Circle vs MemberSpace (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 2.0.
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 and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and 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
MemberSpace
Add memberships and gated content to a site you already have
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 MemberSpace if
- Fits if you have a site on Squarespace, Wix or Webflow and want a members area on it
- Works for a creator selling one or two paid tiers
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have steady sales: Starter takes 5% of every sale
- Tight if you want an API or the AI connection, which are on the $99 Growth plan
- Watch out: Starter allows one website connection
- Watch out: the site builder is a separate cost, since it runs on top of another site
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACircleGood | 2.0GPAMemberSpaceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | C$39 a month billed yearly plus a 5% fee on sales, against a $49 middle for courses and communities tools. Growth is $99. |
| 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 7-day free trial on any plan, but the page doesn't say whether a card is needed. A 30-day money-back guarantee follows. |
| 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. | CMembership on any site, free and paid tiers, member spaces, migration and automations. The listing's gap: Starter allows one website connection and API access is on Growth. |
| 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. You add a snippet to your site and set up plans and gated pages. |
| 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 only, with Stripe, Zapier, Squarespace, WordPress, Webflow and Wix connections and an admin API on Growth. |
| Best for | a branded community with courses and events | adding memberships to a site you already have |
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 MemberSpace. 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. MemberSpace starts at $39 a month and scores 2.3.
Circle scores higher, and starts $50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Circle for less, and 4 score higher than MemberSpace 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.
- MemberSpace also covers paid newsletters.
At a glance
| Circle | MemberSpace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $39 per month, billed annually, plus a 5% fee on sales |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Circle | MemberSpace |
| Price read from | circle.so | memberspace.com |
| 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.
MemberSpace
- The Starter plan takes a 5% fee on every sale and allows one website connection.
- API access and the AI connection are on the $99 Growth plan only.
- The pricing page shows annual rates; a monthly option is offered but its price was not shown in the page text.
- It runs on top of another site, so the site builder is a separate cost.
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.
MemberSpace
- Membership on any site
- Installs on an existing site and locks pages, files or videos behind a member login.
- Free and paid tiers
- Sells one-time, payment-plan and recurring access, with free trials of any length.
- Spaces for members
- Offers community forums, content libraries, courses, newsletters, coaching areas and directories to members.
- Member migration
- Imports members from another platform at no charge.
- Analytics and automations
- Reports revenue and activity and sends automatic emails.
- Admin API and AI connection
- Growth adds API access and a way to connect a ChatGPT or Claude account to analyze member data.
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.
MemberSpace
Starter$39
per month, billed annually
5% MemberSpace fee on each sale on top of Stripe's fees; unlimited members and tiers, 5 member spaces, 1 website connection.
Growth$99
per month, billed annually
2% fee on each sale; unlimited spaces, 3 website connections, admin API access and ChatGPT or Claude connection.
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.
MemberSpace
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Circle or MemberSpace?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MemberSpace is cheaper to start with: $39 a month, against $89 a month for Circle. Circle starts at $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly), and MemberSpace starts at $39 per month, billed annually, plus a 5% fee on sales.
Which has a free plan, Circle or MemberSpace?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Circle nor MemberSpace has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Circle and MemberSpace 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.