Best community platform with courses
Courses, live sessions and discussion in one place, so members learn and talk without switching tools.
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skool Top pick | $9/mo | Creators starting a community who want courses and live calls in one simple place at the lowest price. | | 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 | Circle | $89/mo | Established creators and brands who want a polished community, website and apps under their own domain. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards course hosting and live events. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
How this ranking was weighted
| Dimension | Weight | Skool | Mighty Networks | Circle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course hosting | ×3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Live events | ×2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Value for money | ×2 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Automation | ×1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Weighted total | 80 | 75 | 73 |
Capability scores are 1–5 per dimension. Weights reflect what matters for this use case. A tool we have not assessed on a dimension scores 3, not 0.
Why Skool wins here
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 10% + 30c of every sale; Pro cuts it to 2.9% + 30c (3.9% + 30c on payments over $900).
- −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.
The case for Mighty Networks
A community platform combining discussion, courses, events and automation, with branded apps on its top tier. Community businesses that want courses, events and automation in one app, and plan to grow into paid programmes.
Full Skool vs Mighty Networks comparison →
Common questions
Best community platform with courses?
Skool scores highest for communities with courses, at 80 out of 100 when weighted for course hosting and live events. Mighty Networks is second on 75.
Why is the pick here different from your overall ranking?
Our overall ranking for community platforms puts Circle first, because it averages every use case. Weighted specifically for communities with courses, Skool comes out ahead — courses, live sessions and discussion in one place, so members learn and talk without switching tools.
Sources & verification
- circle.so — checked 25 September 2026Transaction fees: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, in addition to Stripe’s standard processing fee.
- help.skool.com — checked 25 September 2026Transaction fee on sales: 10% + 30c on Hobby; 2.9% + 30c on Pro for payments up to $899, 3.9% + 30c above $900. Skool processes the payments itself, so card processing is included. Members pay in USD.
- mightynetworks.com — checked 25 September 2026Transaction fees: 2% on Launch, 1% on Scale, 0.5% on Growth. The pricing page does not say whether card processing is included.
- skool.com — checked 24 September 2026No free plan; both plans can be tried for free.