Online Course Platforms with No Transaction Fees (2026)

Transaction fees are the silent tax on course creators. Unlike your monthly subscription — which you see on every billing statement — transaction fees hide inside each sale, compounding as your business grows. A 5% fee on $50,000 in annual revenue costs $2,500 per year. Over five years, that's $12,500 — gone. This guide compares every major course platform's fee structure so you can make an informed decision about where your revenue actually goes.

Transaction fees vs. payment processing fees

Before comparing platforms, a critical distinction: there are two types of fees on every course sale, and they're not the same thing. (Worth reading alongside this guide: the five hidden course platform fees most reviews miss — fees that don't show up on public pricing pages but appear in each platform's own help center.)

Payment processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per domestic card transaction via Stripe) go to the payment processor. These are unavoidable on any platform that accepts credit cards. They cover the cost of securely processing the payment, fraud prevention, and moving money to your bank account. Every platform pays these, whether they pass them to you directly or absorb them into their pricing.

Platform transaction fees are an additional percentage charged by the course platform on top of processing fees. This is the platform's cut of your revenue — a toll for using their software to sell your course. Not all platforms charge this. The ones that do typically charge 1-10%, which stacks on top of the 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee.

When a platform says "zero transaction fees," they mean zero platform fees. You still pay standard payment processing through Stripe or the platform's integrated processor. The question is whether you are paying 2.9% + $0.30 (processing only) or 5-10% + $0.30 (processing plus platform cut) on every sale.

How transaction fees compound over time

The real cost of transaction fees isn't what you pay this month — it's what you pay over years as your business grows. Here's the math at different revenue levels, showing only the platform transaction fee (payment processing excluded since it's the same everywhere):

At $100K annual revenue with a 7.5% transaction fee, you pay $37,500 over five years. That's the price of a full-time contractor for several months — spent on a fee that a zero-fee platform eliminates entirely.

Every major platform's fee structure

Here's the complete transaction fee breakdown for every major course platform, current as of early 2026. All figures use published pricing.

The true cost of selling $50K/year on each platform

Fee percentage alone is misleading. What matters is the total annual cost: subscription plus platform transaction fees. Here's what you actually pay to sell $50,000/year in courses on each platform (payment processing excluded since it's comparable across all):

*Thinkific 0% applies only when using TCommerce. With your own Stripe account, add 1-5% surcharge ($500-$2,500 at $50K revenue). Teachable Starter limited to 1 product and 100 students — impractical at $50K revenue. Kajabi Kickstarter limited to 3 products and 50 contacts.

The table reveals something important: at $50K revenue, Teachable Starter costs $4,218 while Teachable Builder costs $1,068. Staying on the Starter plan to "save money" actually costs $3,150 more per year. The breakeven point where upgrading from Starter to Builder pays for itself is just $667/month in revenue. See our detailed Teachable fee breakdown for the full math.

Platform-by-platform analysis

Ruzuku — 0% on every plan, no exceptions

Ruzuku charges zero platform transaction fees on every plan, including the free tier. This isn't a promotional offer or a limited-time deal — it's been the pricing model since the platform launched. Your costs are predictable: the subscription fee is the subscription fee, and 100% of your course revenue (minus standard Stripe processing) goes to you.

Stefanie Kessen of The Online Itinerant specifically asked about fees while evaluating platforms during her migration from Teachable. For creators who have experienced transaction fees on another platform, the simplicity of flat-rate pricing with zero cuts is a meaningful relief. Debbie Stine, PhD, who runs the Science & Technology Policy Academy, moved back to Ruzuku from Kajabi — not because of Kajabi's fees (which are also 0%) but because of total cost. Even zero-fee platforms can be expensive if the base subscription is high enough.

See Ruzuku pricing | How selling works on Ruzuku | Compare Ruzuku to other platforms

Teachable — 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and above

Teachable's fee structure creates a tax on their lowest-tier users. The Starter plan ($39/month) charges 7.5% on every transaction, plus limits you to 1 published product and 100 students. The Builder plan ($89/month) removes the transaction fee and expands to 5 products and 1,000 students.

The practical implication: if you're earning any meaningful revenue, Builder is the right plan. At just $667/month in sales, the 7.5% fee on Starter ($50) exceeds the $50 price difference to Builder. The Starter plan only makes financial sense if you're selling less than $667/month — and at that revenue level, the 1-product and 100-student limits are likely already constraining you. See our complete Teachable comparison | Teachable pricing.

Thinkific — 0% with a catch

Thinkific's paid plans show 0% transaction fees, but there's an asterisk. To get that 0%, you must use TCommerce — Thinkific's integrated payment processor powered by Stripe. If you connect your own Stripe account instead, Thinkific adds a 1-5% surcharge on top of standard processing fees. This matters for creators who already have a Stripe account with established history, or who need their payments to go through a specific business entity.

The surcharge isn't always visible upfront. If you're evaluating Thinkific, confirm whether you'll use TCommerce or your own Stripe, and factor the surcharge into your cost comparison accordingly. See our Thinkific comparison | Thinkific pricing.

Kajabi — 0% platform fees, but watch the processing surcharges

Kajabi charges zero platform transaction fees on all plans, which sounds straightforward. But Kajabi's own help center documents two processing surcharges most reviews miss: an additional 0.7% on every subscription or payment plan transaction, and 1.5% on international cards. For a course business running on memberships (which is most of them), the real effective rate on Basic is 3.6% + 30¢, not 2.9%. The Kickstarter plan was eliminated in 2025; the cheapest option is now Basic at $143/month (annual) — making Kajabi the highest entry-price platform on this list. If you need email marketing, funnel building, and course hosting bundled, Kajabi delivers those — but verify the processing math against your sales mix before committing.

