The best Skool alternatives in 2026
Skool is simple on purpose, and for a lot of creators that simplicity eventually becomes the ceiling. Here are the platforms people move to, what each costs, and how to switch without losing members.
HiveLearn teamUpdated Prices verified June 2, 20269 min readDisclosure: HiveLearn makes one of the platforms in this guide. We name each competitor’s real strengths, use their published prices, and show the math so you can check it.
At a glance
Drag to your monthly salesAt $5,000/mo, Skool costs $100 less per month in platform fees. Compare what each includes below.
| Platform | Plans | % fee capped? | At $5,000/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| HiveLearnStart free → | Starter $0/mo + 6% · Growth $39/mo + 4% · Pro $99/mo + 2% | Yes, monthly cap on paid plans | $199Pro |
| Skool | Hobby $9/mo + 10% incl. processing · Pro $99/mo +1% on sales over $899 | No, grows with revenue | $99Pro |
| Circle | Professional $89/mo + 2% · Business $199/mo + 1% | No, grows with revenue | $189Professional |
| Mighty Networks | Launch $79/mo + 2% · Scale $179/mo + 1% · Growth $354/mo + 0.5% | No, grows with revenue | $179Launch |
| Thinkific | Basic $49/mo | Flat fee, no % share | $49Lowest · Basic |
| Kajabi | Basic $179/mo | Flat fee, no % share | $179Basic |
| Discord | Server Subscriptions 10% | No, grows with revenue | $500Server Subscriptions |
- HiveLearn$199 /mo · Pro
Starter $0/mo + 6% · Growth $39/mo + 4% · Pro $99/mo + 2%
Yes, monthly cap on paid plans
Start free → - Skool$99 /mo · Pro
Hobby $9/mo + 10% incl. processing · Pro $99/mo +1% on sales over $899
No, grows with revenue
- Circle$189 /mo · Professional
Professional $89/mo + 2% · Business $199/mo + 1%
No, grows with revenue
- Mighty Networks$179 /mo · Launch
Launch $79/mo + 2% · Scale $179/mo + 1% · Growth $354/mo + 0.5%
No, grows with revenue
- Thinkific$49 /mo · Lowest · Basic
Basic $49/mo
Flat fee, no % share
- Kajabi$179 /mo · Basic
Basic $179/mo
Flat fee, no % share
- Discord$500 /mo · Server Subscriptions
Server Subscriptions 10%
No, grows with revenue
Cheapest listed plan at that revenue. Card processing (about 2.9% + $0.30) applies on every platform and is not included. Competitor prices verified June 2, 2026. Math example, not a customer outcome.
Most people who search for a Skool alternative are not unhappy with Skool. They have outgrown it. The classroom has no quizzes, there are no certificates, events are a calendar without RSVPs or reminders, and the Pro plan adds a 1% platform fee per sale over $899 on top of $99 a month. This guide lists the six platforms creators most often move to, with pricing verified June 2, 2026, and ends with a checklist for the migration itself.
Why creators leave Skool
Three complaints come up again and again. Assessment: once you sell a course with real outcomes, you need quizzes and a certificate at the end, and Skool has neither. Events: workshops and cohort calls need RSVPs and reminders that reach members, not a static calendar entry. Cost at scale: Hobby charges a 10% transaction fee, and Pro charges 2.9% plus $0.30 with an additional 1% platform fee per sale over $899, so the bill keeps climbing with revenue.
None of those are dealbreakers on day one. They become dealbreakers when you have a few hundred paying members and a course that is the reason they pay.
Our platform1. HiveLearn: courses, community, events and payments in one
HiveLearn is the closest like-for-like replacement for a Skool group that has started selling serious courses. The feed, classroom and calendar are all there, and the classroom is a full LMS: quizzes with six question types, verifiable certificates, progress tracking, and an AI course builder that drafts a structured course from an outline. Events carry RSVPs, ticketing, QR check-in and automatic reminders. Gamification with points, levels and leaderboards is native, and new posts, courses and events can auto-post to Slack, Discord or Telegram.
