The Truth about Kartra Pricing vs the Competition – Everything You need to know

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December 19  

Kartra is a powerful online marketing suite of products that allow you create an entire business model end-to-end on a single platform. But there tends to be a problem with these all-in-one elixirs of life: they cost an arm and a leg or they just don’t work well.

Kartra’s pricing plan is extremely reasonable and offers complete functionality for a growing business. You can start with only $1, and pricing ranges between $79 per month and $500 per month depending on your needs. It is a very compelling offer for beginning entrepreneurs and people who want a simpler way to work.

In this post I am going to uncover everything you need to know to decide if Kartra is the right tool for you.

We will compare Kartra’s pricing with the other big players in the industry so you’ll know the best alternatives available. I’ll also share tips on how to optimize your cost so you pay as little as possible for your business.

And if you stick around till the end, I’ll also make you an incredible offer at the end if you’d like to sign up using my affiliate link!

Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links which means if you purchase a product from my recommendation I may receive a small commission as a thank you. This comes at NO ADDITIONAL COST to you, and helps me continue to bring valuable content to you every single week. I also include special bonuses for my supporters that you will learn about in this post. Thanks in advance for your support!

With that said, let’s unpack our toolbox together!

Kartra Review – is this tool worth considering?

In short – 100% Kartra is a platform that is easy to use, feature rich, and provides a one-stop solution for anyone in the following niches:

  • Coaches
  • Consultants
  • Service Providers
  • Infopreneurs
  • SaaS companies
  • JV Partners
  • Affiliate Marketers
  • And more

I go into amazing depth in my full Kartra Review – be sure to check that out as well!

Whether you are just getting started, or you already have an online business but you’re looking to make a change to improve your performance, save more time, or save money, Kartra is a worthy competitor (which is why I’m writing this article, duh!)

What are Kartra’s Pricing Plans

Kartra has several pricing plan options depending on your needs that allow any entrepreneur to get started at an affordable pricing, and allows you to scale up as your business grows and succeeds.

It also has some unique features for service providers who want to turn their Kartra membership into a powerful agency platform.

Let’s cover those options right now.

Kartra Monthly Plans

Kartra has 4 main pricing tiers for their monthly plans from Starter to Platinum.

Each pricing tier has its own set of limits for different parts of your business. You can see the main differences in the image above.

There are a few main points to keep in mind when picking your pricing plan:

#1 – You can always upgrade your plan when you show success. There is no shame in starting with the… starter plan. I think that’s where it gets its name! Yes, there are several limits to the plan, like:

  • Only 2,500 leads (you will fill this up pretty quickly)
  • Only 1 custom domain – this means you can only really have one brand at a time (but more can be added a la carte – covered later in the article!)
  • Limits on pages, products, etc
  • No access to the agency package (this is a big one, but we will cover it later)

These limits, while they seem crippling in the beginning, it’s important not to put the cart in front of the horse. If you are just starting out and don’t have the budget for an annual plan, I think the starter plan is a fine place to start.

#2 – The Number of Leads will drive your pricing selection. In general, the number of “leads” or contacts in your database will be the most likely driver of your plan selection.

If you are starting out from scratch, you won’t have a big database of customers. But as your ads start working and people start signing up, you’ll want to be aware of your limits as they will quickly bump you to a higher tier.

It will also be important to clean your list periodically, which will keep your cost down and your list quality high.

#3 – In general, I think the Silver Plan is right for most people. This is that happy sweet spot plan that every software has. It’s a great plan because:

  • It gives you a nice bump in contacts allowed from 2,500 to 12,500 which is a good number to work with
  • It removes the limits on pages, products, memberships, etc that are allowed so you can create like you just don’t care!
  • It is the cheapest plan that allows the Agency feature (this is a big deal)

Beginners will find Kartra’s pricing very reasonable and will allow you to get started quickly. But those who can afford an annual plan can save hundreds of dollars over time.

