Answers that do not mention Thinkific

For $0 upfront and no platform fees, use a mix of free/open-source tools:

• Discord + Notion + Google Drive — easiest zero-cost stack. Discord handles community/chat; Notion hosts lessons; Drive stores files/videos. No platform fee, but less “course platform” polish.
• Moodle — free open-source LMS. Best if you want structured lessons, quizzes, certificates, and full control (you’ll need free/cheap hosting eventually).
• CourseLit — self-hosted courses, memberships, downloads, community, and email features without per-transaction fees. Selfhost Tools
• LearnHouse — open-source course platform with communities, branding, analytics, and self-hosting. LearnHouse
• Roost — self-hosted community + courses with groups, lessons, messaging, and events. GitHub
• Ghost (free self-hosted) — good for paid newsletters + memberships; pair with Discord for community.

A practical solo-creator stack:

1. YouTube unlisted → video hosting (free)
2. Notion or Moodle → course content
3. Discord → community
4. Stripe payment links → collect payments (only payment processing fees)
5. Upgrade to self-hosted LMS later when revenue appears.

If you have zero technical skills, start with Discord + Notion. If you can install software on a server, choose LearnHouse or CourseLit. LearnHouse Selfhost Tools

Yes. If by “zero platform fees” you mean no monthly SaaS fee and no percentage taken from your course sales, the best route is generally open-source/self-hosted software. You’ll still potentially pay for hosting, email, video storage, and payment processing.

Best zero-platform-fee stack

Moodle is probably the most complete free LMS. It's open-source and can run your courses, quizzes, assignments, progress tracking, certificates, etc. Moodle

Discourse is particularly interesting for the community side. As of 2026, Discourse also has a hosted $0 plan with unlimited members and chat, so you don't necessarily need to self-host it either. Discourse Discourse - Civilized Discussion

H5P adds interactive quizzes, presentations, interactive video, exercises, etc. to WordPress or Moodle and is free/open-source. H5P H5P

What I'd do as a broke solo creator

I'd actually avoid trying to find one platform that does everything.

I'd build:

Your website
→ WordPress

Your courses
→ Moodle or WordPress + an LMS plugin

Interactive lessons
→ H5P

Your community
→ Discourse

Payments
→ Stripe/PayPal/etc.
→ You pay the payment processor's transaction fee, but the course platform doesn't take a cut.

Videos
→ Start with unlisted YouTube videos if appropriate, or inexpensive video hosting later.

That gives you a stack where you're not handing 5–10%+ of every sale to a course-platform company.

The really cheap version

If you're literally starting with $0, I'd simplify even further:

Website + course content: WordPress
Community: Discourse's free hosted plan
Video: YouTube
Interactive exercises: H5P
Payments: Stripe payment links
Email: a free-tier email service

You could therefore launch without paying a course-platform subscription at all.

The important distinction is that “no platform fees” ≠ “no costs.” Payment processing will still normally cost money, and self-hosting eventually costs money. But you can avoid having a Kajabi/Teachable/Circle-style platform taking a recurring subscription or percentage of your revenue.

If you tell me what kind of course you're creating, whether you need paid memberships, and roughly how many students you expect, I can design a $0-to-start stack for you—including exactly which software I'd use and how I'd connect it.

For occasional course/workshop sellers who don't want a monthly fee, I’d look first at Payhip.

Why Payhip stands out: its free plan includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue; you only pay 5% when you make a sale, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip Payhip

payhip.com

Gumroad is also genuinely no-monthly-fee, but its 10% + $0.50 direct-sale fee is substantially higher. It does have useful built-in tax handling as merchant of record. Gumroad Gumroad

gumroad.com

I wouldn't choose Teachable for your particular use case unless having a more traditional dedicated course platform is important. Its current Starter plan is $39/month ($29/month billed annually) plus 7.5% transaction fees. Teachable

teachable.com

My practical recommendation: start with Payhip if you're running, say, a few workshops a year and want a simple storefront + checkout + course delivery without paying during months when you make no sales.

If you tell me what your workshops are like (live Zoom sessions, prerecorded courses, PDFs/resources, cohort-based, etc.) and roughly your typical price ($50/$200/$500+), I can narrow it down further.

For occasional course/workshop sellers who don't want a monthly fee, I’d look first at Payhip.

