By the end you will know exactly how much Podia costs, what each plan includes, and how its pricing compares to a 0%-fee alternative.

Short answer: Podia’s paid plans are Mover at $42 per month, Shaker at $84 per month, and Earthquaker at $150 per month, all billed annually. There is no free plan, but every paid plan comes with a 30-day free trial. Mover carries a 5% transaction fee — Shaker and Earthquaker charge 0%.

Podia pricing plans 2026 at a glance

Source: podia.com/pricing (verified 2026). Annual billing lowers the effective monthly cost. The 30-day free trial applies to paid plans, and you can start without a credit card.

The Podia pricing plans explained

Podia Mover: $42/month

Mover is the real entry plan at $42 per month (billed annually). It includes the storefront, courses, digital downloads, and email tools, with limits on email subscribers and product counts. Mover still carries a 5% transaction fee, which is the number to watch. On $3,000 per month in sales, that fee is $150 on top of the $42 plan.

Podia Shaker: $84/month

Shaker is $84 per month (billed annually) and gives you more room to grow, with higher limits and 0% transaction fees. This is the plan where the fee savings start to pay off. For a creator whose sales have outgrown Mover, the lower fee usually justifies the higher plan.

Podia Earthquaker: $150/month

Earthquaker is $150 per month (billed annually) and is the no-limits plan, with 0% transaction fees and the full feature set. It suits established creators running a serious storefront where the fee savings outweigh the cost.

Podia transaction fees: the real cost

The transaction fee is where Podia’s pricing gets interesting. The Mover plan charges a 5% fee on your sales, and the higher plans reduce it. That means the true cost of a Podia plan is the monthly price plus the fee on everything you sell.

A creator doing $5,000 per month on Mover pays the $42 plan plus $250 in fees, which is $292 total. The same revenue on a platform with 0% transaction fees costs only the plan price. That gap is the line worth doing the math on before you pick a plan.

Is Podia worth the price?

Podia is a clean, easy storefront, and for selling a mix of digital products, courses, and memberships from one place, it does the job well. The Podia pricing plans are fair if you are on a plan whose fee matches your volume. The risk is staying on Mover past the point where its 5% fee quietly costs more than upgrading would.

Podia is a strong fit for creators who want a simple digital storefront. It is a weaker fit if community is central to your offer, since its community features are lighter than dedicated community platforms.

A 0%-fee alternative to Podia

If the transaction fee is what bothers you, it is worth comparing Podia to an all-in-one that charges nothing on top of payment processing.

Kourses combines online courses, a private community, digital products, and checkout in one branded portal under your own domain. Kourses Starter is $9 per month (billed annually), well below Podia’s Mover plan, with 0% transaction fees on every plan. You use your own Stripe account and pay only standard processing, with no platform cut at any scale. See the full Kourses pricing, our Podia review, and our roundup of Podia alternatives.

Podia pricing FAQ

How much does Podia cost per month in 2026?

Podia’s paid plans are Mover at $42 per month, Shaker at $84 per month, and Earthquaker at $150 per month, all billed annually. Mover charges a 5% transaction fee, while Shaker and Earthquaker charge 0%. Paid plans include a 30-day free trial.

Does Podia charge transaction fees?

Yes, on the lower plans. Podia’s Mover plan charges a 5% transaction fee. Shaker and Earthquaker charge 0%. You also pay standard payment processing on top, the same as any platform.

What is the cheapest paid Podia plan?

The cheapest paid Podia plan is Mover at $42 per month billed annually. It includes the storefront, courses, downloads, and email tools, but carries a 5% transaction fee. For higher-volume sellers, the fee can make Shaker the better value despite its higher price.

Does Podia have a free trial?

Yes, Podia offers a 30-day free trial on its paid plans, and you can start without entering a credit card. That is one of the longer trials in the category, which makes it easy to test before you commit.

Final thoughts on Podia pricing

Podia pricing in 2026 is straightforward: three paid tiers from $42 to $150 per month (annual billing), with a 30-day free trial across all plans. The detail that decides the real cost is the transaction fee on the lower plans, so match your plan to your sales volume and do the fee math before committing.

If you would rather not pay a platform fee at all, compare the total cost honestly. Start a Kourses free trial and run your courses, community, and digital products in one place at $9 per month with 0% transaction fees.

By the end you will know exactly how much Mighty Networks costs, what each plan includes, and how its pricing compares to a 0%-fee alternative.

Short answer: Mighty Networks costs $95 per month for the Launch plan or $215 per month for the Scale plan on monthly billing, or $79 and $179 per month respectively on annual billing. Launch adds a 2% transaction fee and Scale a 1% fee. Unlike most platforms, Mighty Networks never removes the transaction fee entirely.

Mighty Networks pricing 2026 at a glance

Source: mightynetworks.com/pricing (verified 2026). Annual billing applies about two months free, roughly a 16.7% saving. A 14-day free trial is available on the standard plans.

The Mighty Networks pricing plans explained

Mighty Networks Pricing Launch: $95/month ($79/month annual) with a 2% fee

Launch is the entry plan at $95 per month. It includes the community spaces, courses, events, and the core feature set that makes Mighty Networks work. The detail to note is the 2% transaction fee on every sale, charged on top of standard payment processing. On $3,000 per month in member payments, that fee is $60 on top of the $95 plan.

Mighty Networks Pricing Scale: $215/month ($179/month annual) with a 1% fee

Scale is $215 per month and adds more advanced automations, deeper analytics, and higher limits. It also halves the transaction fee to 1%. For a creator whose community revenue has grown, the lower fee and added features usually justify the jump from Launch.

Mighty Pro: custom pricing

Mighty Pro is the enterprise tier with custom pricing, built for creators who want their own branded mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play, plus dedicated support. It is negotiated rather than listed, and it suits established brands running a community at scale.

Mighty Networks transaction fees: the part that never goes away

Here is the unusual part of Mighty Networks pricing. On most platforms, you can reach a plan that charges 0% platform fees. Mighty Networks never does. The Launch plan charges 2% and Scale charges 1%, but there is no standard plan that removes the fee entirely. That fee sits on top of the payment processor’s own cut.

The math matters at scale. A creator doing $5,000 per month on Scale pays the $215 plan (or $179 on annual billing) plus $50 in platform fees every month, on top of processing.

Over a year, that 1% adds up to real money that a 0%-fee platform simply does not charge. On Launch, the 2% fee roughly doubles that.

Is Mighty Networks worth the price?

Mighty Networks is one of the strongest community platforms available, and if member interaction and networking are the heart of your offer, the experience can justify the cost. The course tools are capable, though lighter than dedicated course platforms.

The weak spot is the pricing model. The $95/month ($79 on annual billing) starting price is higher than many alternatives, and the permanent transaction fee means your costs keep climbing with your revenue. For a community-led business that values the platform’s depth, that can be acceptable. For a creator watching margins, it is worth comparing.

A 0%-fee alternative to Mighty Networks

If the permanent transaction fee is what gives you pause, it is worth comparing Mighty Networks to an all-in-one that charges nothing on top of payment processing.

Kourses combines a private community, online courses, digital products, and checkout in one branded portal under your own domain. Kourses Starter is $9 per month (billed annually), well below Mighty Networks’ Launch plan, with 0% transaction fees on every plan and at every revenue level. You use your own Stripe account and pay only standard processing. See the full Kourses pricing, our guide to what Mighty Networks is, our roundup of Mighty Networks alternatives, and the Circle vs Mighty Networks comparison.

Mighty Networks pricing FAQ

How much does Mighty Networks cost per month in 2026?

Mighty Networks costs $95 per month for the Launch plan or $215 per month for the Scale plan on monthly billing. Annual billing saves about two months, bringing the effective monthly cost to $79 and $179 respectively.

There is also a custom-priced Mighty Pro tier for branded mobile apps. Launch adds a 2% transaction fee and Scale a 1% fee.

Does Mighty Networks charge transaction fees?

Yes, and it never removes them. The Launch plan charges a 2% transaction fee and the Scale plan charges 1%, both on top of standard payment processing. Unlike most platforms, Mighty Networks has no standard plan that reaches 0%.

