Circle vs Disciple Media (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Circle: it is first in our ranking of course and community platforms, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Circle grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Circle
Community platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps
Disciple Media
White-label community app for iOS, Android and web
Which one is for you
Pick Circle if
- Fits if the community is your product and courses and events hang off it
- Works for brands that want their own domain and website around the community
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you also need email campaigns, as Email Hub starts at $19 a month extra
- Skip it if you want an app under your own name, which is only in custom-priced Circle Plus
- Tight if you outgrow 20 spaces and 3 admins on Professional
- Watch out: Circle takes 2% of each sale on Professional and 1% on Business and Scale
- Watch out: workflows, the API and removing branding need Business at $199 a month; AI agents and webhooks need Scale
Pick Disciple Media if
- Fits if you want your own app in the stores with your brand on it and can pay $599 a month
- Works for organisations with a paying audience that runs groups and livestreams
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $599 a month is the floor, and $999 for Pro
- Watch out: unlimited items on the plans are subject to fair usage
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there isn't one
- Watch out: Zapier and unlimited courses are on the $999 plan only
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACircleGood | 1.8GPADisciple MediaWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its alternatives, community platforms. Professional is $89 a month billed yearly plus Circle's 2% of sales, $40 on $2,000: $129 a month. That's mid-pack, above Skool Pro ($82.50) and Mighty Networks ($119), below Heartbeat ($140). | D$599 a month billed yearly is four times the $149 where the dearest tenth of courses and communities tools starts. The page's metadata quotes GBP, so the dollar figure may be a conversion. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with no card needed, which is enough to set up spaces and invite a few people. | DA free trial with support, but the page doesn't say how long it lasts or whether a card is needed. |
| Features | BSpaces with posts and chat, courses, events, live streams and rooms, paid memberships, a website builder, gamification and AI credits on every plan. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job; workflows and the API just start on Business. | CBranded app, feeds, groups, messages, livestreaming, courses and a page builder. The listing's gap: Zapier and unlimited courses need the $999 plan. |
| Ease of use | A4.87 from about 86,000 App Store ratings, the highest rating on record in this category. Members open the app and they're in. | CNo store rating on record. Building and launching a branded app is a project, with the vendor's console and support. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, Slack, HubSpot, Mailchimp and Teachable, plus an API and MCP on Business. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Zapier, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho connections. No desktop app. |
| Best for | a branded community with courses and events | a white-label community app under your own name |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Circle and Disciple Media. How we grade
Price against what you get
Circle starts at $89 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Disciple Media starts at $599 a month and scores 2.3.
Circle scores higher and starts $510 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Circle for less, and 13 score higher than Disciple Media for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Circle also covers workflow automation and email campaigns.
At a glance
| Circle | Disciple Media | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $599 per month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | Free trial with support; length not stated |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Circle | Disciple Media |
| Price read from | circle.so | disciple.community |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Circle
- Circle takes 2% of each sale on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale and 0.5% on Circle Plus.
- Email Hub costs extra on top of any plan except Circle Plus: $19 a month for up to 1,000 contacts, $99 at 10,000.
- Workflows, the API and removing Circle branding need Business; AI agents and webhooks need Scale.
- An app under your own name in the app stores is only in Circle Plus, which is priced through sales.
Disciple Media
- Entry price is $599 a month billed yearly, with no free plan.
- Unlimited items on the plans are subject to fair usage, and prices exclude sales tax.
- The page's search metadata quotes GBP prices (from £449 a month), so the dollar figure shown may be a conversion.
- Zapier and unlimited courses need the $999 plan.
Key features
Circle
- Spaces, discussions and chat
- Members join topic spaces for posts and chat, with a member directory, rich profiles and gamification. Professional allows 20 spaces.
- Courses
- Courses live inside the community on every plan, and course migration from another platform is free on annual Business plans and above.
- Events and live streams
- Live events, live streams and live rooms: Professional covers 100 stream attendees, 15 room participants and 10 hours.
- Payments and website
- Paid memberships and products through Circle's checkout, a website builder and a custom domain on every plan.
- Workflows, API and AI
- Business adds workflows, APIs and an MCP server; Scale adds AI agents, AI moderation and webhooks. Extra AI credits cost $10 per 1,000.
- Email Hub
- An optional add-on for broadcasts, scheduled campaigns, sign-up forms, segments and marketing automations to contacts and members.
Disciple Media
- Your own branded app
- Publishes a white-label app listed under your brand on iOS and Android, plus a web version.
- Feeds, groups and messages
- Gives members a feed, group chats, direct messages, events and a member directory.
- Livestreaming and courses
- Hosts livestreams and courses, with multi-host livestreams on the Pro plan.
- Page builder
- Lets your team build home screens section by section.
- Ways to earn
- Subscriptions, in-app purchases, sponsorship and donations are listed as monetization options.
- Integrations
- Open API, webhooks and Zapier, and CRM sync with more than 100 CRMs on the Organisation plan.
Plans
Circle
Professional$89
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Unlimited members, courses, events, website, payments, apps, 3 admins, 20 spaces, 2,500 AI credits. Circle takes 2% of each sale.
Business$199
per month, billed annually ($219 billed monthly)
20 workflows, APIs and MCP, custom profile fields, branded emails, no Circle branding, 5 admins, 30 spaces. 1% transaction fee.
Scale$419
per month, billed monthly or annually
AI agents and AI workflows, unlimited workflows, webhooks, custom SSO, 10 admins, 100 spaces, 5,000 AI credits. 1% transaction fee.
Circle PlusCustom
Custom branded iOS and Android apps, unlimited admins and spaces, Email Hub with 10,000 contacts, a dedicated expert. 0.5% transaction fee.
Disciple Media
Branded App$599
per month, billed yearly
Branded iOS, Android and web app, 5 admin seats, 10 groups, 1 monetizable course and 10k video minutes.
Branded App Pro$999
per month, billed yearly
Unlimited admin seats, groups and monetized courses, 20k video minutes, multi-tier pricing and Zapier.
Organisation$3,400
per month and up, billed yearly
Tailored proposal with SSO, CRM sync, bespoke development and migration support; sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Circle
- Annual discount
Lower monthly price with annual billing
Circle's pricing lists Professional at $89 a month billed annually against $99 monthly, and Business at $199 against $219. Scale costs the same either way.
Disciple Media
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page says yearly billing includes 2 months free compared with the quarterly option.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Circle or Disciple Media?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Circle is cheaper to start with: $89 a month, against $599 a month for Disciple Media. Circle starts at $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly), and Disciple Media starts at $599 per month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Circle or Disciple Media?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Circle nor Disciple Media has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.