Migrating from Kajabi to GoHighLevel: What Actually Breaks and How to Fix It
Moving from Kajabi to GoHighLevel sounds easy until you realize your course content will not transfer automatically. Every video, lesson, and quiz needs to be rebuilt inside GoHighLevel by hand.
Depending on how many courses you have, the migration takes 2 to 8 weeks. If you have 1 to 2 courses, the work finishes in 2 to 3 weeks. If you have 6 or more courses, expect 5 to 8 weeks of rebuilding. But the real question is whether it is worth your time and effort. You gain SMS messaging, AI voice agents, booking calendars, and a real CRM pipeline that Kajabi simply does not have. For coaches who run coaching services alongside courses, GoHighLevel becomes your complete operating system.
In this article, we cover what transfers from Kajabi to GoHighLevel and what does not, the exact step-by-step process to migrate safely, and the top 5 challenges you will face so you can plan and avoid expensive mistakes.
Why Coaches and Agencies Leave Kajabi for GoHighLevel?
Kajabi works well for pure course businesses. You sell courses and memberships, and that is fine. But as you grow, you start offering coaching, group programs, and services alongside courses.
Now you need to book client calls, send SMS to leads, and track prospects in a CRM pipeline. Kajabi does not do this well. GoHighLevel does everything in one platform for $97 to $297 per month. When you add up Kajabi plus Calendly plus an SMS tool plus email marketing, GoHighLevel costs less and does much more.
Read this: How GoHighLevel Custom API Integrations Boost Marketing Agency Automation
What Transfers from Kajabi and What Does Not
Your data transfers, but your content does not. Your contacts and email history can be exported from Kajabi as a CSV file and imported into GoHighLevel. However, there is no automated tool to transfer your actual course content. Every video, lesson, and quiz must be manually rebuilt inside GoHighLevel.
| Kajabi Assets | What Happens | Action Required |
| Contacts and student list | Transfers via CSV | Export from Kajabi, clean the file, import into GoHighLevel |
| Email sequences | Does not transfer | Rebuild as GoHighLevel workflows |
| Course videos and lessons | Does not transfer | Manually rebuild every lesson in GoHighLevel |
| Drip scheduling | Does not transfer | Rebuild drip timing in GoHighLevel settings |
| Landing pages and funnels | Does not transfer | Rebuild inside GoHighLevel funnel builder |
| Affiliate program | Does not transfer | Recreate in GoHighLevel affiliate manager |
Course rebuilding takes the most time. A 5 module course with 30 video lessons takes 4 to 8 hours to rebuild. Budget 2 to 6 hours per course realistically. Agencies that promise this in an afternoon are not telling you the real work involved.
How to Migrate from Kajabi to GoHighLevel
Step 1: Audit your Kajabi account
List every active course with module and lesson counts. Write down every email automation and what triggers it. Note which students have active access. This audit becomes your migration checklist and helps you estimate how long the work will take.
Step 2: Export and clean your data
Export your full contact list and student data from Kajabi as a CSV file. Clean the file thoroughly before importing: remove duplicates, standardize email formats, and flag expired student accounts. This prevents problems after import.
Step 3: Set up GoHighLevel foundation
Create custom fields, connect your email domain with DKIM and SPF records, link your Stripe account, build your pipeline stages, complete SMS registration if needed, and set up your booking calendar. Do this before rebuilding course content.
Step 4: Rebuild courses and migrate students
Create a membership for each Kajabi course. Rebuild your module and lesson structure exactly. Upload videos and PDFs. Rebuild quizzes. Configure drip scheduling. Test the entire student experience before re-enrolling real students. Keep Kajabi running for 2 to 4 weeks while students transition to GoHighLevel.
Kajabi vs GoHighLevel: Key Differences
Kajabi has a more polished student experience and stronger community features. If your business is purely selling courses, Kajabi is the better choice. GoHighLevel trades polish for operational power and gives you what Kajabi does not have.
