Invitations vs. price points: enrollment methods compared

In this article: The two ways to enroll students in your Ruzuku course, what makes each one different, and when to use which. All Plans

Ruzuku gives you two enrollment methods: invitations and price points. They both get students into your course, but they work in very different ways.

Price points are the enrollment option students see on your sales page. They click Enroll, pay (or sign up for free), and they're in. It's self-serve and scales to any number of students.

Invitations are emails you send to specific people. The recipient clicks a link and enrolls for free, bypassing the sales page and payment process entirely. You control exactly who gets in.

Most creators use price points as their main enrollment method and invitations for special cases.

Side-by-side comparison

	Invitations	Price Points
How it works	You enter an email address; Ruzuku sends an enrollment link	Students visit your sales page and enroll themselves
Who initiates	You (the creator)	The student
Payment	Always free	Free, single payment, payment plan, or subscription
Security	Link tied to a specific email — can't be shared	Public link anyone can use
Scale	One person at a time (or batch entry)	Unlimited — anyone with the link can enroll
Sales page required	No	Yes (Ruzuku creates one automatically)
Student enters payment info	No	Only if the price point is paid
Tracking	Visible in Manage Course → Invitations	Visible in Manage Course → Students + Stripe/PayPal dashboard
Plan availability	Core and Pro	All plans

When to use price points

Price points are your main enrollment tool. Use them whenever students should be able to sign up on their own.

Paid courses. Create a single payment, payment plan, or subscription price point. Share your sales page link. Students pay and enroll without any manual work from you.

Free courses open to anyone. Create a free price point. Anyone who visits your sales page can enroll. This works well for lead magnets, community courses, or free previews.

Automated enrollment at scale. If you're running a course that might get 10, 100, or 1,000 students, price points handle it all. You share the link; Ruzuku handles the rest.

For example: you launch a 6-week photography course at $197. You create a single payment price point, build your sales page, and share the link in your email newsletter. Thirty students enroll over the next week. You don't touch anything.

See Create and manage price points for setup instructions.

When to use invitations

Invitations are for targeted, manual enrollment. Use them when you want to give specific people free access without sending them through the sales page.

Beta testers. You're testing a new course and want 5 colleagues to try it. Send each one an invitation.

Students who paid outside Ruzuku. Someone bought your course through a separate invoice, at a live event, or through another payment tool. Send them an invitation to get access.

Scholarship or gift access. You want to give a specific person free access. An invitation is the most direct way.

Collaborators and reviewers. Your editor, co-instructor, or virtual assistant needs to see the course content. Send them an invitation.

For example: you sell a corporate training to a company of 15 people. They pay via invoice. You enter all 15 email addresses and send invitations. Each person clicks their link and enrolls for free.

Invitations are available on Core and Pro plans. See Send free invitations for setup instructions.

Tip: Each invitation is locked to the email address you sent it to. The recipient can't forward the link to someone else and have it work. This gives you control over exactly who gets free access.

Can I use both on the same course?

Yes. Most creators do. A typical setup looks like this:

Price points on the sales page for regular enrollment (paid or free)
Invitations for the occasional person who needs free access outside the normal flow

The two methods don't interfere with each other. Students who enrolled via invitation show up under Manage Course → Students alongside students who enrolled through a price point.

What about free access? Three ways compared

If you want to give someone free access to a course, you have three options:

Method

Best for

How it works

Free price point

Open free access for anyone

Students enroll themselves via the sales page

Invitation

Free access for specific people

You send an enrollment email to each person

100% off coupon

Free access with a code

Students enter the coupon at checkout (see Coupons)

A free price point is public and permanent. An invitation is private and targeted. A 100% off coupon is somewhere in between: it's a code you share with whoever you want, and they apply it at checkout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send an invitation to someone who already enrolled through a price point?

If someone is already enrolled in the course, sending another invitation won't create a duplicate enrollment. They'll still have their existing access.

Do invited students show up differently from paying students?

All enrolled students appear under Manage Course → Students regardless of how they enrolled. You can see payment details (or lack thereof) in each student's record. Invited students won't have a payment entry because they enrolled for free.

Is there a limit on invitations?

Invitations are available on Core and Pro plans only. There is no daily limit on either plan.

Can I charge a student who was invited for free and then upgrade them to paid?

There isn't a built-in way to convert a free invitation into a paid enrollment. If you need to charge a student after the fact, handle the payment outside Ruzuku (through an invoice or Stripe directly) and leave their invitation-based access in place.