Comparisons
Systeme.io vs Kartra: which all-in-one funnel builder fits you?
Both promise funnels, email, courses and checkout in one login. One starts free; the other starts at $59 a month. Here is what the extra money does and does not buy.
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Systeme.io and Kartra are both all-in-one platforms for people who sell online: funnels, email marketing, courses or memberships, checkout and an affiliate program in one account. If you are tired of stitching five tools together, they are natural rivals. The big difference is how you pay for them, and that difference decides which one makes sense at your stage.
Short answer: if you are starting out, have a list under a few thousand people, or want to test an offer without a monthly bill, choose Systeme.io. Its free plan is a real working plan, and its paid plans cost less at every contact level. Kartra is worth a look if you specifically want its built-in helpdesk, surveys and quizzes, video hosting with marketing features or texting from the same account, and you are comfortable with a higher monthly price. All prices below come from each vendor's own pricing page, checked November 2, 2026.
Prices at a glance
| Plan level | Systeme.io | Kartra (monthly) | Kartra (billed yearly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free: $0, no card | Essentials: $59/month | $52/month |
| Next | Startup: $17/month | Starter: $119/month | $99/month |
| Next | Webinar: $47/month | Growth: $229/month | $189/month |
| Top listed | Unlimited: $97/month | Professional: $549/month | $429/month |
| Trial / guarantee | Free plan never expires | 14-day free trial offer; 30-day money-back guarantee | Same |
Systeme.io's annual billing gives "2 months free," per its pricing page. Kartra says yearly billing saves "up to 22%" and currently advertises a 14-day free trial on any plan, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee (Kartra pricing).
Contacts and plan limits
Both platforms price mainly by how many contacts you have, so this is the table that decides your bill.
| Systeme.io | Kartra | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan contacts | 2,000 (Free) | 500 (Essentials) |
| Second plan | 5,000 (Startup, $17) | 2,500 (Starter, $119) |
| Third plan | 10,000 (Webinar, $47) | 12,500 (Growth, $229) |
| Top listed plan | Unlimited ($97) | 25,000 (Professional, $549) |
| Custom domains | 1 on Free; more on paid plans | 1 on Essentials and Starter, 3 on Growth, 5 on Professional |
Systeme.io's limits are from its plan FAQ: Free has 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 course, 1 blog and 1 custom domain; Startup has 5,000 contacts, 10 funnels and 5 courses; Webinar has 10,000 contacts, 50 funnels and 20 courses plus evergreen webinars; Unlimited removes the caps (pricing).
Kartra's Essentials plan also limits you to 5 pages, 1 product and 1 membership or course; Starter opens up unlimited pages, products, memberships and courses (Kartra pricing).
What happens when you outgrow a plan matters too. Kartra's FAQ says that if you pass your plan's lead limit, you are automatically upgraded to the next tier and charged a mid-cycle reconciliation fee. Systeme.io's help center says exceeding your plan's limits may lead to an automatic upgrade or a restricted account (help center). Either way, watch your contact count and clean out cold contacts before you hit the line.
Transaction fees and checkout
This is the detail people miss on Kartra's cheapest plan.
- Systeme.io: 0% transaction fees on every plan, including Free, with Stripe, PayPal and other processors (pricing). The Free plan has one catch: a $10,000 lifetime sales limit, with a warning banner at $8,000, after which payment pages stop taking new sales until you upgrade (help center).
- Kartra: the Essentials plan charges 5% transaction fees on your sales. Starter and above list 0% transaction fees (Kartra pricing).
Your payment processor charges its own fee on top with either platform; Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful card charge (Stripe).
Example only: if you sell $2,000 of products in a month on Kartra Essentials, the 5% fee is $100, on top of the $59 plan. On Systeme.io's Startup plan, the same month costs $17 in plan fees and no platform transaction fee. Processor fees apply to both.
Email and texting
Systeme.io includes unlimited email sends on every plan, Free included. Texting is possible from its automations through your own Twilio account, which you pay directly, with no Systeme.io markup (SMS page).
Kartra lists 10,000 emails and text messages a month on Essentials and unlimited email and SMS from Starter up (Kartra pricing). If texting from the same account matters to you and you will be on Starter or higher anyway, that is a genuine point in Kartra's favor.
Funnels, automations and the rest of the toolkit
Both have drag-and-drop page builders, templates and multi-step funnels. Systeme.io's features page lists A/B split testing, one-click upsells, order bumps and countdown timers, and those tools are available on the free plan, limited by funnel count (features).