What is the cheapest Mighty Networks plan?

The cheapest Mighty Networks plan is Launch at $95 per month ($79 per month on annual billing). It includes community spaces, courses, and events, but carries a 2% transaction fee. Annual billing lowers the effective monthly cost by about two months’ worth.

Is Mighty Networks worth it?

Mighty Networks is worth it if community engagement is the core of your business and you value its depth. The trade-offs are a higher starting price than many alternatives and a transaction fee that never goes to 0%, so the total cost grows with your revenue.

Does Mighty Networks have a free plan?

Mighty Networks does not have a permanently free plan. It offers a free trial on its standard plans so you can test the platform, after which the Launch plan at $95/month ($79 on annual billing) is the entry point.

Final thoughts on Mighty Networks pricing

Mighty Networks’ 2026 pricing buys a genuinely strong community platform, but the model asks you to keep paying a percentage of every sale forever. At $95 to $215 per month (or $79 to $179 on annual billing) plus a 1% to 2% fee, the total cost rises as you grow, which is the opposite of how most platforms reward scale.

If you want the community and the courses without a permanent platform fee, compare the total cost honestly. Start a Kourses free trial and run your community and courses in one place at $9 per month with 0% transaction fees.

By the end you will know exactly how much Stan Store costs, what you get on each plan, and how it compares to a fuller all-in-one platform.

Short answer: Stan Store costs $29 per month for the Creator plan or $99 per month for the Creator Pro plan, billed monthly or annually. There is no free plan, but there is a 14-day free trial. Stan Store charges no platform transaction fees, so you pay only standard payment processing (about 2.9% plus 30 cents).

Stan Store pricing 2026 at a glance

Source: stan.store/pricing (verified 2026). Annual billing saves $48 per year on Creator and $240 per year on Creator Pro. There is no free plan, but a 14-day free trial is available. Stan charges no platform transaction fees beyond standard payment processing.

The Stan Store plans explained

Stan Store Creator: $29/month

Creator is Stan Store’s entry plan at $29 per month, or $300 per year if you pay annually. It covers the essentials of a link-in-bio business: the storefront itself, bookings and calls, digital products, courses, subscriptions, and basic lead capture. For a creator who wants a clean mobile-first store to sell from their bio, Creator has almost everything needed to start earning.

Stan Store Creator Pro: $99/month

Creator Pro is $99 per month, or $948 per year billed annually. It adds the marketing layer: email marketing, upsells, funnels, discount codes, affiliate management, ad pixel tracking, and payment plans. This is the plan for creators running real campaigns who want to increase average order value and track their ad spend. The jump from Creator to Creator Pro is about marketing tools, not core selling.

Stan Store fees: what you actually pay

This is where Stan Store stands out. There is no platform transaction fee on either plan. You pay only the standard payment processing fee (around 2.9% plus 30 cents) that any platform passes through from Stripe or PayPal. That means the monthly plan price is close to the true cost, with no percentage of your sales disappearing to the platform.

That is a genuine advantage over creator tools that take a 5% to 10% platform cut. At $5,000 per month in sales, the difference between 0% and a 5% platform fee is $250 every month.

Is Stan Store worth the price?

For a link-in-bio storefront, Stan Store is well priced. The $29 Creator plan is enough to run a real selling business, and the lack of platform fees keeps your costs predictable. Creator Pro earns its higher price only if you will use the email, funnels, and upsell tools.

Stan Store’s limit is scope. It is built for selling from a bio link, so its course delivery and community features are lighter than a dedicated course-and-community platform. For simple digital products and coaching, that is fine. For a structured course catalog or an engaged community, you may outgrow it.

When a fuller platform makes more sense

Stan Store is excellent at what it does, but if your business is really a course or membership rather than a link-in-bio store, it is worth comparing it to an all-in-one built for that.

Kourses combines online courses, a private community, digital products, memberships, and checkout in one branded portal under your own domain. Kourses Starter is $9 per month (billed annually), below Stan’s Creator plan, and like Stan it charges 0% transaction fees. The difference is depth: a full course builder with drip scheduling, a real community, and memberships, rather than a bio-link storefront. See the full Kourses pricing, our roundup of Stan Store alternatives, and our guide to how to sell digital products.

Stan Store pricing FAQ

How much does Stan Store cost per month in 2026?

Stan Store costs $29 per month for the Creator plan or $99 per month for the Creator Pro plan. Annual billing lowers the cost to $300 and $948 per year. There is no free plan, but Stan offers a 14-day free trial on both plans.

Is Stan Store free?

No, Stan Store does not have a free plan in 2026. The Creator plan at $29 per month is the entry point. There is a 14-day free trial so you can test the platform before paying, but ongoing use requires a paid plan.

Does Stan Store charge transaction fees?

No, Stan Store charges no platform transaction fees on either plan. You pay only standard payment processing of about 2.9% plus 30 cents, which Stripe or PayPal charges on any platform. This is one of Stan Store’s main selling points.

What is the difference between Stan Store Creator and Creator Pro?

Creator ($29/month) includes the storefront, bookings, courses, subscriptions, and basic lead capture. Creator Pro ($99/month) adds email marketing, upsells, funnels, discount codes, affiliate management, ad pixel tracking, and payment plans. The upgrade is about marketing and growth tools, not core selling.

Is Stan Store worth it?

Stan Store is worth it for creators who want a simple, mobile-first store to sell digital products and coaching from their social bio, with no platform fees. It is less of a fit if you need deep course delivery or a real community, where a fuller all-in-one platform serves better.

Final thoughts on Stan Store pricing

Stan Store’s 2026 pricing is one of the simplest in the creator space: $29 or $99 per month, no free plan, and no platform transaction fees. For a link-in-bio storefront, that is a fair and predictable deal, and the lack of fees is a real advantage over many competitors.

If your business is closer to a course or membership than a bio-link store, compare the depth you actually need. Start a Kourses free trial and run your courses, community, and digital products in one place at $9 per month with 0% transaction fees.

This guide breaks down Skool pricing in 2026 in full, with the real cost of each plan, where the break-even sits, and how Skool compares once you factor in everything else creators usually want from a community platform.

By the end you will know exactly which Skool plan saves you money (it is not always the $9 one), what each plan actually includes in 2026, and how the pricing stacks up against alternatives like Kourses, Mighty Networks, Kajabi, and Circle. No spin, just the numbers.

Short answer: Skool costs $9 per month on the Hobby plan or $99 per month on the Pro plan in 2026. The difference that matters is the transaction fee: 10% on Hobby and 2.9% on Pro. Features are identical on both plans.

Skool pricing 2026 at a glance

Skool runs on two plans in 2026: Hobby and Pro. Both bill monthly by default, with a yearly option that takes two months off the annual cost. Both include unlimited members, unlimited courses, unlimited videos, and a custom URL. The headline difference is the platform fee on transactions, and that is the number you should be looking at, not the sticker price.

Source: skool.com/pricing (verified 2026). The annual toggle on either plan applies “2 months free”, which works out to roughly a 16.7% saving against monthly billing. The free trial is 14 days on both plans, with no card required upfront for the trial itself.

The official Skool pricing plans in 2026

There are only two official Skool plans in 2026: Hobby at $9/month and Pro at $99/month. Skool has resisted the temptation to splinter into five tiers with feature gating, which is genuinely refreshing if you have ever priced a Kajabi or Teachable plan grid. The trade-off is that the pricing decision happens almost entirely at the transaction-fee layer, not the feature layer.

This matters because most reviews focus on the monthly cost and breeze past the fee. In Skool’s case, the fee is the whole story.

Skool Hobby plan: $9/month with a 10% transaction fee

The Hobby plan is Skool’s entry point. $9 per month, billed monthly or annually, gives you everything Pro gives you in terms of features. Same community, same course builder, same custom URL, same video hosting, same affiliate program. There is no member limit, no course limit, no video limit.

The catch sits in the fees. Skool takes 10% on every payment your community processes. Skool processes payments themselves, so the 10% is all-in, there is no separate Stripe fee on top. On a $99 community membership, Skool takes $9.90 and you keep $89.10 before any other costs.

