Written by Abishek A, co-founder of Classory. Classory is our product. We have aimed to be fair to every platform mentioned, and we say where others are cheaper or stronger.
Course platforms charge in one of three shapes: a flat subscription, a subscription plus a percentage of every sale, or a pure revenue share with no subscription at all. Which is cheapest depends entirely on how much you sell.
This post gives you the tables in rupees, the crossover points, and a formula you can run with your own sales figure.
TL;DR
- Course platform pricing comes in two shapes: a flat subscription that does not change with your sales, and a subscription plus a percentage of every sale. The second one grows as you grow.
- Graphy Launch costs ₹24,999 per year plus 10% per sale or ₹10, whichever is higher, as of September 2026. Classory Pro costs ₹7,499 per month at launch price with 0% commission when you connect your own Razorpay, or a flat 5% if Classory collects payments.
- The break-even between Classory Pro at launch price and Graphy Launch is around ₹6,50,000 in annual sales. Below that Graphy Launch is cheaper; above it the 10% overtakes the subscription.
- A "10% or ₹10, whichever is higher" floor only bites on sales under ₹100. At ₹199 and at ₹2,999 the effective rate is the same 10%, but on a ₹49 sale it becomes 20.4%.
- Learnyst Essential at ₹3,499 per month, with zero transaction fees advertised, is ₹41,988 a year, which is cheaper than Classory Pro on subscription alone at every sales level in this post. The plans are not feature-equivalent, so compare features before you compare price.
- A marketplace is a third model: Udemy takes only 3% on sales through your own coupon link, and 63% when Udemy brings the buyer (Udemy Support, checked 24 September 2026).
- Payment gateway charges and GST sit on top of all of this and apply whichever platform you pick.
What are the pricing models?
Flat subscription: you pay a fixed monthly or annual fee and keep 100% of each sale. Subscription plus transaction fee: you pay a smaller fixed fee and the platform also takes a percentage of every rupee a student pays you. Pure revenue share: a marketplace charges nothing upfront and takes a cut of each sale instead.
The difference is not the headline price. It is what happens to your bill when the business works. A flat subscription is a fixed cost. A percentage is a variable cost that rises in lockstep with your revenue, forever, with no cap.
Why does a percentage fee scale with your success?
Because it is charged per sale, not per year. If you double your sales, you double that line of your bill, even though the platform is doing the same job it did before.
Put concrete numbers on it. On a 10% fee, ₹2,00,000 of annual sales costs you ₹20,000. ₹10,00,000 costs ₹1,00,000. ₹50,00,000 costs ₹5,00,000, for the same software, the same video hosting, the same checkout page.
That is the whole argument, and it cuts both ways. When you are small, a percentage is genuinely cheaper, because 10% of very little is very little. The question is only where the lines cross for you.
What does "10% or ₹10, whichever is higher" actually mean?
It means the platform takes the larger of the two amounts on every single transaction, so there is a hard floor of ₹10 per sale no matter how cheap the product is.
The floor only changes the effective rate below ₹100. At exactly ₹100, 10% is ₹10 and the two are equal. Above ₹100, the percentage is always the larger number, so you simply pay 10%.
| Sale price | 10% of the sale | ₹10 floor | Fee charged | Effective rate |
|---|
| ₹49 | ₹4.90 | ₹10 | ₹10.00 | 20.41% |
| ₹99 | ₹9.90 | ₹10 | ₹10.00 | 10.10% |
| ₹100 | ₹10.00 | ₹10 | ₹10.00 | 10.00% |
| ₹199 | ₹19.90 | ₹10 | ₹19.90 | 10.00% |
| ₹2,999 | ₹299.90 | ₹10 | ₹299.90 | 10.00% |
Assumptions
- Fee rule taken from Graphy's published Launch plan: 10% per sale or ₹10, whichever is higher (graphyapp.in/pricing, checked 26 September 2026).
- Effective rate = fee charged ÷ sale price. Payment gateway charges and GST are excluded from this table and covered separately below.
- The 20.41% figure on a ₹49 sale is arithmetic from the published rule, not a quoted rate.
So the honest version is this: on a ₹199 sale and on a ₹2,999 sale you pay the identical 10%. The floor is what hurts if you sell ₹49 mini-courses, sample modules, single recorded lectures or low-priced test series, the kind of thing a coaching institute in Coimbatore might sell in bulk before the exam season.
