Udemy vs Skool vs Communi in 2025: Which Platform Actually Lets You Keep More of Your Earnings?
Udemy vs Skool vs Communi in 2025: Which Platform Lets You Keep More Earnings?
Online education keeps growing. Creators and coaches in the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Germany and Australia want one place to run a paid community and sell paid courses without a pile of fees. India, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and the Philippines are catching up fast. The goal is simple. Keep more profit and own the relationship with your audience.
Here is the truth most people feel but rarely calculate. Marketplaces like Udemy take a large share of every sale. Community platforms like Skool charge $99 per month per group which locks you into recurring costs. Communi takes a different path with a $495 one time lifetime account that includes community, courses, events, chat, payments, gamification and AI.
⚡ Claim Your Communi Lifetime Deal
Udemy: reach is high but margins are thin
Udemy is the largest marketplace for courses. It gives traffic and brand discovery yet the revenue share model reduces your take home. Here is what most instructors face:
- 97% when a student buys using your coupon or referral link
- 37% when the sale comes from Udemy’s own promotions
- Udemy Business pool payouts trending lower over time which reduces long term earnings per learner
There is another catch. Udemy promotes heavy discounts. A course listed at $199 is often sold during promotions for $9.99 or $12.99. That price anchors buyer behavior. Even if you share a coupon many buyers wait for the next sitewide sale. Your headline price looks premium while your real earnings stay small.
Real revenue math on Udemy
| Scenario | Course price at checkout | Your share | Your earnings | Udemy share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Udemy sells the course during a promo | $10 | 37% | $3.70 | $6.30 |
| You drive the sale with your coupon | $10 | 97% | $9.70 | $0.30 |
| Udemy Business pool average per learner view | Varies by pool | Lowering over time | Unpredictable | Udemy keeps control |
Ten sales in a week driven by Udemy promos at $10 each gives you $37. Ten sales with your coupon gives you $97. The second path demands constant marketing. Many instructors end up doing both which splits focus and still caps earnings.
Udemy is good for discovery. It is not great for lifetime profit unless you already have a large audience that buys through your links every time.
Reference: Udemy Instructor Revenue Share
Skool: $99 per month per group adds up fast
Skool combines community and courses with a clean interface and leaderboards. The pricing is simple but heavy. It is $99 per month per group. That means one group costs $1,188 per year. Three groups cost $3,564 per year. If you run a mastermind, a course cohort and an alumni space you are paying for three groups every month.
| Groups you run | Monthly | Yearly | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 group | $99 | $1,188 | $3,564 | $5,940 |
| 3 groups | $297 | $3,564 | $10,692 | $17,820 |
| 5 groups | $495 | $5,940 | $17,820 | $29,700 |
Skool is polished and friendly for students. The recurring cost changes how you launch. You create fewer groups and avoid niche sub communities because each one adds another $99 per month. That slows growth.
Communi: one payment to run your entire education business
Communi offers a $495 one time lifetime account on the full PRO plan. You get unlimited communities and members and courses with drip lessons and a full events calendar. It includes real time chat and automated alerts. You can gamify with badges and leaderboards. Payments run through Stripe or PayPal. There are AI helpers for post ideas and fast transcription. You also have a unified search across posts and lessons.
✅ Get Communi PRO Lifetime for $495
What you keep on each sale with Communi
You own the checkout page. You set the price. You keep 100% of the price minus the standard Stripe or PayPal fee. There is no platform commission and no per group fee. That alone changes your monthly cash flow.
Why lifetime matters for speed
When spinning up a new offer has no extra software cost you test faster. You can add a free community for top of funnel. You can run a private coaching space. You can open a short course for a seasonal cohort. None of these require another $99 per month. Your ceiling moves up because your cost floor stays still.
Five year cost view side by side
| Platform | Your cost model | 5 year cost example | Ownership and control | Your earnings per $10 sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Udemy | Revenue share on each sale | Free to join but low margin over time | Udemy sets the rules and runs discount cycles | $3.70 if Udemy drives the sale, $9.70 with your coupon |
| Skool | $99 per month per group | $5,940 for one group, $17,820 for three groups | Good UX yet limited by recurring fees | You keep course revenue yet platform fees erode profit |
| Communi | $495 one time lifetime | $495 total regardless of groups | Full ownership of community and courses | 100% minus Stripe or PayPal fee |
If you plan to run even a single community for more than a year you win with a lifetime plan. If you plan multiple groups and a few courses you win sooner.
Case studies with simple numbers
Coach Maya in the US
Maya sells a 12 week program for $499 with a private community and lesson replays. She runs a student group and an alumni group. On Skool she pays for two groups which is $2,376 per year. Over five years the platform cost is $11,880. On Udemy she could not run a private community and her course would be discounted which would hurt positioning. On Communi she pays $495 once then keeps 100% minus Stripe. Savings over five years is $11,385 which she uses for ads and editing.
