Expected sales
Reachable audience × conversion rate.
Free planning tool · No signup
Online course profit calculator.
Use this online course revenue calculator to estimate buyers, refunds, platform fees, payment costs, profit margin, and the audience required to break even—before you spend money on a launch.
- 11
- numeric inputs + refund controls
- 5
- platform presets
- $0
- and no email required
Interactive forecast
Model the launch before you fund it.
Use one consistent planning period—one month, cohort, or launch window—for audience, revenue, and costs. Every assumption remains editable.
01
Demand and offer
Estimate reachable people, conversion, and price.
02
Platform and costs
Start with a verified preset, then edit any charge.
Adjust payment processing
The link stores assumptions after the # symbol. They are not sent to CourseProfit Lab when the page loads.
Estimated profit $1,931 from 20.0 projected sales.
Estimated profit
$1,93168.2% margin after modeled costs- 20.0
- projected sales
- $2,980
- gross revenue
- $1,049
- refunds, fees, and costs
Break-even estimate
5 salesor about 206 reachable people at a 2% conversion rateCollected after refunds$2,831.00
Platform costs−$308.00
Payment processing−$92.42
Production and advertising−$500.00
Conversion sensitivity
1% conversion$715
2% conversion$1,931
5% conversion$5,576
Planning estimate only. Taxes, currency conversion, chargebacks, financing, creator labor, and costs not entered above are excluded.
Worked example · Hypothetical, not a forecast
Twenty $100 sales are not $2,000 of profit.
Model one month: 1,000 reachable prospects, 2% buying, 5% refunds, a $30 subscription, 5% platform fee, 2.9% + $0.30 processing, $500 production, and $200 advertising. These are illustrative inputs, not a vendor quote or a typical conversion benchmark. Original platform and processing fees are retained after refunds.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross sales | $2,000.00 |
| Refunds | −$100.00 |
| Platform transaction fees | −$100.00 |
| Payment processing | −$64.00 |
| Subscription, production and advertising | −$730.00 |
| Modeled profit | $1,006.00 |
With these assumptions, at least 9 original sales cover the modeled costs. Halving conversion to 1% gives $138.00 profit; at 3% it is $1,874.00. Taxes, your time, currency conversion, and disputes are not included. This is why audience and conversion assumptions matter more than a small platform-fee difference.
Try your own inputs in the calculatorTransparent math
Revenue is exciting. Contribution margin keeps the launch alive.
A sales forecast becomes useful only after refunds, variable fees, and fixed launch costs are included. The calculator keeps each layer visible.
Collected revenue
Expected sales × price, less modeled refunds.
Total costs
Platform, processing, production, launch, and advertising costs.
Estimated profit
Collected revenue − all modeled costs.
Profit = collected revenue − platform costs − processing − production − advertising
Preset assumptions
Use a verified starting point, then make it yours.
Presets are convenience inputs—not endorsements. Annual-plan monthly equivalents and platform fees reflect the full pricing audit completed September 2, 2026.
| Preset | Subscription | Platform charge modeled | Research |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad direct | $0 | 10% + $0.50 per sale | Gumroad fee guide |
| Thinkific Basic | $40/month | 0% native-payment assumption | Check gateway fees |
| Teachable Starter | $29/month | 7.5% platform fee | Teachable fee guide |
| Podia Mover | $42/month | 5% platform fee | Podia fee guide |
| LearnWorlds Starter | $24/month | $5 per original paid enrollment; change fee-return behavior only if confirmed | LearnWorlds fee guide |
Payment processing is editable and separate. Confirm taxes, currencies, gateway eligibility, refund rules, and final checkout prices with each provider.
Method questions
What the forecast can—and cannot—tell you.
How accurate is an online course profit calculator?
It is a scenario model, not a prediction. The output is only as useful as your audience, conversion, refund, price, and cost assumptions. Test a conservative, expected, and optimistic scenario before committing money.
What conversion rate should I use for an online course?
Use your own measured rate when possible. If you do not have one, model several rates instead of treating a single benchmark as truth. This calculator shows 1%, your selected rate, and 5% side by side.
Does the calculator include platform and payment fees?
Yes. It includes editable subscription, percentage, per-sale, payment-processing, refund, production, and advertising assumptions. Taxes, currency conversion, chargebacks, financing, and creator labor are excluded unless you add them to your costs.
Do refunds return platform and payment fees?
Not necessarily. The calculator keeps original transaction fees by default. Use the separate platform and processor fee-return controls only when your provider confirms that it returns those fees. Additional refund or dispute charges are excluded.