What Skool costs today
As of October 2026: Hobby $9 a month, Pro $99 a month. No free plan; 14-day free trial. 10% on Hobby, 2.9% on Pro. Skool processes payments itself and its fee covers card processing.
Quick comparison
| Platform | Type | Starts at | All-in at $1,000 / $5,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Tribes | Paid Tribes, courses, events, live video, AI guide | Free | $96 at $1,000 a month, $436 at $5,000 a month |
| Skool (for reference) | Paid group app with courses | $9 a month | $109 at $1,000 a month, $244 at $5,000 a month |
| Kajabi | All-in-one course and marketing suite | $179 a month | $214 at $1,000 a month, $354 at $5,000 a month |
| Teachable | Online course platform | $39 a month | $124 at $1,000 a month, $264 at $5,000 a month |
| Circle | Branded group platform | $89 a month | $144 at $1,000 a month, $364 at $5,000 a month |
| Mighty Networks | Group platform with courses and branded apps | $79 a month | $134 at $1,000 a month, $354 at $5,000 a month |
| Thinkific | Online course platform and LMS | $109 a month | $138 at $1,000 a month, $254 at $5,000 a month |
| Podia | All-in-one creator storefront | $49 a month | $134 at $1,000 a month, $274 at $5,000 a month |
| Whop | Marketplace and payments for digital access | No monthly fee | $33 at $1,000 a month, $165 at $5,000 a month |
| Patreon | Fan membership platform | No monthly fee | $135 at $1,000 a month, $675 at $5,000 a month |
| Heartbeat | Paid group platform for creators and coaches | $49 a month | $134 at $1,000 a month, $449 at $5,000 a month |
| Stan Store | Link-in-bio creator store | $29 a month | $64 at $1,000 a month, $204 at $5,000 a month |
| Discord | Chat and voice app with paid server subscriptions | No monthly fee | $154 at $1,000 a month, $770 at $5,000 a month |
Assumes US card payments, an average sale of $50, and the cheapest plan on each platform at that revenue. Where a platform adds card processing on top of its own fee, Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 is used. Member limits, taxes, currency conversion, payout fees and add-ons are not included.
The alternatives
1. Allied Tribes
Best for: starting free or cheaply, and keeping a paid group, courses, events, live video and paid one-to-one sessions together. Price: Free, Pro $11 a month, Leader $111 a month. Fees: 11%, 5% or 3% plus Stripe. All-in cost: $96 at $1,000 a month, $436 at $5,000 a month. Freya, a built-in AI guide, sets up your Tribe with you. Allied Tribes vs Skool.
2. Kajabi
What it is: All-in-one course and marketing suite. Choose it if email marketing and funnels drive your business, you already earn well into five figures a month, and you want one vendor for your whole marketing stack. Price: Basic $179, Growth $249, Pro $499 a month ($143, $199, $399 a month billed yearly). 14-day free trial. Fees: No platform fee on Kajabi Payments; card processing is 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% on Growth and 2.7% on Pro. All-in cost: $214 at $1,000 a month, $354 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Kajabi.
3. Teachable
What it is: Online course platform. Choose it if you sell courses and nothing else, and your sales are steady enough that a 0% fee plan pays for itself. Price: Starter $39, Builder $89, Growth $189 a month ($29, $69, $139 billed yearly). No free plan. Fees: 7.5% transaction fee on Starter, 0% on Builder and up, plus card processing. All-in cost: $124 at $1,000 a month, $264 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Teachable.
4. Circle
What it is: Branded group platform. Choose it if you need a fully branded experience and automations, and your revenue already covers an $89 to $419 monthly plan. Price: Professional $89, Business $199, Scale $419 a month billed yearly; monthly billing costs more. 14-day free trial. Fees: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, plus Stripe processing. All-in cost: $144 at $1,000 a month, $364 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Circle.
5. Mighty Networks
What it is: Group platform with courses and branded apps. Choose it if a branded app under your own name matters more to you than the monthly price. Price: Launch $79, Scale $179, Growth $354 a month (billed yearly). 14-day free trial. Fees: 2% on Launch, 1% on Scale, 0.5% on Growth, plus card processing. All-in cost: $134 at $1,000 a month, $354 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Mighty Networks.
