Circle vs Passion.io (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 13, 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
Passion.io
Branded mobile app for courses, memberships and community
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 Passion.io if
- Fits if your audience would rather use an app than a website
- Works for creators who already sell courses and want a mobile home for them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it free, as there is no free plan or trial
- Pricey if you want your own branding, which needs Scale at $279 a month
- Tight if you want a store listing under your name, since that needs Expand at $599 a month
- Watch out: Apple, Google and Stripe fees apply on top of the PassionPayments fee, which the page gives as 3.9% on Launch
- Watch out: Passion Plus has no published price
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACircleGood | 1.6GPAPassion.ioWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | DLaunch is $119 a month on annual billing, but your own branding needs Scale at $279 and your own store listing needs Expand at $599, in the dearest tenth where courses tools start at $143. |
| 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 and no trial on the pricing page. |
| 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. | CYour own app, courses with drip content, communities, an AI coach, in-app payments, push notifications and offline mode. Its focus is the app, a smaller job than a full course platform. |
| 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 branding an app and its store listing is real work. |
| 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 2 integrations on record. No desktop program. |
| Best for | a branded community with courses and events | a creator wanting a course in their own app |
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 Passion.io. 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. Passion.io starts at $119 a month and scores 2.3.
Circle scores higher and starts $30 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Circle for less, and 12 score higher than Passion.io 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.
- Passion.io also covers app builder and chatbots.
At a glance
| Circle | Passion.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly) | $119 per month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Circle | Independence284, Inc. |
| Price read from | circle.so | passion.io |
| 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.
Passion.io
- There is no free plan or trial listed on the pricing page; the cheapest plan is $119 a month on yearly billing.
- Your own branding needs Scale, and a store listing under your name needs Expand at $599 a month.
- Apple, Google and Stripe processing fees apply on top of the PassionPayments fee, which the page gives as 3.9% on Launch.
- Passion Plus has no published price.
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.
Passion.io
- Your own app
- Customers get an app for courses, videos and memberships. Your own branding starts on Scale, and a store listing under your name on Expand.
- Courses and drip content
- Interactive courses with quizzes, progress tracking and timers, released on a schedule; advanced drip content starts on Scale.
- Communities and messaging
- Group communities, chats and one-to-one messages inside the app; advanced versions from Scale.
- AI coach
- A context-aware AI coach trained on your content answers members, with monthly Conversational AI messages that rise by plan.
- In-app payments
- One-off and subscription payments, with a PassionPayments fee that falls from 3.9% on Launch to 1.9% on Passion Plus.
- Push notifications and offline mode
- Unlimited push notifications and offline mode are listed on Expand.
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.
Passion.io
Launch$119
per month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Your own app, basic communities and drip content, one-to-one messaging, courses priced up to $10k, email support and 3,000 AI messages. PassionPayments fee 3.9%.
Scale$279
per month, billed annually ($349 billed monthly)
Everything in Launch, plus your own branding, Zapier, advanced communities, DMs and drip content, chat support and 7,500 AI messages.
Expand$599
per month, billed annually ($699 billed monthly)
Everything in Scale, plus an App Store and Google Play listing, Apple and Google Pay, unlimited users, products and videos, offline mode and 20,000 AI messages.
Passion PlusCustom
Price agreed on request. Adds custom analytics, fast content migration, app submission by the vendor, a success manager and 60,000 AI messages.
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.
Passion.io
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page says annual billing saves 20% against paying month to month: Launch $119 instead of $149, Scale $279 instead of $349, Expand $599 instead of $699.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Circle or Passion.io?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Circle is cheaper to start with: $89 a month, against $119 a month for Passion.io. Circle starts at $89 per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly), and Passion.io starts at $119 per month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Circle or Passion.io?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Circle nor Passion.io has a free plan. Circle has 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.