Short answer: Skool is the simpler, flatter-priced option with a public directory; Circle is the more configurable one, with tiered pricing, workflows, and a branded app at the top end. Neither platform announced a single October launch, so this comparison rests on their current official pricing and features, as listed on October 30, 2026.
How we wrote this: we have not hands-on tested either platform with a paid account. Prices and features below come from each maker's official pricing, product, and help pages, checked on October 30, 2026, and we say so wherever a claim is the maker's rather than our own finding. Prices can change; check the official page before you pay.
Skool vs Circle: two ways to run a paid community
Short answer: Skool is the simpler, flatter-priced option with a public directory; Circle is the more configurable one, with tiered pricing, workflows, and a branded app at the top end.
| Skool | Circle | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Hobby $9/month, Pro $99/month | Professional $89/month* |
| Billing | Monthly or yearly (2 months free yearly) | Annual billing shown; monthly costs more |
| Free trial | 14 days, both plans | 14 days, no card required |
| Transaction fee on member payments | 10% (Hobby), 2.9% (Pro) | 2% (Professional), 1% (Business), 0.5% (Plus), plus Stripe |
| Members, courses, videos, live calls | Unlimited on both plans | Unlimited members; limits vary by plan |
| Cancellation and refunds | Cancel anytime (per pricing page) | 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee |
*Circle's displayed prices are in USD, based on annual billing, per its own pricing page.
Skool's pitch is one group that holds the community feed, the Classroom for courses, the calendar, and a points-and-levels system, with a public Discovery directory where strangers can find your community. Its 2026 additions, as listed on its own pricing and help pages, include one-time course purchases and membership tiers. Its quarterly Skool Games giveaway is running now: Skool's own rules page shows the current period runs October 1 to December 30, 2026, with 50 winners per period, open to US and Canadian residents aged 21 and over, and no purchase is necessary to enter.
Circle's pitch is a branded home for your business: community, courses, live events, a website, and member payments in one place, with workflows, APIs, and its MCP on the Business plan, AI agents on the Scale plan ($419 a month), and custom branded mobile apps on Circle Plus. Email marketing is a separate Email Hub add-on at $99 a month for 10,000 contacts, with the first 30 days free. Circle says more than 20,000 creators and businesses use the platform.
Pick Skool if your whole offer is a group and you want the simplest price and a built-in directory for finding members. Pick Circle if you want deeper branding, workflows, and API access, and you are ready to pay a tiered price that grows with your needs. For the Skool numbers in detail, see our Skool pricing breakdown.
What this means for buyers
Skool and Circle both sell a home for a community, but Skool sells simplicity and discovery while Circle sells configuration and branding — the right choice depends on whether your bottleneck is finding members or managing them. Use the 14-day trial on either one to run a real community before paying anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skool or Circle cheaper for a small paid community?
Skool's Hobby plan is $9 a month and Pro is $99, both with a 14-day trial. Circle's Professional plan is $89 a month on annual billing. The monthly price is only part of the cost: Skool takes 10% on Hobby or 2.9% on Pro from member payments, while Circle takes 2% on Professional, 1% on Business, and 0.5% on Plus, plus Stripe's fees.
Is the Skool Games giveaway running right now?
Yes, in the sense that Skool's own rules page shows the giveaway runs quarterly, with the current period running October 1 to December 30, 2026. Fifty winners are selected per period, and the rules state no purchase is necessary to enter.