Monetization Platform Pricing & Fees Compared (September 2026)
What each method costs to start and typically earns, then the fee and entry price of every platform we list. Networks take a revenue share instead (see payout terms); marketplaces take a cut per deal.
Entry-level plans in USD per month and platform fees as published. Card processing (about 2.9% + 30c) comes on top unless stated.
What each method costs and earns
| Method | Cost to start | Typical earnings | First payout | Difficulty | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliate Marketing | $0 | $10-80 RPM on general content; $100-300+ on buyer-intent reviews | 1-3 months | Medium | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Paid Newsletters | $0-100/mo | 3-8% of free readers at $5-10/mo; $150-600 per 1,000 subscribers per month | 2-4 months | Medium | Audience revenue |
| Memberships & Paid Communities | $0-100/mo | 3-8% of an engaged audience at $5-15/mo; $20-150 RPM on web traffic | 2-4 months | Medium | Audience revenue |
| Digital Products | $0-50/mo | 1-3% of readers buy at $10-100; $20-150 RPM | 1-2 months | Medium | Products & services |
| Newsletter Sponsorships | $0 | $20-60 CPM per open; $30-100 per 1,000 subscribers per month | 1-3 months | Medium | Advertising revenue |
| Display Advertising | $0 | $5-25 session RPM (general niche) | 1-2 months | Easy | Advertising revenue |
| SaaS & Micro-SaaS Subscriptions | $50-500/mo (hosting, tools) | $40-400 per 1,000 visitors; $10-100 MRR per customer | 3-9 months | Hard | Products & services |
| Sponsored Content & Brand Deals | $0 | $200-5,000 per post; $10-60 RPM equivalent | 2-4 months | Medium | Advertising revenue |
| Online Courses & Cohorts | $0-200/mo | 1-2% of readers at $100-500; $30-300 RPM | 2-4 months | Hard | Products & services |
| Podcast Sponsorships & Host-Read Ads | $0-50/mo (hosting) | $18-50 CPM per download; $60-200 per 1,000 listeners per month | 2-4 months | Medium | Advertising revenue |
| In-App Purchases & App Subscriptions | $100-500 (developer accounts, tools) | $20-150 per 1,000 monthly users; 2-5% of users pay | 1-3 months | Medium | Products & services |
| Coaching, Consulting & Services | $0 | $100-500/hour; $50-400 per 1,000 visitors on service pages | Days to weeks | Medium | Products & services |
| Featured & Sponsored Listings | $0 | $20-500 per listing per month; $10-100 RPM | 2-4 months | Medium | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Mobile App Advertising | $0 | $5-20 per 1,000 sessions, rewarded video up to $30 eCPM in the US | 1-2 months | Medium | Advertising revenue |
| Paywalls & Premium Content | $0-200/mo | $5-20/mo per subscriber; $20-120 RPM on web traffic | 3-6 months | Hard | Audience revenue |
| Lead Generation & Selling Leads | $0-100/mo (forms, call tracking) | $10-300 per lead; $30-150 RPM in service niches | 1-3 months | Medium | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Job Board Postings | $0-100/mo (board software) | $99-499 per post; $30-250 RPM | 2-4 months | Medium | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Video Advertising (Instream, Outstream & CTV) | $0-100/mo (player or hosting) | $10-35 RPM on pages with a player | 2-3 months | Medium | Advertising revenue |
| CPA, CPL & CPI Offers | $0 | $1-50 per action; $10-60 RPM | 2-6 weeks | Medium | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Platform Ad Share & Creator Funds | $0 | YouTube $1-8 RPM per 1,000 views; other platforms far less | 2-6 months | Medium | Audience revenue |
| Selling the Site, App or Domain | $0 | 30-45x monthly net profit for content sites; 3-8x ARR for SaaS | 2-6 months | Hard | Products & services |
| Paid Webinars, Workshops & Events | $0-500 per event | $20-500 per ticket; $20-200 RPM on an engaged audience | 1-2 months | Medium | Audience revenue |
| Direct Ad Sales | $0-50/mo (ad server) | $5-20 CPM or $200-2,000/mo per placement; $15-45 RPM | 3-6 months | Hard | Advertising revenue |
| E-commerce, Merch & Print on Demand | $0-100/mo | $5-60 per 1,000 visitors; 20-40% margin on print on demand | 1-2 months | Medium | Products & services |
| API Access & Data Licensing | $0-200/mo | $10-200 per 1,000 visitors on developer-facing pages; $50-5,000/mo per API customer | 2-6 months | Hard | Products & services |
| Donations, Tips & Crowdfunding | $0 | 0.5-2% of readers give $3-10; $1-8 RPM | Days | Easy | Audience revenue |
| Native Advertising & Content Recommendation | $0 | $1-5 RPM on top of display | 1-2 months | Easy | Advertising revenue |
| Content Licensing & Syndication | $0 | $2-15 RPM equivalent; per-piece fees of $50-5,000 | 3-6 months | Hard | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| List Rental & Dedicated Sends | $0 | $50-150 CPM per send; $60-250 per 1,000 subscribers per month at low frequency | 1-2 months | Medium | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Selling Guest Posts & Link Inserts | $0 | $50-500 per post at DR 30-60; $15-100 RPM equivalent | 1-4 weeks | Easy | Affiliate & partner revenue |
| Push, Pop-under & Interstitial Ads | $0 | $2-8 RPM, higher in tier-3 volume | 1-2 weeks | Easy | Advertising revenue |
🛍️ Digital product & checkout platforms
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon Squeezy | Free | 5% + 50c per transaction (merchant of record) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Gumroad | Free | 10% + payment fees per sale (merchant of record) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Payhip | Freemium | 5% on the free plan, 0% on paid plans ($29+/mo) | $29/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Easy Digital Downloads | Freemium | Free Lite core; paid EDD Pass from $99.50/yr intro (Personal, 1 site) up to $499.50/yr intro (All Access, 3 sites), full price $199-$999/yr; no per-sale cut, only your payment gateway's fee | $99/mo | Yes | 🔥 50% off introductory pricing on all EDD Pass plans (e.g. Personal $99.50/yr instead of $199, All Access $499.50/yr instead of $999); renewal | Visit ↗ |
