Skool pricing is short: Hobby costs $9 per month, Pro costs $99 per month, and both start with a 14-day free trial. Yearly billing drops the effective rate to $7.50 and $82 per month, marketed as two months free. There is no free plan for hosting a group.
The sticker price is the small part. The real cost lever is the transaction fee on member payments: Hobby keeps 10% + $0.30 of every charge, Pro keeps 2.9% + $0.30. Once your community bills about $1,268 a month, Pro becomes the cheaper plan overall.
Plan | Monthly | Yearly (effective) | Transaction fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobby | $9/mo | $90/yr ($7.50/mo) | 10% + $0.30 | Free groups and offers under $1,268/mo |
Pro | $99/mo | $990/yr ($82/mo) | 2.9% + $0.30 (3.9% above $900) | Paid communities past $1,268/mo |
Both plans include unlimited members, unlimited courses, video hosting, events, and Skool payments. I verified every number on the official pricing page and Skool’s payment help docs in July 2026.
Skool monthly pricing checked on July 11, 2026. Hobby costs $9 per month and Pro costs $99 per month before transaction fees.
Skool’s two public plans: Hobby at $9 per month and Pro at $99 per month, both behind the same 14-day trial.
What Skool Hobby Includes at $9 a Month
Skool Hobby costs $9 per month, or $90 per year on the yearly toggle. It includes unlimited members, unlimited courses, gamification, events, and native payments. The catch is the fee: Hobby keeps 10% + $0.30 of every member transaction, more than three times what Pro takes on the same charge.
- Unlimited members, courses, and video hosting from day one.
- Native member payments in USD, at the 10% + $0.30 Hobby fee.
- One admin seat. Extra admins and moderators are a Pro feature.
- No custom group URL and no built-in affiliate program for your group.
- 14-day free trial, then $9 auto-renews until you cancel.
What Skool Pro Adds at $99 a Month
Skool Pro costs $99 per month, or $990 per year billed annually. The member-payment fee drops to 2.9% + $0.30 for charges up to $899 and 3.9% + $0.30 above $900. Pro also unlocks a custom URL, multiple admins, group ownership transfer, and the built-in affiliate program for your community.
For a paid community, the fee drop is the feature. Every $1,000 a Hobby group bills costs $100 in fees; the same $1,000 on Pro costs $29. The other Pro features decide edge cases, but the 7.1-point fee gap decides the plan.
The Hobby vs Pro Fee Math (Where $99 Beats $9)
The two plans differ by $90 a month in subscription cost and 7.1 points in transaction fees. Divide $90 by 0.071 and you get $1,268: the monthly member revenue where Pro’s lower fee pays for its higher subscription. Below that number, stay on Hobby. Above it, Pro wins every month.
Rows exclude the flat $0.30 per transaction, which both plans charge equally and which cancels out of the comparison.
Monthly member revenue | Hobby total ($9 + 10%) | Pro total ($99 + 2.9%) | Cheaper plan |
|---|---|---|---|
$500 | $59.00 | $113.50 | Hobby |
$1,268 | $135.80 | $135.77 | Break-even |
$3,000 | $309.00 | $186.00 | Pro |
$10,000 | $1,009.00 | $389.00 | Pro |
Your numbers will not land exactly on these rows. Punch your own member count and price into the free Skool fee calculator and it returns the exact monthly cost of both plans side by side.
Skool Yearly Pricing: Two Months Free
The yearly toggle prices Hobby at $90 per year and Pro at $990 per year, an effective $7.50 and $82 per month. That is a 16.7% saving, which Skool markets as two months free. The trade-off is commitment: Skool refunds nothing for full or partial billing periods, annual terms included.
Skool’s yearly toggle in July 2026: Hobby drops to $7.50 per month and Pro to $82 per month, the two-months-free rate on $90 and $990 a year.
Take the yearly deal only after the 14-day trial plus at least one stable month of revenue. Locking $990 into an unvalidated community is how the no-refund rule gets expensive.
