Quick answer
Yes — for the part of Kajabi covered on this page, Forumly is a one-time-purchase alternative. It costs $39 once, while Kajabi lists from $149/mo. Self-hosted forum with categories, threads, reactions, badges, @mentions, search and real moderator tools. It is not a 1:1 replacement for everything Kajabi does — the honest limits are spelled out below.
The verdict
Switch to Forumly if the slice of Kajabi you actually pay for is the slice Forumly covers — and a $39 one-time price beats from $149/mo for as long as you use it.
Stay with Kajabi if this sounds like you — In Kajabi, the community sits next to your courses and payments with one login for members. Forumly is standalone community software — you integrate access and accounts yourself.
Head to head
| Forumly | Kajabi | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39 once | from $149/mo |
| Where it runs | Your own server (self-hosted) | Vendor cloud (hosted service) |
| Renewal | None — the license never expires | Recurring — access ends when you stop paying |
| 5-year cost | $39 | ~$8,940 |
About Kajabi: Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for courses, communities and marketing funnels. Basic plans list from $149/mo (about $1,788/yr).
Where Kajabi still wins
In Kajabi, the community sits next to your courses and payments with one login for members. Forumly is standalone community software — you integrate access and accounts yourself.
Where Forumly wins
Kajabi's community feature is a common reason creators tolerate its price. Forumly is a real self-hosted community: categories, threads, reactions, badges, @mentions, search and moderator tools — $39 once on your own server, with your member data in your own database.
- Price, permanently. $39 once versus from $149/mo for as long as you use it. There is no renewal, no seat count and no tier gate.
- Categories, threads, replies. One-level nesting for readability, thread pinning and locking, and new-since-your-last-visit indicators.
- Reactions. A six-emoji reaction set with toggling and per-member state.
The math
Kajabi lists from $149/mo. Forumly is $39, paid once:
- After 1 year: Forumly has cost you $39 total — Kajabi has cost ~$1,788.
- After 3 years: Forumly is still $39 — the subscription is at ~$5,364.
- After 5 years: Forumly is still $39 — the subscription is at ~$8,940.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — Forumly is MIT-licensed at github.com/bensblueprints/community-forum-mvp. The $39 buys the packaged installer and 1-click setup; building from source is free.
Does it do courses and payments like Circle?
No — it's deliberately just the forum. If you need courses, payments and video, Circle does more; Forumly does the discussion board and owns its data.
Where does my community data live?
In one SQLite file on your own server that you can copy to back up. No cloud, no telemetry.
Try Forumly — $39, one time
Or get Forumly plus every other app in the suite: the OneTimeSuite bundle is currently $97, one time.