Hong Life CalculatorsUnderstanding the online course revenue share calculator — concept and principle
If you sell an online course through a marketplace, a school platform or an affiliate partner, you rarely keep the full price. Courses are often discounted, and the platform keeps part of each sale. This calculator estimates gross sales after the average discount and your monthly payout after the revenue share.
How it is calculated
- Effective price = list price × (1 − average discount %)
- Gross sales = effective price × sales per month
- Monthly payout = gross sales × your revenue share %
The list price is the full course price. The average discount is the typical reduction across all sales, including coupons and promotions. Your revenue share is the percentage of the net sale that the platform pays you. Any currency works.
The principle
Discounts and revenue shares both scale the price by a percentage, so they multiply. A 20% discount followed by a 50% share leaves you 0.8 × 0.5 = 40% of the list price per sale. Many marketplaces pay different shares depending on who brought the student, for example a higher share for sales through your own coupon link than for sales the platform generated. If your sales come from several channels, use a weighted average share.
Worked example
- List price = $99, average discount = 20%, sales = 60 per month, share = 50%.
- Effective price = 99 × 0.80 = $79.20.
- Gross sales = 79.20 × 60 = $4,752.00.
- Monthly payout = 4,752 × 0.50 = $2,376.00.
- Per sale you receive 2,376 ÷ 60 = $39.60, which is 40% of the list price.
How to read the result
Compare the payout per sale with the list price to see what share of the price you actually keep. If heavy discounting is common on your platform, raising sales volume through your own audience, where your share is often higher, may help more than raising the list price. Before tax, also subtract your own costs such as video tools, hosting or ads.
Common mistakes
- Using the list price when most sales happen at a discount.
- Applying one share to all sales when different channels pay different shares.
- Forgetting refunds, which platforms usually deduct from payouts.
- Ignoring payment processing, tax withholding or currency conversion on payouts.
Frequently asked questions
Is the share applied before or after the discount?
In this calculator, after: your share applies to the discounted price customers actually paid.
Should I sell on a marketplace or my own site?
Marketplaces can bring buyers but keep a larger share; your own site keeps more per sale but you must find the students. Model both with this calculator.
How do I find my average discount?
Divide total revenue by the number of sales to get the average price paid, then compare it with the list price.
Does payout grow in proportion to sales?
In this formula, yes. In practice, deeper discounts used to drive volume lower the payout per sale, so change both inputs together.
Sources: Kotler and Keller, Marketing Management (pricing and channel margins)