> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://fayneos.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Course Pricing: Free or One-Time Price

> Offer each course for free or with a one-time price. Set prices per course and connect Stripe to receive payments directly in your own account.

Fayne prices courses individually. Each course in your academy is either free or has a one-time price. There is no single academy-wide pricing switch: you decide course by course, so you can mix free and paid courses in the same academy. You set a course's price in that course's **Access** settings, and you can change it at any time.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Free">
    A free course has no price and no checkout step. Students enroll and go straight into the course.

    **How it works:**

    Set the course to free in its **Access** settings. No Stripe connection is required for free courses. When a student clicks **Enroll**, they are taken directly into the course.

    **What you need:**

    * No Stripe account required
    * No checkout configuration

    **Good to know:**

    Free courses work well as a lead magnet, a value-add for coaching clients, or an introductory course that leads into your paid ones. Whether your academy is open to anyone or invite only is a separate setting (see below).

    <Tip>
      Use a free introductory course to build trust before pointing students toward a paid flagship course in the same academy.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="One-time price">
    A paid course has a one-time price. Students pay once and get permanent access to that course.

    **How it works:**

    Set a price in the course's **Access** settings. Students who click **Enroll** on a paid course are sent through Stripe Checkout. After payment, their enrollment is activated immediately and does not expire.

    **What you need:**

    * A paid plan (Pro or Scale); free and trial academies cannot connect Stripe
    * A connected Stripe account (**Settings > Payments**)
    * A price set on the course (prices start at a $1 minimum, stored in cents, e.g. 4900 = $49.00)

    **Good to know:**

    You can mix free and paid courses in the same academy. Fayne takes a platform fee per sale based on your plan (3% on Pro, 0% on Scale), and connecting Stripe to sell requires a paid plan (Pro or Scale); see [Stripe Connect](/payments/stripe-connect).

    <Tip>
      One-time pricing fits courses at different price points for different audiences, for example a free "Getting Started" course leading into a paid flagship course.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Course pricing vs academy access

Two settings work together but are separate:

* **Course pricing** decides what each course costs: free or a one-time price.
* **Academy access** decides who can join your academy at all: **Open** (anyone can sign up) or **Invite only** (students join by invitation). You set this in **Settings**.

Paid courses require an **Open** academy: invite-only academies support free courses only. Aside from that, course pricing and academy access are set separately.

## Comparing course pricing

|                 | Free                            | One-time price                 |
| --------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Stripe required | No                              | Yes                            |
| Student pays    | Never                           | Once per course                |
| Access duration | Permanent                       | Permanent                      |
| Best for        | Lead magnets, client value-adds | Flagship courses, paid catalog |

## Changing a course's price

You can change a course's price at any time in its **Access** settings. Students who have already paid keep their access; a price change only affects new purchases. Switching a paid course to free lets new students enroll without paying, and does not affect existing purchasers.

<Info>
  After changing pricing, double-check the course's Access settings. A course with no price set is free.
</Info>