How pricing types work
Alva Courses checks the pricing type every time someone opens a course or your storefront courses page, so it decides both who can open the course and who sees it listed. A course left in Draft stays hidden from learners, whatever its type.
| Pricing type | Who can open it | Listed on the courses page |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Anyone, signed in or not | For every visitor |
| Free With Account | Signed-in customers | Once the customer signs in |
| One Time Purchase | Enrolled students only | Only after they are enrolled |
Free: open to every visitor
A Free course opens for anyone with the link, including visitors who are not signed in, and it is listed on your courses page for everyone. Signed-out visitors can read its lessons, but they must sign in to save progress, take a quiz or post a comment.
When a signed-in customer opens a Free course, Alva Courses enrols them automatically, so their progress and quiz results are recorded from then on. Nobody needs to buy anything.
Free With Account: free for signed-in customers
A Free With Account course is free, but only for customers signed in to their account on your store. Signed-out visitors don't see it on your courses page, and opening its link asks them to log in first.
Once signed in, the customer can open the course straight away, and Alva Courses enrols them automatically the first time they do. No order is involved.
One Time Purchase: for enrolled students
A One Time Purchase course opens only for students who are enrolled in it. Customers normally enrol by buying a linked product: when the order is paid, Alva Courses enrols the buyer automatically. See Link a course to a Shopify product.
You can also enrol students by hand, import them from a CSV file, or grant access with membership tags, which only work on this pricing type.
The course is never listed on your courses page before someone is enrolled, so shoppers find and buy it on its Shopify product page. Its price is the product's price, and the Access Duration card appears only for this type. A passed deadline is tracked, not enforced, so the student keeps access; see Set a course deadline.
Changing the pricing type on a live course
You can change the pricing type at any time, and Alva Courses applies the new rule the next time anyone opens the course. Changing it never removes enrolments or progress. Moving from Free to Free With Account closes the course to signed-out visitors and removes it from their courses page.
Switching to One Time Purchase shows a price field filled with the product's current price, which is usually 0 for a course that was free. Enter your price and save, and Alva Courses writes it to the course's Shopify product. Everyone already enrolled keeps access, including signed-in customers who opened the course while it was free.
Switching from One Time Purchase to Free or Free With Account opens the course without a purchase, but Alva Courses does not change the product's price, so its product page still charges for it. Change that price in Shopify if you no longer want to sell the course.
Set or change the pricing type
1. Open the pricing settings
In Alva Courses, open Courses, click the course, then open its Settings tab and choose Pricing & access. For a new course, use the Pricing card after you click Create Course.
2. Choose the pricing type
In the Pricing & Access card, select Free, Free With Account or One Time Purchase. For One Time Purchase, enter the price in the field that appears below it.
3. Save and check your storefront
Click Save in the save bar. Then open yourstore.com/apps/alva/courses once signed out and once signed in to check who sees the course.
What learners see
On your courses page, signed-out visitors see your Free courses, each labelled Free, and a Log In button; signed-in customers see their progress on each card instead.
A signed-out visitor who opens a Free With Account course sees "This course requires you to be logged in to access it." and a Log In to Continue button. Opening a One Time Purchase course without an enrolment shows "Log in to access your course content." and a Log In button.
Common questions
Does a Free course need a Shopify product?
It has one, but nobody needs to buy it. Alva Courses links a product to every course when you create it, whatever the pricing type. On a Free or Free With Account course, students get in simply by opening the course.
Why is my One Time Purchase course missing from the courses page?
Alva Courses lists a One Time Purchase course only for students who are enrolled in it. Shoppers buy it from its Shopify product page, and it appears on their courses page once they are enrolled.
Can I choose Free With Account when I create a course from an existing product?
Not on the create page. With Select existing product, Alva Courses sets the type from the product's price: Free for a zero price, One Time Purchase for anything higher. Switch to Free With Account afterwards in the course's Pricing & access settings.
Do membership tags work on Free or Free With Account courses?
No. Membership tags grant access to One Time Purchase courses only. Free and Free With Account courses are already open to every visitor or to every signed-in customer.
See also
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Last updated 2026-10-09