Circle vs Skool (2026): Which Pays Better?
Both are popular membership & community platforms. Here is how Circle and Skool stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.
Circle
Community platform with paid memberships, courses, events and live streams, from $89 a month.
8.4 /10
Pricing: Paid from $89/mo
Pros
- Spaces, chat, courses, events and paid tiers in a polished branded app
- Widely used by creators moving off Facebook groups and Discord
Cons
- Expensive at entry
- Transaction fees on lower plans
Skool
Simple paid community platform with courses and gamification, $99 a month flat and 2.9% on payments.
7.9 /10
Pricing: Paid from $99/mo
Pros
- One flat price, fast, and a discovery page that brings members
- Built-in billing, courses, calendar and leaderboards
Cons
- Minimal customisation
- One community per subscription
Circle vs Skool at a glance
| Circle | Skool | |
|---|---|---|
| Editor score | 8.4 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $89/mo | $99/mo |
| Web rank | #19k | #5.6k |
| Minimum traffic | None | None |
| Revenue share / fee | From $89/mo; transaction fees of 0.5-4% by plan plus Stripe | $99/mo per community plus 2.9% on payments |
| Commission | – | – |
| Payout | Via Stripe | Via Stripe |
| Methods served | memberships subscriptions, online courses, paid webinars events | memberships subscriptions, online courses |
| Niches accepted | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail |
| Reader upvotes | 0 | 0 |
| Best for | community, courses, events | community, courses, gamification |
Our pick
Circle edges it with a score of 8.4 versus 7.9. Circle is the better fit if you value: spaces, chat, courses, events and paid tiers in a polished branded app, widely used by creators moving off facebook groups and discord. Choose Skool instead if you need: one flat price, fast, and a discovery page that brings members, built-in billing, courses, calendar and leaderboards.
Other membership & community platforms to consider
Full ranking →Patreon 🧰 PlatformFree
The best-known membership platform for creators: tiers, posts, community and merch, at 8-12% plus fees.
Memberful 🧰 PlatformFreemium
Membership billing that plugs into your own site, newsletter and Discord; Patreon's more customisable sibling.
Mighty Networks 🧰 PlatformPaid
Community and course platform with native apps and paid memberships, from $41 a month.
🔥 14-day free trial, no credit card required, plus 2 months free when billing the Launch plan annuallyOutseta 🧰 PlatformPaid
Billing, CRM, email and member login in one tool for membership sites and small SaaS, from $37 a month.