Online course platforms
Circle review
Creators and brands where the community is the product, with courses and paywalls added on.
We check it out so you don’t have to.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend things we believe are useful. Read our full disclosure.
- What it is
- Community platform
- Best for
- Community-first memberships
- Price
- $89/mo billed annually; 14-day free trial, checked October 26, 2026
- Prices checked
- October 26, 2026
We researched Circle's official pricing, plan terms, product pages and help documentation. We haven't used Circle ourselves, so this is a research-based review, not a hands-on test.
Who it’s best for
- Creators and brands that want a paid or free community with courses and events.
- Coaches who run cohorts, live sessions and member discussions in one place.
- Businesses that want their own branded mobile app (Circle Plus).
Who should skip it
- Probably not worth it if you only need a simple course site or a free chat group.
How it works day to day
This part draws on Circle’s own product pages, help center and documentation, read October 26, 2026 (listed under Sources). We haven’t used Circle ourselves.
Day to day, members post in spaces, join events and live streams, and take courses, on the web or in the apps. Admins moderate posts, schedule events and, on Business and Scale, automate tasks with workflows.
Key features in use
- Spaces for discussions, courses and events.
- Live streams and live rooms.
- Payments for paid memberships and courses.
- Workflows to automate onboarding and tagging (Business and up).
- Circle AI features, with AI credits by plan.
Setup and learning curve
Start the 14-day trial, create your spaces, set up payments and invite members. Circle has templates and help articles for common community setups.
Integrations
Circle connects with Zapier and lists other integrations on its site. Email Hub adds email newsletters as a paid add-on.
Support
Circle has a help center and support for customers.
Real-world use cases
- A coach runs a paid membership with weekly live sessions.
- A software company hosts a customer community.
- A creator sells a cohort course with discussion spaces.
What it costs
Prices checked October 26, 2026, from Circle’s own pricing page unless noted. Prices change often, so check the official page before you buy.
- Professional: $89 a month billed annually. 3 admins, 20 spaces, 2,500 AI credits, 2% transaction fee.
- Business: $199 a month billed annually. 5 admins, 30 spaces, 20 workflows, 1% transaction fee.
- Scale: $419 a month billed annually. 10 admins, 100 spaces, unlimited workflows, 5,000 AI credits, 1% transaction fee.
- Circle Plus (branded apps): custom pricing, 0.5% transaction fee. Email Hub add-on: from $99 a month for 10,000 contacts.
- 14-day free trial without a card; 30-day money-back guarantee.
What we like
- Unlimited members, courses and events on every plan.
- iOS and Android apps for members.
- Built-in payments, live streams and Zapier connection.
- 14-day free trial without a card and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What to watch for
- Workflows are not included on Professional.
- Transaction fees apply (2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale).
- Email Hub is an extra $99 a month and up.
The fine print
- Listed prices are for annual billing.
- Admin seats, spaces and AI credits are capped by plan.
- Live streams are capped by plan (100, 200 or 500 attendees).
The main alternative: Kajabi
Kajabi is the closest alternative when courses and sales come first. It bundles courses, a website, email marketing and checkout, with community as one part of the package.
What it costs: $179/mo, or $143/mo billed yearly (Basic), checked October 26, 2026
Pick Circle if you…
- want community, courses and events under one login.
- want member apps on iOS and Android.
- want a trial without a card before committing.
Pick Kajabi if you…
- care more about selling courses than running discussions.
- want email marketing included without an add-on.
Our take
Circle is a strong community platform with courses, events, live streams and member apps in one place, plus an easy trial. Watch the transaction fees and the Email Hub add-on. If courses and sales are the main event, compare Kajabi.
Side by side
| Company | Best for | Starting price | Trial / refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circle | Community-first memberships | $89/mo billed annually; 14-day free trial, checked October 26, 2026 | 14-day trial, money-back offered |
| Kajabi | All-in-one: courses, email, site, funnels | $179/mo, or $143/mo billed yearly (Basic), checked October 26, 2026 | Free trial, 30-day money-back |
From our company records. Check the official pages for current prices.
What we checked
- Circle's pricing page and plan terms, read October 26, 2026
- Kajabi's details: its pricing and feature pages, read October 26, 2026
- Circle's feature pages, help-center articles and integration pages, read October 26, 2026
Sources
How we review
We read the company's own terms, test the sign-up or booking steps where we can, and compare it with alternatives. A commission never changes what we write. Read our disclosure.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend things we believe are useful. Read our full disclosure.