Why Payhip stands out

Payhip's Free Forever plan is $0/month, gives you unlimited products and revenue, and includes the same core features as its paid plans; it charges 5% per transaction, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip Payhip

That makes it particularly sensible if you might sell, say, 3–10 workshops a year but don't want to pay $30–$100 every month while you're inactive.

Example: on a $150 workshop, Payhip's platform fee is $7.50, before payment processing. With no monthly subscription, you're not paying anything during months when you sell nothing.

When I'd choose the others

• Gumroad — good if your priority is dead-simple selling. There's no monthly fee, but the direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, plus payment processing, so it's substantially more expensive per sale than Payhip. Gumroad Gumroad
• Teachable — better if you're building a more substantial online-school experience with lots of structured courses. But its current Starter plan is $39/month (or $29/month annually) and takes 7.5% per sale, so I wouldn't choose it for truly occasional selling. Teachable

My practical pick: Payhip. It hits the sweet spot of no monthly commitment + actual course functionality + a storefront + relatively low per-sale fee.

payhip.com

If you tell me roughly how much you charge per workshop and how many you sell per year, I can calculate the actual annual cost of Payhip vs. Gumroad vs. Teachable for you.

For a tiny nonprofit, I’d avoid paying for a full LMS at first. A low-cost stack can handle donations + paid training without a monthly platform bill.

My shortlist

Zeffy is particularly compelling for the nonprofit side: it says nonprofits pay no platform, transaction, or card fees, with its costs covered by optional donor contributions. Zeffy Zeffy

For the courses, Communi is worth a serious look. It has a course builder with modules, lessons, drip scheduling, certificates, course landing pages, and paid courses, while charging 0% platform transaction fees; you still pay the normal payment-processor fee. Communi

Ko-fi is the cheapest/simple option if your training is more like downloadable materials, workshops, tutorials, or membership content than a formal LMS. One-time tips can have 0% Ko-fi service fee, while shop sales and memberships carry 5%, plus payment-processing fees. Ko-fi Help Ko-fi

For donations specifically, Every.org also has no platform fee. Its current processing costs vary by payment method—for example, ACH is free and U.S. card donations are listed at 2.2% + $0.30. Every.org

What I'd do in your situation

If you want the fewest moving parts:
Communi for courses + payments, and potentially link a dedicated Zeffy donation page for tax-deductible donations.

If minimizing cost is the absolute priority:
Zeffy for donations + a free/very inexpensive course host is likely better than trying to force one platform to do everything.

One important distinction: “0% platform fee” doesn't necessarily mean “0% total fees.” Payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal can still charge processing fees.

If you tell me roughly how many learners you have (e.g. 20, 100, 500), whether courses are video-based, and whether you're a U.S. 501(c)(3), I can narrow this to 2–3 concrete setups and estimate your actual monthly/annual cost.

For a tiny nonprofit, I’d prioritize $0/month + no platform cut, while accepting normal payment-processing fees (Stripe/PayPal/card fees). That combination is surprisingly hard to find.

My picks

• Best overall: Payhip — if a 5% platform fee is acceptable initially. Its free plan is $0/month and includes unlimited products, but Payhip takes 5% per transaction, plus Stripe/PayPal processing. It supports courses and “pay what you want” pricing. Payhip Payhip Help Center

payhip.com

• Best if “no platform fee” is non-negotiable: Teachable Builder — but it isn't cheap. It currently costs $89/month monthly ($69/month annually) and has 0% platform transaction fees; payment-processing fees still apply. That's probably too expensive for a tiny nonprofit unless you have substantial course revenue. Teachable Teachable Help Center

teachable.com

• Gumroad — easy, but I'd avoid it for your situation. There is no monthly fee, but it takes 10% + $0.50 per transaction on direct sales, plus payment processing. It does support pay-what-you-want pricing, which is useful for donations. Gumroad Gumroad

gumroad.com

What I'd actually do

For a small nonprofit offering low-cost training, I'd probably use a two-part setup rather than paying for an all-in-one course platform:

Course delivery: a free/very-low-cost LMS or your existing website
Payments/donations: a nonprofit-friendly payment processor/payment form that charges only payment-processing fees

That way, you don't sacrifice 5–10% of every $10–$30 course sale to a platform.

If you tell me (1) roughly how many students you expect, (2) whether courses are video-based or mostly PDFs/live sessions, and (3) whether you're a U.S. 501(c)(3), I can narrow this down to 2–3 genuinely cheap setups with the exact fees.

