How Much Do You Really Earn with Online Courses? Real Numbers for the Swiss Market

Online courses in Switzerland typically generate between CHF 0 and CHF 80,000 per year - with an extremely unequal distribution. The numbers sound either sobering or fantastically high depending on which source you read. The truth is not somewhere in the middle but follows a bimodal curve: the vast majority earns very little, a small group earns extraordinarily well.

What the data from major platform studies shows:

• 75% of Udemy instructors earn less than USD 1,000 (approx. CHF 880) per year - and most of them shelve their course within 12 months. Source: Sell Courses Online - Udemy Earnings Study
• Median across all major platforms: approximately USD 37,000 (approx. CHF 33,000) annually - this figure is, however, skewed upward by a few top earners. Source: Kajabi Creator Report
• The top 1% earns more than USD 100,000 (approx. CHF 88,000) per year - and almost all of them invested several years before reaching this threshold. Source: Udemy Earnings Study
• 54% of all digital products from independent creators generate USD 0 - zero francs, zero euros, zero dollars. Source: Calmops Indie Hacker Income Report Analysis
• What the few successful ones share: a clearly defined topic, a nameable target audience, consistent marketing over several months, and a willingness to fundamentally revise the course after initial feedback.

This article shows you the numbers as they are - without sugarcoating and without pessimism. And it shows you why starting with minimal fixed costs is decisive for your learning curve.

What Do Online Course Creators Really Earn in Their First Year?

The central question is not whether you can earn money with online courses. The answer is clearly yes. The decisive question is: what is realistic for someone starting today?

The Bimodal Distribution in Numbers

Source of base data: Learning Revolution - eLearning Statistics, Udemy Earnings Study

This table explains why you read such different numbers depending on the source. Platforms like Teachable or Kajabi communicate average or median values that are pulled upward by top earners. Udemy, on the other hand, has a huge mass of passive courses from creators who never actively marketed them.

Why the Average Is Misleading

When a platform reports that its creators earn an average of USD 37,000 per year, that sounds inviting. What is missing: this average includes a small group earning several hundred thousand dollars annually and a large majority close to zero. The statistical mean of ten people - nine earn CHF 0, one earns CHF 370,000 - is CHF 37,000. This average does not accurately describe any of those ten people.

This is especially clear on Udemy. Sell Courses Online's analysis examined thousands of instructors and found: the median is less than USD 1,000 per year. Only 1% of instructors earn more than USD 50,000. 75% earn less than USD 1,000 - many of them USD 0.

That is not discouraging. It is a precise description of the starting point. Those who know these numbers enter the first course phase with realistic expectations - and do not give up after the first month because the numbers do not match the promises in YouTube ads.

Why Do 75% of Course Creators Earn So Little?

The answer does not come down to poor content. Many courses that barely earn anything are solid in terms of content. The reasons almost always lie in one of these four areas:

1. No Existing Audience

A course without an audience is like a shop on a street without foot traffic. Online courses do not sell themselves just because they exist on a platform. Those who create a course today and expect searchers to find it organically will in most cases be disappointed.

Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income has pointed out multiple times in his public income reports: his first successful course already had an email list of several thousand people before the launch. The course was not the starting point - it was the result of two years of building trust.

That does not mean you need to wait two years. But it means: someone who has built a list of 200 to 500 engaged subscribers before publishing a course has completely different starting conditions than someone without a network.

2. Wrong Pricing

Courses priced too low - under CHF 50 - create two problems simultaneously: they require a very large number of purchases to generate relevant income, and they signal - whether intended or not - low value. A course at CHF 15 on Udemy needs to be sold 200 times to generate CHF 3,000. A course at CHF 249 needs to be sold twelve times.

For more on how to calculate the right price for your course, see the article Online Course Pricing: Strategies for the Swiss Market.

3. No Active Marketing

Platforms show new courses in search - sometimes. But SEO on course platforms is highly competitive, and without active marketing, a course remains invisible. Active marketing here does not necessarily mean advertising spending: it means a regular presence on one channel - newsletter, LinkedIn, YouTube, podcast, community - and consistently linking to your own offering.

4. Wrong Topic Choice Without Market Validation

Many creators choose a topic that interests them - without checking whether anyone is willing to pay for it. Market validation must happen before course production. A minimum goal: interview at least three to five people in depth about whether they have a specific problem your course would solve - and whether they would be willing to pay CHF X for it. Those who skip these questions take on an avoidable risk.

Which Small, Realistic Examples Show a Path for Beginners?

The big names - Pat Flynn with USD 4.4 million in cumulative course revenue, Marc Lou with approximately USD 70,000 per month - are real. Calmops.com documents these cases in their indie hacker analysis. But they are not useful as reference points for getting started.

Here are examples that show the first to third steps - meaning income under CHF 3,000 per month.

