Community Platforms Pricing Comparison 2026
5 products · prices verified daily · ✓ AI-verified 6h ago
The cheapest community platforms in 2026 is Skool at $7.5/mo. We compared 5 community platforms products — Discourse, Skool, Heartbeat, Circle, Mighty Networks — with prices verified on April 21, 2026. 1 of 5 offer free plans.
Community Platforms in 2026: What the Data Shows
Market Overview
Online community platforms in 2026 split by purpose. 'Creator/course business communities' (Circle $89-199+/month, Mighty Networks $79-354/month, Skool $9-99/month): community + courses + events for creators monetizing audience. 'Team/creator hybrid' (Heartbeat $40-766/month annual): features similar to Circle but positioned for both creators + SaaS customer communities. 'Open forum/discussion' (Discourse $0-500+/month hosted): category leader for technical communities, product forums, knowledge bases. Transaction fees are the critical pricing lever: Skool Hobby 10% / Pro 2.9% (vs Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 standard), Circle 2% Professional / 1% Business / 0.5% Plus, Mighty Networks 2% Launch / 1% Scale / 0.5% Growth, Heartbeat 5% Build / 2.5% Grow / 1.25% Scale. For a community generating $10,000/month in paid memberships, transaction fees range $125-1,000/month on top of subscription cost. Skool's 'all plans unlimited members/courses/videos/live calls' simplicity wins for creators wanting to focus on content. Circle dominates SMB community management with best enterprise features at Plus tier. Mighty Networks has distinctive 'host' metric (people who can add content) vs pure members. Heartbeat offers branded mobile app at Scale tier unique at category. Discourse is category standard for technical/product forums with open-source self-host option.
Key Buying Criteria
First: what type of community? Creator monetizing audience (courses + membership + community): Skool $99/month Pro (simplest, 2.9% transaction fee) or Circle Professional $89/month (2% transaction fee + richer features). Course creator with video streaming needs: Mighty Networks Launch $79/month (20 streaming hours for 100 viewers). Team or SaaS customer community with integrations: Heartbeat Build $40/month annual or Circle Professional $89/month with integrations. Technical/product forum with discussions: Discourse Pro $100/month or self-host free. Second: transaction volume matters? High volume ($10K+/month paid memberships): Circle Plus custom (0.5% fees), Mighty Growth $354/month (0.5% fees), Skool Pro $99/month (2.9% — high vs competitors at same volume). Low volume (<$2,000/month): any tier reasonable. Third: branded mobile app? Mighty Pro custom (white-label app) or Circle Plus (optional branded apps) or Heartbeat Scale $766/month annual. Fourth: open source optionality? Discourse offers self-hosted free (Ruby on Rails open-source project) — genuine escape hatch from hosted pricing. Other vendors are proprietary. Fifth: member count? Heartbeat tiers cap: Build 350 members, Grow 5,000, Scale unlimited. Other platforms generally unlimited on all tiers but transaction fees + storage matter. Sixth: live streaming + video? Mighty Networks has dedicated streaming hours (20-40/month) + viewer limits (100-1,000). Circle includes live streams with courses. Skool has unlimited live calls. Heartbeat has native video 50-200 hrs (Grow-Scale). Discourse focuses on text forums not video. Seventh: AI agents / automation? Circle Plus custom pricing includes AI Agents. Mighty Pro has custom automations. Heartbeat Grow+ has unlimited workflows. Eighth: email capability? Heartbeat includes white-label emails at Grow+. Circle offers Email Hub add-on starting $99/month for 10,000 contacts. Mighty integrates with Kit (ConvertKit) at Scale+.
Our Recommendation
For most creators monetizing audience with courses + community: Skool Pro at $99/month ($1,089/year with 2 months free yearly) — unlimited members + courses + videos + live calls + 2.9% transaction fee. Simplicity wins for creators focused on content not platform management. For community managers wanting richer features: Circle Professional at $89/month (2% transaction fee) — courses, discussions, events, live streams, custom branding, 14-day free trial. Upgrade to Business at $199/month (1% transaction fee, 500 GB storage, workflows, API access) when scaling beyond 1,000 members. For course creators with video streaming primary: Mighty Networks Launch at $79/month — 20 streaming hours/100 viewers + 200 GB + 2% fees. Scale tier $179/month for Kit integration + event charging. For customer/team communities with SaaS integrations: Heartbeat Build at $40/month annual ($490/year) — 350 members + unlimited channels + Zapier/Zoom. Grow at $124/month annual ($1,490/year) for 5,000 members + unlimited workflows + white-label emails. For technical/product forums: Discourse Free (2 staff, 500k page views) or Pro $100/month for custom themes + API + plugins. Self-host free for organizations with Rails expertise. Skip Circle Plus custom pricing unless AI Agents + branded apps specifically required. Skip Mighty Pro unless white-label branded mobile app is non-negotiable.
