> ## 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, Paid, or Members-Only

> Every course has one access setting: free for your members, sold for a one-time price, or reserved for bundles, the Academy Pass, and personal grants.

Fayne prices courses individually. Each course's **Access** setting has three options: **Free**, **Paid**, or **Members-only**. There is no academy-wide pricing switch: you decide course by course, so free, paid, and members-only courses can live side by side in the same academy. You set it in the course's settings, or for all courses at once from **Sell → Course pricing**, and you can change it at any time.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Free">
    A free course is open to everyone in your academy. There is no price, no checkout, and no enroll step: students open the course and click **Start Learning**.

    **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="Paid">
    A paid course is sold on its own for a one-time price. Students pay once through Stripe Checkout and keep access permanently.

    **What you need:**

    * A paid plan (Starter, Pro, or Scale); trial academies cannot connect Stripe
    * A connected Stripe account (**Settings > Payments**)
    * A price on the course, between $1 and $999 (see [Stripe Connect](/docs/payments/stripe-connect) for fees)

    **Good to know:**

    Setting a course to Paid creates a single-course [offer](/docs/payments/offers) behind the scenes, sold right on the course page. Single-course pricing is always one-time. The same course can also be part of a bundle or the Academy Pass at the same time, and those can bill monthly if you choose. Fayne takes a platform fee per sale based on your plan (5% on Starter, 3% on Pro, 0% on Scale).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Members-only">
    A members-only course is not sold on its own and is not open to everyone. Students get it through something that grants it: a bundle, the Academy Pass, or a personal grant from you.

    **What you need:**

    * At least one path in: put the course in a [bundle or the Pass](/docs/payments/offers), grant it to students directly, or link one of your Lists to an offer that covers it

    **Good to know:**

    This is the setting for paid or exclusive content you only want reachable through a bigger purchase, a subscription, a cohort, or a direct grant from you. Students without access see how to get in if a purchasable offer covers the course, or a note that access is managed by the academy when none does.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Beyond single courses

Individual course pricing is the simplest layer. To sell several courses as one product, or your whole catalog, create an [Offer](/docs/payments/offers): bundles get their own product page and storefront card, and the Academy Pass covers everything you publish. Bundles and the Pass can be sold one-time or as a monthly (or yearly) subscription. Offers can also be free (lead magnets, cohort access via Lists).

## Course pricing vs academy access

Two settings work together but are separate:

* **Course access** decides what each course costs: free, a one-time price, or members-only.
* **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**.

The two combine freely. An invite-only academy can sell paid courses to its invited members, and an open academy can keep some courses members-only.

## Comparing course access settings

|                 | Free                            | Paid                           | Members-only                                     |
| --------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Stripe required | No                              | Yes                            | Only if sold via a paid offer                    |
| Student pays    | Never                           | Once per course                | Depends on the offer that covers it              |
| Sold on its own | n/a                             | Yes, on the course page        | No                                               |
| Best for        | Lead magnets, client value-adds | Flagship courses, paid catalog | Bundle-only and Pass-only content, cohort access |

## Changing a course's access

You can change a course's setting at any time, from its settings or the bulk **Sell → Course pricing** table. Students who already have access keep it: purchases are permanent, and grants stay until you revoke them. A price change only affects new purchases, and switching a paid course to free lets new students start it without paying.

<Info>
  The course settings show which bundles and the Pass a course is included in, so you always see every path into it before changing anything.
</Info>