TL;DR
Systeme.io is one of the best platforms for solo coaches — all the infrastructure you need (landing pages, course delivery, email, payments) in one tool at a fraction of the cost of Kajabi. The free plan is genuinely functional for a new coaching business. This guide covers the complete setup.
June 2026 update
Kajabi raised their entry price to $149/month (Basic) as of 2025 — the gap vs Systeme.io has grown wider. ConvertKit rebranded as Kit in late 2024 (same product, new name). Systeme.io's free plan and Startup plan ($27/mo) are unchanged. If you're a new coach in 2026, the value case for Systeme.io is stronger than ever.
What the free plan actually gives coaches
A lot of "free" plans are basically just a 14-day trial wearing a trench coat. Systeme.io's free plan is not that. It's been free for years and it's still free. Here's what you get:
Free plan — permanently free, no credit card
For a coach just starting out — or a coach with a small but solid client base — that is a functioning business. You can take payments, deliver a course, build an email list, and send newsletters. All free.
The stack it replaces (and what you'd pay elsewhere)
I'm not going to pretend Systeme.io has the deepest feature set in every category. But when you add up what coaches typically cobble together, the numbers get embarrassing:
| What you need | Typical tool | Monthly cost | Systeme.io equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course hosting | Kajabi / Teachable | $149–$399/mo | ✓ Included (free) |
| Email marketing | Mailchimp / ConvertKit | $29–$59/mo | ✓ Included (free) |
| Sales funnel builder | ClickFunnels | $97–$297/mo | ✓ Included (free) |
| Booking / scheduling | Calendly | $10–$16/mo | ✓ Included (Starter+) |
| Total (typical stack) | $285–$575/mo | Systeme.io: $0–$27/mo | |
Prices approximate. Your mileage varies.
How to set up a coaching business on Systeme.io (step by step)
Here's the sequence I'd use if I were starting a coaching business from scratch today.
Create your free account
Go to Systeme.io, enter your email. That's it. No credit card. You're in the dashboard immediately. It does not upsell you every 5 minutes. Refreshing, honestly.
Build your opt-in funnel
Funnel → New Funnel → "Build an audience." Give away a free checklist, PDF, or mini-training. This is how you start your email list. The drag-and-drop editor is clunky compared to ClickFunnels but it works and it doesn't cost $97/month.
Set up your email list and first broadcast
Contacts → Email campaigns. Write a welcome sequence. Systeme's email editor is basic but deliverability is solid. For a list under 2,000 contacts it does the job. I'd upgrade to Starter ($27/mo) once you start automating sequences more heavily.
Create your course or offer
Courses → New Course. Upload your videos, organize into sections, drip-release if you want. The student portal is clean and functional. You can have unlimited students on any plan — they only limit the number of courses.
Connect Stripe or PayPal and start selling
Settings → Payment gateways. Connect your Stripe account. Now your checkout pages take real money and Systeme charges you 0% transaction fees. They make money from subscriptions, not cuts of your sales. That matters at scale.
What Systeme.io is not great at (be honest about this)
Screw the usual affiliate blogger thing where everything is perfect and 5 stars. Here's what Systeme.io genuinely lacks:
The page builder is basic. If you want pixel-perfect design with lots of custom CSS, you'll fight it. ClickFunnels and Kajabi have better drag-and-drop. Systeme.io works, it's just not pretty to build with.
No native video hosting. You upload videos via YouTube or Vimeo embeds or store elsewhere. For private course content this means a Vimeo Pro subscription ($20/mo) or careful YouTube unlisted links.
Community features are limited. If community is your core product (group coaching, mastermind), Kajabi or Circle.so will serve you better. Systeme.io is primarily a funnel + course tool.
Booking/calendar needs Starter plan. The 1-click upsell and calendar features aren't in the free tier. You'll need $27/mo for those. Still way cheaper than Calendly + whatever else.
When to upgrade from free to paid
Stay on free until one of these is true:
contacts — upgrade to Starter ($27/mo) to get to 5,000
funnels — if you need a 4th, Starter gives you 10
course — Starter gives you 5 courses, Webinar gives unlimited
At $27/month for Starter, you're still paying less than most coaches pay for their email list software alone. Anyway — start free, stay free until you hit a wall, then upgrade. That's it.
Try Systeme.io Free
No credit card. No trial period. Just a real free plan that lets you run a real coaching business. If you outgrow it, upgrading to $27/month still beats most single-tool subscriptions.
Create Your Free Systeme.io Account →Affiliate link — I earn a commission at no cost to you.
More Systeme.io guides
Frequently asked questions
Is Systeme.io good for coaches?
Yes — landing pages, course delivery, email automation, and payments in one tool. See the full Systeme.io review.
Can you run a coaching business for free?
Yes. Free plan: 1 funnel, 1 course (unlimited students), 2,000 contacts, unlimited emails, payment processing.
How does it compare to Kajabi?
Kajabi is $149–$399/month (as of 2025) vs Systeme.io free–$97/month. For solo coaches starting out, Systeme.io wins on value. See Systeme.io vs Kajabi.
Can Systeme.io handle 1:1 sessions?
Not natively — use Calendly (free) for booking and Zoom for calls. Systeme.io handles business infrastructure, not session delivery.
What plan should I start with?
Start free. Once you have paying clients, Startup ($27/month) gives 5 funnels, 5 courses, 5,000 contacts.
Written by Shash
Founder, Infinfy Solutions. I use these tools on real work, then write about what actually happened.