Membership Platforms
Selecting the right platform for your business can be overwhelming. Even after extensive research, it can be difficult to determine which platform suits your needs until you’ve tried it yourself. You might not know what features are essential until you start building, and often, you only encounter limitations after you’re already heavily invested, making switching platforms feel impossible.
To simplify your decision-making, I’ve reviewed the new Squarespace Courses feature and compared it to leading course-hosting platforms. Here, you can assess pricing and functionality to help you choose the best option based on your specific needs.
If courses are central to your business: Choose a dedicated course platform like Kajabi, Teachable, or Thinkific.
If you’re adding a course as an additional income stream: Squarespace is more affordable, user-friendly, and integrates seamlessly with your existing website.
Pricing & Functionality
Squarespace Members Space : Courses and Online Classes
AUD: $36–$226/month
GBP: £19–£120/month
To start, you need a Squarespace Business plan (AUD $36/GBP £19 per month) or a Commerce plan (AUD $43/GBP £22 per month). You can then upgrade with the Courses feature for an additional AUD $0–$189 (GBP £0–£100) per month. Launched in August 2023, this feature allows you to create chapters and lessons with videos, text, images, and downloadable PDFs, all displayed in a fully customizable layout that matches your brand. However, some features that competitors offer are not yet available on Squarespace:
Content can be self-paced or scheduled but cannot be dripped by cohort.
No built-in communities (third-party integrations needed).
No quiz creation within the platform.
Limited tracking of individual student progress.
No native live-streaming or event hosting.
Kajabi: All-in-One Business and Marketing Platform
AUD: $233–$625/month
GBP: £126–£339/month
Kajabi includes an array of built-in templates, automated email marketing, community creation, quizzes, and blog functionality. Content can be set to self-paced or dripped by cohort, and students automatically receive completion certificates.
Teachable: Courses, Digital Downloads, and Coaching
AUD: Free–$780/month
GBP: Free–£423/month
Teachable offers three course templates and doesn’t support external templates. While it allows for robust checkout options, including upsells and referrals, only one-time emails can be sent without external integrations like Mailchimp for automation.
Thinkific: Courses with Community and Live Learning
AUD: Free–$233/month
GBP: Free–£126/month
Thinkific includes community creation, assignments, assessments, and live lessons via Zoom. Although it lacks built-in email marketing, it allows for integration with external email services.
Best Platform by need
NEED: Design Flexibility and Branding Consistency
Squarespace wins here, allowing full customisation of each course page, unlike other platforms that restrict you to set templates. For seamless branding and flexibility, Squarespace offers a cohesive experience for students who stay on your website.
NEED: Lowest Cost
Thinkific provides the most functionality at the lowest cost, offering free versions with zero transaction fees. Squarespace’s Business plan (AUD $36/GBP £19 per month with a 9% transaction fee) is an affordable way to test a course before committing, with options to upgrade for reduced transaction fees.
NEED: Comprehensive All-in-One Solution
Kajabi’s extensive suite of features makes it ideal for an all-in-one experience, including automated marketing, community creation, and course content management. Though more costly, Kajabi is worth the investment for course-based businesses aiming to scale with multiple features.
NEED: Familiarity and Ease of Use
For those already comfortable with Squarespace, the new Courses feature can make setup simple. By leveraging a familiar platform, you can launch courses quickly and with minimal additional cost, making it easy to gauge interest in your offering.
Each platform has its strengths, so base your choice on what best aligns with your business needs and budget.
