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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 641 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
Canvas LMS $0 0% No Open-source education Visit →
$17
via paid plan
LearnDash $17/mo 0% No Self-hosted on WordPress 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 →
$49
via paid plan
Payhip Plus $29/mo 2% No Halves the free plan cut to 2% Visit →
$49
via paid plan
Graphy $49/mo 0% No Live + recorded courses 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 →
$59
via paid plan
Simplero $59/mo 0% No All-in-one for coaches; Starter is 59 a month on annual billing, and Scale is 149 Visit →
$72
via paid plan
Unbounce $72/mo 0% No Landing page builder Visit →
$79
via paid plan
OptimizePress $79/mo 0% No Sales funnel builder Visit →
$80
via free plan
Podia $42/mo 5%
free plan: 8%
Yes Simple digital storefront; Mover takes 5% of sales and the dearer Shaker plan takes none Visit →
$82
via paid plan
MemberPress $33/mo 4.9% No WordPress membership plugin billed yearly; Launch is 399 a year and their own FAQ says it carries a 4.9% transaction fee, which the dearer tiers remove Visit →
$89
via paid plan
Emerald $89/mo 0% No Creator platform Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Payhip Pro $99/mo 0% No 0% fee once scaling Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Mighty Networks $79/mo 2% No Community-first courses; Launch is 79 and Mighty shows the same figure on monthly and annual billing Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Skool $99/mo 0% No Community + gamified courses Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Xperiencify $99/mo 0% No Gamified course completion; Growth is 99 a month and there is a 1499 lifetime option Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Hotmart $0 9.9% Yes Marketplace and affiliate network; 9.9% plus a fixed 1 real a sale, and the rate tiers down as you earn more Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Studio $99/mo 0% No Creator studio + email Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Instapage $99/mo 0% No High-converting funnels Visit →
$99
via paid plan
Ruzuku $99/mo 0% No Simple course builder Visit →
$100
via paid plan
Gumroad $0 10% Yes Fastest to launch Visit →
$102
via paid plan
Kartra $52/mo 5% No Courses and full funnels; the new Essentials tier is 52 a year-billed month and takes 5% of sales, Starter at 99 takes none Visit →
$104
via paid plan
Teachable $29/mo 7.5% No Popular and beginner-friendly, but Starter takes 7.5% of every sale Visit →
$109
via paid plan
Circle $89/mo 2% No Courses and community; their own table shows 2% on this tier, 1% and 0.5% above it Visit →
$143
via paid plan
Kajabi $143/mo 0% No All-in-one for pros, and no cut of sales Visit →
$149
via paid plan
Uscreen $149/mo 0% No Membership video and OTT; 149 is the annual rate, 199 monthly, plus a per-subscriber fee Visit →
$199
via paid plan
Kajabi Growth $199/mo 0% No Kajabi one tier up, more products and contacts Visit →
$630
via paid plan
Udemy $0 63% Yes Huge built-in audience Visit →
Quote
via quote
Docebo not published 0% No Enterprise LMS Visit →
Quote
via quote
360Learning not published 0% No Collaborative learning Visit →
Quote
via quote
Adobe Learning Manager (was Captivate Prime) not published 0% No Adobe enterprise LMS Visit →
Quote
via quote
Cornerstone OnDemand not published 0% No Enterprise talent platform Visit →
Quote
via quote
Absorb LMS not published 0% No Customizable learning platform Visit →
Quote
via quote
Blackboard Learn not published 0% No Education focus Visit →

Indicative entry-plan pricing (annual billing) as last reviewed 12 September 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. A platform that takes a percentage is cheapest until your sales outgrow it, and on these figures the crossovers are close: against a flat $29 plan like Sellfy, Gumroad’s 10% costs more above roughly $290 a month in sales and Payhip’s 5% above roughly $580. Systeme.io is the exception at both ends, because its free plan takes no cut at all, so it sits at $0 wherever you put the slider. Marketplaces like Udemy take a huge cut per sale but bring their own audience.
What is the cheapest way to sell online courses?

Systeme.io is the flat answer at any volume, because its free plan takes no cut at all. Past that it depends where your sales land: a platform charging a percentage is cheapest until a flat subscription overtakes it, and on the figures in this table a flat $29 plan passes Gumroad's 10% at about $290 a month in sales and Payhip's 5% at about $580. A $143 plan like Kajabi does not pay for itself against a 5% cut until roughly $2,860. 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.

Related tools for creators
Email marketing pricing →Ecommerce platform fees →LLC formation cost →

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 WordPressPayhip$25
$1,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressSysteme.io$27
$2,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressSysteme.io$27
$5,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressSysteme.io$27
$10,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressSysteme.io$27
$20,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressSysteme.io$27
$50,000/moLearnDash$17Self-hosted on WordPressSysteme.io$27

Recording the course yourself?

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

Microphones →Audio interfaces →