# Skool vs Circle: pricing, fees and features

Source: https://alliedtribes.com/compare/skool-vs-circle

Updated: 2026-10-26

Skool describes itself as a community platform where you can discover communities or create your own, with a feed, courses, a calendar and gamification. Circle helps digital businesses build a home for their community, events and courses under their own brand. Here is how the two compare, with prices checked on skool.com and circle.so in October 2026.

> **Who wrote this** Allied Tribes publishes this page and is neither Skool nor Circle. Both sides get a "where it wins" list, prices come from each platform's own site, and Allied Tribes appears only as a third option at the end.

## The short answer

Choose **Skool** if you want the simplest setup and the lowest bill, and gamified levels suit your members. Choose **Circle** if your brand has to come first, including a branded app on its higher plans, and you need automations to run larger programs.

People search "Skool vs Circle" when choosing a community platform: Skool for its simplicity and gamification, Circle for its branding and automations.

## Price and fees at a glance

**Skool vs Circle at a glance, as of October 2026**

|  | Skool | Circle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Paid group app with courses | Branded group platform |
| Price | Hobby $9 a month, Pro $99 a month. No free plan; 14-day free trial. | Professional $89, Business $199, Scale $419 a month billed yearly; monthly billing costs more. 14-day free trial. |
| Fees | 10% on Hobby, 2.9% on Pro. Skool processes payments itself and its fee covers card processing. | 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, plus Stripe processing. |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |

## What it costs to sell $1,000, $5,000, $20,000 a month

Skool costs less at every level compared here ($1,000, $5,000 and $20,000 a month in sales): $109 against $144, $244 against $364, $679 against $1,099. These are all-in monthly costs on each platform's cheapest plan for that revenue.

**All-in monthly cost, Skool vs Circle, with Allied Tribes for reference (October 2026)**

| Sales per month | Skool | Circle | Allied Tribes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $1,000 | $109 on Hobby | $144 on Professional (billed yearly) | $96 on Pro |
| $5,000 | $244 on Pro | $364 on Professional (billed yearly) | $436 on Pro |
| $20,000 | $679 on Pro | $1,099 on Business (billed yearly) | $1,411 on Leader |

_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._

## Where Skool wins

- **Simplicity.** Skool deliberately does fewer things, so there is less to set up.
- **Gamification at the core:** levels, a leaderboard and content that unlocks by level.
- **An established discovery directory** that already sends people to groups.
- **One fee that covers card processing.** Skool processes payments itself; Circle adds Stripe processing on top of its own fee.
- **Monthly billing from $9.** Circle's listed prices are billed yearly.

## Where Circle wins

- **Deep branding and customization**, including branded mobile apps on higher plans.
- **Workflows and automations** for running larger programs.
- **A lower platform percentage** (2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale), though Stripe processing is added on top.
- **Many integrations** and an established customer base.

## A third option: Allied Tribes

Allied Tribes keeps a paid group, Lessons (courses), events, live video and paid one-to-one sessions in one place, with Freya, a built-in AI guide, to set it up. It has a Free plan and Pro at $11 a month. At $1,000 a month, Allied Tribes costs about $96, less than both. At $5,000 a month, Allied Tribes costs about $436, more than both. At $20,000 a month, Allied Tribes costs about $1,411, more than both. Its fee is a percentage of sales, so it suits groups that are starting out more than groups already selling thousands a month. See [Allied Tribes vs Skool](https://alliedtribes.com/compare/skool) and [Allied Tribes vs Circle](https://alliedtribes.com/compare/circle).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Skool cheaper than Circle?

Skool costs less at every level compared here ($1,000, $5,000 and $20,000 a month in sales): $109 against $144, $244 against $364, $679 against $1,099. Figures are all-in monthly costs, including card processing, on each platform's cheapest plan for that revenue.

### How much does Skool cost in 2026?

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.

### How much does Circle cost in 2026?

As of October 2026: Professional $89, Business $199, Scale $419 a month billed yearly; monthly billing costs more. 14-day free trial. 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, plus Stripe processing.

### Do Skool or Circle have a free plan?

No. Neither has a free plan; Skool's trial is 14 days and Circle's is 14 days. Allied Tribes has a Free plan with no monthly fee and no card.

Sources:
- [Skool pricing](https://www.skool.com/pricing)
- [Circle pricing](https://circle.so/pricing)

**Or start your Tribe free** No card, no trial clock. Upgrade to Pro or Leader only when the lower fees pay for themselves. Start free at https://alliedtribes.com/hq/auth.html?mode=signup