Udemy is the world’s largest online learning marketplace with over 70 million students and 250,000 courses across virtually every professional and personal skill category. Anyone can apply to become an instructor, create a video course, and publish it to the platform’s massive built-in audience. The real advantage is discoverability; you don’t need to build your own audience because Udemy’s search engine and recommendation algorithm surfaces your courses to students already looking for that content. The revenue share has been evolving, with the subscription model dropping to 15% per instructor in January 2026, but marketplace sales from your own links still pay 97%.
Pay
97% of sales you drive with your own coupon or referral link. 37% of organic marketplace sales. 15% from Udemy Business subscription consumption starting January 2026. On a $50 course, you earn $48.50 from referral sales and roughly $18.50 from organic marketplace sales.
How You Make Money
You create and publish video courses, students purchase or subscribe to access them, and Udemy deposits your earnings monthly via PayPal.
Payment Method
You create and publish video courses, students purchase or subscribe to access them, and Udemy deposits your earnings monthly via PayPal.
Withdrawal Speed
Monthly, paid within the first week of the following month
Skill Level
Intermediate (course creation and subject expertise required)
Pros
70 million+ active students give you instant marketplace exposure without building your own audience
Free to create and publish courses, no upfront cost whatsoever
Marketplace Insights tool shows demand, competition, and revenue potential by niche before you create
Courses earn passively long after they are published with no ongoing effort
Own coupon links pay out 97%, which is excellent for creators who drive their own traffic
Cons
Udemy can discount your course to $9.99 without your consent, significantly cutting your per-sale earnings
Subscription model payout reduced to 15% in January 2026, a 40% cut from previous rates
You do not receive student email addresses, so you cannot build your own list from Udemy
Increasing saturation in popular categories like Python, marketing, and productivity
Best For
Subject matter experts and educators who want to monetize their knowledge with zero upfront cost by tapping into a 70 million-strong student marketplace