When the Hobby plan actually makes sense

The Hobby plan is the right pick in two narrow situations:

1. You are under $1,300/month in community revenue. At that level, the 10% fee costs you less than $130/month, which is well under the $90/month gap between Hobby ($9) and Pro ($99). Hobby wins on raw cost.
2. You are testing whether Skool is the right home for your community. $9 buys you a real, working community on the platform. If it does not fit, you have lost less than a Pro month’s worth of cash.

If neither of those is true, you are probably overpaying with Hobby and do not realise it yet.

When the Hobby plan quietly costs you more

The 10% fee compounds quickly. At $1,000/month in community revenue you pay $109 total ($9 plan plus $100 fee), which is already $10 more than Pro at the same revenue. At $5,000/month you pay $509 with Hobby versus $244 with Pro. At $10,000/month the gap is $1,009 vs $389, and the difference goes straight to Skool every month.

A useful rule: once your community revenue clears about $1,300/month consistently, you are losing money by staying on Hobby. Promote yourself to Pro before that math turns ugly.

Skool Pro plan: $99/month with a 2.9% transaction fee

The Pro plan is Skool’s only professional tier. $99 per month, or about $82.50/month if you pay annually. Features are identical to Hobby. The transaction fee drops from 10% to 2.9%.

Pro is built for creators who are genuinely running their community or course business as a business. The maths is straightforward: once you are processing more than about $1,300 of member payments a month, the lower fee on Pro saves you more than the extra $90/month costs. From there the savings compound steeply.

Pro also tends to be the right plan for anyone running paid coaching, a recurring membership, or a course they expect to sell more than a handful of seats per month. The 7.1-percentage-point difference between Hobby’s 10% and Pro’s 2.9% is the single largest hidden cost in Skool’s pricing structure, and Pro is where you stop paying it.

Skool transaction fees 2026: the part most reviews miss

Skool’s two transaction-fee rates, 10% and 2.9%, are the real centre of gravity in this pricing. They are not the kind of fee you can avoid by being clever with your checkout. They apply to every paid transaction your community runs through Skool, including member subscriptions, one-off course sales, and any other paid offer.

A 2.9% platform fee on the Pro plan is broadly comparable to Kajabi’s Basic plan surcharge of 2% when using your own Stripe account. Kajabi’s higher tiers reduce that to 1% and 0.5%. A 10% platform fee on the Hobby plan is unusually high for the creator-platform category in 2026. Most paid community platforms have moved toward either flat plan pricing with no platform fee, or a much smaller fee in the 1 to 3% range.

The reason this matters: if you are choosing between Skool Hobby and an equivalent $9 to $15/month plan elsewhere that charges 0% platform fees, the alternative could save you hundreds per month at modest revenue.

A creator doing $3,000/month in Skool community subscriptions pays $300/month in Skool fees on Hobby, plus the $9 plan cost, $309 total. On a 0%-fee platform at the same revenue, you pay only the plan price and not a cent more.

This is the line of thinking the existing reviews tend to skip. Do not.

Hobby vs Pro break-even: when does paying more save you money

Here is the break-even table in 2026, monthly billing, so you can pick the right Skool plan without doing the maths yourself.

The exact break-even is about $1,267/month in community revenue. Below that, Hobby wins on cost. Above it, you are feeding Skool more than you need to by staying on Hobby.

Two practical notes. First, if your revenue is bouncy (a launch month here, a quiet month there), use your 3-month rolling average, not last month’s number. Second, yearly billing on Pro effectively drops your monthly cost to roughly $82.50, which moves the break-even down to closer to $1,050/month and makes Pro the right pick earlier than the monthly-billing maths would suggest.

What is included on every Skool plan in 2026

Skool’s feature list is genuinely identical across Hobby and Pro. Here is what you get on either plan:

• Unlimited members with no per-member fee
• Unlimited courses with built-in lesson structure
• Unlimited videos uploaded directly to Skool’s hosting
• Unlimited live calls (Skool’s native group video calls)
• Custom URL on the skool.com subdomain or your own domain
• Affiliate program built in for member referrals
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android (Skool’s strongest practical advantage over many alternatives)
• Discovery placement in the Skool community directory

What you do not get on Skool, on either plan, is the kind of granular landing-page builder, multi-tier membership structure, drip content scheduling, or sales funnel tooling you would find in a fuller course-and-membership platform.

Skool keeps its surface area small on purpose. If you want a single tab for live calls, posts, members, and a course, Skool delivers it. If you want a marketing stack as well, you will be reaching for other tools.

Skool’s free trial and yearly billing

Skool offers a 14-day free trial on both plans. You can start without entering a card, which is unusual in the category in 2026 and a genuine point in Skool’s favour for cautious creators.

Yearly billing applies “2 months free” against monthly billing, equivalent to roughly a 16.7% discount. On Pro that takes the effective monthly cost from $99 to about $82.50. On Hobby it takes $9 to about $7.50, which is a smaller absolute saving but the same percentage discount.

There is no refund policy publicly documented beyond the trial period, so cancelling after the trial means you stop being billed at the next cycle but do not recover the current month’s payment. Plan changes (Hobby to Pro, or back) can be made at any time from the billing settings.

How Skool’s 2026 pricing compares to alternatives

Skool is rarely the only platform a creator considers. Here is how the 2026 pricing stacks up against the most common alternatives.

Two patterns to notice. First, Skool’s Hobby plan is unique in this category for charging a 10% platform fee on a $9 plan. Most competitors at this price point either charge a smaller fee or no fee at all.

Second, Skool Pro’s $99 sits in the same band as Kajabi, Circle, and Kourses Pro-tier alternatives, but those competitors typically charge 0% platform fees, meaning Skool Pro’s 2.9% adds a real cost at scale.

The right comparison is not sticker-to-sticker. It is what you pay for the same revenue on each platform. For the wider picture, see our roundup of the best membership platforms and our full Skool review.

When Skool’s pricing works (and when it does not)

Skool’s pricing model rewards two creator types: people who are very early (under $1,300/month revenue) and do not want to think about feature tiers, and people running a community-first business at scale where the 2.9% Pro fee is acceptable in exchange for Skool’s strong mobile experience and discovery placement.

It works less well in three situations. If you want a tightly branded, all-in-one experience where the platform is invisible to your members, Skool’s discovery directory and skool.com URLs cut against that.

If you sell primarily courses (not community access), the course builder is functional but light compared to course-led platforms like Teachable, Thinkific, or Kourses. And if your community revenue sits in the $1,300 to $10,000/month range, the Pro plan’s 2.9% fee adds up to real money over a year that competitors charging 0% simply do not take.

That last point is worth saying clearly. At $5,000/month in community revenue, Skool Pro takes about $145/month in platform fees on top of the $99 plan. Over a year that is $2,928. A platform with the same feature footprint and 0% transaction fees costs you only its plan price. The savings can quietly buy you a course refresh, a new mic and lighting setup, or a year of email tooling.

A Skool alternative worth considering

If you’ve made it this far and the Skool fee maths is starting to bother you, Kourses is worth a serious look. Kourses Starter is $9/month (billed annually), the same entry price as Skool Hobby, with 0% transaction fees.

You pay only standard Stripe processing on transactions. On Skool, the platform fee is all-in and replaces Stripe, on Kourses, you use your own Stripe account directly with no platform fee added on top.

Kourses is built around the things creators usually combine three or four tools to achieve: online courses with proper drip scheduling, a private community platform, and digital downloads in one branded portal under your domain. No “Powered by” watermarks, no platform fee at any scale, no mid-tier upsell to remove a fee that the competitor already doesn’t charge.

The honest trade-off: Kourses doesn’t yet have a native mobile app the way Skool does, and Skool’s discovery directory is a real source of inbound members for some creators. If those two things are critical to your model, Skool may still be the right pick. If neither is the deciding factor, the fee savings on Kourses tend to pay for the migration by month two.

For a direct feature-and-pricing breakdown, see our Kourses vs Skool comparison.

Skool pricing FAQ

How much does Skool cost per month in 2026?

