7 Circle Alternatives for Online Communities in 2026 (Cheaper, Simpler, Different)

Why Creators Look for Circle Alternatives

1. Cost. Circle's Basic plan is $49/month ($588/year). Professional is $99/month. Business is $199/month. For a community with 50-100 members, that is a significant per-member cost.

2. Community engagement challenge. Most paid communities struggle with engagement after the initial excitement. Members join, participate for a few weeks, and then go quiet. The platform is not the problem. The community model is inherently difficult to sustain.

3. Revenue model mismatch. Charging $20-$50/month for community access works for some creators. But many find that members value specific deliverables (coaching sessions, workshops, courses) more than general community access. The platform built for community may not be the platform you need for revenue.

4. Complexity. Circle has many features: spaces, discussions, events, courses, member roles, integrations. For a simple community, it can feel over-built.

5. No live session tools. Circle hosts events and live streams, but it does not have 1:1 coaching video, session recording, AI summaries, or scheduling with payments. Coaches who use Circle for community still need separate tools for session delivery.

The 7 Best Circle Alternatives

1. Skool (Best Gamified Community + Courses)

Skool is Circle's most direct competitor. Community, courses, and gamification in one platform. Members earn points, appear on leaderboards, and unlock content as they participate. The gamification adds an engagement layer that Circle does not have.

Skool is simpler than Circle. Fewer customization options, fewer spaces, fewer integrations. But that simplicity is the point. Setup takes minutes, not hours.

For a deeper comparison, see our Skool vs Circle comparison.

Pricing: $99/month flat. No transaction fees.

Best for: Creators who run paid communities with courses, especially cohort-based programs where gamification drives engagement.

2. Talkspresso (Best for Live Session Delivery)

Talkspresso is not a community platform. It is a live session delivery platform. But it solves a problem that many Circle users face: how do you monetize the relationship you built in your community?

Community builds trust and connection. Talkspresso converts that trust into revenue through live coaching sessions, workshops, and group calls. Built-in HD video, scheduling, payments, automatic recording, and AI summaries.

The pairing of Circle (or Skool) + Talkspresso gives you community for engagement and live sessions for revenue. Two platforms, each doing what it does best.

Pricing: Free. 10% platform fee on paid sessions only.

What you get:

• Built-in HD video for 1:1 and group sessions (up to 500 attendees)
• Automatic session recording with AI summaries
• Scheduling with Google Calendar sync
• Payment collection at booking
• Professional branded booking page
• Client management with session history
• Digital product sales
• Workshop and webinar hosting

What you don't get: Community forums, member discussions, gamification, content feeds.

Best for: Coaches and creators who need a session delivery platform alongside (or instead of) a community platform. Pairs well with Circle or Skool.

3. Mighty Networks (Best Branded Community App)

Mighty Networks offers something Circle does not: a branded mobile app. Your community gets its own app in the App Store and Google Play with your name and branding.

Mighty Networks combines community, courses, events, and memberships. The branded app experience creates a stronger sense of belonging than a web-based community.

Pricing: Community at $33/month. Business at $99/month. Path-to-Pro at $119/month.

Best for: Creators who want a branded mobile app for their community and are willing to pay for the premium feel.

4. Discord (Best Free Community)

Discord is free, real-time, and familiar to millions of users. Voice channels, text channels, roles, bots, and integrations. For communities that value real-time chat over async discussion, Discord is hard to beat.

Discord's weakness for paid communities is that there is no native paywall. You need third-party tools (like Whop or LaunchPass) to gate access. And the interface, while powerful, feels more like a chat app than a professional community.

Pricing: Free. Nitro (premium features) at $9.99/month.

Best for: Communities that value real-time voice and text chat, especially gaming, tech, and crypto communities.

5. Slack (Best for Professional Communities)

Slack is the professional community tool. Channels, threads, integrations, and a familiar interface for anyone who has worked in a corporate environment. Paid communities on Slack have a professional feel that Discord lacks.

Like Discord, Slack does not have native paywalls for communities. You need external tools to manage paid access.

Pricing: Free (limited history). Pro at $7.25/user/month. Business+ at $12.50/user/month.

Best for: Professional communities, mastermind groups, and B2B coaching communities where members expect a professional communication tool.

6. Kajabi (Best All-in-One with Community)

Kajabi includes community as part of its all-in-one platform alongside courses, email marketing, website, and funnels. The community feature is not as deep as Circle or Skool, but having it integrated with courses and marketing tools is convenient.

For details on Kajabi, see our Kajabi alternatives guide.

Pricing: Basic at $149/month. Growth at $199/month. Pro at $399/month.

Best for: Creators who want community, courses, email marketing, and a website in one platform and have the budget for Kajabi.

