Short answer: for a creator selling $3,000 of courses a month, Systeme.io has the cheapest plan with no transaction fee among the nine platforms priced here. Its Free plan costs $0 and Startup, which allows five courses, costs $14.17 a month billed yearly ($17 billed monthly), checked 19 Oct 2026. Heights Platform Basic at $39 a month billed yearly and Teachery at $470 a year are the next zero-fee plans without a one-course limit. Teachable Builder at $69 beats its 7.5% Starter plan once monthly sales pass $533.33 on yearly billing.
Nine course platforms costed for a creator who sells $3,000 of courses a month, with each fee rule, the cheaper plan that keeps a cut and the break-even sales, from vendor pages checked on 19 October 2026.
"No transaction fees" is a property of a plan, not of a platform. On four of the nine pricing pages below, the cheapest plan is the one that takes a cut: Teachable Starter keeps 7.5% of each sale, Podia Mover and Kartra Essentials keep 5%, and LearnWorlds Starter charges $5 per paid enrollment. Teachable, Thinkific and Kajabi also tie the zero to their own payment service. Toolradar data: of the 75 online course platforms we track, 37% offer a free or freemium plan and 56% are paid only, but the fee that matters here is the one taken from each sale.
The scenario is a creator who sells $3,000 of courses a month, which is 60 sales at $50. Each platform is priced on its cheapest zero-fee plan that is not limited to a single course, billed yearly where the vendor offers it, beside the cheaper plan that does charge a cut. Systeme.io Free, which allows one course, appears in brackets. For Teachable, Starter is $29 a month plus 7.5% of sales, which is $225, so $254 in total and $185 more than Builder. Card processing is a separate line left out of every total: at the 2.9% plus 30¢ card rate several of these vendors print, 60 charges cost $105 a month.
Methodology: the category holds 75 tools, including corporate learning systems and consumer learning apps. This guide prices nine creator platforms where the seller sets the price and keeps the customer. Every plan price, fee rate and limit was read on the vendor's own site, on its pricing page or the plan or help page it points to, on 19 October 2026, with the billing basis printed beside each price. Break-even sales are our arithmetic on those prices. For a features-first ranking, see the best LMS and learning platforms guide or the online course platforms category.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
0% transaction fees on all four plans, from a Free tier to Unlimited, with the price set by contact count.
Starting price
Free; Startup $14.17/mo yearly
4.8 (2,880 reviews)
Best for
Creators starting with one to five courses who also want funnels and email in one tool
Zero fees on payments across four plans; Basic adds unlimited courses and up to 5,000 active students.
Starting price
Basic $39/mo yearly ($49 monthly)
4.9 (72 reviews)
Best for
Course and community creators who want unlimited courses without a per-sale cut
One plan with every feature and 0% transaction fees, priced yearly or monthly, plus a limited-time lifetime offer.
Starting price
$470 /yr or $49/mo
0.6 (11 reviews)
Best for
Solo creators who want one flat price, unlimited courses and customers, and no plan tiers
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Free; Startup $14.17/mo yearly | 4.8 2,880 reviews | Creators starting with one to five courses who also want funnels and email in one tool |
| Heights Platform | Basic $39/mo yearly ($49 monthly) | 4.9 72 reviews | Course and community creators who want unlimited courses without a per-sale cut |
| Teachery | $470/yr or $49/mo | 0.6 11 reviews | Solo creators who want one flat price, unlimited courses and customers, and no plan tiers |
| Thinkific | Basic $40/mo yearly ($54 monthly) | 4.5 612 reviews | U.S. creators who will use Thinkific Payments and want unlimited published courses on an entry plan |
| Teachable | Builder $69/mo yearly ($89 monthly) | 3.7 1,066 reviews | Creators selling above $533.33 a month who want an affiliate program and real-time support |
| LearnWorlds | Pro Trainer $79/mo billed yearly | 4.7 389 reviews | Trainers expecting more than 11 paid enrollments a month who want memberships and payment plans |
| Podia | Shaker $84/mo billed yearly | 4.5 152 reviews | Creators selling courses, downloads and community in one place, with sales above $840 a month |
| Kartra | Starter $99/mo yearly ($119 monthly) | 4.0 338 reviews | Marketers who want funnels, email and courses in one subscription, with sales above $940 a month |
| Kajabi | Basic $143/mo yearly ($179 monthly) | 4.3 323 reviews | Creators who want courses, email, a website and a community in one subscription and accept a higher price |
Systeme.io
0% transaction fees on all four plans, from a Free tier to Unlimited, with the price set by contact count.