Skool costs $9 per month on the Hobby plan or $99 per month on the Pro plan in 2026. Both plans bill monthly by default, with annual billing taking two months off the yearly cost. The Hobby plan adds a 10% platform fee on transactions; the Pro plan adds 2.9%.

What are Skool’s transaction fees in 2026?

Skool processes payments themselves, so these fees are all-in, there is no separate Stripe fee on top. You pay 10% on Hobby or 2.9% on Pro and that is the total platform cost per transaction.

What is Skool’s official pricing in 2026?

Skool’s official 2026 pricing is published at skool.com/pricing: $9/month for Hobby and $99/month for Pro. Both plans include unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls. The only practical difference is the transaction fee rate.

Is Skool’s $9 Hobby plan a good deal?

The $9 Hobby plan is a good deal if your community revenue stays under $1,300/month. Above that, the 10% transaction fee costs you more than the $90/month gap to the Pro plan. New creators and people testing the platform usually find Hobby is the right starting point, with a planned upgrade to Pro as revenue grows.

What is the difference between Skool’s Hobby and Pro plans?

The only meaningful difference between Skool Hobby ($9/month) and Pro ($99/month) is the transaction fee: 10% on Hobby and 2.9% on Pro. Features are identical: unlimited members, courses, videos, live calls, custom URL, affiliate program, and mobile apps.

Does Skool have a free plan?

Skool does not have a free plan. The Hobby plan at $9/month is the entry point. A 14-day free trial is available on both plans, with no card required to start.

How does Skool’s pricing compare to Kajabi or Mighty Networks?

Skool’s Pro plan ($99/month plus 2.9% fee) lines up roughly with Kajabi Basic ($179/month, 2% surcharge on own Stripe) and Mighty Networks Launch (about $95/month, 2% transaction fee). The right comparison depends on your business mix: course-heavy creators tend to prefer Kajabi, community-first creators often look at Mighty or Circle, and creators wanting both in one place increasingly look at Kourses.

Can I get a refund from Skool?

Skool’s published refund policy covers the 14-day free trial period. Outside the trial, cancellation stops billing at the next cycle but does not refund the current month. Plan changes can be made at any time from the billing settings.

How does Skool’s video hosting work?

Skool includes unlimited video hosting on both plans, with no separate Vimeo or Wistia subscription required. Videos can be uploaded directly into courses or posted into the community feed. There is no per-video minute cap and no separate bandwidth charge.

Final thoughts on Skool pricing in 2026

Skool pricing in 2026 is structurally simple and financially complicated. The two plans look identical on paper, but the fee gap (10% versus 2.9%) makes the Hobby plan a near-permanent loss for any community doing more than about $1,300/month in revenue. Pro is the right pick for almost any creator running this seriously, but its 2.9% platform fee is still real money compared to competitors charging 0%.

If Skool’s mobile app and discovery directory are decisive for your model, the platform fee is the cost of admission. If they are not, look hard at alternatives that price the same plan tier with 0% transaction fees. A creator doing $5,000/month in community revenue pays around $1,700 more per year on Skool Pro than on a comparable 0%-fee platform. That number tends to make the choice for itself once you see it on paper.

Whatever you pick, run your own 3-month revenue projection through the fee structure before committing. The right Skool plan, or the right alternative entirely, becomes obvious once the numbers are in front of you.

Ready to compare directly? Start a Kourses free trial and see the same community and course feature set with 0% transaction fees built in.

Thinkific also quietly retired its free plan in 2025, replacing it with a 30-day trial. And every standard plan is capped at 10,000 students, a detail that gets buried under “unlimited courses” on the marketing page but matters enormously if you scale.

This guide breaks down Thinkific pricing in 2026 plan by plan, calculates what you’ll really pay at different revenue levels, and explains the trade-offs that most reviews skip. No fluff, just the numbers.

Thinkific pricing plans at a glance

Thinkific offers four plans in 2026. Here’s the full breakdown with monthly and annual billing side by side.

Annual billing saves roughly 25% across every plan. The free plan was discontinued and replaced with a 30-day free trial.

Two things to flag before we dig into each tier. First, “unlimited courses” doesn’t mean unlimited students. Every standard plan stops at 10,000 students; only Plus lifts that ceiling. Second, the Basic plan excludes several features most creators assume are standard, including certificates, assignments, memberships, and payment plans.

What each Thinkific plan includes

Thinkific’s plans aren’t differentiated by capacity alone. Each tier unlocks genuinely different features, so the right plan depends on what you need, not just how big you are.

Basic plan ($49/month)

The cheapest paid plan. You get unlimited course creation, up to 10,000 students, one community with five spaces, and one admin user. The gaps matter: no certificates, no assignments, no memberships, no payment plans, no Zoom integration, no advanced branding. Basic works for a solo creator selling a single course at a fixed price, but it hits a wall fast.

Start plan ($99/month)

The most common starting point for serious creators. Adds certificates, assignments, memberships, payment plans, Zoom integration, and most of the features missing from Basic. Still caps at 10,000 students and includes one community with up to 10 spaces. Two admin users. This is where Thinkific starts to feel like a full platform rather than a trimmed-down version.

Grow plan ($199/month)

Designed for creators running multiple programs or larger teams. Includes three communities with 20 spaces total, advanced customization, two admin users plus five course admins, and stronger reporting. The 10,000 student cap still applies. This is Thinkific’s “most popular” tier for established course businesses.

Thinkific Plus (custom pricing)

Enterprise pricing for organizations with custom requirements. Unlimited students, custom community structure, dedicated account management, and custom integrations. Pricing is negotiated based on needs and typically starts at several thousand dollars per month.

The hidden cost: Thinkific’s Stripe surcharge

Thinkific markets itself as a 0% transaction fee platform. That claim has a footnote. The 0% fee only applies when you use TCommerce, Thinkific’s own payment processor. If you prefer your own Stripe account, you’ll pay a surcharge on every transaction on top of Stripe’s normal processing rate.

Stripe surcharges when using your own account:

• Basic: 5%
• Start: 2%
• Grow: 1%
• Plus: Custom/negotiable

TCommerce itself charges 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction, roughly the same as Stripe’s standard rate. So if you stay inside Thinkific’s ecosystem, you pay normal processing fees. If you bring your own Stripe, you pay processing fees plus a Thinkific surcharge.

Why this matters more than it looks

Bringing your own Stripe isn’t a vanity preference. Creators choose it for real reasons: existing customer data in Stripe, connected accounting tools, reporting integrations, or the simple desire not to be locked into a platform’s payment processor. Thinkific’s surcharge effectively taxes that independence.

TCommerce also isn’t available in every country, so creators in unsupported regions have no choice but to use their own Stripe and eat the surcharge.

Real Thinkific cost at different revenue levels

Here’s what Thinkific actually costs at three common revenue levels, assuming you use your own Stripe account and annual billing.

At $5,000/month in course revenue (Start plan):
– Plan cost: $74/month
– 2% Stripe surcharge: $100/month
– True monthly cost: $174/month

At $10,000/month in course revenue (Start plan):
– Plan cost: $74/month
– 2% Stripe surcharge: $200/month
– True monthly cost: $274/month

At $20,000/month in course revenue (Grow plan):
– Plan cost: $149/month
– 1% Stripe surcharge: $200/month
– True monthly cost: $349/month

That’s on top of Stripe’s standard 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction processing fee. For comparison, a platform with genuine 0% transaction fees on every plan costs a flat $9–$79/month regardless of your revenue or which payment processor you use.

At $20,000/month, the Thinkific Grow plan plus Stripe surcharge adds up to roughly $4,188 per year more than a 0% fee alternative at comparable features.

What happened to Thinkific’s free plan?

For years, Thinkific’s free plan was a defining feature. Creators could build and test a course without paying anything until they started earning. In 2025, Thinkific retired the free plan and replaced it with a 30-day free trial.

If you relied on the free plan, you now have three choices:

1. Upgrade to Basic ($36/month annual) and accept the recurring cost as the price of staying on Thinkific.
2. Switch to a platform with a lower entry price. Several competitors, including Kourses, start at $9/month with full features and 0% transaction fees.
3. Use a free marketplace like Gumroad for very early-stage selling, accepting a 10% transaction fee in exchange for no monthly commitment.

