Why it's an alternative to Kajabi: All-in-one platform for online courses, communities and coaching, with AI course creation tools.
made by
Bryan McAnulty
Bryan McAnulty3 indie alternatives · Educators & Course Creators
Indie alternatives to Kajabi (2026)
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for courses, coaching and communities, with plans starting well above $100 a month. Creators look for more affordable ways to sell knowledge products. Below are 3 alternatives built by independent makers — Heights Platform, Gumroad and Paperbell — with what each does differently, who makes it and any revenue they have shared publicly.
Kajabi alternatives at a glance
Jump to any product for the full write-up.
| # | Product | Maker | Status | Reported revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heights Platform | Bryan McAnulty | Active | — |
| 2 | Gumroad | Sahil Lavingia | Active | $17.8M in 2025 |
| 3 | Paperbell | Laura Roeder | Active | — |
The 3 best indie alternatives to Kajabi
Each product is made and run by an independent maker or a small, self-directed team.
Why it's an alternative to Kajabi: Sell courses, memberships and digital products with no monthly fee, paying only a cut of each sale.
made by
Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingiaself-reported revenue: $17.8M in 2025TrustMRR ↗
Why it's an alternative to Kajabi: Built specifically for coaches: sell packages, take payments and schedule sessions in one place.
made by
Laura Roeder
Laura RoederWhy choose an indie-made tool?
You talk to the maker
With a small product, support requests and feature ideas usually reach the person who wrote the code, and many makers build in public and reply to users directly.
Focused and fairly priced
Small teams tend to do one job well instead of bundling every feature into enterprise tiers, and many indie tools offer one-time licenses, open-source editions or free plans.
Built by real people
These 3 alternatives come from 3 makers in United States United Kingdom. Paying them funds a sustainable, independent business.
Meet the makers: Bryan McAnulty, Sahil Lavingia, Laura Roeder.
More alternatives in Educators & Course Creators
Alternatives to Teachable
2 indie alternatives
Heights Platform, Gumroad
Alternatives to Codecademy
8 indie alternatives
Fireship PRO, Traversy Media, Academind, Laracasts +4 more
Kajabi alternatives FAQ
What are the best indie alternatives to Kajabi?
IndieMakerList lists 3 indie-made alternatives to Kajabi: Heights Platform (by Bryan McAnulty), Gumroad (by Sahil Lavingia) and Paperbell (by Laura Roeder).
Why do people look for alternatives to Kajabi?
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for courses, coaching and communities, with plans starting well above $100 a month. Creators look for more affordable ways to sell knowledge products.
Who builds these Kajabi alternatives?
They are built by 3 independent makers from 2 countries, including United States and United Kingdom, rather than a large company. Each maker has a profile on IndieMakerList with their other products and links.
Are these Kajabi alternatives still maintained?
Yes. As far as IndieMakerList knows, all 3 are active and still run by the makers who built them.
How much revenue do indie alternatives to Kajabi make?
Publicly reported figures include Gumroad: $17.8M in 2025. These numbers are self-reported by the makers and not independently verified.
Built an indie alternative to Kajabi? Submit a maker to IndieMakerList →