Kartra Annual Plans

Kartra also offers annual plans which have the same exact limits and features of the monthly plans, but allow you to pay a bigger chunk up front and get an annual discount of up to 25%.

Here’s how it basically works out:

  • Starter: $99 monthly or $79 annually – a 20% Savings
  • Silver: $199 monthly or $149/month annually – a 25% Savings
  • Gold: $299 monthly or $229/month annually – a 23% Savings
  • Platinum: $499 monthly or $379/month annually – a 24% Savings

So not only is the silver plan the lowest price point that removes the main limitations, it’s also the best value at the annual level (for the geeks who want to optimize that last 1% – I got your back!)

The Best Pricing Option for you: Monthly Plans or Annual Plans?

Here’s the deal – if you are just getting started from scratch, I think the monthly starter plan is a great place to start. Until you have a list that is above 2,500 mark, you might be throwing money away.

But to every rule there’s an exception:

  • If you already know you want to start an agency and create marketing funnels for other businesses, you’re going to want the Silver Plan to unlock that feature.
  • If you are someone who tends to have shiny-object syndrome and you need help focusing, the annual plans are great psychologically because you can commit your energy to one tool and see it through. It’s the same reason annual memberships at gyms work so well!

Of course if you already have an existing list, you’ll want to select the plan that fits your current business size and needs. In this case I think the annual plans are a slam dunk for the savings and the simplicity.

The $1 Trial

Still on the fence? If you hang around long enough on the Kartra pricing page, you can unlock a somewhat hidden $1 14 day trial of any plan you’d like.

This is enough time to build out an entire marketing campaign and even pay for your year’s membership if you put forth the effort.

For those who like to try before they buy, this is an obvious winner.

And with my bulletproof bonus for Kartra, you’ll have everything you need to take that $1 trial and pay for several years worth of membership from your profits!

BONUS: Kartra Agency – This is Important!

Kartra’s Agency program is a great way to build up recurring revenue with clients and become the “go-to” guy in your niche.

This feature is available for FREE with the Silver Plan and above.

Here’s how it works:

Leveraging the simplicity of Kartra, you can take on clients and service them directly from your account.

That means you don’t have to remember 30 passwords, or play the “login-logout” song and dance to keep tabs on your client account performance:

You’ll have an “at-a-glance” view of the most important stats on their account, and you can manage them in just a few clicks.

Because Kartra’s Campaign feature, you can now easily take on a new client and duplicate a successful funnel from a previous client, make a few tweaks & go live in a matter of minutes, not days! This is a great way to launch complex funnels without the mile long pre-launch checklist

The Kartra Agency model also allows you to offer very nice 40% discounts on all client accounts, which is essentially the same as their affiliate program terms – and makes you seem even more valuable to your clients!

The feature is fantastic for anyone who actually likes the process of building marketing funnels – it makes it a fantastic additional revenue stream to your existing business!

Kartra vs the Competition: Pricing Packages Compared

Now that we have a good understanding of Kartra’s pricing structure, let’s compare this platform with its most popular competitors in the space.

Because the tools below all vary in functionality, I’ll craft some tool stacks that provide similar functionality so we can have a more apples-to-apples comparison.

Kartra vs Clickfunnels

Clickfunnels and “sales funnels” go together like peanut butter and jelly – it’s the company that has done the most effective marketing to popularize the term.

So how does Clickfunnels compare with Kartra?

Clickfunnels currently has 2 plans:

Basic: $97 per month, and

Platinum: $297 per month

Clickfunnels pricing has taken a different direction than Kartra.

Kartra gives you access to ALL its features in ALL plans, and simply scales up your limits as you pay more.

Clickfunnels reserves many of its best features for its premium plan, including:

Kartra includes everything in their starter plan – even their complete training university (which is really quite good!)

