What this benchmark answers
How much does the platform itself cost at three practical sales levels?
Each scenario sells a $100 course 5, 20, or 100 times per month. The table combines the annual-billing monthly equivalent with published platform transaction or per-enrollment charges. Payment processing, tax, refunds, currency conversion, advertising, and labor are excluded so the platform layer stays comparable.
Original dataset
Monthly platform cost by plan and revenue
| Platform plan | Annual subscription | $500 monthly revenue | $2,000 monthly revenue | $10,000 monthly revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinkific Basic | $475.00 | $39.58 7.9% of revenue | $39.58 2.0% of revenue | $39.58 0.4% of revenue |
| Thinkific Start | $978.00 | $81.50 16.3% of revenue | $81.50 4.1% of revenue | $81.50 0.8% of revenue |
| Thinkific Grow | $1,968.00 | $164.00 32.8% of revenue | $164.00 8.2% of revenue | $164.00 1.6% of revenue |
| Teachable Starter | $348.00 | $66.50 13.3% of revenue | $179.00 8.9% of revenue | $779.00 7.8% of revenue |
| Gumroad Direct sales | $0.00 | $52.50 10.5% of revenue | $210.00 10.5% of revenue | $1,050.00 10.5% of revenue |
| Teachable Builder | $828.00 | $69.00 13.8% of revenue | $69.00 3.5% of revenue | $69.00 0.7% of revenue |
| Podia Mover | $504.00 | $67.00 13.4% of revenue | $142.00 7.1% of revenue | $542.00 5.4% of revenue |
| Podia Shaker | $1,008.00 | $84.00 16.8% of revenue | $84.00 4.2% of revenue | $84.00 0.8% of revenue |
| LearnWorlds Starter | $288.00 | $49.00 9.8% of revenue | $124.00 6.2% of revenue | $524.00 5.2% of revenue |
| LearnWorlds Pro Trainer | $948.00 | $79.00 15.8% of revenue | $79.00 4.0% of revenue | $79.00 0.8% of revenue |
How to read it
The cheapest row is not automatically the best plan
At validation volume
Fixed subscriptions dominate the percentage. A lower recurring bill can preserve cash, but product limits, payment eligibility, and migration work can outweigh a small monthly difference.
At traction volume
Percentage and per-enrollment charges begin to overtake plan price. This is where fee-free upgrades often become cheaper on platform cost alone.
At growth volume
Fee-free plans look strongest in the narrow cost layer, but capacity limits, tax operations, support, email, and checkout conversion can still change total business cost.
Model boundaries
Keep the gateway and processor scenarios separate
- Thinkific: the benchmark uses the native TCommerce route and excludes conditional third-party gateway fees.
- Gumroad: direct-sale platform charges are modeled; Discover marketplace sales are a separate 30% route.
- Payment processing: excluded because the provider, country, currency, payment method, and card origin change it.
- Annual billing: monthly plan amounts are annual invoice totals divided by 12; actual cash is paid upfront.
- Feature equivalence: plans are not feature-matched. Run a real workflow pilot after cost screening.
Pricing inputs were checked against official vendor documentation on August 26, 2026. See the research log and fee glossary before reusing the dataset.
Primary pricing sources