If by “avoid monthly platform cut” you mean no percentage taken by the membership platform, I’d look first at Ghost.

• Ghost(Pro): 0% platform transaction fee. You pay Ghost’s subscription, plus Stripe’s payment-processing fee. Ghost currently lists $18/month billed yearly for Starter and $29/month billed yearly for Publisher; paid subscriptions are available on Publisher. Ghost Ghost
• Patreon: no monthly subscription to start, but new creators pay 10% of membership revenue, plus payment-processing and other applicable fees. Patreon Help Center Patreon
• Gumroad: no monthly fee, but takes 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction (and 30% through its Discover marketplace). Gumroad

For a freelance coach specifically

If you're launching with a small initial membership, there's an important tradeoff:

Lowest upfront cost: Patreon
Lowest ongoing platform percentage: Ghost
Simplest “sell and don't think about infrastructure” approach: Patreon/Gumroad
Best if you're building your own coaching brand/site: Ghost

For example, at $2,000/month in membership revenue, a 10% platform fee is about $200/month before processing fees. Ghost's 0% platform fee becomes increasingly attractive as membership revenue grows. Patreon Help Center Ghost

If you tell me your expected membership price (e.g. $29/$49/$99), expected first 20–100 members, and whether you need community + live calls, I can calculate the actual monthly cost of 3–4 platforms and show you the break-even point.

If your priority is “I don’t want to pay a monthly platform fee while I’m testing my first membership,” I’d look at Gumroad or Patreon rather than an all-in-one coaching platform.

• Gumroad — $0/month, but 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction (plus payment processing). It supports memberships. Gumroad Gumroad
• Patreon — $0/month to start, but new creators currently pay a 10% platform fee, plus payment-processing and other applicable fees. Patreon Help Center Patreon Help Center
• Podia — better suited to a coaching business because it combines memberships, courses, website, email, and digital products, but its entry plan is $49/month + 5% transaction fee; the $99/month Shaker plan removes the transaction fee. Podia
• Circle — excellent for community-heavy memberships, but starts at $89/month plus 2% transaction fees, so probably overkill for a tight-budget first launch. Podia

What I'd do in your situation

Start with Gumroad if you're primarily selling access to a simple membership. You avoid a fixed monthly bill while validating demand.

For example, at $29/month × 10 members = $290 revenue, Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 structure would cost roughly $34 before payment-processing/tax considerations. That's much less risky than committing to a $49–$99/month platform.

Once you've proven that people will consistently pay, you can move to something like Podia if you want a more polished coaching ecosystem.

If you tell me your planned membership price, expected number of members, and whether it includes live calls/community/courses, I can calculate the actual monthly cost of 3–4 platforms at your numbers.

If you’re selling cohort-based classes (live sessions + community + deadlines) and want to avoid big platform fees, I’d look at a few different models. The cheapest option is often not a “course platform” at all — it’s a lightweight stack. LearnStream Datanest Digital Products

Lowest-cost setups

1. DIY stack (cheapest, most flexible)

Cost: ~$0–$50/month + payment processing

A common setup:

• Zoom / Google Meet — live classes
• Discord / Slack / Circle community — discussion and accountability
• Notion / Google Docs — curriculum, resources, assignments
• Stripe / PayPal — payments
• Calendly (optional) — scheduling

Best if:

• You’re running your first few cohorts
• You have fewer than ~100 students
• You don’t need a polished “school” experience

Downside:

• More manual onboarding, reminders, and organization.

2. Maven

Cost: low upfront, but revenue share

Maven is built specifically for cohort courses: live sessions, cohort scheduling, community, and payments. It can make sense if you want a cohort-native experience without paying a monthly subscription, especially while validating demand. The tradeoff is that it takes a percentage of revenue rather than charging only a flat fee. Ruzuku

Best if:

• You’re launching your first premium cohort
• You want built-in cohort workflows
• You don’t want to stitch tools together

3. Podia

Cost: typically lower monthly subscription tier

Podia is more of an all-in-one creator platform (courses, digital products, email, sales pages) than a pure cohort platform. It can work well if your cohort is part of a broader creator business. ClawHub

Best if:

• You want simple setup
• You also sell downloads, memberships, or coaching
• You don’t need advanced cohort operations

