Passion.io Pricing: Worth It or Consider Kajabi? May 2026

If you’ve ever sat down with Passion.io’s pricing page, calculating whether the $119/month Launch plan’s 25 paying customer cap will work or if you need the $299/month Scale plan, then factoring in a 2.7–3.9% platform fee on top of Stripe processing, then realizing that an actual App Store listing requires the $699/month Expand plan, you know that mobile app builder pricing can feel like a word problem where every answer reveals a new variable.

Passion.io calls itself “The #1 App Builder for Creators & Coaches”, and it lets creators publish branded native mobile apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play without writing code. With 15,000+ apps launched and 2M+ paying app users, the platform has proven that creators can build real mobile businesses.

But as you dig into the pricing, the cost of owning a native app grows more complex than the headline plans suggest, with platform transaction fees, per-customer overage charges, and the most valuable feature (App Store listing) locked behind the highest self-serve tier.

We’ve analyzed Passion.io’s pricing tiers, platform fees, and hidden costs. It’s a good choice if:

• You specifically need a native iOS/Android app with App Store presence
• Push notifications and offline content access are central to your engagement strategy
• Your audience consumes content on mobile devices, often in low-connectivity environments
• You have an established following ready to pay for a subscription app
• You value app store distribution as a discovery and credibility channel

Passion.io’s pricing is not a good choice if:

• You want a platform that includes email marketing, website, and sales funnels
• You prefer zero transaction fees on your revenue regardless of plan tier
• You need predictable monthly costs without per-customer overage charges
• Your business model requires marketing automation and audience nurturing
• You want a branded mobile app without paying $699/month

In that case, consider Kajabi: a creator platform that bundles courses, coaching, community, email marketing, website building, sales funnels, and payments into a single subscription with zero transaction fees, and includes a branded mobile app on its Pro plan without charging a platform fee on every dollar you earn.

We’ve included a detailed pricing comparison with Kajabi in this review as the best choice for creators seeking a complete business platform without layered fees. If you’re eager to jump into the Kajabi pricing breakdown, go ahead and do so with this link.

Passion.io Pricing Summary

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Passion.io Pricing: In-Depth Overview

Passion.io uses a subscription-plus-transaction-fee model across four tiers: Launch, Scale, Expand, and the managed Passion Plus service.

Each self-serve plan charges a fixed monthly price plus a percentage-based “PassionPayment” fee on every transaction. The platform also enforces hard caps on total users and paying customers on its lower tiers, with $1.99 overage charges per additional paying customer. Beyond base subscriptions, creators face Apple Developer ($99/year) and Google Play ($25 one-time) fees for app store distribution.

Here’s what each tier actually costs.

Passion.io Launch Plan: $119/month or $99/month annually

The Launch plan is the entry point for creators testing the platform, though at $119/month it’s hardly a low-risk experiment.

The real limitation isn’t the monthly price but the combination of a 25 paying customer cap and a 3.9% platform fee on every dollar earned. A creator generating $5,000/month from 25 subscribers pays $119 in subscription plus $195 in platform fees plus Stripe processing, bringing the actual monthly cost to roughly $460.

More importantly, the Launch plan does not include an App Store listing for iOS or Android, which is the platform’s primary selling point.

The Bottom Line 👉 Launch lets you build and test content in a web app, but without an App Store listing, you’re paying $119/month for something that doesn’t deliver the platform’s core promise: a native mobile app.

Passion.io Scale Plan: $299/month or $239/month annually

Scale increases capacity and removes Passion.io branding, but still lacks an App Store listing at $299/month.

The 100 paying customer cap means a creator with a $49/month subscription app hits the ceiling quickly. Exceeding it costs $1.99 per additional customer, and the 2.7% platform fee applies to every transaction. A creator earning $10,000/month from 150 paying customers pays $299 subscription + $99.50 in overage ($1.99 x 50 extra customers) + $270 platform fee + Stripe processing.

