The Skool Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Skool in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Skool
The Insider’s Guide
Community platform with courses, events and paid memberships
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among course and community platforms, read from Skool’s own pages.
Made by Skool.com, Inc. · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Skool’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Skool’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 8 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade
Skool is a community-first platform where creators run a group with a discussion feed, a classroom of courses, a calendar of events and live calls. Members can be charged a subscription or a one-time course price, with payments, EU VAT and weekly payouts handled by Skool. Groups can also be found by members browsing Skool's own discovery pages.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Skool, taken from its own pages and our grades.
But it's deliberately simple, with no email, landing pages or quizzes, and payments only go through Skool.
- 1
Best for a paid community with courses inside
Once you're selling, Pro is cheap next to other community platforms.
- 2
Paid plans start at $9 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $9 per month, billed monthly.
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial of either plan
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Community feed and chat
A discussion feed organized by categories, with group rules, moderation tools, membership questions and member chat.
- 6
Classroom
Courses inside the group, which can be included in a membership, sold as one-time purchases, or unlocked as members reach a level.
- 7
Calendar and live calls
A group calendar of events and unlimited live calls hosted on Skool itself, from the browser or the mobile app.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 8 of 18
That is against the other course and community platforms we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Your call
You could make the core of Skool for yourself: online courses.
Skool at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $9 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of either plan
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Skool.com, Inc., since 2019
- Category
- Courses & Communities
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 3.8 on the App Store, 782 ratings
The report card
Best for a paid community with courses inside
Skool is a community first: a discussion feed, a classroom of courses, a calendar and live calls, with points and levels to keep people posting. Once you're selling, Pro is cheap next to other community platforms. But it's deliberately simple, with no email, landing pages or quizzes, and payments only go through Skool.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Graded against its alternatives, community platforms. Pro is $99 a month, $82.50 with yearly billing's 2 months free, and its 2.9% + 30 cents is card processing; Hobby's 10% would add $200 on $2,000 of sales. $82.50 beats Mighty ($119), Circle ($129) and Heartbeat ($140). |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan. There's a 14-day trial of either plan, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. Skool's payment policy gives no refunds on its fees after that. |
| Features | C | A feed, chat, a classroom of courses, a calendar, unlimited live calls on Skool itself, points and levels, payments with EU VAT and a discovery directory. It does the community job fully, but it's a smaller kit: no email, landing pages or quizzes in the listing. |
| Ease of use | C | 3.84 from 782 App Store ratings, just inside the C band. Starting a group looks simple, with a feed, a classroom and a calendar and nothing to wire up. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android, so members can join from anywhere. Integrations are thin, though: Zapier only, and only on Pro. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Skool is for
- Great if your business is a paid community and the course is part of the membership
- Handy when you run group coaching with regular live calls
- Good for owners who'd like members to find them in Skool's own directory
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to use your own Stripe account, as payments go through Skool only
- Not for you if you need email campaigns or landing pages, which aren't in the listing
- Tight if you leave Growth Boost on, since it takes 30% of recurring charges from members it brings
Good to know
Good for
- Creators building a paid community around a topic, with courses inside
- Coaches running group programs with live calls
- Owners who want members to find them through Skool's own directory
Worth knowing
- Hobby keeps 10% plus 30 cents of every sale. Payments go through Skool only; your own Stripe account cannot be connected.
- Growth Boost is on by default and takes 30% of recurring charges from members Skool brings in; it can be turned off.
- A custom URL, the affiliate program and the Zapier integration need the Pro plan.
- Skool's payment policy gives no refunds on its subscription fees.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9
A month to start
Skool is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $9 per month, billed monthly.
Graded against its alternatives, community platforms.
Hobby
$9
per month, billed monthly
Unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. Skool keeps 10% plus 30 cents of each sale. No custom URL, affiliates or Zapier.
Pro
$99
per month, billed monthly
Adds a custom URL, affiliates and Zapier. Fees fall to 2.9% plus 30 cents a sale up to $899, and 3.9% plus 30 cents above $900.
Trying it first
14-day free trial of either plan
Read from skool.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
2 months free with yearly billing
Skool's pricing page has a monthly and yearly switch and says yearly billing gives 2 months free.
Stated on skool.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Community platform with courses, events and paid memberships. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: online courses, community.
It does the community job fully, but it's a smaller kit: no email, landing pages or quizzes in the listing.