7. Heartbeat (Best for Brand-Focused Communities)

Heartbeat is a community platform that emphasizes branding and design. Your community looks and feels like an extension of your brand, not a generic platform. Events, courses, and discussions are all beautifully presented.

Heartbeat is newer and smaller than Circle but gaining traction with design-conscious creators.

Pricing: Starter at $49/month. Growth at $99/month. Scale at $299/month.

Best for: Brand-conscious creators who want their community to match their visual identity and feel premium.

Comparison Table: Circle vs. All 7 Alternatives

Community vs. Sessions: Where Does Revenue Actually Come From?

This is the question most Circle alternatives articles do not ask. But it is the most important question for your business.

Community revenue model:

• Charge $20-$50/month for access
• 100 members = $2,000-$5,000/month
• Challenge: Retention. Most communities see 5-10% monthly churn. After a year, you need to constantly replace members.
• Engagement difficulty: Keeping 100 people actively participating is a full-time job.

Session revenue model:

• Charge $100-$300 per coaching session
• 20 sessions/month = $2,000-$6,000/month
• Challenge: Time. You deliver each session personally.
• Engagement: 100% (it is a live session, the client is there).

Workshop revenue model:

• Charge $39-$99 per seat
• 2 workshops/month, 30 seats each = $2,340-$5,940/month
• Challenge: Marketing each event.
• Engagement: High (live event with interaction).

Hybrid model (community + sessions):

• Community at $29/month (50 members = $1,450/month)
• Premium coaching for community members at $200/session (10 sessions/month = $2,000/month)
• Monthly workshop for community at $49/seat (25 seats = $1,225/month)
• Total: $4,675/month

The hybrid model generates the most revenue. Community provides the audience and trust. Sessions and workshops provide the premium revenue.

This is why the Circle + Talkspresso pairing works so well:

• Circle (community engagement, content, discussions) at $49-$99/month
• Talkspresso (session delivery, workshops, coaching) at $0/month
• Total: $49-$99/month for the complete stack

When Community Is the Right Product

Sometimes community IS the product. Here are the scenarios where a dedicated community platform makes sense:

• Cohort-based programs. A group of 20-30 people going through a program together. Community interaction is part of the learning.
• Masterminds. Small groups of peers who meet regularly and hold each other accountable. The value is in the peer network.
• Niche knowledge sharing. A community of experts in a specific field who share insights, resources, and opportunities. The collective knowledge is the value.
• Accountability groups. Groups focused on specific goals (fitness, writing, business) where daily check-ins and peer support drive results.

In these cases, Circle or Skool is the right primary tool. Use Talkspresso as a complement for individual coaching sessions with community members who want more personalized attention.

When Community Is NOT the Right Product

For many creators and coaches, community is not the primary revenue driver:

• Solo coaches who deliver 1:1 sessions do not need a community platform. They need a session delivery tool.
• Workshop leaders who run live events do not need ongoing community infrastructure. They need booking and video tools.
• Consultants who work with clients on specific projects do not benefit from a community model. They need scheduling and client management.
• Creators with small audiences cannot sustain a paid community with 10-20 members. The engagement math does not work below a critical mass.

In these cases, skip the community platform entirely. Use Talkspresso for session delivery and build your audience through free content (social media, newsletters, YouTube).

How to Choose

If community is your primary product:

Choose Circle ($49-$199/month) for the most customizable, professional community platform. Or Skool ($99/month) for simpler setup with gamification.

If you need community AND live sessions:

Pair Circle or Skool (community) with Talkspresso (sessions). Community for engagement. Talkspresso for revenue. $49-$99/month total.

If you want a free community:

Choose Discord (real-time, casual) or Slack (professional, threaded). Add a paywall tool if you want paid access.

If you want a branded mobile app:

Choose Mighty Networks ($33-$119/month). The branded app creates a premium experience.

If you primarily deliver live sessions (not community):

Skip the community platform. Choose Talkspresso ($0/month) for session delivery. Build community through free social media channels instead.

If you want everything in one place:

Choose Kajabi ($149-$399/month) for community + courses + email + website. Most expensive, most features.

Bottom Line

Circle is an excellent community platform. If community is your product, Circle or Skool is the right choice.

But for many coaches and creators, community is not the product. It is the audience. The product is the live session, the workshop, the coaching call. And for that, you need session delivery tools that community platforms do not provide.

Talkspresso gives coaches and creators built-in HD video, scheduling, payments, automatic recording, and AI summaries for live sessions. No monthly fee. It pairs perfectly with a community platform, or it stands alone for creators who do not need community infrastructure.

Know what your product is. Choose the platform built for that product.

For a full breakdown, see our 9 best platforms for paid video calls or read how creators sell paid video calls to their followers.

For a full breakdown, see our 9 best platforms for paid video calls or read how creators sell paid video calls to their followers.

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Trauma informed cultural language tutor & Art Life Coach