For creators who were using the free plan as a long-term home rather than a launchpad, the economics have fundamentally changed. $36/month is perfectly reasonable for an established course business; it’s less reasonable if you’re still validating whether your idea will sell.

The 10,000 student cap most articles miss

Here’s the detail buried in Thinkific’s plan comparison: every standard plan tops out at 10,000 students. That includes Basic, Start, and Grow. If you cross 10,000, you’re forced onto the custom-priced Plus plan.

For most course creators, 10,000 is an ambitious goal rather than an imminent problem. But there are two scenarios where the cap matters sooner than you’d expect:

• Freemium funnels. If you give away a free mini-course to build your list, every signup counts as a student. A modestly successful lead magnet can push you past 10,000 faster than paid sales would.
• Lifetime member models. Students don’t expire. A business that has been running for a few years accumulates students even if active engagement drops.

The cap isn’t a dealbreaker for most, but it’s worth knowing up front rather than discovering it when you’re about to launch your next campaign.

Is Thinkific worth the price?

Thinkific is a genuinely capable course platform. The interface is clean, the student experience is strong, and the feature set is solid once you’re on Start or above. That said, not every creator is well-matched to its pricing model.

When Thinkific makes sense

• You primarily sell courses and don’t need a deep community or membership offering.
• You’re comfortable using TCommerce as your payment processor, so the Stripe surcharge doesn’t apply.
• You want Thinkific’s reputation and robust course-delivery features.
• Your revenue is at a scale where the plan cost is a small percentage of monthly income.

When Thinkific doesn’t make sense

• You want to use your own Stripe account without paying a 1–5% surcharge.
• You’re building a membership-first business where community matters more than course delivery.
• You’re early-stage and the jump from the old free plan to $36/month annual feels premature.
• You want courses, community, memberships, and a conversion-optimized checkout in one platform for a flat monthly fee.

The honest answer is that Thinkific works well for a specific use case: course creators who are already earning, want a proven platform, and are happy inside the TCommerce ecosystem. For creators outside that profile, the numbers often argue for a different platform.

Thinkific pricing compared to alternatives

Here’s how Thinkific stacks up against the main alternatives in 2026, looking at the full cost including transaction fees where applicable.

The cost gap is most visible at the entry level. Kourses Starter is $9/month with 0% transaction fees on your own Stripe account. Thinkific Basic is $36/month annual and adds up to 5% if you use your own Stripe. At $5,000/month in sales, that’s a difference of several hundred dollars per month.

For a full feature-by-feature breakdown, see our Kourses vs Thinkific comparison.

How to choose the right Thinkific plan

If Thinkific is the right platform for you, here’s how to pick the right tier.

Choose Basic ($36/month annual) if:

• You’re selling a single course at a fixed price
• You don’t need certificates, assignments, memberships, or payment plans
• Your revenue is under $3,000/month and you want the cheapest Thinkific option
• You’ll use TCommerce to avoid the 5% Stripe surcharge

Basic is the cheapest Thinkific plan, but the feature exclusions catch many creators by surprise. If you think you’ll want certificates or payment plans within six months, skip Basic and start on Start.

Choose Start ($74/month annual) if:

• You want certificates, assignments, and memberships
• You offer payment plans or subscription access to content
• You run a community alongside your courses
• Your revenue is between $3,000 and $15,000/month

Start is the most common landing point for serious Thinkific users. It has the features most creators expect from a course platform.

Choose Grow ($149/month annual) if:

• You run multiple programs or brands
• You need advanced customization or multiple admin users
• You use multiple community spaces for different audiences
• Your revenue justifies the cost: $15,000+/month

Grow adds capacity and reporting. It’s worth the jump from Start only if you’re actually using the additional features.

Choose Plus (custom) if:

• You’ve crossed 10,000 students
• You need enterprise-level customization or integrations
• Your business requires dedicated support

Plus is reserved for scale. Most creators never need it.

Final thoughts on Thinkific pricing in 2026

Thinkific isn’t overpriced for what it is. The platform delivers a solid, proven course experience, and the higher tiers give you real capability. What Thinkific does charge for, and what’s easy to overlook, is the flexibility to use your own payment processor without a surcharge.

Three things to remember about Thinkific pricing in 2026:

1. “0% transaction fees” has a footnote. It applies to TCommerce only. Use your own Stripe and you pay 1–5% on top of processing.
2. The free plan is gone. The cheapest paid plan is $36/month annual, which changes the economics for new creators.
3. There’s a 10,000 student ceiling. Every plan except Plus stops there, regardless of what “unlimited courses” suggests.

If Thinkific’s course-focused approach and TCommerce ecosystem fit your business, it’s a reasonable choice at every price point. If you want courses, community, and a conversion-optimized checkout in one platform, starting at $9/month with genuine 0% transaction fees on your own Stripe, there are modern alternatives worth a look.

Ready to see the difference? Start a 14-day free trial of Kourses and keep 100% of every sale, with no surcharges, no processor lock-in, and no student caps to worry about.

Between transaction fees on the entry-level plan (7.5%), student caps across every tier, and processing charges that vary depending on where your members live, the real cost of running your course business on Teachable depends on how much you sell and how fast you grow.

Since Teachable’s June 2025 pricing restructure, the platform has also eliminated its free plan and introduced hard limits on the number of products and students per tier. That caught a lot of long-term creators off guard.

In this breakdown, we’ll walk through every Teachable plan, explain the fees that stack on top, and show you what the platform actually costs at different revenue levels, so you can decide whether it’s the right fit before you commit.

How much does Teachable cost in 2026?

Teachable offers three paid plans. There is no free plan. All plans include a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Here’s the quick overview (the four plan is a custom plan and not included in the table):

Annual billing saves 22% compared to paying month-to-month. If you’re committed to building on Teachable, the annual plan is the better deal, but that also means locking in for a full year upfront.

Teachable pricing plans explained

Starter plan ($39/month)

The Starter plan is Teachable’s entry-level tier. You get up to five published products, one admin account, and a cap of 100 students.

The catch? A 7.5% transaction fee on every sale. That means if you sell a $100 course, Teachable takes $7.50 before Stripe’s processing fees are applied. On a $200 product, that’s $15 per sale going to the platform.

At low volumes, this feels manageable. But transaction fees scale with your revenue, and they scale fast. We’ll break down the exact numbers below.

Who the Starter plan works for: Creators who are testing the platform with a single product and a small audience. Once you’re consistently selling, you’ll want to upgrade to avoid the transaction fee eating into your margins.

Builder plan ($89/month)

Builder removes the transaction fee entirely and bumps your limits to 10 published products and 1,000 students.

This is where Teachable becomes genuinely usable for a working course business. You get real-time support and access to the features most creators need, custom domains, certificates, and standard integrations.

Who the Builder plan works for: Solo creators running fewer than 10 products with an audience under 1,000 paying students. If you’re growing beyond that, you’ll hit the product or student cap quickly.

Growth plan ($189/month)

Growth is built for established creators who are scaling. You get 50 published products, up to 5,000 students, five admin accounts, and the ability to remove Teachable branding from your site.

You also get white-labelling, bulk student imports, custom admin permissions, and subtitle and translation generation.

Who the Growth plan works for: Creators with a larger catalogue and a growing team. If you need multiple admin users or run more than 10 products, this is the tier Teachable steers you toward.

Custom plan (pricing on request)

The Custom plan is Teachable’s enterprise tier for high-volume education businesses that have outgrown the Growth plan. Products, student seats, and admin accounts are all negotiable and agreed directly with Teachable’s sales team.

Pricing is not published – you book a call with sales to agree on a rate. Teachable specifically targets this plan for businesses doing more than $20,000 in annual revenue.

Who the Custom plan works for: Education businesses with high student volumes, complex team structures, or specific compliance requirements. For most individual creators and small teams, Growth is all they’ll need.

Teachable transaction fees and hidden costs

Teachable’s sticker price is only part of what you’ll pay. Here’s where the additional costs come in.