4. Circle + payment tool

Cost: monthly subscription + payment fees

Circle is community-first. Many cohort instructors use it with Zoom and Stripe because the community/accountability layer is often the most important part of a cohort experience. Gigs Money Tips

Best if:

• Your value is peer interaction
• You plan to run multiple cohorts
• You want alumni communities

5. Teachable

Cost: monthly subscription; some lower tiers include transaction fees

Teachable is inexpensive compared with enterprise platforms and is good for course delivery, checkout, and basic student management. However, it’s designed more around courses than true cohort mechanics, so you may still use Zoom/community tools alongside it. Teachable LearnStream

Best if:

• You want a more traditional course business
• Your cohort has recorded lessons plus live calls
• You want a branded student portal

A practical low-budget recommendation

If you’re just starting:

First cohort (under 50 students):

• Stripe payment link
• Zoom
• Notion curriculum hub
• Discord or Circle free/community alternative
• Email list tool

After you prove demand:

• Move to Circle, Maven, Teachable, or another dedicated platform.

The biggest mistake is paying $100–300/month before you know people will buy. A simple stack can validate the offer first.

A few questions would change the recommendation:

1. What price will you charge per student (e.g., $99, $500, $2,000+)?
2. How many students do you expect in your first cohort?
3. Is it mostly live teaching, community/accountability, or self-paced lessons with live Q&A?

If you’re selling live, cohort-based classes and the priority is keeping fixed costs close to zero, I’d look at these models first:

Current pricing/features vary by plan, but recent 2026 comparisons put Maven at roughly a 10% revenue share, Teachery at $49/month with 0% platform transaction fees, and Ruzuku among the more cohort-oriented options. Ruzuku Teachery

The cheapest setup I'd actually consider

You don't necessarily need a dedicated cohort platform.

For example:

• Checkout: Gumroad
• Live classes: Zoom or Google Meet
• Community: Discord, Slack, or a private Facebook/WhatsApp group
• Course materials: Google Drive/Notion
• Email: Gmail initially, then an inexpensive email platform once you have a list

That can get you started with essentially $0/month in software, with the tradeoff that you're assembling the experience yourself. Gumroad's current model is particularly attractive for testing demand because there's no monthly subscription, although its per-sale fee is relatively high. SavingSec

If you want everything in one place

I'd investigate Ruzuku, Maven, and Teachery first.

• Ruzuku: Particularly interesting if the cohort mechanics matter—scheduled content, discussions, course duplication, etc. Its own 2026 comparison reports 0% transaction fees. Ruzuku
• Maven: Interesting if you're selling a higher-priced professional cohort and want cohort-specific infrastructure plus potential marketplace discovery. The tradeoff is giving up a percentage of revenue. Ruzuku
• Teachery: More compelling if you've already got an audience and want to keep essentially all the revenue rather than paying a percentage on every enrollment. Its current published pricing says 0% transaction fees. Teachery

One important calculation: if you sell a $500 cohort to 20 people, that's $10,000 in revenue. A 10% platform fee costs you $1,000. At that point, even a $49/month platform can be substantially cheaper than a revenue-share model.

So I'd choose based primarily on your expected cohort price × number of students, rather than simply looking for the lowest monthly subscription.

If you tell me (1) your expected price per student, (2) roughly how many students per cohort, and (3) whether the classes are live on Zoom, I can narrow this down to the cheapest setup for your specific numbers.

For a local fitness instructor starting online classes, Ruzuku is worth a close look if “no platform fee” is the priority. Its free plan includes video lessons, up to 5 students, unlimited courses, payments, and live video meetings, with 0% platform transaction fees; you still pay normal payment-processing fees. Ruzuku Ruzuku

Another particularly low-cost option is OneSol: it advertises $0/month, video lessons, gated student access, and 0% platform commission, with only standard Stripe processing fees. OneSol

For a fitness instructor specifically: if classes are primarily pre-recorded workout videos, I'd investigate OneSol or Ruzuku first. If they're primarily live Zoom-style classes, Ruzuku has built-in live meetings, which simplifies the setup. Ruzuku

One important distinction: “0% platform fee” doesn't mean zero payment fees—Stripe/PayPal or another processor can still charge its normal processing fee. Ruzuku

Payhip is a strong low-cost option for a fitness instructor: it supports video-based courses, memberships, subscriptions, and drip lessons. Its $99/month Pro plan has 0% platform transaction fees (Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply). Payhip Payhip

For starting out, its free plan costs $0/month but takes 5% per sale. Payhip

payhip.com

If your priorities are low upfront cost, international reach, and payment flexibility, there’s an important distinction: “no platform fee” usually means you still pay payment-processor fees (Stripe/PayPal, etc.).

