Cost rule
Total platform cost = fixed subscription + variable selling cost + required stack + operating labor
A platform is not cheap because one fee is zero. Compare the cost of producing a successful learner and collecting usable money in the business bank account. Every assumption should be tied to an official fee rule, a provider quote, or a measured workflow.
Current fee patterns
Six popular platforms use five different cost models
| Platform route | Fixed cost modeled | Variable platform charge | Critical qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad direct sales | $0/month | 10% + $0.50 per sale before processing | Discover sales use a different 30% fee that includes processing |
| Teachable Starter | $29/month annually | 7.5% | Usage, processing, tax, refund, and payout rules remain separate |
| Podia Mover | $42/month annually | 5% | Email, product, video, and community-space limits affect the plan |
| LearnWorlds Starter | $24/month annually | $5 per paid enrollment | The fee behaves differently for a $20 product and a $500 product |
| Thinkific Basic | $40/month annually | Third-party gateway fee can apply | TCommerce availability, plan, and region determine the relevant route |
| Kajabi Basic | $143/month annually | 2% with affected third-party providers | Exceptions include Kajabi Payments, PayPal, and unavailable regions |
Prices and published platform-fee rules checked August 23, 2026. Normal payment processing is excluded from the table because provider, country, card mix, and transaction type change it.
The 12-line audit
Put every cost in one model
| Cost line | What to collect | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Subscription | Monthly and annual price, billing commitment, taxes, renewal | Using the annual equivalent but ignoring the annual cash outlay |
| 2. Platform fee | Percentage, per-sale, per-enrollment, marketplace fee | Calling a plan fee-free because one fee category is zero |
| 3. Processing | Card, wallet, PayPal, local method, international card rates | Assuming every buyer uses the lowest domestic card rate |
| 4. Gateway | Third-party gateway percentage, eligibility, settlement, reserve | Modeling a preferred gateway that the business cannot use |
| 5. Currency | Conversion markup, settlement currency, bank receipt fee | Comparing gross checkout currency with usable bank revenue |
| 6. Tax | Calculation, collection, remittance, filing, merchant-of-record scope | Confusing tax calculation with legal remittance responsibility |
| 7. Refunds and disputes | Refunded platform fees, processing retention, chargeback fee, reserve | Applying the sale fee but no expected refund or dispute cost |
| 8. Email and contacts | Included subscribers, contacts, sends, overages, automation plan | Counting inactive contacts differently from the vendor |
| 9. Content limits | Products, courses, videos, storage, bandwidth, learners, admins | Pricing today's catalog instead of the next 12 months |
| 10. Apps and integrations | Community, scheduling, webinar, analytics, certificates, automation | Comparing one platform subscription with another platform's full stack |
| 11. Migration and exit | Export, rebuild, redirects, content, students, subscriptions, downtime | Treating switching cost as zero because files are exportable |
| 12. Labor | Weekly admin, reconciliation, support, publishing, reporting, fixes | Ignoring 10 hours of work to save $30 of software |
Three-scenario formula
Do not model only the month you hope to have
Annual total cost = subscription + platform charges + processing + gateway and currency costs + add-ons + refund/dispute cost + valued labor + migration allocation.
Low case
Use conservative sales and higher effective percentage fees. This shows how much subscription risk exists before demand is proven.
Expected case
Use the actual product mix, average order value, refund rate, card geography, contact count, and support hours expected after launch.
High case
Test the next plan threshold, fee break-even, storage and contact limits, team seats, payout reserve, and support load.
Failure case
Model cancellation after three months, annual commitment, export work, redirects, and moving active subscriptions to a new processor.
Break-even examples
Variable fees create predictable upgrade points
| Upgrade comparison | Difference | Modeled tie point |
|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter → Builder | $40 more monthly, 7.5 percentage points saved | About $533 monthly gross |
| Podia Mover → Shaker | $42 more monthly, 5 percentage points saved | $840 monthly gross |
| LearnWorlds Starter → Pro Trainer | $55 more monthly, $5 per enrollment saved | 11 paid enrollments |
| Kajabi Basic → Growth, affected provider only | $56 more monthly, 1 percentage point saved | About $5,600 affected-provider gross |
A feature, limit, or labor saving can justify an upgrade before the fee-only tie point. Processing is excluded where both routes use the same assumed processor.
Payment eligibility
A fee model is invalid until the payout route works
- Confirm the business country and entity type are eligible.
- Confirm the seller can open and verify the required processor account.
- Confirm buyer currencies and methods at checkout.
- Confirm settlement currency, conversion, bank eligibility, and payout timing.
- Confirm reserves, holds, refunds, chargebacks, and tax responsibilities.
- Save screenshots or official links for every assumption used in the cost model.
Frequently asked
Hidden-fee questions
Does zero transaction fee mean no fees?
No. Payment processing, subscription cost, tax, refunds, currency conversion, gateway charges, email limits, apps, and operating labor can remain.
Should I choose the cheapest entry plan?
Only if it remains cheapest at expected volume and includes the required workflow. A low subscription with a percentage fee can quickly exceed the fee-free upgrade.
How should I value my own time?
Assign an hourly rate you would pay a competent operator or the value of work displaced. Track a trial workflow and multiply the recurring hours by 12 months.
Can a platform change its prices?
Yes. Save the pricing and fee documentation used for the decision, note the audit date, review renewal notices, and maintain an export and migration plan.
Official pricing sources
Check the current rule before using any example
Vendor links are currently direct and non-affiliate.