Where they differ:
- Automations. Systeme.io's automations work on a trigger, condition and action basis across funnels, email, courses and sales. Free allows 1 automation rule and 1 workflow; paid plans raise the limits and Unlimited removes the cap. Kartra lists automations (automatic tagging and messages based on what leads do) among the features its Growth plan adds.
- Affiliate program. Systeme.io includes a way to run your own affiliate program on every plan, Free included. On Kartra, affiliate management is listed as a Growth-plan feature.
- Helpdesk, surveys and video. Kartra lists a helpdesk (Growth), live chat (Professional), surveys and quizzes (Growth) and video hosting (Starter) as built-in tools. Systeme.io does not list those in the same way; you would use outside tools.
- Webinars. Systeme.io's Webinar plan ($47) adds evergreen webinars (automated webinars). Kartra lists webinars as part of its Starter plan.
- Team members. Kartra lists 5 team members on Starter and 10 on Growth.
For most solo creators and small businesses selling a course, coaching or digital products, Systeme.io's toolkit covers the funnel itself. Kartra's extras earn their price when you need the helpdesk and video features in the same place as your funnels.
Cost over the first year
Simple list-price arithmetic, before taxes and processor fees:
| List size | Systeme.io plan and yearly cost | Kartra plan and yearly cost (billed yearly) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 500 | Free: $0 | Essentials: $52 x 12 = $624, plus 5% of sales |
| 2,000 | Free: $0 | Starter: $99 x 12 = $1,188 |
| 5,000 | Startup: $17 x 12 = $204 (less with annual billing) | Growth: $189 x 12 = $2,268 |
| 10,000 | Webinar: $47 x 12 = $564 (less with annual billing) | Growth: $189 x 12 = $2,268 |
The gap is wide at every list size. It only narrows if Kartra replaces other paid tools you would otherwise keep, such as a helpdesk, a video host and a separate texting service.
Which should you choose?
Choose Systeme.io if:
- You want to start free and pay only as your list grows.
- You sell courses, coaching, digital products or affiliate offers and need funnels plus unlimited email.
- You want your own affiliate program without upgrading.
Choose Kartra if:
- You need a built-in helpdesk, surveys or quizzes and video hosting next to your funnels.
- You want texting from the same account without a separate provider.
- Your budget comfortably covers $99 to $189 a month or more, and you will avoid the 5% fee on Essentials.
Still deciding? Our best free funnel builders page compares six options side by side, Systeme.io vs ClickFunnels covers the other popular paid rival, and Systeme.io pricing explained breaks down every Systeme.io limit.
How to switch from Kartra to Systeme.io
If you are already on Kartra and the bill is the problem:
- Export your contacts with their tags so you can rebuild segments.
- List every live funnel, email sequence and product, with prices and access rules.
- Rebuild your most important funnel first, usually the one that brings in leads, and test the whole path including the thank-you page and first email. Our lead magnet funnel guide is a good template.
- Move courses and members and tell members how to log in to the new site.
- Switch payment links last, then cancel the old plan after a full billing cycle without problems.
Systeme.io lists free migration among its perks on the pricing page, so ask its support before you rebuild everything by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is Systeme.io cheaper than Kartra?
Yes, at every list size we checked. Systeme.io has a free plan and paid plans from $17 a month; Kartra starts at $59 a month ($52 billed yearly), and its entry plan adds a 5% transaction fee on sales.
Does Kartra have a free plan?
No. Kartra currently advertises a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but every ongoing plan is paid.
Does Systeme.io charge transaction fees?
No. Systeme.io lists 0% transaction fees on every plan. Free accounts have a $10,000 lifetime sales limit, after which you need a paid plan to keep selling. Your payment processor still charges its own fees.
Can I send text messages with Systeme.io?
Yes, through your own Twilio account connected to Systeme.io's automations. You pay Twilio directly. Kartra includes texting in its plans.
Which is better for selling an online course?
For most new course creators, Systeme.io, because the free plan includes a course, unlimited email and checkout with no platform fee. Kartra makes sense if you also want its helpdesk, video and quiz tools in one place.
Sources
- Systeme.io pricing and plan FAQ
- Systeme.io help: how plans work and the free plan sales limit
- Systeme.io features
- Systeme.io SMS marketing
- Systeme.io automated webinars
- Kartra plans and pricing (limits, fees, FAQ)
- Stripe pricing
Prices, plan limits and rules were checked on October 27, 2026. Vendors change plans often; confirm on their sites before buying.