Kajabi is such an impressive platform. It pretty much has everything you need. I used to love running my business there and being an affiliate. Unfortunately, they seem to keep making decisions to make it harder for affiliates to keep their commissions and bonuses.

Their latest offense... if you don't refer another affiliate within 3 months, you lose your recurring commissions. This one hurt me as well as a lot of other affiliates.

I don't know about you, but when affiliate terms and commission rates keep changing for the worse, it's a really bad sign. It's also one of the things to look out for when looking for a good affiliate program. It's one of the reasons I nearly quit the industry years ago. And when you compare it to a company like HBA who has never changed their 80% commission rates, it's hard to justify even trying to be an affiliate for Kajabi any longer.

I used to be such a huge fan of Kajabi and think it was a perfect solution for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. I used to recommend them to clients and thought they were such an innovative company. However, over the years there have been a long of strong competitors cropping up. And with Kajabi's premium prices, maybe it's difficult to compete and so affiliates have been suffering for it.

At The Home Business Challenge, I believe in being a practitioner, not just a theorist. That’s why I disclose that I am an affiliate for several tools mentioned in my guides. When you use my links, you’re helping support my work in finding the best "Survival" strategies for home businesses. I’m an Amazon Associate and an affiliate for brands I trust. I’ll always give you my honest take, regardless of the commission, because your trust is my most valuable asset.

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Since I can't in good conscious recommend Kajabi anymore, I'll use this post to show you the difference between Kajabi and the HBA Funnel Builder. Both are packaged as kind of "all-in-one" platforms that allow you to run your business in one place.

Kajabi vs HBA Funnel Builder Pricing

First, let's have fun looking at the price difference between the two:

This chart clearly visualizes the massive "Growth Tax" difference between the two platforms. When you look at the 5-year horizon, the gap isn't just a few dollars—it's $7,440 that stays in your pocket with HBA.

Cost Comparison Breakdown

Timeframe	Kajabi (Basic)	HBA Funnel Builder	Savings With HBA
1 Year	$1,788	$300	$1,488
3 Years	$5,364	$900	$4,464
5 Years	$8,940	$1,500	$7,440

The Bottom Line: This is the difference between struggling to break even and being profitable from Day 1. In our line of business, we can reinvest those savings into things that actually grow the brand—like high-quality content, traffic, and SEO.

Comparing Kajabi and HBA Funnel Builder Features

Does Kajabi have more bells and whistles? Sure. But not by much. And certainly not enough to justify the price difference.

The comparison table below is designed to show you that choosing a $25/month option isn't about settling for less. It's about choosing a focused tool that excels at the things that actually generate revenue.

Feature	HBA Funnel Builder	Kajabi (Basic Plan)
Monthly Cost	$25	$149 - $199
Page Speed	Ultra-Fast (SEO Optimized)	Average (Heavy Codebase)
Funnel Limits	Unlimited	Limited to 3
Product Limits	Unlimited	Limited to 3
Drag-and-Drop Editor	Yes (High Precision)	Yes (Template Based)
Membership Sites	Included	Included
E-commerce/Checkout	Built-in	Built-in
Appointment Booking	Included	Included
Custom Domains	Unlimited	Limited to 1
Email Marketing	Integration Focused	Built-in (Adds Cost/Complexity)
Community Support	Live Daily Interaction	Ticket/Chat Based

The Breakdown

While Kajabi tries to be the "everything" app (email, podcasts, coaching, etc.), the HBA Funnel Builder focuses on being the best conversion engine on the market. Here is how that plays out for a smart business owner:

• Speed is a Ranking Factor: Because the HBA Builder isn't bogged down by a thousand different features, your pages load faster. Speed is critical for Google rankings and user trust.
  
• The Power of Focus: Kajabi forces you into their email ecosystem. HBA allows you to integrate with specialized leaders like AWeber or GetResponse. This prevents "Platform Lock-in"—if one service goes down, your whole fortress doesn't crumble.
  
• No "Success Tax": In Kajabi, the moment you want to launch a 4th product or a 4th funnel, your bill spikes. With HBA, you can experiment, launch scrappy side projects, and grow your empire without ever seeing a price increase.

The Kajabi vs HBA Funnel Builder Affiliate Programs

Now let's look at the affiliate programs for each. As I mentioned earlier, over the years Kajabi has made decisions that have negatively impacted affiliates and their ability to succeed. The HBA Funnel Builder is a good comparison because they do similar things but the HBA has never changed their affiliate plans or commissions. It's always been 80% and claims that will never change.

