# Udemy alternatives for instructors: sell your course direct

> Udemy pays instructors 37% of a marketplace sale. Keep your listing and sell a premium version from your own site, with VAT handled and payouts in 86 countries.

**The problem:** "Udemy decides what I earn per sale. Can I sell my course myself?"

For most instructors, the best of the Udemy alternatives is your own checkout next to your Udemy listing, not a new platform. Udemy’s Instructor Terms give you 37% of the net amount on a marketplace sale. Keep Udemy for discovery and sell a premium version from your own site at a price you set: AgentaOS is the official seller of each direct sale, handles the buyer’s VAT and pays you to your own bank in 86 countries, including ones Stripe doesn’t serve.

## What does Udemy keep, and what do you keep direct?

- On a Udemy marketplace sale, the instructor share is “37% of the Net Amount”; with the instructor’s own coupon code or referral link it is 97% ([Udemy Instructor Terms](https://www.udemy.com/terms/instructor/), updated 29 July 2026).
- The Net Amount is the price after taxes and “a 3% service and processing fee” on web checkout sales (same terms).
- In Udemy’s subscription plan, the instructor share has been 15% since 1 January 2026 ([Udemy 10-Q, Q1 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1607939/000160793926000061/udmy-20260331.htm)).
- AgentaOS charges 4.5% + €0.50 per sale (+1.5% on cards issued outside the EEA) and €0 a month ([pricing](https://agentaos.ai/pricing)).
- On a $50 course sold direct: $47.25 to you after payment fees (EEA card), $46.50 (card from outside the EEA).

## Who is this for?

Instructors who already have students on Udemy and want to sell a premium version direct. It’s especially for instructors in [N. Macedonia](https://agentaos.ai/countries/north-macedonia), [Serbia](https://agentaos.ai/countries/serbia) or [Pakistan](https://agentaos.ai/countries/pakistan), where Stripe does not accept sellers. That matters because course hosts often need Stripe for their own checkout: Teachable’s setup guide says that if your country is not supported, “you’ll be routed to CPG onboarding”, which asks you to connect a Stripe account ([Teachable](https://support.teachable.com/en/articles/15624639-set-up-teachable-payments-and-start-selling)).

You can sell as an individual. No company abroad is needed.

## What does AgentaOS do, and what not?

**It does:** take the payment by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay from buyers in 190+ countries; act as the official seller; add VAT or sales tax where it is due; send the invoice; handle refunds and card disputes; pay you in EUR or USD.

**It does not:** host your videos, run quizzes or issue certificates. Keep your lessons on a course host, a private video host or a members page. After paying, the buyer lands on your course access page.

**Allowed under our [Terms](https://agentaos.ai/terms):** online courses, memberships and digital content. Coaching quoted per client is not allowed; a fixed package with the same scope and price for every buyer can be sold as an approved Service Package.

## What does a $50 course sale leave you: Udemy vs direct?

|$50 course, paid by card|On the Udemy marketplace|On your own checkout with AgentaOS|
|Buyer pays|$50.00|$50.00|
|Fees taken first|Taxes, plus a 3% service and processing fee on web checkout sales|None|
|What you earn|37% of the net amount = **$17.95** on a marketplace sale; 97% = **$47.05** when the student uses your own coupon or referral link|**$47.25** (EEA card) or **$46.50** (card from outside the EEA, +1.5%)|
|In Udemy’s subscription plan|15% instructor share since 1 January 2026|Not applicable|
|Who collects tax from the buyer|Udemy|AgentaOS, as the official seller|
|Who hosts the video|Udemy|You, on your own course host|
|Who brings the buyer|Udemy’s marketplace|You: your YouTube, email list, website, social|

Sources: [Udemy Instructor Terms](https://www.udemy.com/terms/instructor/) (updated 29 July 2026), [Udemy 10-Q, Q1 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1607939/000160793926000061/udmy-20260331.htm); AgentaOS [pricing](https://agentaos.ai/pricing) and [every fee](https://agentaos.ai/merchant-of-record-fees). Checked 8 November 2026. Udemy example: no tax, web checkout, $50 - 3% = $48.50 net. Payment fees only. On a sale in dollars, the fixed part is charged as $0.50 ([Terms](https://agentaos.ai/terms), section 6).

Honestly: Udemy finds students for you, and that is worth a lot. A direct sale only happens when you bring the buyer. So for most instructors, keeping the listing and adding a direct checkout for a premium version makes more sense than leaving.