Agency Ben in the UK
Ben builds five client communities for onboarding and support. On Skool that is $495 per month or $5,940 per year. Over five years it is $29,700. On Communi it remains $495 one time. He bakes a community into every retainer without pushing costs up.
Creator Aisha in Kenya
Aisha teaches freelance skills. Her audience prefers mobile. She needs simple chat, replays and a weekly call. Payment fees are already high so monthly platform fees kill margins. Communi gives chat, events and courses for one payment. She adds badges for course milestones. Student completion rises and churn drops.
Feature by feature comparison
| Feature | Udemy | Skool | Communi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communities | Not the focus | Yes per group | Unlimited |
| Courses with drip | Yes with marketplace rules | Yes | Yes with video audio text and attachments |
| Events and calendar | External tools | Basic | Full in group calendar with Zoom or Google Meet |
| Chat and notifications | Comments only | Basic | Real time chat and automated alerts |
| Payments | Udemy controls checkout | Stripe | Stripe and PayPal with high converting checkout pages |
| Gamification | No | Leaderboards | Leaderboards levels and badges |
| AI features | Limited | No | AI post ideas and quick transcription |
| Integrations | Closed marketplace | Limited | Zapier or Make with webhooks |
| Ownership | Marketplace rules | Partial | Full control and branding |
Trends you can tap into right now
- Paid community searches rise in the US Canada and Australia as creators add membership layers to free audiences
- Paid course searches stay strong worldwide. People want structured learning with clear outcomes
- Udemy remains a big brand yet many instructors want to keep more margin and control pricing
- Creators like Alex Hormozi in the US and Ankur Warikoo in India push the idea of owning your platform and your distribution
Strategy that works. Run a free community for reach and trust. Offer a paid course or mastermind for results and support. With a lifetime license you launch both without worrying about extra platform fees.
Start Your Free Community then Monetize With Communi
Global notes for setup
United States and Canada
Members expect smooth mobile access and clean calendars. Offer a weekly Q and A call plus a drip course. Add a leaderboard and a badge for first milestone. Connect Stripe and PayPal for fewer checkout issues.
United Kingdom and Europe with Germany
Organize topics with categories. Keep a clear event rhythm. Use unified search so people can find posts and lessons fast. Make sure invoices match local needs. You can set this up inside the platform with simple settings.
Australia and New Zealand
Time zone spread makes live calls tricky. Post replays and transcripts quickly. Use automated alerts so people never miss the next session.
India
Price sensitivity is high yet demand is huge. A one time platform fee means your margin is safe. You can price a course lower without killing profit. Many creators run both English and Hinglish groups which is easier when adding a new group costs nothing.
Africa and Southeast Asia
Use PayPal when Stripe is not available. Keep chat open for support questions. Short courses with weekly calls convert well. Badges help with motivation which reduces churn.
Udemy vs your own platform: control and brand
On Udemy you do not control discounting or the checkout. You compete with thousands of similar courses. Students treat it like a library which is fine for discovery but not for depth. On your own platform you set the promise and build a path from free to paid. You can run events and private chats and layered access tiers. You can raise price as results improve without worrying about a marketplace slash sale next week.
🔥 Move to Your Own Platform With a One Time Fee
Migration plan you can finish today
- Outline your structure. One free community and one paid course is a good start
- Create a group in Communi and set your domain and branding
- Add modules and lessons. Turn on drip where needed
- Add a weekly event and connect Zoom or Google Meet
- Connect Stripe or PayPal then set pricing or free access
- Invite your audience with a landing page invite link or QR code
- Turn on automated alerts and the community digest
- Launch with a badge for first milestone and a leaderboard to keep energy high
Keep your Udemy course as a top of funnel asset if it already sells. Place a clear link to your community for deeper support and live calls. Let Udemy bring discovery while your platform captures the relationship.
FAQs
Is the Communi plan really lifetime
Yes. You pay $495 once and get unlimited communities and members and courses with updates. There is a 30 day refund if it is not right for you.
Can I run both free and paid groups
Yes. Create a free community for reach then offer a paid upgrade for coaching or advanced content. You can run as many groups as you want without extra fees.
Does Communi replace Skool and Circle
For most use cases yes. You get community and courses and events and chat and payments in one login. If you need a specific feature from another tool you can integrate it with Zapier or Make.
How do earnings compare with Udemy
On Udemy a $10 promo sale pays you $3.70. On Communi a $10 sale pays you $10 minus a small Stripe or PayPal fee. If you sell higher ticket programs your savings compound fast.
Will this work in my country
Communi works worldwide. Use Stripe and PayPal where available. Members can access from desktop or mobile with fast load times.
Final verdict
Udemy is useful for reach and social proof yet low margin. Skool delivers a nice student experience yet charges $99 per month per group which restricts how many communities you launch. Communi gives you a complete system for a single one time payment. If you want to grow a paid community and a paid course in 2025 without burning profit on platform fees then this is the most practical move.
⚡ Secure the Communi Lifetime Deal Before It Goes Monthly
Comments
Post a Comment