Skool vs Circle comes down to the shape of your coaching community. Skool suits one simple paid room with a feed, a classroom and live calls, while Circle suits a branded community split into spaces, with more room for separate programs and tiers. Skool Pro is $99 a month and Circle Professional is $89 a month on annual billing, before the fees on your sales and any Circle add-ons (checked October 2026).
That's the short version. If you're still working out whether you need a community platform at all, start with my shortlist of the best community platform for coaches. This post is for the next step, when you've narrowed it to these two and want the trade-offs and the real monthly cost.
A quick note on sources. For Circle I've stuck to what its pricing page and help centre say, and I've said so where I couldn't confirm something. Both are good products. The question is which one fits the way you coach.
The Short Answer for Coaches
Here's how I'd call it, based on what your members actually pay you for.
- If you run one paid group with a course and weekly calls, Skool is the simpler pick. Members land in one feed, the classroom sits next to it, and there's not much to set up.
- If you run several programs, cohorts or tiers that each need a room, Circle gives you more structure. Spaces keep a mastermind, a course group and a free area apart in one community.
- If your brand matters a lot inside the community, look closely at Circle. It lists a custom domain on every plan, and Business removes Circle's branding.
- If you want the lowest fee on a modest monthly membership, the numbers are closer than they look. Skool's fee includes card processing, and Circle's sits on top of Stripe's.
Reddit threads on Skool vs Circle tend to show the same split: Skool feels easy and focused, Circle feels flexible and polished. Both are true.
How Skool Works for a Coaching Community
Skool keeps things deliberately plain. There's a community feed, a classroom for your courses, a calendar for live calls, and points and levels that reward people for joining in. Members tend to find their way around from day one.
What it does well:
- One simple room. Both plans list unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls, plus affiliates (checked October 2026). You aren't choosing between plan limits as you add people.
- Payments built in. Skool processes payments on Skool's merchant account and pays out to your bank weekly. You can't plug in an existing Stripe account, but you don't have to set one up either.
- More pricing options than people expect. Skool's help centre lists free groups, subscriptions (monthly or annual, with an optional 7-day trial), freemium, tiers and one-time payments. Tiers let you gate courses and calls, so a VIP tier can get calls a standard tier doesn't.
What to watch:
- Branding. Skool's "Custom URL" is a branded web address on Skool's domain, and its help centre says changing your group URL is a Pro plan feature. Your community still looks and feels like Skool.
- One feed for everyone. Tiers control access to courses and calls, but the community itself is one feed. If you want separate discussion rooms for separate programs, that's where Skool starts to feel tight.
- Keeping it lively. A simple feed is a strength until it goes quiet. If that's already happening, I wrote about why a Skool community feels like a ghost town and what tends to bring it back.
How Circle Works for a Coaching Community
Circle organises your community into spaces. Each space can be a discussion area, a chat, an event space or a course, and you can make spaces private, so different groups of members see different rooms. Around that, Circle lists courses, live events, a website, a member directory, payments and a custom domain on every plan, with iOS, Android and desktop apps (checked October 2026).
What it does well:
- Structure for more than one offer. Professional includes 20 spaces and Business 30, with extra spaces at $20 a month per 10 (checked October 2026). That's plenty for a course group, a mastermind, a free lounge and a few cohort rooms.
- A branded experience. Custom domain and colour themes are on every plan. Business adds branded email notifications, custom profile fields and removes Circle's branding.
- Live sessions inside the community. Professional includes live streams for up to 100 attendees and 10 hours a month. Business lifts that to 200 attendees and 15 hours.
- Automation on Business. Business adds workflows (20 automations), API access and activity scores. Professional has no workflows.
What to watch:
- Payments run through your Stripe. Circle's paywalls connect to your Stripe account, and Circle's help centre says every payment carries both Stripe's processing fees and Circle's transaction fee.
- Add-ons on Professional. Professional includes 3 admins, then $10 a month per extra admin. Branded email notifications are $40 a month and custom profile fields are $49 a month on Professional, and both are included from Business up.
- Email is a separate add-on. Circle's Email Hub (broadcasts, forms, campaigns and segments) is extra on every plan except Circle Plus. The pricing page shows it at $99 a month for 10,000 contacts, on top of the community plan (checked October 2026).
If you're already on Circle and thinking of leaving, that's a different decision. My guide to Circle alternatives starts from Circle and looks at where people move.
What You Really Pay Each Month, Checked October 2026
Here are the plans most coaches compare. All prices are USD, before tax, from each platform's official pricing page (checked October 2026).
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Fee on each sale | Card processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skool Hobby | $9 a month | $7.50 a month | 10% + 30c | Included in the fee |
| Skool Pro | $99 a month | $82 a month | 2.9% + 30c | Included in the fee |
| Circle Professional | Not listed | $89 a month | 2% | Stripe fees on top |
| Circle Business | Not listed | $199 a month | 1% | Stripe fees on top |
A few things the table can't show:
- Circle's prices are based on annual billing. When I checked, the pricing page didn't show a month-to-month figure, so ask Circle before you assume monthly billing costs the same.
- Skool's fee changes on big payments. Skool's help centre says Pro is 2.9% + 30c on transactions up to $899, and 3.9% + 30c above $900.
- Circle's fee sits on top of Stripe's. Circle's help centre uses US Stripe pricing as its example: 2.9% + 30c per card payment, plus 0.7% for Stripe Billing on subscriptions. Rates vary by country.
Here's what that means on a $100 monthly membership payment, at the rates on those pages:
- Skool Pro: 2.9% + 30c, so $3.20, with card processing included.
