Course pricing benchmarks in Switzerland
Course buyers in Switzerland typically price-anchor between $59 and $2200, with $349 the most common single-purchase price. Local-language courses tend to price 20–40% below English-language equivalents because the addressable market is smaller and price-anchored to local benchmarks.
- • Entry-level (recorded only): ~$59
- • Typical premium recorded course: ~$349
- • High-ticket cohort / coaching: $2200+
- • Cohort/live formats support 3–6x the price of recorded equivalents.
MWST (VAT) on digital products in Switzerland
8.1% MWST on digital products to CH consumers; foreign sellers register if revenue exceeds CHF 100k/year. Built into the modelled price, 8.1% MWST (VAT) reduces your effective take-home unless you collect it on top of list price (gross-up).
Why launch math beats audience math
Most creators obsess over total audience and ignore the funnel. A 10k-follower account with 20% email capture and a 3% launch conversion sells 60 courses per launch — same as a 60k-follower account with 5% email capture and a 2% launch conversion. The difference: the 10k account has built a real owned channel and trust, not just a follower count.
- • Owned email > rented audience. Followers can disappear in one algo change.
- • Lead magnets that solve a specific problem outperform generic 'free guides' 3–5x.
- • Pre-launch waitlists convert 3–5x better than open-cart launches — always run one.
Price isn't a number — it's a positioning lever
Doubling price typically only halves conversion when you signal 2x value. Cohort programs, live access, and accountability features support 2–10x price increases without proportional conversion loss. Recorded-only courses without coaching cap at ~$300 for most niches.
Evergreen vs launch model
Launches generate revenue spikes (good for cash flow, hard to forecast). Evergreen funnels generate predictable revenue but require constant ad spend to refill the audience. Best of both: launch quarterly to your warm list, then run an evergreen funnel for cold paid traffic between launches.
FAQ
What's a typical course price in Switzerland?
Recorded courses in Switzerland sell for $59–$2200, clustering around $349. Cohort and live formats support 3–6x markup. Local-language courses generally price below English-language equivalents.
Do I need to charge MWST (VAT) on online courses in Switzerland?
8.1% MWST on digital products to CH consumers; foreign sellers register if revenue exceeds CHF 100k/year.
Which platform should I use to sell courses in Switzerland?
Teachable, Thinkific, Podia and Kajabi all support multi-currency checkout and MWST (VAT) collection. Hotmart dominates LATAM. For Switzerland specifically, check whether your platform auto-handles MWST (VAT) remittance or only collects — if it only collects, you remain responsible for filing.
What's a realistic conversion rate for a course launch?
Email-to-buyer conversion: 0.5–1.5% for cold lists, 2–4% for warm engaged lists, 3–6% for highly trusted founder-led audiences. Anything above 8% is exceptional and usually means a small, very targeted list.
How much should I charge for my course?
Recorded courses without support: $97–$497 sweet spot. Cohort-based with live coaching: $497–$2,997. High-ticket with implementation: $2,997–$10k+. Price for the transformation you deliver, not the hours of video — students happily pay $1,000 for a 3-hour course that saves them $20k.
What's a normal refund rate?
4–8% is healthy. Below 2% usually means you're under-promising. Above 10% suggests a positioning/promise mismatch — fix sales page expectations before fixing the course.
Teachable vs Kajabi vs Thinkific vs your own site?
Under $50k/year: Teachable or Thinkific (cheapest, lowest fees). $50–$500k: Kajabi (best all-in-one, higher fixed fee). $500k+: custom checkout on your own site (Memberstack/MemberSpace + Stripe) — saves 5–8% in fees that flow straight to profit.