Skool wins for solo creators who want a paid community running this week; Circle wins for brands that need the community to look and behave like their own product. Skool starts at $9 a month with an all-in payment fee. Circle starts at $89 a month billed annually, plus a 2% platform fee and card processing on top.
I run Skool for this site and verified both pricing pages in July 2026. The short version: Skool is cheaper to start, Circle is deeper to build in, and the fee structures cross over depending on your member revenue.
Skool | Circle | |
|---|---|---|
Cheapest paid start | $9/mo (Hobby) | $89/mo (Professional, billed annually) |
Transaction fee | 10% + $0.30 Hobby, 2.9% + $0.30 Pro (all-in) | 2% platform fee + card processing |
Free trial | 14 days | 14 days, no card |
Courses | Included, unlimited | Included (spaces) |
Gamification | Points, levels, leaderboards built in | Lighter engagement features |
Branding control | Minimal | Extensive (spaces, layouts, custom look) |
What Each Platform Is
Skool is a deliberately simple community platform: one feed, a classroom, a calendar, gamification, and native payments, priced at $9 or $99 a month. It was built by Sam Ovens and is heavily promoted by Alex Hormozi, which is why every coach on the internet seems to run one.
Circle is a community platform for brands that outgrew Facebook Groups. Its core unit is the space: chat spaces, post spaces, event spaces, and course spaces you assemble into a customized member area. Pricing starts at $89 a month on the Professional plan, billed annually per Circle’s own pricing footnote.
Pricing and Fees: The Crossover Math
The subscriptions differ by $80 a month at entry, and the fee models differ in kind. Skool’s fee is all-in: 10% + $0.30 on Hobby or 2.9% + $0.30 on Pro, with no separate processing charge. Circle charges a 2% platform fee on Professional, and card processing lands on top of it.
Monthly member revenue | Skool Hobby ($9 + 10%) | Skool Pro ($99 + 2.9%) | Circle Professional ($89 + 2% + ~2.9% processing) |
|---|---|---|---|
$500 | $59 | $114 | $114 |
$1,000 | $109 | $128 | $138 |
$5,000 | $509 | $244 | $334 |
Processing estimated at Stripe’s standard 2.9% + $0.30; flat per-transaction cents are excluded on all three columns.
Two takeaways. Under roughly $1,000 a month, Skool Hobby is the cheapest seat in the game. Past $1,268 a month, Skool Pro beats everything here on total cost, because its 2.9% already includes processing. The exact switch point for your numbers is in the Skool pricing breakdown.
Community Experience: Simplicity vs Control
Skool gives every community the same three tabs and makes engagement the product: points for contributions, levels that unlock courses, and a leaderboard that keeps members visible. Circle gives you the keys instead: space types, layouts, member segments, and a look that matches your brand rather than Skool’s.
That difference decides most real purchases. A coach selling a $49-a-month mastermind benefits from Skool’s enforced simplicity, because members never get lost. A company running a customer community around a product usually needs Circle’s structure, because one feed cannot hold support, announcements, and cohorts at once.
Courses and Monetization
Both platforms sell memberships and courses natively. Skool ties course access to levels or purchases inside one classroom tab, and its checkout runs in USD only. Circle sells subscriptions, one-time purchases, and gated spaces with more packaging options. Neither is a full marketing suite; email funnels live elsewhere in both cases.
Payments and Payouts in Practice
Skool pays owners every Wednesday, with the first payout landing within 14 days, and bills members in USD only. Its fee is final: transaction fees stay with Skool even when you refund a member. Circle’s platform fee scales by plan instead, from 2% on Professional down to 1% on Business and 0.5% on Enterprise.
- Skool: USD-only checkout, weekly Wednesday payouts, single charges capped at $100,000.
- Circle: the 2% fee is the entry rate; bigger communities negotiate it down a full plan tier at a time.
- Refund reality: Skool keeps its transaction fee on refunded payments, so budget fees into your churn math.
If Circle’s structure appeals but the $89 entry does not, the middle path is usually Mighty Networks, which I break down in the Skool vs Mighty Networks comparison.
Choose Skool or Circle: The 30-Second Version
- Choose Skool if: you are a solo creator or coach, want gamified engagement, and care about the lowest all-in cost under about $5,000 a month in member billing.
- Choose Circle if: brand control, flexible space structure, and a customer-community layout matter more than $80 a month and a leaderboard.
- Still deciding? My full Skool review covers who should skip Skool entirely.
Switching Between Skool and Circle
Expect a weekend of work, not a click. Courses rebuild manually on either side, member payments need a fresh checkout (subscriptions do not transfer between processors), and your members must re-onboard. Time the move against billing: Skool refunds nothing mid-period, so cancel at the cycle edge using the cancellation guide, and run both trials in parallel before moving anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Skool better than Circle?
For solo creators and coaches, usually yes; for brand communities, usually no. Skool wins on simplicity, gamification, and a $9 entry. Circle wins on customization, space structure, and brand control at $89 a month billed annually.
Which is cheaper, Skool or Circle?
Skool, at almost every revenue level. Hobby costs $9 versus Circle’s $89 entry, and Skool Pro’s 2.9% + $0.30 fee already includes processing, while Circle adds its 2% platform fee on top of card processing.
Do Skool and Circle both have free trials?
Yes, 14 days on both. Circle’s trial starts without a card. Skool’s trial converts to a paid plan on day 15 unless you cancel by day 13.
Which platform is better for courses?
They are close; the difference is packaging. Skool ships one classroom with level-gated or paid access. Circle packages courses as spaces with more layout and access options.
Does Circle have Skool-style gamification?
Not at the same depth. Points, levels, and the leaderboard are the center of Skool’s member experience. Circle focuses on structure and branding instead.
How fast does Skool pay out compared to Circle?
Skool pays owners every Wednesday, with the first payout inside 14 days. Payouts go to your connected bank account in USD. Circle routes payments through its processing setup with fees varying by plan tier.