Skool vs Circle: Same $99 Price, Very Different Bill

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Skool vs Circle looks like a tie on the price tag. Skool Pro is $99 a month. Circle Professional is $99 a month on monthly billing ($89 yearly). Same number. Different bill.

The difference is how each one takes a cut of your sales. Skool’s 2.9% already includes card processing. Circle charges 2% on top of Stripe’s fees. On a paid community, that 2% adds up every month. Prices checked on 4 November 2026.

Price and fees side by side

Sources: skool.com/pricing and circle.so/pricing, 4 Nov 2026. *Circle’s monthly prices from a dated third-party tracker (CartMango). Skool’s yearly prices confirmed on its own page, 6 Nov 2026. Skool’s fee includes card processing; Circle’s is on top of Stripe.

skool.com/pricing

circle.so/pricing

What you pay at your sales level

Monthly billing, counting platform fees and card processing (the 30¢ per sale is left out because it applies to all):

The gap between Skool Pro and Circle Professional is exactly 2% of your sales. At $5,000 a month, that is $100 a month, or $1,200 a year.

On yearly billing

If you pay a year up front, the plan prices split apart a little:

From skool.com/pricing (6 Nov 2026) and circle.so/pricing (4 and 6 Nov 2026).

On yearly billing, Skool Pro is $84 a year cheaper than Circle Professional before any fees. Add the 2% gap on sales and the difference grows quickly.

Three real communities, priced on both

1. A free community with 500 members

Skool Hobby: $108 a year on monthly billing. Circle Professional: $1,068 a year billed yearly. For a free group, Skool saves you $960 a year. Circle’s events and design would need to matter a lot to justify that.

2. A $49 membership with 60 members

That is $2,940 a month. On Skool Pro, you pay $99 plus 2.9% (about $85), so about $184 a month before the 30¢ per payment. On Circle Professional, you pay $99 plus Circle’s 2% (about $59) plus about 2.9% to Stripe (about $85), so about $243. Skool saves about $59 a month, or roughly $700 a year.

3. A premium mastermind with live sessions three times a week

Three one-hour sessions a week is about 13 live hours a month. Circle Professional includes 10, so you would need Business at $219 a month (monthly billing). Skool includes live calls on both plans. If you run events on Zoom and only post links, this limit does not apply on either platform.

The full stack: adding email

Neither platform is an email marketing tool. Here is the realistic monthly bill once you add email for 1,000 contacts, monthly plan pricing:

• Skool Pro + MailerLite Comfort: $99 + $19 = $118, plus Skool’s 2.9%.
• Skool Pro + Kit Creator: $99 + $39 = $138, plus Skool’s 2.9%.
• Circle Professional + Email Hub: $99 + $19 = $118, plus 2% and card processing.

With email added, the plan prices land close together. The fee on your sales is still the main difference.

What Circle gives you for the extra cost

• Live events built in. Professional includes live streams for 100 attendees and live rooms, with 10 live hours a month.
• Your brand, your domain. Custom domain on every plan and a more designed member space.
• Team roles. 3 admins and 10 moderators on Professional.
• Room to grow. Automations on Business, a branded mobile app on Circle Plus.

Watch the extras: Circle’s email (Email Hub) is an add-on, about $19 a month at 1,000 contacts per a third-party source. Automations need Business at $199. Full details in Circle pricing.

What Skool does better

• Lower total cost on paid communities, because processing is inside the fee.
• A $9 plan for free communities.
• Simple to run. One clean layout. Less to set up, less to break.

Watch Skool’s catch: Hobby’s 10% fee. Move to Pro once your sales pass about $1,268 a month. Full details in Skool pricing.

Thinking about an all-in-one instead? See Kajabi vs Skool.

The fee gap per member

The 2% gap is easier to feel per member. Here is what each member costs you in fees each month, by membership price:

Skool Pro: 2.9% + 30¢, processing included. Circle: 2% plus about 2.9% + 30¢ to Stripe. Our arithmetic.

As your community grows

Small gaps grow with your member count. At $49 a month per member:

Above about $11,000 a month, Circle Business becomes cheaper than Circle Professional because its fee is 1%. But even Business keeps a 1% gap over Skool Pro, plus a higher plan price. At 500 members, Circle Business costs about $365 a month more than Skool Pro on monthly billing.

Starting on Skool Hobby, then charging

Many communities start free and add a paid tier later. On Skool, you can start on Hobby at $9 and move to Pro when your sales pass about $1,268 a month. On Circle, you start at $89 a month billed yearly, whether you charge or not. For a community that may take months to earn, Skool’s path costs far less in the early stage.

