How Much Does It Cost To Create An Online Course? (In 2024)
Looking to start an online course?
But curious about:
- how much it costs to start an online course?
- what are the typical online course startup costs?
- or the actual cost of starting online courses?
Well, we have the data to prove it, supported by real online courses and how much they actually cost to start.
Let's go over it.
What is the average cost of starting an online course?
Based on our data reported by actual online course founders, the average cost of starting an online course is between $49 and $150,000.
Additionally, our data shows that the the median startup costs for an online course are around $2K.
Remember, though, not all online courses are the same - and neither are people's budgets. It's important to distinguish between different levels or types of online courses
Real World Examples: How much does it cost to start an online course?
We asked real online course founders and business owners how much it actually cost to get started?
Here is what they said:
Austin L. Church
Founder of Freelance Cake ($20K/month)
"Thankfully, I was able to keep costs down. My designer friend gave me a disgustingly good deal on the visual identity ($1,500) and my other costs came out to less than *$100*, not counting my project manager’s salary."
Austin L. Church is the founder of Freelance Cake, a business growth course for freelancers and consultants that launched in December 2019.
Gabriel Kramer
Founder of SI Certs ($125K/month)
"The only funding I did was paying Dee’s brother $2,200 to program the site. He hacked WordPress to create an e-learning platform and he used PayPal to take payments."
Gabriel Kramer is the co-founder of SI Certs, an online test prep business that helps construction inspectors pass certification exams.
Stuart Draper
Founder of Stukent, Inc. ($500K/month)
"When I did market research to start the business I was planning on just doing a textbook, but one of the professors I spoke with told me that if I brought him a simulation he would for sure use that. We dreamt up what that simulation could be, and brought to market the world’s first digital marketing simulation in less than a year."
Stuart Draper is the founder of Stukent, a digital courseware company specializing in up-to-date educational products and simulations for digital marketing.
Jure Pučko
Founder of Doctrina ($90K/month)
"In the beginning, we were outsourcing (we hired an external web development company to develop the platform for us, by our specifications) our platform, which cost us around $30K."
Jure Pučko is the founder of Doctrina, an educational platform for healthcare professionals that helps over 60 companies worldwide grow their businesses since 2013.
Caitlin Pyle
Founder of Proofread Anywhere ($200K/month)
"My startup costs weren’t much either because initially, I was doing all the work myself -- the creation of the course, eBook, even a lot of designs were originally mine."
Caitlin Pyle is the founder of Proofread Anywhere, a business that started in 2014 and helps proofreaders earn extra income from anywhere in the world.
Kelan Kline
Founder of The Savvy Couple ($20K/month)
"The beauty of starting an online business is that there is very little overhead. We spent less than $500 in the entire first year of running our business."
Kelan and Brittany Kline are the founders of The Savvy Couple, a personal finance blog that helps families create more time and money in their lives. The blog is on track to make over $250,000 this year alone.
Graham Cochrane
Founder of The Recording Revolution LLC ($100K/month)
"Between hosting, a custom URL, and some basic screen capture software it cost me a whopping $50 to start my business and build/launch my first product."
Graham Cochrane is the founder of Recording Revolution, an online education company that started in 2009, which teaches musicians how to record and produce their music to a professional level.
Adam Tal
Founder of Pushtak ($150K/month)
"For the first course, what I did was contact as many business owners as I could find out who had a list of customers or a newsletter." "I created a 'launch' sequence, a bunch of free training videos I was giving away for free, and generated a poor man’s version of an 'affiliate link', using a hidden form field in my leading landing page’s opt-in form."
"My costs were pretty close to zero: $7/mo hosting, PayPal’s percentage of sales, and some software."
Adam Tal is the founder of Pushtak, an online education business that helps individuals with "money hacking" and "equity hacking."
Lucas Chevillard
Founder of Growth Ecole ($350/month)
"The only thing I bought to create this course was a good USB microphone to record my voice."
Lucas Chevillard is the founder of an email marketing course, a digital education business that has been taken by more than 1050 people.
Tom
Founder of Mandarin Monkey ($1K/month)
"As mentioned briefly we also, in the beginning, wanted to create a website that allowed students to learn Chinese online and would put you in front of a Chinese teacher. We hired a website design company that ended up costing us $10,000."
Tom and Ula Cain are the founders of Mandarin Monkey, a Mandarin/Chinese content creation business that has produced over 250 videos and 62 podcast episodes, attracting a steadily growing audience.
Enjoyed reading these real world examples?
Our platform is full of case studies of successful online courses that you can learn from.
Starting an online course - what you should know:
Starting an online course can be both rewarding and costly, depending on various factors that influence the overall budget.
Platform Fees
The choice of platform can significantly impact your costs. Using self-hosted platforms like WordPress with a LearnDash plugin can cost around $200-$300 annually for hosting and plugins. On the other hand, all-in-one platforms like Teachable or Kajabi may charge $39 to $199 per month, depending on the features and student capacity you require.
Content Creation Costs
Creating high-quality content involves costs for equipment and software. A decent microphone and webcam will set you back around $100-$200 each. If you opt for professional video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro, expect to pay $20-$30 per month. Hiring a professional to create content can cost anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour. The total cost can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the complexity and length of the course.
Marketing Expenses
Marketing your course effectively is critical but can be pricey. Social media advertising budgets can start as low as $50, but for substantial reach, you might spend upwards of $500 per month. Email marketing services such as Mailchimp can cost between $10 to $300 monthly, based on the subscriber count.
Additional Tools and Software
You may need additional tools like graphic design software (e.g., Canva Pro at $12.95 per month) or customer relationship management software (like HubSpot, which can range from free to $50 per month). These tools add functionality but also increase the overall cost.
By carefully considering these factors, you can better estimate the total cost of launching your online course and make informed decisions to stay within your budget.
Potential Costs of Starting an Online Course
Starting an online course involves various costs, from software tools to marketing expenses. Below is a detailed table breaking down these potential costs:
Cost Category | Description | Estimated Cost Range |
---|---|---|
Platform/Hosting | Cost of hosting your course on an online platform. | $29 - $399/month |
LMS Software | Learning Management System (e.g., Teachable, Thinkific). | $39 - $499/month |
Domain Name | Registering a custom domain for your course website. | $10 - $20/year |
Website Hosting | Monthly cost for hosting your website (if not using a course platform). | $3 - $100/month |
Video Equipment | Camera, microphone, lighting for recording course videos. | $500 - $2,000 (one-time) |
Video Editing Software | Software for editing course videos (e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro). | $20 - $299/month |
Graphic Design Tools | Software for creating course visuals (e.g., Canva Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud). | $12 - $52/month |
Payment Processing Fees | Fees charged by payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal). | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
Course Content Creation | Hiring subject matter experts, video editors, and graphic designers. | $200 - $5,000/course |
Marketing & Advertising | Costs for promoting your course through ads (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads). | $100 - $5,000/month |
Email Marketing Software | Tools for email campaigns (e.g., Mailchimp, ConvertKit). | $9 - $299/month |
SEO Tools | Software for search engine optimization (e.g., Ahrefs, SEMrush). | $99 - $399/month |
Membership Plugins | If using WordPress, plugins for course management. | $0 - $300/year |
Customer Support | Hiring or subscribing to a service for customer support. | $15 - $200/month |
Legal Fees | Legal costs for contracts, terms of service, and privacy policies. | $200 - $2,000 (one-time) |
Miscellaneous Fees | Other possible expenses like shipping course materials, software trials, etc. | Varies |
This table provides a comprehensive view of the various costs you need to consider when starting an online course.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.