Skool vs Circle in 2026: price, fees, and features compared
Skool vs Circle compared on price, all-in fees, chat, courses, events, email, and apps, with real math at 50, 200, and 700 members. Checked October 2026.
Skool is simpler and cheaper. Circle is more flexible. Skool gives you one feed, a classroom, a calendar, and leaderboards for $99 a month plus 2.9% + 30¢, with card fees included. Circle gives you spaces for posts, chat, events, and courses from $89 a month billed yearly, plus 2% and card fees. Pick Skool if your group runs on one feed and a course. Pick Circle if you need group chat, more structure, or a bigger team. If you also sell courses, coaching, or a newsletter and want email built in, Eden is a third option.
We make Eden, which comes up at the end. The Skool and Circle sections are written to be fair to both. Every price was checked on Skool's and Circle's own pages on October 8, 2026.
Skool vs Circle at a glance
| Skool | Circle | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Hobby $9/mo, Pro $99/mo | $89, $199, or $419/mo, billed yearly |
| Cut per sale | 10% + 30¢ (Hobby), 2.9% + 30¢ (Pro) | 2%, or 1% on Business and Scale |
| Card fees | Included | Extra (Stripe, about 2.9% + 30¢) |
| Members | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Layout | One feed with categories | Spaces: posts, chat, events, courses |
| Group chat | No, direct messages only | Yes, chat spaces |
| Courses | Classroom, can unlock by level | Course spaces |
| Events | Calendar, live calls | Events with RSVPs, live streams |
| Points and levels | Yes | Yes |
| Email marketing | No | Email Hub add-on, $99/mo for 10,000 contacts |
| App in your name | No | Circle Plus only (custom price) |
Pricing
Skool has two plans. Hobby is $9 a month and takes 10% + 30¢ of each payment. Pro is $99 a month and takes 2.9% + 30¢ (3.9% + 30¢ on payments over $900). Skool runs the payments itself, so card processing is included. Both plans have unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls. Paying yearly takes two months off.
Circle shows yearly prices: Professional $89 a month (2%, 3 admins, 20 spaces), Business $199 (1%, 5 admins, 30 spaces), and Scale $419 (1%, 10 admins, 100 spaces). Circle Plus is custom priced and takes 0.5%. Paying monthly costs more. Card processing comes on top of the 2%. Email Hub adds $99 a month for 10,000 contacts, and more admins are $10 a month each.
What it really costs
Members paying $29 a month, with card fees included (we use Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for Circle):
| Members (sales a month) | Skool Hobby | Skool Pro | Circle Professional | Circle Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ($1,450) | $169 | $156 | $175 | $271 |
| 200 ($5,800) | $649 | $327 | $433 | $485 |
| 700 ($20,300) | $2,249 | $898 | $1,294 | $1,201 |
Skool Pro costs the least at every size here, because its fee includes card processing. Skool Hobby only makes sense while you're tiny: past about $1,300 a month in sales, Pro is cheaper. Circle costs about $20 a month more than Skool Pro at 50 members and $300 to $400 more at 700, and more again with Email Hub.
Where Skool wins
- Simplicity. One feed and a classroom. Nothing for members to learn.
- Fees. 2.9% + 30¢ all-in on Pro is among the lowest in the category.
- Discovery. Skool's directory sends some people to your group.
- Levels that unlock lessons. A built-in way to reward people who show up.
Where Circle wins
- Group chat. Chat spaces next to post spaces, so quick talk and long posts don't mix.
- Structure. Many spaces, private spaces, member tags, and workflows for bigger communities.
- Events and live. RSVPs, time zones, and live streams.
- A branded app. If you can afford Circle Plus, members get an app in your name.
What members complain about
From reviews and forums we read for our community research:
- Skool: one flat feed where course talk mixes with everything, noisy default emails, weak search, and groups that go quiet when the owner moves on.
- Circle: too many spaces so each one looks empty, a separate place members forget to visit, and too many notifications by default.
Both lose members the same way: a host who stops showing up.
Which should you pick?
- Choose Skool if your group runs on one feed and a course, you'll be on Pro, and you want the lowest fee.
- Choose Circle if you need group chat, many spaces, or a team running the community, and you're fine paying more.
- Choose neither if the community is one of several things you sell. Then the question is where your store and email live.
The third option: Eden
Eden is a creator store with communities built in. A community is a product next to your courses, coaching, downloads, and newsletter.
- Chat and a Library. Telegram-style chat with channels, threads, voice notes, and photo grids, plus a Library (Eden's forum) with categories and pinned posts for posts worth keeping. Skool has neither group chat nor channels.
- Events with an Eden live room or your own link, and a Sync to calendar feed.
- Email built in. Starter includes 10,000 contacts and 10,000 sends a month, with sequences that start when someone joins (Pro). Circle charges $99 a month for email.
- Members on phones in the Eden app for iOS and Android.
The catch: Eden takes 5% per sale (2% on Max at $199 a month) plus card fees. At 50 members it costs about the same as Skool Pro ($159 a month on Starter). At 200 members it's $547 on Starter, more than both Skool Pro and Circle. Eden pays off when you'd otherwise pay for a store and an email tool too. There's no directory, no leaderboards, and no app in your own name.
Price: Starter $29 a month (1 community), Pro $79 (3), Max $199 (unlimited). See Eden vs Skool and Eden vs Circle.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skool cheaper than Circle?
Yes, on the community alone. Skool Pro's 2.9% + 30¢ includes card fees, so it beats Circle Professional's $89 plus 2% plus card fees at almost any size.
Does Skool have group chat?
No. Skool has one feed with categories and direct messages. Circle, Eden, Discord, and Mighty Networks have group chat with channels.
Does Circle have email marketing?
Yes, as an add-on. Email Hub costs $99 a month for 10,000 contacts on Professional, Business, and Scale. Skool has none.
Can I move from Skool to Circle?
Yes, but paying members have to subscribe again on the new platform, because Skool runs the payments.
Sources: Skool pricing, Skool payments FAQ, Circle pricing, Circle gamification. Checked October 8, 2026.