There is no single figure. Kajabi says creators earning on its platform average $190,000, but that is a platform average, not a typical result. Thinkific's 2025 sales imply about $13,000 per customer, and a third-party Udemy study found $3,306 a year. These are averages, not forecasts. As of November 2026.
The honest answer is that it varies a lot, and the averages are pulled up by a few big sellers. A third-party study of Udemy found that 75% of instructors make less than $1,000 a year, while the top 1% make more than half of all the money instructors earn there (Udemy earnings study). When a few people earn a lot, the average sits far above what most people make.
The figures have limits too. No neutral, audited source publishes median course creator income. Every number on this page is an average or a company statement, each with its own skew. None of them is a forecast, and all of them are revenue before costs and tax. If you coach as well as teach, read how much online coaches make.
What the sources report
These are the figures we found, as of November 2026. Each one measures something different, so read the basis column before the figure.
| Source | Figure | What it measures | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | $190,000 average | Creators earning on Kajabi, from Kajabi's own platform data | Aug 2025 |
| Thinkific | About $13,000 gross per customer | WithMe's calculation from Thinkific's 2025 results, a mean that includes companies | Mar 2026 |
| Udemy | $3,306 average, and 75% under $1,000 | Udemy instructors per year. A third-party estimate, not Udemy's own figure | 2023 data |
| CreatorIQ | $44,293 average, $3.0K median of brand payments | All creators, not course creators only, from a survey and brand payment data | Late 2025 |
These figures cannot be compared like for like. They measure different people, on different platforms, in different years, in different ways.
- Kajabi: in a press release of 6 Aug 2025, Kajabi said creators earning on its platform make an average of $190K. This is a company statement from its own platform data, not independently audited. Kajabi's plans are priced for established creators, so the average leans towards serious sellers (Kajabi press release).
- Thinkific: its 2025 results, published 5 Mar 2026, report gross merchandise volume of $460.0 million in 2025, flat on 2024, across more than 35,000 customers. That volume is what learners paid Thinkific's customers, net of refunds, not what creators kept. Our own division of $460.0 million by 35,000 gives at most about $13,100 gross sales per customer, before fees and tax. It is a mean, no median is published, and the customers include companies such as GoDaddy, Nasdaq, ActiveCampaign and Datadog as well as solo creators (Thinkific 2025 results).
- Udemy: a third-party study, not Udemy, estimated that the average Udemy instructor earns $3,306 a year, 75% make less than $1,000 a year, and 1% make a full time income of over $50K a year. It used Udemy platform data pulled from February to mid April 2023 and Udemy's FY21 financials, so it is an older estimate. Udemy is a marketplace that takes a share of sales (the exact split is unverified) (Udemy earnings study).
- CreatorIQ: in a late 2025 survey of 300 creators by Sapio Research, the average creator reported earning $44,293 over the past year, and only 11% reported six figures. Across flat payments from brands and agencies sent through CreatorIQ in 2025, the average was $11.4K and the median $3.0K. This covers all creators, including social and brand work, not course creators. It is here only to show how far an average can sit above a median (CreatorIQ report).
How course creators get paid
A course is not the only thing a course creator can sell. This table shows how each offer works. It gives no income numbers, only how each offer earns.
| Offer | How it earns | Time it takes | Good fit when |
|---|---|---|---|
| A one off course | A buyer pays once, or in a plan, for lessons they work through alone. | A lot of time up front, then updates and support. | Your method works as a set of steps people can follow without you. |
| A cohort or live program | A group pays for a place in a program that runs on set dates. | Your time for every live session, for each round you run. | People learn better together and with you there to answer questions. |
| A membership | Members pay on repeat for ongoing access to new lessons or content. | Steady time each month to make and post new things. | You have fresh things to teach and people want to keep learning. |
| A community | Members pay on repeat, or join as part of another offer, to talk with you and each other. | Steady time each week to host, post and reply. | Your students get value from each other, not only from you. |
| A coaching add-on | A buyer pays extra for calls with you on top of a course. | Your time for every call, plus prep. | Some buyers want personal help to apply what the course teaches. |
| A bundle | One price, often a subscription, covers more than one offer, such as courses and a community. | The time of each offer in it, plus keeping them joined up. | Your offers fit together and buyers want all of them. |
One reason to offer more than one thing: Kajabi's own platform data says creators who bundle products, for example a subscription that includes courses and a community, earn 4.5x more than those with a single product (Kajabi press release). That is Kajabi's own data about its own creators, not an independent study, and it does not show that bundling causes the difference.
