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 $54/month 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 July 2026, annual billing (shown per month). Thinkific: Basic $40, Start $82, Grow $164 (monthly billing: $54/$109/$219); no free plan anymore, 30-day trial. Teachable: Starter $29 + 7.5% fee, Builder $69, Growth $139 (monthly: $39/$89/$189); no free plan. LearnWorlds: Starter $24 + $5/sale, Pro Trainer $79 (monthly: $29/$99). Teachery: $470/year (or $49/month billed monthly). Kajabi: Basic $143, Growth $199 (monthly: $179/$249).

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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	Basic	$480 ($40×12)	$0	$480
Teachery	Annual	$470	$0	$470
Teachable	Starter	$348 ($29×12)	7.5% × $6,000 = $450	$798
Teachable	Builder	$828 ($69×12)	$0	$828
LearnWorlds	Starter	$288 ($24×12)	60 sales × $5 = $300	$588
LearnWorlds	Pro Trainer	$948 ($79×12)	$0	$948
Kajabi	Basic	$1,716 ($143×12)	$0	$1,716

There’s no $0 row anymore: Thinkific retired its free plan in 2026 and Teachable’s is gone too. The $0 entry point is now a trial (30 days on Thinkific, 7 on Teachable).

At $500/month revenue:

• Cheapest paid, no fees: Teachery at $470/year and Thinkific Basic at $480/year, a $10 difference, so call it a tie.
• Best value with drip and room to grow: Thinkific Basic, same money as Teachery with far more features.
  LearnWorlds Starter ($588) and Teachable Starter ($798) are already more expensive once fees are included, and the gap only widens with volume. So at $500/month, start on Thinkific’s 30-day trial, then land on Basic (or Teachery if you want bare-bones simplicity).

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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	$480	$0	$480
Thinkific	Start	$984 ($82×12)	$0	$984
Teachery	Annual	$470	$0	$470
Teachable	Starter	$348	7.5% × $24,000 = $1,800	$2,148
Teachable	Builder	$828 ($69×12)	$0	$828
LearnWorlds	Starter	$288	252 × $5 = $1,260	$1,548
LearnWorlds	Pro Trainer	$948	$0	$948
Kajabi	Basic	$1,716	$0	$1,716
Kajabi	Growth	$2,388 ($199×12)	$0	$2,388

At $2,000/month revenue:

• Cheapest: Teachery at $470/year or Thinkific Basic at $480/year, if you don’t need memberships, pick by features, not the $10 gap.
• Need memberships/bundles: Thinkific Start at $984/year.
• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer: $948/year, in the same band as Thinkific Start; choose by features (interactive video vs memberships).
• Avoid at this revenue: LearnWorlds Starter ($1,548) and especially Teachable Starter ($2,148) are expensive because of fees. Either upgrade to LearnWorlds Pro Trainer or Teachable Builder ($828), or use Thinkific/Teachery.

So at $2,000/month revenue, Thinkific Basic or Teachery is the cheapest depending on feature needs; the fee-charging Starter tiers cost two to four times as much.

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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	$480	$0	$480
Thinkific	Start	$984	$0	$984
Thinkific	Grow	$1,968 ($164×12)	$0	$1,968
Teachery	Annual	$470	$0	$470
Teachable	Builder	$828	$0	$828
Teachable	Growth	$1,668 ($139×12)	$0	$1,668
LearnWorlds	Pro Trainer	$948	$0	$948
LearnWorlds	Learning Center	$2,988 ($249×12)	$0	$2,988
Kajabi	Growth	$2,388	$0	$2,388

At $5,000/month revenue:

• Cheapest: Teachery at $470/year (if its simpler feature set is enough).
• Next cheapest full-featured: Thinkific Basic at $480/year, still enough for many coaches (unlimited courses, drip, custom domain).
• Full features (memberships, community, etc.): Thinkific Start ($984/year) or LearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($948/year).
• Branded app / advanced: Thinkific Grow at $1,968/year or Kajabi Growth at $2,388/year.

So at $5,000/month revenue, Thinkific Basic at $480/year is the cheapest full-featured LMS; LearnWorlds Pro Trainer at $948/year is the cheapest if you want LearnWorlds’ interactive video and site builder. Teachery matches Thinkific on price but not on 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 Basic	$480	$480	$480
Thinkific Start	n/a	$984	$984
Teachery	$470	$470	$470
Teachable Starter	$798	$2,148	n/a
Teachable Builder	$828	$828	$828
LearnWorlds Starter	$588	$1,548	n/a
LearnWorlds Pro Trainer	$948	$948	$948
Kajabi Basic	$1,716	$1,716	n/a
Kajabi Growth	n/a	$2,388	$2,388

Takeaway: Thinkific Basic and Teachery consistently offer the lowest cost, within $10/year of each other. LearnWorlds and Teachable are cheap only when you avoid their fee-heavy entry tiers (use Pro Trainer / Builder). 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: $40 × 12 = $480/year.
• LearnWorlds Starter: $24 × 12 + 21 × 12 × $5 = $288 + $1,260 = $1,548/year.
• Difference: $1,068 more per year on LearnWorlds Starter than Thinkific Basic. Even against LearnWorlds’ fee-free Pro Trainer at $948/year, Thinkific Basic is $468/year cheaper and still full-featured for courses and drip.

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

• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer: $948/year.
• Thinkific Start: $984/year (nearly the same).
• Thinkific Basic: $480/year (if you don’t need memberships).
• Kajabi Growth: $2,388/year.
  So at $5,000/month, Thinkific Basic is $468/year cheaper than LearnWorlds Pro Trainer, and $1,908/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 ($470/year) is nominally cheapest 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’s 30-day trial ($0) is where to start, but it’s a validation window, not a plan; the old free plan was retired in 2026, so budget for Basic once the launch works.
• Thinkific Basic ($480/year on annual billing) is the cheapest that still gives unlimited courses, drip, and custom domain: best balance for most coaches.
• LearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($948/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 the Thinkific trial → Basic; Teachery only wins if you actively want its stripped-down simplicity, since the price gap is now trivial. 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 (every platform has one: 30 days on Thinkific, LearnWorlds, and Kajabi; 14 on Teachery; 7 on Teachable) and confirm fit before committing.

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Summary

• $500/month: Cheapest = Teachery ($470/year) or Thinkific Basic ($480/year), a wash. Best value with growth room = Thinkific Basic.
• $2,000/month: Cheapest = same pair. LearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($948/year) and Thinkific Start ($984/year) sit close together; choose by features.
• $5,000/month: Cheapest full-featured = Thinkific Basic ($480/year). LearnWorlds Pro Trainer ($948/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 Basic or Teachery in pure cost, now within $10/year of each other on annual billing; Thinkific brings far more features for that money. There’s no free tier anywhere anymore; Thinkific’s 30-day trial is the $0 entry point. 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