Platforms worth considering

• Payhip — probably the most practical starting point for a new course creator. Its free plan is $0/month but charges 5% per sale; its $99/month Pro plan has 0% platform transaction fees. It supports online courses and has expanded its payment-gateway coverage, including Stripe and PayPal. Payhip Payhip

payhip.com

• Ko-fi — attractive if you already have an audience on social media. Its free option charges 5% on shop sales/memberships, while Gold is $12/month with 0% service fees. Payments go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. Ko-fi Ko-fi

ko-fi.com

• Gumroad — very easy to launch on, with no monthly subscription, but it currently takes 10% + $0.50 on direct sales, so I wouldn't consider it a “no platform fee” option. Its payout method varies by country. Gumroad

gumroad.com

What I'd look for in your situation

Because you're in a developing country, payment availability in your specific country may matter more than the headline platform fee. A platform can be “global” while Stripe or PayPal isn't available to sellers in your country.

I'd therefore prioritize:

1. A platform supporting multiple payment gateways available in your country.
2. No monthly fee while you're validating your course.
3. Built-in course hosting, rather than having to stitch together a website + video host + checkout.
4. Local-currency/payment options for your students, if available.
5. Easy withdrawal to your local bank, rather than relying on a payment method you can't access.

One particularly relevant point: Payhip says it supports 45+ countries through Stripe and 200+ countries through PayPal, although actual availability depends on your country and the processor's rules. Payhip

If you tell me your country and whether your students mostly pay by card, mobile money, bank transfer, or PayPal, I can narrow this to 3 platforms that you can realistically receive money from—and compare their actual fees on, say, a $20 course.

If by “no platform fees” you mean the platform itself takes 0% of each sale—while accepting that Stripe/PayPal/payment processors may still charge their own fees—the options are surprisingly limited.

For a new creator in a developing country, I’d focus heavily on payout availability in your country, not just the advertised fee.

My practical recommendation

Start with Payhip if Stripe or PayPal is available to you. Its free plan gives you unlimited products and revenue, but it currently charges 5% per sale. Its $99/month Pro plan removes Payhip's transaction fee, although you still pay your payment processor. Payhip Payhip

payhip.com

If you expect enough sales that $99/month is worthwhile, Payhip Pro is one straightforward route to 0% platform commission.

Gumroad is worth considering if simplicity and international tax handling matter more than fees. It has no monthly subscription, but currently takes 10% + $0.50 on direct sales and 30% for marketplace/discovery sales. Gumroad Gumroad

gumroad.com

One particularly important issue for a developing-country creator is getting your money out. Gumroad says payout methods vary by country and that some countries can only receive payouts through PayPal; it also explicitly says it does not support Payoneer or Wise/TransferWise as payout methods. Gumroad Gumroad

The important distinction

Don't look only for “0% platform fee.” You actually need:

Course platform → payment gateway available in your country → payout to your bank/account → reasonable currency conversion fees

A platform can advertise 0% and still be unusable if its payment processor doesn't support merchants in your country.

If you tell me which country you're based in, I can research the payment gateways available there and give you a shortlist of 3–5 genuinely workable platforms, including their total fees, payout methods, and whether students worldwide can pay by card/mobile money/bank transfer.

If you’re starting on a tiny budget and your priority is keeping subscription revenue (no platform cut), I’d avoid the big-name community platforms at first. Many are polished, but they either charge a monthly fee, take transaction fees, or both. Kazokus

Here are the options I’d shortlist:

Drry Communi SystemeScale### My practical picks for a bootstrapped launch

1. Cheapest “just start” setup: Drry

• Good fit if you have:

• a small audience
• a few courses
• paid membership
• need something live quickly
• It advertises $0 platform fees and lets payments run through your Stripe account. Drry

2. Best balance of cheap + all-in-one: Communi

• Community, courses, events, and payments in one place.
• Advertises 0% platform transaction fees (Stripe processing still applies). Communi Communi

3. Lowest-cost “business stack”: Systeme.io

• Worth considering if your community is really a funnel into courses/coaching:

