Courses & Learning · Review · Updated 16 October 2026
Skool reviewCommunity, courses and events in one simple app, with gamification to keep members active
Excellent
Brent score, out of 5
Skool is the simplest way to run a paid community with courses and live calls in one place, and its points and levels system does a good job of keeping members engaged. It is deliberately basic: no quizzes or certificates, no email marketing, no custom domain and limited design control. Pick Hobby while you test an idea, and move to Pro once your community earns more than roughly $1,270 a month, when the lower fee pays for itself.
Price
From $9/month (Hobby) plus transaction fees
Free option
Free trial
Best for
Coaches and creators launching a paid community with a course inside it
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Best for
- Coaches and creators launching a paid community with a course inside it
- YouTubers who want to turn viewers into a members-only group
- Course sellers whose Facebook group has become hard to manage
- Anyone who wants one simple tool instead of stitching together forum, LMS and payments
Skip it if
- Training providers that need quizzes, certificates or SCORM-style reporting
- Brands that need a custom domain, custom CSS or a white-label app
- Sellers who want built-in email marketing, funnels or checkout pages
Your free Facebook group is busy, but the algorithm hides your posts, your course lives on another platform, your live calls sit in Zoom links people lose, and payments run through a third tool. Members drift away because nothing pulls them back.
Skool puts all of that in one place: a community feed, a classroom for courses, a calendar for live calls and built-in payments. Its signature feature is gamification. Members earn points for posting and commenting, climb levels, and can unlock content as they level up.
This review breaks down what each plan really costs once transaction fees are included, what Skool does well, and the gaps that send some creators to Circle, Kajabi or Mighty Networks instead.
What is Skool?
Skool is a hosted platform for running online communities and courses. Each group has a discussion feed, a classroom where you organize lessons with video, text and files, a calendar for events that shows in each member's time zone, member chat, and a leaderboard. You can make the group free or charge a subscription through Skool's own payments, and you can gate courses by member level or by purchase. Members use it on the web or in the iOS and Android apps, and public groups can be found through Skool's discovery directory.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Feed, classroom, calendar, chat and leaderboard in one clean app that members learn in minutes
- Unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls on both plans
- Points and levels can unlock courses, which rewards participation
- Built-in subscription billing, so you can charge for membership without extra tools
- iOS and Android apps with push notifications for members
- Flat, simple pricing with no add-ons to unlock features
What could be better
- Hobby takes a 10% transaction fee, which is expensive once you have real revenue
- No quizzes, assessments, certificates or advanced course reporting
- No native email marketing, funnels or official API; integrations go through Zapier or webhooks
- No custom domain or custom CSS, and each extra community needs its own subscription
Overall
Excellent
- Features4.0
- Ease of use4.8
- Value4.3
- Support4.0
Key features of Skool
Community feed
A Facebook-group-style feed where members post, comment and like, organized by categories you set. Posts are not hidden by an algorithm, so announcements reach your members.
Classroom (courses)
Organize lessons into courses with video, text, worksheets and attachments, with video hosting built in. Courses can be open to all, unlocked at a member level, or sold as a one-time purchase.
Gamification and leaderboards
Members earn points for posting, commenting and taking part, rise through levels, and appear on a leaderboard. Tying course access to levels gives members a concrete reason to take part.
Calendar and live events
Schedule group calls and Q&As that display in each member's local time. Attach a Zoom or YouTube Live link, and members get reminders and see the event in the feed.
Payments and memberships
Charge a monthly or yearly membership through Skool's built-in billing. Pro adds a member affiliate program, so members can earn by referring others.
Mobile apps
Members can post, comment, message, watch lessons and join events from the iOS and Android apps, with push notifications that bring them back to the group.
Skool pricing
Checked 2026-10. Prices can change; confirm on Skool’s site.
Hobby
$9/month
billed monthly (yearly option available)
- Unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls
- 10% transaction fee
- 1 admin
- Custom URL and affiliates
Pro
$99/month
billed monthly (yearly option available)
- Everything in Hobby
- 2.9% transaction fee
- More admins and pro plugins
- Option to hide suggested communities
Watch out: Prices are listed in dollars without a named currency; the transaction fee on paid memberships is the real cost, and Pro becomes cheaper than Hobby at roughly $1,270/month in community revenue.
See current Skool pricing →What people use Skool for
Coach launching a paid group
A fitness coach charges $29/month for a Skool group with a 6-week program in the classroom and two live calls a week on the calendar. Members who reach level 3 unlock an advanced program, which keeps them posting.
YouTuber building a members' area
A tech YouTuber links a free Skool group under every video, shares templates in the classroom, and later adds a paid tier. Discovery and the leaderboard help new members find the most helpful regulars.
Course seller replacing three tools
A creator who used a Facebook group, a separate course host and Stripe links moves everything into one Skool group. Members log in once, and the creator manages content, events and billing from one place.
How to get started with Skool
- 1
Start the free trial and name your community.
- 2
Set up feed categories and write a welcome post with group rules.
- 3
Upload your first course module to the classroom.
- 4
Add your first live call to the calendar.
- 5
Set your membership price, invite your first members, and decide on Hobby or Pro before the trial ends.
Skool alternatives
| Product | Choose it when |
|---|---|
| Skool 4.3 | Coaches and creators launching a paid community with a course inside it |
| Circle | Choose it if you need more branding control, custom domains and deeper community settings. |
| Kajabi | Choose it if you want courses, email marketing, funnels and a website builder in one tool and can pay more. |
| Mighty Networks | Choose it if you want a branded mobile app and more course features such as quizzes. |
Skool: frequently asked questions
How much does Skool cost?+
Skool has two plans: Hobby at $9/month and Pro at $99/month. Hobby takes a 10% transaction fee on paid memberships and Pro takes 2.9%. Both include unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls.
Is Skool free?+
There is no permanent free plan for group owners, but there is a free trial; most sources put it at 14 days with a card required. Joining other people's groups as a member can be free, depending on the group.
Is Hobby or Pro better?+
Hobby is cheaper while revenue is low. Because Pro's fee is 2.9% instead of 10%, Pro works out cheaper once your community earns roughly $1,270 a month, and it also adds more admins and pro features.
Can I use my own domain on Skool?+
Not a full custom domain. Groups live on skool.com with a custom URL path, and design customization is limited, with no custom CSS.
Does Skool have quizzes and certificates?+
No. The classroom supports video, text and files with level- or purchase-based unlocks, but there are no quizzes, assessments or completion certificates.
Can I sell courses on Skool?+
Yes. You can charge for membership to the whole group or sell individual courses as one-time purchases, using Skool's built-in payments.
Final verdict
Is Skool worth it?
If you want a community that members actually come back to, with your course and live calls in the same place, Skool is the fastest way to get there. Start the free trial, set up your feed and first course in an afternoon, and invite your first members before you decide which plan fits your revenue.
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Reviewed by
Amjid Ali, Founder and editor
Amjid Ali is a Melbourne-based AI and automation lead, author of five books on infrastructure, automation and digital transformation, and a corporate trainer whose courses on n8n, Proxmox, firewalls and ERP have taught thousands of IT professionals.
Last updated 16 October 2026 · How we review
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