- Community feed and chat
- A discussion feed organized by categories, with group rules, moderation tools, membership questions and member chat.
- Classroom
- Courses inside the group, which can be included in a membership, sold as one-time purchases, or unlocked as members reach a level.
- Calendar and live calls
- A group calendar of events and unlimited live calls hosted on Skool itself, from the browser or the mobile app.
- Points, levels and leaderboards
- Members earn a point for each like their posts and comments get, and climb levels and leaderboards; owners can lock courses until a level.
- Payments and payouts
- Monthly, annual, freemium or one-time pricing. Skool processes cards, adds and remits EU VAT, and pays out weekly in local currency.
- Discovery and Growth Boost
- Groups can appear in Skool's discovery search. Growth Boost promotes a group and runs ads for it in exchange for a cut of members it brings.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Zapier
Skool is made by Skool.com, Inc., and has been around since 2019.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
8/18
Other course and community platforms it is graded above
Skool's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 17 of 18) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $9 a month, against a middle price of $41 for the category: 0 of the 17 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. Skool’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 17 of 18
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 18
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 18
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 18
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 18
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 19 course and community platforms. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Skool is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Your call
You could make the core of Skool for yourself: online courses.
What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $108 a year.
What you could make
- Online courses: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Skool’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Circle, Mighty Networks, Heartbeat, Kajabi and Disco
The 5 tools Skool is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Circle
Free trial · from $89/mo
Community platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps.
- Circle also covers workflow automation and email campaigns.
- 2.4GPA
Mighty Networks
Free trial · from $79/mo
Community platform with courses, livestreams and paid memberships.
- Mighty Networks also covers workflow automation.
- 2.6GPA
Heartbeat
Free trial · from $40/mo
Paid community platform with courses, events and member payments.
- Only Heartbeat lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Heartbeat also covers workflow automation.
- 2.0GPA
Kajabi
Free trial · from $143/mo
All-in-one platform for selling courses, coaching and communities.
- Kajabi also covers marketing automation, email campaigns and paid newsletters.
- 2.0GPA
Disco
Free trial · from $399/mo
Branded learning academy for cohort courses, community and AI help.
- Disco also covers surveys.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Skool free?
No, Skool is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial of either plan.
How much does Skool cost?
Skool lists 2 plans. Hobby: $9 per month, billed monthly.
What platforms does Skool work on?
Skool is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Skool offer any discounts?
Skool publicly lists the following: 2 months free with yearly billing.
How is Skool rated?
Skool's iPhone and iPad app averages 3.8 out of 5 from 782 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Skool have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Skool is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Skool have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Skool is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Skool open source?
Skool is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Skool integrate with?
Skool's listing names Zapier. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Skool?
Skool is made by Skool.com, Inc. It dates from 2019.
What are the alternatives to Skool?
The closest alternatives to Skool in our directory are Circle, Mighty Networks, Heartbeat, Kajabi and Disco.
How does Skool compare with other course and community platforms?
Skool's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 6.
Is Skool good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Skool B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9 a month, against a middle price of $41 for the category: 0 of the 17 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Skool?
You could make the core of Skool for yourself: online courses. What you would give up is listed below.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Skool’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Skool's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Skool.com, Inc. Prices change, so check skool.com before you buy.
- skool.com/pricing
- skool.com/about
- help.skool.com/article/86-subscriptions-faq
- help.skool.com/article/227-payment-terms-and-policy
- help.skool.com/article/56-zapier-integration
- help.skool.com/category/52-billing
- apps.apple.com/us/app/skool-communities/id6447270545
- play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skool.skoolcommunities&gl=US&hl=en
- help.skool.com/article/183-how-do-points-and-level-work
- help.skool.com/article/101-how-to-unlock-a-locked-course-or-an-event
- help.skool.com/article/193-how-to-change-plans
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Skool, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/skool
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Skool: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/skool
Know someone choosing between course and community platforms?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/skool/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded course and community platforms after Skool, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Courses & Communities Insider's GuideEvery one of the 19 course and community platforms we grade, compared
- Circle Insider's GuideCommunity platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps2.8 GPA
- Simplero Insider's GuideAll-in-one platform for courses, community, email and coaching2.8 GPA
- systeme.io Insider's GuideAll-in-one marketing suite with funnels, email, courses and community2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Skool’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Skool is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Skool.com, Inc. Prices and plans change: check skool.com before you buy.