- 4.8 on Capterra (2,129 reviews)
- 4.8 on G2 (750 reviews)
- 5.0 on SourceForge (1 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free; Startup $14.17/mo yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.8 (2,880 reviews)
Best for: Creators starting with one to five courses who also want funnels and email in one tool
- Pro: The pricing page lists 0% transaction fees for Free, Startup, Webinar and Unlimited, and says Stripe or PayPal payments carry no extra platform cost.
- Pro: Free includes 1 course, 500 students, 3 sales funnels and 2,000 contacts.
- Pro: Startup allows 5 courses, unlimited students and 5,000 contacts, and costs $17 billed monthly.
- Con: Free stops at 1 course and 500 students, so a creator adding 60 students a month passes the cap in the ninth month.
- Con: Plans step up by contact count: past 5,000 contacts the next plan, Webinar, costs $47 a month billed monthly.
Every plan includes unlimited email sends and 0% platform transaction fees.
Watch out
Contact limits: the free plan supports up to 2,000 contacts, and Startup at $17 a month supports 5,000.
Heights Platform
Zero fees on payments across four plans; Basic adds unlimited courses and up to 5,000 active students.
- Starting price
- Basic $39/mo yearly ($49 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.9 (72 reviews)
Best for: Course and community creators who want unlimited courses without a per-sale cut
- Pro: Every plan lists "Collect Payments with 0 Fees", and the page says you connect your own Stripe or PayPal account.
- Pro: Basic includes unlimited courses and community channels, an affiliate program, custom code and Zapier.
- Pro: A 30-day free trial needs no credit card.
- Con: A custom domain starts on Pro, so Basic runs on a heightsplatform.com subdomain.
- Con: The cheaper Challenge plan allows 1 challenge course and 100 active students, so it suits a single launch.
Heights Platform offers a fair to generous pricing structure, especially for creators looking to scale.
Teachery
One plan with every feature and 0% transaction fees, priced yearly or monthly, plus a limited-time lifetime offer.
- 2.5 on SourceForge (1 reviews)
- Starting price
- $470/yr or $49/mo
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 0.6 (11 reviews)
Best for: Solo creators who want one flat price, unlimited courses and customers, and no plan tiers
- Pro: The pricing page states there are no hidden transaction fees or surprise upsells, and every plan includes all features.
- Pro: Unlimited courses, customers, course hubs and custom domains come with the one plan.
- Pro: Yearly billing saves $118 against twelve months of monthly billing, and the features page lists PayPal and Stripe integrations.
- Con: There is no entry tier, so a creator with one small course pays the full price.
- Con: The $950 lifetime price is marked a limited-time offer on the page, so it is not a price to plan around.
This is an exceptional value for creators looking for a one-time investment without recurring costs.
Watch out
No mention of advanced analytics beyond 'customer analytics'
- Starting price
- Basic $40/mo yearly ($54 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.5 (612 reviews)
Best for: U.S. creators who will use Thinkific Payments and want unlimited published courses on an entry plan
- Pro: Thinkific states that customers processing payments on Thinkific Payments do not incur the third-party payment gateway fee.
- Pro: Basic includes unlimited published courses, a custom domain, order bumps and abandoned-cart emails.
- Pro: Current students are listed at 10,000 on Basic, Start and Grow.
- Con: Stripe sales add 5.0% on Basic, 2.0% on Start and 1.0% on Grow, which is $150 a month on Basic at the scenario's sales.
- Con: Basic has no paid memberships, bundles, payment plans or PayPal checkout; PayPal starts on Grow at $164 a month billed yearly.
Thinkific is well-positioned for course creators who want 0% transaction fees.
Watch out
10,000 student limit on Basic/Start/Grow means Plus (custom pricing) is required at scale
Teachable
Builder drops Starter's 7.5% fee when sales run through Teachable Payments, and raises the product cap from 5 to 10.