Which one fits your situation

Switching between them

If you already run a community on one, moving is mostly about people, not files. Members need to make a new account, and paid members may need to re-enter their card. Plan a clear move date, give members two weeks’ notice and keep the old space open during the overlap. For a large paid group, the risk of losing members can outweigh a modest fee saving.

Questions to ask before you choose

1. Will I charge for the community this year? If not, Skool Hobby is the clear pick on price.
2. How many live hours do I run each month? Over 10 on Circle means Business.
3. Does design matter to my members? If your brand is part of the value, Circle’s control is worth paying for.
4. Do I need automations inside the community? Circle offers them from Business. Skool lists none.
5. Which email tool will I use? Neither replaces one. Add its cost to both totals.

How we compared

We checked skool.com/pricing and circle.so/pricing on 4 November 2026. Circle’s monthly prices come from a dated third-party tracker, because Circle’s page shows yearly prices. Skool’s yearly prices were confirmed on its own page on 6 November. Every total on this page is our own arithmetic. Card processing on Circle is estimated at Stripe’s standard 2.9% + 30¢.

Three community owners, three answers

Priya: a free peer group for 900 founders

Skool Hobby. She does not charge, so fees do not matter. $9 a month against $89 on Circle saves her $960 a year.

Tom: a $39 membership with 120 members and a weekly live Q&A

Skool Pro. His sales are $4,680 a month. On Circle Professional, the 2% fee would add about $94 a month. His one weekly hour fits either platform’s live limits.

Grace: a premium branded academy with five topic spaces and a team of moderators

Circle. She needs structured spaces, a branded look and team roles. Her members pay partly for the experience. She should budget for Business if she wants automated member onboarding.

What neither one includes

• Full email marketing. Plan on Kit, MailerLite or Circle’s paid Email Hub.
• A full website and blog. Both give you a community home, not a content site. Many owners add a simple site.
• A dedicated checkout with order bumps. If upsells matter, look at a checkout tool like ThriveCart.

Our verdict

For most paid communities, Skool is the cheaper platform. Skool Pro and Circle Professional cost the same $99 on monthly billing, but Circle adds 2% on top of card processing. That is $60 a month at $3,000 in sales and $1,200 a year at $5,000 a month. For free communities, Skool Hobby at $9 a month is in a different price class altogether.

Circle earns its price in other ways. It gives you a more designed, branded space, structured spaces for different topics, built-in live streams and real team roles. On Business it adds automations, and Circle Plus adds a branded mobile app. If your members pay partly for the experience, those things matter.

My advice: pick Skool if cost and simplicity come first, which is true for most solo coaches. Pick Circle if your brand, your events and a polished member space are part of what you sell. Either way, add a separate email tool, because neither one replaces it.

Skool vs Circle FAQs

Is Skool cheaper than Circle?

For a paid community, yes. Both cost $99 a month on monthly billing, but Circle adds a 2% fee on top of card processing. Skool’s 2.9% includes processing.

Which is better for a free community?

On price, Skool Hobby at $9 a month. Circle’s cheapest plan is $89 a month billed yearly.

Does Circle or Skool include email marketing?

Neither includes full email marketing on its main plans. Circle sells Email Hub as an add-on; Skool owners usually add a tool like Kit or MailerLite.

Which has better live events?

Circle. Professional includes live streams for 100 attendees and live rooms. Skool includes live calls on both plans.

Do Skool and Circle have free trials?

Both offer 14-day free trials. Circle does not ask for a card.

How much does Skool cost vs Circle per year?

Billed yearly: Skool Hobby is about $90 and Skool Pro $984 billed yearly. Circle Professional is $1,068 and Business is $2,388. Fees on sales are extra.

Does Skool have automations like Circle?

Skool’s pricing page lists no automation workflows. Circle includes 20 workflows on Business and unlimited on Scale.

Is it hard to move from Circle to Skool?

Members need new accounts and paid members may need to re-enter payment details. Give notice and keep both spaces open for a short overlap.

At what size does Circle Business beat Circle Professional?

On fees alone, above about $11,000 a month in sales, where the 1% fee cut covers the higher plan price. Many people upgrade earlier for automations.

Which is better for a course plus community?

Both include courses. Skool allows unlimited courses inside one simple space. Circle gives more structure, with spaces, events and courses in a branded site.

Can I run a free and a paid group on Skool?

Yes. Many owners keep a free group on Hobby and a paid group on Pro. Each group is billed on its own plan.