learned to upload at night.

Price talk? It’s not cheap. But the polish saves time. I slept better during launch week. No fires.
If you want the exhaustive list of everything it can do, check out this summary of Kajabi features.

Head-to-head: how it felt in real use

  • Funnels and automations:

    • GoHighLevel wins. Triggers, tags, calls, SMS, pipelines—made for lead flow.
    • Kajabi can do simple rules but not the heavy stuff.
      If you’re curious how it fares against an all-in-one funnel player like Kartra, I put both through the paces in this hands-on test.

  • Courses and students:

    • Kajabi wins. It’s built for lessons, quizzes, and a clean player. Students stay on track.
    • GoHighLevel has memberships. They work, but they feel basic.

  • Email:

    • Kajabi’s editor is smooth and deliverability felt strong out of the box.
    • GoHighLevel is powerful, but set your DNS and sending domain or you’ll fight spam.
      I also compared GoHighLevel’s automations with Keap’s (the tool formerly known as Infusionsoft) — you can see the exact workflows side-by-side in this breakdown.

  • SMS and calling:

    • GoHighLevel, hands down. Two-way SMS, call tracking, missed-call text back. It’s a machine.
    • Kajabi doesn’t play here.

  • Calendars and bookings:

    • GoHighLevel shines. Round robin, buffers, reminders, all that.
      For a look at how its pipeline tools stack up against the enterprise giant Salesforce, my first-person review is right here.
    • Kajabi doesn’t focus on this.

  • Design polish:

    • Kajabi looks finished. Pages and checkout feel nice.
    • GoHighLevel works hard, but the UI can feel clunky.

  • Teams and clients:

    • GoHighLevel is great for agencies. Sub-accounts, snapshots, and white-label help a lot.
    • Kajabi is great for solo creators, coaches, and small teams.

Real problems I hit (and how I fixed them)

  • GoHighLevel email went to spam:

    • Fix: Added SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on my domain. Switched to a warm sending domain. Better in two days.

  • GoHighLevel texts failed on day one:

    • Fix: Registered 10DLC. Used a local area code. Delivery improved.

  • Kajabi video upload was slow:

    • Fix: Compressed videos with HandBrake. Uploaded at night. No waiting during work hours.

  • Kajabi taxes on checkout felt messy:

    • Fix: Used Stripe’s tax settings. Clearer receipts for buyers.

  • Moving from Teachable to Kajabi:

    • Fix: Exported CSV, imported students into Kajabi offers. Asked folks to reset passwords. Took an afternoon.

Can you use both? I do.

For my course, I still use Kajabi. It keeps students happy. But I send new buyers into GoHighLevel with a Zap. Then I text them a quick welcome note and a link to book a kickoff call.

It sounds extra. It’s not. It feels personal, and people show up.

Quick flow:

  • Purchase in Kajabi.
  • Zapier tags the contact in GoHighLevel.
  • GHL sends a welcome text and a calendar link.
  • Two reminders go out. Show-up rate went from