Brutally Honest Circle.so Review – Community Pricing and Features

I spent last few months digging into different community platform gaining popularity in recent times;

I came across Skool, Nas.io and especially Circle. Many people who I talked to asked me about Circle.so specifically so here is everything you need to know.

I must say I hate biased reviews. So here is quick disclaimer: I have added affiliate links to Circle and other platforms I have used and researched. I will appreciate if you use them while getting a free trial. But you don't have to. This doesn't cost you anything extra but I might earn a small commission if you use these links. 

You can start your free 14-day Circle trial by using this link whenever you are ready.

With this said, let's get to the good stuff...

Regardless of what people say online, I do not think Circle is the right platform for everyone.

Personally, I love the clean interface and absolutely amazing features this platform offers. But for many, these features might not even be useful. So before you pay for an yearly subscription I want you to look at the review below so you can save your hard earned money.

What is Circle.so?

Circle.so is a cloud-based community building platform that's gaining a lot of buzz lately in the online space. It helps creators, brands, and businesses build and grow engaged communities on their own terms.

In other words, It is different from chat platforms like Whatsapp group where you don't really have much features to truly utilize your tribe. And it is specifically for "online-first" community.

We will discuss platform specific features in more details in the next sections.

Unlike Facebook Groups, Circle offers a white-label solution where you truly own your audience and can customize the experience to fit your brand.

The platform aims to be your one-stop-shop for community building, offering tools for discussions, online courses, events, live streaming, and monetization.

Circle Pricing Review

Before I get to reviewing features I wanna jump into the pricing because I know it might be a deal breaker or deal maker for you. 

As of my last research, Circle's basic plan now costs $89/mo which is not the cheapest option... especially knowing it doesn't come with workflows and API support. 

However, it is more than enough to manage a community of less than 1000 people.

Let's look into different pricing options:

Professional: $89/month

• Ideal for small communities or those just starting out
• Comes with all necessary features like course hosting, events, paid membership and events.

Business: $199/month

• Best for already established communities and businesses.
• Unlimited members, 20 spaces, and access to AI copilot for managing communities, extensive admin APIs.

Enterprise: $399/month

• For large communities with complex needs.
• Includes priority support and highest limits on all features so recommended for high volume communities moving to circle.

On top of these packages, Circle also offers a "Marketing Hub" service. It is essentially a marketing suit for communicating with your audience and capturing new potential leads.

Note that all Circle.so plans come with a 14-day free trial, allowing you to test the platform before committing. It's worth noting that there are transaction fees on all plans, ranging from 4% on the Basic plan to 0.5% on the Enterprise plan.

Here's my take on the Circle.so pricing:

As I recently covered in my comparison post, Circle is not the cheapest option available. It is designed to build a successful business through an online community. If this is not your goal, this is just another expanse. 

However, It can be very potent if you want a distraction free place to create a community driven online venture.

The Professional plan, while affordable, feels a bit restrictive with its member and space limits. It's fine for testing the waters, but you'll likely outgrow it quickly if your community takes off.

The Business plan offers the best value for most creators. With unlimited members and access to key features like live streaming and online courses, it's a solid choice for serious community builders.

The Enterprise plans, while pricier, offer advanced features that can be game-changers for larger communities or those with specific technical needs.

The transaction fees are a bit of a bummer, especially on the lower-tier plans. 

Overall, while it isn't the cheapest option out there, the pricing is competitive given the feature set. Just be sure to factor in those transaction fees when budgeting!

Note that all plans come with a 14-day free trial, allowing you to test the platform before committing. It's worth noting that there are transaction fees on all plans, ranging from 4% on the Basic plan to 0.5% on the Enterprise plan.

Here's my take on the Circle.so pricing:

As I recently covered in my Skool vs Circle post, Circle is not the cheapest option available. It is designed to build a successful business through an online community. If this is not your goal, this is just another expanse. 

However, It can be very potent if you want a distraction free place to create a community driven online venture.

