# Groups.io review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Email discussion groups with files, calendar and wiki Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Groups.io hosts email-based discussion groups, positioned as an alternative to listserv software. Members can post by email or on the web, and paid groups add shared files, photos, a wiki, a calendar with RSVPs, chat and databases. Small groups are free; larger ones pay by the member. - **Category:** Courses & Communities - **Made by:** Groups.io, Inc. - **Website:** https://groups.io - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Tight if you have more than 100 members, as free stops there. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Groups.io has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per month minimum, at $0.04 per member. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Core email group for up to 100 members with 1 GB of attachment storage and no files, photos, calendar, chat or wiki. - **Free trial:** 30-day free trial of Premium, no card needed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Core email group for up to 100 members, 1 GB attachment storage, no files, photos, calendar, chat, wiki or integrations. | | Premium | $20 per month minimum, at $0.04 per member | 30 GB storage, files, photos, wiki, calendar, chat and member data. Annual: $0.44 per member, minimum $220 a year. | | Enterprise | $200 per month and up, commercial ($100 non-profit) | White-label web and email, single sign-on, 1 TB storage and custom home page, plus $0.10 to $0.20 per member. | Read from https://groups.io/static/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Groups.io before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **One month free on annual Premium** (Annual discount): Premium billed annually is $0.44 per member with a $220 minimum, and the pricing page says it includes one month free. Source: https://groups.io/static/pricing - **50% off Enterprise for nonprofits** (Nonprofit): Legally recognized non-profits get a 50% discount on the Enterprise plan after verification. Source: https://groups.io/static/pricing ## Key features - **Email-first groups:** People can take part by email or on the web, and the site says it does not sell member data to advertisers. - **Files, photos and wiki:** Premium and Enterprise groups share files and photos and keep a wiki. Attachments count toward storage; messages do not. - **Calendar with RSVPs:** Single and recurring events with reminders, attendee limits with a wait list, guests, attendee export and printable name tags. - **Paid memberships:** Premium and Enterprise groups can charge for membership tiers through their own Stripe account. This is in early access and needs approval. - **Enterprise options:** White-label web and email, a custom domain, single sign-on and a customizable home page. ## Good for - Clubs, user groups and projects that prefer email discussion - Groups moving off a listserv or Google Groups ## Worth knowing - The free plan stops at 100 members and has no files, calendar, chat or wiki. - After the 30-day trial a group with more than 100 members must pick a paid plan to continue. - Premium is billed per member, so cost grows with the list. - Paid Memberships is in early access and has to be requested from support. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Groups.io runs email groups that people can use by email or on the web. Free stops at 100 members with no files, calendar or wiki, and Premium costs $0.04 per member with a $20 monthly minimum. - **Value for money: B.** Premium is $20 a month minimum at $0.04 per member, the cheaper-quarter line of the category. - **Free plan and trial: C.** Free is a core email group for 100 members with 1 GB of attachments and no files, calendar, chat or wiki, and a 30-day Premium trial without a card. - **Features: B.** Email-first groups, files, photos, wiki, calendar, chat and paid memberships on Premium. Paid memberships is in early access. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You set up groups, settings and members. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web and email, with Stripe and Google Calendar listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Groups.io's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among course and community platforms - Groups.io's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 83 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on value for money (B, above 79 of 98) and worst on ease of use (C, above 23). - Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $36 for the category: 16 of the 65 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/courses-communities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Groups.io you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 83 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade. It costs $240 a year. - You could make: Wiki and calendar: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. - You could not: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Stripe, Google Calendar **Tags:** Community, Wiki, Calendar, Team chat ## Alternatives - [Loomio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/loomio): Group decision-making software for organizations and co-ops. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/groups-io-vs-loomio) - [Hylo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hylo): Free open-source platform for community groups and coordination. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/groups-io-vs-hylo) - [Discourse](https://toolgpa.com/tools/discourse): Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/discourse-vs-groups-io) - [NodeBB](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nodebb): Open-source forum software with managed hosting plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/groups-io-vs-nodebb) - [Bettermode](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bettermode): Branded community platform with Q&A, events and AI search. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bettermode-vs-groups-io) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://groups.io/ - https://groups.io/static/pricing Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/groups-io Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).