Short answer: Stan Store costs $29/month (Creator) or $99/month (Creator Pro), with zero platform transaction fees. It's a link-in-bio storefront for social media creators — not a course platform. The built-in course builder handles basic content delivery but has no quizzes, no progress tracking, no certificates, and no discussions. If you're teaching, not just selling downloads, you'll outgrow it fast.
How Much Does Stan Store Cost?
Pricing verified against stan.store/blog/stan-store-pricing on March 26, 2026.
| Feature | Creator ($29/mo) | Creator Pro ($99/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $25/mo ($300/yr) | $79/mo ($948/yr) |
| Platform transaction fee | 0% | 0% |
| Course builder | Yes (basic) | Yes (basic) |
| Email marketing | Not included | Broadcasts + automation |
| Discount codes | Not included | Included |
| Upsells / order bumps | Not included | Included |
| Affiliate management | Not included | Included |
| Buy now, pay later | Not available | Afterpay (6%) / Klarna (6%) |
| Pixel tracking | Not included | Meta, Google, TikTok, Pinterest |
| Remove Stan branding | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
The $29/month looks appealingly simple, but notice what's missing from that plan: no email marketing, no discount codes, no upsells, no affiliate tracking, and Stan's badge stays on your store. For a serious course business, you're essentially looking at the $99/month Pro plan.
What Are the Real Processing Fees?
Stan Store advertises "0% transaction fees" — and that's technically true for platform fees. But you still pay Stripe processing on every sale:
- Standard: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- International customers: +1.5% surcharge
- Currency conversion: +1%
- Recurring payments: +0.5%
- Payout fee: 0.25% + $0.25 per payout
- Afterpay/Klarna (Pro only): 6% + $0.30 per transaction
On a $50 course sale to a US customer, you'd lose about $1.75 to Stripe plus payout fees. On a $50 sale to an international customer paying in their local currency, you'd lose about $3.25. And there's a refund gotcha: when you refund a customer, Stripe keeps its processing fee — Stan doesn't absorb this.
What You Actually Keep: Real-World Scenarios
| Scenario | Revenue | Stripe Fees | Stan Plan | You Keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 sales at $39 | $1,170/mo | ~$43 | $29 (Creator) | ~$1,098 (94%) |
| 30 sales at $79 | $2,370/mo | ~$78 | $99 (Pro) | ~$2,193 (93%) |
| 50 sales at $149 course | $7,450/mo | ~$231 | $99 (Pro) | ~$7,120 (96%) |
US customers only. International sales add 1.5-2.5% per transaction. Payout fees (~$0.25% + $0.25) not included.
What Can Stan Store's Course Builder Actually Do?
I want to be fair here: Stan Store does have a course builder, and for what it is, it works. You can create modules with lessons, add one video per lesson (uploaded or embedded), include downloadable materials (PDFs, templates), and set up drip content that unlocks modules on a schedule after purchase. The interface is clean and mobile-friendly.
But it's a content delivery tool, not a teaching tool. Here's what's missing:
| Feature | Stan Store | Course Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Modules and lessons | Yes | Yes |
| Drip content | Yes (by days after purchase) | Yes (by date or enrollment) |
| Progress tracking | None | Per-student dashboard |
| Quizzes and assessments | None | Built-in |
| Assignments with feedback | None | Upload + instructor review |
| Completion certificates | None | Auto-generated |
| Discussions tied to lessons | None (separate basic community) | Per-lesson threads |
| Cohort scheduling | None | Scheduled start dates |
| Multiple videos per lesson | One video only | Multiple media types |
| SEO / organic discovery | None (stan.store subdomain) | Custom domain, indexable |
Multiple independent reviewers describe Stan's course feature as "a well-organized content library rather than an interactive educational platform." That's accurate. If you're selling a pre-recorded video series that students watch passively, Stan works. If you're guiding students through a learning experience with milestones and accountability, you need different tools.
Why Does Teaching Structure Matter?
This is where our data tells a clear story. Across 32,000+ courses on Ruzuku:
I don't think Stan Store is trying to be a course platform — and that's fine. It's a commerce tool built for Instagram and TikTok creators who want to monetize their audience quickly. The course feature is a nice add-on for selling simple video content. But it's not designed for the kind of structured, interactive teaching that drives real student outcomes.