The Bottom Line 👉 Scale works for creators building their content library and community, but no App Store distribution at nearly $300/month raises the question of what you’re paying for.

Passion.io Expand Plan: $699/month or $599/month annually

Expand is where Passion.io delivers on its promise. App Store listing for iOS and Android, Apple Pay, Google Pay, offline sync, video calls, and a dedicated onboarding mentor all arrive at this tier.

With unlimited users and no overage charges, the economics get simpler. But $699/month (or $599 annually) plus a 2.0% platform fee is a large fixed cost. A creator earning $20,000/month pays $699 subscription + $400 platform fee + Stripe processing, totaling roughly $1,680/month before Apple’s $99/year developer fee.

The Bottom Line 👉 Expand delivers the native app experience that justifies choosing Passion.io, but the price tag means you need consistent revenue to make the math work.

Passion.io Passion Plus: Custom Pricing (Application Required)

Passion Plus is the managed service for creators who want a professionally built app without touching the builder themselves.

It includes content migration from platforms like Teachable or Kajabi, a dedicated Success Manager, a Growth Coach, custom analytics, and ongoing app maintenance. The 1.9% platform fee is the lowest available. All Passion Plus payments are final and non-refundable.

The Bottom Line 👉 Passion Plus suits established creators who want to save time on the build, but the non-refundable commitment and likely five-figure cost demand confidence in the mobile app model.

Passion.io Hidden Costs and Additional Fees

Beyond base subscriptions, the full cost of running a Passion.io app includes several additional charges:

Platform Transaction Fees (on every sale):

• Launch: 3.9% + standard Stripe processing
• Scale: 2.7% + standard Stripe processing
• Expand: 2.0% + standard Stripe processing
• Passion Plus: 1.9% + standard Stripe processing

App Store Developer Fees (required for Expand+ to list apps):

• Apple App Store: $99/year
• Google Play Store: $25 one-time

Overage Charges (Launch and Scale plans):

• $1.99 per paying customer beyond plan allowance (25 on Launch, 100 on Scale)

In-App Purchase Commissions (if using native IAP instead of PassionPayments):

• 15% for revenue under $1M/year (Apple/Google Small Business Program)
• 30% for revenue above $1M/year

Source: Passion.io

Not Included in Any Plan:

• Email marketing (requires external tool + Zapier)
• Website or landing page builder (limited to Passion Funnels)
• Sales funnel automation beyond basic drip
• Native CRM or contact management

Where Passion.io Falls Short

Passion.io delivers on its promise of native mobile app publishing for creators, but its specialization creates gaps for anyone running a full knowledge business:

App Store Listing Locked Behind $699/month

• The platform’s value proposition is native mobile apps, yet App Store distribution requires the Expand plan at $699/month
• Launch ($119/mo) and Scale ($299/mo) produce only a Progressive Web App, which is functionally similar to what any course platform offers
• Creators paying $119–$299/month without an App Store listing are paying a premium for what amounts to a web-based course platform

Transaction Fees Compound the Subscription Cost

• Every plan charges a platform fee (1.9–3.9%) on top of Stripe’s standard processing fees
• A creator earning $15,000/month on the Scale plan pays roughly $405 in platform fees alone, before the $299 subscription
• This double-layer cost structure penalizes growth, unlike platforms that charge zero transaction fees

Per-Customer Overage Charges Create Budget Uncertainty

• Launch caps at 25 paying customers; Scale caps at 100
• Each additional paying customer costs $1.99 with no volume discount
• A Scale plan creator with 200 paying customers pays an extra $199/month in overage charges alone, nearly doubling their subscription cost

No Built-In Marketing or Email Tools

• Passion.io has no native email marketing, CRM, or marketing automation
• Creators must buy and integrate separate tools (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign) via Zapier
• This fragments the business, adds monthly costs, and creates the multi-tool complexity that all-in-one platforms exist to eliminate

Limited Content Format Flexibility

• The platform is primarily video-centric, making it less suitable for text-based educators, audio-first creators, or coaches who rely on written materials
• No native podcast hosting or newsletter publishing
• Content types are narrower than platforms offering courses, downloads, podcasts, and newsletters as first-class products

These limitations have led many creators to ask whether a full business platform with an integrated mobile app delivers better total value than an app builder that requires external tools for everything else.