| SendOwl | Paid | From $18/mo plus card fees; no per-sale cut | $18/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
👥 Membership & community platforms
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle | Paid | From $89/mo; transaction fees of 0.5-4% by plan plus Stripe | $89/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Patreon | Free | 8% (Pro) or 12% (Premium) of earnings plus payment fees | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Memberful | Freemium | 10% + Stripe fees on the free plan; 4.9% + fees at $49/mo | $49/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Skool | Paid | $99/mo per community plus 2.9% on payments | $99/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Mighty Networks | Paid | From $41/mo; 2-3% transaction fee by plan plus Stripe | $41/mo | No | 🔥 14-day free trial, no credit card required, plus 2 months free when billing the Launch plan annually | Visit ↗ |
| Outseta | Paid | From $37/mo plus 1-2% transaction fee by plan | $37/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Discord Server Subscriptions | Free | 10% of subscription revenue | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
📬 Newsletter platforms
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | Open source | No revenue share; Ghost(Pro) hosting from $9/mo or self-host free | $9/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| beehiiv | Freemium | No cut of paid subscriptions; plans from $39/mo (free up to 2,500 subscribers) | $39/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Substack | Free | 10% of paid subscription revenue plus Stripe fees | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | Freemium | Commerce: 3.5% + 30c per transaction; plans from $25/mo (free to 10,000 subscribers) | $25/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| MailerLite | Freemium | No cut on paid subscriptions (Stripe fees apply); plans from $10/mo | $10/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
🎓 Course & cohort platforms
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | Paid | From $71/mo; 0% transaction fee | $71/mo | No | 🔥 Free 30-day trial, no credit card required (longer than the industry-standard 14-day trial) | Visit ↗ |
| Teachable | Paid | 7.5% transaction fee on the Starter plan ($39/mo); 0% transaction fee on Builder ($89/mo) and Growth ($189/mo) plans, plus standard card processing fees | $39/mo | No | 🔥 3 months for the price of 1 on paid plans, plus a 7-day free trial and 22% off with annual billing | Visit ↗ |
| Thinkific | Paid | No free plan; 30-day trial. Basic $40/mo (annual) / $54 (monthly); Start $82/$109; Grow $164/$219; Plus custom — plus a 2.9% Thinkific Payments processing fee on every plan | $40/mo | No | 🔥 30-day free trial (no permanent free plan) plus save 25% by paying annually, e.g. Basic from $40/mo instead of $54/mo | Visit ↗ |
| LearnDash | Paid | From $199/year; no per-sale cut | $199/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Podia | Freemium | 10% on the free plan; 0% from $33/mo | $33/mo | Yes | 🔥 14-day free trial, full feature access, no credit card required | Visit ↗ |
| LearnWorlds | Paid | From $29/mo (Starter has $5 per sale fee; higher plans 0%) | $29/mo | No | 🔥 30-day free trial (no credit card), plus 15% off for 6 months through Sep 30, 2026 — stacks with the standard 20% annual-billing discount | Visit ↗ |
| Maven | Free | 10% of revenue | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Udemy | Free | Instructors keep 37% of marketplace sales, 97% of sales from their own coupon links | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Skillshare | Free | Royalty pool share by minutes watched; referral bonuses | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
💳 Payments, billing & merchant of record
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Free | 2.9% + 30c per card transaction (plus 0.5% for Billing, Tax extra) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| RevenueCat | Freemium | Free to $2,500/mo tracked revenue; then about 1% | – | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Paddle | Free | 5% + 50c per transaction (merchant of record) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Adapty | Freemium | Free to $10,000/mo tracked revenue; then from $99/mo | – | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Chargebee | Freemium | Free to $250k annual billing; then 0.75% or from $599/mo | – | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| PayPal | Free | About 3.49% + 49c per commerce transaction | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| BitCart | Open source | 0% platform fee (self-hosted; you pay only blockchain network fees) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Bigcapital | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Zoneless | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Epusdt | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Killbill | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
🔒 Paywall & subscription tools
