How we work
How CourseProfit Lab evaluates course platforms.
Every comparison separates verified facts, calculated economics, and editorial judgment so readers can see exactly what drives a recommendation.
Source priority
We prioritize official vendor pricing pages, help-center articles, and published fee documentation. When a promotional page and a detailed support article differ, we favor the source that explains billing conditions and exceptions most clearly.
Calculation method
Estimated net revenue equals gross sales minus the plan subscription, modeled platform fees, per-enrollment charges, and the payment processing rate entered by the visitor. Taxes, refunds, chargebacks, currency conversion, optional add-ons, and negotiated discounts are not included unless clearly stated.
Evaluation framework
We compare five decision areas: total platform cost, course and student experience, selling tools, operational simplicity, and payment availability. We do not combine these into a mysterious universal score. Each article states which factor drives its verdict and identifies the type of creator for whom another option may be better.
Example cost tables use explicit assumptions such as product price, monthly sales, annual billing, and direct rather than marketplace discovery. Payment processing is shown separately whenever vendor fee structures make a combined total misleading.
Updates and scheduled price changes
We complete a full pricing audit against official sources at least once each month. The displayed audit date changes only after those sources and the calculator model have been reviewed. If the next review date passes, the calculator automatically marks the audit as overdue instead of silently presenting an artificial newer date.
A documented future price change may be built into the model with its effective date, as with Thinkific’s August 2026 increase. Visitors should still confirm the final checkout price.
Review the dated pricing research log and latest audit changes →
Download the modeled pricing data
The subscription, platform-fee, per-sale, audit-date, condition, and official-source fields used by the calculator are available as a machine-readable CSV. Conditional fees remain labeled instead of being presented as universal charges.
Feature commentary
Feature notes are designed as short decision prompts, not exhaustive product reviews. Plan limits and feature availability change more often than formulas, so the vendor’s current comparison table remains the final authority.
Distribution and audience development
We create pages around real pricing, fee, and platform-selection questions, then make them discoverable through organic search and the CourseProfit Lab LinkedIn company page. We do not purchase traffic, followers, reviews, or mailing lists, and we do not describe projected reach as established audience data.
Commercial independence
Affiliate eligibility, commission amount, or approval status does not affect rank order. Sponsored placement would be labeled separately; CourseProfit Lab does not currently sell sponsored rankings.
Anonymous link measurement
We count visits from CourseProfit Lab to vendor sites so we can learn which comparisons help readers take a next step. The first-party event contains the platform, page, link placement, destination hostname, affiliate status, and time. It uses no cookie and excludes names, email addresses, calculator inputs, and full destination URLs. Click volume never changes a calculator result or editorial verdict.
Corrections
If you spot an outdated price or a calculation issue, contact CourseProfit Lab through the public LinkedIn company page. We review corrections against primary sources before changing the model.