Best Passion.io Alternative – Kajabi

Kajabi approaches the same problem from the opposite direction: instead of building a mobile app and leaving creators to sort out marketing, payments, and audience growth on their own, it provides the entire business infrastructure in one platform.

For creators who find Passion.io’s layered pricing confusing, the absence of email marketing limiting, and the $699/month threshold for an App Store listing too high, Kajabi offers a different model. Courses, coaching, community, email automation, website, sales funnels, and payments all live under one login with zero transaction fees on any plan.

Kajabi has powered over $10 billion in creator revenue across 100,000+ businesses.

Its strength is consolidation: instead of buying a mobile app builder plus an email platform plus a website builder plus a funnel tool, creators get one system for their entire business. A branded mobile app is included on the Pro plan, published under the creator’s own name in the App Store without additional per-transaction fees.

Kajabi works well for experts who want to run their entire business from one dashboard, creators who value zero transaction fees as revenue grows, and anyone building a knowledge business that needs marketing automation alongside content delivery.

⭐ Get instant access to Kajabi with an extended 30-day free trial — double the standard trial length. Build your website, courses, funnels, and email marketing risk-free with this exclusive offer.

Kajabi Basic Plan: $179/month or $143/month annually

Kajabi Basic costs slightly more than Passion.io Launch but delivers a different scope. You get a full website, unlimited email marketing, unlimited landing pages and funnels, a community, and five products (courses, coaching, downloads, podcasts) with zero transaction fees on all revenue.

Where Passion.io Launch gives you a web app with 25 paying customers and a 3.9% fee on every sale, Kajabi Basic gives you a complete business platform with 2,500 contacts and no revenue sharing.

The Bottom Line 👉 Kajabi Basic provides the business infrastructure that Passion.io doesn’t include at any tier, making it a fit for creators who need marketing and delivery in one place.

Kajabi Growth Plan: $249/month or $199/month annually

The Growth plan removes meaningful limits for established creators. With 50 products, 25,000 contacts, and automations with conditional branching, it handles marketing sequences that Passion.io requires external tools to replicate.

The built-in affiliate program with automated PayPal payouts, webhooks for custom integrations, and the Universal Inbox that consolidates audience messages give creators solid infrastructure at $199/month annually.

The Bottom Line 👉 Growth handles everything a scaling creator needs except a mobile app, at a price lower than Passion.io’s Scale plan (which also lacks an App Store listing).

Kajabi Pro Plan: $499/month or $399/month annually

The Pro plan is where Kajabi competes directly with Passion.io’s mobile app offering. The branded mobile app is published to the App Store and Google Play under the creator’s own brand name and supports courses, coaching, podcasts, community, and push notifications.

At $399/month annually (vs. Passion.io Expand at $599/month annually), Kajabi Pro delivers the mobile app plus unlimited products, 100,000 contacts, a full website, email marketing, advanced automations, and zero transaction fees.

The Bottom Line 👉 Pro delivers Passion.io’s core value (branded App Store app) plus a complete business platform for $200/month less than Passion.io Expand, with zero transaction fees instead of 2.0%.

Justin Welsh moved from a multi-tool stack to Kajabi and has earned over $10M on the platform. He describes the shift: “I moved over to Kajabi and had all that stuff under one roof, which was a blessing for my business.” (Kajabi Product Page)

Passion.io Feature Value Breakdown (vs Kajabi)

Mobile App Experience

Passion.io’s Approach: Passion.io is built around native mobile app delivery. The platform publishes iOS and Android apps to the App Store under the creator’s brand, with offline sync, native push notifications, and home-screen presence.

