Teachable vs Circle: Course School or Community Platform?
Short answer
Teachable is a course school from USD 39 a month (USD 29 billed annually) with a 7.5% fee on Starter and none on Builder or Growth. Circle is a community platform from Professional at USD 89 a month billed annually (USD 99 monthly) with a 2% paywall fee. Teachable lists a 7-day free trial on plan cards; Circle lists a 14-day trial with no card.
On this page 5 sections
At a glance
| Plan | Teachable StarterUSD 39/moVisit site (opens in new tab) | Lowest fees at USD 5kTeachable BuilderUSD 89/moVisit site (opens in new tab) | Circle ProfessionalUSD 99/moVisit site (opens in new tab) | Circle BusinessUSD 219/moVisit site (opens in new tab) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 7.5% | None | 2.0% | 1.0% |
| Card processing | Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30 (US cards) | Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30 (US cards) | Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30 (US cards) | Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30 (US cards) |
| What it is | Online course school: courses, coaching, digital products | Online course school: courses, coaching, digital products | Community platform: spaces, courses, events, live streams | Community platform: spaces, courses, events, live streams |
| Entry paid plan | Starter USD 39/mo (USD 29/mo billed annually) | Starter USD 39/mo (USD 29/mo billed annually) | Professional USD 89/mo billed annually (USD 99 monthly) | Professional USD 89/mo billed annually (USD 99 monthly) |
| Other plans | Builder USD 89 (69 annual); Growth USD 189 (139 annual) | Builder USD 89 (69 annual); Growth USD 189 (139 annual) | Business USD 199 (219 monthly); Scale USD 419 annual; Circle Plus custom | Business USD 199 (219 monthly); Scale USD 419 annual; Circle Plus custom |
| Platform fee on sales | Partial (7.5% on Starter; none on Builder or Growth) | Partial (7.5% on Starter; none on Builder or Growth) | Professional 2%; Business and Scale 1%; Circle Plus 0.5%; plus Stripe | Professional 2%; Business and Scale 1%; Circle Plus 0.5%; plus Stripe |
| Processing | Teachable Payments or third-party; processor fees apply | Teachable Payments or third-party; processor fees apply | Stripe; help centre notes Stripe Billing on subscriptions | Stripe; help centre notes Stripe Billing on subscriptions |
| Community spaces | Partial (Course-centred; not a Circle-style space community on pricing page) | Partial (Course-centred; not a Circle-style space community on pricing page) | Yes (20 / 30 / 100 spaces by plan; unlimited members) | Yes (20 / 30 / 100 spaces by plan; unlimited members) |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on plan cards | 7-day free trial on plan cards | Yes (14 days, no card) | Yes (14 days, no card) |
| Fees at USD 5k/mo | −USD 589 | −USD 264 | −USD 394 | −USD 464 |
| You keep at USD 5k/mo | USD 4,411 (88.2%) | USD 4,736 (94.7%) | USD 4,606 (92.1%) | USD 4,536 (90.7%) |
| USD 5k/mo = USD 5,000 gross from 100 one-time sales, US cards, monthly billing. Sources: www.teachable.com (opens in new tab) · support.teachable.com (opens in new tab) · support.teachable.com (opens in new tab) · support.teachable.com (opens in new tab) · circle.so (opens in new tab) · help.circle.so (opens in new tab). | ||||
Teachable vs Circle at a glance. Prices checked 28 Oct 2026. At USD 5,000 from 100 one-time sales, US cards.
