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Course Platform Pricing, Real Cost

The sticker price is only half the story. The transaction fee, a cut of everything you sell, is what really decides the bill. Set your monthly revenue below and rank platforms by what they actually cost you.

$1,000
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Real $/mo ▲PlatformMonthly feeTransaction feeFree planBest for

Indicative entry-plan pricing (annual billing) as last reviewed 11 July 2026. Plans and fees change, confirm on the platform before buying. Payment-processor fees (~2.9% + 30c) apply on top everywhere and are not shown.

How the ranking works. Real $/mo = the cheaper of two ways to run on each platform at your revenue: its flat monthly fee plus any transaction fee on a paid plan, versus its free plan's percentage cut. Slide your revenue and the ranking re-sorts. At low revenue, free-but-percentage platforms (Systeme, Payhip, Gumroad) win; as you scale, 0% transaction-fee plans (Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi) pull ahead because a fixed subscription beats a growing percentage. Marketplaces like Udemy take a huge cut per sale but bring their own audience.
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What is the cheapest way to sell online courses?

Under about $500/month in sales, a free or low-fee platform (Systeme.io, Payhip, Gumroad) is usually cheapest. Above roughly $1,000/month, a 0% transaction-fee plan (Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi) typically wins because the percentage cut grows with your sales while a subscription stays fixed. Set your revenue above to see your break-even.

Why does the transaction fee matter more than the price?

A monthly fee is fixed; a transaction fee is a slice of everything you sell, so it scales with success. A "free" platform taking 9% costs $90 on $1,000 and $900 on $10,000, quickly dwarfing a flat $39 to $99 plan. It is the biggest hidden cost and what this tool puts front and centre.

Do these include payment processing?

No. On top of the platform fee you still pay Stripe or PayPal (about 2.9% + 30c per sale) on every platform, so it does not change the ranking. This compares the platform's own fee, which is what varies most.