Content lives inside a dedicated app environment, free from browser distractions. The builder is designed for mobile, with templates, widgets, and navigation built for phone-first use.

Kajabi’s Approach: Kajabi includes a branded mobile app on the Pro plan ($399/month annual) published in the App Store under the creator’s brand name. It supports courses, coaching, podcasts, community, and segmented push notifications. It’s an extension of the web platform rather than a mobile-first build, so the experience is less customizable than Passion.io’s dedicated app builder.

Source: Kajabi

🪙 Value Verdict: Passion.io is better for creators whose audience consumes content exclusively on mobile and who need app customization, offline downloads, and a mobile-first design. Kajabi is better for creators who want a mobile app as part of a complete business platform without paying separately for it.

Pricing Model and Total Cost

Passion.io’s Approach: Every Passion.io plan layers a platform transaction fee (1.9–3.9%) on top of the monthly subscription, plus standard Stripe processing fees. Lower tiers cap paying customers at 25–100, with $1.99 overage per extra customer. The feature most buyers want (App Store listing) requires the $699/month Expand plan. Total cost scales with revenue, not just usage.

Kajabi’s Approach: Kajabi charges a flat monthly fee with zero transaction fees on any plan. No revenue sharing, no per-customer overage charges, no platform percentage. Payment processing fees come only from the chosen gateway (2.9% + $0.30 via Kajabi Payments for US transactions). Whether you earn $1,000 or $100,000/month, the platform cost stays fixed.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kajabi is better for predictable costs and revenue retention. A creator earning $20,000/month saves roughly $400/month in platform fees alone compared to Passion.io Expand, and avoids the complexity of layered charges.

Marketing and Audience Growth

Passion.io’s Approach: Passion.io includes no native email marketing, CRM, or marketing automation. Creators rely on push notifications for re-engagement and must buy external tools (connected via Zapier) for email sequences, lead capture, and nurture campaigns. Passion Funnels provides basic landing pages, but anything beyond that requires third-party subscriptions.

Source: Passion.io

Kajabi’s Approach: Kajabi includes unlimited marketing emails, funnels, landing pages, and automations on every plan. The marketing system supports broadcasts, email sequences, A/B testing, behavioral segmentation, conditional automations, webinar funnels, and a custom email domain.

Source: Kajabi

All marketing activity shares the same data layer as products and payments, so automations work across the full customer journey without third-party connectors.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kajabi is better for creators who need to build, nurture, and convert an audience. The integrated marketing tools eliminate the need for a separate email platform, saving both money and the hassle of syncing multiple tools.

Content Delivery and Product Types

Passion.io’s Approach: Passion.io supports on-demand video, interactive courses with quizzes, communities, drip scheduling, and embedded scheduling (Calendly). Content delivery is mobile-first with offline sync and TV casting. But the platform is video-centric with limited support for audio-only, text-based, or downloadable products. No podcast hosting or newsletter publishing.

Source: Passion.io

Kajabi’s Approach: Kajabi supports six product types: courses, coaching, communities, podcasts, newsletters, and downloads. Course delivery includes modules, quizzes, cohort-based programs, AI course generation, and video transcription/dubbing in 70+ languages.

Source: Kajabi

Coaching includes native scheduling, live video with breakout rooms, and client management. Podcasts support both public and private (paid) feeds distributed through Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

🪙 Value Verdict: Kajabi is better for creators offering diverse product types (courses plus coaching plus podcasts plus downloads). Passion.io is better for creators whose content is primarily video and delivered through a mobile app.

Final Verdict: Passion.io vs Kajabi

The choice between Passion.io and Kajabi depends on whether your business needs a dedicated mobile app or a complete business platform:

👍 Passion.io is a mobile app builder for creators who believe native app distribution drives engagement and recurring revenue. With plans from $119 to $699/month plus platform transaction fees, it lets coaches and content creators publish branded iOS and Android apps with push notifications, offline sync, and app store presence.

