Estimate how many paying subscribers your online course needs each month to cover its recurring costs. The calculator accounts for percentage-based fees and per-subscriber expenses, then rounds the target up to a whole person. Use the contribution amount and break-even revenue to check whether your current pricing can support the operation before setting an acquisition goal.
The main result is the minimum whole number of active, paying subscribers required for monthly contribution to cover fixed costs. It is an operating break-even estimate, not a profit target.
Taxes, churn, failed payments, discounts, and one-time launch costs are excluded unless you include them in the inputs.
With $1,200 in fixed costs, a $15 price, 10% fees, and $2 variable cost, each subscriber contributes $11.50. Dividing $1,200 by $11.50 gives 104.35, so the practical break-even target is 105 subscribers, producing $1,575 in gross monthly revenue.
A fraction of a subscriber cannot pay, so the calculator rounds the required count up to the next whole subscriber.
Include recurring costs that remain broadly unchanged as subscriber count changes, such as software, baseline staffing, and scheduled content production.
Enter the combined percentage normally deducted from gross subscriber charges. Use your own account statements when fee structures differ.
There is no finite break-even point when net price is equal to or below variable cost. Raise the price, reduce fees, or lower variable cost.
No. It estimates the active subscriber count needed at one moment. Your acquisition plan should replace churned and failed-payment accounts.
| Variable | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fixed costs | Recurring costs independent of subscriber count |
| Fee rate | Share of gross price deducted |
| Variable cost | Incremental monthly cost per subscriber |