The Professional plan, while affordable, feels a bit restrictive with its member and space limits. It's fine for testing the waters, but you'll likely outgrow it quickly if your community takes off.

The Business plan offers the best value for most creators. With unlimited members and access to key features like live streaming and online courses, it's a solid choice for serious community builders.

The Enterprise plans, while pricier, offer advanced features that can be game-changers for larger communities or those with specific technical needs.

The transaction fees are a bit of a bummer, especially on the lower-tier plans. 

Overall, while it isn't the cheapest option out there, the pricing is competitive given the feature set. Just be sure to factor in those transaction fees when budgeting!

Circle.so Features: What You Need to Know (No Fluff, Just Facts)

Choosing a community platform is about control, engagement, and growth. Circle.so claims to be the best, but does it truly deliver? 

Community Spaces: The Backbone of Engagement

✅ What’s Good: Circle’s “Spaces” give you structured community sections with forums, courses, events, and group chats. You can customize them for different member levels, making it ideal for tiered memberships or exclusive content drops.
❌ What’s Lacking: Unlike platforms like Discord or Slack, real-time engagement still feels limited. No advanced automation for segmenting discussions based on activity or interest.

2. Built-in Courses: A Game-Changer or Just a Nice Add-on?

✅ What’s Good: Circle has an integrated course platform, meaning you don’t need Kajabi or Teachable. It’s seamless—community members can move from discussions to lessons effortlessly.

❌ What’s Lacking: The course builder is functional but lacks advanced features like cohort-based tracking, certificates, or interactive learning modules. If education is your focus, dedicated LMS platforms like Thrive apprentice might serve you better.

3. Live Streams & Events: Where Real Engagement Happens

✅ What’s Good: Native live-streaming means you don’t need Zoom or third-party integrations. The event calendar also keeps everything in one place.

❌ What’s Lacking: No advanced audience segmentation, automation for recurring events, or deep analytics on engagement. Gamification and retention features are also missing—critical for long-term engagement.

4. Monetization: Memberships, Payments & Control

✅ What’s Good: Circle lets you set up paid memberships, one-time offers, or subscription models—all within the platform. Stripe integration makes payments smooth.

❌ What’s Lacking: There’s no built-in upselling, advanced A/B pricing testing, or sales funnel automation. If you’re serious about scaling revenue, you’ll still need additional tools.

5. Customization & Branding: How Much Control Do You Really Have?

✅ What’s Good: Circle allows custom domains, white-labeling, and CSS customization—meaning you can make it feel like YOUR platform.

❌ What’s Lacking: It’s still limited compared to self-hosted solutions. If deep customization matters (like full control over user data and analytics), you may feel restricted.

6. Integrations & API: Plays Well with Others?

✅ What’s Good: Circle integrates with Zapier, ConvertKit, Slack, and other marketing tools. The API allows for custom workflows.

❌ What’s Lacking: Compared to Webflow or WordPress, integration depth is still limited. Want full automation across your entire ecosystem? You’ll need workarounds.

Is Circle.so the Right Choice?

Circle.so is a powerful all-in-one community platform, but it’s not without limitations. If you want a clean, beginner-friendly solution with courses, memberships, and engagement tools under one roof, it’s excellent.

But if you’re looking for complete customization, deeper analytics, or advanced monetization, you may feel boxed in. En enterprise version might suit you if you already have an established community. Or you might want to build one on an LMS platform with deeper customization. 

In short, Circle.so is best for coaches, creators, and businesses who want a community-focused membership model.
But it might not be a right platform for nterprise brands expecting full control over their platform.

Circle.so Alternatives and Comparision

Circle is not the only platform in the community building space. I have previously reviewed Nas.io and Skool. Here let me compare it to other popular alternatives to help you take an informed decision.

Circle vs. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is often seen as Circle's closest competitor. Both platforms offer robust community-building tools, but unfortunately, Mighty has a clumsy user interface and much slow performance. Think of Mighty as a social media creation tool instead. Here are some important points to notice in my experience:

• Ease of Use: Circle generally offers a more intuitive interface.
• Course Features: Mighty Networks has more advanced course capabilities.
• Pricing: Circle tends to be more affordable for smaller communities.
• Mobile Apps: Both offer native apps, but Circle's are often praised for better UX.