Regina Anaejionu's First Launch Experience

Regina Anaejionu published her first course with an email list of 71 people. The result: USD 1,350 at launch, then USD 1,000 per month from an evergreen structure. She documented the entire process on her blog. What can be learned from this? First: 71 people are enough for a first proof. Second: the list was tight and trust-based - not a generic mass. Third: USD 1,000 per month from a course created once is a realistic starting point.

Pediatric Sleep Consultant

Starter Story documents multiple cases of highly specialized consulting offerings. One example: a pediatric sleep consultant who started with USD 500 per month from digital guides and scaled to USD 12,000 per month. Source: Starter Story - Online Courses Success Stories. The lesson here is not the end number but the start: USD 500 per month is a real first proof in a very narrow niche.

Community-Based Models on Skool

Skool communities with 50 to 100 members and a price of USD 19 per month generate USD 950 to 1,900 monthly (USD 11,400 to 22,800 annually). Communipass documents current Skool income benchmarks: 60% of active Skool creators earn between USD 1,000 and USD 10,000 monthly. That is not passive income - community models require active management. But it is a stable recurring model that works with a small, paying group.

E-Commerce Creator with a 2,400-Person List

A documented launch case from the English-speaking market: 2,400 people on the email list, conversion rate of 4.1%, selling price USD 299. Result: USD 29,400 from a single launch - not annually but once. This corresponds to a realistic figure for someone who has invested one to two years in building an engaged list.

What do all these examples share? None of them begins with "I published the course on a platform and waited." All begin with an audience that existed beforehand.

How Long Does It Take to Make the First Sale and Reach Profitability?

The timeline is one of the most distorted topics in the online course industry. Here are realistic assessments based on external studies.

First Sale: One to Four Weeks After Launch

If you have an existing audience - even a small one - the first sale can come within hours of launch. Without any audience and without active marketing: several months to no first sale at all.

Break-Even After Production Costs: One to Three Months

Liquid Web estimates the typical investment for a professional course at CHF 1,000 to 3,000 (software, recording equipment, design). At a course price of CHF 149 and ten purchases per month, you reach the lower threshold after one month. At CHF 89 and six purchases it takes three months. The key factor: courses are scalable - production costs occur once, income comes repeatedly.

Stable Monthly Income of CHF 2,000 to 5,000: Six to Twelve Months

Passion.io describes a 90-day roadmap to the first stable monthly revenue - provided you are not starting from zero. For creators without an existing audience, a timeframe of six to twelve months for CHF 2,000 to 5,000 in monthly revenue is more realistic. Some reach it faster, many later.

Ten Percent Make It Six Months, Many Give Up After Three Months

Influencer Marketing Hub documents: 40% of top earners reached the six-figure dollar threshold in less than two years. But "top earners" are not everyone. What applies to the broader mass: many creators give up after three months without visible progress - exactly when platform algorithms, SEO effects and trust would begin to take hold.

The margin for course providers is structurally attractive. Blog.TagMango estimates the typical net margin after platform fees and marketing spend at 70 to 90% - significantly above the industry average for physical products. The model is profitable. The challenge is not the model but the discipline over the period until the first proof appears.

How Do You Test Your Course Idea in Switzerland with Minimal Risk?

Before you invest weeks or months in producing a complete course, you should validate one step earlier: are there people willing to pay for this specific topic from you?

Step 1: Narrow the Topic Sharply

A course on "marketing" will not work. A course on "Instagram strategy for Swiss craftsmen in German-speaking Switzerland" has a clearly defined target audience with a specific problem. The narrower the topic, the simpler the marketing - and the higher the conversion rate.

The article Creating Digital Coaching Programs: The Complete Guide provides a step-by-step guide to building structured programs.

Step 2: Seek Talking Customers, Not Paying Ones

Conduct five to ten deep conversations with potential customers before creating a single slide. Do not ask "Would you pay for such a course?" - that is a hypothetical question with almost always positive bias. Instead ask: "How have you solved this problem so far?" and "What has it cost you so far?" The answers show you whether a market exists.

Step 3: Lowest Fixed Costs as a Safety Net

Here is the mathematical core of risk management for course beginners in Switzerland: if you pay CHF 0 in monthly fees and only a transaction-based fee applies per sale, you do not need to generate revenue to cover platform costs. You can test without paying as long as nothing is sold.

Concretely: your first course at CHF 149 brings you almost the full amount after the transaction fee. Three purchases in the first month - and you already have real customer feedback and a positive return. No monthly subscription to exhaust, no contract period, no fixed cost pressure.

bondigoo is built exactly for this step: CHF 0 monthly costs, CHF 0 setup fee, only a transaction fee per sale. You do not run the risk of paying hundreds of francs to a platform before you earn your first franc.

Additionally, bondigoo offers integrated live 1:1 sessions and group sessions (more on live sessions), so you can combine your course with personal coaching sessions - an approach that multiple studies show significantly increases completion rates and therefore referral rates.

Step 4: Test the Course Before Launch

Sell your course before it is finished. That sounds counterintuitive - but it is the most direct way to check whether someone is willing to pay. You can offer a "founding price": the course is available at a reduced price, and the first buyers become part of the build and give you feedback. This reduces production risk to a minimum.

