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A review of Kartra vs Systeme.io
Working out what software you need in your business can be confusing and time consuming!
There are millions of options out there, and all do things a little bit differently.
If you're looking for an all in one platform that does email marketing, landing pages, sales pages, and course hosting, then I recommend both Kartra and Systeme.io.
This page offers my comparison of the 2 and some suggestions about which is better for different needs.
What experience do I have with these tools?
I used Kartra in my own business from 2018 to 2022, and continue to consulting services and support clients with Kartra.
I switched to Systeme.io for my own business at the beginning of 2023 because the options they offer were more suitable for my needs (and I preferred the cheaper monthly subscription!). I was also able to move my website and blog from Wordpress.
Both Kartra and Systeme.io are alternatives to Kajabi, Clickfunnels, or Thrivecart
Overall Comparison
Feature
Kartra
Systeme
Email marketing
Yes
Yes
Funnel builder
Yes
Yes
Page builder
Yes
Yes
Course hosting
Yes
Yes
Booking calendar
Yes
No
Surveys and Quizzes
Yes
Yes
Create your own affiliate program
Yes
Yes
Helpdesk feature
Yes
No
Customisable email notifications
Yes
No
Custom domains
Yes
Yes
File storage
Yes
* limited on basic plan
Yes
Free plan
No
Yes
Monthly subscription
Starts at $99 USD
Starts at $27 USD
Email Marketing
Feature
Kartra
Systeme
Plain text and HTML emails
Yes
Yes
Preview text
Yes
No
Email sequences
Yes
Yes
Split testing
Yes
Yes
Lists and Tags
Both
Tags only
Expiring Tags
Yes
No
Advanced unsubscribe options
Yes
No
List engagement features
Yes
No
Overall thoughts:
Kartra offers a lot more features when it comes to building and managing your email marketing funnels.
The HTML email builder, although sometimes frustrating to use, also offers more layout and customisation options.
However, unless you're planning to build big and complex funnels, the features that Systeme offers are all that most online business need to create an opt in or sales funnel.
Funnel Builder
Feature
Kartra
Systeme
Opt in funnels
Yes
Yes
Sales funnels
Yes
Yes
Deadline funnels (countdown timers)
Yes
Yes
Evergreen webinar funnels
No
Yes
Sell digital products (courses, downloads)
Yes
Yes
Sell phyical products
Yes
Yes
Upsells and downsells
Yes
Yes
Order bumps
Yes
Yes
Abandoned Cart feature
Yes
No
Coupon codes
Yes
Yes
PayPal and Stripe integration
Yes
Yes
Transaction fees
No
No
Overall thoughts:
The funnel building options are where these two tools differ the most.
With Kartra all the elements of your funnel, pages, forms, email sequences etc are independent and modular, so you can connect them together and re-use them in multiple different ways. This has it's advantages, but also makes it difficult to see all the pieces of the funnel and how they fit together.
In Systeme, you create all the different components inside your funnel so you can easily connect up each step, and get that overall view from start to finish. If you're new to building funnels, or struggle to visualise how it all fits together, Systeme is definitely a better option for you. Systeme also has the option to create automated webinar funnels, without needing to invest in another piece of software.
Page Builder
Feature
Kartra
Systeme
Website Feature
Kind of
Yes
Blog
No
Yes
Landing pages
Yes
Yes
Sales pages
Yes
Yes
Customisable checkout pages
Yes
Yes
Drag and drop page builder
Yes
Yes
Page and section templates
Yes
Yes
Custom HTML embeds
Yes
Yes
Overall thoughts:
Both tools offer drag and drop page builders similar to Divi or Squarespace (if you've used either of these you'd be able to pick both of these up fairly quickly).
Systeme hands down is a better user experience when it comes to building pages. It's more intuitive and easier to manipulate the different layouts and page components (anyone who uses the Kartra page builder will confirm it can be frustrating to use!).
The blog and website feature of Systeme is also a winner - I migrated my website and blog from Wordpress to Systeme, which saved me even more $$ on website hosting.
While you could build your website on Kartra, the process for managing site menus and footers is convoluted, and there is no blog feature.
Where Kartra does shine in this category is the library of templates they have for both pages as a whole, and also different sections. Systeme does have templates, but the library is currently quite small.
Course Hosting
Feature
Kartra
Systeme
Video Hosting
Yes
* Need the silver plan for unlimited hosting
Yes
Audio component
Yes
Yes
Different portal layouts
Yes
No
Custom branding colours
Yes
No
Module Quizzes
No
Yes
Community feature
No
Yes
Drag and drop builder
Yes
Yes
Page and section templates
Yes
Yes
Custom HTML embeds
Yes
Yes
Multiple access levels
Yes
No
Single portal homepage for multiple courses
Yes
No
Overall thoughts:
Kartra overall offers more options to customise and style the look and feel of your course portal, with different layouts to choose from and the ability to add your own branding colours. This is one area that Kartra really shines in comparison to a lot of tools available. If you're on the basic Kartra plan you are limited in your monthly bandwidth allowance, so using an external video host is recommended.
The Systeme course portal is less customisable, but offers similiar features and look and feel to Thinkific or Kajabi. The bonus here is the option to have a Community (e.g. an alternative to a Facebook group) alongside your course.
Overall Thoughts
Both Kartra and Systeme are great options for building funnels, selling digital products and hosting online courses. Overall I find Systeme to be a much better and easier user experience.
If you're wanting to build more advanced and complex funnels, then Kartra is my recommendation for you.
If you're just starting out, or building more straight forward funnels, then Systeme is my recommendation for you. There is also a free plan for you to get started with! And as an amazing bonus if you pay in full for the year, the Systeme team will do your migration for you!
© 2016 - 2023 Laura Dick | Business with Flow.
All Rights Reserved
© 2016 - 2023 Laura Dick | Business with Flow.
All Rights Reserved