How Much Does It Cost to Create an Online Course: Full Breakdown for 2025

TL;DR 

In one of our recent projects, we built an online learning course on digital marketing. It was targeted at small business owners, generating $45,000 in revenue within three months.

The average cost of developing an eLearning course has dropped, with the typical price at $8,500 in 2025, down from $12,500 in 2021.

Key factors that can raise the development costs of your course: length, educational content complexity, content creation requirements, and interactivity features.

Creating an online course has several steps with different costs.

• Analysis Phase – $1,200 to $5,000
• Design Phase – $2,000 to $6,000
• Development Phase – $5,000 to $15,000
• Implementation Phase – $1,500 to $4,000
• Evaluation Phase – $500 to $2,000

To calculate ROI for an online course, first figure out your audience size, conversion rate, and course price. Then use these formulas:  

Revenue = Audience × Conversion Rate × Price  

Profit = Revenue − Development Costs

Case Study: Online Course for Small Business Owners [with Approximate Cost Of E-Learning Development] 

Starting your own business takes some effort, but it gets much easier with the right knowledge. That’s what our client said when they came to us with a plan for their first online course called “Digital Marketing Essentials”. They also had a general idea of their target audience: people aged 25–45, who were either starting new businesses or looking to promote an existing one.

They also outlined the topics to cover in the course: social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and analytics. Long story short, our client needed an online learning platform that felt engaging, not just another collection of dull PowerPoint slides.

Due to the NDA agreement we signed, we can’t share any other details or provide you with exact numbers, but we’ve used years of experience to give you a realistic idea of what such a platform might cost.

Breaking Down the Costs 

A successful course is 50% great digital learning content and 50% smart investment. As we said, we can’t disclose the exact budget due to confidentiality, so here’s a ballpark figure gleaned from industry norms and our own development experience.

Here’re the essentials: 

• Market research/audience analysis – $1,500
• Instructional design consultation – $2,000
• Storyboarding/content outline – $1,000

Here’s what distinguishes a great online course platform from a good one: 

• Interactive elements – Because passive learning isn’t enough today, we create engaging quizzes for each module to stress key ideas. $3,000
• Gamification features – Badges, leaderboards, collaborative authoring, and progress tracking keep users engaged, even if they have a really short attention span. $4,000
• Discussion forums – A space where students can ask questions, share their learning experiences, and get support from mentors or peers. $2,000

Finishing touches:

• LMS hosting fees – No course can work without a solid platform. $1,500
• Feedback collection and course iteration – Because continuous improvement keeps your project alive. $1,000

Total Estimated Cost: $23,000

Project Results

When the course went live, we kept a close eye on its progress—we must say, the results were impressive:

• In just three months, 600 people signed up for the course, which resulted from our development work and smart marketing on our client’s side.
• These enrollments generated around $45,000+ in revenue.
• As a cherry on top, the course received an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.

Seeing such numbers, we were sure the students didn’t just complete the course but truly enjoyed it. Plus, they left positive feedback, praising the hands-on approach, interactive content, and the strong sense of community that we created with discussion forums and direct mentor support.

So, was it worth it? In this case, no doubt. This interactive course platform more than paid for itself and also gave hundreds of business owners confidence in the changing marketing world. If you’ve also got an idea for a course, let’s make it happen.

What Influences eLearning Development Costs

According to our research, the average cost of eLearning course development falls somewhere between $3,000 and $15,000, with the most common price tag at $8,500 (as of January 2025). Just a few years ago, these numbers were a bit higher—quite an unusual tendency. But what happened? 

Now, AI tools are more affordable than ever, and with them, developers, content creators, and other professionals need fewer hours to build a solid product. Plus, this AI race has heated up competition in the software development market, with each company trying to offer the best deal.

Let’s look at the table showing how course development costs have changed since 2021.

Our COO, Nazar Kvartalny, explains this tendency in the following way:

If you look at the numbers from 2021 to 2025, you’ll see that the cost to create a course has seriously dropped over time. But it makes sense—online education is more accessible now, especially after COVID-19 and with all the government grants for mobile learning support. If a few years ago, to build an online platform you’d need a serious investment, now you can do a solid product at just a fraction of the cost. And technology’s improved, competition’s tighter—it all adds up to a lower price tag.”

So, are there any specific factors that influence software costs? Let’s see

Length of the Course

You may think all online learning courses need the same approach, regardless of their topic, length, or training content, but that’s not true. The course complexity directly impacts how we approach the technology behind it.

• Short courses with just a few modules are a bit simpler since they don’t need complicated setup or integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS).  Less effort means lower costs—a starting price of around $5,000.
• Long-term courses, for example, for corporate training, with multiple topics, tell a different story. Here, we’re looking at advanced online course content, user tracking, and detailed analytics. When managing a larger volume of students and interactions, you also need a solid infrastructure that won’t crumble under the weight of all that data. And yes, that comes at a price. For a comprehensive course curriculum, developing the right infrastructure can push the cost to $12,000.

Complexity of the Subject Matter

As expected, whether you teach quantum mechanics or the multiplication table also makes a difference. 

