# PaywallCompass

> Comparison of creator platforms: published prices from 18 newsletter, course, membership and community platforms' own pricing pages (median entry plan $40.5 per month), quoted verbatim with retrieval dates, across 4 platform types.

## Key facts

- The median published entry plan across 18 creator platforms with verified pricing is $40.5 per month (as of 2026-09-03).
- Published entry plans range from $0 to $179 per month; platforms that charge no subscription take a percentage cut of sales instead, and the cut is recorded beside each entry price.
- Every price is quoted verbatim from the vendor's own pricing page with its retrieval date; a vendor whose page could not be read is recorded as such, never estimated.
- The platform's cut is separate from card processing: Stripe or PayPal fees apply on top of every platform's own percentage.

## Key pages

- [Creator Platform Price Index](https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/): published vendor prices, verified verbatim, with CSV downloads
- [How to price your online course](https://paywallcompass.com/how-to-price-your-online-course/): guide with verified market figures
- [How to create a membership site](https://paywallcompass.com/how-to-create-a-membership-site/): guide with verified market figures
- [Paid newsletter](https://paywallcompass.com/paid-newsletter/): guide with verified market figures
- [Sales funnel for an online course](https://paywallcompass.com/sales-funnel-for-online-course/): guide with verified market figures
- [Sentence expander](https://paywallcompass.com/sentence-expander/): guide with verified market figures
- [AI copywriting tools](https://paywallcompass.com/ai-copywriting-tools/): guide with verified market figures
- [AI bio generator](https://paywallcompass.com/ai-bio-generator/): guide with verified market figures
- [Free AI video generator online](https://paywallcompass.com/free-ai-video-generator-online/): guide with verified market figures
- [AI talking head video generator](https://paywallcompass.com/ai-talking-head-video-generator/): guide with verified market figures
- [AI sound generator](https://paywallcompass.com/ai-sound-generator/): guide with verified market figures
- [Video idea generator](https://paywallcompass.com/video-idea-generator/): guide with verified market figures
- [AI tools for content creation](https://paywallcompass.com/ai-tools-for-content-creation/): guide with verified market figures
- [Newsletter platforms](https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/newsletter-platforms/): vendors with evidenced products and published prices
- [Online course platforms](https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/online-course-platforms/): vendors with evidenced products and published prices
- [Membership site platforms](https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/membership-site-platforms/): vendors with evidenced products and published prices
- [Community platforms](https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/community-platforms/): vendors with evidenced products and published prices
- [Vendor catalog](https://paywallcompass.com/vendors/): per-vendor verified facts, quotes, sources and dates
- [Which platform do I need?](https://paywallcompass.com/quote/): tell us what you sell and to how many people; we point you at the platform whose published price and cut fit it

## Data

- Download (CSV, vendor pricing index): https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/creator-platform-price-index.csv
- Download (CSV, Newsletter platforms coverage): https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/newsletter-platforms.csv
- Download (CSV, Online course platforms coverage): https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/online-course-platforms.csv
- Download (CSV, Membership site platforms coverage): https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/membership-site-platforms.csv
- Download (CSV, Community platforms coverage): https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/community-platforms.csv
- Methodology: Every rendered figure is a price the vendor publishes on its own pricing page, re-fetched and matched verbatim (the quote and its retrieval date travel with the cell), then hash-pinned; a vendor whose page could not be read is listed with that fact, never an estimate. The entry figure is the lowest PAID plan per month in USD as the page prints it (0 where the platform charges no subscription and takes a cut instead); where a page prints only the annual-billing figure the cell says so. The platform cut is the vendor's own percentage of creator sales on that plan; card processing charged by Stripe or PayPal sits on top of it and is not included.
- Source: Circle pricing page (transaction fees by plan: 2% on Professional): https://circle.so/pricing
- Source: Ghost(Pro) pricing page (no platform transaction fee): https://ghost.org/pricing/
- Source: Gumroad pricing page (direct-sale fee): https://gumroad.com/pricing
- Source: Kit pricing page: https://kit.com/pricing
- Source: Memberful pricing page (Standard plan transaction fee): https://memberful.com/pricing
- Source: Substack about page (writers keep 90%): https://substack.com/about
- Source: systeme.io pricing page (FAQ: fees): https://systeme.io/pricing
- Source: beehiiv pricing page (FAQ: cut of paid subscriptions): https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing
- Source: Kajabi pricing page (no revenue share): https://www.kajabi.com/pricing
- Source: LearnWorlds pricing page (Starter plan enrollment fee, a flat $5 per paid enrollment rather than a percentage): https://www.learnworlds.com/pricing/
- Source: MailerLite pricing page (FAQ: Power plan): https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing
- Source: Memberstack pricing page (FAQ: transaction fees by plan; 4% on Basic): https://www.memberstack.com/pricing
- Source: Mighty Networks pricing page (transaction fees by plan: 2% on Launch): https://www.mightynetworks.com/pricing
- Source: Outseta pricing page (Founder plan transaction fee): https://www.outseta.com/pricing
- Source: Patreon pricing page: https://www.patreon.com/pricing
- Source: Podia pricing page (FAQ: Mover plan fee): https://www.podia.com/pricing
- Source: SamCart pricing page (no platform fee on SamPay processing): https://www.samcart.com/pricing
- Source: Skool pricing page (Hobby plan transaction fee): https://www.skool.com/pricing
- Source: Teachable pricing page (Starter plan transaction fee): https://www.teachable.com/pricing
- Source: Thinkific pricing page: https://www.thinkific.com/pricing/
- Source: Uscreen pricing page (entry plan fee on one-time sales): https://www.uscreen.tv/pricing/

## Citation

Cite as: "PaywallCompass Creator Platform Price Index", https://paywallcompass.com/platforms/ (updated 2026-09-03).

## About

- Operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. Contact: hello@paywallcompass.com
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