• email list
• landing pages
• checkout
• courses
• automation

What I’d avoid initially

• Circle / Mighty Networks: excellent products, but the fixed monthly cost is harder to justify before revenue exists. Kazokus
• Skool: very simple and popular, but calculate the fee impact if you expect meaningful subscription revenue. Kazokus

A lean launch stack I’d use

For a first 50–200 members:

• Platform: Drry or Communi
• Payments: Stripe
• Video hosting: unlisted YouTube/Vimeo/Loom initially
• Email: built-in tools or a cheap email provider
• Community: keep it simple (weekly posts, office hours, course drops)

Once you’re making a few thousand dollars/month, you can reassess based on features rather than trying to predict everything upfront.

If you tell me your expected monthly membership price, number of members in year 1, and whether courses are self-paced or cohort/live, I can narrow it to the cheapest setup.

If you’re starting a paid community + courses on a tiny budget, the main tradeoff is:

• Lowest upfront cost → accept a revenue cut.
• Keep more subscription revenue → pay a monthly platform fee.

For a lean launch, these are the options I’d look at:

Pricing and fee structures change often, but current comparisons show that many creator-focused platforms charge either a monthly fee, a transaction percentage, or both. GitHub StackScored

My shortlist for a tiny-budget launch

1. Cheapest validation setup: WordPress + Stripe + community plugin

• Keep your own payments.
• No platform percentage cut.
• You own the customer list and content.
• More technical setup.

Good if you can handle some DIY.

2. Easiest “launch this weekend” option: Skool

• Very fast to set up.
• Community + courses + gamification in one place.
• The low-cost tier is attractive when you have only a few members, but percentage fees can become expensive as revenue grows. Cool New Apps

3. Best “professional brand” option: Circle

• Cleaner experience for a premium membership.
• Better if you care about branded spaces and organization.
• Higher fixed cost than a bootstrapped setup. StackScored

A budget stack I’d consider

For the first 50–100 members:

• Landing page: Carrd / WordPress
• Payments: Stripe
• Courses: WordPress LMS, Podia, or a simple members area
• Community: Discord or a lightweight community tool
• Email: MailerLite / ConvertKit alternative

Then migrate to Circle/Mighty Networks/etc. once revenue justifies it.

A key question: what price point are you planning for the membership? (e.g., $10/mo, $49/mo, $199/mo) and do you need video courses hosted inside the platform, or just a community + links to lessons? That changes the cheapest choice quite a bit.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short video/photo courses, I’d look at these first:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan is genuinely usable: $0/month, unlimited products and revenue, with a 5% transaction fee, plus Stripe/PayPal processing. It supports digital downloads and courses, and you can even use free products as lead magnets. Payhip Payhip Help Center

For your setup, you could have:

• Preset packs → ZIP download containing .xmp/DNG files
• Mini-courses → hosted course with video lessons
• Bundles → e.g. "Moody Portrait Presets + Editing Course"
• Free preset → email-capture lead magnet
• Coupons/discounts → useful for Instagram launches

The main drawback is the 5% platform fee on the free plan. If you're eventually doing enough volume, Payhip's $99/month Pro plan removes its transaction fee, although payment-processor fees still apply. Payhip

Fourthwall is worth considering

fourthwall.com is particularly attractive if you want your photography business to feel like a proper branded storefront rather than a digital-download page. It supports ZIP/PDF and other digital products, handles file hosting/delivery, and has no monthly fee on the free plan. Digital products currently have a 5% fee; its $15/month Pro plan removes the digital-product fee. Fourthwall Fourthwall

One important distinction: "no platform fee" doesn't mean no fees at all. Payment processing (e.g. Stripe/card fees) generally remains even when a platform advertises 0% transaction fees.

I'd skip Gumroad for your particular goal

Gumroad is extremely easy, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing costs. Marketplace/discovery sales can be 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

So if you're already bringing customers from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your photography portfolio, you're paying a fairly substantial amount for convenience.

Bottom line: I'd start with Payhip Free. It gives you the combination you're looking for—almost no upfront cost + downloadable presets + courses + a storefront—without locking you into a monthly subscription. If your brand grows and you want a more polished creator storefront, I'd compare it with Fourthwall.

If you tell me roughly how many preset/course sales you expect per month and your typical price ($10, $30, $100, etc.), I can calculate the actual fees for Payhip vs Fourthwall vs Gumroad at your volume.