- 3.1 on Trustpilot (829 reviews)
- 4.3 on Capterra (184 reviews)
- 3.8 on G2 (52 reviews)
- Starting price
- Builder $69/mo yearly ($89 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 3.7 (1,066 reviews)
Best for: Creators selling above $533.33 a month who want an affiliate program and real-time support
- Pro: The pricing page lists 0% transaction fees on Builder, Growth and Custom with Teachable Payments, and 7.5% on Starter.
- Pro: Builder adds an affiliate program and real-time support to Starter's apps, upsells and cart recovery.
- Pro: Payouts through Teachable Payments are daily, against monthly for a payment gateway.
- Con: Starter, at $29 a month billed yearly, keeps 7.5% of each sale, so the scenario costs $254 on it.
- Con: Builder allows 10 published products and 1 admin-level user; Growth, at $139 a month billed yearly, allows 50 and 5.
Teachable's pricing is on the higher side, especially for beginners.
Watch out
7.5% transaction fee on Starter plan
LearnWorlds
Pro Trainer drops Starter's per-enrollment charge and adds subscriptions, memberships and payment plans.
- 4.7 on G2 (389 reviews)
- Starting price
- Pro Trainer $79/mo billed yearly
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.7 (389 reviews)
Best for: Trainers expecting more than 11 paid enrollments a month who want memberships and payment plans
- Pro: The plan comparison lists enrollment fees of $5 on Starter and none on Pro Trainer, Learning Center and Corporate.
- Pro: Pro Trainer allows 2,000 active learners a month and 5 admins, against 1,000 and 1 on Starter.
- Pro: Pro Trainer includes unlimited courses and learning paths and up to 20 SCORM uploads.
- Con: At the scenario's 60 paid enrollments, Starter's per-enrollment charge costs $300 on top of its $24 plan price.
- Con: Full white-label, with no LearnWorlds logos, starts on Learning Center at $249 a month billed yearly.
LearnWorlds' pricing is generally fair, offering a good range of features across its tiers.
Watch out
$5 per sale fee on Starter plan
- Starting price
- Shaker $84/mo billed yearly
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.5 (152 reviews)
Best for: Creators selling courses, downloads and community in one place, with sales above $840 a month
- Pro: Podia's tooltip says Mover has a 5% fee on each sale and that Shaker and Earthquaker do not.
- Pro: Shaker lists 150 products, 1,000 videos, 100 spaces and 500 email subscribers, against 50, 500, 25 and 100 on Mover.
- Pro: A 14-day free trial needs no credit card.
- Con: Mover, at $42 a month billed yearly, keeps 5% of each sale, so it costs more than Shaker once sales pass the break-even.
- Con: Email is capped at 500 subscribers on Shaker, and adding 500 more costs $14 a month billed yearly.
Mover now caps you at 50 products and charges a 5% transaction fee; Shaker allows 150 products with no fees, and only Earthquaker is unlimited.
Watch out
5% transaction fee on Mover
Kartra
Starter drops Essentials' 5% fee and adds unlimited products, courses and memberships.
- 4.5 on Capterra (168 reviews)
- 3.4 on Trustpilot (108 reviews)
- 3.9 on G2 (62 reviews)
- Starting price
- Starter $99/mo yearly ($119 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.0 (338 reviews)
Best for: Marketers who want funnels, email and courses in one subscription, with sales above $940 a month
- Pro: The Starter card lists 0% transaction fees and says Kartra does not charge fees on your sales; Essentials lists 5%.
- Pro: Starter includes unlimited products, memberships and courses, video hosting and unlimited email and SMS.
- Pro: Starter covers 2,500 contacts and 5 team members, against 500 contacts on Essentials.
- Con: Past the contact limit, the account moves to the next tier automatically, with a mid-cycle reconciliation fee.
- Con: Affiliates, automations and surveys appear first on the Growth card, at $189 a month billed yearly.
Kartra's pricing is on the expensive side, especially for the Starter plan at $119/month with a 5% transaction fee.
Watch out
5% transaction fee on Starter plan sales.
- Starting price
- Basic $143/mo yearly ($179 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.3 (323 reviews)
Best for: Creators who want courses, email, a website and a community in one subscription and accept a higher price
- Pro: The pricing page says Kajabi does not take a revenue share as a platform, so no plan carries a per-sale cut.
- Pro: Basic includes 5 products, 2,500 contacts, 1 website, 1 community and 2 admin users, plus unlimited landing pages, funnels and emails.