• If your course covers the basic concepts, like introductory and foundational knowledge, you don’t need things to be fancy. Video hosting, simple quizzes, and easy navigation will do the job.

But more complex subjects often need things like complex business simulations or student progress tracking. For example, a medical course may have 3D models to explore the human body, while an A1 English class may just use flashcards and audio clips. Sure, advanced features make course content more engaging, but they also take more development time, effort, and money to create.

Content Management System and Learner Engagement

Now, let’s talk about how these choices impact eLearning development costs.

Content management should be simple, no matter how long or complex your course is. That’s why we design our LCMS platforms with intuitive eLearning tools so you can upload, edit, update, and repurpose content in just a few clicks.

But good management alone isn’t enough. The longer and more complex your course, the more you need to keep learners engaged. For short courses, a few quizzes might do the trick, but for programs that take weeks or months to complete, you may want to add leaderboards, live discussions, personalized learning paths, and AI-driven feedback to make the learning process as enjoyable as possible.

Level of Interactivity 

Proceeding with the topic of engagement: how much interaction do you really need? Let’s look at your options: 

• You can create a passive course, which is typically made up of pre-recorded lectures and reading materials—it’s faster and more affordable to produce.
• Interactive courses often include hands-on learning with simulations, games, and feedback. They can cost 20% to 30% more than passive ones because they require extra time, expertise, and testing to get right.

Content Delivery Methods and Technology Used

Finally, there’s the question of how to deliver your product. Your choice of platform can also greatly impact the final cost of course development. 

• With self-hosted platforms—meaning you’ll run and maintain your course using a private web server—you’ll have full control over the learning environments. However, expect higher setup and maintenance costs.
• Cloud-based solutions are now more popular. They operate on a subscription basis, meaning you won’t need to make an initial investment, but you should be prepared for recurring fees.

Breakdown of Aspects That Affect eLearning Platform Development Costs 

No two courses are the same, and neither are their technical requirements. Whether you’re after a high-tech learning experience or a simple one-module setup, we’re here to help. Let’s make it happen—reach out to us today!

Cost of Online Course Development by Stage

You can’t just throw together a few videos and call it a proper course. The creation process has many steps, and each comes with its own set of costs. Let’s find out how much you’ll need to pay for each step separately—and what exactly you’ll be paying for.

Analysis Phase

Before recording lectures and planning quizzes, you’ve got to understand your audience first. Who are your learners? What do they want to learn? Are there similar products out there? And most importantly, how can you do it better and stand out? 

At this point, you’ll need the help of business analysts who know the ins and outs of your industry and can give you a clear picture of your target demographics, competition, trends, and what your audience really wants. Plus, they’ll help you clarify your goals, outline technical requirements, and support communication with the development team.

Estimated Costs:

• Business Analyst: 30-40 hours at $30-$100 per hour
• Project Manager: 10-15 hours at $50-$150 per hour

Total Cost: Around $1,200 to $5,000, depending on the volume of the research and team expertise.

That’s what says one of the business analysts at Inoxoft: 

Good business analysis is about people. The best results happen when different perspectives come together, no matter where the team is. When people collaborate with clarity and respect, projects get noticeably better. In fact, teams that use ecological communication strategies see project outcomes improve by 20-30% right away. That’s a big difference.”

Design Phase

Once you know what you’re building, it’s time to design it. During this stage, everything happens—from structuring the eLearning content to making it pedagogically sound. At this point, you’ll need to bring in designers, UX/UI specialists, and subject matter experts (SMEs) to shape the course structure, design the user interface, and refine the educational flow.

Estimated Costs:

• Instructional Designer: 10-15 hours at $40-$80 per hour
• UX/UI Designer: 15-20 hours at $50-$100 per hour
• SME Consultations: 10-15 hours at varying rates

Total Cost: $2,000 to $6,000, depending on complexity and revisions.

Here’s an insight from Inoxoft’s senior UI/UX designer:

Keeping design and development separate may cause some problems later. But when we team up from the start, everything just moves faster. We get a solid UX right away instead of going back and fixing things later. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say projects wrap up two to three times faster when there’s no pointless rework.”

Development Phase

Now, the real work begins. This stage includes content creation, multimedia production, and software development—basically, everything that turns your ideas into a learning platform. And that’s also where your investment starts to add up. If your training programs include videos, you’ll need to budget for shooting and editing. Need high-quality visuals? Graphic designers come into play. 

Estimated Costs:

1. Software Development:

• Front-end: 20-30 hours at $50-$120 per hour
• Back-end: 30-40 hours at $60-$150 per hour

1. Video Production:

• Shooting: 5-10 hours at $50-$100 per hour
• Editing: 10-15 hours at $30-$80 per hour
• Graphic Design for Course Materials: $500 to $2,500

Total Cost: $5,000 to $15,000, depending on content complexity and production quality.

Our COO, Nazar Kvartalny, gave some great advice on building the right team for your project:

Great software comes from strong teams, not just good code. Inviting developers from different places—be it Californian tech hubs or Eastern Europe’s talent—adds fresh ideas and real expertise.