## What happens when a student pays you direct?

- **The student** clicks your buy link and pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- **AgentaOS** is the official seller. It takes the payment, adds VAT or sales tax where it is due, sends the invoice in its own name, and handles refunds and disputes.
- **The student’s browser** goes to your course access page, the Success URL you set. Your backend or Zapier can also get a signed webhook with the buyer’s email.
- **You** give access to the course and get the sale price minus 4.5% + €0.50, paid to your own bank.

## How do you sell your course direct, step by step?

- **Read Udemy’s current Instructor Terms.** Check what they say about selling your course elsewhere and about sending Udemy students to other sites ([Instructor Terms](https://www.udemy.com/terms/instructor/)).
- **Check you can get paid where you live.** Open [your country’s page](https://agentaos.ai/countries). AgentaOS pays out in EUR or USD to your own bank in 86 countries.
- **Decide what the premium version adds.** For example workbooks, templates, project files, extra modules or recorded Q&A sessions: something a student can’t get from the Udemy version.
- **Pick where the lessons live.** A course host, a private video host or a password-protected page. If your course host asks for Stripe, see the [Teachable](https://agentaos.ai/answers/sell-courses-when-teachable-payments-not-available) and [Thinkific or Podia](https://agentaos.ai/answers/sell-courses-when-thinkific-or-podia-payments-not-available) answers.
- **Create the course as a product in AgentaOS.** Pick a one-time price, then under **After payment** add a redirect and set your course access page as the **Success URL** ([payment links docs](https://docs.agentaos.ai/payments/payment-links.md)).
- **Give each student access.** Enrol them by hand on your course host, or send the paid-order [webhook](https://docs.agentaos.ai/payments/webhooks.md) to Zapier to enrol them for you.
- **Share your buy link where your audience already is.** Your YouTube channel, newsletter, website and social posts, and on Udemy only where Udemy’s terms allow it.

## Checklist before your first direct sale

- ✓**Udemy’s Instructor Terms read: selling elsewhere and promotion rules checked
- ✓**Your country is on our country list
- ✓**Premium version planned: what it adds over the Udemy course
- ✓**Lessons hosted, with free or self-enrol access switched off
- ✓**One-time product created, course access page set as the Success URL
- ✓**Enrolment plan: by hand, or webhook plus Zapier
- ✓**Welcome email with login steps ready
- ✓**No per-client coaching in the offer; any coaching is a fixed package
- ✓**You know what a $50 sale leaves you ($47.25 on an EEA card)
- ✓**Buy link on your YouTube, newsletter and website

## When is AgentaOS the wrong choice?

- **You have no audience yet.** A direct checkout doesn’t bring students; Udemy’s marketplace does.
- **You want hosting and checkout in one tool, with automatic enrolment.** AgentaOS doesn’t host video. If your course host’s own payments work in your country, use them.
- **You sell coaching quoted per client.** Our Terms don’t allow it; only fixed packages, the same for every buyer, after approval.
- **You need all the cash on day one.** New accounts have 15% of each sale set aside for 120 days ([Terms](https://agentaos.ai/terms)).

## Related questions

### How much does Udemy keep from a course sale?

Udemy's Instructor Terms give instructors 37% of the net amount on marketplace sales and 97% when students use the instructor's own coupon or referral link. The net amount is after taxes and a 3% processing fee on web sales.

### Can I sell my Udemy course on my own site?

Read Udemy's Instructor Terms first for the current rules on selling elsewhere and on promotion. Many instructors keep the Udemy course and sell a premium version with workbooks, files or extra modules from their own site.

### Does AgentaOS host my course videos?

No. AgentaOS takes the payment, handles VAT and pays you. Your lessons stay on your own course host or video host. After paying, the student lands on your course access page, and you get a webhook to enrol them.

### Can I sell courses from N. Macedonia, Serbia or Pakistan without Stripe?

Yes. Stripe does not accept sellers in these countries. AgentaOS pays out to your own bank in 86 countries, including all three, in EUR or USD (USD in Pakistan). You can sell as an individual, with no company needed.

### Who handles VAT when I sell my course direct?

AgentaOS does. It is the official seller of each sale, so it adds VAT or sales tax where it is due and issues the invoice in its own name. That tax is not yours to file.

Reviewed by Panche Isajeski, founder of AgentaOS. Checked 8 November 2026.

https://agentaos.ai/answers/udemy-alternative-sell-your-course-direct