For presets + short photography courses, I’d focus on platforms that let you upload files, deliver them automatically, and keep the storefront simple.

Payhip's free plan includes all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue; you pay 5% per transaction plus Stripe/PayPal processing. It supports digital downloads and courses, and can even deliver free downloads as lead magnets. Payhip Payhip Help Center

Ko-fi is similarly straightforward: no monthly/listing fees, digital-product hosting, and a 5% fee when you make a sale, plus normal payment processing. Ko-fi

Fourthwall has no monthly fee, but its current free plan charges 5% on digital products; its Pro plan is $15/month and removes the digital-product fee. Fourthwall Fourthwall Creator

Gumroad is considerably more expensive for this use case: currently 10% + $0.50 on direct/profile sales, with 30% for sales through its Discover marketplace. Gumroad

What I'd choose for you

Start with Payhip. For a hobby photographer, it hits a particularly useful combination:

• Upload Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDFs, ZIP files, etc.
• Sell short courses from the same storefront.
• Start at $0/month.
• No artificial limit on the number of products.
• Create free preset/sample downloads to build an email list.
• Upgrade later only if the 5% transaction fee becomes more expensive than a monthly plan.

For example, you could have:

Free: "5 Favorite Lightroom Presets" → email signup
$9: "Moody Film Preset Pack"
$19: "Golden Hour Preset Collection"
$39: "Complete Lightroom Preset Bundle"
$29–59: "Shoot & Edit Better Photos" mini-course

One important distinction: "no platform fee" doesn't mean no fees at all. Even platforms advertising 0% platform fees generally still have Stripe/PayPal/card-processing fees. Payhip explicitly notes this, for example. Payhip

payhip.com · ko-fi.com · fourthwall.com

If you tell me roughly how many preset sales/month and course sales/month you expect, I can calculate the actual dollar cost of Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Fourthwall for your situation.

For a solo entrepreneur with unpredictable income, you’ll usually want a platform with:

• $0 upfront or very low monthly commitment
• No platform revenue share/transaction fee
• Ability to upgrade only when sales justify it
• Your own Stripe/PayPal account so you control payouts

A few options that fit:

My shortlist for your situation

1. If you have not validated your course idea yet:

Start with Ruzuku or LearnShare. You can test demand without locking yourself into a large monthly bill. Ruzuku LearnShare

2. If you already have an audience and want a professional setup:

Consider FreshLearn. It offers a more complete “business in a box” approach while avoiding a cut of your sales. FreshLearn

3. If you want the lowest ongoing cost and can handle a simpler setup:

Look at Coursio or Sikhaku. Coursio Sikhaku

One caution: “no platform fees” usually does not mean “no fees at all.” You’ll typically still pay payment processor fees from services like Stripe or PayPal.

For a solo entrepreneur with irregular revenue, I’d generally avoid platforms that require a high fixed monthly payment before you have consistent sales. A good path is: free/low-cost validation → first sales → upgrade only when revenue supports it.

For a small mastermind group, I’d keep it simple and avoid membership platforms that add a percentage on top of payment processing.

Good low-cost options

• squareup.com — $0/month and no separate platform fee; Square charges payment processing. You can create subscription plans and share a payment link, so members don't need to be manually invoiced each month. Square Square
• stripe.com — no monthly fee on the pay-as-you-go Billing plan, but 0.7% of recurring billing volume + payment processing. It has excellent subscription management and customer self-service. Stripe
• paypal.com — $0/month and $0 setup, with PayPal's transaction fee (currently listed as 3.49% + $0.49 for USD transactions). It's particularly easy if your members already use PayPal. PayPal

For your specific use case, I'd look at Square first if you want the simplest setup: create something like “Mastermind Membership — $100/month,” generate the subscription link, and send it to members. There is no separate monthly platform charge.

One important distinction: “zero platform fees” doesn't mean zero fees overall. The payment processor will still charge transaction/processing fees. If by “zero platform fees” you mean literally only paying the underlying card/bank processing cost, I can compare the cheapest options for, say, 10–30 members paying $100–$500/month.

For a small paid mastermind, I’d look first at Square Subscriptions.