But the flat 10% hurts low-priced sellers in a quieter way too. On a ₹199 sale you lose ₹19.90 to the platform and roughly ₹4 to the gateway, leaving about ₹175 before tax, and the per-transaction costs of running a low-ticket business do not shrink just because the price did. How the price ladder changes the business is covered in how to price an online course in India.
What do the three platforms actually charge?
| Classory | Graphy | Learnyst |
|---|
| Entry plan | Hobby ₹1,499/mo launch, ₹1,999/mo standard | Launch ₹24,999/year | Essential ₹3,499/mo |
| Plan needed to sell courses | Pro ₹7,499/mo launch, ₹9,999/mo standard | Launch and above | Check each plan's feature list on Learnyst's pricing page |
| Transaction fee | 0% with your own Razorpay; flat 5% if Classory collects | 10% (Launch), 7.5% (Grow), 5% (Rise), or ₹10, whichever is higher | Advertises zero transaction fees |
| Higher tiers | Academy ₹14,999/mo launch, ₹19,999/mo standard; Enterprise custom | Grow ₹49,999/year; Rise ₹99,999/year | Professional ₹8,999 / Premium ₹14,999 / Plus ₹49,999 per month |
| Free trial | No free plan; Hobby is the entry tier | 14 days | Free trial, no credit card required |
| Mobile apps | No native iOS or Android app; the web app works in a mobile browser | Branded Android app on paid plans; iOS a paid add-on on Rise | Branded apps on higher tiers |
| Migration help | Assisted | Migration assistance on Rise | Ask Learnyst |
Prices as of September 2026, from classory.app/pricing, graphyapp.in/pricing and learnyst.com/pricing (checked 26 September 2026). Classory launch pricing ends 31 December 2026 and is locked for 12 months. GST is extra on Classory and Learnyst plans. These plans are not feature-equivalent, so read the feature lists before reading the prices.
Where is the break-even?
Here is the full-year picture at five sales levels. Everything is annual, includes a 2% payment gateway charge on every column, and excludes GST.
| Annual course sales | Classory Pro (launch price, 0%) | Graphy Launch (₹24,999 + 10%) | Learnyst Essential (₹41,988, assuming zero fees) |
|---|
| ₹2,00,000 | ₹93,988 | ₹48,999 | ₹45,988 |
| ₹5,00,000 | ₹99,988 | ₹84,999 | ₹51,988 |
| ₹10,00,000 | ₹1,09,988 | ₹1,44,999 | ₹61,988 |
| ₹25,00,000 | ₹1,39,988 | ₹3,24,999 | ₹91,988 |
| ₹50,00,000 | ₹1,89,988 | ₹6,24,999 | ₹1,41,988 |
Assumptions
- Classory Pro at the launch price of ₹7,499/mo = ₹89,988 per year, at 0% commission, which requires connecting your own Razorpay account. At the standard ₹9,999/mo the annual figure is ₹1,19,988.
- Graphy Launch at ₹24,999 per year plus 10% of sales. The ₹10 floor does not change any row here because all modelled sales are above ₹100.
- Learnyst Essential at ₹3,499/mo = ₹41,988 per year. Learnyst advertises zero transaction fees site-wide; its pricing grid prints "0% Transaction Fees" against the Professional plan, so confirm the Essential plan's fee with Learnyst before relying on this column.
- A 2% payment gateway charge is added to every column, because it applies to all three. That is Razorpay's standard rate for domestic payments; Razorpay also charges 18% GST on the fee (razorpay.com/pricing, checked 26 September 2026).
- GST is excluded from every figure. Classory lists all plan prices as GST 18% extra.
- Plans are not feature-equivalent. This table compares cost only.
Two plain statements from that table.
Graphy Launch is cheaper than Classory Pro below roughly ₹6,50,000 in annual sales, using Classory's launch price. At the standard ₹9,999/mo price, the crossover moves up to roughly ₹9,50,000. If you are doing ₹2 to 5 lakh a year, Graphy costs you less money. That is not a caveat buried in a footnote; it is the answer for a large share of Indian course creators starting out.
Learnyst Essential is cheaper than Classory Pro on subscription alone at every level in this table. ₹41,988 a year is less than ₹89,988 a year, and no percentage closes that gap when both charge nothing per sale. What that number does not tell you is whether the Essential plan includes the features you need, such as branded apps, DRM, batch limits and admin seats, so treat it as a floor on cost, not a verdict.
