Made with Movement
How to migrate from Kajabi without losing members (2026 guide)
Monica McCormick
8 Minute Read
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I co-founded Movement (movement.so), and a meaningful share of our customers arrive from Kajabi. Which means I've watched a lot of migrations, both the smooth ones and the rushed ones. Here's the step-by-step guide I would share with every creator thinking about switching, plus my honest take on who shouldn't switch at all.
Key Takeaways:
Stripe subscriptions transfer without members re-entering card details; the scary part of migration is mostly handled - The actual work is content: Kajabi video doesn't export straight into anything, so libraries get re-uploaded (bulk imports help) - The migrations that go wrong are the rushed ones; run both platforms for 4-8 weeks - Frame the move as an upgrade for members, and if your business runs on email funnels, you might be better staying.
Why do people leave Kajabi?
Two reasons come up more than everything else combined: the price keeps increasing, and people are forcing Kajabi do things it wasn't built for.
Glenyce Hughes has run her online business for 22 years and has over a million podcast downloads. She was on Kajabi for years: "I was paying a premium and still trying to make it do things it wasn't actually built to do."
Her main fear wasn't the platform, it was switching and regretting it. She didn't want to be moving platforms again a year later. Since making the move, she told us: "My business feels lighter now. I'm not wrestling with tech. I'm not overpaying for features I don't use. I can build quickly, pivot quickly, and test ideas fast."
The "not built for it" frustration is strongest for anyone in fitness. Doc Lizzie, a doctor of physical therapy who creates programs for pregnant and postpartum women, launched on Kajabi and moved within a couple of months. She needed workouts and education together, in a real mobile app her members could use on the go. Mal of Proud Movement found his clients couldn't track their weights or progress. Kajabi is built for courses, and it does that well, but it isn't built for fitness.
And sometimes, the reason is more specific. Padmini, a yoga teacher in the Netherlands, found Kajabi too rigid for the way she teaches. As she put it, "many platforms are very focused on a school-like way of teaching." She also ran into a practical problem. Kajabi didn't support iDEAL, the most popular payment method in the Netherlands, so she was paying roughly €50 a month for a Zapier workaround just to accept payments from her members.
Will my members have to re-enter their payment details?
This is the worry that stops most people from moving, so let's start here. If your members pay through your own Stripe account connected to Kajabi, their subscriptions can move across without anyone re-entering their card details. We use each member's Stripe customer ID, subscription ID, next billing date and payment method to move their subscription, so their billing date stays exactly the same. The part that needs care is matching up your products and making sure each member has the right access. It's detail work, not a risk.
[For Kajabi businesses that process payments through their own Stripe account, member subscriptions can transfer to a new platform without customers re-entering card details. The main migration work lies in re-uploading content and communicating with members, not in billing (Movement migration experience, 2024-2026).]
The harder part of a migration is typically the content. Kajabi doesn't export videos in a format you can drop straight into another platform, so your library needs to be downloaded and re-uploaded. With a large library that takes some time, though usually less than people expect. We can bulk import video, audio and PDFs from Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube or Vimeo, including entire YouTube playlists at once.
The only new step for your members is logging in. Everyone creates a new password on your app, which is easy to manage with clear communication and a little time. And that brings us to the part people most often get wrong.
The Kajabi migration checklist
The thing that can cause issues with migrations is rushing. Here's the order that works, based on the creators whose moves went smoothly:
Build first, announce later. Get your new app to a point you're proud of before your members hear anything. Every smooth migration we've seen started this way. But don't over-invest or wait for perfect. You can always launch to a small beta group first, get feedback and keep improving.
Move your content. Bulk import what you can from Drive, Dropbox, YouTube playlists or spreadsheets, and only re-record what you were already unhappy with. Reach out directly to the Movement team via live chat if you have any questions on what can be imported and the fastest or easiest way to do so.
Export your contacts and email list. Alongside your content and subscriptions, your member emails are one of your most valuable assets, so get them out of Kajabi before you cancel anything.
Match your products and access. Map each Kajabi product to its new equivalent, and double-check who should have access to what.
Plan your domain and redirects. If your website or blog lives on Kajabi and has pages that rank in Google, decide where your domain will point on switchover day and set up redirects where you can. If some pages can't move, make that call knowingly rather than finding out later.
Run both platforms for 4 to 8 weeks. That gives members enough time to get set up, without paying for two platforms forever. Don't cancel Kajabi until you're comfortable on the other side.
Announce it as an upgrade, not a move. Lead with what's in it for your members, like a real app, better tracking, everything in one place, and access from their phone, desktop or iPad. Don't make it about your costs.
