The comparison table
The Total at $1,470 column is a 30-member community at $49/month, including subscription, platform fee and card processing where it is billed separately.
| # | Platform | Monthly | Transaction fee | Total at $1,470 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whop | $0 | 3% gated + 2.7% + $0.30 | $93 | Under $3,500/mo, Discord communities, multiple products |
| 2 | Systeme.io | from $27 | 0% + processing | $79 | Funnels and email bundled in |
| 3 | Discord + payment layer | $0 | Only the payment layer's fee | $93 | Communities already living on Discord |
| 4 | Circle | from about $89 | 1–2% + processing | $170 | Serious community businesses at scale |
| 5 | Mighty Networks | $95 / $215 | 2% + processing, never 0% | $176 | Community-first with courses attached |
| 6 | Podia | paid plans | Varies by plan | Varies | Courses with community and email in one |
| 7 | Teachable | paid plans | Entry tiers carry a fee | Varies | Course-first businesses |
| 8 | Kajabi | from about $71 | Up to 5% on entry plan | $196 | All-in-one marketing, courses and funnels |
| 9 | Patreon | $0 | About 10% + processing | $199 | Fan-funded creators, not businesses |
| — | Skool Pro | $99 | 2.9% all-in | $151 | Over $3,500/mo in one engaged community |
| — | Skool Hobby | $9 | 10% all-in | $165 | Nothing — every option above beats it |
Circle, Mighty Networks and Kajabi figures use entry tiers on annual billing and assume you pay processing separately at 2.9% + $0.30. Rates verified July 2026 and change without notice — confirm on each platform's own pricing page before deciding.
Whop — best under $3,500/month
$0/month, 3% platform fee on sales using access automations, 2.7% + $0.30 processing. No per-community charge.
Whop is a payments and access layer rather than a community platform, which is exactly why it suits people leaving Skool for cost reasons. It gates an existing Discord server or Telegram channel instead of asking your members to move, handles licence keys and TradingView access, and lets you run as many separate products as you like without another subscription each time. Its marketplace sends genuine buyer traffic and stopped charging a marketplace commission in May 2025.
Choose it if you are under roughly $3,500/month, run more than one offer, or your community already lives on Discord. Skip it if you are well above the crossover in a single community, or the gamification is what keeps your members subscribed — Whop has no equivalent.
Systeme.io — cheapest all-in bundle
From $27/month with 0% platform fee, plus your own processing.
Funnels, email marketing, courses, a community area and a store in one subscription. On pure cost it is the lowest total in the table, and if you were about to pay for an email tool anyway the effective price drops further. The trade is polish: the community experience is functional rather than delightful, and nothing here will drive engagement the way Skool's leaderboards do.
Choose it if you want to collapse three subscriptions into one. Skip it if the community itself is the product.
Discord plus a payment layer — the DIY route
Discord is free. You pay only whatever your payment layer charges.
Worth stating plainly because a lot of people pay $99/month for something they were already doing for nothing. Discord handles chat, voice, roles and events better than any community platform, and a payment layer bolted on top handles the paid access. What you lose is the course structure, the gamification, and a member experience that feels like a product rather than a chat server.
Choose it if your members already live on Discord and your product is access plus conversation. Skip it if you need structured course delivery or your audience finds Discord intimidating — which many non-technical audiences do.
The community-first platforms
Circle — from about $89/month
The most credible community platform at scale: better moderation, spaces, events, automation and reporting than Skool, with a 1–2% transaction fee depending on tier and processing on top. More expensive than Skool at every level, and worth it only once operational tooling is your constraint.
Mighty Networks — $95 or $215/month
Community-first with courses attached and a well-regarded member experience. The unusual detail is that its transaction fee never reaches 0% on any standard plan, so you pay a percentage forever on top of a three-figure subscription.
Course platforms and fan funding
Podia
Courses, downloads, community and email in one place with a proper student experience. Entry-tier plans carry a transaction fee that disappears higher up, so the plan you choose changes the maths substantially.
Teachable
Course-first, with community as a secondary layer. Strong course tooling — including the quizzes and certificates Skool does not have — but entry plans carry a transaction fee and payout arrangements vary by plan.
Kajabi — from about $71/month
An all-in-one marketing, course and funnel platform with community added later. The entry plan carries up to a 5% fee on payments, and contact ceilings can force an upgrade as your list grows rather than as your revenue does.
Patreon — $0/month
No subscription, but roughly 10% plus processing, which lands around 13–16% all in — the most expensive option here. It buys you a payment relationship your audience already recognises. Built for fan funding rather than a paid community business.
Keep reading
Our pick for most switchers
No monthly fee, no per-community charge, and it gates the Discord you already run. Open one and compare a month of payouts against your Skool bill.
Start selling on Whop →