Costs That Are Not on the Pricing Page
Four costs surprise new Skool owners. Transaction fees are non-refundable even when you refund the member. All billing runs in USD only, so owners outside the US eat currency conversion in both directions. Single charges cap at $100,000. And hosting has no free tier: joining groups is free, running one is not.
That last point answers the common "is Skool free" question. Membership in someone else’s free community costs nothing, which is where the confusion comes from. Hosting always bills after day 14.
How Skool Pricing Compares to Circle, Mighty Networks, and Whop
Skool’s $9 entry undercuts every direct competitor’s paid tier. Circle starts at $89 per month billed annually, Mighty Networks at $95 per month billed monthly, Kajabi at $71 per month billed annually. Whop flips the model: no subscription at all, roughly 2.7% + $0.30 per transaction instead.
Platform | Cheapest paid start | Transaction fee | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
Skool | $9/mo | 10% + $0.30 (2.9% on Pro) | 14 days |
Circle | $89/mo, billed annually | 2% platform fee on Professional | 14 days |
Mighty Networks | $95/mo (about $79/mo annual) | 2% on Launch | 14 days |
Kajabi | $71/mo, billed annually | 2.9% + $0.30 via Kajabi Payments | 30 days |
Whop | $0/mo, pay per transaction | about 2.7% + $0.30 | Not needed |
Prices verified on each official pricing page in July 2026. If the platform choice is still open, I compare nine tested options with fees and who each one fits on the best Skool alternatives page.
Which Skool Plan Should You Pick?
Pick by monthly member revenue, not by feature lists. Under $1,268 a month, Hobby’s $9 subscription wins even with the 10% fee. Past $1,268, Pro’s 2.9% fee makes it the cheaper plan overall. Start the 14-day trial on Hobby unless you already run a proven paid offer.
- Choose Hobby if: you run a free group, or a paid one billing under $1,268 a month.
- Choose Pro if: member billing clears $1,268 a month, or you need the group affiliate program, custom URL, or extra admins.
- Choose neither if: you need email funnels, white-label apps, or deep branding. My Skool review names the better-fit platforms for those jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Skool cost per month?
Skool costs $9 per month on Hobby or $99 per month on Pro. Yearly billing lowers the effective price to $7.50 and $82 per month. Both plans start with a 14-day free trial and bill in USD.
Is Skool free?
Joining a free community is free. Hosting your own group is not. Skool has no free hosting tier: after the 14-day trial, a group costs $9 or $99 per month.
What is the difference between Skool Hobby and Pro?
The main difference is the transaction fee: 10% on Hobby versus 2.9% on Pro. Pro also adds a custom URL, multiple admins, group ownership transfer, and the built-in affiliate program for your community.
What percentage does Skool take from payments?
Hobby pays 10% + $0.30 per transaction; Pro pays 2.9% + $0.30. Pro charges above $900 carry 3.9% + $0.30. Skool states these fees replace separate Stripe processing charges, and they are non-refundable.
Does Skool offer yearly billing?
Yes. Hobby is $90 per year and Pro is $990 per year, two months free. The effective rates are $7.50 and $82 per month. Skool does not refund full or partial billing periods, so commit after the trial.
When should I upgrade from Hobby to Pro?
Upgrade at about $1,268 in monthly member billing. That is where Pro’s 2.9% fee offsets the $90 subscription gap. Upgrade earlier if you need the affiliate program, extra admins, or a custom URL.
Are there Skool coupon codes?
No. Skool has never published public coupon codes. The only discounts are the 14-day free trial and yearly billing at two months free. Pages promising a Skool promo code are padding.
Does Skool refund subscriptions?
No. Skool’s payment terms state subscription fees are non-refundable. That covers full and partial billing periods and non-use. Canceling stops the next renewal but never reverses a charge that already ran.
Are there hidden Skool fees beyond the subscription?
The main extra cost is the per-transaction fee on member payments. Billing is USD-only (conversion costs apply abroad), transaction fees are non-refundable, and single charges cap at $100,000.