- Pro: Kajabi Payments rates for U.S. entities fall by plan: 2.9% plus 30¢ on Basic, 2.8% on Growth and 2.7% on Pro.
- Con: A third-party processor other than PayPal adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth and 0.5% on Pro, which is $60 a month on Basic at the scenario's sales.
- Con: Basic caps products at 5; Growth allows 50 and costs $199 a month billed yearly.
It's best for established creators and businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.
Other Online Course Platforms worth considering
More published tools from our Online Course Platforms category, ordered by our category ranking. They are not part of the editorial picks above.
What a transaction fee is, and the three ways platforms charge it
A platform transaction fee is a share of each sale, or a flat amount per enrollment, that a course platform keeps on top of its subscription price. It is not the card processor's fee, which Stripe, PayPal or the platform's own payment service charges on every sale whatever the plan.
Platforms charge the cut in three ways. A percentage fee sits on the entry plan: Teachable Starter, Podia Mover and Kartra Essentials. A flat fee per paid enrollment sits on LearnWorlds Starter. And a route fee applies when you leave the platform's own payment service: Thinkific adds 5.0% on Basic, 2.0% on Start and 1.0% on Grow for Stripe sales, and Kajabi adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth and 0.5% on Pro for a third-party processor other than PayPal. Systeme.io, Heights Platform and Teachery print 0% on every plan they sell.
Why the cheapest plan is often the expensive one
At the scenario's sales the fee plan loses on every platform that has one. The Teachable gap is $185 a month, or $2,220 over twelve months, and the table shows the same pattern for LearnWorlds, Podia and Kartra on yearly billing.
The fee plan wins at low volume, which is what it is for. At $300 of monthly sales Teachable Starter costs $51.50, below the Builder plan price, so a creator who has not found an audience yet pays less on the plan with a cut. The break-even sales in the table are the plan price gap divided by the fee rate, and a flat per-enrollment fee divides the gap by the fee per sale.
Community and marketplace platforms charge for a different job. Skool prints a 10% transaction fee on Hobby and 2.9% on Pro, and Gumroad takes 10% plus 50¢ on direct sales and 30% on sales its Discover marketplace brings in. The FAQ prices both on the scenario, and cheaper Gumroad alternatives covers digital products.
Key Features to Look For
Flat fee per paid enrollment (Essential)
LearnWorlds Starter charges its $5 on every paid enrollment, which is 10% of a $50 course and 2.5% of a $200 course. A flat fee hurts low-priced courses most.
Zero on every plan (Important)
Systeme.io lists 0% on all four plans, Heights Platform lists zero fees on all four of its plans, and Teachery states 0% on its one plan, so upgrading never adds a cut.
Caps on the zero-fee plan (Important)
Systeme.io Free allows 1 course and 500 students, Teachable Builder 10 products and Kajabi Basic 5 products. A plan that hits its cap forces an upgrade.
Billing basis (Important)
Each vendor prints a monthly price and a lower per-month price for yearly billing. The gap runs from $2.83 on Systeme.io Startup to $36 on Kajabi Basic, so compare plans on one basis.
What to check before you pick a zero-fee plan
-
Multiply your monthly sales by the fee rate before you read the plan price. At the scenario's sales a 5% cut costs $150 a month.
-
Check the cap on the zero-fee plan against twelve months of growth: 10 products on Teachable Builder, 2,500 contacts on Kartra Starter, 5,000 active students on Heights Basic.
-
Put both plans on one billing basis before you compute a break-even. The yearly and monthly bases give different crossovers.
Evaluation Checklist
Switch the pricing page between monthly and yearly and note which price is billed yearly.
Find the transaction-fee row for the plan you plan to buy and read the sentence beside it.
Multiply the fee rate by your expected monthly sales and add the result to the plan price.
Compare product, student, contact or subscriber caps with your sales plan for the next twelve months.
Read the card-processing table, including PayPal rates and chargeback fees, as a separate cost.
Pricing Overview
Free plan with no platform fee
Systeme.io Free covers one course, 500 students and 3 sales funnels, enough to test demand before paying.
Free
Entry zero-fee plans
Systeme.io Startup, Heights Platform Basic, Teachery and Thinkific Basic suit a solo creator with several courses.