The third model: a marketplace revenue share
A marketplace charges no subscription at all and takes a percentage instead. Udemy pays instructors 97% of Net Amount when the student buys through your own coupon or referral link, and 37% when Udemy brings the buyer (Udemy revenue share, checked 24 September 2026). In fee terms that is a 3% cut or a 63% cut, depending entirely on who found the customer.
| Annual course sales | Classory Pro (flat, 0%) | Graphy Launch (₹24,999 + 10%) | Udemy, your coupon link (3%) | Udemy organic (63%) |
|---|
| ₹2,00,000 | ₹93,988 | ₹48,999 | ₹6,000 | ₹1,26,000 |
| ₹5,00,000 | ₹99,988 | ₹84,999 | ₹15,000 | ₹3,15,000 |
| ₹10,00,000 | ₹1,09,988 | ₹1,44,999 | ₹30,000 | ₹6,30,000 |
| ₹25,00,000 | ₹1,39,988 | ₹3,24,999 | ₹75,000 | ₹15,75,000 |
| ₹50,00,000 | ₹1,89,988 | ₹6,24,999 | ₹1,50,000 | ₹31,50,000 |
Assumptions
- Same Classory and Graphy assumptions as the table above, including the 2% gateway charge.
- Udemy columns are the platform's cut only. Udemy handles payment processing, so no separate gateway charge is added. Net Amount is treated as equal to the student payment, which understates Udemy's cut where taxes or the ~30% app-store fee apply.
- Udemy percentages from Udemy's published revenue share, checked 24 September 2026.
Read the third column honestly. If you drive your own traffic, a marketplace is the cheapest option on this page by a wide margin, and stays cheaper than a flat subscription until roughly ₹90 lakh in annual sales, the point where 3% of your sales overtakes ₹89,988 plus the 2% gateway you would pay on your own site.
Read the fourth column just as honestly. If Udemy finds your students, that 63% is the most expensive fee structure here at every level.
So fees alone do not justify leaving a marketplace. Price control, selling live batches and test series, bundling products and owning the student relationship do. That argument is in Udemy vs your own website.
How do you work out your own break-even?
You only need three numbers and one line of arithmetic.
- A = the flat plan's annual subscription (monthly price × 12).
- B = the percentage plan's annual fee.
- r = the percentage rate as a decimal (10% = 0.10).
Break-even sales = (A − B) ÷ r
Worked example with the numbers above: (₹89,988 − ₹24,999) ÷ 0.10 = ₹6,49,890. Below that figure the percentage plan costs less; above it the flat plan does.
Then do three sanity checks before you decide:
- Use your realistic next-12-months sales, not last year's and not your target. If you are unsure, run the formula at your pessimistic and optimistic numbers and see whether the answer flips.
- Add the gateway charge to both sides. It does not change the crossover point, because it cancels out, but it changes the absolute cost you budget for.
- Check the plan tiers you are actually comparing. If the cheaper plan cannot run batches, issue certificates or host the video volume you need, the comparison is not real. Feature gaps cost more than fee gaps.
What about payment gateway fees and GST?
Gateway charges apply to everyone. Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree and Stripe all take a cut of each transaction regardless of which course platform sits on top, so a gateway fee is not a reason to choose one platform over another. It is a reason to budget accurately. Razorpay's standard rate is 2% per successful domestic transaction, plus 18% GST on that fee.
GST sits on top again, in two separate places. There is GST on what you pay the platform (Classory lists every plan price as "+18% GST" on classory.app/pricing), and there is the tax treatment of what your students pay you, which depends on your registration status, what you are selling and where the buyer is. That second one is not something to guess at. Start with GST on online courses in India and take the checklist in it to a chartered accountant.
Where Graphy and Learnyst are the better choice
- Graphy wins below about ₹6.5 lakh in annual sales. At ₹5,00,000 it costs roughly ₹84,999 against roughly ₹99,988 for Classory Pro at launch price, about ₹15,000 less. It also has a 14-day free trial, a branded Android app on paid plans and migration assistance on Rise. Full breakdown in Graphy pricing in India.
- Learnyst is cheaper on subscription and also advertises zero transaction fees. Its INR pricing starts at ₹3,499 per month, with DRM content protection, live classes and a test engine. 0% commission is not unique to Classory and we will not pretend otherwise.
