Circle vs Outseta (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 2.2.
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 and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
Outseta
Memberships, billing, CRM, email and help desk in one platform
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 Outseta if
- Fits if you run a small software or membership business and want one account for billing and CRM
- Works for founders who would otherwise stitch together a CRM, email tool and help desk
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your list grows: every plan has a contact cap and it goes from $37 to $697 a month
- Skip it if you want a free plan, because there is only a 14-day trial
- Watch out: a 2% or 1% payment fee applies on top of Stripe's, except on Max
- Watch out: payments need a Stripe account
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACircleGood | 2.2GPAOutsetaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$37 a month billed yearly for 1,000 contacts, between the $29 cheaper quarter and $49 middle of courses and communities tools. It steps up to $697 at 100,000 contacts. |
| 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 14-day free trial with every feature, but the page doesn't say whether a card is needed. No free plan. |
| 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. | BPayments, subscriptions, sign-up, gating, a CRM, email automations, a help desk and an API. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| 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. Several tools to configure: payments, CRM, email and help desk. |
| 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 and Webflow connections, an API, webhooks and MCP access. |
| Best for | a branded community with courses and events | memberships, billing, CRM and email in one place |
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 Outseta. 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. Outseta starts at $37 a month and scores 2.7.
Circle scores higher, and starts $52 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 none scores higher than Outseta 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 online courses.
- Outseta also covers marketing automation and help desk.
At a glance
| Circle | Outseta | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $37 per month for 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($47 monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial with access to every feature |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Circle | Outseta |
| Price read from | circle.so | outseta.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.
Outseta
- Every plan carries a contact cap, and the monthly price steps up from $37 at 1,000 contacts to $697 at 100,000 (billed annually).
- Outseta charges a 2% or 1% fee on payments on top of Stripe's own fees, except on the Max plan.
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- Payments run through Stripe, so a Stripe account is required.
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.
Outseta
- Payments and subscriptions
- Connects to Stripe to sell memberships, subscriptions and one-time products, with individual and group memberships.
- Sign-up, login and gated content
- Adds member authentication and locks pages or content to specific plans on a site you already run.
- Built-in CRM
- Tracks prospects and customers in one place alongside their billing and activity.
- Email campaigns and automations
- Sends marketing and transactional email to segments built from the member data.
- Help desk
- Handles customer support tickets from the same account, with unlimited team logins.
- API, webhooks and MCP access
- Every plan lists webhooks and MCP / API access for connecting other tools.
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.
Outseta
Start$37
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($47 monthly)
2% Outseta transaction fee on top of Stripe's fees; unlimited team seats. Price rises with the contact tier.
Scale$97
per month for up to 10,000 contacts, billed annually ($127 monthly)
Transaction fee drops to 1%; same features as Start.
Pro$197
per month for up to 25,000 contacts, billed annually ($247 monthly)
1% transaction fee and priority support from the team that builds the software.
Max$697
per month for up to 100,000 contacts, billed annually ($897 monthly)
No Outseta transaction fee and priority support.
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.
Outseta
- Annual discount
About 25% off with yearly billing
The pricing page shows lower monthly rates on yearly billing, for example $37 instead of $47 for Start, and describes the saving as about 25%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Circle or Outseta?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Outseta is cheaper to start with: $37 a month, against $89 a month for Circle. Circle starts at $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly), and Outseta starts at $37 per month for 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($47 monthly).
Which has a free plan, Circle or Outseta?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Circle nor Outseta has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Circle and Outseta 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.