Circle vs Skool
Circle vs Skool compared side by side on price, plans and features. Cheapest paid option for one person: Skool $9/mo on Hobby, against Circle $89/mo on Professional. Cheapest paid option for a team of 10: Skool $9/mo on Hobby, against Circle $159/mo on Professional.
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Our verdict
The deciding difference is structure against simplicity. Skool puts one group's feed, classroom, calendar and leaderboard together, with points and levels that can open courses; Pro costs $99 a month with a fee of 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction, and Hobby $9 a month with 10% + 30 cents. Circle builds a community from many spaces and adds more as you pay more: Professional costs $89 a month on annual billing with a 2% fee plus Stripe's processing, and Business costs $199 with a 1% fee and adds workflows, APIs and the removal of Circle branding. Skool bills monthly or yearly, while Circle publishes no month-to-month price. Skool's integrations are a Zapier plugin and a webhook for developers, both on Pro. Choose Skool for a single coaching or course group that needs little setup, and Circle when the community needs several spaces, member exports with profile fields, or API access.
The numbers
At a glance
How Circle and Skool stack up on price and plans. The highlighted cell wins the row; costs are monthly, at the yearly rate where one is published.
| Metric |  Circle |  Skool |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest for 1 person | $89/mo + usageProfessional | $9/mo + usageHobby |
| Cheapest for 10 people | $159/mo + usageProfessional | $9/mo + usageHobby |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Yes (14 days) | Yes (14 days) |
| Best for | Best for creators and brands selling memberships, courses and events in one paid community | Best for coaches and course creators running one paid membership group |
Pricing
Pricing compared
Per month, at the yearly rate where one is published. Checked against both vendors' pricing pages (Circle Oct 5, 2026, Skool Oct 5, 2026).
Circle
From $89/mo
- Professionalper month, plus $10 per extra admin$89/mo
- Businessper month, plus $10 per extra admin$199/mo
- Scaleper month, plus $10 per extra admin$419/mo
- Circle Pluscustom pricingCustom
Skool
From $9/mo
- Hobbyper community, per month$9/mo
- Proper community, per month$99/mo
| Team size | Circle | Skool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $89/mo + usageProfessional | $9/mo + usageHobby |
| 5 people | $109/mo + usageProfessional | $9/mo + usageHobby |
| 10 people | $159/mo + usageProfessional | $9/mo + usageHobby |
| 25 people | $309/mo + usageProfessional | $9/mo + usageHobby |
Feature by feature
Circle vs Skool features
Every feature either tool lists, grouped by area. A check means it's included.
Branded mobile app · Public, SEO-visible content
Nothing Skool offers alone.
Community Experience5 features
| Feature | Circle | Skool |
|---|---|---|
| Branded mobile app | Included | Not included |
| Built-in courses | Included | Included |
| Live events & streaming | Included | Included |
| Real-time chat & DMs | Included | Included |
| Spaces & sub-groups | Included | Included |
Monetisation3 features
| Feature | Circle | Skool |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple membership tiers | Included | Included |
| Paid memberships | Included | Included |
| Zero platform fees | Not included | Not included |
Moderation & Growth6 features
| Feature | Circle | Skool |
|---|---|---|
| API & integrations | Included | Included |
| Engagement analytics | Included | Included |
| Gamification & leaderboards | Included | Included |
| Moderation tools | Included | Included |
| Public, SEO-visible content | Included | Not included |
| Self-hosting option | Not included | Not included |
Bottom line
Which should you choose?
Choose Circle if…
Best for creators and brands selling memberships, courses and events in one paid community
Circle pros and consChoose Skool if…
Best for coaches and course creators running one paid membership group
Skool pros and consKeep exploring
Related comparisons & guides
Try Circle
Community platform for paid memberships, courses and live events
Try Skool
Paid community platform with courses, calendar and leaderboards