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MemberPress | Paid | From $179/year; no per-sale cut | $179/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Paid Memberships Pro | Freemium | Free core; Plus from $174/year; no per-sale cut | $174/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Piano | Paid | Custom enterprise pricing | – | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Leaky Paywall | Paid | From $199/year; no per-sale cut | $199/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Poool | Paid | Custom pricing | – | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Supertab | Free | Revenue share (publisher keeps about 85%) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Marreta | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
🛒 E-commerce & print-on-demand platforms
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Paid | Basic $29/mo (billed annually) / $39 month-to-month, Grow $79/$105, Advanced $299/$399, Plus from ~$2,300/mo; Shopify Payments 2.9%+30c (Basic) down to 2.5%+30c (Advanced); +2%/1%/0.6% surcharge on external gateways | $39/mo | No | 🔥 3 days free, then $1/month for your first 3 months (no credit card required) | Visit ↗ |
| PrestaShop | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| nopCommerce | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Vendure | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Printful | Free | No fee; you pay product + shipping cost per order | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| WooCommerce | Open source | Free core; extensions and hosting extra; no per-sale cut | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Shopware | Freemium | – | – | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Fourthwall | Free | 3% on merch, 5% on memberships/digital, plus payment fees | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Printify | Freemium | Free; Premium $29/mo for up to 20% lower product prices | $29/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| VirtoCommerce | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Gelato | Freemium | Free; Gelato+ from $24/mo for discounts | $24/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Smartstore | Freemium | – | – | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| EC-CUBE | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Evershop | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| GrandNode2 | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Spring (Teespring) | Free | No fee; profit is retail minus base cost | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Storecraft | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Ever Demand | Open source | – | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
🤝 Affiliate & referral program software
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rewardful | Paid | From $49/mo (Starter includes 9% platform fee on affiliate revenue; 0% on higher plans) | $49/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| FirstPromoter | Paid | From $49/mo | $49/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| AffiliateWP | Paid | From $149/year; no per-referral fee | $149/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Tapfiliate | Paid | From $74/mo | $74/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Refersion | Paid | From $99/mo | $99/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
⚙️ Ad ops, consent & yield tools
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ad Manager | Free | Free (Ad Manager 360 for enterprise) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Prebid.js | Open source | Free (open source) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Cookiebot (Usercentrics) | Freemium | Free up to 50 pages; paid from about $7/mo | $7/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Broadstreet | Paid | From $199/mo | $199/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Admiral | Free | Revenue share on recovered revenue | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| AdButler | Paid | From $149/mo | $149/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Ezoic Leap | Freemium | Included with Ezoic; standalone plans available | – | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
📊 Revenue analytics & link tools
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasso | Paid | From $39/mo | $39/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Affilimate | Paid | From $29/mo | $29/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| Geniuslink | Paid | From $5/mo (usage-based) | $5/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
| ThirstyAffiliates | Freemium | Free; Pro from $79/year | $79/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Wecantrack | Paid | From $49/mo | $49/mo | No | – | Visit ↗ |
☕ Donation, tip & crowdfunding tools
| Platform | Model | Fee / share | Paid from | Free plan | Deal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Sponsors | Free | 0% for individual developers (payment fees on some methods) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Ko-fi | Freemium | 0% on donations; 5% on shop and memberships (0% with Gold, $8/mo) | $8/mo | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Free | 5% plus payment fees | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Kickstarter | Free | 5% plus 3-5% payment processing, only if funded | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Open Collective | Free | Fiscal host fee, typically 10% | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
| Liberapay | Free | 0% (payment processor fees only) | Free | Yes | – | Visit ↗ |
Keeping fees down
- A merchant of record (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle) charges more per sale but handles VAT and sales tax worldwide; below roughly $50k a year it is usually cheaper than the accountant you would otherwise need.
- Check current deals for free months, waived fees and lifetime plans.
- Open-source platforms such as Ghost, WooCommerce and Listmonk have no revenue share if you can host them; see free platforms.