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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

See course platforms priced beside 609 other tools and services, in one list →

Real $/mo ▲PlatformMonthly feeTransaction feeFree planBest for
$0cheapest
via free plan
Systeme.io $27/mo 0% Yes Best free plan, all-in-one Visit →
$0cheapest
via free plan
Thinkific $49/mo 0% Yes 0% fee even on free plan Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
ThriveCart Learn $0 0% No One-time $495, then 0% Visit →
$0cheapest
via free plan
Taska $39/mo 0% Yes Courses + tasks + certificates Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
Docebo $0 0% No Enterprise LMS Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
360Learning $0 0% No Collaborative learning Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
Adobe Captivate Prime $0 0% No Adobe enterprise LMS Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
Cornerstone OnDemand $0 0% No Enterprise talent platform Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
Absorb LMS $0 0% No Customizable learning platform Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
Blackboard Learn $0 0% No Education focus Visit →
$0cheapest
via paid plan
Canvas LMS $0 0% No Open-source education Visit →
$17
via paid plan
LearnDash $17/mo 0% No Self-hosted on WordPress Visit →
$24
via paid plan
Filestage $24/mo 0% No Feedback + course hosting Visit →
$29
via paid plan
Sellfy $29/mo 0% No Print-on-demand + digital Visit →
$29
via paid plan
LearnWorlds $29/mo 0% No White-label, interactive video Visit →
$37
via paid plan
Leadpages $37/mo 0%
free plan: 5%
Yes Landing pages + courses Visit →
$39
via paid plan
Teachable $39/mo 0%
free plan: 10%
Yes Popular, beginner-friendly Visit →
$39
via paid plan
Podia $39/mo 0%
free plan: 8%
Yes Simple digital storefront Visit →
$49
via paid plan
Graphy $49/mo 0% No Live + recorded courses Visit →
$49
via paid plan
Xperiencify $49/mo 0% No Gamified completion Visit →
$49
via paid plan
Mzed $49/mo 0% No Video learning platform Visit →
$50
via paid plan
Payhip $0 5% Yes Free forever, pay per sale Visit →
$72
via paid plan
Unbounce $72/mo 0% No Landing page builder Visit →
$79
via paid plan
MemberPress $79/mo 0% No WordPress membership plugin Visit →
$79
via paid plan
OptimizePress $79/mo 0% No Sales funnel builder Visit →
$89
via paid plan
Kajabi $89/mo 0% No All-in-one for pros Visit →
$89
via paid plan
Circle $89/mo 0% No Courses + community Visit →
$89
via paid plan
Emerald $89/mo 0% No Creator platform Visit →

Indicative entry-plan pricing (annual billing) as last reviewed 1 August 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.
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.

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Which platform is cheapest at your size

The cheapest platform is not the same at every size. Going up the ladder, at $250/mo it changes from Gumroad to Payhip; at $500/mo it changes from Payhip to LearnDash. Cost is the entry paid plan plus its transaction cut on that much revenue, using the same numbers as the slider above. Free tiers are left out on purpose: several charge 0%, which would read as free at every level while quietly capping how many students and courses you can have. Platforms that only quote on request are excluded too.

You sellCheapestReal costWhat it isRunner-upIts cost
No sales yetGumroad$0Fastest to launchHotmart$0
$250/moPayhip switches$12Free forever, pay per saleLearnDash$17
$500/moLearnDash switches$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24
$1,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24
$2,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24
$5,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24
$10,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24
$20,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24
$50,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressFilestage$24

Recording the course yourself?

The platform is the easy part. Live used prices for the recording gear course creators actually need.

Microphones →Audio interfaces →