systeme.io Pricing in 2026: Free Plan Limits, Paid Plans, and When to Upgrade

The short answer: start with systeme.io’s Free plan unless you already know that you need more than 2,000 contacts, three sales funnels, or one course. The Free plan does not expire and does not require a credit card. Startup is the first sensible upgrade for most growing creator businesses, while Webinar and Unlimited solve more specific capacity and sales-process needs.

This guide uses systeme.io’s English-language public pricing and help documentation. We did not test a paid account or process a live checkout. Prices and limits below were checked on August 11, 2026 and can change.

systeme.io Pricing at a Glance

systeme.io has four public plans. The prices below use monthly billing in US dollars. The pricing page also advertises two months free with yearly billing.

All four plans include unlimited email sends, file storage, and students. systeme.io also lists no platform transaction fees on every plan. Resource limits still differ, especially for contacts, funnels, courses, custom domains, and advanced capabilities.

Do not choose a plan by counting features alone. The most useful upgrade trigger is usually the first limit your actual business is about to reach.

What the Free Plan Includes

The Free plan is more than a time-limited trial. It costs $0, does not expire, and does not require a credit card. Its public limits include:

• Up to 2,000 contacts
• Three sales funnels
• One course
• One blog
• One affiliate program
• One custom domain
• Unlimited email sends
• Unlimited file storage
• Unlimited students

The platform’s core tools cover landing pages, email marketing, automation, checkout, courses, communities, and affiliate management. That makes the Free plan a credible way to validate a small digital-product, coaching, or course offer without paying for several separate applications.

Where the Free plan becomes restrictive

The Free plan becomes restrictive when your operation needs more capacity, not simply when you start making sales. Common pressure points are:

• Your contact list is approaching 2,000 people
• You need more than three separate funnels
• You want to publish a second course
• You need additional custom domains
• Your automation or workflow design exceeds the plan’s limits

Do not upgrade just because a paid plan looks more professional. Build one complete customer journey first: an opt-in page, a short email sequence, a checkout, and the content a buyer receives. That test shows which limit matters in practice.

When to Upgrade to Startup

Startup costs $17 per month on monthly billing. It raises the contact allowance to 5,000, removes the sales-funnel cap shown on the Free plan, and supports five courses.

Startup is the best paid starting point when you have already validated an offer and need more room, but do not need automated webinars or unlimited contacts. It is especially suitable when you:

• Run several lead magnets or product funnels
• Manage a growing email list below 5,000 contacts
• Sell more than one course
• Need to connect several brands or campaign domains

The key reason to upgrade is operational capacity. A larger plan will not improve an unclear offer or an unfinished funnel.

When the Webinar Plan Makes Sense

Webinar costs $47 per month on monthly billing and supports up to 10,000 contacts. Its defining addition is the evergreen webinar feature.

An evergreen webinar is a recorded presentation delivered through a scheduled funnel. It can be useful for product demonstrations, course launches, and higher-consideration offers that need more explanation than a landing page provides.

Choose Webinar when automated presentations are part of your established sales process, or when your contact list has grown beyond Startup’s limit. If you only need landing pages, email automation, checkout, and courses, Startup is usually the more economical paid plan.

Who Needs Unlimited

Unlimited costs $97 per month on monthly billing. It removes the contact limit and the public pricing summary lists unlimited funnels and courses. It also targets businesses that need broader account capacity, subaccounts, or migration support.

Unlimited is most relevant for:

• Businesses with more than 10,000 contacts
• Agencies or consultants managing multiple brands or client work
• Teams operating many offers and funnels
• Businesses that would otherwise maintain several paid marketing tools

Unlimited is not automatically the best value for a new business. Its value appears when the lower plans create measurable constraints or when consolidating existing tools reduces operational work.

systeme.io Fees vs Payment Processor Fees

systeme.io’s pricing page says all plans have no platform transaction fees. This means systeme.io does not add a percentage fee to each sale on top of the subscription price.

That does not make card or PayPal payments free. Stripe, PayPal, and other payment providers can still charge their own processing, currency-conversion, dispute, or payout fees. Those costs depend on the provider, buyer location, business country, currency, and payment method.