This mobile-first model works best for creators with an established audience ready to pay for an app subscription, fitness and wellness coaches whose clients watch video content during workouts or on the go, and anyone who views app store distribution as a primary growth channel rather than a delivery method.

Get started with Passion.io here.

👉 Kajabi is a business platform built on the principle that running a knowledge business shouldn’t require managing a stack of disconnected tools. By offering courses, coaching, community, email marketing, website, sales funnels, and payments in a single subscription from $143–$399/month with zero transaction fees, it eliminates both tool fragmentation and revenue sharing.

A branded mobile app is included on the Pro plan at $399/month annually, $200/month less than Passion.io’s comparable Expand tier. This makes it the stronger choice for creators who need marketing automation alongside delivery, experts who want to keep every dollar they earn without platform fees, and anyone building a multi-product knowledge business where the app is one channel among many rather than the entire product.

Get started with a 30-day free trial with Kajabi here.

The difference is scope. Passion.io asks “How can we give creators the best possible mobile app?” Kajabi asks “How can we give experts everything they need to run their business?” If your business is the app, Passion.io’s depth makes sense. If your business needs an app plus everything else, Kajabi delivers more for less.

Passion.io Pricing FAQ

Does Passion.io offer a free trial?

No. Passion.io offers no free trial or free plan. It provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time subscribers. You pay upfront and request a refund within 30 days if unsatisfied. Requesting a refund terminates your account immediately.

What does the Passion.io platform fee cover?

The platform fee (1.9–3.9% depending on your plan) is charged on every transaction processed through PassionPayments, on top of standard Stripe processing fees. A creator on the Launch plan pays 3.9% to Passion.io plus approximately 2.9% + $0.30 to Stripe on every sale, totaling roughly 6.8% + $0.30 per transaction before the monthly subscription.

Do I need the Expand plan to get my app in the App Store?

Yes. Only the Expand plan ($699/month or $599/month annually) and Passion Plus include iOS and Android App Store listing. The Launch and Scale plans produce a web-based Progressive Web App (PWA) only, which does not appear in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

How much does Passion.io really cost per month?

The real monthly cost depends on your revenue and plan. A creator on the Scale plan ($299/month) earning $10,000/month from 150 paying customers would pay approximately: $299 subscription + $99.50 in overage charges (50 extra customers at $1.99 each) + $270 platform fee (2.7%) + Stripe fees. Total: roughly $960/month before Stripe processing.

Can I use Passion.io without coding knowledge?

Yes. Passion.io is a no-code platform with drag-and-drop tools, pre-built templates, and lesson widgets for assembling content. The app store submission process for Apple and Google requires following specific guidelines and can take time for first-time publishers. The Expand plan includes a dedicated App Submissions Coach to help.

What does Kajabi include that Passion.io doesn’t?

Kajabi includes a full website builder, unlimited email marketing with automation, sales funnels, landing pages, a blog, an affiliate program, native coaching with scheduling and live video, podcast hosting, downloadable products, newsletters, and an AI business partner (Cofounder).

None of these are included in any Passion.io plan. Passion.io requires external tools (connected via Zapier) for email, websites, and marketing automation.

Which platform is cheaper for a branded mobile app?

Kajabi Pro at $399/month (annual billing) includes a branded mobile app listed in the App Store plus the full business platform with zero transaction fees. Passion.io Expand at $599/month (annual billing) includes the App Store listing with a 2.0% platform fee on all revenue. For most creators, Kajabi Pro delivers better total value unless you need Passion.io’s deeper app customization and offline sync.

Can I migrate from Passion.io to Kajabi or vice versa?

Passion Plus includes content migration from other platforms, including Kajabi. Moving from Passion.io to Kajabi requires manually recreating courses and uploading content, as there is no automated migration tool between the two. Both platforms support standard video, audio, and document file formats.