The question is whether you need those bundled tools. If you already have an email provider (Mailchimp, ConvertKit) and just need a course platform, paying $149/month for Kajabi's all-in-one approach means you're subsidizing features you may not use. See our Kajabi comparison | Kajabi pricing.

Podia — 8% on Free, 0% on Shaker

Podia offers a free plan with unlimited products but takes 8% of every sale. The Shaker plan ($33/month) removes the transaction fee entirely. The math is simple: if you sell more than $412/month, the 8% fee exceeds the $33 subscription. At that point, upgrading to Shaker saves money.

Podia's free plan makes sense for testing or very low-volume sales. Once you have recurring revenue, the 8% fee becomes expensive fast. See Podia pricing.

LearnWorlds — $5 per enrollment, not per transaction

LearnWorlds Starter ($29/month) charges a $5 fee per enrollment — not per transaction. This is an important distinction: the fee applies whether the student pays or not. If you offer a free course and 50 people enroll, that's $250 in fees on $0 revenue. For creators who use free courses as lead magnets, this can be a costly surprise. The Pro Trainer plan ($79/month) removes the per-enrollment fee entirely.

Mighty Networks — transaction fees on every plan

Mighty Networks charges transaction fees on all plans (per their current public pricing page): 2% on Launch ($79/mo), 1% on Scale ($179/mo), 0.5% on Growth ($354/mo), and 0.5% on Mighty Pro (custom). These stack on top of Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, resulting in combined fees of 3.4-4.9% per transaction. There's no Mighty Networks plan that reaches 0% platform transaction fees. For community-focused creators who process payments, this is a recurring cost with no workaround. See Mighty Networks pricing.

The hidden cost analysis

Transaction fees are the most visible hidden cost, but they're not the only one. When comparing platforms, also consider:

• Student and product caps. Teachable Starter limits you to 100 students and 1 product. Kajabi Kickstarter limits you to 50 contacts. Hitting a cap forces an upgrade that changes your cost calculation.
• Payment processor lock-in. Thinkific's 0% fee requires TCommerce. If you later want to switch processors, the surcharge kicks in.
• Feature gating. Some platforms reserve core features (certificates, custom domains, priority support) for higher tiers. You may avoid transaction fees only to pay more for the features you need.

When transaction fees are acceptable

Transaction fees aren't inherently bad — they're a trade-off. There are situations where a platform with fees makes sense:

When the platform bundles tools you would pay for separately. Kajabi includes email marketing, landing pages, and funnel building. If you would otherwise pay $50-100/month for a separate email provider and landing page tool, Kajabi's higher base price (with 0% fees) may be cheaper in total. The calculation is: Kajabi subscription vs. cheaper course platform + email tool + landing page tool.

When you're testing at very low volume. If you're selling your first course and expect fewer than $500/month in revenue, a lower- subscription plan with fees (Podia Free at 8%, for example) may cost less in total than a higher-subscription plan with no fees. At $300/month, 8% is $24 — less than the difference between a free plan and a $33/month plan.

When the fee percentage is small and capped. Mighty Networks' 1% fee on the Business plan ($179/month) adds up more slowly than larger percentages. At $50K revenue, that's $500/year — meaningful but not dramatic compared to the subscription cost.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between transaction fees and payment processing fees?

Payment processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction via Stripe) go to the payment processor and are unavoidable on any platform. Transaction fees are an additional percentage charged by the course platform itself on top of processing fees. For example, Teachable Starter charges 7.5% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 processing — a combined 10.4% + $0.30 per sale.

Which course platforms charge zero transaction fees?

Ruzuku charges 0% on all plans ($99-$249/month). Thinkific charges 0% on paid plans if you use TCommerce (1-5% surcharge with your own Stripe). Kajabi charges 0% on all plans ($89+/month). LearnWorlds charges 0% on Pro Trainer ($79/month) and above. Podia charges 0% on Shaker ($33/month). See the full comparison table above.

When do transaction fees start to matter?

They matter immediately, but the impact becomes significant as revenue grows. At $1,000/month, a 5% fee costs $600/year. At $5,000/month, it's $3,000/year. Over three years at $5,000/month, you would pay $9,000 in transaction fees alone. Use our revenue calculator to model your specific numbers.

Is it worth paying a higher subscription to avoid transaction fees?

Almost always, once your revenue exceeds a few hundred dollars per month. Teachable's breakeven is $667/month — above that, the Builder plan ($89/mo, 0% fees) costs less than the Starter plan ($39/mo, 7.5% fees). Podia's breakeven is $412/month. The higher subscription pays for itself quickly.

Do transaction fees apply to free courses?

Generally no — if no money changes hands, there's no transaction to charge a fee on. The exception is LearnWorlds Starter, which charges $5 per enrollment regardless of price. If you plan to offer free courses as lead magnets or community resources, check the specific platform's fee structure carefully.

Your next step

Calculate your expected annual revenue and multiply it by the platform's transaction fee percentage. Add the annual subscription. That's your true platform cost. If the transaction fees exceed the subscription price difference to a zero-fee plan, you're paying more than you need to.

For a zero-fee platform with a free tier to test on: start free on Ruzuku. For a detailed comparison of Ruzuku against specific platforms, see our comparison hub.