Online Course Profit Calculator
Selling an online course? This calculator shows your true profit after platform fees, advertising, production costs, and ongoing support — so you know if your course is actually worth building.
Online Course Profit Calculator
Estimate your profit from selling online courses
Monthly P&L
Year One Summary
Platform fee depends on your hosting platform (e.g., Teachable 10%, Udemy 37–97%, Gumroad 10%). Course production cost is a one time upfront investment. ROI = monthly profit ÷ ad spend × 100. Year One Net Profit accounts for the initial production cost.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much profit do online course creators make?+
Revenue per sale is high ($50-500+), but platform fees (10-30%), advertising ($5-50/student), and production costs eat into margins. A course with 100 sales/month at $197 generates $19,700 revenue but typically $8,000-12,000 net profit.
What platforms have the lowest fees for selling courses?+
Teachable: 5% + payment processing. Thinkific: Free plan (limited), 5% on paid plans. Gumroad: 10%. Podia: 0% on free plan. Your own website (WordPress + LearnDash): 0% platform fees but hosting costs. Factor in traffic generation costs too.
How much should I spend on ads to acquire a course student?+
Target CAC (customer acquisition cost) of 20-30% of course price. For a $197 course, spend $40-60 per student max. Facebook/YouTube ads typically cost $5-15 per lead, with 2-5% conversion to sale. Build an email funnel for higher conversion.
How much profit do online course creators make?
Revenue per sale is high ($50-500+), but platform fees (10-30%), advertising ($5-50/student), and production costs eat into margins. A course with 100 sales/month at $197 generates $19,700 revenue but typically $8,000-12,000 net profit.
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