Is Selling Online Courses On Payhip Profitable
Last updated: April 2026 ·affiliate disclosure
Most online course sellers on Payhip keep 85–92% of their revenue after platform fees. That means on a $100 course sale, you pocket $85–92. Payhip is profitable for courses because it charges lower fees than competitors like Teachable or Thinkific, and you don't pay unless you make a sale. The real profitability question isn't the platform—it's whether you can actually sell courses at a price point that covers your creation time and marketing spend.
Payhip Fees for online courses Sellers
Payhip charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction on course sales. So a $50 course costs you $3.00 in fees (5% of $50 plus the fixed $0.50), leaving you $47. If you use Payhip's payment processing directly, that's your only fee. If you use a third-party processor like Stripe, you'll pay an additional 2.9% + $0.30, which cuts your take-home to roughly 91% of the sale price. There are no monthly hosting fees or course creation limits—you only pay when someone buys.
Profit Margin Benchmarks
Good margins: You're selling courses priced $47–$497 with at least 30–50% of sales going to marketing and customer acquisition. Your net profit (after fees, ads, and creation costs) hits 20%+ of gross revenue. Average margins: Courses priced $27–$97 with 40% of revenue spent on ads, netting 10–15% profit after all costs. Poor margins: Courses under $27 or heavily discounted, where Payhip's $0.50 fee eats 2%+ of the sale, and you spend 50%+ on ads, leaving 5% or less in profit.
Calculate your actual numbers
The margins above are averages. Your real profit depends on your specific price, costs, and volume.
Run Your Payhip Profit Calculation →Verdict: Is It Worth It?
Selling courses on Payhip is profitable if you have an audience or marketing budget already in place. The platform's 5% + $0.50 fee is genuinely low compared to alternatives. The bottleneck isn't Payhip—it's whether you can sell $3,000–$5,000 monthly in courses to cover creation time and make it worth your effort. If you're starting from zero audience, expect to spend months and hundreds in ads before profitability kicks in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the exact Payhip online course fees?
Payhip charges 5% of the sale price plus $0.50 per transaction for courses. If your course sells for $100, you pay $5.50 in fees and keep $94.50. This is lower than Teachable (10% + $1 or $39–$299/month) or Thinkific (0% but $39–$499/month subscription).
What profit margins should I expect selling courses on Payhip?
After Payhip's fees, you keep 85–92% of each sale. But real margins depend on your costs: if you spend $1,000 creating a course and $500/month on ads, you need to sell at least $3,000–$5,000 monthly to hit 20% net profit. Most beginner course creators see negative margins for the first 3–6 months.
Is Payhip profitable for selling online courses compared to other platforms?
Yes. Payhip's 5% + $0.50 fee is the lowest flat rate available. Teachable and Thinkific charge either 10% commission or $39–$299 monthly subscriptions. Kajabi charges $119–$319/month. If you're selling fewer than 20 courses monthly, Payhip saves you $50–$300/month versus subscription platforms.
How much should I price my online course on Payhip to be profitable?
Price courses between $47–$297 for the best profit margin. A $97 course with Payhip's fee costs $5.35 to sell, leaving $91.65 per sale. If you spend $200/month on ads and get 50 sales, your profit is roughly $4,383 monthly. Courses priced under $27 make profitability difficult due to the fixed $0.50 fee per transaction.
Tools that improve these margins
The right research tool helps you find products with better margins before you invest in inventory.
Try Find Profitable Digital Products Free →Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Related calculators
Compare Online Courses across platforms
Sell Online Courses on other platforms — fee and margin breakdowns for the same product type.
| Platform | Calculator | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Beacons | Open calculator → | View full breakdown → |
| Gumroad | Open calculator → | View full breakdown → |
| Stan Store | Open calculator → | View full breakdown → |
We monitor platform fees quarterly and email you when something affects your margins.