Platform transaction fee (Starter only)

The Starter plan charges 7.5% on every paid sale. This is a platform fee, it’s separate from and in addition to your payment processor’s charges.

To put that in context: if you make $2,000 in sales in a month, $150 goes to Teachable in transaction fees alone. That’s on top of Stripe’s cut.

The break-even point: At roughly $650 in monthly revenue, the Starter plan’s transaction fees start costing you more than the difference between Starter ($39/month) and Builder ($89/month). If you’re consistently earning above that, upgrading to Builder saves money.

Payment processing fees (all plans)

Every Teachable plan charges payment processing fees on top of the platform subscription:

• US credit cards: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• International cards: 3.9% + $0.30 per transaction (1% international surcharge)
• PayPal (US): 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction
• Chargeback fee: $15 per chargeback

The international card surcharge is worth flagging. If you serve a global audience, and most course creators do, that extra 1% on every international transaction adds up. On $5,000 in international sales per month, that’s an extra $50 you might not have budgeted for.

Product and student caps

Every Teachable plan limits the number of products you can publish and students you can enrol:

• Starter: 5 products, 100 students
• Builder: 10 products, 1,000 students
• Growth: 50 products, 5,000 students

These caps create a quiet growth tax. When you hit a limit, your only option is to upgrade to a higher (and significantly more expensive) plan, even if the limit you’ve hit is the only thing you need more of.

What Teachable actually costs at different revenue levels

Here’s where it gets real. This table shows the total monthly cost of each Teachable plan at different revenue levels, including the platform fee (Starter only) and Stripe processing fees (2.9% + $0.30, assuming 50 transactions per $5,000 in revenue).

The pattern is clear. On the Starter plan, the transaction fee alone costs more than the Builder plan subscription once you’re earning over $650 per month. At $10,000 in monthly revenue, the Starter plan’s total cost ($1,109) is nearly triple what you’d pay on Builder ($409).

If you’re selling courses and earning revenue, the Starter plan is effectively the most expensive option. When you add up all the Teachable fees, the entry-level plan costs more than double what you’d pay on Builder at just $1,000 in monthly sales.

What changed in Teachable’s June 2025 pricing update

In June 2025, Teachable restructured its pricing, and the changes caught many long-term creators off guard.

What happened:

• The free plan was eliminated. Creators who had been using Teachable’s free tier were required to upgrade to a paid plan or lose access.
• Product and student caps were introduced. Previous plans offered more flexibility. The new structure placed hard limits at every tier.
• Grandfathered pricing was removed. Existing customers who had been on legacy plans were migrated to the new pricing structure, regardless of how long they’d been on the platform.
• Some creators saw costs double or triple. Reports from the community describe long-term customers going from $119 per month to $309 per month after the migration, a jump driven by the new product and student caps forcing them into higher tiers.

The backlash was significant. Creators expressed frustration not just about the price increases, but about the way the changes were handled, forced migrations, limited communication, and AI-generated support responses that left many feeling unheard.

This matters if you’re choosing a platform today. Pricing that seems affordable now may look very different in a year if the platform decides to restructure again.

Is Teachable worth it?

Teachable has genuine strengths. The course builder is intuitive, the brand has strong recognition, and the mobile apps (iOS and Android) give your students a native learning experience. If you need a straightforward course delivery platform and your product catalogue is small, it can work well.

But the pricing structure has become more complex and restrictive since the June 2025 changes. Here’s where Teachable falls short for many creators:

• Transaction fees on the entry plan make Starter impractical for anyone selling regularly
• Product and student caps on every plan create forced upgrade pressure as you grow
• No built-in community, if you want a private space for your members, you’ll need a separate tool (and a separate bill)
• Limited checkout features, no order bumps or one-click upsells on most plans, which means leaving revenue on the table
• Pricing trust, the June 2025 restructure showed that grandfathered pricing isn’t guaranteed

For creators who value straightforward pricing and don’t want to worry about caps, there are alternatives worth looking at.

How Teachable pricing compares to alternatives

Here’s how Teachable’s Builder plan (the first tier without transaction fees) stacks up against comparable plans on other platforms:

Kourses Pro costs $20/month less than Teachable Builder and includes features you simply can’t get on Teachable without jumping to the $189/month Growth plan – built-in community platform, conversion-optimized checkout, order bumps, one-click upsells, and automated abandoned cart recovery are all included as standard. If you want to remove Teachable’s branding, that requires the $189/month Growth plan. On Kourses, it’s included from $9/month and 0% transaction fees on every plan.

For a detailed feature-by-feature breakdown, see our Kourses vs Teachable comparison.

The bottom line on Teachable pricing

Teachable remains a solid course platform with good name recognition, a clean interface, and native mobile apps. For creators with a small catalogue and modest growth plans, the Builder plan at $89 per month is a reasonable starting point.

But the pricing has become harder to recommend since the June 2025 restructure. Transaction fees on Starter, product and student caps across every tier, and the precedent of removing grandfathered pricing all add friction, and cost, that creators should factor in before committing.

If you want predictable pricing that doesn’t punish growth, 0% transaction fees, professional course delivery, built-in community, checkouts, order bumps and upsells, Kourses plans start at $9 per month with a 14-day free trial.

Frequently asked questions about Teachable pricing

Is Teachable free?

No. Teachable eliminated its free plan in June 2025. The cheapest option is the Starter plan at $29 per month (billed annually – total $348) or $39 per month (billed monthly). All Teachable pricing plans include a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, but there is no ongoing free tier.

Does Teachable charge transaction fees?

Yes, on the Starter plan. Teachable charges a 7.5% platform transaction fee on every paid sale made through the Starter plan. The Builder ($89/month), and Growth ($189/month) plans have 0% platform transaction fees. All plans still incur standard payment processing fees through Stripe or PayPal.

What is the cheapest Teachable plan?

The cheapest Teachable plan is the Starter at $29 per month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month). However, the 7.5% transaction fee on Starter means it can become more expensive than the Builder plan once your monthly revenue exceeds $650. For creators actively selling, the Builder plan at $69 per month (annual –  total $828) is often the more cost-effective choice.

How much is Teachable per month?

Teachable pricing plans range from $29 to $309 per month on annual billing. Month-to-month pricing is higher: $39 for Starter, $89 for Builder and $189 for Growth. Annual billing saves 22% across all tiers.

In January 2026, Kajabi restructured its pricing for the first time in nearly a decade. Plans got more expensive and a surcharge system was introduced for creators using their own Stripe account. The changes caught a lot of existing customers off guard.

This guide breaks down every Kajabi pricing plan in detail, calculates the true monthly cost at different revenue levels, and helps you decide whether the investment makes sense for your business.

Kajabi pricing plans at a glance

Kajabi offers three plans. All include unlimited marketing emails, landing pages, and funnels. The differences come down to how many products you can sell, how many contacts you can store, and how much you pay in transaction fee surcharges.

Annual billing saves between around 20% across all tiers. The Growth plan is marked as “Most Popular” on Kajabi’s website.

What each Kajabi plan includes

Basic plan ($179 per month)

The Basic plan is where most new Kajabi creators land. At $179 per month ($143 billed annually), you get five products and 2,500 contacts.

Five products is enough for a small catalogue: a flagship course, a few digital downloads, and maybe a membership tier. But with only 2,500 contacts, growing creators will bump into the ceiling sooner than expected. If you run paid ads or have a podcast with a growing email list, that limit can fill fast.

You get two admin users, which means you and one team member. No room for a VA, a community manager, and a course assistant on the same account without upgrading.

Growth plan ($249 per month)

Growth is Kajabi’s mid-tier and the plan they push hardest. At $249 per month ($199 billed annually), you get 50 products, 25,000 contacts, and 11 admin users.

This is the first plan where contact limits feel reasonable for a growing business. The jump from 2,500 to 25,000 contacts is significant, and 50 products gives you room to build out a full product suite without worrying about caps.

You also get access to advanced automations and affiliate programme tools, which are locked on lower tiers.

Pro plan ($499 per month)

Pro is Kajabi’s top tier. At $499 per month ($399 billed annually), you get unlimited products, 100,000 contacts, three separate websites, and 26 admin users.