6. Thinkific
What it is: Online course platform and LMS. Choose it if you run formal training at scale and need LMS features more than a social home for learners. Price: Start $109, Grow $219, Expand $499 a month ($82, $164, $374 billed yearly). No free plan; 30-day trial. Fees: No platform fee; Thinkific Payments charges 2.9% card processing. All-in cost: $138 at $1,000 a month, $254 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Thinkific.
7. Podia
What it is: All-in-one creator storefront. Choose it if email and a simple website are the core of how you sell. Price: Mover $49, Shaker $99, Earthquaker $179 a month ($42, $84, $150 billed yearly). 14-day free trial. Fees: 5% on Mover, 0% on Shaker and Earthquaker, plus Stripe or PayPal processing. All-in cost: $134 at $1,000 a month, $274 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Podia.
8. Whop
What it is: Marketplace and payments for digital access. Choose it if you sell access to an existing Discord or Telegram group, or software, and want the lowest possible fees. Price: No monthly fee. Fees: 2.7% + $0.30 per domestic card payment, with extra charges for international cards, currency conversion, billing, tax tools and fast payouts. All-in cost: $33 at $1,000 a month, $165 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Whop.
9. Patreon
What it is: Fan membership platform. Choose it if your fans already know Patreon and you mainly post exclusive work for them. Price: Free to start. Fees: 10% of earnings, plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees. All-in cost: $135 at $1,000 a month, $675 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Patreon.
10. Heartbeat
What it is: Paid group platform for creators and coaches. Choose it if you want a branded app or the lowest percentage at high revenue, and a $49 to $849 monthly plan fits your budget. Price: Build $49 (up to 350 members), Grow $149 (up to 5,000), Scale $849 a month (unlimited, with a branded app). 14-day free trial, no card. Fees: 5% on Build, 2.5% on Grow, 1.25% on Scale, plus Stripe processing. All-in cost: $134 at $1,000 a month, $449 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Heartbeat.
11. Stan Store
What it is: Link-in-bio creator store. Choose it if you sell products and bookings from your social bio and do not need a group for your buyers to gather in. Price: Creator $29 a month ($300 a year), Creator Pro $99 a month ($948 a year). 14-day free trial. Fees: No platform fee; Stripe or PayPal processing of 2.9% + $0.30. All-in cost: $64 at $1,000 a month, $204 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Stan Store.
12. Discord
What it is: Chat and voice app with paid server subscriptions. Choose it if your members already live in your Discord server and you mainly sell access to roles and channels there. Price: No monthly fee. Selling is open to eligible servers only. Fees: 10% platform fee plus 6% payment processing on desktop and browser purchases. The 10% is taken after processing, about 15.4% in all, before other transaction fees. Mobile app store fees are added to the buyer's price. Payouts arrive within 45 days after each month ends, with a $100 minimum for the first payout. All-in cost: $154 at $1,000 a month, $770 at $5,000 a month. Allied Tribes vs Discord.
How to choose
- Around $1,000 a month in sales: a low or zero monthly fee matters more than the percentage. Whop, Stan Store and Allied Tribes cost least here.
- Around $5,000 a month or more: the percentage dominates. Whop, Stan Store, Skool and Thinkific cost least here.
- Email and funnels are your engine: Kajabi or Podia include them; Allied Tribes and Skool do not.
- A branded app under your own name: Circle or Mighty Networks on their higher plans.
- Paid one-to-one sessions next to your group, and an AI guide to set it all up: Allied Tribes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free Skool alternative?
Allied Tribes has a free plan with no monthly fee and no card: 1 Tribe of up to 100 members with Lessons, events, live video and digital products, at an 11% fee on sales. Whop, Patreon and Discord also have no monthly fee: Whop is built around selling access and payments, Patreon takes 10% of earnings, and Discord takes about 15.4% of each server subscription.
What is the cheapest alternative to Skool?
At low revenue, Allied Tribes Pro ($11 a month plus 5% and Stripe) costs less than Skool Hobby ($9 a month plus 10%) from roughly $150 a month in sales. At several thousand dollars a month, Skool Pro's all-in 2.9% is hard to beat. If you only need payments or a storefront rather than a group, Whop and Stan Store cost less still.
Is there a platform like Skool with a built-in AI assistant?
Yes. Allied Tribes includes Freya, an AI guide that sets up your Tribe, drafts posts and course content, and answers questions on every page. Free includes 5 Freya messages a day, Pro 100 and Leader unlimited.
Try the Skool alternative with a free plan
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