- Any platform with a native mobile app wins if your students need one. Classory has no native iOS or Android app today; the web app works in a mobile browser. If app installs matter to your audience, that is a real gap.
Where a flat subscription wins
Classory Pro is ₹7,499 per month at launch price and ₹9,999 per month standard, GST extra, with 0% commission when you connect your own Razorpay and a flat 5% if Classory collects payments. Because there is no percentage, the bill at ₹50,00,000 of sales is the same subscription as the bill at ₹5,00,000; the only difference in the table above is the gateway charge.
Selling courses, video courses and AI features require the Pro plan. Before you decide, the things worth knowing: Classory does not support payments outside India, has no native mobile apps yet, and offers assisted rather than one-click migration (classory.app/trust), and there is no published case study with numbers yet.
Fees are only one line of the budget. Domain, email, video storage overage and your own time belong in the total. See what an online course platform really costs in India and should you run your own course platform.
Run the formula above with your own sales number, then check the plan you would actually need at classory.app/pricing.
FAQ
What is a course platform transaction fee?
A transaction fee is a percentage the platform takes from every sale you make, charged on top of your subscription. Graphy Launch charges 10% per sale or ₹10, whichever is higher, as of September 2026. Classory charges 0% when you connect your own Razorpay, or a flat 5% if Classory collects payments. Learnyst advertises zero transaction fees.
Is a flat subscription always cheaper than a percentage fee?
No. A percentage plan is cheaper while your sales are small, because a percentage of a small number is small. The crossover between Classory Pro at launch price and Graphy Launch is around ₹6,50,000 in annual sales. Below that, the percentage plan costs less; above it, the flat subscription does.
What does "10% or ₹10, whichever is higher" mean for a cheap course?
The platform takes whichever amount is larger, so there is a ₹10 minimum per sale. The floor only changes the effective rate below ₹100: a ₹49 sale pays ₹10, an effective 20.4%. At ₹199 and at ₹2,999 the fee is a straight 10% in both cases, because 10% is already above ₹10.
Do payment gateway fees apply on every platform?
Yes. Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree and similar gateways charge per transaction regardless of which course platform you use, so gateway cost is not a differentiator between platforms. Budget for it on every option you compare. Razorpay's standard rate is 2% per successful domestic transaction plus 18% GST on the fee, as of September 2026.
How do I calculate my own break-even between two plans?
Take the flat plan's annual subscription, subtract the percentage plan's annual fee, and divide by the percentage as a decimal. For example, (₹89,988 − ₹24,999) ÷ 0.10 = ₹6,49,890 in annual sales. Run it at your pessimistic and optimistic sales figures to see whether the answer changes.
Is a marketplace cheaper than a course platform?
On fees, usually yes, if you bring the buyers yourself. Udemy takes 3% on sales made through your own coupon or referral link, which stays cheaper than a flat ₹89,988-a-year subscription until roughly ₹90 lakh in annual sales. It takes 63% when Udemy finds the student, which is the most expensive option of all.
Is GST included in these platform prices?
Not on Classory. Its pricing page lists every plan with 18% GST extra. Whether GST applies to what your own students pay you is a separate question that depends on your registration status, your offering and your buyer's location. That is a question for a chartered accountant, not for a blog post.
Continue reading
Sources
- Classory, plans, commission model, launch pricing end date and limitations: https://classory.app/pricing/, https://classory.app/for/course-creators/ and https://classory.app/trust/ (checked 26 September 2026)
- Graphy, Launch, Grow and Rise pricing, the "or ₹10, whichever is higher" rule, 14-day trial, app availability and migration assistance on Rise: https://graphyapp.in/pricing/ (checked 26 September 2026)
- Learnyst, INR pricing, zero transaction fee claim and DRM: https://www.learnyst.com/pricing (checked 26 September 2026)
- Udemy, instructor revenue share (97% / 37%): https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229605008 (checked 24 September 2026)
- Razorpay, payment gateway pricing: https://razorpay.com/pricing/ (2% per successful domestic transaction plus 18% GST on the fee; checked 26 September 2026)
- All break-even figures, effective rates and annual totals in this post are arithmetic from the published prices above, under the assumptions stated in each box.
Prices and terms change. Verify before deciding. This post is general information, not tax advice.