Starter is $0 a month with a 6% revenue share, so there is no monthly fee until you monetize. Growth is $39 a month with a 4% share capped at $2,000 a month, and Pro is $99 with 2% capped at $3,000. Growth, Pro and Scale start with a 14-day free trial, Enterprise 30 days, no credit card. A migration wizard imports your Skool member export, and Growth and above include concierge migration.
- $0/mo until you monetize
- Rev share capped monthly
- 14-day trial, no credit card
2. Circle: the polished spaces model
Circle is the most common upgrade for brands that want a more designed member experience. Professional is $89 a month with a 2% transaction fee, Business is $199 with 1%. Events and live streams are strong. The fee is uncapped, and the course builder stops short of quizzes and certificates, so assessment-heavy creators still add a tool.
3. Mighty Networks: community with a branded app
Mighty Networks appeals to creators who want their community in a branded mobile app. Launch is $79 a month with a 2% fee and Scale is $179 with 1%, neither capped. Courses and live events are included. It is more expensive than Skool at the same feature level, and the learning tools remain lighter than an LMS.
4. Thinkific: when the course is the product
If the community was always secondary and the course is what people buy, Thinkific's mature LMS is the safer choice. Basic is $49 a month with one community, Start is $99, Grow is $199. Thinkific Payments carries no transaction fee. The community and gamification features are thinner than Skool's, so you are trading one gap for another.
5. Kajabi: the all-in-one marketing suite
Kajabi bundles courses, email marketing, funnels and a website builder. Basic is $179 a month for five products and 2,500 contacts, after the January 2026 restructure retired the $89 Kickstarter plan. Community is a module, not the core. It makes sense if you want to consolidate your marketing stack at the same time, and it is the most expensive option on this list to start.
6. Discord plus a course tool
Some creators go the other way and split the stack: Discord for chat because it is free and real-time, and a course platform for the learning. It works, but every seam between the two is a place members drop off, and Server Subscriptions take 10% and are US-only. Treat this as a stopgap rather than a destination.
Switching checklist
0 of 4 doneOur step-by-step Skool migration guide covers each of those in detail, including how to handle existing subscriptions.
HiveLearn imports your member export with the migration wizard.
Start your moveQuestions people ask before switching
Which Skool alternative costs the least?
It depends on your revenue. Lowest platform bill at $1,000/mo in sales: Thinkific Basic ($49/mo). Lowest at $20,000/mo: Thinkific Basic ($49/mo). Platform fees only; card processing applies everywhere. Math example, not a customer outcome.
Is HiveLearn free to start?
Yes. Starter is $0 a month with a 6% revenue share, so there is no monthly fee until you monetize. Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30) is charged separately, as it is on every platform.
What does a capped revenue share mean?
On paid plans the percentage stops at a monthly ceiling: Growth is $39/mo with 4% capped at $2,000/mo, Pro is $99/mo with 2% capped at $3,000/mo, and Scale is $249/mo with 1% capped at $4,000/mo. Past the cap, the rest of the month's sales carry no HiveLearn share.
Do I need a credit card to try a paid plan?
No. Growth, Pro and Scale start with a 14-day free trial with no credit card. If you do not upgrade, you stay on the free Starter plan.
Can I keep my Discord, Slack or Telegram?
Yes. HiveLearn does not replace them. New posts, courses and events can auto-post to your Slack, Discord or Telegram channels, so members who live there still hear about everything.
Can I bring my existing members?
Yes. The migration wizard imports your member list, either the export from platforms like Skool, Circle, Kajabi, Mighty Networks and Patreon, or a simple CSV of names and emails, and you invite members in from there.
Keep reading
Up next · Migration GuideMigrating from Skool to HiveLearn: a step-by-step guide
Switching platforms feels risky until you have a plan. This guide walks through a clean migration from Skool to HiveLearn: your members, your content, your payments, in an order designed to avoid downtime.
11 min readLeaving Skool? Build your new home here.
Courses, community, events, and payments in one platform. Start free. No credit card, no time limit on Starter.
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