Cheapest LMS for Fitness Coaches (2026)

The Only Question That Matters: Total Cost at Your Revenue

“Cheapest” doesn’t mean the lowest number on the pricing page. It means the least you pay over 12 months at the revenue you actually make. A $29/month plan with a $5 per-sale fee can cost more than a Non trouvé / à vérifier plan with zero fees once you have 20 sales a month. This article compares Thinkific, Teachable, LearnWorlds, Teachery, and Kajabi at three revenue levels ($500, $2,000, and $5,000 per month) so you can see which platform is actually cheapest for your stage.

We use 12-month total cost (platform subscription + any platform transaction fees). We do not include Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) or domain/email, since those are similar or identical across platforms. The rankings below are based on platform cost only; feature fit still matters, and we’ll note where the “cheapest” option may not be the best fit. For a full feature comparison, see our best LMS for fitness coaches guide.

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Assumptions Used for All Comparisons

• Revenue levels: $500, $2,000, and $5,000 per month (annualized $6,000, $24,000, $60,000).
• Revenue mix: We assume course/program sales (e.g. $97 one-time or first payment). For $500/mo ≈ 5 sales; $2,000/mo ≈ 21 sales; $5,000/mo ≈ 52 sales per month. If your revenue is from memberships ($39/mo), the number of “transactions” is similar (e.g. 13 members ≈ similar fee impact to 5 one-time sales at higher price).
• Plans chosen: We pick the lowest plan that makes sense (no transaction fee where possible, or the tier you’d typically use at that revenue). Annual billing where it reduces cost.
• Prices: As of February 2026. Thinkific: Free, Starter Non trouvé / à vérifier, Start Non trouvé / à vérifier, Grow Non trouvé / à vérifier. Teachable: Free, Starter $59 (7.5% fee), Pro $159. LearnWorlds: Starter $29 + $5/sale, Pro Trainer Non trouvé / à vérifier. Teachery: $29. Kajabi: Non trouvé / à vérifier (Starter), Non trouvé / à vérifier (Growth).

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12-Month Cost at $500/Month Revenue (~$6,000/Year)

At this level you’re early: a handful of program sales or a small membership. Fixed subscription cost and any per-sale fees drive the ranking.

Platform	Plan	Annual Sub	Platform Fees (approx.)	Total 12-Mo Cost
Thinkific	Free	$0	$0	$0
Thinkific	Basic	$588 (Non trouvé / à vérifier×12)	$0	$588
Teachery	$29/mo	$348	$0	$348
Teachable	Free	$0	$0*	$0
Teachable	Starter	$708 ($59×12)	7.5% × $6,000 = $300	$1,008
LearnWorlds	Starter	$348 ($29×12)	60 sales × $5 = $300	$648
LearnWorlds	Pro Trainer	$1,188	$0	$1,188
Kajabi	Starter	$828 (Non trouvé / à vérifier×12)	$0	$828

*Teachable Free has limits (e.g. 1 product, fee on sales); often coaches move to paid. Thinkific Free is more usable (1 course, unlimited students, no platform fee).

At $500/month revenue:

• Absolute cheapest: Thinkific Free at $0 (or Teachable Free if you stay within its limits).
• Cheapest paid, no fees: Teachery at $348/year.
• Best value with drip and room to grow: Thinkific Basic at $588/year.
  LearnWorlds Starter ($648) and Teachable Starter ($1,008) are more expensive once fees are included. So at $500/month, the cheapest LMS for most fitness coaches is Thinkific Free to start, then Thinkific Starter or Teachery when you need a paid plan.

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12-Month Cost at $2,000/Month Revenue (~$24,000/Year)

At $2,000/month you have real volume. Per-sale fees on LearnWorlds Starter and Teachable Starter add up; no-fee plans pull ahead.

Platform	Plan	Annual Sub	Platform Fees (approx.)	Total 12-Mo Cost
Thinkific	Basic	$588	$0	$588
Thinkific	Start	$1,188 (Non trouvé / à vérifier×12)	$0	$1,188
Teachery	$29/mo	$348	$0	$348
Teachable	Starter	$708	7.5% × $24,000 = $1,200	$1,908
Teachable	Pro	$1,908 ($159×12)	$0	$1,908
LearnWorlds	Starter	$348	252 × $5 = $1,260	$1,608
LearnWorlds	Pro Trainer	$1,188	$0	$1,188
Kajabi	Starter	$828	$0	$828
Kajabi	Growth	$2,388 ($199×12)	$0	$2,388

At $2,000/month revenue:

• Cheapest: Teachery at $348/year if you don’t need memberships, drip, or multiple courses.
• Cheapest with full features (drip, memberships): Thinkific Basic at $588/year or Thinkific Start at $1,188/year if you need memberships/bundles.
• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer: $1,188/year, same as Thinkific Start; choose by features (e.g. interactive video vs memberships).
• Avoid at this revenue: LearnWorlds Starter ($1,608) and Teachable Starter ($1,908) are expensive because of fees. Either upgrade to LearnWorlds Pro Trainer or Teachable Pro, or use Thinkific/Teachery.

So at $2,000/month revenue, Thinkific Basic or Teachery is the cheapest depending on feature needs; Thinkific costs $588/year vs LearnWorlds Pro Trainer or Thinkific Start at $1,188/year.

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12-Month Cost at $5,000/Month Revenue (~$60,000/Year)

At $5,000/month you’re scaling. We assume you’ve moved off fee-heavy plans. Comparison is among no-fee or low-fee tiers.