This plan targets established businesses running multiple brands or educators with large audiences. The three-website feature lets you run different brands from a single Kajabi account.

At $399 per month billed annually, you are paying $4,788 per year ($5988 if billed monthly) before any transaction fees. That is a significant investment that only makes sense at higher revenue levels.

The hidden cost most Kajabi pricing pages ignore

Here is the part that changes the maths on Kajabi entirely: transaction fee surcharges.

If you use your own Stripe account with Kajabi (rather than Kajabi Payments), you pay a surcharge on every transaction:

If you use Kajabi Payments instead, you avoid the platform surcharge but pay Kajabi’s own processing rates: 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth, and 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro.

Either way, there is no path to 0% transaction fees on Kajabi. You either pay a surcharge for the flexibility of your own Stripe account or you use Kajabi’s payment processor.

You also have all your billing tied into the Kajabi system rather than your own independent Stripe account.

What this costs at different revenue levels

This is where the advertised price and the actual price diverge. Here is what Kajabi really costs monthly when you factor in the platform surcharge on your own Stripe account:

At $5,000 per month in revenue:

At $10,000 per month in revenue:

At $20,000 per month in revenue:

The surcharges are not catastrophic in isolation, but they compound over a year. A creator on the Basic plan doing $10,000 per month pays $2,400 per year in surcharges alone. That is on top of the $1,716 annual subscription, bringing the true annual cost to $4,116.

What changed in the January 2026 pricing update

Kajabi’s January 2026 restructure was the platform’s first major pricing change in nearly a decade. Here is what shifted:

• Growth plan increased from $159 per month to $199 per month (billed annually), a 25% jump
• Contact limits adjusted across all plans
• Transaction fee surcharges introduced for creators using their own Stripe account

Existing customers were transitioned to the new pricing structure, which generated significant pushback in creator communities. The surcharge system was particularly controversial because many creators had specifically chosen Kajabi for the freedom to use their own payment processor.

Is Kajabi worth the price?

Kajabi is a capable platform. The question is whether it is $143 to $399 per month capable for your specific situation.

When Kajabi makes sense

You are already generating consistent revenue. If your business brings in $5,000 or more per month and you need an all-in-one platform for courses, email marketing, website building, and sales funnels, Kajabi delivers. The value of consolidating five or six tools into one platform is real.

You want a mature, established platform. Kajabi has been around since 2010 and powers tens of thousands of creator businesses. The platform is stable, well-documented, and has a large support ecosystem.

You prioritise marketing automation. Kajabi’s built-in email marketing and pipeline (funnel) tools are more developed than most course platforms. If you rely heavily on automated email sequences and sales funnels, this is a genuine strength.

When Kajabi does not make sense

You are early-stage or testing a course idea. Paying $143 per month before you have validated demand is a steep commitment. There are platforms offering courses, community, and checkout from $9 per month with 0% transaction fees.

Transaction fees bother you. If keeping every dollar you earn matters to your business model, Kajabi’s surcharge structure is a real concern. At scale, those percentages add up to thousands per year. Platforms that charge 0% transaction fees let you keep more of your revenue as you grow.

You need community as a core feature, not an add-on. Kajabi added community features, but the community experience was not built into the platform from the ground up. If your business model centres on a private community alongside courses, platforms designed around that combination may serve you better.

Your budget is tight. At every tier, Kajabi is one of the most expensive options in the category. The subscription plus surcharges can easily exceed $300 per month for growing businesses.

How Kajabi pricing compares to alternatives

Here is what you would pay annually on popular course platforms at $10,000 per month in revenue, including subscription and platform transaction fees. Standard Stripe processing fees apply equally to all platforms and are excluded.

At $10,000 per month in revenue, Kajabi’s Growth plan costs $3,000 more per year than Kourses Pro. That gap widens as revenue grows because the surcharge is percentage-based.

For a more detailed feature-by-feature breakdown, see our Kourses vs Kajabi comparison.

How to choose the right Kajabi plan

If you have decided Kajabi is the right platform for your business, here is a quick framework for picking a plan:

Choose Basic if you are selling up to five products and your email list is under 2,500. This is the most common starting point.

Choose Growth if you need more than five products, your list is growing past 2,500 contacts, or you want access to affiliate tools and advanced automations. The lower surcharge rate (1% versus 2%) also makes this plan more cost-effective at higher revenue.

Choose Pro if you run multiple brands, need more than 11 admin users, or your contact list exceeds 25,000. At this tier, the 0.5% surcharge is the lowest available but still present.

The bottom line on Kajabi pricing

Kajabi is a premium platform with pricing to match. The subscription ranges from $143 to $399 per month on annual billing, and transaction fee surcharges add another layer of cost that grows with your revenue.

For established creators who value having everything in one system and are generating enough revenue to justify the investment, Kajabi delivers a polished experience. The platform is mature, the marketing tools are strong, and the ecosystem is well established.

For creators who are cost-conscious, early-stage, or scaling fast, the maths often points elsewhere. Platforms like Kourses offer courses, community, and conversion-optimised checkout starting at $9 per month with 0% transaction fees, which means your platform cost stays flat as your revenue grows.

The right choice depends on your revenue, your priorities, and how much of your earnings you want to keep. Run the numbers at your revenue level, factor in the surcharges, and let the true cost guide your decision.

Two popular options are Paddle and Stripe.

These platforms are payment processors that can help your businesses process payments but have different features.

In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at Paddle vs Stripe, along with their individual advantages and disadvantages to help you pick the best one for your business.

We will also break down each platform in detail, compare their pricing, and give you all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Paddle vs Stripe: Comparison Overview

Consider Kourses for your community, course or membership site

Start building a better membership site.

The power to create beautiful membership portals that make your content the star of the show. Engaging experiences. Powerful business tools.

Try free for 14 days

Paddle vs Stripe Compared

Paddle 

Paddle Main Features Overview

Paddle is an all-in-one payment platform, with a focus on providing Merchant of record (MoR) services. Their audience is primarily SaaS companies, but they also provide services to sellers of digital products such as templates, resources and graphics.

Paddle handles subscriptions, invoices, recurring payments and even helps you collect sales tax.

Paddle is a simple solution for businesses that need international payments and want to skip the trouble of managing taxes and compliance.

It is built to help online businesses grow without worrying about complex payment systems.

With Paddle, you can focus more on your products and less on payment headaches. Paddle is also designed for those who want to quickly start accepting payments without spending hours in technical setup.

An example of a Paddle checkout from TailwindUI

Paddle Pros

Tax Handling: Paddle automatically takes care of VAT and other tax rules, including automated VAT collection. You don’t have to worry about keeping up with different tax rates in different countries because Paddle manages sales tax and global tax for you.Simple Pricing: Charges a percentage + flat fee per transaction, so it’s easy to know the costs. You always know how much you will be paying, which makes it easier to plan your budget and avoid surprises.Ease of Use: Made for businesses that want simple integration without needing coding skills. This makes Paddle a great choice for small business owners who don’t have tech experience but want to accept payments.International Payment Handling: Paddle lets you accept payments from many different countries and supports multiple currencies. This means you can easily expand your customer base around the world without having to worry about setting up complex international payment systems.Sales Tax Solution: Paddle provides a sales tax solution that handles tax calculation, filing and verification capabilities, and sales tax compliance automatically.

Paddle Cons

Customization Limits: Not good if you need a lot of custom code or special payment setups. Paddle is built to be simple, which means it doesn’t give you the same customization options as some other platforms.Fewer Payment Methods: Compared to Stripe, Paddle offers fewer payment method integration options. If your customers prefer using certain local payment methods, Paddle may not always support them.Limited Developer Tools: Not the best choice for businesses with their own developers who want to customize the system. Paddle doesn’t offer as many developer features, which can be a problem if you want to create a unique payment experience for your users.No Custom Pricing: Paddle users have to rely on the platform’s set pricing model, which means there is no custom pricing available for larger or more established businesses.

Stripe

Stripe Main Features Overview

Stripe is a flexible and developer-friendly payment platform. It supports many payment methods and is popular with startups and bigger businesses.