When comparing these two affiliate programs, we are looking at two very different philosophies: the Corporate Model (Kajabi) versus the Community Model (HBA).

While Kajabi is a prestigious name in the industry, the HBA program is designed to get the average marketer into profit as quickly as possible.

Affiliate Comparison: Kajabi vs. HBA Funnel Builder

Feature	Kajabi Partner Program	HBA Affiliate Program
Commission Rate	30% Recurring	80% Recurring
Payout per Builder Referral	~$44.70/mo (on $149 plan)	$20.00/mo (on $25 plan)
Requirement to Join	Must be an active customer	Must be an active customer
"Break Even" Point	Need 4 referrals to cover your cost	Need 2 referrals to cover your cost
Upsell Potential	High (Growth/Pro plans)	Huge ($100/mo on Premium)
Cookie Duration	30 Days	Lifetime (Hard-coded to you)
Payout Frequency	Monthly	Weekly

And we now know that if you don't recruit someone for 3 months in the Kajabi affiliate program... *poof*... your commissions go away. That's just... rude.

The Breakdown:

1. The "2-and-Free" Factor

In the HBA world, we talk about "2-and-Free." Because they pay 80% commissions, you only need two referrals to the Funnel Builder to have your own tools completely paid for ($20 + $20 = $40, which covers your $25 monthly cost and puts $15 in your pocket). To do the same with Kajabi, you need to refer at least four people just to cover your $149 entry fee.

2. Barrier to Entry

Both programs require you to be paying members of the platform, but you have to invest $1,700+ per year just to have the right to promote Kajabi. HBA being only $25/month makes it the ultimate low-risk start.

3. The Upsell

• Kajabi: If a referral moves from the Basic to the Pro plan, your commission goes up. However, these are big jumps ($149 to $399), making the conversion harder.
• HBA: The move from the Funnel Builder ($25) to HBA Premium ($125) is a natural progression for most marketers. When they upgrade, your commission jumps from $20/mo to $120/mo per person.

Comparing Ten Referrals

Let's look at the numbers and math behind recruiting 10 people to either program - 30% commissions at Kajabi and 80% commissions at HBA:

This chart highlights the massive upsell potential within the HBA ecosystem. While referring people to just the $25 Funnel Builder is a great low-barrier entry, the real wealth value is built when those same 10 people upgrade to the Premium training.

The "10 Referrals" Income Breakdown

Program	Monthly Income (10 Refs)	Annual Income (10 Refs)
HBA Funnel Builder Only	$200.00	$2,400.00
Kajabi (Basic Plan)	$447.00	$5,364.00
HBA "The Works" (Builder + Premium)	$1,200.00	$14,400.00

The Takeaway:

• The Kajabi Ceiling: To hit $1,200/mo with Kajabi, you would need to refer 27 people to a $149/mo product. That is a heavy lift.
• The HBA Ladder: With HBA, you only need to refer 10 people who are serious about their education. Because the HBA pays an 80% commission on both the tool and the training, you earn nearly 3x more with the same amount of customers.
• The Math: In this business, we want the most "bang for our buck." Referring 10 people to a community that helps them grow is much easier than convincing 27 people to pay for a corporate software suite.

Conclusion: Corporate Bloat vs. Scrappy Profit

Paying for Kajabi when you’re starting out is like renting a penthouse apartment when you only need a high-end command center. It looks fancy, but it drains the resources you need to actually win the war. HBA gives you the same level tools for $124 less every single month.

The choice between Kajabi and the HBA Funnel Builder isn't a technical debate—it’s a strategic one.

Kajabi is built for the "High-Rise" business: those with massive teams, deep pockets, and a need for every bell and whistle under the sun. But if you’re building your own empire from the ground up—if you’re an author, a digital marketer, or an entrepreneur who values ROI over "Status"—then the choice is clear.

The Verdict:

• Keep Your Profits: Why pay a "growth tax" to a software giant when you can reinvest that $124/month back into your own traffic, SEO, or even your hobbies?
• Build with Speed: Don't let a "bloated" platform slow down your momentum. The HBA Builder is the precision tool you need to get your funnels live and your products sold.
• Earn Like an Owner: With an 80% commission structure, HBA treats you like a partner, not just a "user ID."

The Bottom Line:

You don't need a $150/month "penthouse" to run a professional business. You need a fast, reliable, and cost-effective command center.

If you’re tired of the "All-in-One" trap and ready to start building on a foundation of pure profit, it’s time to make the switch.

Click here to learn more about the HBA Funnel Builder for yourself!

Let’s stop paying for software and start building a business.