Implementation Phase

After development, it’s time to deploy your course on a Learning Management System (LMS) or another platform. At this stage, we set up hosting, integrate the necessary tools, and handle any technical configurations. LMS fees can be insignificant or really high, depending on features, user capacity, and support options. 

Estimated Costs:

• LMS Subscription: $500 to $3,000 per year
• Total Cost: $1,500 to $4,000, factoring in platform setup and any customizations.

Choosing an LMS is a huge decision that can make or break your project. If you’ve got the right team, especially with industry experience, they’ll give you solid advice on how people learn, what they better respond to, how to structure content on the platform, and the best strategy to get early results.” 

– says COO at Inoxoft, Nazar Kvartalny.

Evaluation Phase

Finally, it’s alive! But the job isn’t over yet. You’ll need to gather feedback, analyze engagement, and make adjustments. It’s not the most exciting part of the work, but it’s necessary for long-term success. This is where the analytics team can track progress, while instructors and developers tweak the content based on user feedback. It’s like fine-tuning a recipe—tasting, adjusting, and improving until it’s just right.

Some people make gathering feedback too complicated. With the right automation, scheduled emails, and pop-up surveys, feedback goes straight into your Learning Management System. No extra effort—just useful insights.” 

– explained the senior project manager at Inoxoft.

Estimated Costs:

• Analytics Tools: Free to $1,000, depending on complexity
• Total Cost: $500 to $2,000, including time spent on updates.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an Online Course: Development Stages 

When you add everything up, here’s what you’re looking at: a minimum estimate of around $9,400 and a maximum estimate of $37,250.

So, now you have approximate numbers, but keep in mind that the final cost depends mostly on the project’s scale, complexity, and the team. With the right team, you won’t just get the job done faster, you’ll gain valuable experience and pick up plenty of insights along the way. Are you ready to bring your course idea to life? Contact us. 

How to Calculate Potential Revenue Considering Online Course Development Costs

We all want our hard work to pay off, so it’s a good idea to calculate potential ROI before you start with the development. To save you the trouble, we’ll show you how to do it step-by-step.

Step 1: Know Your Key Numbers

To get a rough estimate of your potential revenue, you need three important numbers:

• Audience Size – How many people could realistically be interested in your course?
• Conversion Rate – What percentage of those people will actually buy it? (Typically, this falls between 1% and 10%.)
• Course Price – How much are you charging per sale?

For example, you have 1,000 potential customers, a 5% conversion rate, and a course price of $100. That means: 

Revenue = Audience Size × Conversion Rate × Course Price

1,000 × 5% × $100 = $5,000

Not bad, right? But we’re not done yet.

Step 2: Factor in Your Costs

Developing an online course isn’t free, you know it. Now you have to calculate your expenses, which usually include:

• Research and planning
• Content creation (video editor, PDFs, quizzes, etc.)
• Platform fees (if you’re hosting it somewhere)
• Marketing
• Post-launch updates and support

Let’s say your total development cost is $9,400. To find out if you’re actually making money, use this formula:

Profit = Revenue − Total Development Costs

$5,000 − $9,400 = −$4,400

Step 3: Adjust and Optimize

Even if your project doesn’t seem very profitable online, it’s too early to give up. Maybe you just need to work some magic, for example:

• Increase your audience size with marketing tools and promotion
• Improve your conversion rate – Maybe your sales page needs a better copy.
• Raise your course price – Are you undervaluing your content?
• Consider MVP – Can you cut some expenses or start with a simpler version of your course?

The bottom line is that success is 50% a great product and 50% good marketing and smart adjustments along the way.

Let’s Bring Your Plans to Life Together

When you’re not sure where to start, having an experienced partner who’ll guide you through the course creation process, help you avoid mistakes, and stay fully committed to your goal is priceless. That’s exactly what we offer.  

Years of experience, a team of 230+ professionals across development, management, marketing, and research, ISO-certified quality, and a perfect 5/5 rating on Clutch—that’s what you get when you work with us. But that’s just the beginning. Besides creating online courses, we can also build:  

• Learning Management Systems for easy content management
• Student Information Systems with numerous communication tools
• Student Forums for Schools featuring AI-powered chatbots
• STEM Education Platforms with fun, gamification elements
• Educational Apps designed with microlearning functionality
• Virtual Classroom Software providing immersive VR and AR experiences

If you value your time, resources, and effort, don’t take chances—work with experts who know what they’re doing. Let’s connect and talk about your project! 

Conclusion

Our research shows that developing an online training course will cost you anywhere between $9,400 and $37,250, depending on the factors involved – length, complexity, features, online course material, and the level of engagement. You’ll also need a team of experts—analysts, designers, developers—who can advise, oversee, and turn your ideas into a high-quality product that people will truly enjoy.

At Inoxoft, we have over 10 years of experience and have built everything from learning management systems to virtual classrooms. The sky’s not the limit when it comes to what we can create together. Schedule a free consultation and let’s make something meaningful happen.