LeadsNow sees booked-call costs of $30–$400, depending on industry, offer, price and many other variables, which is why, as a working line, an online course above about $2,000 is sold on a call and one below it at checkout. Price from net revenue per buyer: after card fees and an 8% refund allowance, a $497 course nets about $443 and can spend about $148 to win each buyer.
- The rule (the Net-Per-Buyer Test): a course price works when net revenue per buyer, after platform fees, card fees and refunds, is at least three times what it costs to acquire one buyer.
- The formula: price − card fee − platform transaction fee − refund allowance = net per buyer; net per buyer ÷ 3 = the most you can spend to acquire a buyer.
- The conversion you need: cost per lead ÷ maximum acquisition cost = the share of leads that must buy. At $8 a lead, a $497 course needs 5.4%; a $997 course needs 2.7%.
- Platform fees, read 15 October 2026: Teachable Starter charges a 7.5% transaction fee; Teachable Builder and above charge 0% with Teachable Payments; Kajabi takes no revenue share but charges card processing through Kajabi Payments.
- Currency: platform prices are in US dollars as listed by each vendor; the arithmetic holds in any currency.
How do you price an online course? The Net-Per-Buyer Test
An online course is priced correctly when its net revenue per buyer, after fees and refunds, is at least three times the cost of acquiring one buyer. The threefold margin is our working rule, not a benchmark: it leaves room for content costs, support and the launches that underperform. The table uses US card processing of 2.9% + 30¢, the rate Teachable lists for US card sales, and an 8% refund allowance, which is an assumption; replace it with your own refund history.
| Course price | Card fee (2.9% + 30¢) | Refund allowance (8%, assumption) | Net per buyer | Most you can spend per buyer (net ÷ 3) | Share of $8 leads that must buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $197 | $6.01 | $15.76 | $175.23 | $58.41 | 13.7% |
| $497 | $14.71 | $39.76 | $442.53 | $147.51 | 5.4% |
| $997 | $29.21 | $79.76 | $888.03 | $296.01 | 2.7% |
| $1,997 | $58.21 | $159.76 | $1,779.03 | $593.01 | 1.35% |
Worked example, $497 row: $497 × 0.029 + $0.30 = $14.71 card fee; $497 × 0.08 = $39.76 refund allowance; $497 − $14.71 − $39.76 = $442.53 net. Divide by three: $147.51 is the most you can spend to acquire a buyer. At an assumed $8 per lead, $8 ÷ $147.51 = 5.4% of leads must buy. Add 7.5% if you are on a plan that charges a transaction fee. The quotable version: an online course price is only right or wrong relative to the conversion rate it forces you to hit.
How it works
How to set an online course price
Net the price
Subtract card fees, platform transaction fees and a refund allowance from the sticker price.
Divide by three
Net per buyer divided by three is the most you can spend to acquire one buyer.
Find the conversion needed
Divide cost per lead by that budget to get the share of leads that must buy.
Match the audience
Sell high required rates to your own list, low ones to cold traffic, and courses above about $2,000 on a call.
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What conversion rate does my course price need?
A course’s required conversion rate shows which audience can carry its price: above about 10% only a warm list can, under about 3% cold traffic can. These lines are our working thresholds, not published benchmarks.
| Share of leads that must buy | Example from the table above | What the price can be sold to |
|---|---|---|
| Above about 10% | $197 at $8 a lead (13.7%) | Your own email list or existing students only; cold paid traffic will not clear it |
| About 3% to 10% | $497 at $8 a lead (5.4%) | A warm audience through an email sequence or webinar launch |
| Under about 3% | $997 and $1,997 at $8 a lead | Cold paid traffic can work, if the checkout page converts |
| Price above about $2,000 | Any lead cost | Often a booked enrolment call; judge cost per buyer as booked-call cost ÷ (show rate × close rate) |
Two readings follow. A low-priced course is not the safe option it looks like: at $197 the arithmetic only closes on an audience you already own. And raising the price helps only if conversion falls more slowly than the price rises; if doubling from $497 to $997 halves the share of leads that buy, the margin is unchanged. Our page on filling a course without a big list covers where the first buyers come from when there is no warm audience yet.
Want this done for you? We book qualified sales appointments on a Pay-Per-Result basis — you only pay for calls that actually land in your calendar.
Which course platform fees change the price you need?
