PaywallTools monetization wizard

Circle vs Teachable: Which is right for you? (1970)

TL;DR

  • Choose Circle if your stack already leans in that direction.
  • Choose Teachable if your stack already leans in that direction.
  • Both work for: courses, memberships, creators, coaching.

Circle

Professional from $89/month. 0% transaction fee.

Clean community platform for creators and coaches. Courses, live streams, events, and memberships in one place. 0% transaction fee on all plans.

Teachable

Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo.

Established course platform with a simple no-code builder. Free plan has transaction fees; paid plans are more cost-effective at volume. Owned by Hotmart.

Pricing comparison

Pricing model
flat_monthly
freemium
Detail
Professional from $89/month. 0% transaction fee.
Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo.

Feature comparison

Circle
Teachable
Merchant of record
No
No
Paywalls
Yes
Yes
A/B testing
No
No
Tax handled
No
No
No-code
Yes
Yes
Open source
No
No
Ease of setup
4/5
4/5
Fee competitiveness
3/5
3/5
Conversion tooling
3/5
3/5
Advanced billing
2/5
2/5

Best for

Circle is best for Communities, Courses, Memberships, Creators, coaching, Digital products. Teachable is best for Courses, coaching, Creators, Memberships, Communities, Digital products.

FAQ

Is Circle better than Teachable?

Neither is universally better. Circle is the right pick if your stack already leans in that direction; Teachable wins if your stack already leans in that direction.

Which is cheaper, Circle or Teachable?

Circle ranks higher on fee competitiveness (3/5). Circle pricing: Professional from $89/month. 0% transaction fee.. Teachable pricing: Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo..

Can I switch from Circle to Teachable?

Yes — most subscription and billing tools support migration via CSV import or API. Expect to reconfigure webhooks, paywalls, and entitlements. Check both vendors' migration docs before committing.

Does Circle handle sales tax?

No. Circle does not handle tax registrations — you handle those yourself or via a separate tool.

All Circle alternatives →All Teachable alternatives →

Not sure which tool fits your project?

Answer 3 questions and get a personalized monetization stack recommendation.

Start the wizard