Before launching a paid offer:

1. Confirm that your preferred payment provider supports your business country.
2. Review that provider’s current fee schedule for your region.
3. Check whether your selling price and refund policy leave enough margin after processing costs.
4. Verify taxes and invoicing obligations for the markets you serve.

systeme.io’s help center documents connecting Stripe and activating Stripe or PayPal on an order form. The availability and terms of each provider remain separate from your systeme.io plan.

Upgrade, Downgrade, and Billing Details

systeme.io offers monthly and annual subscriptions. Its public pricing page advertises two months free when paying yearly, but annual billing is a longer commitment. Test the workflow you need before choosing it.

The official subscription-management guide notes several details:

• You can upgrade from the plan area in account settings.
• With a credit-card subscription, the remaining time on the old plan can be converted into a trial period before the new plan’s full charge begins.
• PayPal does not support the same prorated upgrade flow; support may need to cancel the previous subscription.
• A downgrade may require contacting support and bringing account usage within the lower plan’s limits.
• Exceeding plan limits can lead to restrictions or a plan adjustment.

Billing behavior can change, so review the account screen and current help documentation immediately before changing plans.

Which Plan Should You Choose?

Choose Free if you are validating one offer

Free is the right default for a small list, one course, and a simple launch. Use it until a specific resource limit blocks a real next step.

Choose Startup if your first offer is working

Startup is the practical paid tier for multiple funnels, several courses, and a list below 5,000 contacts. It gives a growing creator more room without paying for webinar functionality.

Choose Webinar if automated presentations drive sales

Webinar makes sense when evergreen webinars are part of a proven customer journey or when your list has outgrown Startup.

Choose Unlimited if capacity or client operations justify it

Unlimited fits high-volume lists, many active offers, and multi-brand or client work. Upgrade when the removed limits save more time or money than the higher subscription costs.

Before You Pay Annually

Run a small end-to-end test before committing to a year. Confirm that a visitor can subscribe, receive the right emails, reach checkout, pay with the intended method, and access the promised product.

systeme.io’s help center says Stripe does not provide a test-purchase mode inside this workflow. Its documented approach is to create a low-priced real purchase and then refund it, while noting that third-party fees may still apply. If you use this method, keep the price low, use your own account, and verify the processor’s refund-fee policy first.

Also confirm:

• The custom domain and sender-email setup
• The contact and funnel limits you expect to use
• Payment availability in your business country
• The current annual total and renewal terms
• How cancellation or downgrading affects resources above the lower plan’s limits

Alternatives to Consider

systeme.io is strongest when you want funnels, email, checkout, automation, and course delivery in one lower-cost platform. A different tool may fit better when one specialized capability matters more.

• Thinkific is a stronger candidate when course structure and the student experience are the priority.
• Kajabi is worth considering for an established creator who wants a broader premium business platform.
• Podia can suit creators who value a simple workflow across courses, downloads, community, and email.

See our all-in-one online course platform comparison for a broader evaluation of systeme.io, Thinkific, Teachable, Kajabi, Podia, and ClickFunnels.

Final Recommendation

For most new solo creators, start with the Free plan. It is sufficient to build and test a complete basic sales path, and it avoids paying for capacity before the business needs it.

Move to Startup when the Free plan’s contact, funnel, course, or domain limits block active work. Choose Webinar for a real evergreen-webinar strategy, and Unlimited only when audience size, offer volume, or client operations justify the additional cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is systeme.io really free?

Yes. systeme.io’s public pricing page lists a $0 Free plan that does not require a credit card. It has resource limits, including 2,000 contacts, three funnels, and one course.

Does the systeme.io Free plan expire?

No. The public pricing page says the Free plan does not expire. Confirm the current terms before signing up because plan details can change.

Does systeme.io charge transaction fees?

systeme.io says it charges no platform transaction fees on any plan. Your payment provider can still charge processing and related fees.

Can I upgrade later?

Yes. systeme.io documents plan upgrades from account settings. The exact timing and payment treatment differ between credit-card and PayPal subscriptions, so review the current billing screen and help guide first.

Which systeme.io plan includes webinars?

The Webinar plan includes the evergreen webinar feature. The Unlimited plan also includes the platform’s full feature set.

Is annual billing cheaper?

The public pricing page advertises two months free with yearly billing. Compare the current annual total with monthly billing and test your complete workflow before making the longer commitment.