Skool vs. Circle: Choosing the Right Community Platform for Coaches and Course Creators
If you’re a coach, consultant, or course creator thinking about starting a community, you’ve likely come across Circle and Skool. Both platforms offer unique features and pricing plans, but how do they stack up against each other? Let’s dive into a detailed comparison to help you make an informed decision.
Circle: A Closer Look
Free Trial and Plans: Circle offers a 14-day free trial without requiring a credit card. Most people are likely interested in the professional plan rather than the business plan. There’s also a basic plan for $49 a month, but it only includes core features, and content upload is not allowed.
Professional Plan Features: The professional plan, which we’ll compare to Skool, includes:
- Rich member profiles
- Searchable member directory
- Discussion and events tabs
- Paid memberships with paywalls
- Custom domain
- Weekly community digest
- Live streams, live rooms, unlimited members
- Custom branding, reporting and analytics, custom code snippets, conversion tracking
Transaction Fees: In addition to Stripe fees, Circle also charges a 2% transaction fee on the professional plan, a detail not mentioned on the pricing page.
Skool: A Community-First Platform
Focus on Community Building: Skool’s focus is on providing only the features needed to build a successful community. Founded by Sam Ovens, a well-known marketer and consultant, Skool is designed for those who want to build thriving communities.
Use Cases: Skool is suitable for online courses, group funnels, masterminds, SaaS product development, coaching programs, support forums, influencer fan communities, and more.
Pricing and Transaction Fees: Skool’s pricing plan is $99 a month, with all features unlocked. They charge only 1% transaction fees and are working to reduce this to zero.
Engagement and Member Profiles: Skool provides visual representations of member engagement, allowing you to see when members are most active.
Group Landing Page: A unique feature that sets Skool apart is the group landing page, allowing you to explain why people should join your community, complete with checkout capability.
Simple and Engaging Platform: Skool offers everything Circle has, with better payment structure and a focus on simplicity and engagement.
Conclusion: Skool or Circle?
Choosing between Skool and Circle depends on your specific needs and priorities:
- If you want more control over branding and appearance, Circle might be the right choice.
- If you’re looking for a simple, engaging, community-first platform with better payment structure, Skool is the way to go.
Skool offers a 14-day free trial, and you can explore it using the affiliate link here.
Whether you choose Skool or Circle, both platforms offer valuable tools for building and monetizing your community. Consider your goals, budget, and preferences to make the best choice for your coaching or consulting business.