Give mid-program members a clear path. Let them finish where they are, or give them a clear switchover date with plenty of notice.
Sweeten the switch. A free week or first month through a coupon code covers anyone who does need to re-enter their details, and turns the admin into a gift. Kath of Fitnest Mama did exactly this.
The announcement emails that work best are short: we're upgrading platforms, here's everything you're getting, here's your coupon, and here's how long you have. Your members will follow your excitement, not an apology.
[The migration order that protects members is to build the new platform quietly, map Stripe subscriptions and product access, export contacts, bulk import content, run both platforms in parallel for 4 to 8 weeks, then announce the change as a member upgrade with an incentive rather than a platform move (Movement migration playbook, 2026).]
If you'd rather not do it yourself, our team can handle the whole migration for you through our Done For You service. That's how Mal moved Proud Movement, launching in about six weeks and cutting their platform costs roughly in half: "I liked how the Done For You service was a fairly quick process—something that would have taken me 6 months on my own has only taken about 6 weeks... with Movement, the monthly platform cost will be much lower, clients will be able to track their weights etc., and engagement will be better because of the community."
Who should stay on Kajabi?
If your whole business is built around email marketing and sales funnels, I'd tell you to stay. Kajabi's automation tools are fairly strong, and Movement doesn't replace them yet. Email is coming to Movement, and many of our creators find push notifications work better than email for keeping members engaged. But if your business runs on funnels through Flodesk or a similar tool connected with Zapier, it's worth weighing that extra step.
The same goes if your main product is a one-time course with no community, no fitness component and no need for a mobile app experience. Kajabi does that well, and moving may not be worth the disruption.
The simplest test: if you're not frustrated and not hitting a wall with your platform, stay. The people who come to us from Kajabi have almost always hit a ceiling. They want fitness features, a real branded app, a proper mobile experience (along with desktop), community tools, or the price no longer makes sense for the features they actually use.
Stay on Kajabi if… | Move if… |
|---|---|
Email funnels and automations drive your business | You've hit a feature ceiling (fitness tools, tracking, community) |
Your product is a standalone, one-time course | You want a real branded app and a mobile-first experience |
You don't need a community or an app | Your members are juggling multiple logins and tools |
You're not frustrated or hitting walls | The price no longer matches the features you actually use |
One more note on Kajabi's own branded app, since it's often what gets people thinking about moving in the first place. It's an add-on on top of your Kajabi subscription, and it goes through the app stores and their commissions.
Here's our full comparison of Kajabi's branded app →
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch from Kajabi without my members re-entering payment details?
Yes, if your payments run through your own Stripe account. Subscriptions move to your new platform without members needing to touch their card details. The part that needs care is mapping your products and access levels correctly. Members will create new logins, which is why clear communication and a transition period matter.
How long does a migration from Kajabi take?
Most migrations we see take anywhere from a few weeks to two months. Re-uploading content is the biggest factor, since Kajabi videos don't export in a ready-to-use format, but bulk imports from Drive, Dropbox or YouTube playlists speed things up a lot. Our Done For You migrations have launched in about four to six weeks.
Should I run Kajabi and my new platform at the same time?
Yes, for 4 to 8 weeks. Rushing is the biggest cause of messy migrations. Build your new app to a standard you're proud of, announce the upgrade, give members time to move across comfortably, and then cancel Kajabi.
How do I tell my members we're changing platforms?
Frame it as an upgrade, not a move. Lead with the real app, better tracking and having everything in one login, and don't make it about your costs. Give mid-program members a clear path, set a generous deadline, and consider a coupon for a free first week or month, which several of our creators have used to make the switch feel like a gift.
Who shouldn't leave Kajabi?
Businesses built on email funnels and automations, and creators selling one-time courses with no need for a community or app. Kajabi does both of those well. If you're not frustrated and not hitting a wall, stay, because a migration is worth it when you've hit a ceiling, not before.
The honest summary
So what's it like on the other side? Doc Lizzie's members who moved across from Kajabi told her "it's way better", and the feature they mention most is the schedule and calendar. Lizzie also said "the app itself definitely has increased my sales or brought people in as a selling point." Glenyce says her business feels lighter. A migration is a few weeks of admin, and the payoff is no longer fighting with your own tools.
Moving off Kajabi without losing members mostly comes down to doing things in the right order. Build quietly, move your Stripe subscriptions and access across, bulk import your content, run both platforms for 4 to 8 weeks, and announce it to your members as an upgrade with a little something extra. And if email funnels drive your business or your course doesn't need an app, you're probably better off staying put.
If you've hit that ceiling, see what your members would be upgrading to, or talk to us about handling the migration for you.