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systeme.io vs Kartra is the closest thing to a like-for-like fight in this category, and the price gap is enormous. Both run funnels, email, courses, memberships, and affiliates from one account. systeme.io runs from $0 to $97 a month. Kartra runs from $59 to $549, and its $59 plan takes 5% of every sale on top. What Kartra buys you is depth: behaviour-based automation, a helpdesk, and video hosted in the platform.
systeme.io vs Kartra: side-by-side comparison
| systeme.io | Kartra | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free, then $17/mo | $59/mo ($52 annual) |
| Transaction fee on entry plan | 0% | 5%, removed from $119 |
| Contacts on entry paid plan | 5,000 on $17 | 500 on $59, 2,500 on $119 |
| Products | Not capped | 1 on Essentials |
| Email sends | Unlimited on every plan | 10,000/mo on Essentials, then unlimited |
| Automation model | Rules and workflows | Behaviour tags and sequences |
| Video hosting | No, embed only | Yes, native |
| Helpdesk and ticketing | No | From $229 |
| Courses and memberships | Yes | Yes |
| Affiliate management | Every plan, including free | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes, no end date | No, 14-day trial |
Prices checked September 18, 2026.
The price gap over a year
Kartra Starter at $119 a month is $1,428 a year, or $1,188 billed annually. systeme.io Startup is $204 a year, or $170 annually. That difference, roughly $1,000 a year, is the reason this comparison gets searched. Both accounts do funnels, email, a course, and affiliates.
The Essentials fee trap
Kartra’s cheapest plan looks like the answer at $59 until you notice the 5%. At $1,200 a month in sales the fee equals the $60 upgrade to Starter, so anyone actually selling is on the $119 plan. Read the Essentials tier as a trial with a subscription attached, not as the entry price.
What Kartra does better
Three things, and they are real. Its automation can tag someone on how much of a video they watched and branch a sequence on behaviour, which systeme.io’s trigger-and-action rules cannot do. It hosts your video, so you are not managing files on Vimeo. And from the $229 plan it includes a helpdesk with ticketing, which systeme.io has no equivalent for at any price.
Migration
Contacts export as a CSV with tags. Pages, funnels, and automations are rebuilt on either side; nothing transfers. systeme.io offers a free done-for-you migration on its $97 Unlimited plan, which is the practical route if you have a lot of content: buy Unlimited for a month or two, let them move it, then downgrade.
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Frequently asked questions
Is systeme.io cheaper than Kartra?
Substantially. systeme.io runs $0 to $97 a month; Kartra runs $59 to $549, and its $59 plan also takes 5% of sales.
Does Kartra have a free plan?
No. Kartra offers a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What can Kartra do that systeme.io cannot?
Behaviour-based automation such as tagging on video watch percentage, native video hosting, and a built-in helpdesk on higher plans.
Can systeme.io migrate my Kartra account?
Its free migration service comes with the $97 Unlimited plan. Contacts export as a CSV either way; pages and automations are rebuilt.
Related: Kartra pricing, Kartra alternatives.