Is Selling Video Courses On Payhip Profitable
Last updated: April 2026 ·affiliate disclosure
Most video course sellers on Payhip keep 85-90% of revenue after platform fees. This makes Payhip one of the better-margin options compared to Teachable (70-80% after fees) or Udemy (50-75% depending on traffic source). Your actual profitability depends entirely on your course price, production costs, and marketing spend—not the platform itself. If you're selling a $97 course with minimal production costs, you're looking at healthy margins. If you spent $5,000 producing a $27 course, you're underwater for months.
Payhip Fees for video courses Sellers
Payhip charges 5% of each sale plus payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 for credit cards, or 1% for PayPal). This means on a $100 course sale, you pay $5 platform fee plus roughly $3.20 in payment processing—leaving you $91.80. There's no monthly subscription fee, no setup fee, and no storage limits for video files. Payhip also offers an affiliate program where you can pay affiliates 10-50% commission, which comes directly from your side and reduces take-home.
Profit Margin Benchmarks
Good margins: You're selling courses priced $47-$297 with 40%+ net margin after all fees and basic marketing ($20-50 per customer acquisition). This typically means $47+ gross profit per sale. Average margins: 20-30% net after fees and reasonable marketing spend—you're making money but not scaling fast. Poor margins: Below 15% net, which happens when your course is underpriced ($17-27), your production costs were high, or customer acquisition costs exceed $30 per sale. Most successful Payhip creators operate in the 'good' range by pricing appropriately and keeping production lean.
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?
Yes, selling video courses on Payhip is profitable—but only if you price strategically and keep costs down. The 5% + payment fees are genuinely competitive. Your real bottleneck is customer acquisition, not the platform. If you can get students for under 30% of your course price and your course solves a real problem, you'll be profitable within 50-100 sales. Don't use Payhip expecting passive income; use it as a lean, low-friction platform to test and validate course ideas quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Payhip's video course fees exactly?
Payhip charges 5% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 per credit card transaction (or 1% for PayPal). On a $100 course sale, you net approximately $91.80 after all fees. There are no monthly fees, setup fees, or limits on video file storage, making it cheaper than Teachable or Kajabi for video courses.
What profit margins can I expect selling video courses on Payhip?
Your net margin depends on pricing and customer acquisition costs. A $97 course with a $15 customer acquisition cost gives you roughly 65-70% gross margin after Payhip fees. Most profitable sellers target 40%+ net margin, which requires pricing courses $47 or higher and keeping marketing costs below 30% of revenue.
Is Payhip cheaper than other platforms for video courses?
Yes. Payhip's 5% + payment processing is significantly cheaper than Teachable ($29-249/month + 5%) or Kajabi ($119-399/month + 2.9% fees). Payhip only makes sense if you're paying commission—otherwise you keep 90%+ of revenue. It's the cheapest option if you're selling fewer than 50 courses monthly.
How many courses do I need to sell on Payhip to be profitable?
This depends on your production costs and pricing. If your course cost $1,000 to produce and you sell it for $97 with 5% Payhip fees, you break even around 12-15 sales. If your course took minimal time and you're selling at $47, you profit immediately. Marketing spend is typically your larger cost—most sellers need 30-50 sales to recover acquisition costs.
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