Is Creator Pro Actually Worth $99/Month?
The $70/month jump from Creator to Pro is steep, so here's what you're actually paying for. The Pro features that matter most if you're selling courses:
- Email marketing — you need this to remind students to show up and announce new courses. Without it (Creator plan), you're sending launch emails through a separate tool and paying for that too.
- Discount codes — essential for launches and seasonal promotions. The Creator plan has no way to offer a coupon.
- Upsells and order bumps — if you sell a $39 guide and want to offer a $79 video pack at checkout, you need Pro.
- Remove Stan branding — your store shows "Powered by Stan" on Creator. Pro removes it.
The catch: even with Pro, you're paying $99/month for marketing features bolted onto a basic course builder. A dedicated course platform at the same price gives you the teaching tools — progress tracking, discussions, certificates — that Stan Pro still lacks. And your course lives on your own domain, not a stan.store subfolder with no SEO value.
When Stan Store Makes Sense
Stan Store is genuinely good for a specific type of creator:
- You're a social media creator first with an existing Instagram or TikTok following, and you want a simple storefront in your bio link
- You're selling digital downloads — templates, guides, presets, ebooks — not structured courses
- You want booking + products + email in one tool at a low monthly price, without stitching together multiple platforms
- Your courses are pre-recorded video series that students watch on their own without needing quizzes, feedback, or community interaction
- You value mobile-first design — Stan's 4.9-star app and mobile-optimized storefront are genuinely excellent for mobile audiences
When You Need More Than Stan Store
The signs you've outgrown Stan Store for courses:
- You want to know whether students are actually completing the material
- You need quizzes, assignments, or certificates — any kind of assessment or credentialing
- You want discussions tied to lessons so students can ask questions in context
- You're running cohort programs with specific start dates and group pacing
- You need organic traffic — your business can't depend entirely on social media
- You want your course on your own domain, building your brand equity
Here's a concrete example: say you're running an 8-week fitness challenge where participants submit weekly progress photos, follow a structured workout schedule, and earn a completion badge at the end. On Stan Store, you'd upload your workout videos and... that's it. You'd have no way to track who's actually doing the workouts, no place for participants to post their progress where others can cheer them on, and no way to deliver content week-by-week on a fixed schedule. You'd end up managing everything through Instagram DMs and a Google Sheet.
On a course platform, all of that is built in. If you want to see what that looks like, you can set up a free Ruzuku account and build your first course in an afternoon — no credit card, and you'll have a real human to email if you get stuck.
Stan Store vs. Other Platforms for Courses
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Course Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Store | $29-$99/mo | Basic (no quizzes, tracking, certs) | Social media creators selling downloads |
| Patreon | $0 (10% of revenue) | None (content feed only) | Ongoing subscription content |
| Teachable | $39-$399/mo | Full LMS | Course creators who need marketing tools |
| Ruzuku | $99/mo | Full LMS + community | Educators focused on teaching + completion |
Stan Store and dedicated course platforms serve fundamentally different needs. Stan is "Shopify for creators" — a storefront. Ruzuku and Teachable are classrooms. If you're selling, Stan may be enough. If you're teaching, you need a classroom.
The Bottom Line on Stan Store Pricing
At $29/month, Stan Store is one of the cheapest ways to sell digital products from your social media bio. The mobile-first design is excellent, the 4.9-star app is real, and for Instagram/TikTok creators selling downloads and booking coaching calls, it's a smart choice.
But "cheap" and "right" aren't the same thing. If you're building courses where students need to complete material in order, get feedback on their work, and earn a credential at the end — Stan Store's course builder is a content library, not a classroom. You'll spend your time working around limitations instead of focusing on teaching.
The honest answer: if you're a social media creator selling pre-recorded content, Stan Store at $29/month is hard to beat. If you're an educator building structured courses, you need a tool built for teaching — and the $99/month you'd spend on Stan Pro buys you a proper course platform instead.
Related Resources
- How Ruzuku Works — see what structured course delivery looks like
- Patreon Pricing Guide — another creator platform compared
- Substack Pricing Guide — newsletter platform pricing breakdown
- Course Platform Pricing Comparison — side-by-side pricing for 10+ platforms