Circle vs Khoros (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 1.6.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Circle grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
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
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 Khoros if
- Fits if you run a large brand community and buy through a sales team
- Works for companies that want community and social listening from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before you talk to anyone, because none is published
- Not for you if you want self-serve sign-up or a free try, as none was found
- Not for you if you are a small team, as it is aimed at enterprises
- Watch out: the old khoros.com address now redirects to khoros.ai
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACircleGood | 1.6GPAKhorosWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | CNo price is published and every plan is sold through sales, so the cost is unverified and graded in the middle. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or self-serve trial was found on the site. |
| 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. | CAn AI community platform, automated moderation, analytics, AI social management and listening. It covers the job, but is aimed at enterprise customers. |
| 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. An enterprise rollout with a sales process and a setup project. |
| 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. | CWeb only, and the pages read name no integrations. |
| Best for | a branded community with courses and events | enterprise communities and social media |
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 Khoros. How we grade
Where they differ
- Circle also covers workflow automation, email campaigns and online courses.
- Khoros also covers AI search.
At a glance
| Circle | Khoros | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Circle | Khoros, LLC |
| Price read from | circle.so | Not confirmed |
| 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.
Khoros
- No prices are published; every plan is sold through sales, so cost could not be verified.
- Aimed at enterprise customers; no self-serve sign-up or free plan was found on the site.
- The old khoros.com address now redirects to khoros.ai.
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.
Khoros
- Aurora AI community platform
- A branded community where customers ask and answer questions, with AI-assisted self-service aimed at deflecting support tickets.
- Automated moderation
- Lists automated moderation, gamification and lifecycle management for community members.
- Community analytics
- Surfaces trends, sentiment and signals from community activity.
- Iris AI social management
- Handles publishing, scheduling and engagement routing across social channels.
- Social listening
- Monitors social sources in 187 languages, according to the vendor.
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.
Khoros
Pricing could not be confirmed. See khoros.com.
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.
Khoros
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Circle or Khoros?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Circle starts at $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly), and Khoros has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Circle or Khoros?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Circle nor Khoros has a free plan. Circle has a free trial.
Which platforms do Circle and Khoros run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Circle lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.