- Skool Hobby: 10% + 30c, so $10.30.
- Circle Professional: Circle's 2% ($2.00), plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30c ($3.20) and Stripe Billing's 0.7% ($0.70), so $5.90.
- Circle Business: Circle's 1% ($1.00), plus the same Stripe fees, so $4.90.
Then add the pieces you'd really use. For a coach who wants Circle to look like their brand and email their audience from it, Professional at $89 a month plus branded notifications ($40) and Email Hub for 10,000 contacts ($99) comes to $228 a month before fees. Business at $199 a month already includes the branded notifications, so for some coaches it ends up being the calmer number. Skool Pro stays at $99 a month, but you'd still pay for an email tool outside it.
Compare the whole bill, not the sticker. Add the plan, the fee on a typical payment and every tool you'd still pay for around it. Two setups that look $10 apart on the pricing page can end up a long way apart once the extras are in.
Which One Fits Your Coaching Model
One paid community with a course and weekly calls. I'd lean Skool. It's built for exactly this, members find it easy, and Pro's 2.9% fee includes processing. If you're still testing the idea, Hobby is a cheap way to start, but move to Pro once you're charging regularly, because 10% adds up fast.
A free group that feeds a paid program. Either works. Skool's freemium option keeps both in one group with an upgrade button. Circle lets you keep a free space open and put the paid program behind a paywall in private spaces, which feels tidier once paid members have plenty to talk about.
Several programs, cohorts or a mastermind on top. I'd lean Circle. Separate spaces for each program stop one busy feed from burying the quieter groups, and Business adds the workflows to move people between them.
A community where your brand is front and centre. I'd lean Circle, and I'd price Business rather than Professional, because that's where Circle's branding comes off and branded notifications are included.
The better platform is the one your members will actually open every week, in the shape your coaching already has.
What about Kajabi? It comes up in a lot of Circle vs Skool searches, and it's a different kind of tool. I've compared it with each of them separately in Kajabi vs Skool and Circle vs Kajabi for coaches.
What You Will Still Run Outside Either One
Neither Skool nor Circle runs a whole coaching business by itself. Here's what most coaches still keep elsewhere.
- Email marketing. Skool emails your members announcements, a weekly digest and event reminders, but I couldn't find a newsletter list or welcome sequence for people who haven't joined yet. Circle has Email Hub, as a paid add-on.
- Sales and checkout pages. Skool gives you a group page with its checkout, not a full sales page. Circle includes a website, but many coaches still keep their long-form sales pages elsewhere.
- Booking calls. Both handle group calls and events. For one-to-one discovery calls and client sessions, most coaches keep a scheduling tool.
- A website. Your story, services, blog and podcast usually live on a separate site that points people into the community.
- Something to connect it all. When someone buys outside the community, an automation tool often passes them in, and that's one more thing to check when it breaks.
None of these tools are bad. The quiet cost is the stitching between them. Someone has to check that every new buyer got into the group, that the email list matches the member list, and that the links still work after a change. In most coaching businesses, that someone is you.
For my business, I build on ESTAGE, a business hub where the website, community, courses and CRM sit together in one place under your brand. I'm an ESTAGE Founding Ambassador and earn a commission if you sign up through my links. ESTAGE is in its invitation phase, and it won't suit everyone. If you'd like the plain-language version, here's what ESTAGE is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Skool cheaper than Circle?
On the plan price, usually yes. Skool Pro is $99 a month, or $82 a month billed yearly, while Circle Professional is $89 a month on annual billing and Business is $199 (checked October 2026). Once you add Circle's Stripe fees and any add-ons you'd need, such as branded notifications or Email Hub, Skool Pro is often the lower monthly number.
Is Circle better than Skool for coaches?
It depends on your coaching model. Circle suits coaches who run several programs, cohorts or tiers and want them in separate spaces under their brand. Skool suits coaches who run one paid community with a course and live calls and want members to find their way around straight away.
Can you use a custom domain on Skool?
Skool's pricing page lists a "Custom URL", and its help centre describes that as a branded web address on Skool's domain, claimed on the Pro plan. I couldn't find a Skool help article for running the whole community on a separate domain, so plan on an address on Skool's domain. Circle lists a custom domain on every plan (checked October 2026).
Does Skool or Circle charge transaction fees?
Both do. Skool charges 10% + 30c per transaction on Hobby and 2.9% + 30c on Pro, rising to 3.9% + 30c on Pro for payments above $900, with card processing included. Circle charges 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, and 0.5% on Circle Plus, on top of Stripe's processing fees (checked October 2026).
Can I have different membership tiers on Skool?
Yes. Skool's help centre lists tiers alongside free, subscription, freemium and one-time pricing. You set a price and benefit for each tier, and you can limit courses and calls to members at a given tier and above.
Can I move my community from Skool to Circle?
Yes, but plan for it to be hands-on. Skool's Members tab lets you export a member list, and Circle lists bulk import on every plan. Paid subscriptions are the tricky part: Skool processes payments on Skool's merchant account, not your Stripe, so ask Circle whether your subscriptions qualify for its payment migration service before you assume members can move without signing up again. Run both for a short overlap so nobody gets lost.
Join The Community
Choosing between Skool and Circle is easier when you can talk it through with coaches who've weighed the same trade-offs. That's what the HubSteady Community is for: comparing setups, checking the real fees, and working out how to stop being the glue between your tools. Bring your shortlist and your questions, and we'll work through them together.
If that sounds useful, Join The Community.