GoHighLevel offers that Kajabi does not:
When you add Kajabi plus Calendly plus an SMS tool plus email marketing, GoHighLevel costs less and does much more. This is why coaches and agencies migrate. They need the operational tools that Kajabi does not provide.
Top 5 Challenges and Solutions When Migrating from Kajabi to GoHighLevel
Challenge 1: Your Course Content Won’t Transfer
Your videos, lessons, PDFs, and quizzes don’t move over automatically. You rebuild everything by hand in GoHighLevel.
A 5-module course with 30 lessons takes 4 to 8 hours to rebuild. Add 20% extra time if your content is complicated.
This is the slowest part of the whole migration.
How to handle it:
Challenge 2: Your Contact Data Is Dirty
Your contacts come from Kajabi as a CSV file. They’re never clean.
You’ll find duplicate emails, wrong formatting, and old accounts. Import them messily, and you’ll spend weeks fixing it later. Clean them before you import.
How to clean your contacts:
Challenge 3: Your Email Sequences Don’t Transfer
Email sequences are gone. You rebuild each one as a GoHighLevel workflow.
But GoHighLevel can do more. You can add SMS, voice calls, and booking links. Kajabi couldn’t.
How to rebuild your sequences:
Challenge 4: Landing Pages Need to Be Redesigned
Your Kajabi funnels won’t work in GoHighLevel. Pages look different. Checkout forms break.
Test every page on phone and desktop before you launch. Things will look different than they did in Kajabi.
How to redesign your pages:
Challenge 5: Your Domain Switch Will Cause Downtime
Changing your DNS takes 48 hours to go through. Your site might show errors during the switch.
Keep Kajabi running until GoHighLevel is tested and ready. Don’t turn off Kajabi early.
How to switch without breaking things:
Migration Timeline and Cost Recovery
The course rebuild drives your timeline, not contact import. Simple migration with 1 to 2 courses takes 2 to 3 weeks. Standard migration with 3 to 5 courses takes 3 to 5 weeks. Complex migration with 6 plus courses takes 5 to 8 weeks.
Most course creators break even on migration costs within 3 to 6 months by eliminating Kajabi, Calendly, and separate SMS tools. One platform subscription reduces your total monthly expenses even though GoHighLevel pricing is similar to Kajabi alone.
Ready to move without confusion? Get started today, get a 30-day free trial and turn GoHighLevel into your growth engine.
FAQs
Do I lose my courses or student data during migration?
No, nothing gets deleted when you migrate correctly. Export your data before you start, rebuild courses in GoHighLevel, and re-invite students to access the new portal. All content and student information remains intact.
Will students lose access during transition?
No, students keep continuous access if you manage it properly. Keep Kajabi running for 2 to 4 weeks while students create GoHighLevel accounts and transition at their own pace.
Is GoHighLevel’s course delivery good enough?
GoHighLevel is functional but less polished than Kajabi. If you purely sell courses, Kajabi is the better choice. If you combine courses with coaching or need SMS and booking calendars, GoHighLevel is worth the trade-off.
Does GoHighLevel have communities?
Yes, GHL Communities launched in 2024. It includes social feeds, messaging, and group discussions. It is still developing but works well for most businesses.
How long does migration take?
Simple migration with 1 to 2 courses takes 2 to 3 weeks. Standard migration with 3 to 5 courses takes 3 to 5 weeks. Complex migration with 6 plus courses takes 5 to 8 weeks.
Conclusion
The course rebuild is the hardest part but straightforward if you plan carefully. Budget 2 to 8 weeks depending on your course count. Test everything thoroughly before students transition. Keep Kajabi running for 2 to 4 weeks so students can move at their own pace.
When you complete the migration successfully, GoHighLevel becomes your single operating system. Your marketing campaigns, sales funnels, courses, client bookings, and CRM pipeline all live in one platform. You stop paying for Kajabi, Calendly, and separate SMS tools. Your business becomes simpler and more integrated.
Start by auditing your complete Kajabi account, exporting your data, and creating a detailed checklist of everything that needs rebuilding. This preparation prevents mistakes and keeps your migration on schedule.