What this looks like in practice - from first concept to first paying customer - is shown in the article Side Income to Online Business: The Roadmap.

Step 5: Know Swiss AHV and Tax Obligations

If you generate income from online courses in Switzerland, two separate thresholds apply - the AHV (pension) contribution obligation and the VAT obligation. They are independent of each other:

AHV contribution obligation (for self-employed with primary employment elsewhere)

• Under CHF 2,500 per year: Contribution-free secondary activity for employees - no AHV registration required. Source: AHV-IV Factsheet 2.09
• CHF 2,500 to CHF 10,100 per year: AHV registration required, minimum contribution CHF 530 per year. Source: AHV-IV Factsheet 2.02
• Over CHF 10,100 per year: Regular AHV contribution rate of 5.371% to 10% depending on income. Source: AHV-IV Factsheet 2.02

VAT obligation (independent of employment status)

• Up to CHF 100,000 in annual revenue: No VAT obligation. Source: Art. 10 MWSTG via estv.admin.ch
• From CHF 100,000 in annual revenue: VAT registration required at 8.1% (standard rate 2024).

This means: in an income range of CHF 2,500 to CHF 100,000 you are subject to AHV contributions but not to VAT, and you do not need a formal corporate structure. Only above the CHF 100,000 threshold does registering a sole proprietorship or GmbH become relevant. The exact contributions depend on your total income and employment status - clarify your specific situation with a tax professional or the relevant AHV compensation office.

For more on the legal framework for secondary income in Switzerland, see the article Side Hustle in Switzerland - What Is Permitted.

What Separates Successful Course Creators from the Rest?

After analyzing platform data and documented creator stories, the same factors appear repeatedly. They are not secret formulas - but they are uncomfortable because they require time and consistency.

Factor 1: They Have an Existing Audience - or Are Actively Building One

None of the well-documented cases begins with "I published the course and hoped it would sell itself." Pat Flynn already had hundreds of thousands of podcast listeners before his first major course. Marc Lou had a Twitter audience. Regina Anaejionu had 71 email subscribers. Even 71 people who trust you are better than 10,000 strangers on a platform.

If you are starting today without an audience: that is not an obstacle that should stop you from starting. It is a parallel task. You build the audience while developing the course - not afterward.

Factor 2: They Treat the First Course as a Learning Phase, Not a Main Income Source

Most successful course entrepreneurs describe their second or third course as the first one that really worked. The first course teaches: which format resonates? Which learners buy? What are the most common questions in the course? These insights are more valuable than the first revenue.

Those who put the first course under financial pressure give up too early. Those who treat it as a research project learn what is needed to make the second course significantly better.

Factor 3: They Price High Enough

70% of course creators with income over USD 100,000 according to Influencer Marketing Hub have courses with a medium to high price point. A course at CHF 299 does not sell ten times worse than one at CHF 49 - often it is the other way around, because higher prices signal seriousness.

Whether this model works for your topic and target audience is shown in the comparison of various platform options: Online Course Platform Comparison 2026 for Switzerland.

Factor 4: They Sell Outcomes, Not Information

The most effective course positioning framework is: "After this course you will be able to do X" - where X is something concrete and measurable. "Understand the basics of online marketing" is not an X. "Win your first paying client via LinkedIn outreach in 30 days" is an X.

Passive Income or Active Work?

The idea that online courses generate "passive income" is a popular marketing promise. The reality is more nuanced.

What can genuinely be passive: a course that has been recorded once and published on an evergreen basis can generate purchases without you actively investing time - if the marketing infrastructure is running. That means: platform SEO, your newsletter, your social media content, or paid ads bring in new buyers continuously.

What is rarely truly passive: building that infrastructure. The first six to twelve months involve active work: creating the course, marketing it, incorporating feedback, building an audience. Anyone thinking "passively" during this phase will be disappointed.

What becomes possible after this build phase is described in more detail in the article Passive Income from Knowledge: Models for Switzerland.

The Swiss coaching market as a whole - and therefore also demand for digital learning formats - is growing. The Swiss Coaching Market 2026 gives an overview of current market sizes and segments.

Conclusion: Real Numbers, Realistic Expectations

Online courses can generate substantial income. But they can also generate nothing - and that applies to the majority in the first year. The bimodal distribution is not an argument against getting started. It is an argument for an informed start.

The most relevant points in brief:

• 75% earn under CHF 880 annually - not because the market is saturated, but because marketing consistency is lacking.
• The median of CHF 33,000 annually is achievable - for someone with an existing audience, a clear topic, and active marketing.
• The first course is a research project, not a financing plan. Plan accordingly.
• Low fixed costs protect the learning phase. Those who pay CHF 0 monthly can fail while learning without bearing financial consequences.

The first step is the hardest - but it does not have to be the most expensive.

Ready to test your course idea with minimal risk?

Start on bondigoo - no fixed costs, only a transaction fee per sale