Is Skool cheaper than Circle?

Yes on subscription price. Skool Hobby costs $9 per month and Pro $99, while Circle Professional costs $89 per month billed annually. Skool Hobby takes a 10% transaction fee, though, against 2% on Circle Professional, so high-earning communities pay more in fees on Hobby.

Does Skool or Circle have a free plan?

Neither has a free plan. Circle offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and Skool gives 2 months free when you pay yearly.

Which has better mobile apps?

Circle includes iOS, Android and desktop apps from its Professional plan, and custom branded apps are available through Circle Plus at custom pricing. Skool works on web and mobile but does not offer a branded app.

Can I sell courses on both?

Yes. Skool includes unlimited courses on both plans and supports subscriptions or one-time course purchases. Circle includes courses on every plan alongside live events, payments and a member directory.

Which is better for growing a new community?

Skool, for most new creators, because its public discovery page lists communities by category and can bring in members you did not reach yourself. Circle does not list a comparable directory, so growth depends on your own audience.

Head to head

Skool vs Circle

By the DBotMaker research desk · Updated November 6, 2026

Our verdict

Circle scores 8.8 and Skool 8.7 on DBotMaker, so this is a close call that turns on what you value. Circle wins on capabilities, scoring 9.2 against Skool's 7.6: its entry plan already includes unlimited members, courses, live events, payments and iOS, Android and desktop apps, and higher plans add workflows, Circle APIs, MCP, AI agents and webhooks. Skool wins on ease of setup, 9.6 against 8.7, and on value, 9.3 against 8.2. It has two plans, both with unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls, and a discovery page that lists communities by category. The trade-offs are fees and control: Skool Hobby keeps 10% of sales and offers little theming, while Circle has no free plan and charges a 2% fee on Professional. We compared documented features and published prices on each vendor's own pages; we did not run a community on either platform.

Skool

8.7

Pick it if

Pick Skool if you are a solo creator or coach who wants a paid group running quickly for little money and would like to be found by new members.

Capabilities: 7.6
Ease of setup: 9.6
Value: 9.3

Price: Hobby $9 per month; Pro $99 per month; 2 months free on yearly billing

Quoted from the pricing page on November 6, 2026.

Full review →

Circle

8.8

Pick it if

Pick Circle if you run a brand, course business or customer community that needs mobile apps, more structure and room to automate later.

Capabilities: 9.2
Ease of setup: 8.7
Value: 8.2

Price: Professional from $89 per month billed annually; Business $199; Scale $419; 14-day free trial

Quoted from the pricing page on November 6, 2026.

Full review →

Side by side

	Skool	Circle
DBotMaker score	8.7 out of 10	8.8 out of 10
Entry price	Hobby $9 per month, or $7.50 on yearly billing	Professional $89 per month billed annually
Higher plans	Pro $99 per month, or $82 on yearly billing	Business $199 and Scale $419 per month billed annually
Free plan or trial	No free plan; 2 months free on yearly billing	No free plan; 14-day free trial, no credit card
Transaction fee	10% on Hobby, 2.9% on Pro	2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale
Members	Unlimited on both plans	Unlimited on every plan
Courses and live sessions	Unlimited courses, videos and live calls on both plans	Courses and live events on every plan; live streams hold 100 attendees on Professional
Apps	Web and mobile	Web, iOS, Android and desktop apps from Professional
Integrations and API	No published integration list	Zapier and Integrately; Circle APIs and MCP from Business
Automation and AI	Not listed on Skool's plans	Circle AI from Professional; workflows on Business; AI agents and AI moderation on Scale
Member discovery	Public discovery page lists communities by category	No public discovery directory listed
Admin limits	No admin or space limits listed	Professional allows 3 admins, 10 moderators and 20 spaces, with paid add-ons
Setup	Self-serve; Skool says setup takes less than 30 minutes	Self-serve, with sales-led options such as Circle Plus

Pricing: Skool is cheaper to start, fees change the math

Skool has two plans. Hobby costs $9 per month and Pro $99 per month, and yearly billing gives 2 months free, which brings them to $7.50 and $82 a month. Circle starts at $89 per month for Professional on annual billing, then $199 for Business and $419 for Scale, with a 14-day free trial and no free plan. On subscription price alone Skool is far cheaper. Transaction fees narrow the gap for paid communities: Skool Hobby keeps 10% of what members pay and Pro 2.9%, while Circle charges 2% on Professional and 1% on Business and Scale. A creator earning more than about $1,300 a month on Skool should move to Pro, and at that point the monthly cost is close to Circle Professional.

Features: Circle does more out of the box

Circle scores 9.2 for capabilities against Skool's 7.6. Its Professional plan bundles community spaces, courses, live events, a website, a member directory, payments, gamification, a custom domain and iOS, Android and desktop apps, plus Circle AI with 2,500 credits a month. Business adds workflows, custom profile fields, Circle APIs and MCP and removes Circle branding, and Scale adds AI agents, AI moderation, a knowledge engine and webhooks. Skool covers the core well: unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls, subscription or one-time payments, a custom URL and an affiliate program on both plans. It does not publish an integration catalog or offer a branded app.

Ease of setup

Skool scores 9.6 for ease of setup, the higher of the two, and Circle scores 8.7. Skool's own about page says setup takes less than 30 minutes and that you do not need other tools to run it. With only two plans and few theming options, there is little to configure. Circle asks for more decisions: spaces, admin seats, plan limits and later workflows. Professional allows 3 admins, 10 moderators and 20 spaces, and extra admins cost $10 each and 10 more spaces cost $20 a month. That structure is useful for larger communities but adds setup work.

Growth and discovery

Skool's public discovery page lists communities by topic with member counts and prices, so people browsing a category can find a group you did not market to. That is the clearest advantage Skool has over Circle for a new creator without an audience. Circle relies on your own traffic, but gives you more tools to keep members once they arrive: a branded website, mobile apps, events and, on higher plans, automated workflows and activity scores.

Who should pick which

Choose Skool if you are a solo creator, coach or hobby group that wants a paid or free community live today at the lowest cost, and if being listed in a discovery feed matters more than branding. Move to Pro once sales make the 10% Hobby fee hurt. Choose Circle if you run a course business, membership or customer community that needs mobile apps, more admin structure, lower transaction fees and a path to workflows, APIs and AI agents. Circle's 14-day trial lets you check fit before paying.

Questions readers ask

Is Skool cheaper than Circle?: Yes on subscription price. Skool Hobby costs $9 per month and Pro $99, while Circle Professional costs $89 per month billed annually. Skool Hobby takes a 10% transaction fee, though, against 2% on Circle Professional, so high-earning communities pay more in fees on Hobby.
Does Skool or Circle have a free plan?: Neither has a free plan. Circle offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and Skool gives 2 months free when you pay yearly.
Which has better mobile apps?: Circle includes iOS, Android and desktop apps from its Professional plan, and custom branded apps are available through Circle Plus at custom pricing. Skool works on web and mobile but does not offer a branded app.
Can I sell courses on both?: Yes. Skool includes unlimited courses on both plans and supports subscriptions or one-time course purchases. Circle includes courses on every plan alongside live events, payments and a member directory.
Which is better for growing a new community?: Skool, for most new creators, because its public discovery page lists communities by category and can bring in members you did not reach yourself. Circle does not list a comparable directory, so growth depends on your own audience.

We compared documented features and published prices. Questions or corrections: editorial@dbotmaker.io