Course platform fees cut net per buyer through a monthly plan cost or a transaction fee; Teachable’s cheapest plan stops being cheapest above about $667 of monthly sales. The figures below were read on each vendor’s own pricing page on 15 October 2026, at monthly billing.
| Platform and plan | Monthly price (billed monthly) | Platform transaction fee | Card processing listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | $39 | 7.5% | 2.9% + 30¢ US cards; 3.9% + 30¢ international |
| Teachable Builder | $89 | 0% with Teachable Payments | Same processing fees apply |
| Kajabi Basic | $179 | No revenue share | Kajabi Payments 2.9% + $0.30 (US entities) |
| Kajabi Growth | $249 | No revenue share | Kajabi Payments 2.8% + $0.30 (US entities) |
| Kajabi Pro | $499 | No revenue share | Kajabi Payments 2.7% + $0.30 (US entities) |
The break-even between Teachable’s two cheapest plans is ($89 − $39) ÷ 0.075 = $667 of course sales a month at monthly billing, or ($69 − $29) ÷ 0.075 = $533 at the annual-billing rates. Above that, the 7.5% fee costs more than the upgrade. Kajabi’s higher plan prices buy email, website and community tools as well as course hosting, so compare total software cost, not the course line alone.
When should an online course be sold on a call instead of at checkout?
An online course should be sold on a call when its net per buyer can pay for the calls needed to close one buyer: about $2,000 in our model. The cost per buyer on a call is booked-call cost ÷ (show rate × close rate).
Worked example with labelled assumptions: a $150 booked call, a 75% show rate and a 25% close rate give $150 ÷ (0.75 × 0.25) = $800 per buyer. A $3,000 course nets $2,672.70 after card fees and an 8% refund allowance, and $2,672.70 ÷ $800 = 3.3 times, so it passes the test. The same calls behind a $997 course would cost $800 to win $888 of net revenue, and fail. A course that bundles live coaching and sells for five figures is a coaching offer priced by call economics, which the guide to pricing a high-ticket coaching offer covers. For education businesses with formal qualifications, the live guide to pricing an education course or RTO offer sets out four pricing models and what they charge in Australia, and the cost per enrolment page for course creators benchmarks enrolment cost by course price tier.
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How do refunds and payment plans change an online course price?
Refunds and payment plans change an online course price by moving how much of the sticker price is actually collected, so both belong inside the price, not beside it. A payment plan should cost more in total than paying in full.
- Refund allowance: every percentage point of refunds comes straight off net per buyer. At $997, moving from an 8% to a 15% refund rate costs about $70 a buyer, roughly a quarter of the acquisition budget in the first table.
- Payment plan premium: three payments of $199 total $597, 20% above a $497 pay-in-full price. If one plan buyer in ten stops after the first instalment, an assumption to replace with your own, expected collection is $199 + 0.9 × $398 = $557, still $60 above pay-in-full before card fees.
- Each instalment pays its own fixed card fee: three charges carry three 30¢ fees, which matters on low prices and not at all on high ones.
What does pricing and selling a course yourself cost?
Pricing and selling an online course yourself costs launch time, software and, above about $2,000, sales-call hours, and the method above is complete enough to run without help. The honest costs:
- Software: $39 to $499 a month on the plans above, before email, ads or video hosting outside the platform.
- Launch time: writing the sales page, email sequence and webinar for each launch, and reworking them when the conversion rate misses the table.
- Sales calls, on the call path: at a 75% show rate and 25% close rate, 20 buyers need about 107 booked calls and 80 held ones, each with preparation and follow-up.
If your course sells below about $2,000 at checkout, keep it in-house; the work is content and conversion, not calls. If it sells on calls and booking or holding those calls is the constraint, our page for education companies describes how LeadsNow books enrolment calls. LeadsNow’s pricing is 5–25% of the revenue we generate for you (revenue share), or an equivalent pay-per-appointment fee, or a mix of both, depending on lead volume, what is being sold and its price, the type of product and business, and which part (or all) of the sales funnel we run; no-shows aren’t charged.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for my online course?
Charge a price whose net revenue per buyer is at least three times your cost to acquire a buyer. At $8 a lead, a $497 course needs 5.4% of leads to buy and a $997 course needs 2.7%; pick the price whose required rate your audience can realistically hit.
Does Teachable take a cut of course sales?
Only on the Starter plan. Teachable’s pricing page lists a 7.5% transaction fee on Starter and 0% on Builder, Growth and Custom when you use Teachable Payments, with card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on US cards still applying.
Does Kajabi charge a transaction fee on course sales?
Kajabi says it takes no revenue share. Kajabi’s pricing page lists card processing through Kajabi Payments of 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% on Growth and 2.7% on Pro for US entities, with rates varying by country.
Should an online course offer a payment plan?
Yes, priced above pay-in-full. Three payments of $199 against a $497 pay-in-full price is a 20% premium, which still leaves about $60 more collected per buyer if one plan buyer in ten stops paying after the first instalment.
Is a higher course price always better?
No. A higher price only helps if conversion falls more slowly than price rises. If doubling the price halves the share of leads that buy, net margin per lead is unchanged and you have fewer students to sell the next product to.
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