And to match the power of Kartra, you’d also need to add to Clickfunnels:

So add about $100 additional per month to match the functionality of Kartra, and you’ll see why Kartra is a clear choice.

Oh and combine that with my exclusive bonus offer for new Kartra signups? Game changer.

Kartra vs Kajabi

Kajabi is another powerful all-in-one platform that boasts some very high-profile testimonials:

To create a fair comparison between Kajabi and Kartra, I will compare their growth plan, which includes their advanced automations and affiliate program feature set:

Their growth plan is $199 per month, and allows 1 website and 15 products to sell.

In general, I think Kajabi and Kartra have a similar quality of build, and deciding between the two will largely be personal preference. Kajabi is still ahead of Kartra in certain areas like their online course experience.

The main reasons I prefer Kartra is for their more powerful marketing features and analytics.

For example, I love how easy A/B testing is with Kartra, as well as how much analytical power you get from the built-in Kartra video hosting.

Kartra vs Builderall

Builderall is a newer player in the digital marketing space, and based on viewer suggestion I tested it for a bit…

I’ll be kind and simply recommend you avoid this platform.

It attempts to be the siren luring your into the rocks of its tangled mess of a platform. It has tons of tools that WOULD be great if they worked properly…

I won’t cover this any more, but between Kartra and Builderall… choose Kartra.

Kartra vs Thrive Themes

This is where things really get interesting. Thrive themes is best set of marketing tools available for WordPress users, and the lines start to get really blurry between a blogging platform and a marketing platform when you master these tools.

With Thrive Themes you can:

If you plan to make blogging a key part of your content marketing strategy, I think Thrive Themes could be one of the best solutions available to you.

But for a direct comparison with Kartra, there are a few things missing:

In general, Thrive is a fantastic toolset to use, but Kartra has the advantage especially if you plan on creating funnels for clients (or just creating a lot of funnels fast in general).

I can definitely recommend both tools depending on your specific use.

Common Questions about Kartra’s Pricing

So now that you have a good understanding of the competitive landscape in the online marketing space, let’s answer some commonly asked questions about Kartra and their pricing model.

How do I lower my Pricing Plan in Kartra?

At any time you can adjust your plan settings to upgrade or downgrade your account to a more appropriate tier.

To do this quickly and easily, simply navigate to your billing and account area, and you can select the Upgrade or Downgrade option for any of your plans.

You can also get important information about how you are using your account to make smarter decisions as well, which I’ll cover next.

What happens if my list gets too big?

If your email list crosses over the threshold to the next pricing tier, Kartra will automatically upgrade your subscription level. That’s great to prevent any downtime in your account, but it also means you’ll be paying more when your next bill shows up.

So how do you avoid overages on Kartra Leads?

The easiest way to avoid getting bumped up to a higher tier on Kartra is to manage your list effectively by cleaning it regularly and only accepting high quality leads.

There are 2 ways I like to clean my lists:

The Manual Way. This one is pretty simple – I can see inside Kartra which of my contacts tend to never open emails or click on offers.

If they have been inactive for several months, it’s pretty obvious that they are wasting space on my list. boom – gone!

The Automatic Way. Using advanced features inside the Kartra Communications Feature like lead scoring and sequences, I can tag and organize my contacts automatically based on the actions they take.

The goal of my Kartra email list is not to build up a huge, low quality list. It’s to create an optimized funnel for selling effectively! So once people have reached the end of my funnel and haven’t taken any of the actions I want, it’s smarter for me to delete them and move on then attempt to beg them to get re-engaged.

Cleaning your list:

  • reduces cost by keeping your on cheaper plans
  • Improves deliverability of your emails because a low open rate can damage your marketing reputation over time
  • Provides more predictability in income. If you know the only people on your list are the ones that are likely to convert, then you’ll get a better idea of future income expectations.

Don’t be one of those people who tout a huge list size (compensating much?)

I’ll take an engaged list of 10,000 fresh hot leads over a 200,000 person cold email list anyday.