In my experience, Circle edges out Mighty Networks in overall user experience and community management tools. Many Reddit and Quora users have offered the similar feedback for this comparision.

However, if advanced course features are your priority, Mighty Networks might be the better choice.

Circle vs. Discord

Discord is a popular choice, especially for gaming communities, but it's increasingly being used for professional communities too. One big advantage with Discord is, it's free. However, there are some key differences.

• Community Type: Circle is better for structured, professional communities; Discord excels in real-time, casual interactions.
• Monetization: Circle offers more robust built-in monetization options.
• Customization: Discord allows for more extensive bot integrations and server customization.
• Content Organization: Circle provides better tools for organizing long-form content and courses.
• Monetization tools: Circle.so will offer you many content contentization options while Discord only has third-party integrations like Whop.

If your community thrives on real-time chat and you're tech-savvy enough to set up bots and integrations, Discord could be a good fit. But for a more structured, professional community with built-in monetization tools, Circle is the clear winner.

Circle vs. Skool

Skool is a newer player in the community platform space, gaining popularity among course creators and coaches. The big advantage with Skool is, it's focus on Creator communities. Alex Hormozi invested in Skool and many creators now are monetizing their content there. It's comparatively cheaper and an easier platform to begin with.

Let me compare Circle and Skool quickly here:

• Feature Set: Circle offers a more comprehensive set of community-building tools. It has more functions, however, Skool offers less features but more benefits approach.
• User Interface: Both platforms prioritize clean, modern design, but Skool's UI is often considered distraction free and more community friendly.
• Pricing: Skool can be more cost-effective for very small communities and creators, but Circle offers better value as you build more complex and diverse community.
• Integration Options: Circle generally provides more extensive third-party integrations than Skool. If this is your priority, Circle is better tool.

As mentioned in the Skool review, Skool is focusing specifically on creator economy. It is a better option for creators and coaching business while circle offers a solid platform for building an educational community for small and medium scale businesses.

We have compared Skool with Circle in more details if you are willing to explore a Circle so alternative.

Circle.so Pros and Cons Review

We have covered all features of Circle and how you can use it to build a thriving online community for business. However, It is important to know that the right platform depends on your needs. All community building tools have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Benefits

• Clean, intuitive user interface for both admins and members
• Comprehensive set of community-building and engagement tools
• Solid monetization options with built-in paywalls and subscriptions
• Native apps for iOS and Android
• Regular updates and new feature releases

Disadvantages:

• Transaction fees on all plans can add up for high-volume communities
• Some users report occasional bugs or missing features in mobile apps
• Analytics, while comprehensive, may lack some advanced reporting options
• Limited payment gateway options (primarily relies on Stripe)

Is Circle.so Right for You?

Circle.so could be an excellent choice if:

• You're looking for an all-in-one community platform with a user-friendly interface
• You want to monetize your community through memberships or online courses
• You need a mobile-friendly solution with native app

However, you might want to look elsewhere if:

• You require extremely advanced customization or open-source flexibility
• Your primary focus is on creating and selling complex online courses
• You need extensive e-commerce features beyond basic memberships and digital products
• You're on a very tight budget and can't afford the monthly fees or transaction costs

In such case, you can look for open source platforms like Discourse or even free platforms like Telegram which you can monetize by integrating with Whop. 

Community is a Human Work

Circle.so has rightfully earned its place as one of the top community platforms in 2024. Its blend of user-friendliness, comprehensive features, and regular updates make it a solid choice for many creators and businesses.

While it may not be the perfect solution for everyone, particularly those requiring highly specialized features or extreme customization, Circle.so offers an impressive balance of power and simplicity that will suit a wide range of community needs.

Ultimately, the best way to determine if Circle.so is right for you is to take advantage of their 14-day free trial. This hands-on experience will give you the clearest picture of how the platform can serve your specific community needs.