Under $41 a month, billed yearly
Mid-priced zero-fee plans
Teachable Builder, LearnWorlds Pro Trainer, Podia Shaker and Kartra Starter fit creators whose sales pass the break-even against the plan with a cut.
Under $100 a month, billed yearly
Premium zero-fee plan
Kajabi Basic puts courses, email, a website and a community under one subscription.
$143 a month, billed yearly
Cheaper plans that keep a cut
LearnWorlds Starter, Teachable Starter, Podia Mover and Kartra Essentials suit launch months, because the cut is small when sales are small.
$24 to $52 a month, billed yearly
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Zero-fee plan (per month: billed yearly / billed monthly) | Cheaper plan that keeps a cut (billed yearly) | Fee-route total at the scenario (plan plus fee) | Break-even sales (yearly / monthly basis) | What the zero depends on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Startup $14.17 / $17 (Free plan $0) | None: 0% on every plan | Not applicable | No crossover | 0% on all four plans; Free allows 1 course and 500 students | |
Basic $39 / $49 | None: 0% on every plan | Not applicable | No crossover | Zero fees on all four plans; the Challenge plan allows 1 challenge course | |
Teachery | $470 a year ($39.17 a month) / $49 | None: one plan, 0% | Not applicable | No crossover | 0% stated for the one plan; every feature is included |
Thinkific | Basic $40 / $54 | None: Stripe sales add a fee instead | Basic with Stripe at 5.0%: $190 | Use Thinkific Payments | Fee applies to Stripe sales, not to Thinkific Payments |
Teachable | Builder $69 / $89 | Starter $29 plus 7.5% of sales | Starter: $254 | $533.33 / $666.67 | 0% on Teachable Payments; Starter keeps 7.5% |
Pro Trainer $79 / $99 | Starter $24 plus $5 per paid enrollment | Starter: $324 | 11 / 14 paid enrollments | No enrollment fee on Pro Trainer; Starter charges one | |
Podia | Shaker $84 / $99 | Mover $42 plus 5% of sales | Mover: $192 | $840 / $1,000 | No Podia fee on Shaker; Mover keeps 5% |
Kartra | Starter $99 / $119 | Essentials $52 plus 5% of sales | Essentials: $202 | $940 / $1,200 | 0% on Starter; Essentials keeps 5% and allows 1 product |
Kajabi | Basic $143 / $179 | None: third-party processors add a fee instead | Basic with a third-party processor at 2%: $203 | Use Kajabi Payments | No revenue share; processors other than PayPal add 2% on Basic |
Prices checked on 19 October 2026 on Systeme.io pricing and its Startup annual page, Heights Platform pricing, Teachery pricing and features, Thinkific pricing and its third-party payment gateway fee page, Teachable pricing, LearnWorlds pricing and its cost guide, Podia pricing, Kartra pricing and Kajabi pricing. Skool and Gumroad figures come from Skool pricing and Gumroad pricing. A zero-fee plan costs its own price at the scenario, and the fee-route total is plan price plus the fee on the scenario's 60 sales. Break-even sales are the plan price gap divided by the fee rate (paid enrollments for LearnWorlds), our arithmetic on the printed prices, and the Teachery monthly equivalent is its yearly price divided by 12. Card processing is excluded.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
- ×
Comparing a monthly price with a yearly one. Teachable Builder costs more billed monthly than billed yearly, and a crossover computed across the two bases is wrong.
- ×
Choosing the entry plan to save $40 a month. Teachable Starter is $40 a month cheaper than Builder on the plan price when both are billed yearly, then costs $225 in fees at the scenario's sales.
- ×
Counting card processing as a platform fee. Stripe, PayPal and each platform's payment service charge it on every plan, so it belongs in the budget but does not separate two platforms.
- ×
Treating a flat per-enrollment fee as small. The same charge weighs more on a cheap course than on a dear one, so check it against your own course price.
Expert Tips
- →
Compute the crossover with one line of arithmetic. Divide the plan price gap by the fee rate: $42 divided by 5% gives $840 for Podia, and sales above it favor Shaker.
- →
Re-run the numbers at twice your volume. At $6,000 of monthly sales, Teachable Starter costs its plan price plus $450 in fees, so the gap to Builder grows with sales.
- →
Test demand on a plan with no cut. The Systeme.io Free plan costs nothing for one course, and the Heights Challenge plan allows one challenge course.
