PaywallTools monetization wizard

Best Communities & Courses in 2026.

Platforms for selling community access, courses, and coaching

Circle

Professional $89/mo. Business $199/mo (lower transaction fees, branded apps add-on). Circle Plus: custom pricing for large-scale businesses. 0% transaction fee on Professional and above.

Community platform with courses and memberships

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

Ease 4/5 · Fees 3/5 · Conversion 3/5

Kajabi

Basic $143/mo, Growth $199/mo, Pro $399/mo (annual billing). Kajabi Payments: 2.7-2.9% + $0.30. 0-2% fee on 3rd-party payment providers depending on plan.

All-in-one platform for online courses and memberships

Most complete all-in-one platform: courses, community, email, coaching, and website builder. Most expensive option but covers everything.

Ease 4/5 · Fees 1/5 · Conversion 4/5

Skool

$99/month flat. 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee.

Simple community and course platform

Simplest community + courses platform. $99/month flat fee regardless of members. Gamified engagement with leaderboards. Popular in the indie creator space.

Ease 5/5 · Fees 3/5 · Conversion 3/5

Whop

3% platform + Stripe fees (~5.7–7.2% all-in)

Sell communities, courses, and software access

Best for selling community access, Discord groups, and bundled digital products. Not MoR.

Ease 4/5 · Fees 4/5 · Conversion 3/5

Thinkific

No free plan. Basic $49/mo ($36/mo annual). Start $74/mo. Grow $149/mo. 0% transaction fee.

Create and sell online courses and memberships

One of the most popular course platforms. 0% transaction fee on all plans including free. Strong for course creators who want control without Kajabi's price tag.

Ease 4/5 · Fees 4/5 · Conversion 3/5

Teachable

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

Sell online courses and coaching

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.

Ease 4/5 · Fees 3/5 · Conversion 3/5

Podia

No free plan (removed 2024). 30-day free trial. Mover $39/mo ($33/mo annual, 5% fee). Shaker $89/mo ($75/mo annual, 0% fee).

All-in-one platform for courses, memberships, and digital products

Simpler and cheaper than Kajabi. Combines courses, memberships, and digital product sales in one tool. No transaction fees on paid plans.

Ease 5/5 · Fees 3/5 · Conversion 3/5

Mighty Networks

Courses $33/mo (3% transaction). Business $99/mo (2%). Path-to-Pro $360/mo (0%).

Community platform with courses and memberships

Community-first platform with courses and live events. Native mobile apps for members. Has transaction fees on lower tiers. Competes directly with Circle and Kajabi.

Ease 4/5 · Fees 3/5 · Conversion 3/5

How to choose

  • Match the tool's category and best-for tags to your stack.
  • Decide if you need a merchant of record (global tax handled) or DIY billing.
  • Weigh paywall and A/B testing capabilities against fee competitiveness.
  • Compare ease of setup against the depth of advanced billing you need.

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