Teachable Starter
USD 39/mo
- Platform fee
- 7.5%
- Card processing
- Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30
- What it is
- Online course school: courses, coaching, digital products
- Entry paid plan
- Starter USD 39/mo (USD 29/mo billed annually)
- Other plans
- Builder USD 89 (69 annual); Growth USD 189 (139 annual)
- Platform fee on sales
- Partial (7.5% on Starter; none on Builder or Growth)
- Processing
- Teachable Payments or third-party; processor fees apply
- Community spaces
- Partial (Course-centred; not a Circle-style space community on pricing page)
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial on plan cards
- Fees
- −USD 589
Teachable Builder
USD 89/mo
- Platform fee
- None
- Card processing
- Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30
- What it is
- Online course school: courses, coaching, digital products
- Entry paid plan
- Starter USD 39/mo (USD 29/mo billed annually)
- Other plans
- Builder USD 89 (69 annual); Growth USD 189 (139 annual)
- Platform fee on sales
- Partial (7.5% on Starter; none on Builder or Growth)
- Processing
- Teachable Payments or third-party; processor fees apply
- Community spaces
- Partial (Course-centred; not a Circle-style space community on pricing page)
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial on plan cards
- Fees
- −USD 264
Circle Professional
USD 99/mo
- Platform fee
- 2.0%
- Card processing
- Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30
- What it is
- Community platform: spaces, courses, events, live streams
- Entry paid plan
- Professional USD 89/mo billed annually (USD 99 monthly)
- Other plans
- Business USD 199 (219 monthly); Scale USD 419 annual; Circle Plus custom
- Platform fee on sales
- Professional 2%; Business and Scale 1%; Circle Plus 0.5%; plus Stripe
- Processing
- Stripe; help centre notes Stripe Billing on subscriptions
- Community spaces
- Yes (20 / 30 / 100 spaces by plan; unlimited members)
- Free trial
- Yes (14 days, no card)
- Fees
- −USD 394
Circle Business
USD 219/mo
- Platform fee
- 1.0%
- Card processing
- Stripe 2.9% + USD 0.30
- What it is
- Community platform: spaces, courses, events, live streams
- Entry paid plan
- Professional USD 89/mo billed annually (USD 99 monthly)
- Other plans
- Business USD 199 (219 monthly); Scale USD 419 annual; Circle Plus custom
- Platform fee on sales
- Professional 2%; Business and Scale 1%; Circle Plus 0.5%; plus Stripe
- Processing
- Stripe; help centre notes Stripe Billing on subscriptions
- Community spaces
- Yes (20 / 30 / 100 spaces by plan; unlimited members)
- Free trial
- Yes (14 days, no card)
- Fees
- −USD 464
Fees at real revenue levels
| Plan | You keep at USD 1,000/mo | You keep at USD 5,000/mo | You keep at USD 20,000/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | USD 851fees −USD 149 | USD 4,411fees −USD 589 | USD 17,761fees −USD 2,239 |
| Teachable Builder | USD 876fees −USD 124 | USD 4,736fees −USD 264 | USD 19,211fees −USD 789 |
| Circle Professional | USD 842fees −USD 158 | USD 4,606fees −USD 394 | USD 18,721fees −USD 1,279 |
| Circle Business | USD 732fees −USD 268 | USD 4,536fees −USD 464 | USD 18,801fees −USD 1,199 |
Assumes one-time sales at a USD 50 average price (so USD 1,000 = 20 sales), US cards, monthly billing, each platform's native payments. Excludes taxes, refunds and payout fees.
Change the numbers to match your business:
What you keep, by platform
Keeps the most
You keep $4,736.00 (94.7%)
Teachable Builder keeps the most at $5,000.00/mo gross.
1. Teachable Builder
$4,736.00 kept · 94.7%
- You keep $4,736.00
- Platform fee $0.00
- Processing $175.00
- Plan cost $89.00
Total fees $264.00 · effective fee 5.3%
Visit Teachable (opens in new tab)2. Circle Professional
$4,606.00 kept · 92.1%
- You keep $4,606.00
- Platform fee $100.00
- Processing $195.00
- Plan cost $99.00
Total fees $394.00 · effective fee 7.9% · −$130.00/mo vs Teachable Builder
Visit Circle (opens in new tab)3. Circle Business
$4,536.00 kept · 90.7%
- You keep $4,536.00
- Platform fee $50.00
- Processing $195.00
- Plan cost $219.00
Total fees $464.00 · effective fee 9.3% · −$200.00/mo vs Teachable Builder
Visit Circle (opens in new tab)4. Teachable Starter
$4,411.00 kept · 88.2%
- You keep $4,411.00
- Platform fee $375.00
- Processing $175.00
- Plan cost $39.00
Total fees $589.00 · effective fee 11.8% · −$325.00/mo vs Teachable Builder
Visit Teachable (opens in new tab)
- Circle runs one-time paywall sales through Stripe Invoicing, which adds 0.4% per paid invoice (included above).