How much video hosting can I do in Kartra?

When people see that Kartra does video hosting they jump for joy and start uploading 4K video footage for all their membership videos, support FAQ videos, and everything else they could possible use video for.

Then they wonder why their bill is more than they planned for at the end of the cycle…

Youtube has spoiled our understanding of video content.

The bandwidth to properly host videos is not cheap, and Kartra will pass the cost on to you if you go over the limits.

The Starter Plan gives you 50GB of bandwidth per month, and the Silver bumps you up to 125GB of bandwidth.

These are not huge amounts, so you will need to take a few precautions to avoid overages:

#1 – Optimize your videos before you upload.

Using a free tool called Handbrake you can take your raw video footage and quickly compress it down to a small fraction of its original size. While we are used to Youtube and Vimeo just handling anything we throw at it, it’s an additional step you’ll do well to remember when working in Kartra.

You might also consider shooting your videos in a lower resolution depending on your need. For example, if you are sharing a VSL of a white powerpoint slide deck… does it really need to be 4K resolution? A lot of my screenshare videos are done in 720p and you can barely recognize the quality difference.

#2 – Know when to use and when not to use Kartra video hosting

The main power of Kartra’s video hosting platform is the integrated video analytics:

Kartra Video Analytics allow you to see how many times a video is played, when people are dropping off, and more to help you optimize your marketing video content.

This is great for Webinars, VSLs, Opt in videos, and more that help you make more sales.

But those analytics aren’t nearly as useful for your hours of membership content that you deliver after you make the sale.

So to reduce your cost, I recommend you only use Kartra video hosting for those goal-oriented videos, and use other video hosting providers for your member content.

If you do go over the bandwidth limits, you’ll be charged an additional $0.19 per GB of bandwidth used. Get Optimizing!

further reading for video marketing

How many Emails can I send with Kartra?

Kartra allows you to send 15,000 emails per month on their starter plan, and 125,000 emails per month on their silver plan.

This should be plenty of capacity for most average use cases, like weekly newsletters, an onboarding sequence, and several notification emails along the way.

However, there are some people who want to send multiple emails per day, and that may cause some problems.

When you exceed your send limit, you’ll get hit with a $0.99 per 1,000 email overage fee. This isn’t too bad of a price to pay, but if you are a high-frequency emailer, there is a better way:

Using integrations like Elastic Email or Mailgun, you can unlock much cheaper sending capacity (and even unlimited sending) for around $15-30 per month.

Send away!

We get it, you’re a hustler! That’s awesome, and with Kartra you can support as many brands as you’d like, but with a caveat:

On the silver plan you can have 3 domains linked at any time, but you can also purchase additional domains for $10.

What I’d advise you do though is weigh the pros and cons of simply opening another account as a Kartra Agency owner. The cost is significantly reduced, and now you don’t have to worry about keeping all your businesses and brands separated.

If they are extremely related businesses then you should be find using the 3 domain limit on the silver plan.

My Kartra Bonus

Still on the fence about whether Kartra is the right platform for you?

I’ve got just the thing to help you take action.

I’ve put together a ridiculously good offer to help you be successful with Kartra – it’s got valuable trainings that aren’t taught anywhere else – as well as direct access to me to help you get up to speed.

Total value is close to $5,000 – learn more about it here!

Conclusion

Today you’ve just learned some of the major benefits of Kartra’s pricing model compared to the rest of the competition.

What do you think? Are you ready to build up your online business using this powerful and integrated solution? Let me know in the comments below!

recommended reading:

About the Author

John Whitford is an entrepreneur who has built over 12 profitable online blogs and businesses. He's also the founder of Unbeatable Tech, a data-driven digital marketing company that specializes in sales funnel implementation for both his own businesses and clients alike. John loves to be a beach bum while brainstorming new ideas for marketing strategies, but he's always excited to take on another project!

John

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