Skool vs Circle.so ⚠️ Brutally Honest Comparison

If you are planning to launch an online community for your online course, coaching or an online business, you might want to know which platform is right. There are too many platforms out there by the way: Mighty network, Kajabi, Circle.so and now Skool.

I've also had the opportunity to explore Circle.so, a popular platform for building and engaging with online communities. In my recent article I covered Circle's pros, cons and my personal experience. On the other side, I am hosting my own community on Skool after getting frustrated by other platforms. It makes me eligible to compare Circle and Skool both and offer you an honest opinion.

This way you will be able to understand which platform is right for hosting your online community.

And I will be very frank: I am not going to claim "this is the best platform". I will offer you the facts so you can make this choice by yourself.

Let's get into this:

What is Skool?

Skool is an all-in-one platform designed to help creators build and monetize online communities. As we covered in our Skool review, it's not for everyone as many people promote everywhere. Skool can be a right platform for consultants and coaches with primary focus of creating paid communities.

As an early tester of Skool, I've seen the platform evolve and improve over time. These are some interesting features of the platform:

• Community building: Skool allows you to create a community space where members can connect, share ideas, and collaborate.
• One-time payment courses: Yes! you can host online courses inside your "classroom" and charge for them. Like I am doing it in my Skool community.
• Monetization: You can monetize your Skool group with premium subscriptions, courses, and premium live events.
• Integration: Skool integrates seamlessly with popular tools and platforms, such as email marketing software and payment gateways. This can be done through Zapier plugin. But these options are very limited to enrolling people in the community.
• Gamification: One of the strongest element of Skool is a powerful gamification and leaderboard system. It helps community managers with maintaining high engagement.
• Skool Games: TSkool community creators can join monthly games aka challenges and win rewards for growing their online community. They also get to meet Alex Harmozi of Acquisition.com fame if they win the game.

If you are looking to create a community on subscription model Skool can be a right tool for you. But is this really better than Circle? Let's look at this another platform. 

What is Circle?

Circle is a flexible and scalable platform designed to help creators build and engage with online communities. The platform has been in the space for a while and people like Pat Flynn of Smartpassiveincome.com promote it.

In terms of features, Circle indeed wins over Skool. Here are some for example: 

• Community building: Circle offers a range of community building tools, including discussion forums, social networks, and event management.
• Content creation: Circle provides a range of content creation tools, including blogs, podcasts, and video hosting.
• Monetization: Circle offers various monetization options, including subscriptions, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing. On the top, you can also monetize your community with online courses, events and much more.
• Integration: Circle integrates with a range of popular tools and platforms, including email marketing software and CRM systems. Circle's integration is comprehensive and easy to implement.

Skool vs Circle: Key Features Comparison

Before you decide to go for Skool or Circle, you need to understand the core features required to build a thriving online community around your brand.

Here I have compared the features side-by-side:

Use case comparision of Skool and Circle.so

So, when should you use Skool, and when should you use Circle? Here are some use cases to consider but you do not need to limit yourself with them:

• Skool:
  • Online courses and coaching programs
  • Membership sites and subscription-based models
  • Community-driven businesses and startups
  • Creators with private content.
• Circle:
  • Discussion forums and social networks
  • Event management and community engagement
  • Businesses and organizations with complex community needs
  • Coaches who want to start small

Skool vs Circle: Good, bad and ugly

So might wonder, which one is good and which one is bad? Well, the answer is, a question: What are you looking for?

After using both Skool and Circle, I've identified some key points that you should consider before picking any of them. Feel free to add more in the comments if I have missed any:

Skool Pros:

• Easy to use and set up
• All-in-one community space
• Strong gamification.
• Private Skool community builders community
• Active Skool Games program. A dedicated competition to make money with Skool.

Skool Cons:

• Limited customization options
• No option to upload video
• Limited analytics and reporting

Circle Pros:

• Highly customizable and flexible
• Scalable and suitable for large communities
• Strong integration with popular tools and platforms
• Competitive pricing
• High-quality customer support

Circle Cons:

• Steeper learning curve
• Confusing user interface. I interviewed a few users who migrated from Circle to Skool and realized the key reason to make this shift was confusing interface of Circle.

In my personal experience, I did not find Circle confusing to use. And, Skool does offer a cleaner interface and more intuitive user experience.

Try Skool for free for 14 days

Community Management Comparision: Skool vs Circle

When it comes to community building, both Skool and Circle offer unique features and advantages. Here's a more in-depth comparison:

• Skool: Skool's all-in-one community space is ideal for creators who want to build a tight-knit community around their brand or business. Skool's community building features include discussion forums, live streams, and courses.
• Circle: Circle's community building tools are highly customizable and flexible, making it ideal for creators who need to build complex community structures. Circle's community building features include discussion forums, social networks, and event management.

Winner: None

Skool vs Circle: Integration

Integration is a critical aspect of building and sustaining an online community. Here's a comparison of Skool and Circle's integration features:

• Skool: Skool integrates seamlessly with popular tools and platforms, including email marketing software and payment gateways. The only challenge is, it offers integration only through Zapier or web-hooks. Also, there are limited hooks available on the platform.
• Circle: Circle integrates with a range of popular tools and platforms, including email marketing software and CRM systems. Circle's platform is ideal for creators who want to integrate their community with a wide range of tools and platforms.

Winner: Circle

Conclusion

I personally use Skool for building my community but Circle is also not a bad option. I love Skool's simple, intuitive interface and focus on what really matters: engagement and monetization. But this can not be the case for everyone.

If you're looking for an creator focused community space with strong monetization options, Skool may be the best choice. However, if you need a more flexible and customizable platform that can scale your community-driven business, Circle is worth considering.

Additional Resources

• Skool Games: Get free 14 days trial and participate in the next Skool game.
• Circle: Visit Circle's website and learn more about their platform and community building tools.
• Community Funnel Course: (Need to join the community) Learn how to build and monetize your community.

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comment box.