- Teachable's custom Stripe gateway (2% fee for US schools) isn't modelled.
Estimates only. Excludes taxes/VAT, refunds, chargebacks and payout fees unless stated. Not financial advice.
Last checked 28 Oct 2026 · Prices from teachable.com/pricing and circle.so/pricing. Circle paywall fees also from Circle help: paywall transaction fees.
Plans side by side
| Tier | Teachable | Circle |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Starter: USD 39/mo monthly, USD 29/mo annual, 7.5% fee | Professional: USD 89/mo annual, USD 99 monthly, 2% |
| Mid | Builder: USD 89 / 69, no platform fee | Business: USD 199 annual, USD 219 monthly, 1% |
| Upper | Growth: USD 189 / 139, no platform fee | Scale: USD 419/mo annual, 1% (monthly list unconfirmed separately) |
| Top | Contact sales (custom) | Circle Plus: custom, 0.5% |
Circle’s page data has listed Scale at the same USD 419 figure on monthly and annual in some snapshots; this page only states the annual figure confidently.
What you pay at USD 3,000 of sales
Example: USD 3,000 of student or member payments in a month on US cards. Stripe at 2.9% + USD 0.30 on 100 × USD 30 ≈ USD 117. Circle subscriptions may add Stripe Billing (~0.7%, ≈ USD 21) per Circle help.
| Setup | Plan fee | Platform cut | Processing (approx) | Rough total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter (annual) | USD 29 | 7.5% = USD 225 | ~USD 117 | ~USD 371 |
| Teachable Builder (annual) | USD 69 | none | ~USD 117 | ~USD 186 |
| Circle Professional (annual) | USD 89 | 2% = USD 60 | ~USD 117 + ~USD 21 | ~USD 287 |
| Circle Business (annual) | USD 199 | 1% = USD 30 | ~USD 117 + ~USD 21 | ~USD 367 |
Arithmetic on published fee formulas only; not a live checkout.
Who each fits, based on published features and pricing
This is a reading of the published pages, not a hands-on test.
- Teachable’s published features fit creators whose product is a course school (and who can leave Starter’s 7.5% fee when volume rises).
- Circle’s published features fit creators whose product is a paid community with spaces, events and courses inside the same membership.
See also Teachable pricing, Circle pricing, Skool vs Circle, Mighty Networks vs Circle and Skool vs Teachable.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Teachable cheaper than Circle?
On list prices, Teachable Starter at USD 39 a month (USD 29 annually) is lower than Circle Professional at USD 89 billed annually. Fees differ: Starter takes 7.5% of sales; Circle Professional takes 2% plus Stripe.
Which is better for courses?
Both sell courses. Teachable is built as a course school. Circle includes courses beside community spaces, events and live streams. Choose from whether the product is a school or a membership community.
Which is better for community?
Circle, on published features: spaces, feed, events and live streams are core. Teachable's pricing page centres on courses, coaching and digital products rather than a community OS.
Do both take a cut of payments?
Teachable: 7.5% on Starter only; Builder and Growth list no platform transaction fee. Circle: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, 0.5% on Circle Plus, plus Stripe (and Stripe Billing on subscriptions per Circle help).
What trials do they offer?
Teachable plan cards say 7-day free trial. Circle lists 14 days with no card. Teachable also mentions a 30-day money-back period on pricing/FAQ copy.
Can I run both?
Some creators host courses on Teachable and community on Circle (or Skool). That means two subscriptions and two member logins unless you integrate carefully.