The 7 Best Hotmart Alternatives in 2026 (With Real Numbers)
An honest comparison of Hotmart alternatives: real commissions, pricing, LATAM payouts, and who each platform is actually for. With cost tables by sales volume.
If you're selling courses on Hotmart, you know the feeling: you look at your sales report and between the commission, the per-transaction fee and payment processing, you keep quite a bit less than you billed. "What other platforms are there like Hotmart?" is one of the most searched questions in the creator economy — and most answers circulating are generic affiliate listicles that don't even understand the real problem.
The real problem isn't video hosting. It's how much money you keep and how you get paid. This guide compares 7 alternatives with concrete numbers, including when Hotmart is still the best option (yes, that case exists).
Updated: July 2026. Verify pricing on each site before deciding — it changes often.
What Hotmart Actually Charges You
Before comparing, the baseline. Hotmart charges:
- Commission: 9.9% + $1 per sale (standard plan)
- Plus currency conversion costs if you charge in another currency
- Plus payout holds and timing that vary by country
On a $100 sale, Hotmart keeps ~$11. Sounds small until you annualize it:
| Sales/mo at $100 | Annual commission to Hotmart |
|---|---|
| 10 | $1,308 |
| 30 | $3,924 |
| 50 | $6,540 |
| 100 | $13,080 |
At 50 sales a month you're paying over $6,500 a year. That's a salary, a video editor, or your entire ads budget. You can calculate your exact case with our Hotmart fee calculator.
The 7 Alternatives, Compared
1. LearnBase — The 0% commission option with AI
Model: flat $97/month. Zero commissions. You keep 100% of every sale (minus standard payment processing, which you pay on any platform).
What sets it apart: it's the only platform on this list where AI is built into the creation flow — upload a video and it generates the title, description and transcript automatically, generates quizzes from the content, and your academy lives on your own domain with your brand (real white-label).
Pros:
- 0% commission, always. The cost doesn't grow with your sales
- AI-assisted course creation (outlines, descriptions, quizzes, transcription)
- Custom domain and your own brand — your students never see "LearnBase"
- Native multi-language (EN, ES, PT)
Cons:
- The flat fee exists even if you sell nothing. If you're validating your first course and selling 2 a month, Hotmart is cheaper at the start
- No marketplace: you bring your own traffic
Who it's for: creators already selling (or about to sell) more than ~10 courses a month who want their own brand. See the full LearnBase vs Hotmart comparison.
2. Kajabi — The expensive all-in-one
Model: from $179/month. No commissions.
Pros: the most complete ecosystem (courses + email marketing + funnels + website + podcasts). If it replaces 4 tools, the price makes sense.
Cons: expensive to start, no AI content creation, and the learning curve matches the feature count.
Who it's for: established creators billing $5K+/mo who want to consolidate tools. See LearnBase vs Kajabi.
3. Teachable — The classic, with a catch on the cheap plan
Model: from $39/month, but watch out: the basic plan charges an additional ~7.5% per sale. Zero-commission plans start higher.
Pros: mature, reliable platform with a great student experience and optimized checkout.
Cons: confusing plan structure, and the 2025-2026 price hikes pushed many creators to look for alternatives (literally: "teachable alternative" is one of the most searched terms in the space).
Who it's for: creators who prioritize stability over price. See LearnBase vs Teachable.
4. Thinkific — The customizable one
Model: limited free plan; paid plans from ~$49/month with no commissions.
Pros: great site customization, app store with extensions, completion certificates included.
Cons: the important features (community, automations, removing branding) live in the expensive plans. Longer setup curve than the rest.
Who it's for: anyone who wants fine control over design and doesn't mind configuration. See LearnBase vs Thinkific.
5. Podia — The simple one
Model: from $39/month (the basic plan charges 5% commission; the no-commission plan is $89/month).
Pros: the simplest interface of all. Courses + digital downloads + community + basic email in one place, zero friction.
Cons: precisely because it's simple, you outgrow it fast: limited customization, basic analytics, no AI. And the "cheap" plan has commission — read the fine print.
Who it's for: creators selling multiple types of digital products who prioritize simplicity. See LearnBase vs Podia.
6. Systeme.io — The aggressive free one
Model: real free plan (up to 2,000 contacts) and paid plans from ~$27/month. No commissions.
Pros: the free plan is genuinely functional — funnels, email and one course included. It's the cheapest way to leave Hotmart at low volume.
Cons: you can tell where they cut corners: basic editor, limited video hosting, and the student experience is a step below the rest.
Who it's for: anyone starting with zero budget who wants funnels + email + a course without paying anything. See LearnBase vs Systeme.io.
7. Kiwify — The Brazilian one that understands LATAM
Model: per-sale commission (~9.9%, similar to Hotmart) with total focus on Brazil/LATAM.
Pros: checkout optimized for LATAM, Pix in Brazil, strong mobile conversion, understands local payment methods better than any anglo platform.
Cons: still a commission model — you're changing owners, not models. And if your market isn't Brazil, the advantage fades.
Who it's for: creators whose main market is Brazil and who prioritize local checkout conversion. See LearnBase vs Kiwify.
The Summary Table
| Platform | Fixed cost | Commission | AI creation | Own brand | LATAM focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotmart | $0 | 9.9% + $1 | Limited | No | Yes (marketplace) |
| LearnBase | $97/mo | 0% | Yes, built-in | Yes, white-label | Yes (ES/PT native) |
| Kajabi | $179+/mo | 0% | No | Yes | No |
| Teachable | $39+/mo | 0-7.5% by plan | No | Partial | No |
| Thinkific | $49+/mo | 0% on paid plans | No | Partial | No |
| Podia | $39-89/mo | 0-5% by plan | No | Partial | No |
| Systeme.io | $0-27/mo | 0% | No | Partial | No |
| Kiwify | $0 | ~9.9% | No | No | Yes (Brazil) |
When Hotmart Is Still the Best Option
Honesty first: Hotmart isn't a bad platform. It's the best option if:
- You're validating your first course and don't want to pay anything fixed until you sell
- You have no audience and want Hotmart's marketplace and affiliates to bring you buyers
- You sell little (under ~10 courses a month): there, total commissions are less than any flat fee
The problem shows up when you scale: at 30+ sales a month, you're paying $3,900+ a year in commissions for something a $1,164/year flat fee solves. And on top of that, your students belong to Hotmart, not you: you don't control the branding, the checkout, or the relationship.
How to Choose (in 30 Seconds)
- Selling under 10 courses/mo and validating → stay on Hotmart or try Systeme.io free
- Selling 10+/mo and want to stop giving away commissions → LearnBase or Thinkific
- Want AI to handle course production → LearnBase (the only one with truly integrated AI)
- Billing $5K+/mo and want everything in one tool → Kajabi
- Your market is Brazil → Kiwify or LearnBase with native PT
The Step Nobody Mentions: Migrating Is Easier Than It Looks
Most creators stay on Hotmart out of migration laziness, not conviction. In practice:
- Export your student list (Hotmart allows it)
- Upload your videos to the new platform (on LearnBase, AI generates titles and descriptions on upload)
- Set up your domain and payment method
- Notify your current students and redirect your sales links
One weekend of work to stop paying commissions forever. The full math is in our guide to selling courses without commissions, and your specific numbers in the commission calculator.
Your knowledge, your students, your money. That's how it should always work.