Does Circle really charge transaction fees?

Yes, and this is the cost most people miss. On top of standard Stripe or PayPal processing of roughly 2.9% plus 30 cents, Circle takes its own platform fee on every sale: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and 0.5% on Circle Plus. So a membership sold on Professional can pay close to 5% in combined fees before you even count the subscription. At higher revenue, the lower fee on Business genuinely starts to pay for the more expensive plan.

What's the difference between Professional and Business?

Automation and control. Professional at 89 dollars covers the core community, courses, events and memberships, but has no automation workflows, no API, no white-labelling and a 2% fee. Business at 199 dollars adds workflows, API access, the ability to remove Circle branding, more admin seats and spaces, more storage, and halves the fee to 1%. If you want Zapier-style automation built into your community, or you need to remove Circle's branding, you are on Business — there is no middle option.

What is the real monthly cost once add-ons are included?

Higher than the headline, often much higher. The biggest add-on is Email Hub, Circle's email marketing tool, which is priced separately by contact count and starts around 99 dollars a month. Add transaction fees on your sales and the occasional extra like branded sender emails, and a Professional plan advertised at 89 dollars commonly lands somewhere between 200 and 300 dollars a month in real use. Budget for the plan plus fees plus the add-ons you will actually switch on, not the sticker price.

Different philosophies. Skool is deliberately minimal and cheaper, with a single low-cost plan and a focus on simplicity and gamified engagement — great for validating a community before you have proven people will pay. Circle is the premium, feature-rich option: far more customisation, native courses and events, automation and branded apps, but at a meaningfully higher price. Start on Skool to validate cheaply; move to Circle when you need the design polish, deeper features and scale.

4.6 / 5.0

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Circle

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Best for: Online Community Platform

Last updated: July 26, 2026

4.6 / 5.0

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If you want the best-looking, most capable community platform for creators, Circle is it — discussions, courses, live streams, events, memberships and payments in one branded home, with a polish nothing else in the category matches. The honest part is the money. The cheap $39 Basic plan is gone, entry now starts at $89/mo, Circle takes a cut of every sale on top of Stripe, and the features people actually want — automation, API, removing Circle's branding — live on the $199 plan. It's excellent. It's just not cheap, and the sticker price isn't the real price.

Pros

The best-designed, most modern community platform for creators
Truly all-in-one: discussions, courses, live streams, events, payments
Unlimited members on every plan, even entry
Powerful built-in automation workflows (Business)
Widely praised support and a fast release cadence

Cons

— The affordable Basic plan is retired — entry now $89/mo
— Platform fees of 0.5–2% stack on top of Stripe/PayPal
— Automation, API & branding removal locked to the $199 Business plan
— Real cost climbs fast once Email Hub & add-ons are included
— Email marketing (Email Hub) is a separate paid add-on

Key features

Spaces — discussions, chat & knowledge bases

Native courses & gated digital products

Live Rooms, streams & events

Memberships & payments via Stripe/PayPal

Unlimited members — all plans

Automation workflows (Business+)

API access & branding removal (Business+)

AI Agents & custom SSO (Enterprise / Plus)

Fully branded iOS & Android apps (Circle Plus)

Email Hub — email marketing (paid add-on)

Pricing

STARTS AT

$89 – $419/mo

Monthly billing Annual discount

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Frequently asked questions

How much does Circle cost in 2026? +

Three public plans plus a custom tier, cheapest annually: Professional $89/mo, Business $199/mo, Enterprise ~$419/mo, and Circle Plus custom (branded apps). The old Basic plan ($39–49) was discontinued in 2024, so the entry floor is now $89 — a real jump if you remember Circle as a budget option.

Does it really charge transaction fees? +

Yes — the cost most people miss. On top of Stripe/PayPal (~2.9% + 30¢), Circle takes its own cut: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business, 0.5% on Circle Plus. A membership on Professional can pay close to 5% combined before the subscription. At higher revenue, Business's lower fee starts paying for the pricier plan.

Professional vs Business? +

Automation and control. Professional ($89) covers core community, courses, events and memberships — but no workflows, no API, no white-label, 2% fee. Business ($199) adds workflows, API, branding removal, more seats/spaces/storage, and halves the fee to 1%. Want built-in automation or branding removal? You're on Business; there's no middle option.

What's the real monthly cost? +

Higher than the headline. The big add-on is Email Hub (email marketing), priced by contacts from ~$99/mo. Add transaction fees and extras like branded sender emails, and a $89 Professional plan commonly lands at $200–300/mo in real use. Budget plan + fees + the add-ons you'll actually switch on.

Circle or Skool? +

Different philosophies. Skool is minimal and cheaper — one low-cost plan, simple, gamified — great for validating a community before people have paid. Circle is the premium option: far more customisation, native courses and events, automation, branded apps, at a higher price. Validate on Skool; move to Circle for polish, depth and scale.

Is there a free plan or trial? +

No free plan, but every tier has a 14-day trial (no card) plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. With no permanent free option and an $89 floor, the trial is your real chance to confirm fit — set up a genuine test community during it rather than just clicking around.

Not sure yet?

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