Stripe offers high customization and has lots of APIs for developers. This means you can use Stripe to create custom payment solutions that match your business needs exactly.

Stripe is designed for businesses that want full control and are ready to invest time into setting things up.

Stripe Pros

Highly Customizable: Stripe gives you a lot of control through its APIs. Great for tech-savvy businesses or businesses that have developers. You can create unique payment flows that make it easier for customers to pay you.Multiple Payment Options: Supports cards, bank transfers, direct debit, SEPA Direct Debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other payment methods. This means that your customers can pay however they want, which can increase your sales and customer satisfaction.Third-Party Integrations: Works well with many business tools like accounting software, shopping carts, and other platforms. This helps you manage your business operations smoothly without needing to switch between different systems.Scalable Solution: Stripe is great if your business is growing and you need a payment system that can grow with you. As your needs change, Stripe can offer more features and options to help you handle more transactions.Subscription Management Tools: Stripe offers advanced subscription management tools, including prorated billing, usage-based billing, and trial periods. This makes it easier to manage subscriptions and cater to different customer needs.Extensive Fraud Protection: Stripe provides extensive fraud protection and chargeback protection to help businesses manage security and prevent unauthorized transactions.

Stripe Cons

No Built-in Tax Compliance: Although Stripe does now include tax collection features (for a small additional fee) they do not manage your overall compliance and remitting taxes for you – this is something you’d need a merchant of record solution like Paddle for.Potentially Higher Costs: Although Stripe’s initial processing fees are lower than Paddle’s, they do charge for additional services such as subscriptions and tax collection, so these fees can add up.

Paddle vs Stripe Pricing Comparison

Let’s take a look at how Paddle vs Stripe compare when it comes to the critical issue of pricing.

Paddle Pricing models

Paddle: Charges a flat fee + percentage per transaction.

Paddle’s flat fee means you don’t need to worry about costs changing with each sale. If your business has steady or predictable sales, this makes planning easy and ensures no surprises. With Paddle, the pricing is clear and straightforward, making it less stressful to manage payments.

Paddle charges a flat fee of around 5% + $0.50 per transaction . This fee includes the cost of payment processing, taxes, and compliance. This is a good option if you don’t want any surprise fees or extra charges.

Since Paddle also handles all of your tax and compliance, including automated tax calculation and sales tax compliance, you are getting more value with the flat fee. There are no added costs for different types of payments or handling taxes, which makes it easy to plan your finances.

Stripe Pricing models

Stripe Charges a variable percentage per transaction. 

If you’re a US based seller, this is usually around 2.9% + 30 cents. These are fees for processing payments from most popular credit cards.

Stripe charges additional fees for their subscription management services, with fees starting from 0.7% of subscription billed volume.  

Stripe also offers tax calculation features which start from 0.5% per calculation.

If you’re utilizing all of these services, the effective rate is around 4.1% + $0.30 per transaction. Bear in mind though, some transactions will not incur all fees. Also if you process payments through Direct debit, these operate at a lower rate.

Stripe also offers volume discounts if you have a lot of transactions each month, but you need to meet certain requirements. It’s important to calculate your expected sales and see which pricing model works best for you.

Additionally, Stripe has extra fees for things like international transactions, currency conversion, and wire transfers. 

If you plan to sell in multiple countries, these extra costs should be considered. Overall, Stripe’s pricing can be less predictable, and it’s best to keep track of all potential fees when planning your budget.

Consider Kourses for your community, course or membership site

Start building a better membership site.

The power to create beautiful membership portals that make your content the star of the show. Engaging experiences. Powerful business tools.

Try free for 14 days

Paddle vs Stripe Detailed Comparison

Now, you may be wondering, why choose Skool instead of other platforms? Let’s look at some key reasons:

Ease of Use

Paddle: Easier to set up, especially if you don’t have technical skills. It manages compliance, sales tax, and payments processing, making it a great option for businesses that don’t want to deal with complex setups. Paddle’s goal is to make payment processing simple and efficient so that business owners can focus on other parts of their business. The simple interface and minimal setup process make it easy for anyone to start using Paddle.

Stripe: Made for developers. If you have a tech team, Stripe gives you a lot of flexibility. You can design custom payment flows that fit your needs. However, if you don’t have someone with technical knowledge, Stripe can be overwhelming. The platform is powerful but requires a lot of work to make it run smoothly. Stripe is better for companies that are ready to spend time on development and customization.

Winner: Draw – both platforms are easy to use

Tax and Compliance

Paddle: Handles sales tax and compliance automatically, saving you time and effort. 

You don’t have to worry about keeping up with changing tax laws or filling out tax forms because Paddle does it for you. 

This makes it a very attractive choice for international businesses that don’t want to handle the tax complexities of global tax rules.

Stripe: Doesn’t handle taxes directly, so you need to do it yourself or use third-party tools. 

Stripe does now include an option to handle tax collection (conveniently called Stripe tax), although you will need to handle remittance of tax to the various countries where you collect it.

Winner: Paddle

Customization

Paddle: Limited customization options. Good if you want a simple, ready-to-use solution. 

Paddle is designed for business owners who want an easy setup with basic payment features. 

You won’t be able to make a lot of changes to how the payment process looks or works, but it’s a good option if you’re looking for simplicity.

Stripe: Highly customizable, which lets you create unique payment experiences. 

Ideal for businesses with specific needs and developer support. If you want to create a payment process that fits your brand perfectly, Stripe is the right choice. 

You can add different payment methods, create custom checkout pages, and use advanced tools to offer a seamless experience to your customers. 

Stripe also allows for custom pricing and other customization options that can adapt to the needs of high volume businesses.

Winner: Stripe

Payment Methods

Paddle: Supports cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay. It’s good but doesn’t cover as much as Stripe. Paddle offers fewer payment methods, but it does include popular options that most customers will use.

Stripe: Offers many options, like bank transfers, direct debit, SEPA Direct Debit, Google Pay, and other payment methods. Better if you need to support many different payment types. Stripe supports almost all payment methods, including local payment options that some customers prefer. This means that you can reach more customers in more countries, making it easier to grow your business worldwide.

Winner: Stripe

Consider Kourses for your community, course or membership site

Start building a better membership site.

The power to create beautiful membership portals that make your content the star of the show. Engaging experiences. Powerful business tools.

Try free for 14 days

Paddle vs Stripe: Which is Better?

Overall, the key benefit of Paddle vs Stripe is the handling of tax collection and remittance. If you want a hands off system that handles collection and submission of all tax related matters, Paddle is for you.

If you want more flexibility and control over your payments infrastructure, Stripe is certainly a better option.

It’s also worth mentioning the potential drawback of using a Merchant of Record service like Paddle – this means that all your sales to any juristiction are automatically going to be at the threshold for tax (meaning your customers will likely be charged tax in most countries around the world).

This happens because Paddle is essentially operating as one company through which all sales go – and therefore they are likely to already be hitting the thresholds for tax charging in most worldwide juristrictions (states and countries).

Whilst this may not be a significant issue, it can affect sales volumes for some markets.

If you’re using Stripe vs Paddle, you’re unlikely to hit many of the juristictional limits for some time (if at all) and therefore you won’t be charging tax to a lot of your customers.

Another consideration is that Paddle is focused around SaaS companies and related software businesses. If you’re selling a different kind of product (e.g. a membership site, online course etc) you’re less likely to be accepted into Paddle for your payment processing.

Why not Consider using Kourses with Stripe

Are you a creator looking to use Stripe as your payment processor and you want to create and sell digital products, online courses or memberships? You should consider Kourses!

Kourses is a platform designed for education businesses and entrepreneurs who need a simple, powerful solution to manage their business on top of the Stripe online payments system.

Kourses includes the following features:

Create beautiful membership portalsCreate conversion optimized checkout flows and sell access directly through the various payment gateways Stripe offers.Tokenized payment details make it quick and easy for your buyers to re-purchase additional products from youCreate online courses with built in secure video hostingGrow highly engaged membership communities with discussion and gamification (coming soon)Selling digital products made easy with easy content uploading and management

Kourses early access waitlist is open now – join today and we’ll send you an invite link when we open our next cohort.