Best community platforms in 2026
Platforms for running a paid or free online community, usually with courses and live events attached. The real differences are the monthly price, the cut taken from member payments, and how far you can make it your own brand.
The ranking
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circle Top pick | $89/mo | Established creators and brands who want a polished community, website and apps under their own domain. | | Visit |
| 2 | Mighty Networks | $95/mo | Community businesses that want courses, events and automation in one app, and plan to grow into paid programmes. | | Visit |
| 3 | Skool | $9/mo | Creators starting a community who want courses and live calls in one simple place at the lowest price. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards value for money and branding and own domain. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
Best by use case
An overall ranking is a compromise. These reweight the same scores for a specific job, and the top pick is not always the same one.
Best platform for starting an online community
Getting a community running cheaply and simply, before it has proven itself.
Top pick: SkoolBest platform for a paid membership community
Charging members while keeping as much of each payment as possible, under your own brand.
Top pick: CircleBest community platform with courses
Courses, live sessions and discussion in one place, so members learn and talk without switching tools.
Top pick: SkoolBest community platform for established brands
A community that looks and runs like part of the business: own domain, no platform branding, automation.
Top pick: CircleHead to head
Every tool in detail
1. Circle
A community platform for creators and brands, with courses, events, a website and apps on your own domain.
Strengths
- +Professional includes community, courses, live events, a website, payments and iOS, Android and desktop apps.
- +Transaction fees fall from 2% on Professional to 1% on Business and Scale.
- +A 14-day free trial without a card, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Limitations
- −Published prices are for annual billing, from $89 a month.
- −Removing Circle branding and adding workflows needs Business, at $199 a month.
- −Email marketing is an add-on: $99 a month extra for 10,000 contacts.
2. Mighty Networks
A community platform combining discussion, courses, events and automation, with branded apps on its top tier.
Strengths
- +Every plan has unlimited members and spaces, with community, courses and basic automations from Launch.
- +Transaction fees are 2% on Launch and 1% on Scale.
- +Annual billing gives two months free, bringing Launch down to $79 a month.
Limitations
- −Launch is $95 a month on monthly billing.
- −APIs and third-party integrations need the Scale plan, at $215 a month.
- −Your own branded apps need Mighty Pro, which is custom-priced.
3. Skool
A deliberately simple community platform combining a discussion feed, courses and live calls, from $9 a month.
Strengths
- +The Hobby plan is $9 a month with unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls.
- +Both plans include a custom URL and a built-in affiliate programme for your own community.
- +Yearly billing gives two months free: $7.50 or $82 a month.
Limitations
- −Hobby takes a 10% transaction fee on everything you sell; Pro cuts it to 2.9%.
- −Pro costs $99 a month, so it only beats Hobby above roughly $1,270 a month in sales.
- −No free plan — only a free trial.
Common questions
What is the best community platform overall?
On our weighted scoring across every use case in this category, Circle ranks first with 73/100, ahead of Mighty Networks on 71. It leads mainly on branding and own domain.
What is the cheapest community platform?
Skool at $9/mo (monthly; $7.50/mo billed yearly) has the lowest paid entry point. Cheapest is rarely best value — check what the next tier up costs and what the plan renews at, because that is where most people end up.
Sources & verification
- circle.so — checked 24 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial with no card required, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- mightynetworks.com — checked 24 September 2026No free plan; a 14-day free trial.
- skool.com — checked 24 September 2026No free plan; both plans can be tried for free.