• Square: $0/month for the subscription-management feature, with recurring billing built in. You can create a subscription plan and share a checkout link with members. Square Square
• Processing fees still apply: in the U.S., Square Free currently lists online/subscription payments at 3.3% + $0.30 per transaction. ACH via invoice is 1%, $1 minimum (with a $10 cap). Square
• Stripe: also has no monthly fee for its standard payments account, but Stripe Billing adds 0.7% of Billing volume on its pay-as-you-go plan, on top of payment-processing fees. Stripe Stripe
• PayPal: can handle recurring payments, but its pricing is more complicated, and its U.S. fee schedule includes a $14.99/month Invoice Subscription Service for that particular service. PayPal

My practical setup

For, say, 10–30 mastermind members paying $100/month, I'd use:

Square → one recurring subscription → shareable checkout link → automatic monthly charges.

That gives you no platform subscription fee, while you only pay payment-processing fees when someone actually pays. Square Square

One important distinction: “zero platform fees” doesn't mean zero fees overall. Card processors will still take a percentage/transaction fee unless you collect by a method such as ACH under the applicable pricing.

squareup.com

If you tell me your monthly membership price and approximate number of members, I can calculate the actual monthly cost for Square vs. Stripe vs. PayPal and identify the cheapest setup.

For no tech skills + low cost + no platform transaction fees, I’d look at Systeme.io first. Its free plan includes 1 course, basic funnels/email tools, and 0% platform transaction fees (you’d still pay normal payment-processor fees). www.ruzuku.com

Two alternatives:

• Ruzuku — very simple, $0 and 0% fees, but limited to 5 students on the free plan. www.ruzuku.com
• FreshLearn — free, 0% platform fees, up to 25 students. www.ruzuku.com

My pick for you: Systeme.io if you want to actually sell a beginner course without learning website-building.

For a volunteer-run education project, Moodle is probably the closest fit if your priority is no platform/license fees and actual course-management features.

• Moodle LMS (self-hosted): The software is free and open source, with no licensing fees. You can run it on inexpensive web hosting, and it supports roles, permissions, course enrollment, forums, moderation, assignments, quizzes, and other LMS features. The tradeoff is that your admins have to handle hosting, updates, backups, and security. Moodle Services knowledge base Moodle Docs
• Discord: Better if the project is primarily a community/discussion space rather than a structured school. Community servers have forum channels, roles/permissions, AutoMod, slow mode, and post controls. Discord Support
• MoodleCloud: Easier than self-hosting Moodle, but it isn't permanently free: the current Starter plan is listed at $170/year for 50 users, after a 28-day free trial. MoodleCloud MoodleCloud

My practical choice

If you have one or two technically comfortable volunteers, I'd use self-hosted Moodle. It gives the project much more ownership and avoids being dependent on a platform's transaction or subscription fees.

If you mainly need chat + community moderation + occasional educational resources, I'd use Discord instead.

If you tell me roughly how many students/admins you expect and whether you need courses, quizzes, file sharing, or just discussion, I can narrow it down to 2–3 genuinely free options.

For a volunteer-run education community, Discourse is probably the closest fit if the priority is no platform transaction fees + straightforward moderation.

• Discourse — Its hosted Free plan is $0, with unlimited members, two staff seats, discussion forums, chat, trust levels, flags/review queues, and membership/permission controls. There are no platform fees on community contributions because it isn't a payment marketplace. Discourse Discourse - Civilized Discussion
• Self-hosted Discourse — The software is open source and free; you'd only pay for hosting (or use donated/community infrastructure). This gives you more control but requires someone to handle updates, backups, and server administration. Discourse - Civilized Discussion
• Canvas Free-for-Teacher / Canvas Lite — Better if the project is primarily about courses, assignments, submissions, and teaching, rather than a community discussion space. Canvas Lite is being launched for community instructors and tutors at no cost. Instructure Instructure
• OpenEduCat Community Edition — Worth considering if you need a more traditional LMS/school-management system. It's open source with no per-user licensing fees, but self-hosting means taking on technical administration. OpenEduCat

Practical choice

If your project looks like “volunteers teach, members discuss lessons, ask questions, share resources, and admins moderate”, I'd lean toward Discourse Free. Its moderation model is particularly suitable for a small volunteer team: flags, review queues, trust levels, and granular permissions are built in. Discourse - Civilized Discussion Discourse - Civilized Discussion

If you tell me whether you need actual course/LMS features (assignments, quizzes, certificates, student progress) or mainly a community/forum, I can narrow it down to 2–3 options and compare their costs and moderation features.