What to Watch Out For
Transaction fees are the largest hidden cost. Skool Hobby's 10% fee on $1,000/month memberships = $100 lost to Skool, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. Upgrade to Skool Pro ($99/month) brings fees to 2.9% — breakeven at ~$1,100/month in memberships. Circle Professional's 2% on $10,000/month = $200 in Circle fees + $290 Stripe = $490 total. Compare Business ($199/month + 1% = $100 + Stripe $290 = $389 + sub $199 = $588 total) vs Professional ($89 sub + $200 + $290 = $579). For $10k/month memberships, Circle Business is break-even vs Professional. Mighty Networks 2% Launch → 1% Scale → 0.5% Growth fee structure makes Growth attractive at $10k+/month revenue despite $354/month base. Skool Hobby's 10% fee is meant to push creators to Pro tier fast — do not use Hobby beyond evaluation. Heartbeat's 5% fee on Build tier is highest in category — budget Pro+ if running paid community. Circle Plus 'custom pricing' starts around $5,000+/month based on industry reports — only for large enterprise communities. Mighty Pro requires custom strategy team + branded app commitment, typically $10,000+/month. Annual billing saves 17% on Heartbeat Build/Grow vs 10% on Scale — aggressive annual incentives. Mighty Networks 14-day free trial is at Growth Plan level (not the tier you'll ultimately pay for) — features you evaluate may not exist in Launch tier you commit to. Heartbeat Build's 350-member cap is genuinely limiting — only 1-2 months of growth before Grow tier forced at $124/month. Discourse hosted 'Free' plan (2 staff, 500k page views, 5 GB storage) is meant for evaluation, not production — serious forums need Starter $20/month minimum. Branded mobile app features (Mighty Pro, Circle Plus, Heartbeat Scale) require App Store + Google Play Developer Accounts separately ($99/year Apple + $25 Google one-time) — not included in platform fees.
| | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||||
| Starting Price | $20/mo | $7.5/mo | $40/mo | $89/mo | $79/mo |
| Renewal Price | Same | Same | Same | Same | Same |
| Free Plan | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Free Trial | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
| Pricing Model | tiered-with-self-host-option | two-tier-transaction-fee-differentiator | tiered-member-capped | tiered-plus-addons | tiered-with-host-metric |
| Plans | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| | | | | | |
| Features | |||||
| | | | | | |
How We Track Prices
Prices are scraped directly from vendor websites and verified against published pricing pages. We check for changes daily and update this page automatically when prices change. Last verified: 2026-04-21.
All prices shown are in USD, fetched and verified from United States-based servers. Prices in your region may differ due to local pricing, taxes, or currency conversion. We show the lowest available tier unless otherwise noted. Some products offer introductory pricing that increases on renewal — we show both where applicable.
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Head-to-Head Comparisons
See how community platforms products stack up against each other — plans, pricing, and features side by side.
Explore Alternatives
Explore Individual Product Pricing
Deep dive into each community platforms product — full plan breakdowns, renewal prices, features, and our editorial verdict.
More Ways to Explore Community Platforms
Quick Pricing Summary
| Product | From | Free Plan | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7.5/mo | No | 9.2/10 | |
| $20/mo | Yes | 8.8/10 | |
| $40/mo | No | 8.6/10 | |
| $79/mo | No | 8.9/10 | |
| $89/mo | No | 9.3/10 |
Building Your Business Stack?
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the cheapest community platforms in 2026?
- Skool is the cheapest option starting at $7.5/mo. Prices are verified daily against the vendor's website.
- Which community platforms platforms have a free plan?
- Discourse offers a free plan. See the comparison above for feature limits on each free tier.
- What's the average cost of community platforms?
- The average starting price across 5 community platforms products is $47/mo for the lowest paid tier.
- Which community platforms has the best value for money?
- Circle scores 9.3/10 in our analysis with plans starting at $89/mo, making it the highest-rated option in this category. Scores factor in pricing, features, and reliability.
- Do community platforms prices increase on renewal?
- Most community platforms providers lock in your rate for the initial term. We verify pricing daily and flag any renewal price increases the moment they appear. Check each product's pricing table for renewal details.
- What hidden costs should I watch for with community platforms?
- Common hidden costs include onboarding or setup fees, overage charges when you exceed plan limits. Our pricing tables show all tiers and per-unit costs so you can calculate your actual spend before signing up.
- How often do community platforms prices change?
- We verify community platforms pricing every 24 hours against each vendor's live pricing page. On average, SaaS providers adjust pricing 1-2 times per year. StackScored detects changes the same day they go live.
- Can I switch community platforms providers easily?
- Switching depends on data portability and contract terms. Most community platforms platforms offer data export, but migration complexity varies. Check each product's plan details for contract length — avoid annual commitments until you've tested the product. Several community platforms providers offer free trials to help you evaluate before committing.