Circle vs Mighty Networks
We give Circle a 2.8 GPA and Mighty Networks a 2.4, out of 4.0. Circle grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features 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
Mighty Networks
Community platform with courses, livestreams and paid memberships
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACircleGood | 2.4GPAMighty NetworksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | CGraded against its alternatives, community platforms. Launch is $79 a month billed yearly ($950 a year) plus Mighty's 2%, $40 on $2,000 of sales: $119 a month. Cheaper than Circle ($129) and Heartbeat ($140), dearer than Skool Pro ($82.50). |
| 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. | CNo free plan. The 14-day trial runs on the Growth plan with no card needed, so you try features Launch doesn't have. |
| 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. | BSpaces, feeds and chat, cohort and self-paced courses with quizzes, certificates and SCORM, native livestreams, member matching, gamification and payments in hundreds of currencies. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job. |
| Ease of use | A4.87 from about 86,000 App Store ratings, the strongest record in this category. Members open the app and they're in. | CNo App Store rating on record. The AI Cohost drafts a landing page, branding and a starter template, which helps, but there's still a community to shape. |
| 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, iPhone and Android. Zapier, Kit, Google Analytics, MCP and the API (5,000 requests a month) start on Scale. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | a branded community with courses and events | memberships with livestreams and cohort courses |
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 Mighty Networks. 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. Mighty Networks starts at $79 a month and scores 2.7.
Circle scores higher, and starts $10 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 2 score higher than Mighty Networks 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 starts at $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly). Mighty Networks starts at $79 per month, billed annually ($950 a year).
- Circle also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| Circle | Mighty Networks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $79 per month, billed annually ($950 a year) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial on the Growth plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Circle | Mighty Networks |
| Price read from | circle.so | mightynetworks.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Circle
- Creators and brands whose main product is a community
- Communities that also sell courses and run live events
- Teams that want automations and an API around their community
Mighty Networks
- Hosts running a paid membership with courses and live events
- Communities whose members mostly join from their phones
- Brands that want their own app with a managed launch team
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.
Mighty Networks
- Mighty takes 2% of each sale on Launch, 1% on Scale and 0.5% on Growth and Mighty Pro.
- The pricing page gives annual-billing prices and says annual billing gives 2 months free; monthly-billing figures are not shown.
- Zapier, Kit, Google Analytics, affiliate integrations and API access need Scale or higher.
- Apps under your own brand are only in Mighty Pro, which is priced through sales.
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.
Mighty Networks
- Spaces, feeds and chat
- Private groups and cohorts, activity feeds, questions and polls, chat spaces with threads, and online or in-person events.
- Courses
- On-demand, cohort-based and live courses and challenges, with quizzes, drip schedules, badges and certificates, and SCORM content.
- Livestreams
- Native livestreaming: 20 hours a month and 100 viewers per stream on Launch, up to 50 hours and 3,000 viewers on Mighty Pro.
- Member profiles and gamification
- A People Explorer that matches members, private messages and voice notes, a referral program, streaks, points and leaderboards.
- Payments
- Subscriptions, one-time prices, installments, tiers, free trials and promo codes, charged in hundreds of currencies.
- AI Cohost
- Starts each network from one question, drafting marketing copy, a landing page, a logo, brand imagery and a community template.
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.
Mighty Networks
Launch$79
per month, billed annually ($950 a year)
Unlimited members and spaces, courses, events, 3 hosts, 10 moderators, 20 streaming hours a month. Mighty takes a 2% transaction fee.
Scale$179
per month, billed annually ($2,150 a year)
Adds Zapier, Kit and Google Analytics, 5,000 API requests a month and MCP, more automations, 5 hosts. 1% transaction fee.
Growth$354
per month, billed annually ($4,250 a year)
Advanced automations, SSO, email white-labeling, growth expert sessions, priority support, migration help, 10 hosts. 0.5% fee.
Mighty ProCustom
Your own branded iOS and Android apps, full community management services, advanced data reports and custom storage. 0.5% fee.
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.
Mighty Networks
- Annual discount
2 months free with annual billing
Mighty Networks' pricing page says annual billing gives 2 months free: Launch is $950 a year, Scale $2,150 and Growth $4,250.