Platform	Plan	Annual Sub	Platform Fees (approx.)	Total 12-Mo Cost
Thinkific	Basic	$588	$0	$588
Thinkific	Start	$1,188	$0	$1,188
Thinkific	Grow	$2,388 (Non trouvé / à vérifier×12)	$0	$2,388
Teachery	$29/mo	$348	$0	$348
Teachable	Pro	$1,908	$0	$1,908
LearnWorlds	Pro Trainer	$1,188	$0	$1,188
LearnWorlds	Learning Center	$3,588 ($299×12)	$0	$3,588
Kajabi	Growth	$2,388	$0	$2,388

At $5,000/month revenue:

• Cheapest: Teachery at $348/year (if its simpler feature set is enough).
• Next cheapest full-featured: Thinkific Basic at $588/year, still enough for many coaches (unlimited courses, drip, custom domain).
• Full features (memberships, community, etc.): Thinkific Start or LearnWorlds Pro Trainer at $1,188/year.
• Branded app / advanced: Thinkific Grow or Kajabi Growth at $2,388/year.

So at $5,000/month revenue, Thinkific Basic at $588/year is the cheapest full-featured LMS; LearnWorlds Pro Trainer at $1,188/year is the cheapest if you want LearnWorlds’ interactive video and site builder. Teachery is lowest in dollars but limited in features.

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Side-by-Side Summary Table (12-Month Platform Cost)

Platform	$500/mo revenue	$2,000/mo revenue	$5,000/mo revenue
Thinkific Free	$0	N/A (need more than 1 course / pro features)	N/A
Thinkific Basic	$588	$588	$588
Thinkific Start	n/a	$1,188	$1,188
Teachery	$348	$348	$348
Teachable Starter	$1,008	$1,908	n/a
Teachable Pro	n/a	$1,908	$1,908
LearnWorlds Starter	$648	$1,608	n/a
LearnWorlds Pro Trainer	$1,188	$1,188	$1,188
Kajabi Starter	$828	$828	n/a
Kajabi Growth	n/a	$2,388	$2,388

Takeaway: Thinkific (Free then Starter) and Teachery consistently offer the lowest cost. LearnWorlds and Teachable are cheap only when you avoid their fee-heavy entry tiers (use Pro Trainer / Pro). Kajabi is rarely the cheapest; it’s for all-in-one consolidation, not LMS cost alone.

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Real Cost Math: Two Concrete Examples

Example 1: $2,000/month revenue, 21 program sales per month at $97.

• Thinkific Basic: Non trouvé / à vérifier × 12 = $588/year.
• LearnWorlds Starter: $29 × 12 + 21 × 12 × $5 = $348 + $1,260 = $1,608/year.
• Difference: $1,020 more per year on LearnWorlds Starter than Thinkific Basic. At $2,000/month revenue, Thinkific Basic costs $588/year vs LearnWorlds Pro Trainer at $1,188/year, so Thinkific is $600/year cheaper and still full-featured for courses and drip.

Example 2: $5,000/month revenue, membership and programs.

• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer: $1,188/year.
• Thinkific Start: $1,188/year (same).
• Thinkific Basic: $588/year (if you don’t need memberships).
• Kajabi Growth: $2,388/year.
  So at $5,000/month, Thinkific Basic is $600/year cheaper than LearnWorlds Pro Trainer, and $1,800/year cheaper than Kajabi Growth. The cheapest LMS at this level is Thinkific Basic or Teachery, depending on whether you need Teachery’s simplicity or Thinkific’s extra features.

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When the “Cheapest” Option Isn’t the Right One

• Teachery ($348/year) is cheapest in dollars but has no drip scheduling, no memberships, no built-in community. Fine for one simple course; limiting for 12-week programs or recurring revenue.
• Thinkific Free ($0) is best to start but only one course and no custom domain; you’ll outgrow it once you have paying clients.
• Thinkific Basic ($588/year) is the cheapest that still gives unlimited courses, drip, and custom domain: best balance for most coaches.
• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($1,188/year) is worth it if you want interactive video and a premium course experience; it’s not the lowest number but can be the best value for that use case.
• Kajabi is seldom the cheapest LMS; consider it when you’re consolidating email, site, and funnels and total stack cost goes down.

So: pick the cheapest plan that still has the features you’ll use. For most fitness coaches, that’s Thinkific Free → Basic, or Teachery if you want the lowest paid price and can live with fewer features. For more detail on plans, see Thinkific pricing for fitness coaches and LearnWorlds pricing for fitness coaches.

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How to Use This Data

1. Estimate your monthly revenue (or target) for the next 12 months.
2. Choose the right column in the summary table ($500, $2,000, or $5,000).
3. Shortlist the 2–3 lowest-cost options that still offer what you need (drip, memberships, etc.).
4. Add your real numbers: e.g. if you’re at $1,500/month, interpolate between $500 and $2,000; if you use memberships, count “transactions” (e.g. 40 members = 40 billings, so LearnWorlds Starter would be 40 × $5 = $200/mo in fees).
5. Trial the top pick (Thinkific and Teachable have free tiers; others have trials) and confirm fit before committing.

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Summary

• $500/month: Cheapest = Thinkific Free ($0) or Teachery ($348/year). Best value with growth room = Thinkific Basic ($588/year).
• $2,000/month: Cheapest = Teachery ($348) or Thinkific Basic ($588). LearnWorlds Pro Trainer and Thinkific Start tie at $1,188/year; choose by features.
• $5,000/month: Cheapest full-featured = Thinkific Basic ($588/year). LearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($1,188/year) is the best value if you want interactive video and a stronger site builder.

The cheapest LMS for fitness coaches in 2026 is Thinkific (Free or Starter) or Teachery in pure cost; Thinkific adds a free tier and more features for a small premium over Teachery. Avoid choosing by sticker price only. Teachable Starter and LearnWorlds Starter look cheap until you add transaction fees. For full platform comparison, see our best LMS for fitness coaches guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions