Two different cost shapes
Skool charges a fixed $99/month plus a low 2.9% all-in. Whop charges nothing monthly plus a higher 5.7% + $0.30. That is the whole comparison in one line: fixed cost with a cheap rate, against zero cost with a dearer rate.
Set them equal and the crossover falls at about $3,536/month in revenue. The arithmetic: Whop takes 5.7% of revenue, Skool Pro takes $99 plus 2.9%. The difference in rates is 2.8%, and $99 divided by 0.028 is $3,536. Below that, the $99 costs you more than the rate difference saves you. Above it, the reverse.
Whop also beats Skool Hobby at every revenue level, with no crossover — Hobby is $9/month plus 10% all-in, which is more than Whop's 5.7% at any volume.
The full comparison
| Whop | Skool | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $9 Hobby / $99 Pro |
| Annual billing | n/a | $90 / $990 — two months free |
| Platform fee | 3% on sales using access automations | 10% Hobby / 2.9% Pro, all-in |
| Card processing | 2.7% + $0.30, billed separately | Included in the platform fee |
| High-ticket rate | Same rate at any price | 3.9% + $0.30 above about $899 |
| Extra communities | Unlimited, $0 each | +$99/month each |
| Cheaper below $3,500/mo | Yes | No |
| Cheaper above $3,500/mo | No | Yes, on Pro |
| Gate an existing Discord | Native | Not possible |
| Telegram, TradingView, licence keys | Native | No |
| Gamification and leaderboards | No | Its strongest feature |
| Native mobile app | Yes | Yes, and well regarded |
| Courses | Basic lessons and gating | Unlimited courses and videos |
| Quizzes, certificates, drip | No | No |
| Email marketing, funnels, custom domain | No | No |
| VAT and sales tax | Charged to buyer where required; separate workflow | Calculated and remitted for you |
| Marketplace traffic | Yes, no extra commission | No meaningful discovery |
| Affiliate program | Built in | Built in |
| Free trial | Free to open, no trial needed | 14 days |
| Best fit | Under $3,500/mo, multiple products, Discord-based communities | Over $3,500/mo in one engaged community |
Total monthly cost at six volumes
A $49/month membership throughout, monthly billing, domestic cards, one community.
| Revenue | Members | Whop | Skool Pro | Skool Hobby | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $490 | 10 | $31 | $116 | $61 | Whop saves $30 |
| $980 | 20 | $62 | $133 | $113 | Whop saves $51 |
| $1,470 | 30 | $93 | $151 | $165 | Whop saves $58 |
| $3,528 | 72 | $223 | $223 | $383 | Break-even |
| $4,900 | 100 | $309 | $271 | $529 | Skool Pro saves $38 |
| $14,700 | 300 | $928 | $615 | $1,569 | Skool Pro saves $313 |
Two things move the crossover in Whop's favour. Running more than one community: each extra Skool community is another $99/month, while Whop charges nothing. And selling high-ticket: a $1,500 cohort on Skool Pro is charged at 3.9%, which narrows the gap but does not close it — that sale costs $58.80 on Skool against $85.80 on Whop, so high-ticket actually favours Skool.
Which one is yours
Move to Whop if
- You are under roughly $3,500/month, or not launched yet
- You want to run several products or communities without paying $99 for each
- Your community already lives on Discord or Telegram and you do not want to move it
- You sell software, licence keys, signals or TradingView access alongside community
- Your niche is trading, crypto, reselling, ecommerce or agency work — where Whop's marketplace can actually find you buyers
- You want no fixed cost at all in a slow month
Stay on Skool if
- You are comfortably above $3,500/month in one community
- Retention is your bottleneck and gamification is what fixes it
- You sell high-ticket cohorts or annual plans
- Automatic VAT and sales tax handling matters to you
- Your members are non-technical and Skool's simplicity is doing real work
- Your niche is outside Whop's audience — fitness, parenting, education, hobbies
Test it on one offer
If you are under $3,500/month, the switch pays for itself immediately. Open a Whop, put one offer on it, and compare a month of payouts before you touch your Skool community.
Start selling on Whop →