What moves the number
No source can tell you what you will make. These are the things the figures point to, with no promise attached:
- Audience and email list. Kajabi says the average six-figure creator on its platform has 1,000 to 10,000 followers and an email list of about 4,000 (Kajabi press release).
- Price. Your price times your paying customers is your gross revenue, so price matters as much as how many people buy. The calculator below shows how the two multiply.
- How many paying customers. The same Kajabi data says the average six-figure creator there has 309 paying customers (Kajabi press release).
- More than one offer. Kajabi says more than 75% of six-figure earners on its platform have more than one revenue stream, averaging 5 (Kajabi press release).
- Marketplace or your own storefront. On a marketplace such as Udemy, the marketplace takes a share, and a third-party study found the average instructor there earns $3,306 a year. On your own storefront, you set the price and you find the buyers (Udemy earnings study).
A simple calculator
None of the averages above can tell you what your course will make. So this calculator only uses your own numbers.
The total is in the same currency as your price. This multiplies your own numbers. It is not a forecast and not an income promise.
Who should pick which route
- Sell on a marketplace if you want to list a course without building your own page, and you are fine with the marketplace setting the price and taking a share.
- Sell a single course from your own page if you want to set your own price and you can bring buyers to it yourself, for example from social media or an email list. Read how to sell online courses.
- Bundle a course with a membership or community if you have more to give after the course ends and your students want to keep learning with you and each other. Read how to sell memberships online.
WithMe fits creators who want courses, memberships, community, coaching calls, landing pages, checkout, Instagram Auto DMs and AI agents in one hub. It has the simplicity of Stan Store with the functionality of Kajabi, and it is an all-in-one creator hub, not a link-in-bio tool. A platform does not raise your income by itself. Your offer, your price and your buyers still decide that, and other tools may suit you better, so compare them first. WithMe takes 0% commission on what you sell, and Stripe processing fees still apply. Read how 0% commission works.
To compare, read what an all-in-one creator platform is, WithMe vs Kajabi, WithMe vs Stan Store, Kajabi alternatives, Stan Store alternatives and Skool alternatives.
FAQs
How much does a course creator make a year?
No neutral source publishes a typical figure, and the averages we found vary widely. Kajabi says creators earning on its platform average $190,000, from its own data in Aug 2025. Thinkific's 2025 results work out to at most about $13,100 gross sales per customer, by our own calculation, a mean that includes companies as well as solo creators. A third-party study of Udemy, using 2023 data, found an average of $3,306 a year. These are averages, not forecasts, and they are before costs and tax.
Do most course creators make a full time income?
The only figure we found is for one marketplace. A third-party study of Udemy, using 2023 data, found that 1% of instructors make a full time income of over $50K a year, and 75% make less than $1,000 a year. No neutral, audited source publishes median course creator income, so there is no reliable figure for course creators as a whole.
How much does a first course earn?
No neutral source publishes this, so any figure you see for a first course is unverified. Use the calculator on this page with your own price, paying customers and months selling. It multiplies your own numbers, and it is not a forecast.
Is it better to sell on Udemy or on your own site?
It depends on what you want. Udemy is a marketplace and takes a share of sales (the exact split is unverified), and a third-party study using 2023 data found the average instructor there earns $3,306 a year. On your own site or hub you set the price, and you bring the buyers yourself.
Does WithMe take a cut of what I earn?
No. WithMe takes no commission on what you sell, but Stripe processing fees still apply to each payment. $25/month billed annually (UK £25). 14-day free trial. 0% commission. 8,000+ creators.
Price your first course with WithMe.
Start your 14-day free trialSources checked November 2026
- Kajabi, press release of 6 Aug 2025, checked 6 Nov 2026: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250806424975/en/%2410B-in-Creator-Revenue-and-Climbing-Kajabi-Creators-Are-Achieving-Long-Term-Financial-Success
- Thinkific, fourth quarter and full year 2025 results, 5 Mar 2026, checked 6 Nov 2026: https://investors.thinkific.com/2026-03-05-Thinkific-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2025-Financial-Results
- Udemy earnings study by sellcoursesonline.com, a third party, using 2023 data, checked 6 Nov 2026: https://sellcoursesonline.com/udemy-earnings-study
- CreatorIQ, How Much Do Creators Make, late 2025 survey, checked 6 Nov 2026: https://www.creatoriq.com/blog/creator-compensation-report-hbbip
- WithMe price and trial, checked 6 Nov 2026: https://www.withme.so/become-a-creator