- →
Take yearly billing once you are past break-even. The yearly price is $20 a month lower on Teachable Builder, but it only pays off if you keep the plan twelve months.
- →
Red Flags to Watch For
-
A pricing page that promises no hidden fees and still lists a per-sale or per-enrollment charge on the entry plan.
-
A 0% that applies only on the vendor's own payment service, with the fee for other processors printed elsewhere.
-
A lifetime or limited-time price marked as an offer, because the page can change it without notice.
-
A zero-fee plan whose product, student or contact cap sits below your next twelve months of growth.
The Bottom Line
Systeme.io has the cheapest plan with no transaction fee among these nine platforms, followed by Heights Platform and Teachery among plans that allow more than one course. Take Teachable Builder, Podia Shaker or Kartra Starter once your sales pass the break-even in the table, and use Thinkific Payments or Kajabi Payments to keep their zero. All prices are per month billed yearly unless stated, checked 19 October 2026. For a head-to-head view, see Teachable vs Thinkific and the Teachable alternatives page.
Cite this: Toolradar, "Online Course Platforms With No Transaction Fees in 2026," October 2026. Prices checked on vendor pages on 19 October 2026. Scenario: 60 course sales of $50 a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest online course platform with no transaction fees in 2026?
Among the nine platforms priced here, Systeme.io has the cheapest plan with no transaction fee. Its Free plan costs $0 and Startup costs $14.17 a month billed yearly ($17 billed monthly), with 0% transaction fees on every plan, checked on 19 October 2026. Free allows one course and 500 students. Heights Platform Basic ($39 billed yearly) and Teachery ($470 a year) are the next zero-fee plans without a one-course limit.
Does Teachable charge transaction fees?
On Starter, yes. Teachable's pricing page lists a 7.5% transaction fee on Starter and 0% on Builder, Growth and Custom when you use Teachable Payments. Builder is $69 a month billed yearly or $89 billed monthly. At the scenario's sales Starter totals $254, and Builder wins above $533.33 of monthly sales on yearly billing, or $666.67 on monthly billing.
Do Thinkific and Kajabi charge transaction fees?
Not on their own payment services, but both add a fee elsewhere. Thinkific's help center lists 5.0% on Basic, 2.0% on Start and 1.0% on Grow for Stripe sales, and none on Thinkific Payments. Kajabi takes no revenue share as a platform, but where Kajabi Payments is offered, a third-party processor other than PayPal adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth and 0.5% on Pro. At the scenario's sales that is $150 on Thinkific Basic and $60 on Kajabi Basic.
Is there a free online course platform with no transaction fees?
Among the nine platforms priced here, Systeme.io is the one whose pricing page lists a Free plan: 0% transaction fees, 1 course, 500 students, 2,000 contacts and 3 sales funnels. Heights Platform and Teachery list free trials instead, and Gumroad has no monthly fee but takes 10% plus 50¢ on direct sales. Stripe or PayPal processing fees apply on every option.
How much do Skool and Gumroad take from the same sales?
On 60 sales of $50 a month, Skool's transaction fee is $300 on Hobby (10%) and $87 on Pro (2.9%), before the monthly plan price on its pricing page. Gumroad takes 10% plus 50¢ per direct sale, which is $330, and 30% on sales its Discover marketplace brings in. Both take a cut of every sale, so neither is a zero-fee course platform.
Do Stripe and PayPal fees count as transaction fees?
No. A platform transaction fee is what the course platform keeps from a sale, and Stripe, PayPal or the platform's payment service charge a processing fee on top. Podia, LearnWorlds and Heights quote 2.9% plus 30¢ per card charge for Stripe, and Teachable Payments lists the same rate for U.S. cards. Sixty charges cost $105 a month at that rate.
How do I work out when a zero-fee plan beats a cheaper plan with a fee?
Divide the price gap between the two plans by the fee rate, on the same billing basis. Podia Shaker against Mover is $42 divided by 5%, which is $840 of monthly sales on yearly billing, and $1,000 on monthly billing. Kartra Starter against Essentials breaks even at $940 and $1,200. For LearnWorlds divide the gap by the per-enrollment fee: 11 paid enrollments on yearly billing, 14 on monthly.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Online Course Platforms With No Transaction Fees in 2026", updated October 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/online-course-platforms-no-transaction-fees
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